The Great Australian Escape

Posse

“-And Archie, I swear to God if you call me one more time at two o’clock in the fucking morning I’m catching the first flight back to London to beat the living shit out of you.” Felicity threatened, and there was a chuckle in response from the other end of the phone line.

“I love you too, sis.”

“Mhmm…”

It was just past 6a.m. and Felicity phoned her brother in a rage after having had him call her at least five times during the dead of night because he didn’t seem to understand the concept of time differences. She wedged her phone between her shoulder and her ear so she had both hands free to zip up her rucksack, which was bulging due to the massive towel she had stuffed inside. “I’m heading down to the swim club now to sign up, so I’ve got to run.”

“Alright, well I’ll talk to you later yeah? Or I might just drop you an email, because I know I’ll forget about the time zones again.”

“Yeah, that’s what mum’s been doing, haven’t actually talked to her yet but she wrote me a novella the other day that I’m still in the process of answering.”

Archie chuckled, “I know, she sends me them too. I think she writes them in her lunch breaks, or when she’s bored in the courtroom.”

Felicity fumbled with the keys to her door, slipping her feet into her black flip-flops. “If she asks about me, tell her I’m still alive and I’ll get back to her as soon and as thoroughly as I can. You know what she’s like; she’ll go apeshit if I reply with just one line. Anyway, I’m literally on my way out now, so I’ve got to go. Love you lots, bro!” she said, closing her front door behind her. Archie replied that he loved her too, before hanging up.

She started off on her way to the Bondi Icebergs Club, ready to sign up as a member. A few years ago, on a family holiday, they had had brunch down there and Felicity continued to see images of it online, so she figured that was enough of a sign and decided to become a member. It was early, but she liked it like that. Early morning swims were the best, and she was hoping to beat the first swimmers to the pool so she could have first pick of the lanes.

Her plan to get up early paid off and she was the first in the water. The surf below was high and salt spray kept crashing up against the side of the pool creating fantastic white bellows. The sky was a rosy grey, dawn having barely seized the day. It felt amazing to streak through the water, pulling one arm in front of the other, feeling her muscles stretch. Lap after lap she swam, all pent up energy slowly releasing with each kick of a leg and pull of a stroke. At some point she felt the water around her stir and sway, and she knew that somebody had jumped in near her. She sighed mentally, focused on the underwater line keeping her path straight – her solitude was no more, clearly.

She was about halfway down the pool when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the dark shape of another swimmer coming up from behind her. Suddenly, she felt the swimmer’s hand wrap around her foot, and in her shock she almost swallowed half the pool in a desperate attempt to hold her head over water. Heart racing, she twisted around to face her assailant, who still had a firm hold on her ankle. Grinning at her was Harrison. His hair was wet and clinging to his forehead.

“Christ, you scared the living daylights out of me!” Felicity gasped, pulling her foot from his grip. Her gaze shifted to the group of about 20 men standing at the pool’s edge in nothing but their swimmers; some of them were evidently shivering in the wind.

“Sorry, but you wouldn’t have stopped otherwise. We’ve been yelling at you get out for about 10 minutes.”

Felicity looked at him indignantly, “Why?”