Chapter Eleven
‘The wind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.’
Plutarch
‘Iris? Iris! Slow down, would you?’
I was walking fast down the hall, scanning for where I knew my locker was. The amulet at my throat pulsed, testing the approaching energy behind me to see whether I needed protecting. Apparently not, because as soon as I reached my locker, Fran was beside me. She looked furious, but she was no danger to me. She leaned against my locker, stopping me from opening it. Xanthias passed with his cousins, his hair low over his eyes as he followed them. He didn’t look at me and I turned my gaze fully on Fran the moment he left. She watched me closely, her eyes narrowed.
‘Ditching me for the new guy, huh?’ she accused. ‘I don’t care how hot the guy is, there is no excuse for ditching your best friend over him! Do you realise how worried I was? Do you?’ She moved away from the locker but she didn’t stop. She continued flinging accusations at me like they were going out of fashion while I gathered what I needed for class. When I shut my locker and appeared to be ignoring her, she grabbed my shoulder to stop me from walking off. Instantly, though, whatever she had been about to say was forgotten as an electric current passed from my shoulder to her hand, zapping her in an instant. She cried out, shaking her hand and I quickly walked away.
She didn’t follow me.
I was late for class. The change rooms were empty as I walked inside, slinging my bag onto the bench. I quickly stripped out of my summer dress, revealing my one-piece swimsuit underneath. It had a massive cutout in the back, the material black and styled to emphasize my curves. I quickly dumped my swim shorts and towel on the bench, packing away the dress. A moment later the door opened behind me, and Isabella entered.
I tried not to stare, but it was difficult. Her body was still swollen and bandaged, but her body had at least healed enough for her to come back to school. Her hair had been shaved off, replaced by a stark white bandage. Even though she was still swollen and red, it did nothing to erase the beauty she naturally possessed. I bit my lip, feeling guilty even though I couldn’t be sure that it was because of me that the water had burned her. What made me feel the most guilty is that though I had dived in to rescue her, I had been left untouched by the scalding temperatures that had burned her alive. I was surprised she was back at school already.
She didn’t appear to notice me at first, but she jumped as I moved quickly to shove my shorts on. Her eyes crinkled as she tried to smile at me and she walked across to my side. She placed her things beside mine, appearing as casual as though nothing had ever happened.
‘Hey,’ she said shyly, stripping down to her own multi-coloured one-piece. I didn’t know what to say or do.
‘Hey,’ I echoed lamely. I shoved my towel over my shoulder and smiled sheepishly. ‘So … uh … how are you?’ I knew it was ridiculous how awkward I was being, but I simply didn’t know what to do. She quickly grabbed her towel, gesturing to the door leading to the pool entry. We walked through into the gym, watching as our class swam laps. We sat together up on the bleachers, the only two not in the pool.
‘I’m okay,’ she told me with a smile. ‘The doctor said my healing is so fast that I could be a medical breakthrough. I could be back in the pool by the end of the month.’ I nodded and offered her the most sincere smile I could muster.
‘That’s excellent,’ I replied. I wasn’t stupid enough to ask her why she wore her swimsuit. She was getting ready to make as smooth of a transition back into school and swimming as possible, but also to ease her back into the pool. I wasn’t sure how she would react, returning to the place where she had been burned so badly, and I vowed to watch over her. She and I turned our gazes on the people in the pool, and my gaze settled on Xanthias. It was his turn, and as he pushed off the blocks, his body arched through the air and sliced into the water. He came up for breath immediately, but those that he was versing immediately began to fall behind.
He swam so beautifully that it was impossible to look away, even as Isabella watched the blush flourish over my cheeks. The muscles in his arms and along his shoulders and back flexed as he moved, the water no match for his strength. It was beautiful, the way he formed with the water as though he was one with it. He probably was, for all I knew. After seeing him the other day, finned and moving through the water like he owned it, I wasn’t so sure that he wouldn’t manipulate the waters to do his bidding. Somehow, deep inside, I knew that he wasn’t though. He was naturally a talented swimmer, strong and capable in the right environment.
When he reached the end of the pool, he flipped in the water so that he faced the opposite way. It was magical how the liquid parted for him, allowing his body free passage as though he were a bird flying through the air. Pretty soon the remainder of the class stopped mid-swim, left behind in the small waves that rippled past from Xanthias’ body. Isabella gaped, her own Ryker left behind as he fought desperately to keep up. As the head of the swim team these past couple of years, he was the best that our school had to offer. Clearly, though, it wasn’t enough as Xanthias powered toward the end of the pool and touched the tiled wall with his fingertips. His body gracefully became upright and he pushed the water out of his eyes as Ryker came in behind.
Isabella stood, running down from the bleachers and leaving her towel with me. As Ryker pulled himself from the pool, she carefully pulled him into a tight hug, avoiding wetting her bandages. It was obvious the strain he’d been under in order to try and catch up to Xanthias, his muscles bulging and his chest heaving for breath. All the others were paused mid-way through the pool, openly gawking at Xanthias as he pulled himself out of the pool and wrapped a towel tightly around himself. Surprisingly, he wore board shorts while his rival wore a streamline Quiksilver swimsuit that left hardly anything to imagination. Even with the drag of board shorts, Xanthias was able to out-swim our best and finest.
No one seemed to be able to drag their eyes away from him as he walked past Coach Halloway, the stand-in for Coach Marston as he was being investigated for the pool incident. She was a tall woman, with spindly arms and legs. She reminded me of a praying mantis, and could leap like one, too. Her eyes were beady and such a dark brown that they were often mistaken for black. As she moved to clap Xanthias on the shoulder and congratulate him, she rested those beady eyes on him and her thin lips pulled into an almost seductive grin. Everyone knew of the rumours that she wasn’t above sleeping with students, but that was the surest evidence I had seen as of yet. I breathed a sigh of relief as Xanthias walked past without so much as a flicker of attention paid to her.
No, he was looking at me. I was staring again.
I bit my lip and looked down at my feet, fiddling with the fibres of my towel as he approached. Water droplets ran down his bare chest and onto the bleachers beside me, spraying my legs with surprising warmth. He ran the towel through his hair and placed it on the seat beside me, leaning back as he air-dried himself.
‘That,’ he whispered, ‘is just one of the advantages of being bound to the sea.’ My eyes widened and I quickly turned to look at him. He’d known I was there, watching. He had known and used that to show off to me, to tell me that he knew it was me who he had seen that day under the bridge. He noticed my shock but simply shrugged as the class climbed the bleachers and clapped, patting him on the back. He stood, grinning and accepting the praise smoothly. Ignoring him, I set my lips in a tight line and grabbed my towel. The tingling in my feet had vanished altogether and I snatched Isabella’s towel from where it sat, forgotten.
Down at the bottom of the bleachers, I spotted Isabella as she wound her arm around Ryker’s shoulders and tried unsuccessfully to calm him down. This had had to be the worst day of his entire schooling life. He had been at the top, unbeatable, and now Xanthias had come in trying to show off to me and ruined Ryker’s life. He’d been hoping to make it into a career, but now that he was no longer the best, the opportunities he had been working so hard for
would no longer be open to him. I didn’t blame him for snapping at Isabella, but even so, he should have known that she was only trying to make him feel better.
I approached quietly, placing the towel of Isabella’s down beside her as best I could without her realising what I was doing. Then, without another glance, I turned my back on Xanthias and stormed into the change rooms.
∞
I didn’t see Xanthias again until that afternoon.
Coach Halloway had announced a surprise swim meet at lunch. Now, as everyone filed into the gym in their swim gear, it became apparent that we weren’t here to swim. She stood over by the bottom of the bleachers, her hands on her hips as she stared up at the people that sat before her obediently. I made my way over quickly, taking a seat to the end of one of the least crowded bleachers where I could sit on my own. Xanthias sat to the opposite end, a couple of rows back but I could feel his eyes on me as Coach Halloway strode back and forth. She glared at some stragglers and they hurried their footfalls to escape her sight.
It didn’t take long for me to resume my bad habit of pulling the skin of my thumbs with my nails, the feeling calming as I avoided meeting Coach Halloway’s gaze. Finally, she came to an abrupt stop in the centre of the space and placed her hands on her hips once more. When she spoke, her voice echoed through the expanse of space.
‘A short while ago, there was an incident during a swim meet,’ she began, her eyes birdlike as they narrowed. ‘There were makeshift water heaters discovered during the investigation. Surveillance cameras have been installed, and now I am asking for the culprits to step forward.’
Silence ensued. No one dared to whisper, or even blink. I simply stared at Coach Halloway, in sheer disbelief. I hadn’t been the one to boil the water? She sighed, shaking her head tiredly and she grimaced. Whatever was about to happen, she wasn’t happy and neither would we.
‘I regret to inform those of you with a future in swimming, and those who don’t, that until the culprit or culprits responsible for the incident come forward, I have no choice but to indefinitely suspend all swim meets, contests and visits from potential sponsors. The pool will be closed until further notice.’ She sighed, turning to leave. Whispers ensued, but they soon fell silent as one of Ryker’s friends, Raymond Shoreley, stood. He was brave, standing up before Coach Halloway, but stupid. Despite his valiant stance to make things right, I could see how her stare made his clenched fists shake. Still, he refused to back down and kept his head held high.
He swallowed. ‘I did it,’ he admitted. ‘I installed the water heaters. We were recently learning in class about water heaters, and I figured it would be a good idea. I have seen how people have come out of the water during autumn and early spring, frozen to the bone and purple. I promise you, though, I meant no harm by it.’ He paused, turning to Isabella as Ryker held her tightly. ‘I apologise profusely for what happened to you. I will pay for all medical costs and do whatever I can to set things right. I never meant to hurt you.’
Isabella stared at him, her mouth gaping open. She shut it quickly when she noticed all the pairs of eyes that had fallen on her, and she stood level to him, even though she was a bleacher higher than him. She bowed her head regally, as though she were a queen giving her blessing. I admired her for her strength as she stood before him, the reason she’d been burned facing her directly.
‘I accept your apology,’ she told him. She turned then to Coach Halloway. ‘His apology is enough. No charges will be placed, and I don’t want him to be suspended.’ Coach Halloway nodded with her lips pressed in a thin line.
‘Indeed, it was brave of you to apologise,’ she told him. She turned to face Isabella. ‘However, I am not at the liberty to determine whether he will be suspended or not. That is in the principal’s power, not my own. However, I will relay your suggestion to him.’ She nodded to Isabella before turning to extend a hand to Raymond. He bowed his head and followed her wordlessly, the whispers following him as he exited. I watched in open awe as they exited and the remaining students took it as their cue to leave. The gym echoed with the sound of their chattering voices but I remained silent. I grabbed my things, quickly slipping my summer dress over my head and down over my swimsuit before I started to descend the bleachers.
I was almost to the exit when I heard my name being called behind me, and a firm hand settled on my shoulder. Xanthias turned me to face him, breathing heavily as though he’d had to run to catch up to me. I watched him with calculating eyes, wondering what he could possibly have to say to me. His eyes softened slightly, and I instantly knew I was seeing a side of him that he rarely allowed anyone to see. With my arms limp by my side, he scuffed his feet on the ground nervously and chewed softly on his bottom lip.
‘Yes?’ I prompted. He shook his head to clear it, as though he’d forgotten why he’d called out to me. He dove into his pocket and retrieved a piece of paper, and when I looked at it, I noticed it was an address.
‘My mother is allowing me to hold a party to get to know the people I go to school with,’ he told me. ‘I was just wondering if … if …’ He paused. ‘I was wondering if you would come. You know, as a friend.’ I tried hard to stop myself from smiling. For such a confident man in the pool, he was no more than a shy schoolboy when it came to inviting people. For a moment I forgot that he was the finned man I had seen below the bridge, wondering if I should accept or not, but then Lainie’s shrill voice called through the door of the gym. I quickly shoved the shred of paper in my dress pocket and started for the door.
‘Let me think about it,’ I called over my shoulder, leaving him in the gym.
Lainie was waiting for me outside the change rooms, avoiding the stuffiness because she insisted it made her hair frizzy. She watched me as I approached, and judging by the mischievous grin she wore, she knew that I had been talking to Xanthias. She raised her eyebrows suggestively, waiting for the juicy details but I simply shrugged and retrieved my keys from my bag. Leading the way through the corridor, she sighed and rolled her eyes.
‘Seriously, Iris, I wish you would hurry up and just open up to me for once,’ she whined. She placed a melodramatic hand over her forehead. ‘It hurts that you don’t trust me to keep a secret.’ I snorted ungraciously as we exited the school building and approached my car. I looked over at her as I released the lock.
‘Maybe I would trust you if what I told you didn’t hit the school’s news feed within twenty-four hours,’ I stated, raising my eyebrows at her. She laughed.
‘The fairies read my mind, what can I say?’ she told me. ‘And F.Y.I, it hits within twenty-four minutes.’
Like that changes anything, I thought, looking back in the rear view mirror as Xanthias watched us drive away.