Katlyn Duncan - Darkest Dawn

Bri’s skin flushed. “Really?”

Coach nodded, her expression stoic. “You have less than two years before you leave this place. Which isn’t ideal, but I think we can do it.”

“Thank you.”

Coach tapped her hands on her desk. “I want you here for an extra hour on Monday. We can work out a game plan then.” Coach’s offer was amazing. Her reputation had preceded her before she came to Willows Lake. Multiple college trophies and even an opportunity to get into the Olympics before she’d injured herself. Mom would be proud.

“Sounds good.”

Coach looked at her desk. “Get out of here.”

Bri nodded, noticing a barely perceptible lift of Coach’s lips. Bri suppressed a smile. Coach wasn’t as tough as she seemed—that didn’t mean she deserved any less respect though.

The rest of the girls were already changing when Bri claimed the closest shower stall to the locker room. She knew Max would be annoyed if she took too long. And she couldn’t wait to share the news. She showered as quickly as possible, just enough to get the chlorine off her skin. When she turned off the shower, a dull ringing settled in her ears, growing louder and louder. A splitting headache accompanied the sound so she leaned against the still-warm plastic wall of the enclosure.

She reached for the towel slung over the hook right outside the curtain but missed, toppling forward. She caught herself as her foot slipped across the floor. She was able to grip the towel and hook just before falling. Black spots dotted her vision. She took a deep breath, willing her eyes to stay open and not succumb to passing out.

Several breaths later she was able to come out of it. Sweat trickled over her body and she shivered. When she was sure she could stand without falling, she lifted the towel from the hook and wrapped it around her body. She slipped on flip-flops, grabbed her damp bathing suit, and headed for the locker room.

The buzz of voices didn’t greet her this time. The other girls must have headed home.

Bri blinked a few times to make sure her balance was okay. “Max?” Lockers outlined the space and all the benches were empty. Her breathing was loud in her ears. “This isn’t funny!”

Something moved behind her and she spun around, expecting to see Max. No one was there. She swallowed the tractor-trailer-sized lump in her throat and headed for her locker. As she spun the combination on the locker, something shuffled behind her. She paused, her hand hovering over the lock. Her skin heated as she turned around again.

Max knew not to mess with her. “Coach?”

She quickly spun the combination again and reached in her bag for her clothes. She didn’t even bother to get halfway dry before shoving on her underwear, shirt, and jeans.

A shuffling sound made her stop. She held her breath as it moved closer and closer. It started at the entrance to the locker room. “Hello?”

Again, nothing.

Her teeth started to chatter and she pressed her lips together to stifle the noise. She was going to kill Max if she was pranking her. A large shadow moved across the space. Her instincts propelled her legs in the other direction. She tucked her bag against her body and sprinted toward Coach’s office. “Coach!” The office was dark and the door was locked. She was alone with whatever shadow-thing she’d seen. She ran down the back hallway and pushed through the door to the natatorium. A body lay facedown on the surface of the pool and she screamed.

The body moved, his head popping up from the surface.

Relief surged through her as she recognized the face. “Kael?” What was Kael Theron doing at school? She walked closer to the edge.

His head dipped below the surface again and he swam to the side of the pool.

Bri backed away when his hands touched the tile by her feet. He hopped from the water and towered over her. Droplets of water streamed down the taut muscles of his chest. His normally sandy blond hair was a few shades darker from the water. He only wore a pair of swim trunks.

She steadied her eyes on his. “You gave me a frickin’ heart attack.”

The corner of his mouth lifted in an amused smile. Her heart flip-flopped. Kael was a few years older and the steady subject of Willows Lake’s constant stream of gossip. Being the reclusive son of the craziest and wealthiest man in town would do that. It didn’t help that they lived on the outskirts of town on the lake in a secluded mansion. A place she always thought looked enchanted and straight out of a fairy tale.

He held her gaze. “I didn’t realize anyone was still here.”

She’d become accustomed to people looking at her eyes but with her green contact firmly in place, his stare wasn’t about the genetic deformity. It struck down to her core. “I was the only one left in there.” She hoped. She thought of the sound she’d heard before freaking out. It had probably been her imagination. In any case she stepped away from the door to the locker room.

His eyes narrowed briefly as if he was judging her truth. “Why are you here so late?”

She thought of Max and how much she wanted to strangle her for leaving before she was out of the shower. “We just finished up practice. I’m headed out to meet Max.”

“Max?”

“Maxine,” she clarified. “My friend.”

His chin lifted. “I see.”

She skirted past him, keeping her eyes on the slick floor. The sound of his wet feet followed. She turned her head. He tugged on his jeans and shoved a dry shirt over his head.

“How’s your dad?” Abbey visited Mr. Theron a couple of days a week, even though he had numerous caregivers. For some reason he had requested her to keep him company when he first got sick.

“Same,” Kael said in a clipped tone. One that she recognized as annoyance. It was the same tone that she used whenever someone asked about where her dad was. Not that she had any idea who he was. Or that she cared.

“My mom will be back to see him in a few days.” She filled the awkward silence.

He shook his head. “He doesn’t even know she’s there half the time.”

“She likes spending time with him.”

He snorted. “His ability to make people feel guilty deserves an Oscar.”

Kael made it seem like illness was something his dad enjoyed. Although she didn’t know him well enough to know if he was kidding—not that his situation was anything to joke about. Instead, she changed the subject. “You like to swim?” She immediately regretted asking. Obviously he did. For some reason he always put her on edge and not always in a negative way.

A secret smile touched his lips. “I do. It relaxes me.”

She quirked her lips. “Me too.”

He raked a hand through his hair, slicking it back. “I’m glad it was you here instead of the coach.”

Bri flushed. “Why?”

He pressed his lips together briefly before speaking. “Let’s just say I don’t exactly have permission to be here.”

“I won’t tell anyone as long as you keep me screaming like a banshee to yourself.”

He winked at her. “Deal.”

Her breath caught in her throat.

They hovered by the door, but Bri reached for it first.

“Wait.” His hand slammed into it. It came close enough to her face that she could make out each individual hair on his arm.

She whirled around realizing how close his body was to hers. His breathing was labored.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” he said firmly.

If it wasn’t for Mom and her stories from Mr. Theron, she might have been afraid of his outburst. Most people in town were. He was portrayed as a “lost soul” by his father.

“I need to meet my friend,” she prompted, pointing at his arm.

“Be careful okay?” His jaw clenched. “Make sure you go straight home.”