Riding The Waves | A Bondi Rescue fanfiction

Chapter 3

Authors note:

I am sorry that this is so late. I have been unwell the past week and didn't have the motivation or energy to write. I know that this is very slow-paced. It will speed up eventually. Please comment and tell me what you think. If this is any good, I want to know. If it is terrible, I also want to know.

Jasmine felt the cool water rush over her as she pushed off the wall and began swimming. She was trying to set a good pace, fast enough so that she would make the time, but not so fast that she would tire out quickly. She felt she was setting a good pace, but couldn't be sure. She knew she wouldn't tire out at this speed, but was it fast enough for her to finish in time?

***

Jasmine smoothly turned again. 'I must be almost halfway', she thought, counting the laps in her head. How fast am I going? Is it fast enough to finish in time? I don't think so. I probably won't make the time at this pace. Should I speed up?'

As the thought sped through her head, she heard someone turn just behind her. 'They must be about to lap me. That's how far behind I am,' she reasoned. She quickly reviewed the laps that she had swum so far. 'This is the halfway mark. I must have another 8 laps to go.'

She touched the wall again. She thought that she heard her timer, Quinn, say something. But she hadn't heard what it was and she assumed that it was for someone else. He wouldn't be talking to me while I was swimming. He probably wouldn't want to talk to me at all. Besides, I am already behind. I cannot afford to lose time listening to his discussion.

Quinn's POV

She is fast. When Jasmine set off, I was not expecting her to be doing very well. But her technique is flawless and she is really quick. At this pace, she will come in way under the necessary time. But can she hold the pace she has set for herself? I doubt it. She will likely tire way too easily.

But halfway through and Jasmine had still shown no signs of slowing. She was still powering through the water and was way ahead of all the other swimmers in her heat. She was even in front of Bisho, who usually had the fastest time. She was doing so well that it probably wouldn't matter if she slowed down now. She would likely make the time anyway.

She had one lap to go and had not slowed down at all during her swim. She was way in front of everyone else. Bisho was almost an entire lap behind her. She was coming up to the wall, so Quinn readied himself to stop her stopwatch. He crouched down and, as soon as she touched the wall, pushed the stop button. "Stop", he told her clearly, still focussing on the stopwatch in his hand, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

8 minutes and 42 seconds. In his 17 years of experience with lifeguarding tryouts, Quinn has never seen a time this fast before. No one else was even close to finishing this fast. He glanced up to congratulate Jasmine on her time, but she wasn't at the wall. He glanced up to see her still swimming. 'She mustn't have heard me say stop,' he reasoned. 'She must have miscounted her laps. I am sure she is finished. She will probably stop on the next lap.' But when she finished the next lap, she didn't stop swimming. Nor did she stop after the next lap or the next. Jasmine kept swimming, never showing signs of tiring, never stopping. Quinn tried to call out to her, to tell her that she was finished, but she never seemed to hear him. She just kept swimming.

***

Quinn knelt at the poolside, trying to stop the young girl, but his efforts seemed futile. The young girl seemed determined to keep swimming. It was almost, Quinn reflected like she didn't know that she was done and was determined to keep going.

Slowly, other swimmers began to finish. They were looking around, congratulating each other on their times. Deano had been standing near Quinn, timing Singlets. He leaned over to Quinn. "Has she not finished yet?" he asked in surprise. "She was going way faster than anyone else."