Page 8 of A Monster Is Coming

Niamh surprised me by doing exactly as I asked, and she kicked her feet out. I know she struggled as I moved backward, swimming toward the shallow end.

My feet hit the edge of the pool, and now I was able to stand and simply walk back. Once we got to the center of the pool, I let Niamh go, and she got to her feet and stood. The water came to our chests, but it was safe enough for both of us.

“Thank you,” Niamh said.

“Do you think that is the end of your lesson?” I asked.

“I … I … just thank you.”

“Why did you go to the deep end of the pool if you didn’t know what you were doing?” I asked.

Niamh shrugged and at the same time tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. I figured it would all come to me on instinct. I didn’t exactly get a lot of time to learn to swim.”

“Your parents didn’t teach you?”

This made her laugh. “My parents didn’t have time for me.”

I saw how vague her answer was, and this made me smile. She was cautious. This was good. I didn’t have to worry about her telling anyone her little secret. The fewer people who knew meant it would be easier to keep her safe. In the small town of Pickle Quest, strangers were easy to detect, and the easiest way to be left alone was to blend in.

This is why I had joined the gym. It didn’t look like I was after anything in town, other than a job. I didn’t need a job. I had a job—Brigadier to Ivan Volkov with my own territory to run. For now, until my mission was complete, I would be a gym employee in Pickle Quest.

Ivan had to be fucking laughing at all of this.

“So you thought about throwing yourself into the deep end in the hope of not drowning?”

“I didn’t exactly think it through.”

“Well, at least I was here, and now your lessons can start. Come on, it’s time to get you ready to swim.” I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but it wouldn’t be hard. Unlike my brother and sister, I didn’t die that day, and I had no choice but to figure it out.

****

Niamh

Taking lessons from the new guy in town wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I decided to stay away from him. It had been three days since he arrived in town, and I already knew he’d made an impression.

Several women, young and old, married and single, had spotted him as well. I heard them talking at the diner about the new guy who worked at the gym.

The moment I arrived in town, after getting the job at the diner, along with a library card, which I rarely used, I also decided to join the gym.

My parents had often criticized me about my size. It had been never ending, so I decided to change myself completely. So far, I’d been able to lose a couple of pounds. I also found them in the food served at the diner. I wanted to look so different that my parents would never recognize me. I knew it would take dedication and time.

Losing weight had never been my strong point. I’d been placed on so many diets. My mom, in trying to impress my father, had even attempted to starve me. That didn’t work either. My weight was always a problem to them.

I thought swimming would help me the most. It was a lonely thing to do. I didn’t need anyone else to watch me, or keep an eye on my progress, and it worked a lot of muscles by simply going back and forth. This sounded like an awesome plan. The only problem was I didn’t know how to swim.

Since joining the gym, I had tried different machines and rooms to help me, but none of them worked.

This was supposed to be my solid solution. Now, the one guy I’d been determined to stay away from was the one person who insisted on helping me. This surprised me.

For the next two hours, he got me working on my stance, my posture, and working my body until it was at just the right angle. He wouldn’t allow me to let go of the side of the pool.

By the end of the session, my arms hurt, and my legs felt like they’d done a marathon rather than kicked out repeatedly to the same rhythm.

Peter called time to the lesson, and helped me out of the pool.

My legs ached and I knew I wasn’t going to have any trouble sleeping tonight. I was already so tired, but I had to get ready for my shift that started at nine.

“I want you back here tomorrow,” Peter said.

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