Chapter Nine
Isla exited the changing rooms and walked barefoot toward the pool, the skirted hem of her snug one-piece navy suit swishing against her upper thigh.
The smell of chlorine wafted up to her nose, and sunlight slanting through the tall arched windows turned the surface to a sheet of liquid gold, broken only by the movement of a few other female staff using the facilities.
For a moment, the stresses of lectures, investigations, and magical mishaps were nothing more than ripples on the water.
She dove in, the cold water jolting her body.
Juliette joined her, her petite frame making her look elegant and refined—until she dive-bombed into the water, causing Isla to choke on a laugh and a mouthful of water.
Juliette emerged from the water smiling. “Ah, I needed that.”
The two ladies gripped the sides of the pool.
“How about we do our laps and then you can rant about your interview with the detective?” Isla suggested.
“Deal.”
The water rippled around Isla’s shoulders as she sliced through the university pool, the steady rhythm of her strokes mirrored by Juliette in the next lane.
Juliette’s bright cap bobbed through the water, a splash of color, and her laughter echoed across the tiles each time she “raced” Isla.
“You’re letting me catch up, you know!” she called, water dripping from her chin.
Isla grinned over at her; the burn in her arms from exercise felt like she’d achieved something positive. “I’ve slowed because I’m conserving energy for the final lap, not because I’m exhausted,” she replied.
The two women came to a stop, breathing hard, the water now pleasantly warm around them.
“So, tell me about your interview. I told him you absolutely weren’t a suspect when he spoke to me and Andrew.”
Juliette shrugged, one slim shoulder peeking out of the water. “I don’t blame him, to be honest.” Her gaze drifted, distant. “I’ve seen what my power can do ... I’d have questioned me first, too.”
Isla opened her mouth to object, but Juliette held up a hand.
“Honestly, it was easy to convince him of my innocence. Harold, you, and Andrew all acted as my spokespeople, and I even had an alibi for the time Ray was killed.” She shuddered.
“I’m sorry you had to see that, Isla. I’m sorry your introduction to all of this has been . .. less than pleasant.”
Isla didn’t know how to respond. It hadn’t been pleasant, and yet questions still swirled in her mind—how to control her new abilities, what they truly meant.
The more she sat with it, the more she felt a strange connection to it all.
She was a seeker of knowledge; that had always been her life’s passion.
It had shaped her, even transformed her, in ways she could hardly have imagined.
If she chose to embrace this as her future, who could say how far her understanding might reach?
If knowledge existed out there, beyond her current grasp, she refused to remain ignorant of it.
“You know, I might be growing to think that it may not all be a bad thing.”
“Oh, of course!” Juliette snickered. “No doubt your mind will grow and expand just as quickly and easily as the plants you let loose in your bedroom.”
“Hey!” Isla splashed Juliette, and her friend only laughed louder.
The pool was beginning to empty of the few female staff that had been taking advantage of the university’s facilities, and the evening light slanting across the water was dimming. Closing time was almost upon them—but maybe there was still time for a few more laps.
“Speaking of growing,” Juliette said as she wiped water from her eyes, “I seem to have noticed your tolerance level to Andrew has grown. Where is he, anyway?”
Yep, definitely time for a few more laps.
“Oh, you know ... he’s out there waiting with Edmund. He could hardly come in on a women-only swim session. I tried to get him to leave, but ...”
Mischief danced in Juliette’s eyes. “I’m sure you’ve tried very hard to shake off your knight.”
“Well, now it seems I’ve inherited two knights. He and Edmund insisted on trailing me this afternoon after the detective heard my story. It appears I’m connected to both attacks.” She raised an eyebrow at Juliette. “Maybe you could take one off my hands?”
Juliette’s cheeks warmed, the blush striking against her pale skin, paler still from the chill of the water now that they had stopped swimming.
“And that’s my cue to get out,” Juliette said, swimming toward the steps. “I’m going to change. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” She smiled as she climbed out. “Enjoy yourself, Dame of the Daisies.”
“Oh, I’ve been demoted to dame now, have I?” Isla called after her, hearing Juliette’s laughter echo as she disappeared into the changing rooms.
Sighing, Isla pulled off her swim cap and set it aside—no one was here to insist she keep it on.
Floating on her back, her hair fanned out in the water, the cool temperature threading through the strands.
For a few moments, she let herself drift weightlessly, enjoying the rare quiet and the simple peace of being alone.
After a while, she shifted upright, resting her legs against the wall of the poolside.
With a strong push, she launched herself down into the deep end, skimming along the bottom, relishing the effortless glide and the solitude that wrapped around her like a cloak.
Each time she swam, she had challenged herself to hold her breath for longer.
It was a game she played in many areas of her life, always wanting to improve in everything she did.
Then the water changed. A sudden, biting chill slithered around her body. She kicked toward the surface—and slammed headfirst into something solid. Ice. The surface of the pool was frozen, while cold water swirled around her.
Panic flared. Her lungs screamed for air, her chest tightened, and every instinct begged for her to rise to the surface—but the ice would not give.
Tiny bubbles escaped her lips, and the cold bit through her skin, into her bones.
Thoughts fractured: I can’t breathe ... I can’t get out .
.. I’m going to die... The world around her blurred, her ears ringing as the surface seemed impossibly far.
Her heart pounded in her temples—each beat an urgent, merciless drum.
Her hands clawed at the ice, slick and unyielding.