2 Chapter 1 - Swimming Down the River Styx

Swimming or drowing as it maybe is a skill I had in spades. The physical swimming, sure. The emotional swimming, preare yourself for a rollercoaster.

In my early days I did professional swimming, I guess you could call it "professional". I more so got yelled at not swimming fast enough or not winning enough medals at the swim meets, but I digress. You are looking for action aren't you. Well here we go:

It was a warm summer night. Amber standing about 4 foot 8 inches, pale skin, near platnium blonde hair stands there at the side of the pool waiting for her turn to enter the water. Clad only in her black one piece swim suit, standard issue to everyone on the team, she is nearly a toothpick with lean muscles. Diffenetly a swimmers body.

Knowing that it is close to her turn to enter the water, her father approaches from behind to give her encouraging words. "You've got this Amber, swim like you have never swam before, you have the chance to win the gold today", he whispers in her ear as he puts a hand on her shoulder. Amber feels confient at this point that she can do no wrong in her father's eyes. She is after all the oldest child, the one he has the most faith in. "I won't let him down", Amber says to herself. Taking a deap breath, she lifts her arm to place her hand on top of the one her father has on her shoulder, and turns to smile back at him.

Amber walks to her place at the head of the pool. She tucks her hair into the rubberized cap and puts on her goggles. Internalizing, "Okay, 100 meter butterfly race. Gods, what was coach thinking signing me up for this event," shakes head to clear the negative thoughts. Stepping up on the starting platform, "four laps and you are done. You can relax after this. You have got this Amber!", she says to psych herself up. Leaning over and gripping the edge of the platform, she hears the starting gun go off.

Diving into the pool, she hears the roar of the crowd, the thunder of the other swimmers as they pound the water with their strokes. She takes off like lightning down the pool. Before she realizes it she down the lenght of the pool and does a turn under the water to circle around for her next lap. Amber is pounding along a breakneck speeds, she hits the other end of the pool and flips around. Third lap. She feels something grab at her foot, shaking it off, she continues on swimming. Hits the wall, flips, last lap. Whatever it is that was trying to get at her foot, grabs her ankle this time. She struggles kicking and pulling with her arms to shake the thing off. Amber looks under the water to see a boney hand going for her other leg. Freaks for a moment, and looks up. To smack dead with a crack into the end of the pool lane.

Amber starts to sink into the water. Her arms are suddenly gripped by her coach, and one of her other team mates hops in the water to hoist her up. Amber comes to in the back room of the swim hall where they serve snacks. Her mother stands over her handing her a donut and some juice. "Here honey, eat this, you'll feel a bit better." Assuming that mother knows best, Amber bites into the donut, and takes a sip from the juice. Swallows. "Mom, did you see what pulled me under the water?"

"What do you mean, dear?"

"What pulled me under the water. Something was gripping my legs as I swam the last lap. It scared me, and I crashed into the wall of the pool."

"Honey, you must have hit your head really hard. There wasn't anything in the pool. You were swimming so fast to try and win that you didn't stop in time and hit the wall on your last lap dear."

Not wanting to argue with her mother any longer, Amber finishes her snack. As soon as she does, she passes back out.

Waking in the back of the back of her best friend's parent's car. She thanks them for the ride home as they pull up into the drive way in front of Amber's house. She assumed that her parents had already gotten home and that Amber had stayed behind at the swim meet to watch her friends compete. Grabbing her things from the car, wet towels and swim suit over one arm, her swim bag over the other, and walks up to her parent's door.

Amber is bone weary and searches as best she can in her bag to find her key to the door. Ringing the bell, she hears the dog barking it's head off. Waiting for what seems like forever, her father finally comes to open the door. As soon as the dooor is openned, Amber gets a waft of alcohol coming off her father. Before Amber steps in the door -

"Why can't you open the door, are your hands broken?", he grabs her hand.

"Father, I -"

Yanking hard, he pulls her inside. Amber drops everything she was carrying.

"You can't win anymore, you can't open the door, what good are you to me?" He turns her around and spanks her.

Mother enters and sees the scene in front of her. "ERIC!", she screams.

He looks around and sees her. Dropping Amber in a heap on the floor, leaves the room.

Mother comes over and helps pick Amber off the floor. "You shouldn't have angered your father. Let me get you some more juice and get you to bed."

Not having the strenght, Amber just nods at her mother as she is ushered into the kitchen to get a glass of juice and then off to bed.