The guys started to move, talking about playing again, and argued over who would be on which team. Since no one could agree, they decided to divide up randomly. Max called Viola and Diana, and when everyone was back in the pool, Tanya, at Nikita's suggestion, became our unofficial team selector. Rostova closed her eyes and lifted her feet off the bottom, surrendering to the water, while Nikita carefully took her hands in his and started spinning her until she shouted "stop!". And that's how they chose the captain of the first team—Arthur.
From the outside, it seemed like both Tanya and Nik were enjoying themselves too much: either Rostova loved the swirl in her head, or she found the soft touches of Nikita's fingers on her skin incredibly pleasant. When did they become so close?
I suddenly remembered how she comforted him after our breakup, and how she reproached me for ending things via text, as if I had touched a very personal and well-hidden string in the soul of a spoiled girl. Maybe that's exactly what happened—who knows? But it was certainly around that time, stranded on the sidelines of rejection, that Nik and Tanya found each other, because they both wanted, despite everything, to grab at least a small bit of warmth for themselves.
Nikita spun Tanya around until all the guys were divided into two teams based on even/odd numbers. And how did she not get dizzy? Stanislav became the captain of one team, and Arthur of the other. By what could only be sheer luck, or perhaps by magic, Viola ended up on the team with her beloved, followed by Nik and Tanya. I was on Stas's team with Max and Diana, and reluctantly, Dasha joined us, looking like someone who would have preferred sitting by the edge, sipping some juice or kombucha disguised as something trendy and nostalgic.
Since there were no goals in the local pool, the guys explained to me how they had already decided on the boundaries of the playing field and where the goals should be—at the middle of the side walls. Dasha tried to avoid playing by suggesting she should keep track of the timer, but Tanya and Viola both insisted in unison that since there were no goals or markings in the pool, there was no need to keep track of time. We decided to restart the game after each goal, and agreed to count the "shore" as the out-of-bounds zone.
"Noo," I said, when I saw Viola and Max confidently paddling towards opposite ends of the pool, "Not the twins as goalkeepers!"
"Why?" Viola turned around, clearly irritated.
"I saw you cheating when I came in."
Arthur laughed sharply: "I told you!" His lips twitched as if he wanted to continue, but then he remembered we were surrounded by regular mortals and that accusing Viola of witchcraft in front of others wasn't a great idea.
"Fine," Stas clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Dasha, you're the goalie. Max, you're with me in attack, and Asya and Diana will defend our side."
"No," I moved forward. "I'll go with you."
"Are you sure?" Stas asked doubtfully, exchanging a glance with Max. His brother only shrugged slightly, offering no objections. But Stas's reaction stung me.
"If I'm offering, then of course I'm sure."
"As you say," Stas replied sourly, turning away, "but I'll start the game."
"Fine."
We swam to the middle of the pool. I lingered near Stas, positioning myself slightly to the right in case he didn't manage to knock the ball from Arthur's hands immediately, so I could start attacking myself. Tanya was set as the goalkeeper on the opposite side, and I couldn't help but appreciate the irony: no one was betting too much on defending the goals, expecting the real battle to be in the middle of the field. I was planning to keep Viola far away from the defense line, secretly hoping I wouldn't have to confront Nik in a battle for the ball: of all people, we definitely shouldn't be getting too close. I wanted to believe that Nikita felt the same way, recalling how things nearly ended that winter when Kaandor got the upper hand over me and was about to finish off my ex-boyfriend. Mentally, I left those clashes with Nik to Stas, while Arthur seemed like the common problem.
Stanislav stood opposite Arthur. He looked at his brother with such focus and determination that it seemed like not only was he in control of his own will and thoughts, but also of the ripples on the water, which were gradually dying down as everyone in the pool froze in silent anticipation, eagerly awaiting the start of the game.
"Get ready!" Viola shouted, holding the ball out between the brothers. "On your marks…"
She paused, the tension in the air growing. It felt like the air itself vibrated with electricity. My gaze unintentionally slid over Stas's bare back. The firm droplets of water still clung to his skin, resisting with all their might, trying not to slip down and dissolve into the smooth water below.
This is more than just a game, and we are more than just regular people. And Stas was looking so damn beautiful right now…
"Go!" With a sharp motion, Viola tossed the ball up, and it soared over Arthur and Stas's heads. At first, I thought Arthur had the advantage: after all, he was a whole head taller than Stas, but Stanislav made a strong leap out of the water, pushing himself upward with his hands. The ball stuck to his palm like a magnet, and Stas immediately started his attack. Arthur spread his hands wide, trying to block him, but Stas nimbly veered to the left, bypassing the obstacle and heading towards the goal. Viola, powerfully paddling, swam diagonally, preparing to intercept Stas before the defense line, and I hurried to cut her off. Hoping to catch the witch off guard, I took a deep breath and dived underwater. I pushed off the bottom with all my strength and accelerated, hoping to reach Viola halfway. My eyes stung, but I kept them open, needing to see the target, needing to push myself to the limit to catch her—and I succeeded! I surfaced just in time and threw off Viola's rhythm, hitting her arm. She got up and tried to bypass me, but I was faster. After several unsuccessful attempts to move in different directions, Viola opened her mouth wide and hissed in rage, showing her sharp fangs to everyone.
"Attacking a player without the ball is against the rules."
"And I don't see a referee here," I raised an eyebrow defiantly, enjoying how irritated Viola was, but she decided to repay me in kind and quickly swung her hand. The spell knocked me backward several meters on the waves, and Viola took the opportunity to rush toward Stas. Careless idiot. Sooner or later, someone would notice and suspect something was off with her everyday magic.
When I finally managed to get control of the water and stop, I turned around and saw that the opposing team players, all in unison, were already swimming toward Stas, who was trying to bypass the last obstacle to the goal — Nikita. A decision had to be made now, and quickly. After reasoning that if I joined everyone else, we would lose the chance to break through to the goal, I hurried to swim closer and switched to the breaststroke: the arm movements could give me an advantage to get to the right place faster before the situation became critical for Stas. I could only hope that Stas would understand my plan, and that we could cleverly play the ball between us.