Child of a King

Chapter thirty-three - It isn't easy + Characters

(A/N): Grab a snack, something to drink and a comfy spot where you can read. This is the longest chapter I've written so far. Hope you enjoy it!

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Splash!

Waves of water spilled out of the pool as I jumped inside, Embry ready to catch me. The last few days we had practiced swimming together in the pool during the afternoon while the temperature was at its highest.

Laying on my stomach, he rested his hands underneath me as I kicked my legs, slowly but surely moving forward through the water. My arms moved in a propelling motion, helping me gain speed as I reached the other end of the pool.

"Good job!". He praised me when I made it to the other end of the pool successfully and without taking in too much water. "You're getting better".

I had improved a lot since we were at the beach, not needing the swimming wings anymore. It didn't mean that I was a strong swimmer yet, but I was getting there.

"Did you see how fast I'm getting?" I beamed at Nate and dad who were relaxing on the sunbeds.

"I did". Dad smiled, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. "You're doing so good".

"Let's go for another lap", Embry said, never taking his supporting hand off my arms.

Sinking back into the water, I pursed my lips together in a thin line to prevent any chlorine from entering my mouth. It had an awful taste. After completing a few more labs, we got out of the pool, not bothering with wrapping towels around us. The heat from the sun would dry us just as quickly.

Sitting down on one of the sunbeds, I grabbed the peach that awaited me, sinking my teeth into the juicy fruit. Dad made sure our kitchen got supplied with peaches as it was something I had blabbered about for days after not getting one at the beach. I still found it extremely unfair that Marc got a peach, and I didn't.

"When are we leaving?" Embry asked, a small puddle of water gathering around his feet as he opened a can of soda.

"About 6pm". Dad's eyes remained on one of the pages of his book that rested on his stomach.

"I already know what I'm going to bet", I grinned. Before he left this morning, I conspired with Slade about how his last match of the season is going to play out, giving me an advantage in our family bet.

"Me too". Nate winked playfully.

"Be careful the two of you. Cockiness tends to backfire", Embry said, lifting his finger jokingly.

Giggling, I took another bite of my peach, humming as I swung my legs back and forward. Something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. The illusion of two people strolling out of the smaller building that laid on the other side of the lake captured my curiosity. Because of the distance, I couldn't tell who they were. No one was alarmed about why they were there, so neither was I. However, it was the first time that I had ever noticed anyone who had ventured around over there.

"Daddy", I murmured, resting my free hand on his arm. Gazing at me, I pointed to what had stolen my interest. "Who are they?"

"They are two of our security people", he replied, sliding his sunglasses down his nose to get a better look.

"What are they doing over there?" My question spilled out of my mouth, intrigued about this unknown place.

He lifted his shoulder in a shrug. "I assume they are attending to their duties of keeping our home secured".

Humming, I watched as they got into a small car that didn't have a roof and started driving down the dirt road, dust filling the air as they soon vanished behind the massive trees. It reminded me of one of those cars the military used.