One of us

Hectic

When I woke up at 5:30, I knew it would be manic at work. The sun was already poking through the clouds, and it must have been 15*C outside already. I stumbled downstairs and made myself a bowl of weetabix and raspberries. After devouring it in a matter of minutes, I threw on my bikini, boardshorts and lifeguard top and headed out of the door. The sun was rising and it really was beautiful. A mix of yellow and pink, combining to create an orange glow.

I ran to work, and arrived at around 6:45, ready to start the busy day at 7. The other lifeguards were already in the tower; Harries, Maxi, Kerrbox, Mouse, Trent, Itchy and Reidy. They were laughing at a joke when I barged through the door. 'It's gonna be a busy day today, Zoe!' Was the first thing I heard. It came from Mouse, who was already watching the water. I noticed that Backpackers Rip was particularly strong today. Great.

Kerrbox and I drove down in the rhino to put the flags up. I planted a red and yellow flag and hammered it in, and Box did the same. The sand was so hot, I had to run, making a complete fool of myself. We slowly drove along the beach, and I hopped out every 100 metres or so, to lay out a blue rescue board. We positioned ourselves between the two flags and radioed up to the tower to tell them we were done.

Soon enough, we got a call over the radio from Trent. 'Right in front of you, large man struggling about 25 metres out.' I jumped out of the rhino and called to Kerrbox. 'I'll go!' He nodded. I stripped off my top and grabbed a board. Sprinting into the white water, I didn't even hesitate when I pushed the board into a 3 footer. I launched myself onto the board and started paddling furiously. My body was filled with adrenaline as I reached the large tourist.

I asked him to climb onto my board, and of course he mounted it the wrong way. He didn't speak English, so I had to make ridiculous hand signals. Finally, he got the message, and turned around. I paddled onto a green wave, and raced to shore, terrified that we would nosedive. When we reached the shoreline, I approached the tourist and gave him some wise words. 'Please, if you can't swim very well, don't go far out. There is no rip here, so the only explanation is that you swum out. Please be careful,' The man looked angry, but thanked me and walked off.

I placed the board back into its holder, and jogged back to the rhino. Box patted me on the back and congratulated me. 'Well done! First rescue!' I grinned. It hadn't even crossed my mind that that was my first proper rescue here. 'Cheers Box!' I heard Mouse on the radio. 'Congrats, Zoe!' I smiled. The next hour or so passed without incident, although it left me contemplating things. Since Lexi (don't be confused I'll explain later) I had never felt truly accepted, but here I could be myself and people loved me for it.

Having done a few rescues in the morning, Kerrbox said I could go for my lunch break. I ran up to the tower and grabbed my lunch, planning to eat it on the beach. I ran back down to the shoreline and plonked myself down on the sand. I opened my bag and took out my lunch. It was pesto pasta, possibly one of my favourite foods. I started eating it slowly, savouring every mouthful. That's when I heard a scream.

I looked up from my meal and faltered. Someone was dragging a body out of the water. I threw my lunch down on the sand, and in the process spilling half of it. I jumped up and sprinted to the body, whilst radioing the tower. 'Guys, resus down at south end, bring the defib and spinal board down please!' I got to the body and knelt next to them. It was a young woman, about 22 years old. I took her pulse and heard the rhino pull up behind me. Harries, Reidy and Maxi scrambled out and grabbed the equipment. I looked back at the casualty and started compressions, my heart beating so fast it could have exploded.

Reidy knelt next to me and held put his hand on her neck, taking her pulse continually. I continued compressions for a minute until Harries had attached the defib. We all shuffled away from her and switched on the defib. It was a sick sight, as the patient went into spasms. When the shocks finished, I took her pulse and almost yelped. It was weak, but present. 'I've got one boys!' I heard clapping and realised the ring of death had formed around us. We all smiled but immediately stopped as we remembered we we were far from done. Harries, Reidy and me gently tilted the girl to the side, and Maxi slid the spinal board under her back.

I attached the straps as the boys secured her next with a brace. We lifted the board up slowly and placed it on the back of the rhino. Maxi and Harries held the board, whilst me and Reidy drove the rhino very slowly. When we arrived at the tower, there were 3 paramedics waiting for us. 'Hey boys, and girl, cheers for the work you've done today!' We all giggled and thanked the paramedics, and then they took the girl away. I walked into the tower and was greeted by clapping and laughing. 'Great job Zo, first resus already!' I heard Trent say. I realised the boys had gone back down to the beach. 'Thanks boys, it was terrifying!' They all nodded and Kerrbox patted me on the back. 'Go on, get back to your lunch!' I headed back down to the shoreline. The rest of the day went as a blur, and as soon as my head touched the pillow, I was asleep.

Hope you liked the new chapter, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have had loads of exams :( Also, thank you soooooo much for 500 reads! :) xx