— "Very serious," said Asher flatly.
— "But I thought we'd warm up first?" Miria stammered.
— "We will. In the water."
— "Why are you so mean to me?" she whined.
— "Because I'm your coach. Coaches have to be strict. And also… payback. You mocked me earlier."
— "It was a joke!"
— "Me too. I'm laughing inside. Really hard."
— "You're a monster," she muttered.
— "So? You jumping in or do I drag you?"
— "You're supposed to teach me, not drown me!"
— "Guess we're going with the strong method."
— "No, no! Okay, okay, I'm going!" she squealed, raising her hands.
Shuffling slowly, she approached the edge and dipped her toe.
— "It's… it's slippery," she mumbled.
— "Come on. It's just water. It's not going to eat you."
— "It wants to drown me, actually."
With a little yelp, she finally jumped in, flailing.
— "You'll pay for this... oh, you'll so pay..."
Asher laughed and jumped in after her, helping her float.
— "Relax. Breathe. Stay calm. Imagine the water is a big wet pillow."
— "That doesn't help AT ALL!"
But slowly, with Asher's guidance, she began to float.
— "Look at me! I'm floating!" she shouted proudly.
— "Good. Now try a slow stroke."
She began to paddle. Clumsy, but determined. Asher stayed close. After a few minutes, she was swimming across part of the pool.
— "I… I think I like this!" she beamed.
— "Told you. You're doing great."
Then, during a dive to practice holding her breath, everything changed.