Drowning

Sneaking

My name is Kenzilina Maxwell, but please call me Kenzie, my parents are weird don't ask. I am 11 years old and I live in Bondi, Sydney. My older brother Trent is a lifeguard on Bondi beach, although he is better known as Maxi. I always tried to follow him to work, I mean he worked on a beach saving people's lives and meeting a new unique selection of people daily. I looked up to him, he was the perfect big brother, he cared about me a lot and it was evident. It seemed like the perfect life to me, I grew up near the beach and I love the water whether it is surfing, swimming or just having my feet in the shallows of the ocean, it is where I feel the most at home.

It wasn't unusual for me to walk to the beach by myself and just go for a swim without my parents or my brother knowing, however I don't think I will ever do that again. I learnt my lesson.

Ten months earlier

I woke up at 5:15 am to the sound of Trent rummaging around the house mumbling to himself, probably because he slept in and was going to be late for his shift at work.

It was supposed to be a really good day, the swell was up and so was the sun the wind blowing in the perfect direction for great waves. So I quickly got into my one piece swim suit and threw my Roxy rashie over the top. Then I paused in the realisation that if I took my surfboard I would make too much noise and get caught so I decided to go for a swim instead. I crept about the house making sure to not be spotted by Trent, then left straight after him. He was always forgetting things so mum wouldn't be surprised to hear the door open again.

My feet were bare so when I hit the burning concrete I struggled to keep from squealing. I decided to wait in the parking lot of the beach until it got a little more busy so that Trent wouldn't catch me. I then heard the voice of I'm assuming Jesse.
"Ey Maxi, sleep in again I take it?" He chuckled as he said this, looking at my brothers struggle to carry his uniform his bag and his shoes. And then he stumbled into the lifeguard tower. I rolled my eyes as Jesse followed mocking him.

It didn't take long at all for pools of people to swarm the beach, it was pretty easy to tell the tourists apart from the locals. The tourists were spread out along the beach and most of the locals were at flat rock but there were a few who stayed up north. Once there were enough people for each lifeguard on duty to be occupied I made my way to the waters edge. I stopped to see where maxi was positioned. He was in the blue rhino with Harrison. He had plenty of people to keep his eyes in so I triumphantly started emerging my self into the salty water. My 11 year old body was small so it didn't take long for me not to be able to touch the sand, it wasn't like I didn't know how to swim though, I swam everyday from when I was 2 until present time.

The water was calm and I am now glad I wasn't surfing as it was rather flat out here. My hazel eyes were filled with salt water but I was used to it so it didn't bother me all that much, my lengthy light brown hair was weighed down with water and sand, it was perfect. I felt like it was just me in the world, nothing else mattered to me more than this moment at this time. Then suddenly everything changed.