Chapter 51: Unsettled Ripples

　　Section 1: Back into the Light of Day　　Dancing spots of light flashed before my eyes. My body instinctively wanted to swim towards the light, but reason told me to paddle in the opposite direction. I held my breath, reluctantly obeying, and let the water's buoyancy carry me upwards instead. A few seconds later, I finally broke through the surface!　　Huff!Fresh air rushed into my lungs. Bright sunlight warmed my face. All around, snow-capped mountain peaks stretched into the distance...　　"Teacher Dan! Feng Shao!" Treading water anxiously, I searched for my teammates, but there was no one in sight on the water's surface.　　"Where are they? Where'd they go?" I called out twice, but got no response.　　Just then, a splashsounded beside me. Two heads surfaced one after the other. They spat out the water in their mouths and noses, then called each other's names loudly.　　"Hinson! Feng Shao!"　　"Hinson! Teacher Dan!"　　Seeing my teammates safe and sound filled me with immense relief. I quickly urged them to swim to shore.　　"Where's the shore? I'm not wearing my glasses!"　　"Teacher Dan, swim straight ahead! Keep going straight!"　　"Got it!"　　"Keep it up! Almost there!"　　"Okay!"　　"Everybody, hold on! We go in together, we come out together!"　　...　　The lake water was bitterly cold, almost freezing the life out of me. The three of us, soaked in the icy water, reminded and encouraged each other as we swam towards the nearest shore. I don't know how long we flailed about, but we finally escaped the freezing water and crawled onto land.　　"Hurry! Hurry and change clothes!" Teacher Dan's teeth were chattering uncontrollably from the cold. He was the first to pull dry clothes and a towel from his pack, and without hesitation, shoved them into my hands.　　I was trembling all over from the cold too, not daring to waste a second. I changed my wet underclothes at a speed I'd never achieved in my life.　　"Alive... we're alive..." I collapsed onto the ground, exhausted. My eyes took in the blue sky and white clouds I'd longed for so much. I savored the sight, letting the biting cold wind raise goosebumps all over my skin.　　"Get up and put more clothes on!" Teacher Dan hadn't even finished putting on his own down jacket yet, but he frantically threw a fleece jacket onto my face, as if I'd freeze to death if I was a second late.　　"I got a fire going, come get warm!" Feng Shao had lit a gas stove nearby. The dancing flames brought precious warmth to our icy bodies.　　Teacher Dan turned the stove to its highest setti