All translations are done using Google translate, so I'm sorry if there are any errors!
Sang
"Ready to swim, Sang?" Victor asks. I glance around at the huge crowd and nod. It's finally time for nationals!
"One final word, Ms. Sorenson." Mr. Blackbourne calls out. I follow him away from the group and look at him expectantly. "You had better not screw this up like you did the trial. I've spent a lot of time and money getting you ready for this, and it will not go to waste."
His eyes are so cold as they stare into me. He's right though; I faked my way onto the team. He knows it, all the boys probably know it, I bet even the crowd knows it: I don't belong.
Movement past Mr. Blackbourne catches my attention. Glancing around, I see Avidite walking towards us. She throws an arm around Mr. Blackbourne's shoulder and together they intone, "Do not fail us."
I wake up with a start. What an awful dream! Already, the details are becoming fuzzy; the only thing left is a sense of anxiety and worry. I glance at the clock and wince at the blinking numbers. It's too early!
I know that I won't be able to fall asleep for a long time, so instead of waking the boys up with my restlessness I sneak out into the hallway. Just as I expected, it's empty at two in the morning. I'll walk around for a while and hope that it calms me down enough to sleep again. The thought of that big bed, so empty, creeps me out though. North insisted that I have my own bed, despite that didn't mind sharing, so he slept on the floor. Victor and Silas took the other bed, arguing for a solid five minutes over who was taking the most sheets.
The door opens again behind me and I turn to see a bleary-eyed North walking out. "Sang Baby, what are you doing out? It's not safe." he mumbles.
"Did I wake you up? I tried to be quiet!" I fret. North gives me an exasperated look.
"I don't care if you bumbled around like a drunken sailor, I just want to know why you are up at two in the morning!" he says with a bit more force. Should I tell him? He already knows about the nightmare I had on the plane, so...
"I had a nightmare again." I tell him. He immediately starts to freak out, examining me to see if I'm harmed in any way.
"Did you stop breathing again? Why didn't you wake us up!" he shouts. I shush him, mindful of the sleeping people around us.
"It wasn't as bad as the last one. I don't want to burden you with my problems." I whisper. Why can't they get that I can handle my own issues?
"Sang, any problem of yours is no burden to us. We want to help you! Any time you have a nightmare, I want you to come and see me. I don't care if it's at three in the morning or if I'm exhausted, I will listen to you. Got it?" North proposes. Tears well up in my eyes at how sweet he is.
"I'll try North, that's the best I can do." I mumble.
North takes my hand and pulls me back towards the room. "Let's try to sleep, okay?" he asks. I don't know if it's the late (early) hour or his promise, but I suddenly gain a big dose of confidence.
"Would you sleep in the bed with me?" I ask. I hold my breath as I wait for his answer.
"I would love to, Sang Baby." he whispers. Together, we lie down in bed. Within minutes I'm fast asleep. I think I feel a hand gently push the hair out of my face, but I might have just imagined it.
The alarm clock goes off way to early in the morning. "Shut it off!" I whine. The noise stops abruptly, but my peace is short-lived because not ten seconds later someone rips the blanket out of my grasp.
"Wake up Aggele Mou! We have to get going!" Silas exclaims.
"Do I have to?" I mumble. Normally I don't have a problem waking up in the morning, but my late night adventure really wore me out.
"Yes, and if you get up in the next minute then you can have a present." Victor says. Immediately, I pop up into a sitting position.
"Another present? You've already given me so much!" I protest.
Victor hands me an unmarked white box. "This is really just a continuation of the team clothes, but it took longer to get because we had to order it over the internet. Go ahead and open it up!"
I cautiously open the box and see a swim suit and two swim caps. The suit has a blue shark on a gray background. The swim caps are blue with my name and the Synchro Sharks written on it. "Thanks guys! I totally forgot about a team suit." I tell them. Victor smirks.
"Luckily, Gabe didn't. Now, go and get changed so that we can get going. If we leave soon enough, we can get a hot breakfast. Otherwise, we'll just eat the cereal and stuff that Kota brought." he says.
The promise of a hot breakfast is enough to have me rushing to get ready. In fifteen minutes, I'm dressed and ready with my swim bag by the door.
"Come on guys, hurry up!" I say in a rush. Silas chuckles, not seeming concerned by my haste.
"We're almost ready Aggele. I don't know how you managed to beat us, though." he says thoughtfully. Now, it's my turn to smirk.
"It's a secret girl power. Everybody thinks that we take forever to get ready, but if we want to then we can be done in a flash." I explain.
Victor and North wander over, signaling that our room is ready. I look over at North and blush- I wonder if he thinks I'm weird for wanting him in the bed. He wasn't there when I woke up, so he must have moved at some point during the night.
We meet the other rooms in the lobby and head out. Mr. Blackbourne and Sean stay in their own car, so the rest of us pile into the one we came in. It's tight, but nice not to be separated. I had missed Kota on the car ride up yesterday.
Thirty minutes later we're all chowing down on pancake wrapped sausages from a drive through breakfast place.
"I think I'm in love!" Luke mumbles while chewing.
"At least it has protein in it." North grumbles. Despite his initial hesitation, he seems to be enjoying his breakfast. I don't see how anyone could hate these- they're delicious!
We pull into the pool parking lot behind Mr. Blackbourne and Sean. They had stopped somewhere else to get breakfast. Surprisingly, one of the people we met yesterday is also here. What was his name... Raven, like the bird! Why would he be here? And why does he have a swim bag?
When we get out of the car, Raven walks over to us. "It's the little Blackbournes! And Sang, nice to meet you." he says. Man, he has a really strong Russian accent! I wonder if I should tell him that I speak Russian- I learned it to listen to the Russian commentary on synchro videos. After all, to be the best you have to learn from the best!
"Zdravstvuyte Raven." I say. He looks at me in shock, as do the rest of the boys.
"Ty govorish' po-russki?" he asks.
"Da, ya uznal ob etom neskol'ko let nazad." I reply.
"What are you guys saying?" Gabriel asks.
"Sang was telling me that she speaks Russian." Raven translates. I smile at the boy's confused faces.
"Why do you speak Russian?" North asks.
"I wanted to listen to the commentary on synchro videos." I explain.
North looks to Silas and mumbles, "Eínai entelós éna korítsi Akadimía." (She's totally an Academy girl.)
Silas nods and whispers "Oposdipote!" (Definitely!)
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Synchronized Swimming
FanfictionSang's whole world revolves around synchronized swimming: her mother has become obsessed with Sang's success and is pushing her beyond her limits. When the boys first see Sang at a competition, they are shocked at her ability and grace. After seeing...
