Survival Of The Fittest

((Posting order and God-moding approved by Beta and Inky to see if we can't keep this thread going despite writer's block.))

Alex bent down to the edge of the pool, took a deep breath and screamed, "Paige."

This finally seemed to get through to Paige enough for her to glance up. Aislyn was there dangling the loop right in front of Paige's face. "Grab hold," Alex coaxed and when the terrified girl reached out a shaky hand, Alex stood and hurried over to the edge of the pool where Aislyn was steering her. Seeing the Paige was calming down the closer she got to the side, Alex extended her hand and helped Paige pull herself up and out of the pool. That accomplished she stood looking down at Paige and then over at Aislyn, unsure of what she should do next.

((It's short but it's all I got.))

For an uncomfortable moment, Aislyn watched Paige flop about on the deck like a landed fish. It was painful to watch the other girl spluttler and struggle to catch her breath. Crouching down, she set down the pole before roughly grabbed Paige's shoulder.

"Paige," she forcefully barked. "Paige, focus!" Squeezing as hard as she could, Aislyn tried to break through the other girl's panic. "Paige, listen to me. You are going to hyperventilate if you keep this up. Settle down RIGHT NOW." She gave Paige a shake to make sure she was listening.

Trying to make eye contact with Paige, Aislyn continued to give instructions. "Listen to me. Breathe in through your nose, then slowly out through your mouth. In through the nose, out through the mouth." Aislyn then proceeded to demonstrate for Paige. "Can you do that for me?"

((Written in collaboration with BetaKnight. Paige Strand GM approved by Inky))

Alex watched as Paige started to focus on Aislyn's words and began to take deep breathes once more. "What d'you think. Should we take her up to the nurse's office?" Alex asked once Aislyn could actually spare a moment.

At Aislyn's nod, Alex got on the other side of Paige. With Aislyn's help, they managed to pull the shaken girl to her feet. "That's it. Easy, Paige. We've got you," Alex coaxed. "Just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other."

Together, the girls carefully made their way to the nurse's office, Alex rolling her eyes at some of the whistles and cat calls they earned as they walked the halls in their swimsuits.

The girls deposited a badly shaken Paige in the nurse's office, explaining what happened before turning to make their way back to the pool area to retrieve their clothes.

((Alex Jackson continued in Book Pick Up))
((Aislyn McCreery continued elsewhere))