Sink or Swim

Chapter 1

Skye lifted herself from the water with the biggest smile on her face. She could feel the adrenaline rush through her whole body in a cocktail of excitement and pride. She'd done it. She'd won. First place in the British Swimming Championships for the 200m backstroke. Her nose was full of chlorine but the muffled echoes of cheering flooded her ears. She ran her hands down her dripping face and looked up at the loud crowds. Her parents stood front row with her older sister, Marcia and younger brother, Oscar screaming with joy beside them. Her coach, Adam stood a few seats away from them with a smile as big as her own.

Skye had been building up to this moment her whole life. This was her goal, her aspiration. Fog smothered her mind and the next thing she knew she was standing with a sparkling yet gracious smile accepting her shining, gold medal, beaming from ear to ear. The warmth of the venue wrapped her body warm, her wet black swimming costume glimmering with the reflection of the lights.

She was buzzing, her whole body felt electric. It was unlike any feeling she had ever felt before. This was the feeling that everybody had told her about; the feeling that she would never forget for the rest of her life.

Then everything went black. Echoes gasped through the room. The sounds were loud but Skye couldn't make out what they were. Was she back in the pool with her head underwater? She gasped for air. What was happening? Was she drowning? No, it couldn't be that. She couldn't feel the warm water hitting her body like it usually did.

She wiped the back of her hand down her face. No goggles or cap, she definitely wasn't in the pool. No scent of chlorine. The heat of the room was there, but that was the only similarity.

After a few more confused moments and various attempts to open her eyes, they finally fluttered open. Looking bewildered, she gazed around the room unable to recognise a single inch of it. She tried to focus on the objects opposite her but it took a few moments before her vision became clear. Then she saw it. White walls, a row of beds and other faces, the faces of strangers.

She was in hospital.

She hadn't won anything at all, she'd just been dreaming. The feeling of joy, happiness and pride. It was all taken from her in a single second. It had been a terribly unrealistic dream that must have been caused by all of the drugs that the nurses had given her over the past few hours.

The disappointment that overcame her was sudden. It made her mind feel swollen and numb. The competition she had dreamt about hadn't happened yet, she still had another six days to train before taking part.

Trying hard not to let out an audible sigh, Skye concentrated on the sound of rain toppling down onto the hospital windows. The drips seemed to be getting louder and faster. She didn't like getting caught in the rain when it was this rough, but when she was listening to it from the inside it was oddly calming. That was the thing about Wales, there was rarely any shortage of rain.

Skye had never been in hospital before, not overnight or anything. She'd been to the emergency department once or twice with small injuries. The growing sounds of those around her were as unbearable as the hospital scent and she could feel her mind becoming more aggravated by the second. Why was she here? What could have possibly happened? She couldn't recall a thing. It was the sound of a familiar voice that calmed her anxiety and made her feel more aware of her surroundings. Her brain stopped focusing on the sounds and the smells as her head slid around to view her sister.

"You're in the hospital, Skye," her sister, Marcia explained.

Skye's eyes tilted suddenly to look at the two people at her bedside. Next to Marcia was her swimming coach, Adam. He was tall and well-built; often called a giant by her friends. You didn't have to look at him twice to know that he was into sports. You didn't get that much muscle by sitting at home watching television all day.