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V

New Friends

"OK. Who can answer this problem," asked Mrs. Dhaliwal, a dark skinned human female who looked to be in her late thirties. Mrs. Dhaliwal was of Indian descent, and still had some of the mannerisms and beliefs of her people, despite the more modern clothing she currently wore. Her black hair was done up in a large bun at the base of her skull, and a red spot was placed in the center of her forehead. At four foot ten, she was not very imposing, and despite having four children, still had a slender, athletic figure. Dressed in a dark gray pants suit with a white pull over blouse, she gave off an aura of confidence that calmed people like Alix and Kaelyn. Mrs. Dhaliwal was also wearing a pair of black flats, as she was unashamed of her height, and her husband was not much taller than she was. She was also the schools top Judo instructor, having won the national tournament twice when she was attending the school.

No one answered her. She glanced around the room, noticing that the person she really wanted to answer was doing her level best to hide behind Rebecca Iona's massive frame. Rebecca had more or less recovered from her 'talk' with Alix a few days ago. Only her split lip, now nothing more than a white line on her lower lip, was left, and that would disappear in a few more days. Such was the resilience of the Bympyrs. Almost all the students were paying attention, save for, of course, Bruce Campbell and his three cronies in the back of the room. Bruce was leaning back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling, while the two human males, and one Ratin female, were whispering together. Both Kaelyn Duskcoat and Rebecca were bent over their desk consoles, trying hard to figure out the problem. Rebecca looked especially exasperated.

"Come now, it's not that hard," Mrs. Dhaliwal admonished. "Let's have a few of you try. Mr. Campbell, care to take a guess?"

Bruce sat up straight and looked between his teacher and the equation on the display screen at the front of the classroom as if he had been slapped. After a moment, he said, "I don't know."

"Then I suggest you pay attention," Mrs. Dhaliwal said. There was a general burst of laughter, which quickly died down as the math teacher looked around for her next victim.

"Ms. Iona, how about you?"

"Ah...," Rebecca glanced at the screen, and then back down at the electronic writing pad in front of her. With a digital writing stylus, she made a few notations, erased them, and then tried again. The class followed her progress on the front screen as her equations came up, and disappeared several times. Finally, she put her stylus down, and hung her head.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Dhaliwal. I don't know."

"At least you tried. And you were on the right track, just not quite there yet. OK, so who's next? Ms. Astarte, why don't you give it a try."

"Ah...the answer is x, Mrs. Dhaliwal," Alix said as she peeked from around Rebecca's back. She looked around the class, expecting some sort of snide comment, sneer, or laugh. None came. In fact, most of her fellow students were now trying to figure out how she came to that answer.

"Very good," the teacher said with a smile on her face. "Now, how did you come to that conclusion?"

Alix glanced around the room nervously. "Ah...like this."

Taking her stylus, Alix made two equations, being careful to show how her mind had solved the equation. Several of her classmates followed her notes on the front screen, and groaned as she came to the answer. Mrs. Dhaliwal continued to smile as she saw her student's reactions.

"That is correct, Mrs. Astarte. It was a trick problem. A simple one, but a trick all the same. As you can see, y and z eventually cancel each other out, leaving x as the only solution. Where most of you lost track of the numbers was here." Mrs. Dhaliwal used her laser pointer to highlight the end of the first equation. "Here you can see were y begins to have a problem with z. Now. Most of you were trying to prove how to-"

The bell rang at that moment, and more than a few students, Rebecca included, sighed with relief.

"Oh well," Mrs. Dhaliwal sighed. She had spent most of the class trying to get Alix out from behind Rebecca, and the bell would have to ring right when she had just succeeded in doing so. "Make sure you have all the problems at the end of chapter ten done by Monday. We'll have a quiz by Wednesday, so be prepared. If anyone has any questions, please come see me in the Faculty Office. Have a good weekend everyone."

Almost all of the class stood up to leave. Fifth period was when most students attended lab or sports classes, and most of these classes had their own classrooms. Both Rebecca and Kaelyn, who had chemistry this period, walked out with Alix.

"Want me to tutor you again," Alix asked Rebecca with a nervous smile on her face.

"Her and me, both," Kaelyn said with a large smile. "I'm not bad at math, but that one had me stumped. Say, can we get together on Sunday? I don't have anything planned and it would be the perfect day to for a quiet study session."

"That might be a problem," Alix said looking away, and partially hiding her face behind her small gym bag, which she was hugging fiercely. "It's my birthday, and Mom and Dad wanted to throw me a birthday party."

"Really," Kaelyn asked excitedly. "Could we-"

Rebecca reached down and gently tapped Kaelyn on the top of her snout. "Don't be rude. It's her party, and her sixteenth birthday. Such an important event shouldn't be interrupted by a pair of strangers."

"But-"

Rebecca glared at her.

"Oh, fine! Party crasher!"

"Party hound," Rebecca countered.

Alix blushed, buried her face in her gym bag, and snickered. The other two girls glanced at her, then at each other, and burst out into laughter. After all three of them got control of their mirth, Rebecca turned to Alix.

"Where are you headed next," she asked as her hand wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"To the pool to see Ms. Lake," Alix said as her humor left and her anxiety returned.

"Oh, don't worry," Kaelyn said, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl, and giving her a comforting hug. "You'll like Ms. Lake. She's a Sharlin from the Thresh Tribe and supper friendly. She's really big into aquatic sports, so you should have no trouble fitting in."

"And she's not just about competition," Rebecca added. "Ms. Lake has always encouraged us to have fun first; winning comes second. We've gone to the Annual Clan Swim Tournament for three years now, under her leadership. And last year we came in third. All thanks to her."

"With the Sharlins in Clan Dragon's team winning for six years in a row," Alix said, surprising the others. "I watch it every year."

"Figures. Then if you've seen last years tournament, you would have seen how much fun our team has been having," Rebecca said. "Give Ms. Lake a try. She might surprise you."

"OK," Alix said, a little skeptically.

"I got a great idea," Kaelyn exclaimed excitedly. "After school, why don't you hook up with Rebecca and come see me at the track. She doesn't have practice today, and I want you to meet my team. Then we can walk you home. There's a pastry shop with a small cafe we can stop at on the way home."

"That is a great idea," Rebecca said. "Don Wyn's has some of the best cup cakes in the district. What do you think, Alix?"

Alix paused for a moment, half torn to say no, and half wanting to go. Finally she said, "OK. I'll call Mom and let her know. With all the attacks on me, she's been keeping close tabs on me."

"Good." Rebecca glanced at her watch. "You better hurry, or you'll be late. We'll see you later."

"OK, bye." Alix waved and sped down the hallway.

"You still want me to test her," Kaelyn asked. She had a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Yes. We need to encourage her to come out of that shell. And she needs all the friends she can get. Did you bring your spare gym clothes?"

"Actually, I brought the ones from two years ago. They're a little smaller and should fit her better. Why I held on to them for so long beats me, but they'll prove useful now." Kaelyn turned to her friend, her hands on her hips, a slightly annoyed look on her face. "And why did you stop me from asking if we could come to her birthday party? Especially if you insist that she need more friends?"

"Because Mr. Astarte had already invited us, and I wanted to keep it a surprise. But you can't help yourself when there's a party going on, and you almost spoiled all our planning."

"You're no fun. You could have told me."

"Which would have made it worse, as you would have gotten even more impatient. Come on, or we'll be late."

Behind them, outside the window sat a large crow. Its pitch black feathers ruffled in the chilly autumn wind, and its hard black beak straightened a feather on its left wing. Two brilliant green eyes watched the girls move off, then it opened its wings and dived off the school building. As it rose into the air, the crow shifted its tail and headed for the pool building.

* * * * * *

Alix walked into the pool and looked around. It was the biggest pool structure she had ever seen, with three different pools filling the primary part of the building. The pool building was a complex in its own right, and it was said that there was an outside pool on the far side of the building, over looking the sports field. The largest pool was straight in front of her and was a standard swimming pool, starting at two feet deep on the right side, and dropping to twenty feet deep at the left end. Depth markers were painted on the side of the pool at two feet intervals. The pool on the far side of primary pool was set up for racing, float barriers marking each lane. Several students were in that pool, coaches and other students shouting encouragement, or watching excitedly. There was a third pool set in the far back, to the left of the primary pool, and judging from the two sets of diving boards and platforms, was designed for diving competition and practice. Benches lined the walls around the pools, and each pool had two lifeguard chairs. Both chairs on the racing pool were currently filled, both lifeguards being Sharlins. Overlooking the pools, and positioned all around the giant room, was one continuous balcony filled with chairs for spectators. They were currently empty.

Standing in front of Alix, and next to the primary pool, was a female Sharlin in a bright green one piece swimsuit. She had looked like a student herself when Alix had first looked at her, as she stood only five foot nine, but the clipboard in her hands, and the two younger girls next to her, quickly dispelled that illusion. She had light blue-gray skin, dark brown hair that fell past the base of her tail, and sea blue eyes. The Sharlin stood on long athletic, double kneed legs, the three large toes on each foot slightly splayed out to support her weight, revealing the webbing between them. Her head was smaller than most Sharlins, with a smaller, more angular snout, and the eyes set slightly more forward as well. Her tail, too, was different than those of most Sharlins. It was shorter, but with the upper part of the caudal fin three times the length of any other Sharlin Alix had ever seen. A slender dorsal fin stood out from the open back of the Sharlin's swimsuit.

The Sharlin looked up from the clipboard and noticed Alix standing just in front of the double doors that led into the pool room. Turning slightly, she said something to the two girls next to her, who waved goodbye before moving further down the pool, then the Sharlin walked over to Alix. She gave the Foxling a warm, closed lipped, smile, and extender her hand.

"Hello. I'm Alice Lake, head instructor for the pool, and coach for the Girl's Swim Team," she said as Alix tentatively took her hand. "You must be Alixandra Astarte. Mr. Son'Stygia said to expect you today."

"I prefer Alix," Alix said in a nervous, low voice.

"Oh. Alix it is then. Now, I've been told that you like to swim, so we will try to make your physical education remediation as enjoyable as possible. We won't have you doing anything to strenuous until that arm of yours is healed. The weight of the cast might make it difficult as well. So let's get you into the water and go over some general floating and back strokes."

"Alright," Alix said, and then paused. She looked at Ms. Lake nervously. "Ah...Ma'am? I don't have a swimsuit at the moment."

"You don't have a swimsuit," Ms. Lake asked a little surprised. "What happened to yours? Or did your last school issue you one?"

"Well..." Alix reached into her gym bag and pulled out what remained of her dark green one piece. The left strap had been completely ripped away, and a long tear, following the seem on the left side, ran down almost to were the leg hole. "...it kind of...got ruined."

"Oh, dear." Ms. Lake looked at the swimsuit for a moment, her right arm across her chest, the right hand holding the clipboard, while the arm supported her left arm. The left hand held the bottom of her snout, the fingers stroking the jaw line, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Well, you'll just have to borrow one for now. Can't have you swimming in nothing but your skivvies now, can we." Ms. Lake turned and began to walk down the side of the pool at a brisk pace.

Alix blinked for a moment, totally confused. Then, realizing that her teacher was leaving her behind, stuffed the ruined swimsuit back into her bag, and hurried after the Sharlin.

"I'm sorry, but what did you say," Alix asked as she caught up with Ms. Lake.

Ms. Lake gave her another warm smile. "We need to get you into the water today, otherwise there's no point in having you come here. And there are strict rules about decency in the school. That is why you will find that girls aren't permitted to wear bikinis or the boys speedos. And I know just the right person who might have a suit in your size."

"But...but I just can't borrow someone else's swimsuit!" Alix blushed and felt her heart starting to beat rapidly. This was turning into a nightmare.

"Of course you can," Ms. Lake said. "So long as the owner doesn't mind. We girls need to stick together, and help each other in a pinch. Ah, there she is."

Alix and Ms. Lake were approaching a group of three girls; one human, one Raccoonin, and a Sharlin who had a similar build to that of Ms. Lake. The human was built like a runner, long muscular legs and arms with a shapely body. She had pale skin that glistened with water from the pool, and her long brown hair was slicked back out of her face. Warm brown eyes gleamed with amusement as she talked to the other two girls. She wore a black, one piece swimsuit with a key hole back. The Raccoonin had rich brown fur, with midnight black bands in her tail fur, and along her shoulders. Her long hair started being brown in color at the roots but gradually changed to the same midnight black as it approached the tips. She had startling blue eyes, and wore a bright red one piece swimsuit, similar to what the lifeguards wore. Both the human and Raccoonin stood taller than the Sharlin, being well over five feet, and most likely, closer to six.

The Sharlin was the only one of the three who was still dry. Like Ms. Lake, she had blue-gray skin, though it was a lighter shade than Ms. Lake's. Wheat blonde hair fell in waves down her back to the base of her tail. Dark green eyes looked out over a short snout, and a warm, friendly aura radiated from her. Her long legs moved with a hidden grace as she shifted from one leg to the next, and Alix could almost see the power that the Sharlin could bring forth when she really wanted to move. She wore a silver colored one piece with a halter style top, and a low back, which allowed her slender dorsal fin to remain unencumbered. Like Ms. Lake, this Sharlin's tail was shorter than normal, with the top part of the caudal fin being almost as long as she was tall. Judging from the toothy smile on her face, her short triangular teeth gleaming like polished marble in the overhead lights, the three girls were close friends. The Sharlin was the first to notice Ms. Lake and Alix. Though she continued to smile, she quickly hid her teeth.

"Hello, Aunt Alice," the Sharlin girl said in a clear crystal voice. She cocked her head as her eyes turned to Alix, continuing to smile, the warmth never leaving her face. Alix felt strangely relaxed around this Sharlin, as if Alix could instinctively know she could trust this girl. "Who do you have there?"

The other girls turned to see who was behind them.

"Hello girls," Ms. Lake said. "This is Alix Astarte. She transferred here a couple of days ago, and she was sent to me for PE remediation. Alix, this is Amanda Hutchinson," Ms. Lake said as she gestured to the human. "She's the current captain of the swim team, and if you ever need anything dealing with the pool or swimming, come see her. She's a senior in class five-o-nine if you can't find her here."

Amanda held her hands up to her mouth and gave a kind of squeal. Her eyes widened and sparkled with excitement, leaving Alix unsure if she should laugh or make a run for it. Alix quickly realized that it would have been better run a moment later as Amanda pounced on her. Amanda wrapped her arms around Alix as she fell to her knees, and placed her left cheek against Alix's, as Amanda pulled the surprised Foxling into a tight hug.

"Oh, God! Here we go again," the Raccoonin said rolling her eyes, and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oooooh, she's sooo cute! Can I keep her?!"

"What-" Alix went as ridged as a post, now scared enough that she could not finish a sentence.

"I bet she's a great swimmer. We'll put her on the team, and we'll go all the way to the National's final!"

"Wait, WHAT?!" Alix stared at the human, startled out of her silence. If anything, she was even more frightened now than when she walked in through the door. Amanda still had her cheek against Alix's, and was ruffling her fur with it.

"Amanda, for heaven's sake. You're scaring the poor girl," the Raccoonin said. She reached down and gently, but firmly, unwound Amanda's arms from around Alix. She then dragged the human girl out of arms reach of the Foxling.

Both of the Sharlins snickered. Ms. Lake turned to Alix. "Sorry about that. I forgot that Amanda has this thing about foxes, or anything that resembles them. And despite having a Foxling boyfriend, she continues to tackle anyone from the Foxin and Foxling races. Her companion, and foster-sister, is Ginger Hutchinson." Ms. Lake gestured to the Raccoonin. "She's also the Vice-Captain of the Swim Team; she's in charge of the diving portion of the team. If you can't find Amanda, you can always go to Ginger. What was your room this year, Ginger?"

"Four-o-four," Ginger said. "If you don't see me there, always check here. I'm also in charge of inspecting the Swim Team's equipment."

"And that leaves this young lady here," Ms. Lake said as she indicated the younger Sharlin. "This is Angel Lake, my niece. She's actually in your grade, in room three-o-eight, just down the hall from yours, if I remember correctly. Angel is a member of the Swim Team, but she doesn't compete. She helps with the training of the new members."

"My specialty is speed, though I mainly just teach people how to breath properly," Angel said.

"You're being modest, Angel," Ginger said. "Half the team got better results on the hundred meter after they got some training from you."

Angel blushed a little, but looked gratefully at Ginger.

"Angel, we need your help," Ms. Lake said. "Alix is currently without a swimsuit, and I was wondering if she could borrow one of your old ones? If you still have any."

"Sure, I have no problem with that," Angel said. She looked thoughtfully at Alix for a moment. "I think I have the perfect one for her. Come with me Alix. Let's get you ready for some swimming."

* * * * * *

"How old were you when you wore this," Alix asked as she adjusted the metallic blue one piece swimsuit into a more comfortable position before looking up at the five foot tall Sharlin. Despite the swimsuit being the proper size, it was still a little tight, especially around the chest. The suit had a halter top, leaving the back completely open, and making Alix a little uncomfortable. Reaching behind Alix, Angel helped to fit Alix's tail through the specially designed tail hole that was sown into the swimsuit. Angel smoothed down Alix's tail before answering.

"If you can believe it," she said, "it was only last year. I had a growth spurt over the summer, and I never unpacked it. A little lazy of me, but it turned out alright, as we were able to get you into it."

"That must have been one heck of a growth spurt," Alix said. She suddenly realized she was having a perfectly normal conversation with a complete stranger. It was startling how easy it was to talk to her. Something about Angel made Alix relax around her.

"Sharlin physiology," Angel laughed. "We have significant growth spurts, though I don't expect to grow much more after this. Thresh Tribal members aren't known for their height."

Alix smirked. "Neither are Foxlings," she said looking down at herself. To Alix, Angel did not sound like she was complaining about her height problems, but Alix was still a little envious of her for the extra foot. She had always dreamed of being as tall as her father, or Jon, and Alix was starting to think she would never grow taller ever again. Heck, Kaelyn was taller than both Alix and her mom. Alix adjusted the swimsuit across her chest again.

"I'll make sure to return it when I get a new suit," she said.

"Keep it," Angel replied. "It's not like I can wear it anymore, and it'll be more useful to you. Besides, you look good in it." Angel gave Alix a deep, closed lipped smile, and pointed at the full length mirror that hung on the wall between two sets of lockers.

Alix looked at the mirror and was shocked by what she saw. The smooth metallic blue swimsuit made her athletic, womanly figure stand out. Especially her chest, which looked bigger than it actually was. The leg holes sat a little higher on her hips than she was use to, revealing almost all of her long legs. Alix twisted a little and watched in fascination as the muscles in her legs rippled. It was the same with her arms, the muscles flexing as she held up her right arm. Her figure was slender, but athletic. Alix had never seen herself as good looking, but now... Was it the swimsuit that made the change, or was it Angel's comment?

Angel smiled. "You act like you've never seen yourself before."

Alix laughed nervously. "Not in the same way you do apparently." she glanced at the metallic cast on her left arm, and her face fell. "Just in other ways," Alix said in a low voice.

Angel frowned, but said nothing. Her empathic link had just encountered a thorny barrier, and she had to withdraw the link for a moment to find a way around it. She had sensed that Alix needed some sort of stability and encouragement the moment she had laid eyes on her, though Angel doubted whether her aunt would approve of her using her gift on the Foxling girl. For a moment, her temper rose to the surface, wanting to strike out at the people who had done this to Alix. How could these people treat this girl so badly? Could they not see how beautiful she was? How sharp she was? Angel had never had a single crush on another girl, but if she had, or if she had been a boy, it would have been on Alix. There was something about her that drew you to her, that made you want to be her friend. Shaking off the feeling, Angel reached out with her empathic link once again to find the barrier gone. Quickly, she made sure that her smile was back in place before Alix could turn around.

"Come on," Angel said. "Let's get you into the water."

They walked out of the woman's locker room and over to the primary pool. Ms. Lake was standing with two male humans. One was Bruce Campbell, who looked like he did not want to be there, and the other was someone Alix had never seen before. He was as tall as Bruce, but not as built up, having more muscle tone than bulk. His short black hair was plastered to his head with pool water, and his dark bronzed skin glistened in the overhead lamps. A long strand of his hair, located behind his left ear, was decorated with red and white beads. He wore a pair of skin tight racing trunks with white and blue strips running down the outside of the legs. As the two girls approached, a pair of dark eyes turned and looked at them. He glanced at Angel, seeming to recognize who she was, and then looked straight at Alix, and gaped. Alix was suddenly aware that Bruce was doing the same thing, and became very conscious of what she was wearing. She quickly ducked behind Angel, who burst out laughing.

"Gentlemen," Ms. Lake said, with a slight smile on her face, "you're making the poor girl uncomfortable."

The bronzed skinned human shook his head, as if to clear water from his eyes, and then gave Alix a charming smile. "How rude of me. Sorry for that unnecessary, but hardly unwarranted, stare. Let us start over. My name is George Two-Leaves of the Lakota Nation. It is a pleasure to meet you." His accent and tribal nation made him out as a member of Clan Cat, which meant he was originally from planet Dakota, Clan Cat's homeworld.

Alix stared at him from around Angel, a nervous smile on her face. "Hello," she said shyly. "Alix Astarte." She blushed and then asked, "You think I'm pretty?"

"Beyond the words to express it," George said, his smile widening.

Alix blushed fiercer, the fur on her cheeks now standing out stiff, and hid her face against Angel's dorsal fin. Despite the compliment, Angel could sense Alix's growing uneasy. Again, Angel had to suppress her temper as she received a part of Alix's emotional feedback. Angel was not sure, but she got the feeling that Alix had been in a situation similar to this, and it had not gone well. She sighed to herself, and smirked. Time to get things pointed somewhere else, and away from Alix.

"I think you over did it, Casanova," Angel said out loud. "You have plenty of girls willing to bed you, so go chase after them. Unless you were serious about make her your girlfriend."

"What a shame," George said, as his posture became less aggressive, though his smile never left his face. "Though, that is a thought. I might try and win her, if she hasn't been take already. She is lovely, and I would like to get to know her better. But we do have some other problems to take care of. Ms. Lake, can we meet you over at the racing pool?"

"That's fine, George. I'll be over in just a moment."

George waved at Alix and started to walk off. After a few steps, he stopped and looked back. "Bruce, you coming?" Bruce was still staring at Alix, who was quickly going from embarrassed, to uncomfortable, to terrified. She had not forgotten all his bullying in the past, and from what she had seen, he had not changed much. His victims had just become smarter about avoiding him. Bruce glanced at George, then back at Alix before walking off. Angel watched him go with narrow eyes, and resisted the urge to bare her teeth at him. She had never like Bruce, and seeing Alix's reaction, she liked him even less now. He had always felt slimy to her, and he was hard to read. There was a constant black barrier up around him, and Angel was uncertain if it was natural, or induced somehow. Angel looked down at Alix, who was watching Bruce walk away.

"Alix," Angel said. "You can let go of my swimsuit now."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Alix, who had unconsciously clutched Angel's suit in her fright, let go and backed up. All the confidence she had displayed a few minutes ago was now gone, vanishing as if it was smoke on the wind. Her tail wrapped around her legs, and her ears went flat against her head. She had all the mannerisms of a beaten dog.

'How fragile is this girl,' Angel wondered with a sudden fear that she had just stepped on a land mine. Angel quickly adjusted her feelings and sent a comforting feeling done her link to Alix.

"Don't worry about it," Angel said out loud. She reached out and gave the smaller girl a friendly hug. "Oh, and be careful around George. He's somewhat of a playboy. A few girls have had their hearts broken already."

"I'll keep that in mind," Alix said with a shy smile.

Angel chuckled and turned to her aunt. "What's going on?"

"Mako is having some trouble with some of the new students and needs me to give him a hand. Two of them panicked when they forgot to breath while doing the crawl, and it went down hill from there. George said that he would look after the more experienced students while we help the new ones. Could you do me a favor and stick with Alix till the end of the period? Just let her swim, and see how she does. I don't expect her to do any serious swimming with that arm, so don't push her."

"No problem. Say hello to Mako for me."

Ms. Lake waved goodbye and headed for the racing pool.

"Mako," Alix asked.

Angel laughed. "Marco Longfin. He's captain of the Boy's Swim Team and a member of the Thresh Tribe, like me. Everyone calls him Mako since he won Clan Phoenix's Annual Swim Meet. He's really fast in the water. It's also one of the reasons we went to the national's last year. He's also my fiancee," Angel added with a blush.

"He's your what?" Alix looked at Angel in amazement. She had known very few Sharlins, and knew even less about their culture.

Angel caught Alix's look and snickered. She gave a Alix a gentle shove towards the shallow end of the pool as she explained. "We're not expected to be married until after collage. In my people's culture, arranged marriages are common place, if some what annoying. I got kind of lucky, because we've known each other since elementary school, and we really like each other. The fact that he's handsome and kind doesn't hurt either. Now get in the water before the period is over; there's only half an hour left."

Alix stepped down into the pool, and felt all of her fears and tension melt away. It happened every time she had gotten into a pool. She left the world behind, and entered a tranquil world that no one else could touch. Even when other people where in the pool next to her, they just melted away from her consciousness and allowed her to have fun in her own way. It was also one of the reasons she could get the speeds she did, as the only person she really competed with was herself.

Alix moved out into slightly deeper water, and submerged her head. Slowly, Alix opened her eyes, and sighed inwardly when the sting of chlorine did not meet her eyes. That meant the pool had been build with the special filters that would allow Sharlins to breath underwater without getting any chemical burns in their secondary lungs. The water was crystal clear and clean, feeling refreshing against Alix's skin as it moved through her fur. Totally forgetting Angel, she pushed off the bottom of the pool and glided under the water, slowly releasing the air from her lungs. Using her legs to propel her forward, and her tail as a rudder, she let her arms drag beside her as she moved further into deeper water. The cast on her left arm dragged the arm further down, but did not hinder it as much as she was afraid it would. Alix had almost reached the half way point before she had to surface for air.

When she did, she rolled onto her back, placed her left arm across her belly, and moved off down the pool slowly and gently. She breathed in the air as her long legs moved her through the water, hardly leaving a ripple. She let her right arm float freely beside her, her tail occasionally moving her around to avoid hitting the side of the pool. Angel followed her from a few feet off, amazed at how easily the Foxling moved around in the water. It was like watching a sea otter play in the ocean. Normally, those races, such as Foxlings, that had pawed feet, and lacked thicker tails, had a really hard time in the water. But not this Foxling. She almost seemed to be born to it. Angel looked up at the large digital clock on the far wall, and was amazed at how quickly the time had passed. Just watching Alix had been fun, and she had felt an unbelievable serenity come over the girl when she had first stepped into the water. It was like she was feeling another person inside of Alix. Angel waited till they were in shallow water again before she spoke. She had no wish to accidentally drown Alix by startling her.

"Damn, girl. How did you end up with such bad grades in Phys-Ed with the way you swim. You're going to be a power house in the water when that cast comes off."

Alix looked horrified, and the serene feeling vanished. "But that's the last thing I want," Alix exclaimed. "Every time I show what I can do, something bad almost always happens. I'm tired of drawing that kind of attention to me. I just want to have fun, and if I can do it without being part of a club or sports team, all the better."

"Look, I'm not going to force, or trick you, into joining the team, if that's what you're worried about," Angel said, trying to deal with the sudden backwash of fear that came down the empathic link. "I think you would find our team different if you gave it a chance. Besides you've already met the team captain and vice-captain. And trust me, Amanda would never hurt you."

Alix ducked her head a little. "I'm not sure that type of attention is much better," she said softly.

Angel let out a bark of laughter. "Well, I can't argue with that one. Come on. Let go dry off and get changed before the bell rings. We still have to walk back to our classrooms."