Part 1 (2/2)

Like Turtle, which barely made any sense, and yet because Leech said it, it was so, and his minions thought it was hilarious.

But Lilly just frowned at him. Apparently, Leech's powers didn't extend to the CITs. ”Are you-,” she started to say. ”Oh, wait.” She nodded dramatically, like she was solving a big mystery. ”You're trying to be funny.”

A laugh rippled through our whole cabin. Leech's buddies jabbed him with elbows, and he smiled weakly. ”I am funny,” he said, but the comeback was halfhearted. It was the first time I'd heard him sound that way.

Even he felt that whatever-it-was that Lilly had. Like she had her own Eden dome around her, some kind of force field. And it even felt like, when you were near her, that force field extended to you, made you safe. Like right then, when Beaker, whose real name was Pedro and who was one of the few kids who had it worse off in our cabin than I did, actually laughed out loud in these big silly chuckles.

”Shut up,” grunted one of Leech's pack, and immediately shoved Beaker into the water.

Lilly's hand flashed out and s.n.a.t.c.hed her whistle, midspin. ”Whoa, what's your your name, tough guy?” name, tough guy?”

”Jalen?” he answered, as if Lilly had made him question his own name. Jalen was the tallest of all of us, with muscles that made him look older. They weren't the ropy, taut things you'd see on the stronger kids out at Hub. Instead Jalen's muscles were smooth, easy-looking, like he'd just been given them without having to work, like he'd been pumped up with an air compressor. He tried to push out his chest now, to look like he wasn't scared.

Lilly scowled at him and looked past us. ”Hey, Ev!” she shouted.

Another CIT, Evan, turned in our direction. He brushed the mop of white-blond hair from his eyes and squared a set of shoulders that made Jalen's look like beginner models. ”What's up, Lil?”

Lilly pointed at Jalen. ”Put this kid in the box for me, 'kay?” We'd already learned that the box was the square of shade beneath the wooden lifeguard chair. ”Start walking, scrub,” she said, glaring at Jalen. ”Enjoy your time with the other babies.” The little campers were playing on the beach all around the box, running and squealing and throwing sand.

”Whatever,” Jalen muttered. ”This is stupid.”

”Hey! Don't make me ask Ev to hurt you,” said Lilly, ”'cause he'll do anything I say.”

Jalen looked like he had another comeback, but then thought better of it. He trudged off toward sh.o.r.e.

”Have fun!” Lilly called after him. She turned back to us. Everyone was dead silent now. ”You okay?” she called to Beaker, who was dragging himself up onto the dock while we all watched.

”Fine,” he said like he wasn't.

Lilly flashed a glare at Leech, then looked at me. ”So, you're gonna be all right with this?” She waved her hand, indicating the water.

”Yeah,” I lied, trying to sound confident.

”What's your name?”

”Owen Parker.”

Lilly grinned. ”I'm not your math teacher. You don't need to give me your whole name.”

”Sorry.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. Her eyes were a mystery behind her sungla.s.ses, and I figured she thought I was a lost cause, except then her gaze stayed on me and her smile remained and I felt like it was suddenly really hard to stand there and not do something stupid like try to say something funny, or throw myself into the lake.

I wondered if maybe I already loved her, in that at-first-sight kind of way that was the only kind of love I really knew. The kind you could just have without ever actually telling someone, without them even knowing you. The kind that was perfectly safe, that you didn't have to do anything about.

Her gaze left me, and I looked away and found Leech staring at me with a squinty sneer like now I was on his list for what had happened to Jalen.

”So, where were we?” said Lilly. ”Right: the test. It's pretty simple. Five minutes treading water, then freestyle, backstroke, b.r.e.a.s.t.stroke, and b.u.t.terfly, two laps each. To be a Shark, your form has to be perfect. Got it?”

We all nodded slightly. Yes. Perfect form. Since Lilly had led us out to the end of the dock, I'd noticed everybody trying to stand with better posture and constantly checking their hair. I had been, too, though I'd tried to do it less.

”All right, then,” said Lilly. ”In you go.”

We lined up and jumped off the dock. The water was a shock, cold wrapping around me, seeping in, and it had this weird, slightly tangy taste, a little bit like putting your tongue against something metal. It was different from the chemical flavor I remembered back at the Hub pool.

We spread out to start treading water.

Lilly held up a stopwatch from around her neck. ”Go.”

I started kicking my feet, circling my arms and thinking, Come on, you can do this Come on, you can do this, but I already felt the cramp beginning. And yet, when Lilly blew her whistle, my head was still above water.

”All right, not bad, guppies. Now swim over and start your laps.”

I grabbed the side of the dock and tried to will my stomach to relax. You should get out, now You should get out, now, I thought. But I didn't.

”Next,” said Lilly. Three at a time, we pushed off and started the freestyle. And again, somehow I got through those laps, and the backstroke, and even the b.r.e.a.s.t.stroke. I could feel my side cinching tighter, but amazingly, even though I was sinking too deep with every stroke, I was almost there.

But in the end it was the b.u.t.terfly, the strange and inexplicable b.u.t.terfly, with the weird kicking where both feet stayed together and the lunging with the flying arms that did me in. Why did we even have to swim like that? It was like a test to weed out the weakest. I kicked, I lunged, my side failed, and down I went, to my quiet, dark tomb.

I blinked, feeling the pressure of deep water on my eyes, the ache in my ears, the cold of water in my nose and throat, the heaviness of liquid in my lungs. Everything numb. There was a distant whine, like of machinery, and the faint warble of voices far off on the surface.

Now that it was too late, all I could think was that it really stunk to be dead. It was just unfair and stupid, and I hated it. I hadn't even wanted to come to this camp in the first place! But I'd gone along with it, and now this was what I got.

Darkness crept into my vision, like a fog over everything. The technicians were checking the monitors one last time. That's about it, then That's about it, then, said one, watching my heartbeat slow to a stop.

The surface began to dim, fading to black.

Good-bye, Lilly, I thought.

Shut it down, said the brain technician.

Nice working with you, one said to another, shaking hands.

They flicked off the light switches, closed the doors. Everything went dark.

For a while.

Then there was a small light in the distance. It was pale blue, struggling through the murk.

Owen.

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