"A minute-twenty seconds flat," Sue said, clicking a stopwatch as a head shot out of the water, taking in a deep breath, "That's two seconds slower than last time."
"Ugh, dammit," Allison slammed her hand on the surface of the water in frustration, "No matter what I do, I'm still as slow as ever."
"Maybe you're just tired," Sue replied, "You've been doing sprints for almost a half-hour straight. Not to mention all the work we did before that. And besides, even after all that work, you're still swimming pretty decent times for 100s..."
"Excuses, excuses," Allison replied, still breathing heavily, her exhaustion beginning to show, "I need to be able to push myself if I'm going to get any better."
"Yeah, I know that," Sue said, "But your body has a limit, and it can't go past that no matter how much you push. I'm pretty sure you reached that point about three sprints ago. Now, I think the best thing to do right now is do is let your body recuperate. If you really want to do some more workouts you can do them after your body gets some rest. These ones aren't doing you any good anymore."
"Okay, yeah, fine," Allison sighed as she took off her swimming cap and goggles, revealing her brown eyes and short brown hair, "I'll just come back in a few hours."
"Sometimes I just don't know how you manage to push yourself so far so often," Sue, said as she helped Allison out of the pool.
"I just wish I could push myself more when I'm actually swimming," Allison said as she grabbed her towel and started drying off, tossing her cap and goggles in the direction of her duffle bag, "So, do you want to grab a bite or something?"
"I actually should probably get home and work on some homework," Sue replied, "But if you give me a call when you want to practice again, I can help you out."
"Okay," Allison replied, a bit disappointed, "But I'm holding you to that. Expect my call."
"Will do," Sue replied with a smile as she headed for the exit, "And don't forget, you have homework too. Your grades are already pretty low, and you know Mr. Johnson won't take 'I was swimming forever' as an excuse again."
"Yeah," Allison chuckled, "He didn't really seem that pleased about it the first time I said that."
"At least a few hours of not swimming okay," Sue said as she opened the door, standing in the doorway, "And try to eat something too, I can't imagine how many calories you've burned so far today."
Allison's stomach seemed to rumble right on cue, "Okay, yeah, food sounds like a good idea. And then homework, and then practice. I'll keep you posted."
"Okay," Sue replied as she waved, "See ya later."
"See ya," Allison waved back as she slipped on her flip-flops, grabbed her duffle bag, and headed into the locker room. Not surprisingly, it was just as empty as the pool. Allison dropped her duffle and headed towards the showers, "Better get all this chlorine off, even if it's just for a few hours."
**********************
"Ah, that feels better," Allison sighed as she turned off the water. She grabbed her towel off the door of the shower and walked back out into the locker room. Walking over to her duffle bag, she grabbed her underwear, jeans, and t-shirt. As she started getting dressed, she was started to hear another voice.
"You're quite the swimmer," a woman said as she emerged from the next row of lockers, "How long were you going for? Hours?"
"Um, yeah, I guess," Allison replied, still surprised to see someone else in the locker room, "I mean, I'm not that good. But how do you even know that? No one else was in the pool with us."
"Oh, I just noticed you through the window, and since no one else is here, I knew it must have been you," the woman replied.
"Okay," Allison said suspiciously, looking over the woman as she quickly finished getting dressed. The woman appeared to be in her early thirties, with brown hair. She was tall, and clearly athletic. "Well, thanks for noticing me, I guess."
"Oh, you're very welcome," the woman replied, noticing a look of confusion on Allison's face, "Oh, forgive me for not introducing myself. I'm Ms. Anderson, and I actually run a sort of swimming clinic. I noticed quite a bit of potential in the short amount of time I watched you. I believe I can help you turn that potential into skill quickly and easily. You won't need to spend all your time practicing anymore, and you'll still be an even better swimmer than you are now."
Allison took a few steps back. She had heard of offers like this, and she knew what this woman was offering.
"Um, no thanks," Allison replied, trying to grab her bag without drawing Ms. Anderson's attention, "I think I'll just stick to my training."
A smirk appeared in Ms. Anderson's face, "Hmm, I see. I think I know why you are hesitant, and I can assure you, there is nothing illegal involved. However, if you've made up your mind, I feel must respect your decision."
"Um, thanks," Allison replied, still a bit suspicious of the woman, "Well, I should be going. I have a lot of stuff to do."
"You know," the woman said as Allison picked up her back and began walking, "You'd have much more free time if you didn't have to practice so much."
The temptation of free time was appealing to Allison, and she did actually take a moment to rethink the offer. "You said I could be a better swimmer easily, and it wasn't going to be anything illegal?"
"Correct," Ms. Anderson replied with a smile, "I only added that because I assumed you though I was offering you some sort of steroids or something like that. But my clinic only provides natural way to improve your swimming skills. We've had many success stories in the past; people who, like you, have potential, but were unable to harness it without our help."
"Hmm," Allison thought, "So, how much is it for your clinic?"
Ms. Anderson smiled, sensing that she now had Allison on her hook, "Actually, there's a special offer for any new swimmers. The first appointment is actually free of charge."
"Wait, what?!" Allison shouted, surprised, "Free?! Like completely free?"
"Yes," Ms. Anderson said, her smile growing slightly larger, "So, would your change in interest be an indication of a change in your answer to my offer?"
"Yeah, I think so," Allison replied, "You swear that it's free and completely legal-no drugs or anything?"
"Yes, free and legal," Ms. Anderson replied.
"Okay then," Allison replied, smiling, "I'll come to your clinic. So where and when is it, if you don't mind me asking."
"Actually..." Ms. Anderson said, "It's this afternoon."
"Wait, what? Really? Where?" Allison asked, surprised.
"Yes, well, technically we have them every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoon. Since it's Saturday, the clinic actually meets up at 2:00 today."
"What," Allison asked, looking up at the clock in the locker room, seeing that it was just before 1:00, "Where is it? And how am I supposed to get wherever it is with just an hour's notice?"
"Hmm," Ms. Anderson appeared to be deep in thought, "Oh, I know the solution to both your problems! I could give you a ride to the clinic!"
This caused Allison's apprehension to re-emerge, "Umm, actually I drove here. Maybe you can just give me the address and I'll go there on my own."
"Okay," Ms. Anderson replied unphased as she stuck her hand into her pocket and pulled out a business card, "Here you go. I'll see you in about an hour."
"Thanks," Allison said, taking the card and looking at it, "Anderson Aquatic Academy, I have to say, I'm surprised I've never heard of this place before."
"Oh I keep it a fairly well-kept secret," Ms. Anderson said, "I like to recruit people for it, and I try to make sure that not just anyone attends."
"Hmm, okay," Allison said, "Well then, thanks for recruiting me."
"You're very much welcome," Ms. Anderson said, "Like I said, I see a lot of potential in you, and I would like to help you bring that out."
"Thanks," Allison smiled, "So, I'll be there at two... Oh, is there anything I should bring? I mean, of course my swimming stuff, but other than that..."
"No, nothing special," Ms. Anderson said, "Just get there for 2:00 and I'll introduce you to some of the other swimmers and then get you started."
"Okay then," Allison replied with a smile.
"Until then," Ms. Anderson began as she walked towards the door.
"Yeah, bye," Allison said.
****************************
"I guess I should call my parents and Sue so they don't worry," Allison thought to herself as she took out her cellphone and began dialing her home number.
After ringing four times, the answering machine picked up. "Yeah, hey, it's me," Allison said, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be doing some more swimming this afternoon, so I won't be home until later. So, um, yeah... I'll be home later. Okay. Bye."
Next she called Sue, who actually answered.
"Hey," Sue said, "Don't tell me you are practicing again already..."
"Haha, no," Allison replied with a laugh, "I'm actually calling to let you know that I'm not going to be training at the pool later, so you don't need to worry about it."
"What, you're quitting for the day," Sue asked, surprised, "That's not like you."
"No, I'm not giving up," Allison replied, "I'm actually going to train at a special swimming place."
"Special swimming place," Sue asked, "What special swimming place?"
"Umm, it's called Anderson Aquatic Academy," Allison said, reading over the card again.
"Hmm, never heard of it," Sue said.
"Yeah me neither," Allison replied, "But the owner or, head person, or something recruited me after we were done earlier. She seemed really nice, and said I could have two free lessons or classes or whatever, so I figured what the hell."
"So wait, you're just going to this place you've never heard of," Sue asked.
"Well, yeah, I am," Allison replied, "She said she could help me bring out my true potential."
"Um, okay, well, thanks for letting me know," Sue replied, still a bit suspicious, "Give me a call if anything going on or you need any help with anything. If you don't mind, I'm going to be looking up some information on this place."
"No, that's not any problem as far as I can tell" Allison replied, "Well, I'll talk to you tonight probably."
"Okay, yeah. Well, good luck with your swimming," Sue said, "Bye."
"Bye," Allison replied as she hung up.
******************************
After a half-hour of waiting around at the pool, Allison headed out to her car. She punched the address of the Aquatic Academy into her GPS. It didn't accept the address at first, but when she put it in again, it worked.
"That was weird," Allison said to herself, "Oh, well. It looks like it'll take the perfect amount of time to get there at 2:00. Well, better get going."
She started up her car and pulled out of the spot, off to hopefully become a better swimmer than ever.
*************************
"Okay, now I'm doubting this whole thing again," Allison said as she pulled into the abandoned warehouse district on the waterfront, "Although, if she had wanted to rob me, or worse, she could have just done it at the pool."
"Turn left at the intersection, and you will have reached your destination," Allison's GPS stated in its usual definitive monotone, "Your destination is on the left."
"Are you sure," Allison asked the computer, knowing it couldn't respond, "Because most of these buildings look like they've been empty since before I was born, and I haven't seen a single car or person in minutes. Oh, wait, what's that?"
As Allison took the turn and spotted a few cars parked in front of what appeared to be a renovated warehouse.
"Is that it," Allison asked, shocked, as she pulled up in front of the building, "It doesn't look like anything I'd be willing to call a swimming clinic, or for that matter any sort of 'academy.'" In fact, it looked only slightly better than any of the other warehouses. It looked like the large doors in front had been replaced with a garage and a standard door. The windows were for that building were the only ones on the block that weren't shattered, indicating that they had been replaced recently. Then she noticed the side of a van parked in front of the warehouse.
"Anderson Aquatic Academy," she read the seafoam colored lettering, underlined by what appeared to be a fish tail, "Well, I guess I'm at least in the right place...although I still don't know about this..."
As her regret started to sink in, the front door opened up, and a familiar figure stepped out.
"Can I help you with anything? Oh, hello there Allison, sorry, I didn't recognize you in your car," Ms. Anderson said as she stepped out of the doorway and out towards Allison's car, still in the road, "I've been waiting for you so we can get started. Did you have trouble finding this place? Sorry that it's in such a bad neighborhood..."
"Um, no, I didn't have much trouble," Allison replied out her car window, "But yeah, it doesn't really look like much of anything from out here."
"Well, I promise the inside is much more impressive," Ms. Anderson stated proudly, "We used most of the start-up money on the facilities inside, and this was the only building that could house everything."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Allison thought to herself.
"So, why don't you park your car and come on inside," Ms. Anderson said, "I'd like to show you around."
"Uh, alright," Allison replied, "Is there any special place I should park?"
"No, not really," Ms. Anderson replied, "Pretty much any place you want to is fine. No one really parks around here besides people coming here, and everyone's here who's going to be coming."
"Wait, really," Allison asked, surprised, "There's just like three cars and that van here."
"Yeah, no one really drives here that often," Ms. Anderson said.
"Oh...um, okay then," Allison replied, more confused by the statement than anything else, "I guess I'll just park and head in. I'll be in there in a minute or so."
"Okay, good to hear," Ms. Anderson said as she began walking back towards the entrance, "I'll just finish getting the information for you ready so you can get started right away."
"I wonder what information she's talking about," Allison pondered as she pulled into a spot on the side of the road opposite the warehouse, "There better not be some sort of contract I need to sign or something."
She grabbed her bag and stepped out of her car, getting hit by a breeze off the water just at the end of the road immediately, which caused her still slightly damp body to shiver briefly. "I forgot how chilly it gets by the waterfront this time of year," She thought to herself as she closed the car door, put the bag on her shoulder, and hurried across the street, "I don't want to catch a cold. That's exactly I don't need when I'm trying to get a better time."
As she made it to the door, she gave the building one last look over. "Well, here goes nothing," she said as she pulled the door open and stepped inside. As soon as she was in, she had to admit that Ms. Anderson had been telling the truth. As bad as the building and neighborhood looked from the outside, the inside looked extremely impressive- in fact, it was one of the most impressive sights Allison had ever laid eyes on.
The entire interior frame of the warehouse had clearly been restructured, and it now resembled a cross between a large office building and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Directly in front of Allison as she stepped in, and clearly meant to be the centerpiece of the entrance, was a large rectangular fountain, featuring a variety of sea creatures, including a dolphin on a cresting wave, shooting water out of its blowhole, a pair of large fish shooting water out of their mouths, and even a mermaid basking in the water, almost looking as though she was smiling at Allison. Allison couldn't shake the feeling that the statue looked familiar, although she couldn't place where from.
"Do you like it," Ms. Anderson asked, emerging from a door to Allison's left behind what appeared to a welcome desk for a secretary, "Custom-made from Mediterranean marble."
"Yeah," Allison said, genuinely impressed by not only the statue but the overall condition of the room, "It's really...wow."
Ms. Anderson smiled, "If you like that, just wait until you see the actual aquatic center. I just need some information from you before I begin your tour."
"Um, what kind of information," Allison asked hesitantly.
"Oh, nothing major, just some physical information and a few questions about what you hope to accomplish from your time here so we can help to personalize a program for you," Ms. Anderson said, "If you could just fill out this paperwork, we can get started." She handed Allison two pieces of paper and a pen.
"Okay," Allison said as she took the items and looked them over, "This looks simple enough." She leaned on the desk and began filling out the paperwork, "Let's see; name, Allison Hunter, gender, female, height, 5'7", age, 17, weight, 130, allergies, none, physical problems, none...Hey," she looked up at Ms. Anderson, "Why do you need so much medical information?"
"That's just for insurance and health purposes," Ms. Anderson replied, "In case anything happens, our on-site physician would know if you have any pre-existing problems."
"Wait, what could happen? Should I ask my parents for insurance stuff," Allison asked, becoming concerned.
"Oh, no, nothing ever happens," Ms. Anderson stated, "It's all just precautionary measures."
"Um, alright," Allison said, still rather hesitant but looking back down at the paperwork, "Swimming form, 100m free, performance problem, umm...speed, I guess. Okay, is that it?"
"Yes, I believe so," Ms. Anderson said, glancing at the papers over Allison's shoulder, "Now just let me put this in the computer and then I can start your tour. It should be just a few minutes."
"Alright," Allison said. She took out her phone to check if she had gotten any messages from her parents or Sue, but she didn't seem to have any service in the building. She tried to walk around a bit to see if she could get reception, but it didn't seem to do anything, "Oh well, I'm sure if anything is up it can wait until I'm done here." She looked around, a bit surprised to see that there weren't any other people in the lobby besides her, Ms. Anderson, and the lifelike fountain, "I guess I'll just have a look around here while I wait."
**********************
"Hi, you've reached Allison. I can't answer the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll call you back...BEEP."
"Hey, Allison," Sue said, "You said the place was called 'Anderson Aquatic Academy', right? I can't find anything on it. I'd definitely be careful if I were you. I know you said it was some secret place, but normally there would at least be something online about it. Call me back when you get this. Bye."
**********************
"Okay, you're all set," Ms. Anderson said, looking up from the computer, "Now I can show you what you've been waiting for."
"That's good," Allison said, checking her phone again. She still had no service, but could see that it was already 2:20. She had had time to thoroughly examine the entire lobby, but the thing that still drew her attention was the fountain. Something just seemed so special about it, "So, am I going to be swimming at all, because I'm going to need to get changed if I am."
"Oh, don't worry, we'll pass by the changing room on the tour," Ms. Anderson said with a smile, "You can get changed then."
"Okay," Allison replied, switching her bag to the other shoulder, as it was getting heavy, "So, where do we start?"
"Just follow me," Ms. Anderson said, walking towards a door, "And we can get started."
Ms. Anderson led Allison through a hallway, in which Allison recognized the distinct scent of chorine-filled pool water. At the end of the hall, Ms. Anderson opened another door, and as soon as it opened, Allison's nostrils were assaulted by the smell of chorine. She smiled at the familiar scent, as she walked through the door and saw an Olympic-size pool with a few people swimming intensely in it.
"This is one of our main training pools," Ms. Anderson said, "Olympic-size, perfect temperature, pH balance, everything."
"Wow," Allison said, face-aglow, "So, I get to train here?"
"Well, not quite," Ms. Anderson said, "This is for our most elite swimmers. We'll get to your pool in just a few minutes though. It's actually right next to the changing rooms."
"Oh, okay," Allison replied, a bit disappointed.
"Don't fret," Ms. Anderson said, "Between you and me, the pool you're going to be using is my favorite."
"Really," Allison asked, her excitement returning, "Even more than this one? It must be really impressive."
"Oh, it is," Ms. Anderson, "It's the reason we need such a large building."
"Wow," Allison said, "That sounds really impressive, but I just need to work on short pieces. I don't really need anything big."
"Oh, don't worry," Ms. Anderson said as she opened the door on the other end of the pool room, "It's a big pool, but it's broken up into different sections depending on needs."
"Oh, okay," Alison said, now even more eager to see this pool as she followed Ms. Anderson through the door and into a short hallway. The smell of chlorine seemed to fade as soon as the door closed behind them. Strangely, it didn't seem to become more intense as they approached the other door, like it had before, causing Allison to get a strange feeling. In fact, it smelled more like old, stagnant water the closer they got.
"Here we go," Ms. Anderson said as she pushed the door open and entered.
Allison had to admit, the pool was an impressive sight, but definitely not what she had been expecting. It was huge, at least three or four times the size of the previous pool, but the way it looked just didn't seem...right. The water looked murky, and rather than the standard separators or walls between the three large sections, there were rocky sections erupting out of the water. Sunlight was bursting into the room from all the windows on both sides of the room. It was the entire width of the warehouse! To Allison, it almost looked like the pool at a waterpark , or she might even go so far as to say it looked like something out of an aquarium.
"Isn't it great," Ms. Anderson asked, seemingly basking in the pool with a large smile, "I designed it myself. Each section is based off the habitat of an aquatic creature, or group of creatures."
"That's interesting, I guess," Allison said, a bit confused but still intrigued, "So, where are all the swimmers?"
"Oh, there aren't any in there right now," Ms. Anderson stated.
"But, I thought you said the clinic was going on right now," Allison said, becoming a bit suspicious, afraid that she may have made a mistake, "Why wouldn't anyone be here if it's going on now?"
"The standard clinic doesn't go on in here," Ms. Anderson said, "You're going to get this pool all to yourself. At least for today, in the future you'll have company."
"Um, but, what do you mean by 'standard clinic'? Are there different ones," Allison asked, still a bit concerned, "What is it I'm here for if it isn't the standard clinic?"
"You're here for the custom clinic," Ms. Anderson replied, "You get a program specialized to help you swim faster for 100 meters. That's what you wanted, right?"
"Yeah, it's just-" Allison tried to say.
"Well, that's what the program we have planned for you will do," Ms. Anderson cut Allison off, taking control of the conversation, "When we're done with you, you'll easily be faster than you ever could have hoped. All you have to do is trust me."
"Um, alright, I guess," Allison said hesitatively, "What do you want me to do? Should I get changed, or something?"
"Oh, yes," Ms. Anderson said with a smile, almost as though she had forgotten how sternly she was just saying "Let me show you to the changing room."
"Thanks," Allison said, "By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what's up with the smell in here? Is the water filter broken or something?"
"Oh, no," Ms. Anderson stated as she walked around the pool, "That's how it's supposed to smell. Remember, I based this pool, or group of pools, off natural habitats of aquatic creatures. There aren't water filters in nature. Well, I suppose there are, but it would be far too difficult to reproduce them here. I guess that will be a project for the future, then. Thank you for that idea. Anyway, don't worry, the water is still perfectly clean."
"You're...welcome," Allison said, half hesitating as she followed Ms. Anderson to a door.
"Here we are," Ms. Anderson said as she opened the door, gesturing Allison in, "After you."
"Thanks," Allison said as she walked through the doorway, "Hey, it's really dark in here. Is there like light switch around or something?"
"Oh, of course," Ms. Anderson said, flipping a switch and closing the door behind her. After a few bright flickers and with the loud humming of the recessed lighting overhead, the room was illuminated. It didn't appear to be anything special, especially compared to the rest of the building. In fact, there was only a single row of lockers, a bench and a large mirror. Most of the room seemed to just be empty space. There weren't even any showers as far as Allison could see.
"You can just put your stuff anywhere," Ms. Anderson said with a smile, "I'll leave you here to get changed. Just shout if you need anything. I'll be just outside the door, and when you're done, we can get started."
"Okay, thanks," Allison said to Ms. Anderson, who was already out the door, and seemed in a hurry to get out of the room and let Allison change into her swimsuit, "I guess she just really wants to get started. Not that I can blame her, I am too, it's just, something seems, weird about this whole thing. I mean, she didn't say a word about how she was actually going to help me yet at all, and...Man, those lights are really annoying."
Allison stared up at the lights, still buzzing away, and flickering ever now and then, "You'd think with all this fancy stuff, they'd be able to at least have good lighting in the locker room. I'd think I'd get that before I worry about 'natural habitat' pools, or marble fountains. But, oh, well, whatever. Why don't I just stop complaining about little things and get the most out of this free clinic. Even if it doesn't do me much good, I can probably still get at least something I can use from it."
As Allison began removing her shoes, sweatpants, and t-shirt, she noticed her back was becoming itchy. "Hmm, I guess I must have not done as good of a job as I thought getting that chlorine off earlier," She thought to herself, shrugging it off, "Oh, well, doesn't matter now. I just hope that water is as 'clean' as she claims it is, even though it smells like an aquarium exhibit or something."
As Allison took off her underwear and when to put on her swimsuit, she noticed the itching spreading and increasing all over her body. After only a few seconds, it almost felt like thousands of tiny needles were poking her. "What's going on," she thought to herself as she began scratching all over, "Why would I be getting itchier now? I've been out of the water for hours, not to mention that I took a shower. And why does it keep getting worse? Is something wrong with my skin or something?"
She decided to get a closer look at her arm, which was the most recent part to become itchy that she could easily see. But as she stared at it, she quickly became frightened. Short grey hairs were poking out from just under her smooth skin.
"Oh god, what's going on," Allison shouted, checking the rest of her body and seeing similar hairs poking out all over, "Um, uh," Allison said to herself nervously, unsure of what to do, until she thought of the only thing she could do, call for help, "Ms. Anderson!"
"Yes," Ms. Anderson's voice came from just on the other side of the door, "What is it?"
"I, um, you said that you had a doctor here or something," Allison asked, "I think I might need to go see them about something."
"What? What's wrong," Ms. Anderson inquired, sounding concerned.
"It's just," Allison began, unsure of how to describe the odd situation, "I, um, I think I'd really only be able to show it someone." She walked over to the door and tried turning the knob, but it didn't want to move, "Is the door locked?"
"Yeah, it's policy," Ms. Anderson said, "Doors need to be locked while people are changing. But you can tell me what your problem is, and maybe I can help."
"Well, I guess the best way to describe it is a bunch of little hairs popping out all over," Allison said, noticing the itching had stopped, though the hairs were still there, "Or at least they were. Now they're just there. But they weren't before. It's just weird."
"What color are they," Ms. Anderson asked calmly.
"Um, grey," Allison replied, confused, "But what does that matter? They're hairs that I didn't have a few minutes ago."
"Grey," Ms. Anderson said, "And you said they were fairly short, right?"
"Um, yeah," Allison replied.
"Good," Ms. Anderson said.
"Good?! What do you mean good," Allison asked, concerned.
"That means that it's working properly," Ms. Anderson said calmly, "Soon you'll be a much better swimmer."
"What?! What's working?! What are you talking about?! WhaaaaAAAHHHH," Allison was cut off by a shot of pain from both of her legs. It felt like both her legs had suddenly cramped up, causing her to fall backwards to the ground in front of the door. Turning and breaking her fall with her hands, she tried to hold up her upper half up and examine her legs. "Oh god, what the heck's going on," she thought to herself as she looked at her legs. It looked like the muscles had all suddenly become twisted and knotted causing her legs to almost look deformed.
"How's it going in there," Ms. Anderson asked, "I heard you fall. I assume that means your lower half has started."
"Started," Allison shouted at the door, "What do you mean started? What are you doing to me?"
"Why, exactly what you wanted," Ms. Anderson replied, "I'm making you a faster swimmer. You see, no matter how hard they try, humans just aren't nearly as efficient in the water as creatures meant to be in the water. So I found a way to help people who were truly desperate to be better swimmers do just that quickly and easily. All I do is give them what they want. I just don't mention that they won't be able to compete with other humans anymore."
"Wait," Allison said, "Let me see if I have this straight. You find people who want to be better at swimming, and then trick them into coming here, where you what, make them swim fast by..."
"Turning them into sea creatures," Ms. Anderson interjected, "Yes. Isn't it wonderful?"
"You're crazy," Allison said, "I don't know if you drugged me or what, but I know that you're completely nuts."
"We'll see about that," Ms. Anderson said smugly as Allison felt another wave of pain, this time from her feet.
As Allison looked down at her feet, she was terrified to see that they appeared to be elongating, and at the same time, her thighs looked like they were merging together, forming an extension to her torso. Allison could also see that her shins were shortening. Then, with a loud crack and a scream of pain, both her ankles popped, causing her elongated feet to become completely numb, something Allison was thankful for. After a few moments, however, they both seemed to snap back into place-only it wasn't the normal position. The range of motion had increased greatly, and she could now move both feet both in front of and behind her legs. Both feet also rotated slightly, and the new neutral position for them seemed to be pointing straight out from her legs so that her toes pointed away from her.
As the changes in her legs and feet progressed, Allison didn't even notice that her brown hair, already short, was thinning out and receding into her scalp, turning the same light grey as the rest of the hairs on her body at the same time. She also didn't notice her pupils becoming larger until her brown eyes were just large pools of black.
When it seemed like her legs and feet had stopped altering, she took some time to look over herself. She didn't have much knowledge about sea creatures, but she recognized a seal's tail when she saw one.
"Wait, what," she shouted at the door, only to be interrupted by another burst of pain, this time from her arms and hands. She knew what to expect at this point.
Her arms shortened into her sides until her hands were the longest parts of both limbs, making it much more difficult to hold herself up at all. She also noticed that the tone of her skin was shifting from a healthy light tan to a medium grey, similar to the hairs that sprouted, while her stomach was a lighter grey. The texture was also changing to a smoother, almost rubbery feel. Her body also seemed to be increasing in size as she gained new muscle and blubber. As her torso expanded out, it engulfed her chest and shoulders until her formerly sculpted swimmer's body was just a solid mass of muscle and blubber.
Allison looked down and back, an act that was proving easier as her neck stretched out further from her shoulders, in disappointment. From the neck down she just looked like any other seal. Being a fast swimmer wasn't worth this, that's for sure, but was there even any way to stop the changes at this point. As she thought about it, stopping the changes wouldn't help her at all at this point, she needed a way to go back to the way she was.
"Hey," she shouted, "I don't want this! Stop this and change me back, right now!" She didn't get any response. "Ms. Anderson! Open that door and change me back! I don't want to be some seal!" Still nothing. "Oh, don't tell me she's gone."
Allison's neck stopped extending, and was now as thick as her torso at the base and narrowed until it reached her head, which was now held up above the rest of her body.
Her head, the only part of her still resembling a human, began changing. Her chin shrank and faded into her neck, while her nose and mouth pushed out a few inches, forming a small muzzle, and forcing her large black eyes to the sides slightly. Her nose widened, and her nostrils moved to the front of her muzzle, turning a darker grey at the same time. Her ears faded into her skull, leaving just two holes on either side of her head. Finally, a few whiskers emerged from the sides of her muzzle.
Sensing that the changes had stopped, she tried to call for Ms. Anderson again, but all that came out was a sort of grunting noise. "Well, at I can still think," she thought to herself. She looked behind and saw the mirror, which she turned around and faced, seeing her new form in full detail, causing her to let out a whimper.
After a few minutes, she heard the doorknob jingle, and then the door swung open, with Ms. Anderson standing in the doorway. She quickly reached in and turned off the lights, then flicked another switch, causing a different set of lights to come on. As soon as she did this, she carefully walked over to Allison.
"Well, you're a cutie," she said, "But then again, what seal isn't cute. That's why they're one of the poster-children for conservation and all that stuff. Everyone loves a cute little seal."
Allison let out a series of loud roar-like noises, showing off her new sharp teeth in the process.
"Oh, calm down," Ms. Anderson said, "I'm sure once you get in the water you'll more than enjoy being like this. Now, I'm going to leave the door open, and whenever you want to take a swim you can. Don't worry, you'll be treated well, and be fed and everything, and like I said, you'll have friends soon enough."
The thought of Ms. Anderson doing to other people what she did to her made Allison angry, but she had to admit that she was curious how her swimming would be now. She half waddled, half dragged herself out of the locker room and out to the pool area. The water didn't smell nearly as bad as it had earlier. In fact, it smelled natural. She leaned over the edge and dove headfirst into the water.
As soon as she touched the water, her nostrils and ear-holes closed. She never had to worry about getting water in them again! She also found that her vision was perfect in the water, allowing her to see every detail in the entire pool. That's when she realized how quickly she was approaching the opposite side. She hadn't even put in any effort and she was already moving quicker though the water than she ever had. Her streamlined body, though rather clumsy for moving on land, was proving to be more than graceful in the water. She tested her maneuverability, shifting to the right and left with her flippers to dodge walls, making a game out of it in a matter of minutes.
Then she spotted something new; a small group of fish had been released into the pool and were now swimming freely. The transformation had taken a lot out of her, and Allison was extremely hungry. Her new instincts kicked in as she darted towards the group, and with perfect timing and precision, caught one of them in her mouth. She quickly ate it, then went in for another one.
After she had had her fill of fish, she darted for the surface, emerging and landing on a flat rock, whose surface was just above the water.
"So, what do you think," Ms. Anderson asked, "Was it worth it?"
Allison shrugged her shoulders slightly and tilted her head. As much as she hated to admit it, she had enjoyed herself. She was just worried about what her friends and family would think and do when she didn't come home. Hopefully Ms. Anderson had found some way to let them know that didn't make it sound crazy. I mean, sorry, but I turned your daughter into a seal, but she's okay with it probably wouldn't go over too well.
"By the way, don't worry about your friend or parents or school," Ms. Anderson said, almost as if she was reading Allison's mind "We have a special squad that takes care of that. They won't be worrying at all."
Allison wasn't sure if the comment was good or bad, but she hoped the former. Technically, she was fine, so she hoped everyone else would be to.
Now all she had to worry about was how much to swim and how much to eat. At least for now.
