Page 54 of Validus Vale Academy 1
Donovan, who’d obviously been listening, smirked, flexed a little, then dove into the water. Not long after, I’d been in my underwear, being held in the cool water by Wes and Donovan. “I’m not sure about this, guys. I mean, I could happily just spend my whole life on land. There’s really no need to get into deep water.”
“Now, now, Tee-Tee,” Donovan had scolded. “You never know when you could fall off a ferry. Gotta teach you how not to drown.”
“He’s right—for once,” Wes had nodded. “You learn to swim, then it’s one less thing I’ll worry about when it comes to your safety.”
They’d been so patient with my nerves, gently guiding me until I could float unaided. Though the water had muffled my hearing, I’d still heard Donovan’s words. “So beautiful. She’s ours, Wes. She’s perfect and ours forever.”
My first thought was that he couldn’t really mean that—but I knew he had.
And I felt it too. Something more than reality had woven those two gorgeous men into my life. It was as though the air fizzed and glittered whenever we were together. How had I managed to survive for this whole time without their touch, their presence, their very existence?
Gods, my heart constricts with longing.
“Theo?” Willow’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and the saddest sigh in the world leaves my body.
“I’m good,” I say.
She gives me a quick side hug. “You’ll pick it up quickly. I’ll help.”
Help? Oh, right. The swimming class.
“Yum, you guys smell that maple syrup?” Duncan grins as we enter the hall, then adds, “I’m going to drown my pancakes in it. Ooh, on that note, I don’t think I’ve ever met a non-swimmer before.”
“Duncan!” Willow swats him, and I just smile.
I don’t know much about my new friend’s back-stories, but I imagine they both grew up in sprawling mansions with shimmering, heated pools and now swim like mer-people. My own childhood was drastically different. The nearest public pool had been a couple of bus rides away, a rare treat.
“And I’ve never met anyone so obsessed with pancakes,” I reply, giving him a nudge.
“Fair, fair,” Duncan nods. “Talking of which, pick up the pace, ladies.”
We join the line, and things start promisingly; I manage to eat a piled-high plate without any of the usual side-eye or petty harassment. After we’ve dutifully bussed our dishes, Duncan, with a cheerful wave, heads off in one direction, while Willow and I set off to the gleaming, state-of-the-art aquatic center.
In the locker room, I locate the fabled ‘spares’ Duncan had mentioned. OK, this is going to be interesting.
The swimsuits are sleek, black, and high-cut, and every single one of them looks like it could comfortably house at least two of me.
“Find what you need, Theo?” Willow asks as she strips off her sweatpants.
A gaggle of Ordinarii girls snickers in my direction. “Do you think she gets all her clothes from the lost and found?” one of them snarks. “That, or just steals them from other people. Make sure you lock up your valuables, girls,” another replies.
Gods, these bitches are ridiculous. I quickly but clumsily get changed. The suit bags around my body in all the wrong places. Grabbing a towel, I turn around and realize I’m the last one left in the echoing locker room.
Better hustle.
Stepping into the warm natatorium, I hear my name being bellowed across the space. “Wilson, you’re late.” Professor Feniks stands with his hands firmly planted on his hips, and I catch his eye.
He’s acting fierce and taps his watch in impatience, but there is also a hint of warmth in his tone. I quickly move to join the other students perched on the bleachers. That’s when I notice a crucial accessory I’m lacking—everyone else has a sleek cap molded to their head. Willow is tugging hers down, meticulously ensuring every strand of her sandy hair is tucked securely inside. Whoops.
“Alright, finally,” Professor Feniks’s voice booms, cutting through the chatter of the pool deck. His eyes sweep over the students, pausing an extra beat on any who are still talking. The fierceness of the gaze is enough to shut them up immediately. “Today, I want to assess everyone’s swim proficiency. Groups of five, using every other lane—hundred meter freestyle.” He gestures towards the cluster of students closest to him, all Ordinarii, who chat amongst themselves as they cross the wet deck, then casually don goggles. Another piece of equipment I’m conspicuously missing.
As someone who still struggles to keep their head above water (literally and metaphorically), it’s incredibly intimidating towatch them hop onto the starting blocks with such ease, like it’s nothing special.
A hundred meters. How far exactlyisa hundred meters? It sounds like an awfully long way—maybe more than my doggie paddle can handle.
“Just tell him you can’t swim,” Willow whispers beside me as Professor Feniks raises a whistle to his lips. I stare as five students dive into the pool like perfectly aimed arrows shot from a bow. As they surface, all that can be seen are arms slicing through the water with practiced ease, and dark, glossy swim caps bobbing rhythmically.
“I need to get stronger, not wimp out,” I mutter, mostly to myself. Icanswim, just poorly. My words are lost in the cheers of students rallying on the swimmers who are nearly at the end of the race.
