THE CONTEST

THE CONTEST

The principal gave his opening speech, and soon after, the event officially began. The MC took the stage, flipping through his agenda booklet as he organized and coordinated the activities lined up for the day. He was a funny man, always cracking jokes that kept the crowd entertained. His humor added an extra spark to the event, making the whole show even more enjoyable.

It was a massive gathering. Every student in the school was present, and many parents had also come to watch. But my mom—and Cynthia’s parents—were among the few who didn’t attend.

My housemaster, always speaking in that overly polished way of his, asked why my mom wasn’t there to see me swim. I simply told him she had an urgent situation to handle. He didn’t seem fully convinced, but he let it go. To be honest, I barely understood half the words he used, but I nodded along anyway, pretending I did.

Back at the poolside, we were all dressed in our swimming gear, waiting for the contest to start. That was when I noticed Kunle staring at me.

He was smiling. No—smirking.

There was something about the way he looked at me. That wicked grin. That gleam in his eyes. It was the kind of smile that said, I’ve got you exactly where I want you.

I turned my head slightly and caught Bright and the rest of Kunle’s crew watching me too. They were laughing among themselves, their eyes full of amusement.

Something wasn’t right.

I could feel it in my gut.

Bright had done something—something terrible.

That would explain why I’d been feeling so strange all day. Shadows flickered at the edge of my vision, appearing and disappearing like illusions. Sometimes, I thought I could hear whispers—low, eerie voices speaking words that made no sense. It felt like someone was inside my head, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Bright and his friends kept laughing, their chuckles sharp and taunting, like they already knew I’d lost before the race had even started.

Kunle leaned in slightly, just close enough for only me to hear.

"Prepare to meet your ancestors, fool," he murmured, his voice dripping with amusement.

Before I could react, the MC, who was also the umpire, raised his voice and announced in his usual exaggerated tone:

"Oyomass… Setgety! Oba… Gooo!"

His playful way of saying, On your marks, get set, ready… go!

The moment his voice rang out, every swimmer dived into the pool—including me.

Something Was Wrong

As soon as I hit the water, I forced all distractions out of my head. I needed to focus.

I thought about Cynthia. About the countless kisses and pecks she’d given me before now. Losing this match meant losing more of those moments with her, and I couldn’t let that happen.

I pushed forward, determined. But the second my body made contact with the water—

The strange feeling hit me hard.

Swimming had always been second nature to me. If there was one place I felt truly comfortable, it was in the water. But this time, everything felt… wrong.

The pool, which usually felt like home, now seemed foreign and dark.

And the music—

That beautiful, soothing hum I always heard whenever I was underwater?

Gone.

Instead, for the first time in my life—

I felt fear.

Then, I saw them.

They came out of nowhere, gliding through the water with unnatural speed. At first, they looked like ordinary girls, but as they got closer, I realized—

They weren’t human.

Their mouths were lined with rows of sharp, jagged teeth—like sharks. Their lower bodies weren’t legs but tails—some had fishtails like mermaids, while others had long, slithering snake-like bodies.

I froze.

Where did they come from?

What were they doing in the pool?

I wanted to scream, but my lungs were already burning from being underwater.

The creatures circled me like a pack of predators, their glowing eyes locked onto me with an eerie intensity.

And the worst part?

No one else seemed to notice them.

Couldn’t the other swimmers see what was happening?

Couldn’t the audience?

One of the creatures swam closer. Her movements were so smooth, so fluid, that she seemed to glide effortlessly through the water. Then, she spoke—

But not with her mouth.

Her voice echoed inside my mind.

"Did you smell that? There's something strange about the way this land-walker smells."

A cold shiver crawled down my spine.

Another creature, slightly smaller than the first, tilted her head as if trying to remember something.

"Yeah… I think I’ve smelled something like this before," she said. "I just can’t remember when."

They kept talking, discussing me like I was some kind of mystery they needed to solve. But the strangest part?

They weren’t speaking aloud.

They were communicating with their minds.

And even stranger than that—

I could hear them.

They had no idea I understood every single word they were saying.

"Smell?" I thought. What smell?

No one had ever mentioned anything about me having a unique scent before. Not my mom. Not Cynthia. Not anyone.

So why were these creatures acting like I carried some kind of special aroma?

The more I listened, the more unsettled I became.

Was this why Bright and the others were laughing?

Had they done something to me—something that made me a target for these things?

I needed to move.

I needed to swim.

I needed to get out of here—

Before it was too late.

But my body refused to listen.

The creatures kept circling me, their glowing eyes studying me, like a puzzle they were trying to solve.

I didn’t know what they wanted.

I didn’t know if they were dangerous or not.

But I wasn’t about to wait and find out.

I had to break free.

I had to get out of this pool.

And I had to do it now.