PROLOGUE ▹ A SWIMMER'S DREAM.

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PROLOGUE:A SWIMMER'S DREAM

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PROLOGUE:
A SWIMMER'S DREAM.

GAME recognized game, her mother had always said. And her mother had never been wrong. She could tell from the moment she had looked at the sugar sweet white girl who smiled in her face. So, if she wanted to win, she'd have to avoid the girl at all costs. The poor girl had no idea what she was facing against. Edythe pulled her goggles down and smiled widely at the redhaired girl as she fixed her swim cap. Edythe's own blonde curls were covered by her own silver cap, and she rolled her shoulders back to check her range of motion.

The redhaired girl looked over to Edythe, and then turned her hair. Edythe was tempted to knock her freckles off her face, but instead she cracked her knuckles and stretched her legs out as she stepped up on her diving board for her swim lane. The bell dinged to sound the last warning before the whistle went off.

There was a slight hesitation as Edythe dropped down, touching the board with her fingers as she stretched one last time. The whistle blew and on instinct, her legs pushed off and she dove into the water, her ears popping despite her earplugs that were used to block out the water. She held her breath, reminded of how her father had tried to teach her to swim by pushing her in the pool. Edythe curved up and surfaced quickly, on her belly as her arms rotated to propel her forward. Her coach's cheer was a roar in her ears as she kicked her legs, taking shorter strides for less drag and more speed. Before she realized it, she had reached the other wall and she went underneath the water to kick off and turn around. She twisted around, and pushed off, her legs kicking away as she glided against the water, looking ahead. She was tempted to look back at the redhaired girl who was dragging behind her, but she kept her head forward and touched the wall where she had started. A whistle sounded as she did, her coach standing above her on the concrete. Her coach extended a hand and she took it, climbing out the water.

Her knees scrapped the concrete slightly, enough to make the skin sting but not enough to cause it to break.

The announcer's voice broke the silence, "In lane four, at two minutes and twelve seconds, Edythe Parker!"

Edythe stretched her limbs as she stood to her feet. She smiled as the crowd cheered loudly, pulling her earplugs out. She rolled her shoulders as the redhaired girl stood, scowling. Edythe winked at her as she followed her coach to the podium. Her coach wrapped a towel around her shoulders as the committee put Edythe's earned gold medal around her neck.

Edythe looked around for her family, but her features fell dejectedly as she rememberes her mother couldn't afford to fly out.

She ran a wet hand down her cheek and smiled at the other girls on her swim team. She lifted her goggles as they walked to the locker room to wash off.

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