Secrets of the Deep [Wattpad Featured Story]

Chapter Ten

The water felt refreshingly cool when I dove in. As I glided forward, it enveloped my figure like a liquid blanket. My arms and legs were drawn taut in a streamline position. I dolphin-kicked my way to the surface and launched into freestyle as soon as I broke through. My whole body flew into action and propelled me forward. Faster! I coached myself. Faster...

In order to complete the 400 freestyle, I had to swim up and back twice. With each lap I pushed myself to go faster, never once glancing over my shoulder to see where the other swimmers were. I focused solely on myself, not worrying whether or not someone was going to pass me. It felt like no time had even elapsed when I slapped the tile and finished the race.

My chest heaved as I gasped for air, but a smile broke out on my face nonetheless. I whipped off my goggles and waved to Marley and Sage, who were jumping up and down, screaming my name.

"And first place goes to the swimmer in lane 5, Rayne Bennett, from Shady Cove High School!" the announcer bellowed. Hoots and hollers erupted from the crowd as I pulled myself out of the pool.

Sage and Marley were the first to dash over, immediately wrapping me in a large bear hug. "I'm positive you just broke a school record," Sage said in awe. "That was amazing! How do you swim so fast?"

"I don't know," I laughed. "I just swim!"

"Words of wisdom," Marley said solemnly, before letting out a laugh of her own. "But seriously, I'm glad you put you-know-who in her place."

Uh-oh. I turned and glanced at Madeleine, who was scowling at me as she climbed out onto the pool deck. "She's gotten first place one too many times," Marley explained. "It always goes to her head. I'm glad someone beat her for once!"

"And by a whopping six seconds!" Sage added.

I ducked my head shyly as my friends continued to rave about the race. Then someone placed their hand on my shoulder, and I glanced up to see my father smiling down at me. "Dad!" I cried.

"Hey, honey. Fantastic race," he congratulated me, giving me a brief hug. "And guess what?" He waved his phone animatedly in the air. "I got it all on video! Come take a look!"

Marley, Sage, and I crowded around him to watch the replay. The camerawork was a little shaky in the beginning, and Dad's voice could constantly be heard cheering me on in the background, but it was entertaining nonetheless. It was interesting to see myself in action for once. I realized I did look pretty fast, especially with my streamlined form, long limbs, and taut muscles glistening with water droplets. "Wow," I breathed.

"Wow is right," Marley exclaimed. "I mean, look at yourself! You only took five breaths the entire race!"

We all froze upon realizing the truth of her words. Sage, Marley, and Dad glanced up from the video to gape at me. "Hey, she's right," Sage said, awestruck. "How did you hold your breath for that long?"

"I've been training," I admitted, caught off guard by the question. I hadn't even realized I had held my breath for that long until Marley pointed it out. I guess all that training in the ocean had paid off.

"Training?" Dad echoed. "Since when?"

"Well, I don't know...maybe since last week? I started forcing myself to hold my breath for longer periods of time. You know, during swim practice," I explained, stretching the truth a bit. If Dad had known I was actually swimming in the ocean, he might not let me go hiking along the cliffs again. The crashing waves and dangerous current didn't exactly harbor safe conditions—and yet I had been in the ocean so many times that I was familiar with it by now.