Chapter 225
Lynette's POV
The water hit me like a slap.
Cold. Sharp. Exactly what I needed.
I twisted mid-air, felt my spine curve into the perfect arc. My body remembered this—not from Elara's memories, but from my own. Twenty years of hunting in frozen lakes, diving through ice-cracked rivers in the North.
This heated pool was nothing.
I entered the water with barely a splash. Heard the crowd gasp even through the muffled underwater silence.
Good.
The piano music filtered down, distorted and dreamlike. I opened my eyes. The chlorine stung, but I didn't blink. Couldn't afford to miss a beat.
My legs kicked once, twice. Momentum carried me deeper. The pressure built against my eardrums—familiar, almost comforting. In my past life, I'd held my breath for over five minutes while tracking prey beneath the ice. This three-minute routine was a joke.
I started the first rotation. Tucked my knees to my chest, let the water spin me. Once. Twice. Three times.
Then I felt it.
My body wanted more.
Not Elara's careful, practiced movements. Not the safe, choreographed version she'd rehearsed a hundred times in our backyard pool.
My Alpha instincts kicked in. My muscles coiled tighter. I added a fourth rotation.
The water rushed past my skin. My lungs burned—not from lack of air, but from the sheer physical exertion of controlling every micro-movement at this speed.
I surfaced right on cue. Gasped in air. Saw the crowd on their feet.
Miss Porter was at the pool's edge, clipboard forgotten in her hand. Her mouth was open.
Yeah. I'd just done something way harder than Elara's original plan.
Oops.
I dove back under before anyone could process it.
---
The music swelled. Strings joined the piano. This was the hard part.
I positioned myself in the center of the pool. Felt the water pressure equalize around me. Then I pushed off the bottom with both feet and shot upward.
My legs broke the surface first. Straight. Locked at the knees. Toes pointed.
I held the vertical position. Felt every muscle in my core scream. My abs were on fire. My thighs shook from the effort of keeping my legs perfectly still.
Five seconds. Just hold for five seconds.
The crowd was roaring now. I could hear it even underwater. Muffled cheers. Applause.
I counted in my head. One. Two. Three.
My body wanted to collapse. Wanted to let gravity win.
Four.
I thought about Elara on that bench. Her swollen ankle. The fear in her eyes.
Five.
I let myself sink back into the water. Smooth. Controlled.
The final sequence was just barrel rolls. Easy. I tucked my arms against my sides and let momentum do the work. One roll. Two. Three. Four.
The music hit its final note.
I surfaced, swam to the edge, and pulled myself out in one fluid motion. Water streamed off my body. My hair was plastered to my skull. The black swimsuit clung to every curve.
I stood. Turned to face the crowd. Bowed.
The applause was deafening.
I didn't smile. Didn't wave. Just straightened up and walked toward the changing room.
Behind me, I heard the announcer's voice crack with excitement. "Ladies and gentlemen, that was... that was absolutely incredible!"
Yeah. It was.
---
I made it halfway down the hallway before they caught up with me.
"Wait! Wait!"
Footsteps pounded behind me. I turned.
Three girls from the swim team were running toward me, still dripping wet, towels clutched in their hands. They must've jumped out of the pool the second I finished.
The blonde one reached me first. Her eyes were huge. "That four-rotation spin! I've been training for two years and I still can't do that!"
A brunette with a ponytail grabbed my arm. "And the vertical hold! Ten seconds! TEN! Coach said five was the goal and you just—"
"Where did you learn to swim like that?" The third girl was breathless. "Are you, like, secretly a professional or something?"
I pulled my arm free. "I just... picked up some techniques. Nothing special."
"Nothing special?!" The blonde looked like she might cry. "You just saved the entire showcase!"
More footsteps. More voices. The hallway was filling up with people—swimmers, coaches, even some parents who'd rushed down from the bleachers.
I needed to get out of here.
"Lynette!"
Elara's voice cut through the noise.
I turned. She was limping toward me, one hand braced against the wall. Her face was wet. Tears or pool water, I couldn't tell.
She threw her arms around me.
I froze.
Her body was warm. Soft. She was shaking.
"Thank you," she whispered against my shoulder. "Thank you, thank you, thank you—"
My hands hovered awkwardly at my sides. Then, slowly, I brought them up and patted her back.
"It's fine," I said. My voice came out rougher than I intended. "You're my sister. Of course I'd do it."
Elara pulled back. Her eyes were red. "But you didn't have to. You could've just let them cancel—"
"No, I couldn't." I looked at her ankle. Still swollen. Still angry purple. "Whoever did this to you wanted to humiliate you. Wanted to take away something you worked hard for. I wasn't going to let that happen."
Elara bit her lip. Fresh tears spilled over.
I sighed. Reached up and wiped them away with my thumb. "Stop crying. You're making a scene."
She laughed. It came out as half a sob. "Okay. Okay, I'll stop."
Miss Porter appeared at my elbow. She looked dazed. "That was... I don't even have words. You just performed at a collegiate level. How—"
"Lucky," I said flatly. "I got lucky."
"Lucky." Miss Porter repeated the word like it was in a foreign language. "Right. Lucky."
She shook her head. Walked away muttering to herself.
I grabbed a towel off the bench and started drying my hair. The other girls were still staring at me. Whispering.
I ignored them. Focused on getting dressed as fast as possible. I needed to get Elara home. Needed to ice that ankle before the swelling got worse.
Needed to find Sophia and rip her throat out.
But that last part could wait.
---
We left through the side exit. Elara leaned heavily on my shoulder. Her weight was nothing—I'd carried full-grown wolves over my shoulders in the North. But I kept my pace slow. Let her set the speed.
The hallway was empty. Everyone was still in the pool area, probably rehashing the performance.
We turned the corner toward the main exit.
That's when I heard it.
Voices. Low. Urgent.
I held up a hand. Elara stopped. I pressed a finger to my lips.
She nodded.
We crept forward. Stayed close to the wall. The voices were coming from around the next corner.
"...plan failed." Sophia's voice. Cold. Clipped. "She actually went through with it."
A pause. She was on the phone.
"I know," Sophia continued. "I underestimated her. It won't happen again."
Another pause. I strained to hear the voice on the other end. Male. Deep. But too muffled to make out words.
Sophia laughed. It was a sharp, brittle sound. "Oh, don't worry. I'll be more careful next time. And next time, I'll make sure both of them disappear. The cripple and her psycho sister."
My vision went red.
Elara's hand clamped down on my arm. Her nails dug into my skin. I looked at her. She was pale. Terrified.
She shook her head frantically. Don't.
I took a breath. Then another.
Sophia's footsteps clicked away down the hall. The sound faded.
I waited until I couldn't hear her anymore. Then I turned to Elara.
"We're leaving," I said quietly. "Now."