Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning to my alarm clock. I hit the off button and rolled out of bed. Walking down the hall, I saw Socka wrapped up in blankets, still asleep. He'd probably be that way until after noon. I Went downstairs to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed a yogurt.

"Hey, Kitty," my Gran-Gran began, "Mr. Irons called. You're not working at the club today. He said you'd be working at a private pool. A car's going to pick you up at 9."

"But that's in five minutes! I don't even have my guard suit!" I ran up to my room to see if I could find an extra one-piece. I practically tore my room apart getting all of my things together. I didn't even stop to think about the fact that I'd be working at a different pool. I managed to locate a towel, sunscreen, flipflops, short-shorts, and a bikini. This wasn't gonna work. As I fretted over my predicament, the doorbell rang. I hauled all of my stuff downstairs, ready to face Mr. Irons. My Gran-Gran lead him in to the house, and I stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"Um, Mr. Irons, I don't have my guard suits," I said.

"Well, do you have a swimsuit?" he asked.

"Uh, only a bikini."

"That will do. This way," he said, guesturing for me to go outside. I picked up my poolbag and left. We climbed into separate cars. Him into a black sedan, and I was ushered to a black limousine.

"Um, this really isn't necessary," I said. "I'd be fine in a regular car." The driver didn't respond to my statement, but told me I could help myself to drinks, snacks, and the Playstation. I was a little surprised to say the least. I mean, how often is someone driven to work in a limo? Anyway, we drove for what seemed like forever. I merely sat in the back and twiddled my thumbs, replaying the morning's events so far. None of this really made sense. Finally, we pulled into a long driveway, which led to the biggest house I'd ever seen. It was at least as big as the country club, if not bigger. The limo pulled to a stop, and the driver opened my door.

"Thanks," I said, climbing out. I grabbed my pool bag and slowly walked up to the front door of the mansion, following the driver. He opened the door and lead me inside. The place was massive, with marble floors, solid wood doors, it looked like a genuine castle.

"This way," the man said, leading me through the house to the back door. He led me out onto a patio, which had a stone path leading to a pool deck, with a very large, very beautiful pool in the ground. Then I realized what was going on.

There, on a lounge chair, layed Zane. He sipped a drink from a martini glass, not even looking over at me. He was wearing red swim shorts and dark sunglasses. I walked over to him, and then he looked at me.

"I got dragged out of bed for this?" I said, with an obvious attitude.

"Hey, you're getting paid," he replied. "Shouldn't you be in a swimsuit?"

"Is there a place I can change?" I asked.

"Pool house," he pointed. "It's unlocked."

I changed quickly, and was back out on the pool deck, ready to get the lesson overwith.

"My," Zane said, looking me over, "maybe I should pay you extra." He smirked at me. Creeper.

"Get in the pool," I ordered. Zane stepped into the shallow end, walking slowly down the steps. I followed him.

"So, what am I learning today?" he asked in sarcastic excitement.

"You're learning how to hold your breath."

"What?" he said, all smiles gone.

"You heard me. An important part of swimming is being able to swim under water."

"I don't swim under water."

"Not yet. Come on, I have first graders who can hold their breath for half a minute." Okay, maybe that wasn't completely true. But hey, it's not like he'd know any better.

"I really don't swim under water," he said again.

"There's always a first time for everything. Now, take a breath," I said. He looked at me curiously. Right before I pushed him under water. Zane spluttered, struggling to get back to the surface. Then, he realized we were still in the shallow end, and he stood up, leaving me laying across his left shoulder. Akward! He grabbed me around the waist and tossed me carelessly into the deep end of the pool. I screamed a little while I was in midair, then submerged, and resurfaced quickly.

"NEVER do that again!" Zane yelled.

"Hey, if you don't learn to go underwater, you'll never be able to hold your breath!"

"That doesn't mean you have to drown me!"

"I'd never let you get hurt!" I yelled. His faced changed suddenly, with a weird expression I couldn't understand.

"I'm getting a drink," he climbed out of the pool.