Mariana's Secret (The Katori Chronicles Book 2) by A. D. Lombardo

Author:A. D. Lombardo [Lombardo, A. D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A. D. Lombardo
Published: 2019-11-03T22:00:00+00:00

The next afternoon turned out to be swelteringly hot. Kai and Shane sat on the shore of Baden Lake in the midday sun. Glancing at Shane, he asked. “What do you say? One more race to see who can swim the farthest?”

They both had incredible speed and stamina on land and in the water. Testing each other seemed almost pointless. But it gave them something to do. “Sure,” Shane agreed. “I almost beat you last time. I’m going to miss this when we get home.”

The two boys waded into the water, then dove under. Shane rose up first. Kai came to the surface a few seconds later. They swam with exceptional speed. Bodies straight, legs extended, briskly kicking. They pulled through the water with curved elbows high.

The real question was not who would tire, but who would want to turn back first. Who wanted to win more? On a vast lake that took eight-to-ten hours to cross by sailboat, they had room to challenge each other.

Kai kept his breathing relaxed. He took a deep breath through his nose between strokes. At the same time, he gleaned Shane’s location. He knew they were evenly matched. For now, he kept pace with his friend. Palms turned downward, he pulled rhythmically through the water.

Stroke after stroke, he imagined himself pulling ahead. Still, Shane kept even. He focused on his technique, making each movement count. Inch by inch, Kai kicked a little bit harder.

Focused on the far side of the lake, Kai took short, quick breaths. He pulled his arms through the water faster. Slowly he pulled into the lead. With the extra distance, he slowed his movements and held his pace. Just a few more strokes, he told himself. He knew how far Shane was willing to swim.

It wasn’t long after, he heard Shane. “Kai, stop. We’ve gone too far. We should turn back.”

Kai stopped. The water ahead of them offered no view of the other shore. Behind them, Albey was a burry distant stretch of shoreline. He heard echoes of children laughing and playing on the beach. Kai turned around and they both began the long swim back. Keeping an eye on Shane, they made easy work of the return trip.

Panting, they both crawled up onshore and lay in the grass. “How?” Shane asked, between breaths. “How do you always beat me? We stay together most of the way, then you pull out ahead, and I can never catch you.”

Relaxing, Kai looked up at the clear blue sky. “You really want to know?”

“Of course.”

“My only chance is to swim like I am aiming for the other side. I have no intention of turning back. I have often thought of swimming all the way across. For no more than a few strokes I push and stretch a little more, and I pull ahead of you. Then I can relax into a normal stroke. Swim at the same tempo. By pulling ahead of you and staying there, I get into your head. From that moment on you begin to question and doubt.

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