Witch (Supernatural #2)

18: Bad Things Come In Three

Private, adjective.

1. belonging to some particular person.
2. confined to or intended only for the persons immediately concerned; confidential.
3. personal and not publicly expressed.
4. removed from or out of public view or knowledge; secret.

***

"The universe really is out to get me, isn't it?"

That earned me a few grins. The outburst did, more than the words themselves. Honestly, there was nothing funny about it all. Coach Evers pretended she hadn't noticed, but I wasn't happy to let her carry on like she hadn't just announced we would be racing against Aspen City - amongst others - during the next meet. Like she hadn't just casually announced my worst nightmare come to life. Well, maybe not the worst, but definitely the runner-up.

"How are we even racing them? Aspen City is ridiculously far away for a friendly competition. And I would know," I huffed. I had moved the distance and was glad for every single millimeter.

"Okay, Isla, I get it. You are less than pleased with the situation. I can only tell you the information I've been given. Aspen City High is on the list of teams that will be coming to our school this Saturday. The others aren't from around the corner either. But does it really matter who you are up against in the water?"

I grumbled my answer, not wanting to give her the satisfaction. Not wanting her to know that it actually did matter if my old team was in the water with me. They had the ability to screw with my head; something they liked to do every opportunity they got. Normally, during meets, they would leave me be, as we were all on the same team and they knew full well I could bring in prizes. However, now that we weren't on the same team anymore, the only thing I could do was avoid them at all cost.

After Coach Evers had finished her announcement, we were told to get on with our warming up before we would have a few races, just to see where we were with our speeds. I climbed onto the nearest platform and dove into the water before I was properly positioned. This wasn't how I had expected to kick off the second week of the new year. After the disastrous first week I'd had, I had hoped beyond hope that this week would be normal. In a way, a swim meet was completely normal; it was only Aspen City's presence that messed up the whole thing.

"Isla," Jamie called after I had crossed the pool half a dozen times at breakneck speed, "You are going to burn out ridiculously fast if you keep going like that." He used his team-captain-voice, filling it with authority and ordering me to slow down.

"No, I won't, and we both know it," I retorted, not caring one bit about his team-captain-voice.

"Then do it for Ken," Jamie said before I could disappear underwater again. "He's worried enough as it is; no need to make him worry about you overexerting yourself."

I did slow down at that. But not much. It wasn't like I could push myself beyond what my body could handle; at some point, it would become impossible to lift my arms or to kick my legs. At that point, I would have no choice but to quit. However, if I didn't push myself beyond my limit every day, I would not feel like I had done everything in my power to be the best I could possibly be on Saturday. Not to mention focusing all my attention on the upcoming meet meant there was no time to think about the witch hunters.

And an Isla who didn't spend all her time worrying was a happy Isla.

As it later turned out, Monday was only the beginning. With the witch hunters' problem pushed onto a back burner, the upcoming meet had taken all of my attention. Not in a good way either. It became obsessive. Every morning, I was the first one in and the last one out of the pool. Whenever Coach Evers timed our friendly races, I pushed myself to the absolute limit. If I didn't like the time I had swum, I would simply go again. On Wednesday, Coach Evers pulled me aside and told me to take it easy the last two days. She understood I wanted to be in top form but she didn't want me to burn out.