Insight

Chapter Nine: Exhaustion

Lacy picked up the map and lead us to the pool. The pool was located in the back corner near the gateway, behind the fields and a number of cabins I hadn't seen before. If we were to follow the fence back, we would've reached the Infirmary, but there was no path and I got the feeling that we were supposed to limit our contact to the fence. I had noticed while visiting the Infirmary and along the paths to and from the cabins that the fences bulged outward, or there were multiple fences in front of the final fence. Paths seemed to be placed as far from the fences as possible and the area between the fences and the areas next to the paths were uncharacteristically overgrown and uninviting. On the path to both the boys' and girls' cabins, trees seem to be purposely planted and vines were interweaved between them so it was hard to get to the fence in the first place; and the limbs on the other side of the trees were sawed off, as if to prevent one from climbing a tree then jumping over the fence.

When we reached the pool, it seemed that Aiden had been right in thons assumptions. Besides us nine, there were three other people there, along with a couple of Nurses. There were two girls, one who was chatting with the lifeguard and the other standing shyly, almost looking nervously around her, near the third person. The shy girl acted like a more terrified version of Lucy, and jumped at any sudden movement. The third person was a guy who oozed familiarity. His eyes were ice blue and he had inky black hair that almost shone blue in the sun. His skin was pale and he wore a scowl so deep that I wondered why the jumpy girl was anywhere near him. I followed my group to stand on the opposite side of the pool, but I continued to squint, staring at the guy and trying to figure out where I had seen him before, and why I felt as if I had known him in a past life. The Nurses seemed to be almost ready to start and I was almost giving up on trying to figure the guy out when he met my eyes. Smooth skin brushed across mine. I smiled up into his face, a smile that was fake, even though I loved him deeply. He forced a smile as well. "I-

"We're giving you all swimsuits now. Please go change in your respective changing rooms." One of the Nurses broke me out of my thoughts, pointing to small outhouse-like buildings off to one of the smaller sides of the pool. Another Nurse came by, asking the girls if they preferred one- or two-pieces before handing them whatever they had chosen. The Nurse handed Lacy a pair of swim trunks which she promptly refused, looking extremely offended before asking for a one-piece. The Nurse, confused, handed her a one-piece, then asked Aiden if thon was a boy or a girl.

"Neither." thon responded. "But hand me a pair of swim trunks." Having thoroughly confused the Nurse, she continued along our line, asking not for gender now, but for which type of swimsuit we preferred. I heard Raven say xe would love to wear just swim trunks but xe assumed xe'd get in a massive amount of trouble for that.

Aiden, Iggy, and John split off from the group to go into the male change rooms, and one of the Nurses attempted to get Lacy to go with them. Needless to say, that Nurse got an earful and Lacy joined us in the correct change room. There were cubbies to store the clothes removed to swim, showers, and even stalls. The girl that had been speaking to the lifeguard was changing out in the open, as were Moxy and Izzy. Lucy and Lacy opted to change in the stalls and Raven changed behind a shower curtain. The jumpy girl was sitting on a bench, staring into her lap. I changed into my one-piece quickly, shyly and feeling super awkward out in the open with the others. I shoved my clothes into a cubby and Moxy put hers in the same one. Moxy had chosen a two piece, but they had given her one that seemed a bit too big on her and seemed likely to fall off at the slightest breeze or if gravity suddenly pulled slightly more. Raven, however, was wearing a pair of swim trunks and a top from a two piece that was three sizes too small.

"Damn, you're busty." the girl who had been talking to the lifeguard commented.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Raven responded.