‘Oh, Delphie, you’re such a drama queen,’ Ava said, throwing a pillow at my head.
A whistle pierced through the night air.
‘That’s Coach Vanessa,’ Bec said. ‘Lights out before we get busted!’
Ava jumped off her bed and flicked the light switch off. The room went dark except for a sliver of moonlight peeking through a crack in the curtains.
‘Night, everyone!’ Melissa sang.
We each rustled open our sleeping bags and slithered into them, pulling them up to our chins to keep warm. As I slid my legs further into the bag, I noticed something long and thin brush against my foot. I yanked my foot away.
‘Switch the light on! There’s something crawling in my sleeping bag!’ I yelped.
Ava leapt up and flicked the switch back on. I unzipped my sleeping bag, and there in the bottom of the bag was something long, scaly and black. I shrieked at the top of my voice, leaping out of my bed and onto Ava’s.
‘It’s a snake! It’s a snake!’ I screamed.
Ava screamed too and climbed up the ladder onto Bec’s bed. Melissa jumped from the bed above me onto Bec’s top bunk and I flew up the ladder behind them, screaming at the top of my voice.
The door burst open and Coach Vanessa entered the room. ‘WHAT is going on?’ she yelled over our shrieks of panic. She looked furious.
‘SNAKE!’ we all squealed, pointing to the black slithery shape on my open sleeping bag.
Coach Vanessa peered over at my abandoned bed, then, shaking her head as she picked up the snake by its tail. ‘Is this some kind of a joke?’ she asked, her eyes piercing into us. It was now clear that the snake in her hand was a toy. ‘We said no shenanigans, girls. This isn’t funny!’
‘We didn’t do it!’ Melissa cried.
‘One of you thought it would be funny to play a trick on the other – that much is obvious. But this isn’t funny. We said no silliness after lights out.’
‘Somebody else did this!’ I blurted out. ‘We didn’t do it!’
‘I don’t want to hear it,’ spat Coach Vanessa, cutting off my pleas. ‘Back into bed. And set the alarm on the table for five o’clock. You girls are now on breakfast set-up duty.’
‘Five?’ Bec shrieked.
‘Yes. And if I hear another sound out of this cabin, you will be in big trouble. Do you understand?’
‘Yes, Coach Vanessa,’ we said sheepishly, as we climbed off Bec’s bunk and back into our own beds. Coach Vanessa flicked off the lights angrily and shut our door.
‘Where on earth did that snake come from?’ Bec whispered into the darkness. ‘Do you reckon your brother or one of his mates put it there before camp?’
‘No, my brother and his mates are annoying but they’re not that annoying,’ Ava said.
‘I reckon I know who did this,’ I huffed. ‘It’s those Ogilvy girls.’
‘You can’t prove that, Delphie,’ Melissa whispered, unconvinced.
‘I told you they were acting funny earlier today. I know it was them,’ I mumbled. ‘We need to keep a very close eye on them.’
As I rolled over to go to sleep, I swear I could hear giggling on the other side of the wall in the cabin next door.
I know it was them. Who else has it in for me like that? And why had Annabel been so nice at lunchtime? They were giggling in the cabin next door right after we got into trouble. I mean, they could have put the snake in my sleeping bag at any point.
Ouch!
I yanked my hand back, which had just smacked onto the plastic lane rope. I glided to the end of the pool and stood up in the shallow end, adjusting my goggles.
‘Delphie, what are you doing?’ Coach Stuart yelled. ‘Focus!’
I shook my head in frustration. He was right, I wasn’t focused at all. Well, not on swimming anyway. I’d been slow in our warm-up and now we were swimming the main set of our training. We were doing some long-distance, lower intensity training today (as opposed to sprints, which we did in session one), with loads of 400-metre sets. But my mind had been wandering. Even though swimming looks like it would be relaxing and thoughtless, there is actually heaps to concentrate on while training. And my training was suffering because I was obsessing over those Ogilvy girls. If it was their aim to get in my head, they sure were succeeding.
As I finished my set, I hoisted myself out of the pool, panting lightly. In the lane next to me, I could see the twins at the other end of the pool. One of them stopped at the shallow end to take a breather. She seemed to be struggling a bit. As one tailed the other, the twins finished their laps slowly, pulling their exhausted bodies out of the pool.
‘We still have to work on your fitness and stamina in the pool, girls. It’s your weak spot,’ Coach Vanessa said as she tossed them each a drink bottle.
‘I just get so tired,’ one of the twins moaned. I guessed it was Annabel. She was definitely the more vocal of the two.
Ashley frowned self-consciously. She always seemed on edge as if she was about to get into massive trouble. Ashley looked up and saw me listening in. I quickly turned away and grabbed my water bottle.
I wandered over to my friends, who had just finished a set as well. ‘Have you noticed the twins struggling in training?’ I asked, as I pulled my arm across my body, holding the stretch.
‘Oh, Delphie, you have got to get over the twins!’ Ava sighed.
‘Actually, now that you mention it, I have!’ Melissa said with surprise. ‘When you were doing sprints this morning, you practically lapped Annabel. She’s fast on her first lap, but she gets tired quickly. You seriously kicked her butt, Delphie.’
I chewed my lower lip thoughtfully.
‘Maybe that’s why they are so fast in competitions – it’s just a few quick races,’ Bec offered.
‘I don’t know about you, but I find comps exhausting,’ I argued. ‘If they can’t even last a training session in the morning, how on earth are they getting the energy to swim six or seven races at top speed in one day?’
‘It is weird,’ Ava agreed.
‘Girls, come over here,’ a voice boomed from across the pool. It was Coach Stuart standing by his laptop, which was glowing brightly on a wooden trestle table. We wandered over to him with the girls from the other swim schools and Coach Vanessa.
‘We’re going to do some work on tumble turns today. I’ve got my underwater camera hooked up to my computer here and I’m going to film your turns.’
Some of the girls from the other swim schools cooed, clearly impressed. Not all the swim schools used the technology the Academy was lucky enough to use in training sessions.
Coach Stuart held up a small camera attached to a metal pole. He gently lowered the camera into the water and smoothly walked beside the pool, dragging the pole along with him.
‘Delphie, jump in!’ he called to me.
I leapt to my feet, smiling. Okay, I admit it, I’m a total show-off and I love everyone watching me.
‘Girls, watch the laptop screen as Delphie swims,’ he told the group, as I slipped my goggles on over my head. The girls from the other swim schools gathered around the laptop excitedly. ‘Delphie, freestyle then tumble turn,’ Coach Stuart called out.
I prepared to dive into the pool. I shook out my arms and launched my body into a soaring dive. The water crashed in my ears as I broke its surface. I swam measured, even strokes as I approached the end of the pool. I reached my right arm forwards, then tucked my body into a tight somersault. I twisted through my midsection and then extended both my legs together in a powerful kick. I felt the end of the pool on the soles of my feet as I pushed off the wall. I came to the surface and heaved myself out of the pool. I joined the other girls around the monitor as Coach Stuart tapped away at the buttons, replaying the footage of my tumble turn.
‘See here, Delphie? You are turning just a bit early and not getting maximum extension of your legs when you kick off the wall. See?’
The footage showed me turning underwater. He was right – my legs were
already partially extended before I kicked off the wall. I nodded.
‘That’s so cool!’ one of the girls from another swim school exclaimed.
‘Okay, Swim School girls, we’ll work on filming yours next. Everyone else can warm-up their tumble turns in the other lanes, or come and watch the Swim School girls’ turns on the laptop,’ Coach Stuart said.
As the Swim School girls practised their tumble turns, I couldn’t help but watch.
‘Okay, Annabel, go!’ Coach Vanessa instructed.
The girl laughed. ‘I’m Ashley!’
‘Oh, sorry – Ashley, you changed your goggles!’
Ashley swam to the wall and launched into a tumble turn. It was obvious on the monitor that she was turning too late. Her tumble was too close to the wall. She got out of the pool and watched herself on the monitor as Coach Vanessa pointed out the problems with her turn.
‘See here, Ashley? Way too late. Look how cramped you are against the wall. And when you push off here –’ Coach Vanessa paused the footage at the point where Ashley was pushing off the wall. ‘See how your body pushes down into the water instead of across? That’s because you were too cramped in the turn. Actually, Annabel, have a look because I noticed in the last swim comp that you do this too.’
‘I do not!’ retorted Annabel, offended.
‘Yes, you did exactly this in the relay heats.’
Annabel reddened, then shook her head. ‘Yeah, okay, let’s see,’ she said sheepishly.
We continued to train our tumble turns then did a light warm-down. After we’d finished in the pool, I dried myself on the deck and began stretching with my friends.
‘Big session!’ Ava puffed.
I laughed. ‘Awesome, though.’
‘I’m stuffed,’ Bec whined, collapsing onto the deck.
‘I’ll tell you who else is stuffed,’ I said arrogantly, ‘the Ogilvy girls. You know, the more I train with them, the less intimidated I am by them.’
Melissa started waving her hands silently in front of me.
‘What? It’s true! They are meant to be the best and I just don’t reckon they are as good as everybody says,’ I continued loudly.
Ava and Bec joined in, waving their hands rapidly in front of their faces. I was so confused. What were they on about?
‘Is that so?’ a cold voice said from behind me.
I turned and saw the Ogilvy twins standing there, listening to everything I’d just said. My heart sank into my stomach. This was typical of me. Dad always said I had terminal foot-in-mouth disease.
‘Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you there,’ I mumbled. ‘I didn’t mean to offend you – I mean, I was just saying that you guys are so awesome in competitions … Um, I guess it’s kind of a compliment when I say you’re not good in training. I mean, not that you’re not good …’ The words tumbled out of my mouth without me being able to control them at all.
‘Ugh, dig up,’ Ava mumbled, hiding a smile.
‘Save it, Delphie,’ one of the twins snapped. ‘You’re just jealous because I win everything and you are trying to pick holes in our training.’
‘Yeah,’ agreed the other meekly.
‘Well, Ashley and I will show you,’ Annabel hissed. ‘We challenge you to a race. This afternoon.’
‘You’re on!’ I said, standing tall. I loved a challenge.
‘At the lake in free time. We’ll race to the buoy in the centre of the lake and back again. Winner takes all bragging rights, plus the loser has to do all their kitchen duties for the rest of the week.’
‘The lake?’ Melissa said, frowning. ‘It’s out of bounds. If you get caught, you’ll be banned from the carnival at the end of the week!’
‘I’m not scared!’ Annabel retorted. ‘Are you, Delphie?’
I could feel my face reddening and my pulse beating in my ears. I hated being called scared. ‘You’re on!’ I yelled back.
Melissa cringed. ‘Oh, Delphie, no.’
‘See you at the lake this afternoon, two o’clock,’ I said.
Annabel and Ashley smiled and walked off.
‘What were you thinking?’ Bec asked. ‘Don’t do it. You’re going to get yourself into so much trouble!’
‘Delphie, you always do this,’ Melissa added. ‘Why can’t you just back down sometimes?’
I shook my head. There was energy pumping through my veins. ‘Because I don’t back down,’ I said flatly. ‘I want to win.’
‘Win in the pool, then, not in the lake!’ Ava said, shaking her head.
‘A challenge is a challenge,’ I said stubbornly.
My friends exchanged worried glances.
‘Come on, let’s go,’ I snapped. I hated it when my friends didn’t support me. I mean, sure, the lake was out of bounds, but what was I supposed to do? Chicken out? Let the twins win? No way. If someone challenges Delphie, Delphie will meet that challenge. And Delphie will win.
I crept down the dirt track, wildly looking from side to side. Why was I doing this? If I was caught, I was dead meat.
A kookaburra cackled, startling me. I breathed in deeply – the smell of the Australian bush was such a comforting aroma. Even though it was midwinter, the sun sparkled in the blue sky, warming me through my tracksuit top.
I broke through the bushland and into a clearing. Dark, dirty sand fringed the expansive, muddy lake. While it wasn’t a glistening ocean, it was still incredibly beautiful. The water was completely calm – a glass sheet stretching out to the horizon.
I searched around and couldn’t see anyone. I took off my shoes and walked along the banks of the lake. An old, wooden jetty jutted out into the water, and in the distance I could see a buoy bobbing carelessly in the sunshine. It was a long way away.
I walked to the end of the jetty and gently sat down. I took off my tracksuit top and shorts and dumped them in a bundle on the decaying wooden deck. I slipped into the lake, feet first, to check the depth. Even with my goggles on, I could barely see anything in the muddy water. I dived down, swimming as deep as I could until I touched the soggy bottom. It was definitely deep enough to dive into. I pulled myself out of the lake and sat on the jetty, waiting for my competitors to arrive.
The winter sun was strong and warm, making the droplets of water glisten against my skin. I stretched out lazily on my back and soaked in the rays, gently closing my eyes and listening to the melodic call of the butcherbirds.
It seemed like I was lying there, still, for eternity. I sat up, puzzled, and looked at my watch. Ten past two. Maybe the twins weren’t coming. Perhaps this was another stupid trick. I hoisted myself to my feet and wrapped my towel around my waist. I angrily gathered my clothes and got ready to leave.
‘Chickening out?’ a snide voice remarked. Walking down the jetty were the two Ogilvy girls, their arms linked.
‘No way,’ I retorted. ‘I’ve checked the water depth already and it’s deep enough to dive.’
The twins nodded.
‘So, what are the rules?’ I asked nervously.
‘Swim out to the buoy, tag it and swim back. First one back to the jetty wins,’ Ashley said.
I nodded.
The twins took off their tracksuits and put on their goggles. They were tall girls – a good head taller than me. Their matching dark hair was pulled back into tight ponytails.
The three of us lined up across the edge of the jetty, our toes lightly curling over the wooden edge.
‘Take your mark,’ the twins boomed, ‘get set …’
‘GO!’
I burst from the jetty, stretching my body into a long dive. The water crashed around my head as I broke the surface. I could immediately taste the difference from the pool – there was no scent of chlorine and some gritty droplets stuck to my lips.
I could feel the twins swimming powerfully beside me as I kicked ferociously. One twin was definitely ahead. I assumed it was Annabel, as she was the stronger freestyle swimmer of the two.
I continued with long, sleek strokes, my feet p
ropelling me through the murky water. As I counted my breaths and strokes, I realised just how far out the buoy was. It was definitely further away than a standard fifty-metre pool. I powered on.
Finally, I reached the buoy and slapped it hard with my hand. I could glimpse one of the twins ahead of me and the other still finishing the first lap. I was in the middle – it was time to turn on the sprint.
I clenched my teeth and tried to pick up the pace after my awkward turn on the buoy. My strokes were strong and my legs kicked furiously. My eyes flicked ahead of me, gauging how close I was to the end. I could see the wooden jetty about twenty metres away. I summoned every ounce of my energy to power through.
I could feel one twin ahead of me – her toes were almost within reach. I had to win. I took huge, gasping breaths, trying to fuel myself with extra energy to overtake her.
But I didn’t.
I reached the jetty, exhausted, only to see one of the twins just a half-second in front. She had won. Again.
‘Champion, Annabel!’ she cheered loudly. Annabel climbed up the side of the jetty, collapsing onto the deck.
A faint whistle sounded in the distance.
‘Oh no, that’s the coach’s whistle – we’ve got to get out of here!’ I said, hurriedly gathering my clothes.
Annabel gathered her pile and began to jog up the jetty. ‘Enjoy doing my kitchen duties tonight!’ She laughed mockingly. ‘Ash, I’ll see you back at the cabin!’ she yelled over her shoulder as she tore off into the bushland.
I shook my head angrily and turned back towards the lake. There, bobbing in the distance, was Ashley. I squinted – why was she so far behind? She seemed to be treading water. Her head bobbed under the surface and back up again. She seemed frantic.
I walked to the end of the jetty and looked closer as her head bobbed back underwater. She was in trouble. ‘Annabel! Help!’ I screamed. But Annabel would have been halfway back to the cabins by now. There was no way she knew her sister was in danger.
I threw my clothes down and launched myself into the lake. I shook off my exhaustion from the race and tried to find some energy left in my body. I kept my eyes ahead, focusing on where Ashley was in the lake. Hold on, Ashley. Don’t go under.
In Too Deep Page 3
