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Once she got in, Olwen was a little bit too scared to move, even as Kevin beckoned her over. “No,” she kept saying, shaking her head. She didn't have the words to describe why no, but no indeed.

“You're okay,” Kevin said. He swam over to her and held out his hand. Olwen grasped his arm like her life were on the line. “Here, hold onto me and dunk your head underwater. I won't let you go. I promise.”

“What if I can't get back up?” Olwen asked, her nerves overriding the need to let her voice rest.

“You'll be able to, but if you can't, I'll pull you up.”

Olwen took a deep breath, thinking of jellyfish and octopuses and whale sharks, then dunked her whole body under the water, head and all. Water flooded up her nose, all burny and awful, and she burst back up out of the water as fast as she could, sputtering and coughing.

“Water in my nose,” she spat, frustrated, as she pulled closer to Kevin, keeping only one hand on his arm, which curled around her back, and using the other to wipe water and snot off her face.

“You didn't tell her to plug her nose, you dumbass,” Andrew called out. He had moved to crouch beside the pool.

“Oh. Yeah, you have to plug your nose,” Kevin said.

What drew Naomi’s attention the most, though, was the wall of pictures. There were fancy, professional, framed photographs on the wall with all of the Exy players in orange, and there were smaller, unframed pictures taped up of the Exy players up close. Naomi ran over to the wall and stood on her tiptoes in order to see all of it. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the corner dedicated to three girls. There was one girl with dark skin and short hair, another with long, long blonde hair and lots of make-up, and one girl with short hair with rainbows in it. Naomi squealed and jumped in her spot. She pointed frantically at a photograph of the rainbow-haired girl, wanting a name, but Neil wasn’t looking at her, busy admiring the team photos himself.

She froze, eyes wide, when Andrew’s shadow fell over her. He pointed to the rainbow-haired girl in the picture and said, “Renee,” before turning and walking away.

Naomi rushed over to Neil’s side, grabbing onto his arm and pulling. Neil didn’t pay her any mind.

“Dan's good people,” Nicky was saying when Naomi joined him and Neil, “but she'll work you to the bone. Allison's a catty bitch you should avoid at all costs. Renee's a sweetheart. Be nice to her.”

“Or else?” Neil said, prompting nothing more than a smile and a shrug from Nicky before Nicky followed Andrew. Finally, Naomi had Neil’s attention. “Hm?” Neil hummed in a questioning tone.