Natureborne

I. Dive (Edited)

The sounds around Aerin were muffled. Nothing but that moment mattered. Not the cheers of the people, nor the loudness of the city, and not even the fact that she was in a competition. The moment before she dove into the water, the wind blew softly against her pale skin and she knew that this was her chance to shine.

Aerin loved swimming- being submerged and feeling the heat of the sun being quelled by the cool waters was soothing in a way. It was a substitute, a poor one. There was nothing truly alive about the pool, yet she felt as though it gave her the strength to keep going, to stay strong.

The feeling of the ocean's saltwater was a mere dream at that point. The freedom to be floating amongst so much life and to be a part of the vast blue expanse, although it felt so far away, so soon.   She shuddered, and knew her moment was over. People were chanting louder and louder, and finally, after such a long time of waiting, the blank was fired.

It was only the second after she immersed herself in the water that her heart beat faster with exhilaration. She felt free.

She had to win if she wanted to keep feeling the tiniest amount of true freedom and she had to win if she was going to have a chance for the future. Scouts from some of the country's top universities were watching her. If she performed well, she was sure to earn her ticket out of the orphanage, out of Rivercastle, and into the outside world.

She dove and she swam with all of her might, and ignored the bodies of the other swimmers in the pool with her. In front of her was a goal. A dream.

Win Aerin. Win.

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Aerin slammed the door of her locker shut. She picked up her red and white duffel bag off the floor and started walking. Her long hair was still dripping wet and as she walked, she gently squeezed and blotted sections of her hair with the towel to dry.

The locker room was empty. She liked going last, hanging out by the pool a bit and enjoying the peace after such a loud event. Competitive swimming was not as broadcasted as other sports like basketball or football, but it was always crowded. Most of the population of the audience were females who typically arrived later when the female swimmers were done with their race and the guys came out.

It was the loudest part of the event and for Aerin, it was quite amusing. The girls' swim team usually placed highly in competitions, but it was clear who most of the school came to support.

Probably cause they're shirtless, she thought with a snort.

Aerin figured that her hair couldn't get any drier just from towelling and let the towel drape over one shoulder. She fished for her phone from the pocket of her school-themed duffel bag. It took her a few seconds of sifting through candy wrappers, pieces of scrap paper, keys, and change before she found her phone and she pulled it out with a triumphant grin.

She wasn't a slob. She made it a habit to put trash in her bag when there isn't a bin in sight. She lived on the streets and knew firsthand the difficulties of the people in charge of manual labour like unclogging the sewer or sweeping the streets. Aside from that, she cared immensely for the environment. Aerin had a strong distaste for those who claimed climate change was not a serious issue.

She turned on her phone to see multiple notifications from her social media. Aerin had a love for photography. Before she had showered, she took a picture of the mostly empty pool area. It was serene and the filter she uses to keep her feed made it look somewhat dreamy. She had only captioned it, 'after the race' but it still got attention from what she could see from her lockscreen.

It was one of her options for the future. She wanted to work outdoors and photography, specifically nature photography would allow that. She would check the app later. The teen directed her gaze to the large numbers on top. 6:31pm.

It was still pretty bright outside. There was still enough time to swing by Darya's house and maybe have dinner out with her winnings before curfew at the orphanage.

Knowing Darya though, she'd make me stay, Aerin thought amused. Her friend would want to know everything and she was only too happy to tell her so.

Now with a goal in mind, the swimmer adjusted the bag on her shoulder and went to cross the room to the exit. Her worn black sneakers lightly squeaked on the tiled floor, and, due to the locker room, echoed about. Aerin took out her earphones from another, cleaner pocket of her duffel bag and plugged them in, tuning out the world with alternative rock.

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Author's Note

And there you have it! The first chapter of Natureborne. What do you think of Aerin? Did this help pique your interest for her character?

Next chapter, I'll be introducing one of the major characters in the story. Thank you for reading! I'd love to know your opinion so Vote or Comment your thoughts down below.

—Liz

*Edited 03/13/19*