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Once everyone was present, Coach Jo outlined what he wanted us to do, and before long, we'd split up to do the exercises he assigned to us. The pool was wide and long enough to give us all room, and with a grateful sigh, I slipped into the water, putting my goggles on before taking a deep breath and going under.
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I swam three laps before coming up for air, feeling better than I had before. Swimming in general was soothing for me, and I felt safer in the water than I did on dry land. At least no one could hurt me while I was in the water - it was when I climbed out onto the deck that things turned bad. Faith was having one of her famous tantrums, and though Coach Jo told her several times to get back to her excercise, she wasn't having any of it. "Why does she get to do the dolphin stroke?" she demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "She can't swim as well as I can!"
This was both true and not true. I didn't have her speed or grace in the water. And I'd never make the relay team. But I could hold my breath underwater for longer, and I could do some impressive dives on one breath alone. Coach Jo had hinted more than once I had the makings of a good freediver, and had promised to start some rudimentary training so I could learn the basics. But as usual, Faith didn't like to see me doing something she couldn't, and Coach Jo finally threw his hands up in disgust. "Fine," he said, annoyed. "I was going to start your sister on a deep dive exercise, but if you think you can dive down to the bottom and retrieve my coin, then be my guest. Oh," he added, as a smirk started spreading across Faith's face, "you don't get to use your wolf to help you hold your breath longer. You'll do it on your own merits, or not at all. And I've got a bullshit meter even the most skilled werewolf can't break. If I find you're cheating, I'll have you removed from the swim team and your parents can bloody well deal with consequences for once in their lives instead of trying to buy me off with bribes."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcEBEAKNV1
Faith's eyes were as wide and round as dinner plates by the time he was done - Coach Jo was the only teacher to tell her plain truths, and when you were so used to getting your own way, it was a positive slap in the face to have someone not submit to your wiles, of which Faith had plenty, and good knowledge how to use them, besides. Coach Jo, on the other hand, normally never let his temper get the best of him, but I didn't blame him for blowing his fuse. Faith ... kind've did that to everyone she couldn't wrap around her little finger. Rather than blow her own stack in return, however, she have her hair an impatient toss. "I can outlast my sister any day of the week with my hands tied behind my back," she said, the smug smirk back in place.
I sighed, rolled my eyes, and perched myself on the deck. "If you think you can do it, then do it," I said. I wasn't too annoyed at having to wait; it gave me a chance to catch my breath, and I was curious to see if Faith really could hold her breath as long as she claimed.
Coach Jo sighed and gave me a put-upon look that made me clap a hand over my mouth to stop the inevitable giggle from bursting out. "One of these days," he groused, before taking out his coin. It was an old, old coin, tarnished from age. Coach Jo claimed it came from the time of King Arthur, and I believed him. It was also the perfect little tool for when he wanted to see how good his students' lungs really were. Faith tailed him as he walked to the deep end - the pool was deep already, but the deep end was almost as deep as an olympic pool - and before long, a small crowd had gathered, watching as Coach Jo tossed the coin into the water. It sank swiftly and was soon lost to sight, and after a few moments, he turned to Faith and nodded. "Good luck," he said. He meant it despite his earlier grumpiness, but Faith sniffed disdainfully as she put her swimming cap and goggles back on. She had the sense to take several breaths before taking the one big breath that she'd need during her long dive, and, with a grace I could never match, she dived in. 88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJbsKO6HrF
I held my breath as I watched her form become more and more blurred, until the merest ripply outline remained. I did tell myself to breathe again; Faith was the one underwater, not me, but I still watched with a high amount of anxiety. She seemed to be taking longer than I thought she would, and even Coach Jo frowned at the possibility she might have run out of air.
But as he prepared to dive in and rescue her, she emerged from the water with a loud gasp, eyes wide as she fought to keep her head above water. Coach Jo leaned over, grabbed her arm, and hauled her onto the deck, where she huddled, shaking and sobbing. Coach Jo yelled for someone to get the nurse, while ordering everyone else to stand away and give Faith a chance to get her breath back. When she did, she flung the coin at Coach Jo's feet, eyes spitting sparks.
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"Fuck you," she snarled, glaring at him with such hatred it was a wonder he didn't burst into flames on the spot. "Just you wait till I tell Daddy you almost drowned me!"
Coach Jo stayed surprisingly steady as he faced her temper. "I told you it was going to be a risk," he said.
Faith looked like she wanted to say more, but soon the nurse came, and she escorted my still-shaking sister out of the pool and to the sick bay. Coach Jo sighed as she left. "There's going to be hell to pay," he said, picking up his coin and bouncing it on his palm before pocketing it. "Sorry, Mercedes. We'll have to practice some other time."88Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNTnaSAZaq
I nodded. I was a bit more shaken than I realised over Faith's near-drowning, and from the look in Coach Jo's eyes, his career was possibly close to being over. Faith would not hesitate in spinning the story to her advantage, and though there were enough impartial witnesses to prove Coach Jo's innocence, Cherry and Honey were predictably making the rounds, either cajoling or outright intimidating those on the sidelines into corroborrating Faith's story. I felt sick inside as I hurried back to the change rooms to get into dry clothes. Coach Jo's fate wasn't the only one hanging in the air; mine was as well. And Faith loved to get me in trouble, especially when she believed I was in the wrong to fly so low under our pack's radar. She'd often stated I had no right to hide from the rest of the pack, and she was often the reason Father cared to remember my presence. As I stripped and quickly showered, I wondered what he'd say to me this time, and what new insults he'd come up with.
Or worse - he'd likely withdraw me from school, fines and child services be damned. I shivered again as I toweled off. That would give him all the leave he needed to begin hitting me again, and I prayed I'd have at least a few hours of peace when I got home before the storm hit.
Knowing Faith and my father, though, that wasn't likely to happen.
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