Free Awakened by Ednah Walters Page B

dropped my robe on a chair, removed the sweatpants and hoodie and dove into the pristine water. I lost count of the number of laps I did before I felt spent enough to switch from freestyle to breaststroke. Even then, I couldn’t stop the thoughts that whirled through my head. Most pressing was what to tell Kylie and the others if they asked me about my defection to Kim’s table. I needed to come up with an excuse before they joined me.

    “Hey?” Kylie shouted a little later and pulled me out of my daydream.

    “You made it.” My sports watch said it was five-thirty.

    She shrugged. “Yeah, I was wrestling with Algebra. Guess who lost? Now I have to wait for my brainiac brother to come home from his chess club and rescue me. It’s so unfair. He’s younger but creams me at math.” She removed her tank top and shorts to reveal a skimpy, hot pink bikini, walked to the edge of the pool and skimmed the surface of the water with her toes. “Hmm, nice and toasty.” She dove into the water and swam to where I was treading water at the deep end. “Mom said you left eons ago. How many laps did you do?”

    “Thirty or so.”

    “Wow. So are you, like, seriously into swimming?”

    I made a face, but she gave me a perfect opening for the excuse I came up with. “No, martial arts. Grampa already found a local dojo for me to join.”

    “Which one?” Kylie asked.

    “C12. Have you heard of it?”

    “Who hasn’t? Is that what you were discussing with Kim and the others?”

    I blinked at how fast she made the connection. I nodded though my cheeks warmed at the lie. “Grampa talked to the dojo yesterday.”

    Her eyes widened. “Wow, you must be good. I know students who trained at C12, but none of them have ever made the elite team. Kim and her friends perform during pep rallies right after the cheer squad and the Hi-Los. They’re really good. I hear they win lots of tournaments at the nationals. They even go to international events.”

    My stomach sunk. Would they expect me to perform as well? Or pretending to go to tournaments was a cover? “I had no idea.”

    Amelia, Cade and Zack arrived while we were still discussing sports. Zack had a ball under his arm. “Nikki couldn’t come…violin lessons,” he informed everyone then pulled off his sweatshirt and jumped into the pool with a big splash. “Ready for water polo?”

    “Not today,” Amelia yelled as she pulled off her jeans and placed her glasses on a poolside table. “Let’s play something else.”

    I heard their exchange, but my gaze was locked on Kylie and Cade. As soon as he slid into the water, she swam into his arms for a hug. And boy had that hug developed into something deeper. They kissed as if they hadn’t seen each other in weeks, instead of just hours. Cade’s hand cradled the back of Kyle’s head, kneading through her wet hair.

    Bran’s face flitted through my head, and I swallowed, my mouth going dry. What would it be like if he kissed me like that? Heck, what would it be like if any boy kissed me like that? I was sixteen and never been kissed, never had a boyfriend. I pushed the image of Bran away and turned from the kissing couple only to find Zack and Amelia watching me with knowing smiles. My cheeks grew warmer.

    “They do that a lot, so you’d better get used to it,” Amelia warned.

    She was right. The couple stole kisses for the next hour as we played water games. When two families with younger kids and an older couple entered the pool, we moved to the hot tub.

    Zack watched me, his gaze drifting to my chest. I fought back a blush until he said, “I swear I’ve seen that shape before somewhere, Lil.”

    I gave him a weak smile. “Grampa gave it to me.” By the time they find out that Kim or Izzy each have one like mine and that Remy and Sykes have similar amulet on their bracelets, I’d be an irrefutable elite member of C12 dojo.

    “What are those writings on it?” Amelia asked, peering at the amulet.

    I