September 30th, 4:57 AM-

The sounding of the alarm cruelly yanked Chumani from her pleasant dreams with its incessant cries for attention. Her whole body tense, eyelids squeezing shut just a little harder as though the more she closed her eyes the softer the sound would get. Eventually she gave in, slowly beginning to wake up from an all too short slumber. Despite her hesitation to wake up, once she remained in a steady state of alertness she hopped out of bed with slightly more enthusiasm today than was normal on most other days.

Approaching the mirror on the back of her door she began to work her thick dark hair back into a tight ponytail, shuffling out of her bedroom in her pajamas to grab a quick bite to eat from the kitchen. The sight when she arrived brought a smile to her lips, greeted by a large "Happy Birthday" banner strung up over the cupboards and a solitary cupcake with pink frosting and sprinkles sitting perched on a confetti covered paper plate on the kitchen table. She never expected her parents to get up as ungodly early as she did, and the gesture gave her all the warm and fuzzy sensations of affection.

Tossing a few energy bars into the ratty old duffle bag that sat by the garage door, Chumani decided that a cupcake was as good a breakfast as any, and peeled off the paper as she ventured back to her room to get dressed for practice and pack her backpack for the day. Reemerging dressed and full of baked sugary goodness, a nagging voice in the back of her head berated her for her poor eating habits, informing her than she would surely regret it later. In a feeble attempt to appease her conscience, Chumani plucked a banana from the bunch on the counter to eat on the drive.

Her rusty old Camry waited patiently in the garage, and Chumani popped open the door with a long squeak. A hand me down from her parents, she wouldn't have been surprised if this car was old enough to have witnessed the death of the dinosaurs. Giving the keys a few fruitless turns, the car finally lurched into wakefulness, and Chumani cranked up the music to help wake her up as well as the intrepid pair headed off to the pool, banana in tow.

September 30th, 5:45 AM-

"Happy birthday Chumani!"

As soon as the door to the pool swung shut behind her, Chumani was greeted by a cacophony of sing-song voices. She smiled brightly, finishing off her banana and throwing the peel into the trash with perfect layup form. Someone clapped their hands over the wannabe basketball player's eyes, and Chumani jumped, grabbing her mystery attacker's wrists.

"Hey, come on now that's not nice," she pouted, managing to free herself from her assailant and turning to see Ariana, unsurprisingly. No one else seemed quite comfortable enough around Chumani to goof off in the way Ariana did. The two had been nearly inseparable since they were young, and had swam together for years. While others treated her as though she were some big foreboding athletic monster, Ariana never seemed to lose sight of what Chumani had been before being thrust into notoriety, and that was something the birthday girl had always appreciated about her. Given their relationship, Chumani was not at all surprised when the girl got a mischievous glint in her cobalt eyes, and though much smaller in stature she proceeded to charge the birthday girl, driving both of them across the edge of the deck and into the pool.

The whole team was in high spirits during the morning practice, and the girls chatted amiably with one another in the locker room afterwards.

"Just so you know, I got you a present!" Ariana called across the locker room as Chumani showered the chlorine out of her hair.

"Oh yeah? Thanks, but you didn't have to do that," she replied, though she was touched by the gesture. "What did you get me?"

"You'll just have to wait and see now won't you? I'm not just going to announce it like you're special or something," Ariana teased playfully as Chumani shut off the water and toweled dry.

"Oh jeez, and here I was thinking I was important," she scoffed. "You don't have to be so uppity about it, you know. Courtney gave me a stuffed dolphin this morning and didn't even ask for so much as a thank you, and here your gift comes with all sorts of rules and regulations." Courtney, one of the meeker members of the team, smiled bashfully at the compliment, though Ariana simply looked at her and shrugged.

"Well my present is going to be better than a stuffed animal," she replied flatly. Courtney's face reddened and the girl visibly deflated. Chumani winced inwardly at the comment, trying to catch Courtney's eye to mouth an apology but to no avail, as the girl kept her head down while the two of them continued getting dressed for the day.

Though she and Ariana had been long time friends, this was the sort of thing that caused some strain as they grew older. Chumani had started noticing some of the darker tendencies of her outspoken old friend. If called out on questionable comments, she would normally claim she was simply being honest, and speaking the truth that everyone else was afraid to. Normally though, it came off as much more hurtful and vindictive than revolutionary like she made it seem. In light of that, Chumani wondered briefly to herself if she was associated with that kind of attitude due to their long standing friendship. She certainly hoped not.

"I dunno about that, I really like my dolphin," she said with only the slightest hint of passive aggressiveness. Looking at Courtney as she wrung out her hair she managed to catch the girl's eye, smiling apologetically at her downtrodden teammate. Courtney's pale lips curled into a small smile, and she seemed to perk up slightly. As soon as the group was finished getting ready, the team headed out for school, Chumani holding her stuffed dolphin under one arm as they walked.

September 30th, 7:30 AM-

"Ta-da!"

Ariana waited until they arrived at their first period class to present Chumani with her glorious birthday present. Chumani's dark eyes flitted over the card that the girl held out, genuinely curious as to what it was that made it worth tarnishing Courtney's gesture over. The card itself had some sarcastic jab about how old she was getting, befitting the general snarky tone of her outspoken companion, and tucked inside was a gift certificate for the local sporting goods store.

"Oh awesome! I could really use this for new volleyball knee pads, mine are kind of losing their elasticity," she remarked cheerfully, giving her friend a tight hug.

"You're welcome, but this is for swimming, not volleyball! Let one of your volleyball friends get you new knee pads. This is for a new training suit, since I noticed yours was getting a little old," she said with a satisfied smile. Chumani returned the smile weakly, but thanked her regardless for the gift. She supposed a new suit wouldn't be hat bad, after all she had been wanting a slightly more feminine looking suit rather than the plain, utilitarian black one she had now.

As if on cue, one of Chumani's so called volleyball friends joined the pair, dropping her bag down beside them and throwing her arms around the birthday girl in a tight bear hug.

"Yooo, happy birthday girl!" Donna greeted, pulling back and giving Chumani a hearty slap on the back. "How does it feel to be ancient?" Chumani snorted, crossing her arms as though she were getting defensive.

"I'd say it feels pretty damn good, thanks for asking," she retorted with a playful smile. If Ariana was her oldest friend, Donna was the updated model. While there were some qualities of the original that no one could ever replicate, it ran a lot more smoothly and didn't break down nearly as often. Donna had a bright spirited personality, and bright blonde hair to match. She was also one of the only girls in school that managed to look good within the school's uniform guidelines, one of those rare people who could look positively radiant even if they were dressed in a potato sack.

"Hey, so I got you a present but it's kinda for the whole team too, I hope you don't mind. I will just tell everyone when we're all together at lunch, okay?" Chumani agreed, though she noticed how Ariana puffed out her cheeks indignantly.

"Oh going to run off with your volleyball friends, I see," she pouted, but Donna gave her a good clap on the back as well.

"Don't be sad Ari! Soon enough it'll be track season again and we'll all be together!" Even for someone as sour as Ariana it proved difficult to stay moody around the ray of sunshine that was Donna Davin.

September 30th, 12:30 PM-

The trio enjoyed the remainder of their first class together before splitting up to go their separate ways once it finished. Throughout the day, there were people wishing Chumani happy birthday, some she knew and some she didn't, which was fairly embarrassing. She didn't much care for being so well known around school, though she did her best to get to know everyone she spoke with in order to dispel any rumors that she was some aloof and unapproachable goddess. When would everyone learn she was just as much of a dorky loser as the average student?

It didn't help that she was easily identifiable amongst the rest of the student body. She was taller than most of the girls, the long pleated skirt she chose for her uniform piece falling a little shorter on her than most others. That, and the white button up she wore happened to be one of the men's shirts to accommodate her wide swimmer's shoulders. This left the sleeves a little long and the torso a little loose, so she rolled the sleeves and tucked the shirt to give her some semblance of shape even in the unflattering uniform. She also had the distinction long dark hair that she always pulled up in a high ponytail, since it was convenient for practice anyway, and she happened to be the only American Indian in all of Willowcrest. It really wasn't any wonder how she quickly became some sort of school yard spectacle.

Chumani met up with Donna again at lunch, the blonde's hand shooting up into the air as soon as Chumani entered in order to flag her down and beckoning her to the table where she sat.

"Hey, what's up?" Chumani greeted cheerfully, setting her bag down on the table top, her stomach rumbling with embarrassing loudness. Immediately she felt an overwhelming sensation of regret at having eaten a cupcake for breakfast, and was about to explain the rumbling when eight girls leapt towards her from the crowds of the cafeteria. As soon as they reached her, the group began an obnoxiously loud chorus of happy birthday, much to Chumani's embarrassment. To make matters worse, a few strangers scattered around the cafeteria joined in as well, and she slumped down into a chair in a feeble attempt to hide herself.

"Happy birthday Chu Chu!" Donna cheered, the other girls from the volleyball team beginning to clap surely with the sole purpose of embarrassing her more. Regardless of what gossip around school said about her, in reality the athlete was absolutely mortified to be in the spotlight, especially for something she didn't have to work for, like being born.

"To celebrate, I'm taking the team out for lunch! Wherever you want, Chu Chu." The girls cheered again, a few grabbing onto the birthday girl's arms while another grabbed her bag as they paraded outside and into various girls' cars to go grab something special to eat.

September 30th, 2:30 PM-

Lunch out at Chumani's favorite burger joint, and some god old fashioned group bonding was a fantastic way to celebrate. Everyone was in high spirits even after the hamburgers and milkshakes were long gone, and the team decided to play hookey and loiter around town until it came time for practice. As with swim practice in the morning, everyone seemed to do their volleyball drills with a bit of extra pep in their step today, but maybe it was all the sugar from those milkshakes. The lunch had proved to be a pretty effective team building experience for them, and Chumani was delighted she could help make that happen, even if the plan was all Donna's idea.

Against the pleads of the team, Chumani insisted that she head out after practice, citing some errands she had to run before her birthday dinner that evening. Climbing into the old clunky Camry, she big her team farewell as she pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the sporting goods store to spend her gift certificate. Some of the girls would have probably been happy to join her, but Chumani was a self conscious and solitary shopper.

The chiming of the bell on the door signaled her arrival, and the girl working the store continued to eye her with as a strange look as Chumani walked through the store, which of course didn't do much to help her self consciousness. What if she too knew who was was, and that it was her birthday? Monroe was really much too small, in that case. This girl definitely didn't go to her school, she would have remembered someone as tall and stacked as the strange employee. Hopefully she just went to the university, and didn't play on any rival teams, she could probably give anyone at Willowcrest a run for their money. Chumani made a bee line for the swim suits, beginning to rifle through them absently and stopping on a suit in a lovely shade of bright pink.

"Can I help you find anything?" the employee asked, Chumani looking up with a polite smile.

"Oh, no. I'm good, thanks. Just trying to decide on a new training suit is all. Mine's getting a little old," she explained, suddenly embarrassed by the bright pink suit and letting it go and instead grabbing a black one in its place. "Any suggestions?"

The employee visibly tensed at the question, her dark eyes looking away immediately. "Well…I think these over here are pretty popular," she said of the black suits, "but black is kind of plain. I think the colored ones are good if you wanted to stand out."

Chumani grabbed the pink suit again with a small smile flitting across her thin lips. She wasn't exactly a fan of standing out, but she did like that the color lent a little more femininity to her.

"Does the pink look good on me?" she asked, holding the suit against her body and comparing the color against her skin suddenly feeling self conscious with her bold choice.

"There's a mirror over there, feel free to go take a look. I'll be at the register when you're ready," the employee replied, pointing her over towards the wall before walking away. Creeping uncertainly over to the mirror Chumani held the suit up against her body again, lending a critical eye to her reflection. She'd better buy it now she decided, rather than risk talking herself out of it and not buying anything at all. She approached the girl at the register with a smile, paying for the pink suit with her gift certificate and thanking her for her help. While walking back to her car with the new purchase in hand, an excited giddiness swelled within her. She figured she might as well go and try it out today, and treat herself to a little more relaxing swim before dinner. It was her birthday, after all.

September 30th, 4:30 PM-

The pool always felt more refreshing when she wasn't obligated to be there. Of course, a brand new suit also helped her outlook. Strutting out of the locker room the familiar echo of the pool swelled to greet her. There were children and their parents splashing around in the shallow end with little floating toys, a few older boys using the pool noodles was water cannons despite not knowing where exactly those noodles had been before putting their mouths on them, and a solitary kid on the far end who was swimming or rather scooting slowly back and forth short ways along the wall. That meant she would have the lap pool to herself, which wasn't especially unusual.

A few quick warm up laps into her leisure swim, Chumani took a break to hang onto the edge of the wall and catch her breath when her attention was captured by a strange rattling noise. Surveying the area quickly, the culprit seemed to be the lifeguard's stand that vibrated on the floor. The water too began to churn as though she floated in turbulent ocean waters, and the boy sitting in the lifeguard stand began to look concerned as to what was happening, what to do about it, and how to get down. Suddenly, the boy's decision was made for him as the stand toppled over, taking the lifeguard down with it.

Children in the pool began to scream and squeal as the water churned angrily and the loud clatter echoed through the room, and Chumani hoisted herself from the pool and ran to the boy's side, dropping down to the ground beside him.

"Are you okay? Is anything broken?" she asked, stooping down next to him and trying not to drip water on his face as she craned over him. Soon a man holding his young daughter made his way towards them on the unsteady ground.

"I have a cell phone on me, do you need an ambulance?"

The lifeguard appeared to have the wind knocked out of him as he breathed heavily, and his body bore a few large scrapes across his forearms and knees, but otherwise he seemed to be alright. As he struggled to restore air to his lungs, he managed to wheeze out a few words.

"Someone…in the pool," he gasped, pointing back to the water. Chumani looked over her shoulder, seeing no one in what had effectively become a wave pool. With sudden clarity she recalled the kid who had been scooting across the wall of the deep end and she turned quickly, stumbling while she tried to rise to her feet once more as the ground shook underneath her. Sloppily she entered the pool, the world seeming to immediately calm once she floated under the surface of the water. In the distance she could make out the vague outline of a person drifting towards the bottom, and immediately began swimming towards them with deliberate, powerful strokes. As soon as she got close enough to reach a hand to retrieve the person, she grabbed it and tugged aggressively, positioning herself under the unconscious body and swimming back for the top. She gasped as she broke the surface, swimming to the edge and laying on the kid on the side of the pool.

Breathe.
Breathe.

"Call an ambulance," she insisted in a gasping voice, crawling shakily out of the water as adrenaline quickened her breath and made her limbs quiver on the already unsteady ground, a rabbit's heartbeat making her dizzy. She rolled onto her back, attempting to control her breathing and regain some semblance of stability. Her limbs felt like they were made of rubber, and her head felt light as she slowly closed her eyes.

Breathe.
Breathe.