Protected Abroad [AmazingPhil / Danisnotonfire]

Thirty-Two: Challenge

I mustered enough courage to inhale a breath, close my mouth; already begin exhaling through my nose. As I leaned my body forward I threw my hands, one a top the other, out my legs pushed the extra force I needed to propel myself. I drove into the water and felt the air left the feeling of my skin, replaced with the sensation of floating through water. My air was beginning to run out.

Once I broke the surface of the water again I gasped for air calmly. I brushed the hair out of my face as well as wipe the water from my face. It felt... Freeing. I moved my floating body to lay on the upper layer of water. My ears were underneath the water when I heard a door slam close multiple times. I motioned my body to tread water, my legs slowly kicking to match my arm's sweeping movements.

My eyes widened to a sight I thought I had escaped from. Three or four teen boys were standing on the deck of the pool in cut-offs and gym shorts.

"Hey, there she is, swimming all by herself." One said.

"Need a friend to keep you company? Hm?" This resulted in a few 'yeahs' and general agreement among the boys.

"N-no, thank you." I spoke quietly, hesitantly. I wasn't sure of myself and it probably showed in my voice. Nor was I sure that they heard me.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you darlin'."

"No, thank you." I projected my voice more than the time previous.

"Aw." The same boy continued speaking, and seemed to have the most leadership of the dimwits. "That's just too bad, right guys?" He said with poison. They began stripping off their shirts and shoes.

My voice had never been this loud, at least to my knowledge. "Dan! Phil! Phil! Dan!" I gasped for a breath. "DAN!" And another. "PHIL!"

The echo was loud and remained for sometime after the door was opened. Daniel rushed out first, dressed in swim trunks, his eyes were active, searching. Phil followed two seconds after in a lion onesie. I began swimming towards the farthest edge away from the group of half dressed intruders and clung on to the side until I lifted my self out to sit with my feet in the water.

"Get out. You're not supposed to be here." Dan said with malignancy I had never heard, clearly brought on by what was happening once he saw it.

"What are you going to do about it?" It was a taunting tone.

"I'll call the police. Do you want that news to be given to your parents?"

They began grumbling and collecting their articles of clothing before leaving through a door connecting the lobby and the pool. Phil began walking over to me, Dan stood resolute until the last of them had left.

"You're alright, right?"

"Yes... I'm fine. I just-"

"Yes?" He questioned eagerly. Daniel by this time had joined Phillip and me. "You don't have to tell me, but I'm here."

I hesitated telling them. I didn't exactly know what to tell them. 'Some guys working out saw me after you guys left and were cat-calling, as well as making similar crude remarks.' That never happened at home... Maybe British boys were different. I surely wasn't anymore attractive or ugly after moving continents.

"After you left, I walked by the gym where those..." I was looking for the right word to describe them. "Parasites. Were cat-calling me and making other similar remarks. I'm sorry I called out for you, but I didn't know what else to do."

"You did what you could, and was the correct thing to do." Said Dan.

"They aren't supposed to be in here anyways."

There was a prolonged silence afterwards that lasted for at least five seconds before I spoke, curiosity growing at every moment. "Why are you in a lion onesie?"

"The video. You'll see." Phillip answered. "Will you be fine alone, again?"

I nodded my head and they moved slowly back to the locker room. I stayed in my position, the high temperature of the room keeping me from freezing after my wet dive. The boys arrived soon, Daniel in a matching dinosaur onesie. They needed me to help with the camera so I dried off, at first very conscious of my vulnerable body.

"You're suit is great, by the way." Phil laid some of my lack of self confidence to rest.

"Yes, it's very... Almost steam-punk, but with no steam." Agreed Dan.

"Wouldn't you just say punk?" Phil retorted.

"Well, just, um... Shut up" He finally said. "Technicalities, Schmechnicalities."

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They filmed their peculiar race to satisfy the audience of the internet. Once they were finished, they stripped off their onesies to reveal swim trunks.

"Last one in's a rotten egg." Spoken by Dan which incited the two boys to jump in almost in sync to avoid being a 'rotten egg.' I stayed on land for the moment as the water churned with the upheaval of two cannonballers.

"You coming?" Questioned Phil.

"I suppose so..."

"C'mon, Sage. Let's see what you got." Daniel added energetically. They both treaded water in the deep end of the pool.

From my position by the table I meandered over to the end of the pool, opposite the shallow. A small smirk formed as I came up with a small plan in my head. I repeated what I had previously done to dive into pool. Hands, arms, head, body, legs, feet was the order that slid into the water. The liquid was warmer than last time. My hands touched the bottom, and I was brave enough to open my eyes under the water, not knowing if they would burn or not. Once I did, I saw the small amount of air bubbles escaping my nose and the kicking feet of the boys.

With stealth I hoped they didn't have I swam up to tug on Daniel's foot first, and watched as his feet began kicking faster. Then I moved on to Phillip. Before running out of air I swam as far away from the deep end as I could, following the slow decrease of depth made by the increasing height of floor.

"Hey! What was that for?" Dan asked when I resurfaced at the end of the pool.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said with as much innocence as I could muster, though I had a smile that gave it away.

"You just... Come here!" Phillip joyfully called out. They both began to swim towards me and in response I began splashing them.

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As a little warning the final chapter is next. I'm not sure if I want to write a continuing book or not, but I'm curious as to what you think will happen next. Thank you for reading so far and don't forget to let me know what you predict. :^) ( Dedication is to my little sis. Thanks for reading what I force in front of you. :^D )