“Watch it man,” says one of the bigger boys as I’m pressed in against him. I hear the rusty chains clang and the slipping of gears as the lift rises. When the doors open, I smell the salty air that brings me the same mix of relief and fear every day. Just down the slope in front of us are the docks and a cold ocean with no end. The docks are cement rows that used to be used for harboring battle ships, but now they sit mostly empty. A few docks are still used for ships carrying wards that are sold at auctions. Each of the unused docks stretch far into the brackish water, with wards lining the edge, ready to dive in.
Every day, I’m required to swim an assigned number of laps. The number is based on my grades and behavior. The lower my grade, the more laps I have to swim.
I’m a mostly good student with mostly good grades, so I only have to swim three laps—from one dock to the next and back. Most days, we do our laps at the end of the day, a sort of goodnight punishment. But today is special, we get to face our punishment early just in case we get sold--the Warden wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on their due laps just because they’re getting shipped to a bidder.
Watch-posts are scattered throughout the docks. I see a guard at the top of one, scanning the lines of students. Beside him is a rack with ropes and clubs, clear reminders of what happens if we don’t follow the rules.
At the lockers, I change into my trunks, now feeling the chill of the wind against my skin.
“Cold day today,” says Jael in a low voice as I take my spot next to her. The wind blows her dark hair across her face. She brushes it away. I take a deep breath and dive. She follows. The water is cold and choppy, with only a few isolated rays of sunlight piercing through the cloudy sky. One lap is finished. Jael is falling behind, but she usually does. Two laps. Three. After completing my last lap, I wait at the ladder. Anymore, I can’t get myself to leave the water until Jael is finished. Not since the Chumming.
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