In one valiant attempt, Maku went out farther even than the rescue swimmers and threw a life ring toward Vin and Jeremy. Jeremy managed to grab hold of it, and Maku began to pull. Unfortunately, the waves tore the line from Maku's grip and sent him sprawling in the water. The only good thing that came from the attempt was that now Jeremy and Vin had a bit of support to help keep them from drowning as their strength waned.
CHAPTER 22
Salma quietly busied herself in the room while Caeli slept. She was eager for Caeli to wake so that she could question her, but also wanted to let her rest as long as possible. As Salma watched her throughout the morning, it did not appear as if Caeli was in pain. Almost two hours later, Caeli finally woke.
"Salma? What are you doing? Where's Vin?" Caeli slowly turned over in bed and watched her aunt. Salma put down the robe she was folding and moved over to sit on the chair by the bed.
"Good morning, sleepy head. How are you feeling?"
"I'm much better. I think that whatever I have been fighting has finally settled down. Maybe it was a nasty little twenty four hour bug after all. I am dying of thirst though. I'm going to refill my water…"
"Nonsense; you stay right there! You might be feeling better, but you are not well. I will get you some water." Salma walked into the small kitchenette and returned with the bottle from the night before, freshly filled with water.
"There you go, nice and cold."
"Thank you. Where's Vin? I want to see him before he leaves. We didn't get much of a chance to talk last night. I decided to go ahead and tell him. I can't let him continue to worry," Caeli said, as she took several long drinks from the water bottle, thinking it was still early morning.
"They have already gone. What were you going to tell him? Anything I should know?" Salma was curious whether or not Caeli could provide more information about her illness than she was able to share last night. If so, Salma wanted to know the details, too.
"Oh, I want to tell him about the test I took. I decided not to wait any longer. Have they been gone long?"
"He and Apela left a little after eight, but he will be back for lunch soon. It's already ten o'clock. I was beginning to think you might sleep all day." Salma heard Caeli gasp in surprise.
"I didn't realize it was that late. How much medicine did you give me? I should get up and stretch my legs. I need to unpack and put the room in order." Caeli started to rattle off a list of things she wanted to get done.
"No, you won't do any such thing. You're sick and you are on vacation. You need to rest. Besides, there is nothing for you to do. I have already cleaned up your room and unpacked most of your clothes. There is very little left to do, and all of it can wait. Are you hungry? Do you want something to hold you over until lunch?"
"No thanks. I don't quite trust my stomach yet."
"You really should try to eat a little something. How about one of those disgusting energy bars of yours? I know you packed some. Where did I see them?"
Caeli laughed and cautiously got out of bed. She walked slowly over to her suitcase. Unzipping the top section and setting aside a manila envelope she discovered inside, Caeli pulled out one of the bars.
"Here, take this out to the lobby or whatever lounge area they have here. I'll be along in a minute. Gotta make a pit stop first," Caeli said as she tossed the bar to Salma and made her way to the bathroom.
"Difficult patient," Salma muttered and shook her head as Caeli managed to disregard her instruction to stay in bed. Salma left the room with a smile on her face, glad to see Caeli up, moving, and feeling better.
Ben met Salma in the lounge, having just returned from their room. He carefully folded a piece of paper and placed it in his front pocket right before she joined him. In his other hand, he carried several sheets of paper, which Salma traded him for the energy bar.
"Here, you hold this, and I'll take that report."
"What is this? Oh, one of her bars. Are they really as bad as Vin says?" Ben had not tasted them. They were supposed to be for women, so he did not see the need.
"If you are feeling brave, you can find out for yourself," Salma dared him.
She skimmed through the pages Ben handed her, brow furrowing the more she read. When she finished, Salma started over, rereading each page thoroughly. After completing the second reading, Salma looked up at Ben.
"Was there another page?"
"I…possibly. Do you want me to look?" Ben stumbled over his answer.
"No, that's ok. I have the important part. I ran that last test because she asked me to do so, but it won't make any difference based on what I'm seeing here. I have the answer, but it doesn't make any sense, Ben."
"Bounce it off of me, Love. What's troubling you?"
"Well, I was right about the toxin. There are high levels of drugs in Caeli's system that should not be here at all. They most certainly would explain her symptoms. It's very strange. It resembles a cocktail of drugs you would give to a cancer patient; and they would have to build up over a period of time, perhaps three weeks or more, to reach these levels. I can't imagine where she might have been exposed to the drugs, much less over time or in such high doses. If I didn't know any better, I would say Caeli is being poisoned."
Ben did not reply right away. He rubbed his chin, which Salma knew was a sign that he was working through the puzzle. She waited patiently for him to come up with a solution. Ben always did. This time was no different.
"Salma, can you test a food sample to see if it has those same chemicals in it?" Ben finally asked her.
"I suppose I could if I had a large enough sample."
"Catch." Ben tossed the energy bar back to her.
Seeing the puzzled look on Salma's face, Ben explained his logic.
"Think about it. You said she started eating those about a month ago, and she eats at least two of them every day. I would say that's a significant change of habit, wouldn't you? It fits your requirements for the exposure."
"Seems unlikely, Ben. She showed me the company's website. It looked legitimate and was recommended by one of her friends. Commercial products have to undergo rigorous quality testing before being approved for distribution to the public."
Caeli had been eating the bars ever since Lara shipped her a few boxes to try over a month ago. What neither Ben nor Salma knew was that when Caeli told Lara that she intended to stock up on the bars, Lara explained that she made a huge mistake with her own order and had more bars than she could eat in a year. So, when they met up at the conference in New York, Lara gave Caeli enough of the bars to last more than three weeks; and then promised to send her another case when she returned home. Lara had shipped the case overnight, and it arrived Saturday evening. Caeli never actually ordered from the website herself.
Nonetheless, she had been eating the bars daily for breakfast and sometimes snacking on a second or third bar during the day or as a meal substitute. As a matter of fact, because Caeli was not familiar with New York and did not want to venture out to explore the local cuisines, she practically lived on the bars during the two weeks that she stayed on the east coast. While she couldn't honestly say that the bars delivered on their energetic promise, Caeli did enjoy them. Salma, on the other hand, thought they were disgustingly sweet, almost to the point of tasting bitter.
"Perhaps she got a bad batch. Can't hurt to test it, can it?" Ben persisted.
"I guess not. I will see if anything turns up. Caeli should be out in a few minutes." Salma walked over and kissed Ben, then went off to run the new tests.
Ben sat down in a chair and pulled out a gold chain with a flattened metal object dangling from it like a pendant. Using the edge of his small pocket knife, Ben spent almost forty five minutes meticulously etching images on both sides of the pendant. When the task was completed to his satisfaction, Ben returned the chain and pendant to his pocket and promptly fell asleep, enjoying the warm air and peaceful setting.
"Hello, pretty Caeli," a little voice said from the porch outside her
room.
"Hello, Max." Caeli was slightly startled by the unexpected visitor as she exited the bathroom. After being sick again, she had freshened up and changed clothes. That little bit of effort wore her out, though her outward appearance fared much better for it.
"I brought you a flower to help you feel better." Max stuck out his thin arm and offered her a beautiful, pale blue flower on a long stem. The bud was large, with blue petals tipped in silver. It was one of the prettiest flowers Caeli had ever seen.
"That's very nice of you. Thank you, Max. It's beautiful. I love blue flowers. What is it called?"
"It's a sea rose. My Mama used to put them on the tables for the guests. I can put it in water for you. Papa keeps a flower cup under the sink." Max dodged around Caeli and ran into the bathroom. He pulled a clear, glass vase from the cabinet beneath the sink and climbed up on the counter to fill it half full of water. Max brought it back, inserted the flower, and placed it on the dresser.
"That's lovely, Max. So, where did you come from? Have you been out on the beach?" Caeli asked, not really paying attention, as she casually picked up the manila envelope that she found in her suitcase and opened it. Her first thought was that Vin slipped it into her luggage as a surprise, and she was eager to see what it might be. Caeli pulled three eight inch by ten inch, black and white photos out of the packet. She recognized Vin immediately. The other lady she did not know. The date and time stamp in the bottom corner of each photo indicated that they were taken the Friday morning that she returned from her conference. This is apparently where Vin went instead of meeting her at the airport.
Caeli checked carefully, but there was no note, no return address, and nothing other than her handwritten name on the envelope. Someone definitely wanted her to think the worst of Vin when she saw these images, yet did not want her to know anything about their source. Clearly, it wasn't anyone who knew her very well or they would have realized that such a ploy only wasted the sender's time. She could never think that poorly of Vin. Caeli turned the images face down and set them on top of her suitcase along with the envelope. She would simply ask Vin about them later. No doubt there was an interesting explanation. Caeli, nonetheless, developed an immediate dislike for the lady in the photos. Thankfully, Max's response drew her mind away from the pictures and back to her present conversation.
"I came from the porch, silly Caeli. Mr. Ben went to answer a beeping noise in his room, so I came to keep my eye on you. I had to wait until pretty Dr. Salma finished checking on you. Papa said I shouldn't bother you, but I told Mr. Vin I would help. I like him. He wasn't even mad at me for falling on you or for letting my beach crayon hurt you. He said it wasn't my fault. Mr. Vin said something else is making you sick and pretty Dr. Salma is going to find it. Did she find it yet? Did she get rid of it? Are you still sick? Mr. Vin said you would get better. Are you better?" Max rattled off a summary of the conversation Caeli missed at breakfast.
"Vin said all that, did he?" Caeli was surprised.
Vin must have been talking to Apela about the crash. Max's words reminded her of the injury she sustained. It had almost completely slipped her mind. Caeli did not know how Apela found out about it, but he had apparently told Vin whatever he knew. She seemed to vaguely recall that Vin had asked her about the circle on her stomach at some point last night, but could not remember what she told him. In fact, a lot of the details from last night were a bit fuzzy in Caeli's mind. Now that she could think a bit more clearly, Caeli was not certain that Rika had healed the wound completely. She concluded it must have been the primary cause of the pain she had been feeling since the crash. If so, Salma could verify it easily enough. Caeli made a mental note to mention it to Salma. Other than that, she probably had been fighting a bad flu.
All of a sudden, Caeli began to feel uncomfortably hot and started sweating.
"Max, is it hot in here?"
"No pretty Caeli. Hey, your face is all red like the tomatoes in Papa's garden. That means you have to come with me."
"What?"
"My uncle said I have to bring you to the coolness when your face gets red so that you can see where the sea roses grow. You have to come outside with me. I have to show you," Max insisted.
"I don't think so, Max. I need to stay close to Salma until she finds out what is making me sick. Though, the fresh air might do me some good." Caeli walked over and opened the window and pulled the screen across the back sliding door.
"But you have to come with me. Please, please, please," Max tugged on her hand and tried to get her to walk outside.
"I'm sorry, Max. I am not fully recovered yet. You can understand that, can't you?" She hated to disappoint him and, despite her own curiosity, Caeli knew that taking a walk with him was not in her best interest right now.
"Uncle, she won't come with me."
"Make her understand, Max. Stop tugging on her and use your words."
"What did you say?" Caeli heard the exchange and, at first, thought that perhaps Apela had come into the room. However, Max had called the man uncle.
"Pretty Caeli, we won't go far. It is only over the ridge. It's a secret place. You will feel better, and you can help Mr. Vin."
That did the trick. Caeli had to find out what Max was talking about and how Vin was involved.
"Salma, I am going to step outside with Max for a few minutes to get some fresh air."
"Are you ok?"
"I am feeling a bit warm, but otherwise ok."
"All right then. Don't be long and stay close in case you start to feel sick again."
Max held out his small hand, and Caeli took hold of it. She followed him out to the porch and off to the left. They followed the edge of the hotel for about twenty yards, drawing closer to the huge cylindrical ridge running from the hotel out to the water's edge. It was encased in large rocks and tons of sand, a natural part of the seascape. They climbed up the near side of the ridge and then down the opposite bank. Caeli was forced to sit down, exhausted and dizzy, once she reached the bottom.
"Sorry, Max. I probably shouldn't have climbed over that. I think I tried too much, too quickly. Did we really have to climb over this rocky ridge? Wouldn't it have been easier just to walk around?"
Max stood there fidgeting, looking sadly at her, and not knowing how to respond. Caeli knew Max was only trying to help, so she tried to reassure him that he did not do anything wrong.
"It's all right, Max. I will be ok in a minute, and then we can go."
Max watched Caeli as she tried to catch her breath. She did not understand why this hit her again so suddenly and caused such extreme changes in her physical condition. Her renewed frustration at her degeneration spurred Caeli's determination to overcome the problem. After about five minutes, Caeli stood up and took Max's hand again. They walked slowly down the length of the far side of the embankment toward the water.
This side was much smoother than the other. Here, the rocks had deep gouges etched into them that formed vivid images. These caught Caeli's eye as she walked along, helping support herself on the unyielding stone, while also trying to avoid touching the shocking depictions.
"What is this place, Max?" Caeli looked at the strange carvings on this side of the ridge as they walked. They reminded her of ancient cave drawings she had seen on documentaries about primitive cultures. These images, however, perhaps should have been covered. They were clearly a tale about conception and childbirth. Caeli found the depictions to be much too detailed to show to a young child who knew nothing of such things.
"It's a secret cave. Only this side has the pictures. My Mama used to bring me here and tell me stories. She said the cave was special, like me. Mama said if I am very quiet when I sit inside, then I can hear the Sea Goddesses talking to each other. Sometimes, I can hear other people, too. You will feel better in here."
"Do you hear me now?" Caeli asked, attempting to speak with Max mentally, remembering that he seemed to overhear the silent conversation she had with Salma on the plane.
"Yes. I can hear you. You are talking aren't you?" Max did not realize that Caeli was not speaking out loud.
"Not exactly. I wanted to know if you could hear my secret voice. I am not talking with my real voice. I'm talking inside my head, Max."
"This is fun! If it's your secret voice, does that mean I have a secret voice, too? Like when I talk to my uncle? Do I have to keep it a secret? I'm a good secret keeper, pretty Caeli. Papa told me so." Max immediately responded to her query in the same silent manner. Either he was a quick learner or he had done this before; perhaps with his unnamed uncle.
"Yes, Max. It is a secret. It seems like you do have your own secret voice. And, yes, you do have to keep mine a secret. I'm sure your Papa told you how important it is to keep your special ears a secret, too, right?"
"Yes. I am not supposed to eveningdrop on guests, and I'm not supposed to say anything that I hear." Max confirmed Caeli's suspicions. There was definitely something special about Max.
When they reached the end of the ridge by the water's edge, Max turned and led her inside. They moved into the cave about six or seven feet. It was far enough inside to notice a drastic drop in the temperature, yet Caeli could still feel the cool water of the ocean lapping at her bare feet. Caeli hadn't even thought about putting on her shoes before they left the room.
Caeli sat down, and Max sat next to her, leaning his head on her leg. They sat quietly for quite some time, enjoying each other's company and the coolness of the cave. Caeli also relaxed as the refreshing water covered her feet. She began to feel a little better sitting there pondering the mystery of Max's unique personality. She thought that he must miss his mother very much and this place allowed Max to feel close to her again. Caeli was happy to substitute the role for Max while they were here, if that was what the boy needed from her.
"Why don't you tell me a story? I came all this way to hear the story your Mama used to tell you about the Sea Goddesses. You mentioned it to me on the plane, remember? I would love to hear the rest of the story," Caeli prompted after a large yawn.
Wrath of the Sea Queen Page 29
