by Dale Furse
Sam hesitated.
‘No.’ She laughed. ‘I won't read your mind.’
Little lines formed at the corners of Dar-Seldra’s eyes. Although they made her appear older, they suited her. She took Sam's hand. ‘Don't let go.’ She motioned with a tilt of her head for Nell to follow.
Nell stepped into the warm water and the crumbly coral moved under her feet.
Without waiting, Cay-Meka waded out until the water was waist high and dived.
Dar-Seldra bent her knees as if about to dive but Sam stayed still. She gave him a questioning look.
‘Um,’ he said. ‘I can understand your protection aura or whatever it is might cover me but how am I supposed to breathe under water?’
Dar-Seldra straightened. ‘My aura will encompass you.’
Sam gave Nell a dubious look but allowed Dar-Seldra to take him and they vanished under the surface.
Nell waited a moment. Taking the biggest breath she could, she shut her eyes and with her heart in her throat, slid under the surface. On contact with the water, she was surprised her dress shrank even more. It bonded to her body like a second skin. Sliding her hands over her hips, she pinched the material. It yielded to her fingers like the rubber of a wet suit. She smiled. The material was clever.
Warm tropical waters caressed her. In that instant, she realised water had been missing from her life. Keeping her eyes shut, she enjoyed the sensation of being one with the ocean. Not afraid in the least, she tasted the salty liquid. She opened and closed her mouth a few times but stopped when she thought she probably looked like a fish. She was only slightly surprised to find she had no need to breathe. It was as though her skin collected the oxygen her body needed.
When Nell opened her eyes, Sam's face filled her vision. His white teeth exploded from his mouth in a wide grin. She'd never seen him so happy. Dar-Seldra smiled, and seemed satisfied Nell was coping.
They swam over the coral fringing reef. Clusters of white-tipped orange fingers of coral jutted up and out below Nell. Groups of flat corals were arranged like giant open roses. They were many shades of yellow, blue and mauve. Gaudy-coloured fish were everywhere. One had rings of orange and red around its eyes, the rest of its body was blue and purple blotches with black stripes winding around it. Others had assorted colours all vying for attention. Some wore one solid colour, like the one that was as yellow as Nell's dress. She thought the clown fish was the prettiest with its orange and white stripes.
They continued into deeper waters where an inquisitive hammerhead shark playfully nudged Nell's side. She rolled over to pat his head. Her heart leapt at the closeness. Joy surged through her at the wonderment of it all.
He kept manoeuvring his body so the under-side of his neck area was close to her hand.
You want me to scratch you? Nell asked the shark.
She didn’t know whether it was coincidence or he heard her thoughts, but he pushed his neck into her hand.
Nell laughed and scraped her fingernails gently along the rough skin under the shark's throat.
Better? Nell asked.
The shark slid its closed mouth along her arm.
His contentment filled her heart and he swam away.
Nell giggled. It was all so right. Everywhere she looked, fish, coral and plants tempted her to investigate. Not only was she inquisitive about life in the ocean, an increasing number of fish appeared to be just as inquisitive about her and her companions. Some swam past and around, keeping their distance. Others came close enough to touch. An angelfish darted towards her and away again, issuing a loud drumming sound. Perhaps it was trying to figure out what type of fish she was.
She spotted two moray eels teasing a baby dugong. Although Nell knew the dugong was young, it still looked like a large sea cow with a permanent smile on its face. It also looked to be in need of air. She swam between them and grabbed the eels in her hands. The dugong rushed to the surface. Nell shook her head and tisked at each eel in turn before letting them go on their way.
The baby dugong returned and Nell caressed the slippery skin.
They weren’t very nice, were they? Nell said with her mind. She played with the baby until Dar-Seldra put her hand on Nell's shoulder.
'We can talk if we touch each other,' Dar-Seldra said.
Nell let the baby return to its mother.
Nell turned to face her aunt. 'The connection isn’t hurting.' Why did it hurt her head when she connected with Sam in the library?
'No, and it won't either, providing you don't delve too deep. You seem to have greater control under water. When on land, think about where your thoughts are emanating from now. They are at the top of the cerebrum but do not burrow into the amygdala.'
'I know that the cerebrum is the front part of the brain, but what is the amygdala?'
'They are two almond shaped bunches of cells on either side. Never mind,' Dar-Seldra laughed. 'This isn't the time for a science lesson. I'll explain later. You're doing well with me, now try with Cay-Meka.’
Nell wondered why Sam didn't seem to be able to hear their conversation.
'We can only talk with one person at a time,' Dar-Seldra said, answering Nell's unspoken question.
Nell swam past Sam and saw he was trying to tickle what looked like a cheeky dwarf Mink whale. She'd seen and read about them in books. They'd only been discovered in the nineteen-eighties. It was about three metres long, so it was quite young. They were only seen this far north during the winter months. Seeing one here in the height of summer meant there was a lot more to learn about them. Its fins were white at the base with dark tips. White shoulders and the dark patches on its throat were most distinctive. Yes, it was definitely a dwarf Mink.
She floated alongside Cay-Meka, and as she took her hand, she thought, 'I've never swum this well before.'
'It's all in the genes.' Cay-Meka giggled.
Nell thought her cousin had a much nicer personality under water.
‘Hey! I can hear you.’
‘It was a compliment. How do you like our world?'
'It is the most beautiful world in the universe, I'm sure. I could spend the rest of my life here. Only your crustaceans are somewhat similar to ours on Linque.'
Dar-Seldra approached Nell. 'Now try with Sam,' she said.
Dar-Seldra must have already informed Sam. Although Nell wasn't sure about the experiment, she felt a lot braver than Sam looked. She grabbed his hand. 'Huh! Got you.'
After quickly closing his eyes, he just as quickly opened them, his relief clearly evident.
He said. 'This is so great. I can't believe it. I'm talking to you telepathically and I'm swimming with all these fish and things. And they're letting me and—.' He pointed above them. 'Look! A salty.'
She followed his eyes. A large salt-water crocodile was circling above them.
'I know it won't hurt you, but we both know crocodiles have killed Humans before. And remember, I'm Human.'
'It can't hurt you, silly. My aura's protecting you.'
The crocodile dived. She was convinced it didn’t intend to get too close as it circled them. His broad snout opened in what looked like a wide grin. The scales, more like thick, tough skin, reminded her of Kandar.
Cay-Meka spotted it and swam closer, but every time she came within touching distance, the crocodile moved sedately out of her reach. She soon gave up when a stingray provoked her attention.
Nell looked at the crocodile and wondered if it was the same one. Yes. Black orbs studied her. It was definitely the same one and it appeared to have sought her out. As he swam past, his tail glided closer. She kicked forward and touched the tip.
The crocodile hiss-growled and a sense of foreboding swept through Nell. With a whoosh of his great tail, he surfaced and sped away.
'Aura or no, I'm glad it's gone. There was something weird about the salty’s eyes. They were all wrong. '
She couldn’t respond as he pulled her towards a sleepy green sea turtle. All she could think about was the fe
eling of danger.
‘Danger? Sea turtles aren’t dangerous,’ snorted Sam.
She quickly shut off her mind. Why didn’t the crocodile talk to her? He was thinking about danger. But what danger? The whole cape was covered in some sort of magical protection. She rubbed the side of her head and looked around. They were deep, probably too deep for any normal Human. Maybe the croc meant their time is limited in the water. Maybe it was time to go back.
CHAPTER EIGHT
DAR-SELDRA TOUCHED SAM AND NELL IN TURN and said they had to return to the beach.
Nell closed her eyes in relief. Their time was up. Even Phibs can’t stay under water indefinitely. That was the sense of danger she got from her croc. She would never have known that she couldn’t stay under water forever if her first swim was by herself. Of course, if she was alone, she would have realised she was running out of air but she might have been too deep to make it to the surface.
They followed Dar-Seldra and Cay-Meka over the sea grasses and corals of the inter-reef to the shore.
Sam let go of Nell's hand as he broke the surface and clumsily made his way to the sandy shore. ‘That was great,’ he said, as he collected his shoes. ‘I hope we can go again before uni starts.’
Amazed her dress was already dry, Nell touched the other dresses. ‘Wow, what great material.’ She gave a little laugh at Sam's water laden clothes as he trudged through the sand, and ran to catch up to him.
Dar-Seldra called after them, ‘The dark is coming. We must go inside.’
‘Don't worry,’ Sam said, walking backwards. ‘This place is lit up like a Christmas tree at night.’ He turned back towards the house. ‘I’d better be off, Nell. See you in the morning?’
‘No!’ Nell said. ‘Don't go. Um … Carl and Annet will be going soon so why don't you ring your mum from my house and say goodbye?’
He looked at his dripping clothes.
‘I'll get you a towel.’ She hoped he had the sense to realise she needed him. At least he was still the same old Sam. Just at that moment she wished she was the same old Nell. Although she had a growing sense she would deal with the changes, it would be much easier with a friend.
‘Okay,’ he said. ‘Actually, there's nowhere I'd rather be to tell you the truth. You think it'd be okay with Dar-Seldra?’
‘Of course. Why wouldn't it be?’ Exhaling loudly, she climbed the side stairs. ‘You know all about us, so you're practically family.’
‘Yeah, well, I'm going home to change first and say goodbye to Mum and Dad in person. They’d be upset if I didn’t.’
By the time Sam returned, Nell had just finished setting the table for the evening meal. ‘Did you tell your parents anything?’ she asked Sam.
‘Of course not,’ Sam said, as if insulted. ‘Actually, I couldn't, they’d already gone. They left me a note.’ He shook his head. ‘And I was worried about upsetting them.’
Nell said, ‘They think you’re old enough to look after yourself now. And they trust you.’
They sat down to the dinner Dar-Seldra prepared. Nell wore a dark-green, knitted singlet top with black three quarter cargo pants. Sam had changed into fresh black T-shirt and jeans. With her long hair pulled into a single high ponytail, Dar-Seldra appeared even younger. Her hair hung over the front of her right shoulder and her skin looked darker against her white sleeveless dress. The girls’ dresses were of similar style to the others they wore. Cay-Meka's garment was burnt orange and a large clip pinned her fringe back off her forehead.
During the meal, Nell asked Dar-Seldra, ‘Why did Dad tell you about my dreams?’
Cay-Meka stopped chewing. ‘What dreams?’ she asked with her mouth full of fish cake.
‘Don't fuss about that at the moment,’ Dar-Seldra said. ‘We'll talk later.’
Nell couldn’t see any reason to wait. She said to Cay-Meka, ‘I have dreams about swimming in the ocean, like we did today—’
‘Yes, yes,’ Dar-Seldra interrupted. ‘I'll hear all about them later. We should clean up first.’ She stood up and began picking up plates and cutlery.
‘But we haven't finished,’ Cay-Meka said, piling more salad onto her plate. ‘If you are a Phib, you're supposed to have dreams of swimming,’ she said to Nell. ‘They help you know what to do the first time you go underwater.’
Nell didn't understand Dar-Seldra’s hurry to clean up, so she continued. ‘Well, sometimes I dream I have wings and can fly.’
Cay-Meka's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped and looked at Dar-Seldra. ‘You knew,’ she said through her fingers. ‘And you let Dar-tern make us stay with her.’
‘We don't know anything, Daughter,’ Dar-Seldra said, and leant forward to whisper something to Cay-Meka.
Nell glanced at Sam.
He shrugged and looked as mystified as Nell felt.
‘So what?’ Sam said. ‘I used to dream I could fly. Mum says everyone does.’
Cay-Meka looked at Nell as if she was some sort of monster. ‘No true Phib dreams of flying.’
Dar-Seldra's eyes were angry. ‘I said we are not to discuss it tonight.’
‘If it's got something to do with me,’ Nell said. ‘I think I have a right to know.’
‘It's not up to me. Dar-tern will explain tomorrow,’ Dar-Seldra said. ‘Nell, show Cay-Meka where she is to sleep? Sam, please accompany me to the veranda.’
‘Okey-dokey,’ Sam said, gathering up a bunch of green grapes.
Nell glanced sideways at Cay-Meka after Sam followed Dar-Seldra out of the room. She still glared at Nell but said nothing.
‘Follow me,’ Nell said. Dar-Seldra had obviously told Cay-Meka to keep quiet and Nell wondered if her cousin could. After scaling the stairs, Nell opened the first door on the right. The heavy green curtains were open and a warm glow of artificial light shone through the window from the many spotlights surrounding the house and spilled over the cream tapestry quilt.
The carved, wooden head of the high double bed was against the wall to the right. Nell stepped silently across the sage-green carpet and opened the door opposite the bed. ‘This is a two-way bathroom. My room is connected to it, so make sure you lock the door when you're using it.’
Cay-Meka flounced to the window and looked out for a moment before turning on Nell. ‘I would prefer not to share a bathroom with you. I don't like Wintars.’
‘I've noticed,’ Nell said curtly. ‘But I'm only half Wintar.’
‘Wintar blood flows through your veins,’ she sneered. ‘And you have dreamt of flying.’
‘What do you mean by that? And what exactly have you got against Wintars?’
‘They killed my father.’
Cay-Meka burst into tears.
‘You really are schizo,’ Nell said.
‘I loved my father,’ she cried. ‘They took him away from me.’
‘I'm sure you did, but I read about the accident in the book on Linque. The collision between the spaceships was caused by a malfunction on the ship your father was flying. If anything, your father killed the Wintars.’
‘How dare you!’ Cay-Meka's malice returned and she went after Nell, screeching. ‘You! You are cursed. You are a freak!’
Nell ducked past her and the girl nearly fell through the open doorway. Stopping abruptly at the window, Nell swallowed hard and pointed at the closed window. ‘You mean, like that?’ She stared at what she realised must be a Wintar.
He looked Human except for the craggy, rust-coloured wings hanging out of him like they were tired. The Wintars in the book of Gramlax were all muscled, friendly-looking men and women but this one was straight out of Nell’s nightmares. Greasy, black curls fell over small, round eyes, too close together, his nose melted into his cheeks and his chin disappeared into his thick neck. His shirt, a size too small, allowed a hairy stomach to escape. Thick, hairy forearms leaned against the window, his little eyes widened and he screeched a name Nell didn’t get. Flapping his huge wings, he rose out of sight.
In that same moment, Cay-Meka g
asped, ‘A Wintar.’
Nell spun to face the girl just as she rushed out of the room, screaming.
‘Wintar! Wintar!’
Nell ran after her but by the time she'd descended the stairs, Cay-Meka was already on the veranda calling to her mother. Nell pulled up at the open French doors.
Cay-Meka was shaking Sam wildly. He sat on the floor holding his flopping head in his hands and moaning. ‘Where is my mother?’ Cay-Meka screamed.
‘Leave him alone!’ Nell pushed Cay-Meka away, crouched down beside Sam and spoke as calmly as she could. ‘Sam? What happened?’
Her hand moved towards his forehead. Cay-Meka stooped over him, her face nearly touching Sam’s. His gasp was more like a yelp as he pushed the girls away with so much force, they both landed on their backsides with their legs in the air.
‘I wasn't going to do anything, you big baby,’ Nell said, finding her feet. She helped Sam stand up and waited while he found his balance. ‘Where is Dar-Seldra?’ she asked.
‘We were standing out here talking, Dar-Seldra and me …’ Sam began.
Nell nodded her head, hoping to encourage Sam to hurry. She also tried to appear calm but her thoughts were beginning to jumble and the pulse in her neck beat wildly.
Sam continued. ‘She, Dar-Seldra, was leaning on the railing when some sort of giant bird came down and grabbed her with its claws. It just took off with her.’ He was shaking his head. ‘I wouldn't believe it, except I saw it with my own eyes.’
‘Did it look like what we saw in the book? Did it look like a Wintar?’ Nell knew it had to be the repulsive thing they saw at the bedroom window.
‘Sort of.’ He grimaced as if trying to remember. ‘Except it was bigger, much bigger.’
‘Of course they're bigger than pictures in a book,’ Cay-Meka gibed. ‘And of course, it was a Wintar.’ She started to cry and stomped around in circles, moving her arms in all directions. ‘They have Mother and I am all alone. I am stranded here.’ Her face contorted as she glared at Nell and Sam. ‘With you.’
‘We're not exactly rapt at the thought of spending any more time with you either,’ Sam said. He turned away and leant over the railing. His face was serious and thoughtful. He wasn't usually either.
