Approaching Normal // third book in Dementophobia series

eight // don't forget this moment

--Bowser's P.O.V--

"This is going to be the hardest four months of my life," Benji whispered to me as Senior Chief Everett kept his eyes on all of us in the pool.

He wanted to see how long we could all swim without getting tired or cramping up and I could already tell that Benji was struggling.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that I was doing absolutely fine.

"How long do you think we are supposed to do this?" He asked me.

"As long as he says," I replied. "He's not going to let us get out until someone screws up. I can see it in his eyes. He wants someone to screw up." I turned my head to look my twin. "And do not let that someone be you, alright? You got this."

Benji nodded and I hoped that he could do this. We had been in the water for only twenty minutes and I did not want my brother to be the first person let go from the team. He didn't deserve that.

However, a part of me wondered if it would be best if he did leave the coast guard. That way our parents would only have to worry about one child. But I knew that it would kill Benji if he was let go, so I knew he wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Luckily, on the thirty minute mark, someone else decided to screw up.

A boy to my right suddenly started to go underwater, screaming about how his leg was cramping. Everyone in the pool glanced at one another. Benji glanced at me and I just shrugged.

That's when Benji and another boy decided to grab a hold of the cramping boy and dragging him to the side of the pool.

"You are dismissed," Senior Chief Everett told him.

"But my leg cramped up," he protested. "I can't prevent that."

"Too bad," was the chief's response. "You are gone. Everyone else get out of the pool!"

The dejected boy climbed out and everyone else began to follow him, but as I placed my arms on the side of the pool getting ready to pull myself up, Senior Chief Everett bent down to my level.

"Why didn't you help your teammate out?" He asked me.

"The only team I am apart of is the team of my brother and I. That guy wasn't Benji which means he wasn't my problem."

Suddenly Senior Chief shoved my head underwater, causing me to cough due to having no time to close my mouth.

"You better watch your attitude, Joseph, because with your current one, you won't last in this program for long."

I chuckled, my lungs still burning from the water and my blonde hair plastered to my forehead. "You may be one of the top coast guard swimmers right now, but I'm coming to knock you off your pedestal."

•••

"Can you lay your life down, so a stranger can live?"

I knew Senior Chief was directing the question towards me, but I refused to even turn my head towards him.

"Honestly, I think some of you aren't even concerned with saving lives at all," he remarked, pacing up and down the row of guys standing at full attention in front of him. "I think some of you are here only because you think there's nowhere else you could go."