Chapter 18

By two in the afternoon the bell went off. Our next period was gym class. When we picked our subjects for our entrance exam into Princeton, I skipped gym because I kinda thought it would be unfair to surpass these poor human kids with my supernatural powers. Leo was on the football team. I don’t know how he plans to manage his powers when he has to play in slow motion with pathetic human speed.

I’m sure he will figure it out though. He is not my concern right now.

My target was moving out of class and I made sure I got behind him while still keeping a safe distance away. I didn’t want to lose him in case he slipped into the shadows or hid among students moving up and down the hall. Also the last thing I want is for him to notice I was onto him.

I knew where he was heading to but I just couldn’t let him out of my sight.

He turned around a corner same as other people. I did the same but waited a few feet behind so that he wouldn’t sense me. After a few minutes of walking we passed another courtyard and this led to an enclosure where the swimming pool was located.

He opened the door and went in. A few people passed me by, hitting my shoulder as they went. I waited a few more seconds and caught the pool door close just as it was about to shut.

I made my way with a few other people to the male section. They were here to spectate and cheer the team on as they practice their strokes. I made my way to a group of lockers that had a few benches in front of them. These lockers were empty and not in use but a few spectators hung their bags and blazers in them and some people took their seats on the bench, talking. No one noticed me and that was the way I wanted it.

Except that Parker noticed me the moment he walked into the pool. His swim trunks were thrown carelessly over his shoulder and the captain band rested on his right forearm. His brows raised in initial surprise that soon turned to suspicion.

I bet he would have wandered over and demanded to know what I was doing in the pool if Coach Turner hadn’t come in on the shoulder, tapped him and told him to go get dressed for practice.

He gave me one last look before leaving.

I sighed. Good, I don’t need that distraction right now. My eyes remained glued to the boys’ locker room and I waited until Colin walked out dressed in his trunks.

Who decided that swimmers have to wear latex trunks? FBI open up because that was a very perverted decision. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Creep, Strange, Ginger head Colin is hot, I’m just saying I didn’t expect him to be so well – hung for a scrawny kid.

Focus Ginny!

He hadn’t noticed me yet. Good.

Coach Turner was calling all the boys together. There 22 members of Senior class 3 boys all dressed in trunks, caps and swimming goggles, in the swimming team with Parker as the captain and another boy whose name I have actually forgotten as his assistant. They were divided into 2 teams. Colin was in the first team. Coach told them to take their positions and as soon as they did he called the drills out to them. They were to do two laps as warm up, the third lap was the final one and the last person to tap the tile would be eliminated. It would be like that for both teams until the remaining members of both teams added up to 11 then those eleven would have to compete for a winner.

I was so focused on Colin that I didn’t notice Parker studying me from across the pool center.

Colin was standing on the board in the 3rd lane so I had a I had a pretty decent view of him and when Coach blew the whistle I watched him expertly rise on his toes before bending and plunging into the water.

He was definitely no stranger to water. His body was fluid under the clean water and his arms were surprisingly strong as he tore through the water. The first lap was done, the second lap followed and then in the final lap when they were supposed to race I noticed it.

Amidst the cheers from the dozen and half spectators watching the swimmers, I noticed that Colin was deliberately holding back. He had done pretty well in the first two rounds, proving that he was a good swimmer but in the third lap I noticed how deliberately he slowed just enough to finish last. He came out of the water drenched and quickly reached for a towel but unlike the other boys he wasn’t breathing heavily. He wasn’t even flustered by that vigorous exercise. The only time he appeared to be even mildly tired was when another team mate who was breathing heavily through his mouth came to clap him in the back. It was the guy who had come in fourth place and I recognized him as one of the Outties.

“Tough for a start,” he panted.

“Yeah,” Colin said pretending to pant as well.

But to my trained eyes I could just pick out the measured breath he took. Colin could have easily come first, instincts told me. I know this because I have seen Asher, Jayden and some of the other men in the pack try to hold back when they train us kids. It’s like holding back a burst of power especially if you are trying to avoid suspicion.

There is a lot more to Colin than meets the eye. Just who is this guy and what is he hiding? What sort of powers does he have and why is he holding back.

I continued to watch the game and time and time again I bit my lip in frustration at how no one else noticed that he was deliberately coming third or fourth and after each round he was breathing perfectly like he hadn’t just been struggling underwater against the heavy water current.

Parker on the other hand, because I couldn’t help myself, I continued to watch him even though I tried to force myself not to, he was quite good and swimming. Now I see why he is captain. He was like a fish underwater and every time he effortlessly came first. Jeannie was among the girls cheering him on and every time he went back to the starting line she was there to give him a towel and even offered to clean him off.

I guess she’s taking advantage of the fact that Emerald isn’t here to stake her claim. I wonder what Lizzie would do if she knew Emerald survived.

Even only Parker welcomed her attention. He didn’t exactly look excited to have her hanging around him because his eyes told and entirely different story. Nonetheless he didn’t wave her off.

Once our eyes met and I realized that he knew I had been there a long time. I’m surprised he hasn’t walked up to me and ordered me out of the pool yet.

On the other side of the pool center was the female section and there was just as much excitement going on over there.

I checked my watch. A few minutes more.

At exactly 3 pm the bell went off signalling the end of gym class. I waited for the team to get into the changing room and as soon as Colin came out alone, dressed in his uniform with his gym bag slung over his shoulder I stood up and started to follow him.

I was beginning to feel like fucking Nancy Drew and honestly it was kind of exciting playing detective trying to see what unsuspecting Colin was up to.

The halls were filling as more students made their way out of gym class and started to head into the lunchroom for – wait for it – lunch, duh.

But no lunch for me just yet and if I am lucky there will be no lunch for Colin until he tells me what he’s up to.

For someone with hidden skills which he was working hard to hide from everyone, he really sucks where his security is concerned. If I was a bad guy out to abduct him for the sole reason that he attended Princeton High, I could have caught him unawares, bound him and stowed him away in my car with no one being the wiser.

At least that was what I thought until he rounded the corner we passed earlier and just as I was pretending to walk past looking absolutely normal – as normal as anyone stalking a fellow human being – his hand shot out and he gripped my wrist and yanked me before I could protest.

His brown eyes warned me to be silent and I knew immediately that he was aware of my presence earlier that day and he pulled me away from the hall into an empty room and he kicked the door shut.