The Inheritance Book 1

Ch 21 Pool Games: Graehm Yarrow [Friday Afternoon, Week Two]

As usual, Coach Lennox, Miss Sarah and Miss Em were waiting out at the pavilion. The purple "Trecorin Trials" treasure-chest banner, flanked on each side by a rainbow of fluttering ribbons, served as a constant reminder of why they were here.

As if they needed it.

At times, the unrelenting competitive spirit wearied Graehm.

Daily contests were typically held in the mornings, but today's was in the afternoon because they were doing pool games, and the water didn't warm up enough until around noon.

Graehm and Averi sat down in their usual spots. Averi had on a long-sleeved, high neck tropical-design swimsuit. Bryce sat with his head down over folded arms. He had been quiet and withdrawn all week. Graehm wondered what was upsetting him, but not enough to ask. Some things were best left alone.

Coach Lennox sported a fresh buzz cut. He ran his hand across the top of his head as if he were a little self-conscious about it. He said, "Listen up guys! Since you are baking cakes with your teams tomorrow for your weekly Super Challenge, we thought it would be a good idea to have you compete with your teams today. A little practice run. So we're having a pool basketball tournament."

Miss Sarah clapped her hands together. "Building some team spirit before the big day!" She leaned toward the audience. Her blonde ringlets tumbled forward over her shoulders. "Sound like a plan?"

Hannah looked at Graehm and Averi with sad puppy-dog eyes. She was clearly not enjoying her experience as part of Mirabelle and Kellyn's team.

Miss Em, more cheerful than usual, said, "And we're fortunate today because our esteemed hostess and castle chatelaine, Allora, will be spectating, along with Miss Haversham."

Sure enough, Aunt Allora and Haversham were making their way down the cobblestone path through the flower gardens. The older woman floated a little ahead, her long, flowery white dress flowing in the gentle mountain breeze. Even from this distance, Graehm could see the afternoon sun glinting off the facets in the large crystal she always wore around her neck.

Graehm couldn't picture Allora in jeans and a t-shirt, or without her necklace. No one out in the real world dressed like her, but she wasn't like anyone in the real world, so her clothes fit her image perfectly,

Stumbling along in heels a few steps behind, Haversham, though younger, was less graceful and lacked the beauty and vitality of her boss.

Coach's shrill whistle diverted Graehm's attention.

"First up is Sione's team versus Mirabelle's team. Why don't you all dive in, literally. Take a lap and get warmed up," Coach Lennox said. "We'll start the game once the audience gets settled in."

A few minutes later, Lennox blew his whistle again. The sounds of splashing, laughter, whistling, and cheers filled the air. Graehm kept one eye on the game, but let his mind pursue other topics.

He was a little on edge, waiting for the mysterious sounds to start again. Activity on the estate seemed to agitate the...creature. Getting to the bottom of it was also on his list, but he was beginning to believe that all the estate secrets and strange occurrences were connected. Solving one might help solve them all.

As the other teams shouted, shot baskets and splashed around, Graehm's thoughts drifted to the secret basement. He knew it was there, but there was no visible way to access it. There had to be a hidden staircase or a trap door, probably in either Haversham's or Allora's rooms.

The tower room, though. It would be such a simple matter to pick the lock, and he was more and more tempted to do so each day. He wasn't a thief or a miscreant, but he did suffer from burning curiosity. And once something sparked that curiosity, it usually became a raging fire until he satisfied it.

He was aware that Kara went up to the tower room twice a day, and always took a covered basket with her. He had listened for noises and watched for other clues, but there were none.

Once, a couple days ago, he had stopped Kara and asked if he could go up and take a quick look around. The windows would provide 360 degree views of the entire land, and the roof of the castle. She had looked at him as though he were from Mars.

"You know that the tower room is off limits," she had said before turning her back on him.

That only intensified his desire to get in there. Just once.

When Averi cheered for Hannah, Graehm's attention returned to the basketball game in the pool.

The score was 32-32. Sione took a shot. It bounced off the rim toward Elizabeth, who turned away at the splash. Hannah picked it up and took the shot. It swished in.

"Woo hoo!" Averi shouted.

Lennox blew his whistle. "That's game! Hannah's the MVP! Graehm's team, dive in! You're up against Sione, Jarrett and Elizabeth!"

"Good job, girls!" Miss Sarah cheered and gave each of them a high five as they exited the pool.

Graehm swept all other thoughts aside, it was time to focus. He felt the need to rally the troops. Unlike any of the other physical challenges they'd done so far, there was a slight chance they could win this one. Graehm was a good swimmer and could shoot the pool-game basket with incredible accuracy. If he could get his teammates to get him the ball every time, they might surprise everyone and take the win. Yes, it was a long shot, but nevertheless possible.

"Let's do this!" Graehm encouraged. "Here's our strategy: Get the ball to me. Ready?"

Averi tied the sashes of her white sun hat underneath her chin. "Ugh! I really, really don't want to do this."

Bryce dragged himself off the bench, pulled his baseball hat down even further over his face and followed them to the pool.

Averi worked hard and gave it her all, but it just wasn't enough. Not only did the brim of her hat obstruct her vision to such an extent that she missed catching rebounds that bounced right to her, but her inability to pass a ball beyond three feet also factored negatively into the equation. And Bryce might as well have sat out.

They ended up losing both their games by large margins and came in dead last.

Hannah, on the other hand, played an incredible two games. She was everywhere on the watery court. She grabbed more rebounds than anyone else, and sank nearly every basket she attempted. As a result, her team took first in the tournament.

And she could have been on their team instead of Bryce! It was frustrating.

Graehm hoped for Hannah's sake that her teammates showed her some appreciation at least. Maybe a high five and a "great job" or something.

But while Mirabelle and Kellyn celebrated with each other, they barely even looked at their MVP.

He and Averi went over and congratulated her.

"If only you had been on our team," Graehm lamented.

She smiled at him gratefully. "I wish!"

Graehm wasn't going to let the loss today affect him though. Allora witnessed his excellent effort and how he encouraged his teammates. And the truth was, the Trecorin Trials were just a means to an end. Sure, it would be nice to place in the top three and take home the prize money. But he was here because he wanted to be selected as heir.

There were other things for him to be happy about: Austin hadn't been skulking around watching them today, nor had there been any bone-chilling shrieks to put a damper on things.

Dinner today was going to be hamburgers and french fries, so overall, even though they lost, it was a good day.