Okay, second part up. Heh, I didn't even imagine doing a second part. Fun.

Last summer, we had gotten a new pool, the first in our neighborhood. By "we" I mean me and my "family". Having no real family of my own, I lived in a home for young women. Since I was 7, I lived with a group of other girls. Last year, they saw fit to give us a pool. Now that I was 15, I was allowed to swim without adult supervision, but I preferred not to swim at all.

Today just happened to be one of those beautiful summer days. Alex, who lived down the street, came by for a swim. He, Kristen, and Asia were taking advantage of the cool water. I was sitting, still fully clothes, on the pool deck, playing with my bracelet. It was an antique, something I had picked from a store a little while back for 3.50, but I loved it. The beads and tiny bells made soft chiming noises when I moved. Unfortunately, It had weak links that broke often. I had to fix it all the time, and it kept me busy on days like this. It was actually a necklace that I wrapped three times around my wrist.

As I was playing with the beads, Alex was doing a cannonball off the diving board. He isn't heavy by any means, but the splash hit me even from across the pool. He did this on purpose of course, he was always annoyed when I never swum.

"Lia," he called, using my nickname, "please come in! C'mon, you haven't gone in all summer." I had reasons.

"Nah, I'm good." I answered, a little distracted. Swimming to the shallow end, where the pool deck was, he leaned on the edge and glared at me.

"Please."

He didn't make it a question. I shook my head and continued piecing my bracelet-slash-necklace together. He merely shook his head, and pulled himself out of the water. Sitting down next to me, and deliberately putting a wet arm around my shoulders, he said,

"I see it's up to me to help." Without warning, he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. I knew I wasn't very heavy, but I didn't imagine him pulling a stunt like this. I was about to kick him, when I realized what he meant to do.

"Alex, no . . . !" I warned. He didn't even pause when I began pounding him in the back with my fists. As if I weighed nothing, he threw me fully clothed into the pool, the second time I was thrown in against my will. I hit the water and began screaming. I didn't even think of swimming to the edge, I just flailed my arms and legs wildly. I could swim, but panic got me too quickly. The next sensation I felt was getting winded. A strong force hit my stomach hard and dragged me to the ladder. Alex had dove in to save me. He thought I was drowning! And I guess I did give him that impression, with my wild spasms and all. Pulling me out of the pool, he laid me down on the deck on my back, where I sputtered out water. He looked shocked. I realized then that both Asia and Kristen were standing around me, my wild screams having attracted them from their conversation near the diving board.

"Lia," Alex began quickly and breathlessly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you couldn't swim. . . !"

Much later, I lay in bed, staring up at my ceiling. I had scared the wits out of my friends today. Alex thought I couldn't swim. Kristen and Asia probably thought I was a moron. There was a reason for my panic.

Really.

And it started a little while ago, last summer, when we first got our pool in. I would swim all day, I loved that pool so much.

One evening, I discovered that there was this thing down there. I know because it attacked me. Or he. I thought he was a guy from his clothes and such, but you can't be sure. Anyways, after biting me and nearly drowning me, he let me go. I refused to even come into the pool area for the rest of that summer. I had just gotten used to it this summer, where I would watch other people swim, but not me.

Outside was a clear night. I had a view of the pool. Every night, the water would churn and froth, huge waves rolled over the surface. Why no one but me has ever noticed, I don't know. But that just further proof that something in that pool.

Tonight, however, I didn't want to look at it. I had a scare today and deserved some downtime. I must have fallen asleep for a little while, because the next thing I felt was pressure over my mouth. Naturally, I tried to relieve it but turning my head. I felt cold metal against my cheeks. Alarmed I tried to yell, but the pressure muffled my screams. Twisting my head just made the metal scrape against my flesh painfully. And I couldn't pull it off with my hands. After a moment of struggle and confusion, I calmed down.

My eyes were already adjusted to the dark and I tried to identify my attacker. I lifted my arms to investigate. The contours of the force over my mouth made my stomach drop. I heard a voice hiss at me.

Shh.

I noticed a dark shape hovering over me. Chlorine. I smelled chlorine. My stomach jumped again. The pressure slowly lifted. It was understood I was not to make a sound. The shadow slowly moved back. I sat up and pressed my back against my wall. When the shadow stepped into the moonlight, I nearly screamed.

He looked exactly like I remembered him. Minus the plaid shirt he seemed to have acquired from last summer. The same yellow and red eyes, the pale skin that looked blue in the moonlight, the black hair, baggy pants and sneakers, laces untied. The sleeves of the shirt covered his hands, I guess on purpose because he doesn't have fingers, but claws. I almost found myself wondering why I didn't get cut when he had a claw over my mouth. Right now, he was smiling (not, thankfully a toothy grin).

I stopped breathing.

He tilted his head playfully, and reached into his pocket. Withdrawing it, he held out something towards me. I inhaled sharply. More chlorine.

In his palm (I could see the claws, I felt sick) lay my bracelet. On instinct, I grasped my right wrist, where I always wore it. It was gone, of course. He stood still, patiently, waiting to see if I took the bait. He could have it, I thought to myself. I realized then that it was more of a truce than anything else. Perhaps even a sign of friendship.

Perhaps not.

In any case, I decided to take it, just in case refusing might anger him. I slowly and shakily extended my arm. Seeing this, he (who has no name) lowered his arm and stepped forward. I didn't want to be within reach of those claws. I cautiously picked a bead from the bracelet and with my thumb and index finger, I lifted it from his hand.

He didn't move. He had this strange look on his face, standing absolutely still as if a deer was eating seeds from his hand, and moving might scare her off.

Once I had the bracelet. He dropped his hand and stepped back. He actually saluted me and climbed out my open window, apparently out the way he came in.

I let out a breath and sat up all night.