Sprite (Annabelle's Story Part One) by Leigh Michael Page B

was truly the last.
    Here, I started on the twenty-yard line with Clemente or Shamus in the end zone. After Adrian yelled, “Go”, I swam as fast as possible without either catching me or knocking me off course.
    It seemed simple enough, but they were a lot faster than me. I decided to use the same type of approach taken if an alligator had tried to chase me. I always heard that it was best to avoid moving in a straight line. Instead, zigzagging worked best.
    With this approach, I avoided the boys for a little bit, but they eventually caught up. The thing with gators is that either a) they lost steam and gave up or b) they lost interest and gave up. Neither of those were the case with Clemente or Shamus.
    Finally, we were done. I couldn’t believe I spent the entire day getting beat up by a fake dolphin and a seal.
    Yesterday, by the end of the day I was exhausted, bruised, and I had torn my bodysuit.
    Today, I was exhausted, bruised, and I completely soiled my clothes with sand.
    I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I was two for two with ruining the outfits Natasha had created for me.
    Really, I didn’t have enough strength to care though. I just wanted the softness of my bed and many hours of sleep.
     
     

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
     
    I’d been in my room for only a minute or two when I heard a knock at my door. Tonight I actually took the time to change after noticing that someone had made my bed from last night.
    As I pulled back the door, there was Adrian. Having him in my doorway was becoming a bit of a routine; not that I really minded.
    “Oh, good. You’re still up,” he said greeting me.
    “Yeah, I was just about to go to bed. What’s up?”
    “Well, I sort of figured that you didn’t know what day it was.”
    I gave him a baffled look, and he continued, “Not everyone celebrates it here, but it’s Christmas.”
    “Christmas…” I whispered.
    A sharp pain jabbed within my chest. I wasn’t with my family…
    “Yeah, and I know it must be hard on you being away from your family,” he said, reading my thoughts. “So, I wanted to give you something to show you how much we care about you here. How much I care about you.”
    With that, he handed me a tiny unwrapped box.
    I slowly pulled the lid off and immediately gasped at the necklace inside.
    It was beautiful.
    Since I stood still as a statue, he retrieved it from the box. “It was my mother’s.”
    He motioned upward and I turned around so he could fasten it around my neck.
    Once the necklace was in place, I raised my hand to hold the pendant against my chest. “Does it have a meaning?”
    “It does. It’s an olive tree leaf,” he said, explaining the portion that snuggly wrapped around the round shape of the pendant.
    The pendant itself was an emerald ball. Small diamonds lined the leaf that clung to one side of it.
    Adrian’s eyes showed a faraway look as he watched me. I almost missed the slight shake of his head before he spoke. “This type of leaf is special in Greek culture. It’s said to be a symbol of abundance, glory, and peace.”
    “It’s beautiful,” I said, unable to think of anything else. His gesture left me practically speechless.
    “My mom changed the meaning a little. She felt a combination of love, strength, and safety when she wore it.”
    “I’ll wear it proudly,” I managed to say.
    “Thank you.”
    “Please, I should thank you. And I feel bad, I don’t have a gift for you.”
    He followed his response with a smile. “I’ll let you slide this year. But next year, I expect something great.”
    The thought of “next year” made me look away.
    He dropped slightly in the water to level his eyes with mine. “Everything okay?”
    “What does my family think happened to me?”
    “Ah, well, after you were taken Clemente made sure you were safely on your way to Tritonis, then he went back to your parent’s house. We were scared that they’d file a police report after they saw you missing.”
    “What did Clemente