Valkyrie Rising ✓

Chapter Nine

We spend some time treading water, getting used to the pull of the pool on our baggy clothing. After everyone seems to be decent at staying in place, Kiira has us practice some of the strokes we've learned. Swimming is much harder with clothes weighing me down.

Halfway through the class, Kiira has us exit the pool for survival drills. I huddle next to Eveia and Kaz, shivering every time the mountain air blows past my soaked clothes.

One by one, Kiira has us go to the diving board and walk backwards until we fall. We then have to tread water until she tells us where to swim. Each side of the pool is marked with a color: blue, red, green, yellow.

"Yellow!"

The line inches forward. Once the boy in the pool touches the yellow wall, Kiira yells, "Next!"

I wonder if this is the part where the girl almost drowned. My hands shake, and not just from the cold. In front of me, Kaz's hands are balled into fists, but I can see a tremor run through his left one.

When there's just one girl left in front of Kaz, I put my hand on his elbow.

"Good luck."

He nods, his eyes never leaving the board.

"Next!"

He steps up and turns to face me. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows hard, and he squeezes his eyes shut a moment.

Then he's moving backwards. He hits the water with a splash, and is under for what feels like forever.

"Come on, Kaz," Eveia murmurs behind me.

I look to Kiira, ready to scream for her to do something, when another splash precedes Kaz's head surfacing. A satisfied smile curls Kiira's lips.

"Blue!" She calls for him to swim to the furthest side of the pool.

Kaz disappears under the water again, this time resurfacing several feet closer to his destination. His arms cut through the water in a powerful free style.

For as nervous as he was earlier, I'm impressed by his ability. I am usually too focused on my own performance to notice anyone else in the pool. Kaz seems to be one of this group's best swimmers.

"Next!"

I gulp when I realize that means me. I breathe in deeply as I step backwards. When my right foot meets nothing but air I gasp, but manage to hold onto most of the air in my lungs.

The water stings my back and arms when my body breaks the surface, then it pours over me quickly, too quickly. I fight the fabric weighing me down, dragging me to the bottom. My feet hit the floor of the pool and I almost panic; I must be ten, twelve feet under. Instead of giving in to the anxiety, I push against the ground, launching myself towards the top. My lungs burn and my ears pop.

Still, only water is above me. I strain my fingers, clawing at the liquid. I don't want to die here, with everyone watching.

Then I break the surface. I gasp fresh oxygen back into my lungs, and almost miss the shout.

"Red!"

I twist myself in the water; the red wall is behind me. I hate to go back under, but I dive into the water and kick, propelling myself to my destination. With every thrust of my hand, I hope to feel concrete. My shoulders ache, carrying all this extra clothing weight, not to mention the bruise from Eveia's punch earlier.

Finally, the rough ledge meets my fingertips.

"Next!"

I try to push myself up onto the ledge, but my arms are shaking too much. I rest for a moment, my arms folded over the lip, summoning the strength I don't think I have. I drop myself a little lower in the water then thrust myself up. My momentum dies and I just hold myself there, desperate not to give up.