Free Sprite (Annabelle's Story Part One) by Leigh Michael Page B

Adrian throughout the fifty-yard dash. Just a few days ago, this wouldn’t have been the case.
    He made it through the hole first, with me close behind. Adrian led the way into the second hole too, but once I emerged, I cut inside of him and took the lead into the final two holes.
    After I popped out of the last one, my body angle stopped him from getting around me on the sharp turn and I dove beneath the boulder.
    Even if more than one person could’ve fit side-by-side, I was proud to say my technique outmatched Adrian’s and I gained a bit of a lead.
    This lead continued into the jet stream. Here, my small size worked to my advantage again as I streamlined my body and went even faster.
    I entered the fifth obstacle with a solid two-second advantage over Adrian. To my dismay, the boy mastered the hurdles and we were neck and neck as we rounded the reef. I stole a glance at him. It was a mistake. As he inhaled and exhaled, it defined his abs even further.
    I shook my heads to concentrate as he accelerated into the thirty yards to the jet stream. Here, both our competitive streaks were at their peak. While we swam, Adrian bumped into me. I knocked back, jockeying for the best position to enter the jet stream.
    As we closed the distance, I had doubts that I moved fast enough to clear the stream. This was where Adrian’s bigger size worked to his advantage. It was easier for my body weight to get swept away into the current.
    Before diving through, I closed my eyes and gave an extra kick. I felt the current’s pull on me, but before I knew it, I popped through the other side.
    It took a split second to right myself… all the time Adrian needed to pull ahead. I feverously tried to reverse our positions in the final seconds, but he was ahead of me by literally a nose.
    In the end, not only did the hot spring scorch me, but Adrian also crossed the finish line by a millisecond.
    Talk about kicking a girl when she was down.
    I collapsed onto the sand. At least Adrian huffed and puffed beside me.
    “One minute, fifty-four seconds,” I heard from behind.
    “It is nice to see you both working so hard,” the voice said again. This time I recognized it as YaYa’s.
    Rolling over, I slammed my hand against the sand. “Adrian cheated, otherwise I’d have beaten him.”
    “What?! No way. I had you the entire time.”
    YaYa couldn’t help but laugh. I mean, a laugh where her hand didn’t cover her mouth. It was a rarity.
    “I think it is time to go inside,” she said, regaining her composure. “It has gotten dark and tomorrow is sure to be another busy day.”
    I hadn’t noticed the darkness until she pointed it out. Above ground, the rising and setting sun determined night and day. Down here, the glowing corals waking up and alternately sleeping caused light and darkness. As I scanned the area, the palace was barely visible in the distance. The corals had called it a night.
    I was certainly ready to get something to eat then head to bed myself.
     
     

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
    Day two.
    I woke up sore. I’ve spent years swimming, but it was different down here. My arm didn’t break the surface with each stroke. Instead, I was forced to adjust to the constant resistance of the water to avoid moving in slow motion. My actions gradually became more natural as I practiced the obstacle course. I suppose it was similar to how I jumped, kicked, turned, or whatever above ground. The thing was, my muscled worked harder to achieve this sameness. I reveled at how seamlessly the merfolk threw the football the other day. I was in awe at the power it took to create that type of trajectory.
    My muscles tightened just thinking about it. I already felt bruised and yearned for more sleep.
    And, of course, someone knocked at my door.
    I sat up in bed and pulled my quilt higher. “Come in.”
    Just like yesterday, Adrian burst into my room.
    I don’t know how, but he looked like he’d slept for days.
    “No fair.”
    “What?”
    “I feel