My father studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he nodded once. “Fine. Focus on your studies and swimming for now. But the Quinns will be at the Halloween gala in two weeks, and I expect you to be there as well.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied automatically, knowing there was no point in arguing.
The rest of the ride passed in silence. By the time we reached the teleportation point, I was exhausted, my earlierdisappointment from the swim meet compounded by the tension of dinner. We stepped onto the ancient stone circle, my father muttering the incantation that would take us back to Widdershins.
The familiar sensation of being pulled apart and reassembled washed over me. When the world solidified again, we were standing in the teleportation circle at the edge of Widdershins campus. The ancient stone walls of the academy loomed in the distance, lit by floating orbs of magical light that cast long shadows across the grounds.
“We’ll see you at Halloween,” my mother said, straightening my collar unnecessarily. “Try to get some rest this weekend. You looked tired at dinner.”
“I will,” I promised, knowing I wouldn’t. Between homework, extra practices, and the constant pressure to improve my times, rest wasn’t really in the cards.
My father shook my hand formally. “Work on that turn, Theodore. That’s where you lost those three seconds today.”
Of course he’d been analyzing my performance. He probably had the whole race memorized and would send me a detailed breakdown by magical letter in the morning.
“Yes, sir. I’ll focus on it.”
They stepped back onto the teleportation circle, and with a shimmer of magic, they vanished. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, my shoulders sagging with relief. The walk back to my dorm would take fifteen minutes, but I welcomed the solitude after a night of constant socialization.
The campus was quiet on a Friday night. Most students were either at parties or had gone home for the weekend. The crisp autumn air felt good after the stuffiness of the restaurant, and I loosened my tie as I walked, finally feeling like I could breathe again.
By the time I reached my dorm building, my mind was racing with everything I needed to do. The spellcraft project. Extra laps to work on my turns. A history of magic essay due Wednesday. Sleep seemed like a distant luxury.
I paused outside the building, not quite ready to go inside. The thought of sitting at my desk trying to focus on homework while my mind replayed today’s loss over and over again was unbearable. I needed something else. Something to clear my head.
The swimming pool. That’s where I always felt most at peace.
I changed direction, heading toward the athletic complex instead. At this hour, the pool would be empty. Coach Mathers always locked up after the last practice, but I knew where the spare key was hidden. It wasn’t the first time I’d snuck in for a late-night swim when my thoughts became too loud.
The athletic building was dark when I arrived, but I knew my way around well enough. I slipped through the side entrance, making my way through the shadowy corridors toward the natatorium. The chemical smell of chlorine grew stronger as I approached, a scent I found oddly comforting after all these years.
I pushed through the double doors into the pool area. The water was still, reflecting the dim emergency lights that remained on throughout the night. The place felt different after hours. It was peaceful, almost sacred. This late, there was no one to impress, no one to beat, no one watching and measuring my every move. Just me and the water.
I was about to head to the locker room to change when movement caught my eye. Someone was already in the pool.
I froze, expecting to see Coach Mathers or maybe one of the security guards. Instead, a man I’d never seen before was stepping down the ladder into the shallow end. And to my surprise, he wascompletelynaked, his pale skin practicallyglowing in the dim light. His red hair was cropped short, and even from this distance, I could see the lean muscles of his back rippling as he moved, and the swing of his cock.
I knew I should leave. This was clearly a private moment, and if he was here after hours like me, he probably wanted to be alone. But I couldn’t stop staring. His beautiful form kept me rooted to the spot, hidden in the shadows by the entrance as I felt heat pool low in my belly.
The stranger slid into the water with barely a splash, moving with a grace that spoke of someone completely comfortable in the aquatic environment. He dove beneath the surface, and for a moment, I thought I saw something shimmer along his skin, like scales catching the light.
I blinked, sure I was seeing things. When he resurfaced halfway down the lane, he was just a man again, cutting through the water with powerful strokes that were unlike any swimming technique I’d ever seen. It wasn’t freestyle or butterfly or any recognized stroke. It was something else entirely. It was wild and natural, like he was part of the water itself.
I couldn’t look away. His movements were hypnotic, his body moving through the water with an efficiency that made my own technique seem clumsy by comparison. Was he some sort of water spirit? A demon of a lake or river come to torment me?
I must have shifted my weight or made some small noise, because suddenly he stopped, his head whipping around toward the entrance where I stood. Our eyes met across the pool, and I felt a jolt run through me, like I’d been hit by one of Professor Blackwood’s lightning spells.
“Enjoying the show?” he called out, his voice echoing slightly in the empty natatorium. It wasn’t angry or embarrassed. If anything, there was amusement in his tone.
I stepped forward, knowing I’d been caught. “Sorry,” I said, my voice sounding strained even to my own ears. “I didn’t mean to... I just came to swim.”
The stranger treaded water effortlessly, studying me with curious eyes that seemed to gleam in the darkness. “Well, don’t let me stop you,” he replied with a smirk. “There’s plenty of pool for both of us.”
I hesitated, suddenly aware of how ridiculous I must look standing there in my dinner clothes while he was completely naked in the water. “I didn’t realize anyone else would be here.”
“Should anyone be here right now?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Because I’m pretty sure the pool closes at nine, and it’s well past that.”
“I could ask you the same thing,” I countered, finding my voice. “And at least I wasn’t planning to skinny-dip in a school facility.”