"Wait a moment," Divvy Massking said in the middle of relieved cheering. Everyone stopped hugging the volunteer. "Do you know what water is? I mean, you come from a desert land, don't you? Palm trees and endless grit." She made gestures with her hands as she spoke that ended in a slap fight with her sister, just because they could.

Sunshine stiffened a little at this comment.

"I can swim," she said firmly. "I have been in the school pool once or twice. Also the desert is like an ocean in itself and my people travel in sand yachts across the great dry plains of Greetiyah all the time." This image seemed to make her go misty-eyed a moment and she pushed past the others to go over to her bedside cabinet where she pulled out a picture. "My three older brothers," she said with a sniff.

Everyone crowded round to look at the handsome lads, the eldest but seventeen.

"I haven't been home for two years and miss my family terribly," she said with a sigh. "I was hoping when the school year was out I might return to Greetiyah and be with them, yet they travel so much it is sometimes hard to arrange a convenient meeting place and time. This is the best time of year for family visits."

The twins gasped.

"Does entering the Swim Fest mess with that?" they asked, earnest in their concern for once.

"I hope not," was all the desert maiden said.

"I'm really lucky, I guess," Bubbles admitted, "seeing as how I need to but float down to Cherryball Flats and along the coast a ways and I'm home among my family, any time I please."

"Well my friends," the princess opened her arms to gather in the girls of Dormitory Flare, "it seems we all must do our utmost to ensure our brave volunteer completes her school sporting obligations on time so that she can see her lovely brothers once more in the Winkel of Greetiyah."

"One thing," Fizzy Massking began uncertainly, "it must be awful getting sand in your eyes when swimming."

"Oh you!" Sunshine responded and there followed a chase around the room, over beds and back and forth until the chaser and chasee fell in an exhausted heap upon the floor.

"Hmn," Sharshua noted quietly. "It seems, if I might say, we can help best by coaching our friend, to keep her fit and well for the ordeals ahead."

"Yes!" Bubbles said. "Train fast, train hard. Lady Sunshine, you will be unbeatable," giving her the noble title she was entitled to being descended from one of the founder tribes of Greetiyah two thousand miles away.

It was as if the impending summer holidays had been forgotten as the Flare girls dedicated themselves to the task in hand, getting Sunshine Allouette through the challenges of this year's upgraded Swim Fest.

Firstly they threw her into the school pool, repeatedly, so she could improve her various strokes. Then they tossed her off numerous diving boards from different angles to test her aerodynamics, and then they chased her with tickle prods all over Mount Syzywyg's numerous amble trails among the pine trees to improve her stamina.

"Wait," she huffed, "wait a bit," she puffed and collapsed in a heap at the foot of a group of other girls from year two who burst out laughing at the sight.

"Is that the children's champion?" Zephany Ildorim said, flicking shiny gold locks in the afternoon sunshine as she spoke. Her three friends laughed again. By the way they were dressed they had all been out for a fitness jog too.

The other Flare girls had caught up by this time and hid their tickle prods at sight of the second years. Of course no one in Flare could match Sunshine for sheer speed. She was a natural athlete and much fitter than the other girls anyway, but they wanted her to be the best. Dormitory, and truth be told, year pride, demanded it.

Sunshine got to her feet, gasping for air.

"Step back," another second year said warningly. "She's going to be sick!" And she was, managing to catch three pairs of designer jogging pumps in the process. That dispersed the unwanted witnesses and Bubbles prodded her unwilling victim tentatively with a slight tickle in the small of her back. Sunshine slowly turned.

"Missed one," she growled through a raw throat.

"Drink?" Sharshua offered a bottle of mineral water from the effervescent Destiny Springs, a local beverage, and the Greetiyah girl guzzled and spat and guzzled some more as her heart rate reduced and oxygen levels resumed normal levels.

"Shall we try another lap of the mountain?" one of the twins suggested.

"Or do you want something to eat first, you know to replace lost carbs?" the other twin completed the advice. For answer Sunshine sat upon a rock, rubbed her long legs and made a face.

"Not injured?" the princess asked with concern writ large on her royal features. She had just gently jogged up to where the others were, noticed the splatter effect on the path further along and realised she had missed some significant event.

"I'm fine, thank you Rappy," Sunshine said with a faint smile. "How am I doing, I mean compared with the other competitors in our year?"

Sharshua stepped forward with assurance unusual for her, but statistics were her thing and she had a fat clipboard crowded with sheets upon it to prove the fact.

"I can confirm, and please forgive me but the facts do not lie and I am merely conveying their message," she began energetically and then fizzled out a little when she realised what she was about to impart might not be welcome.

"Just get on with it, please," Bubbles said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, of the three team disciplines for each years, um, no one wants you, ahem, so we can ignore that part of the competition."

"I thought you'd be brilliant at beach ball batting," Fizzy said.

"Your home is one huge beach after all," elaborated Divvy.

Sunshine shook her head.

"Not much of a team player," she admitted. "Outside of Dorm Flare, of course," slapping hands with Bubbles who was standing nearest to her with a bucket in her hand, just in case the Destiny Springs erupted unexpectedly, as it sometimes could.

"Hmn," Sharshua continued, flicking sheets to one side. "Speed swimming in various strokes round a course. Your projected times in the pool could be better. Open sea practice would definitely help."

Again Sunshine shook her head.

"I'm too light. Currents and breakers would play havoc with me over short distances. Let's not pursue that part of the competition."

"Okay, then its long distance stuff and the diving," and Sharshua smirked, putting lines through things and circling others.

"What's the highest anyone's every dived from in Blossom Bay?" Sunshine unexpectedly asked. Bubbles frowned.

"There's Pitiless Point," she said, rubbing her forehead to stimulate her memory. "I think that's for older girls only, fourths and up. We'll be expecting to use Dizzy Heights."

"Fewer points on offer so the dive has to be flawless," Princess Rapture observed.

"Didn't I hear someone mention Coffin Drop? Sounds like a challenge," and Sunshine grinned fiercely.

"You can't be serious?" Bubbles gasped. "That's for the boy teams, strictly off limits for us delicate flower maidens."

"Okay, I was joking, really," Sunshine said and whistled briefly, scuffing a sandal among the pine needles. "It's the girly high dive and island circuits in the bay for me then. Hey, what's slowing you down, keep up!" and with that she dashed off again with renewed energy along a steep amble trail with the ever eager twins whooping at her heels and prodding for all they were worth.

The other three watched them go until they disappeared over the rise.

"Her stamina is formidable," Sharshua said without apology.

"She has everyone in our year beat with ease and the seconds too," Bubbles admitted.

"Her diving," the princess added doubtfully, "is like a swan, covered in lead weights of varying sizes. She knows this, yet will fight for all she is worth to succeed. My heart swells with pride to know such a girl."

With that the three remaining Flare girls flourished their tickle prods and sought out their friend amid the winding paths while the light of the afternoon melted into a golden twilight.