FYSH: Diving Deeper.

Chapter Six: Training.

We were a hand-picked bunch of elite swimmers. I guess you might've guessed that by now. That we were swimming to win. What did the project go towards? We didn't know. What information would they gain by watching kids swim? We weren't sure. Why were we also being evaluated outside our training quarters? Who knew? If only we had asked. If only we had thought to ask. Then maybe we would have had the idea that something was wrong.

But we went about our days and training, laughing and crying, and it wasn't until the beginning of Stage Two that we had all gotten our suspicions.

So there we all were. Day one, at 8:00AM sharp, all dressed in zippy, expensive swimming suits. Me? I was sitting on a table with Serra, who I had met again, with my goggles, cap and towel flopped around my arm, wearing my usual black and beige one piece. Serra looked marvellous, her pretty copper hair tied up in a slick high ponytail, looking all comfortable in a red swimsuit. You know, the kind that peaks up at the hips to show off your figure. We were having a little chat, when I realised my thoughts kept dawdling back to Tyde. How were we planning to do this? Did he get to sleep okay? Was he going to sneak in and out of my room? Would I see him again today? I shook my head dazily, and my eyes snapped back into focus. Serra's head was on the side, and she was looking at me with an awkward grin.
"Sorry, what did you say?" I spluttered.
"I've been going on and on about home but I just realised you weren't listening. You were sitting there with a kooky look in your eyes." She said with a chuckle.
"Oh really? I'm so sorry, what were you saying?" I asked.
"It's alright, looks who's arrived." Serra said, nodding towards the door of the Meeting Room. We turned around to watch a smirking Kai enter the room, again followed by the so-called doctors.
"Alright kiddos, who's ready for the first day of training!?" He yelled. His shout was echoed by the sound that energetic teens make in the morning. So, not much.
"Oh come on, athletes! You're here for a reason, remember?" Kai reminded us cheerfully. As he turned to open the door for us, and us kids gathered up our stuff, I couldn't shake off the weird feeling that that statement was constantly being fed to us. You're here for a reason. Yes, we were. To swim and train for you. To earn money and food for us. To give you what you want, for what we need.
Right?

We flittered through the hallway, slipping past the shimmering tiles. As we neared the heaving, metal door, a hand hooked around my shoulder and snagged me backwards.
"What the-" I stammered, tripping back. The hand snaked down from my shoulder and to my back, stabilizing the same force that had pull me back. Tyde sniggered.
"What do you want?" I snapped. He walked alongside me, a jump in his step.
"Are you ready for our first day?" He said. I wasn't. Spiders scratched at the sides of my stomach, climbing up my oesophagus, threatening to spill out along with breakfast. I was late for breakfast, and as everyone sat in the Meeting Room slurping cereal and juice, I had enough time for swallow an apple.
"Ah yeah." I told him. "Are you?"
"S' not my first day." He retorted, with a laugh.
What?
"What?" I said.
He blinked at me (with those gorgeous cerulean eyes) as if he had just remembered I was there. For a second we just looked at each other, and I could see my own confused face reflected off his. We met the end of the hallway and suddenly as I looked away from him and to the front, a flicker of movement spread over Tyde. I almost missed it.

His hand flew to his right ear and his face twitched. A wince of pain. As I turned back to him, his hand dropped and his smile floated dazily over his face.
"Are you okay?" I asked cautiously.
"Why wouldn't I be?" He replied. He tucked his hands into his baggy shorts and peered over the front.

A stake of suspicion nailed it's way through my heart and head, as I replayed his fingers itching to reach his ear and the lightning-like face changes. The physical pain that was so clearly displayed on his face, the little twitch that shook his whole head, the immediate drop of his emotion as I looked at him... All after he told me that it wasn't his first day of training. What did he mean by that?

"Coming?" Tyde asked cheerfully, his voice breaking my thoughts. He was walking backwards through the door, and I realised everyone had already entered the room. He shot me a dashing smile.
"Yeah." I said. His smile was so infectious, making the corners of my mouth pinch upwards bashfully, as I swallowed a hot ball of nerves.