by E J Pay
“You should really do some shopping, Evelyn, I couldn’t find a decent pair of pajamas in your drawer. I had to put you in mine. Are t-shirts and basketball shorts all you own?” Celia hands me a steaming cup of something warm and a plate with some fruit and a cold sandwich on it. I try to thank her for the food, but she replies, “It’s like I said, it was an order from Lady Pescara.” Celia leans against the doorframe and raises an angry eyebrow in my direction.
“I don’t understand why you did any of this if you are so disgusted by me,” I say, feeling self-conscious that my irritating roommate had to help me get dressed in the night.
Celia’s face registers frustration and even a little annoyance at my apparent lack of understanding. “I don’t ignore orders, Evelyn, no matter how much I may want to. You might want to take a note or two from me on that one.”
“I didn’t realize that I was under direction to receive orders from anyone,” is my quick and exasperated response.
Celia sighs and sits at my desk. A picture of Gwen and me is hanging on the wall behind her. A whole new set of emotions, surrounding Gwen and James, hit my chest. I didn’t hear a sound from Gwen all night. Has she even been home in the last 24 hours? Is she with James? This new, anxious flurry of thoughts is interrupted by the blonde sitting across from me.
“I have been asked to fill you in on the necessaries. Lady Pescara wants you to be ready before you come back tonight so you don’t have another fainting fit.”
“You’re going to be the one to answer all of my questions?” my tone is as annoyed as hers.
“No, dear,” she replies sarcastically, “I am not here to answer all of your questions. I am here to fill you in on the necessaries. Any unnecessary questions are to be saved for Lady Pescara. I’m not here to help you unlock the key to your soul, Evelyn,” she rolls her eyes, “I’m just here to bring you up to speed.”
I can tell that this will be a long session of nit-picking if I don’t let Celia do her talking. I have to learn something or I will be stuck in this confusion forever. “Fine,” I consent at last, “where do we begin?”
“We begin at the end of the story, Evelyn. I have to first fill you in on the middle. The beginning, you have to get from Lady Pescara.” I sit and let her keep talking. “There is a huge underwater sea war right now. We are under the title of Atlantis while our enemy is gathering an army under her name – Ceto.
“Ceto has been hunting through records and archeological sites underwater for the legendary power source of Atlantis. We don’t know why she wants it, but whatever her reasons, we know they must be bad. For years, Ceto has been trying to get our forces to join her in an attempt to overrun the land with the sea. This year, her own sea powers have grown and she has used them to her favor. The active storm season we have been experiencing is a result of Ceto testing out her powers.” My eyes widen and I focus more on what Celia is saying. I know we have had crazy weather in Florida lately. I thought it was from global warming.
“We have received intelligence that suggests Ceto is testing what exactly she can do,” Celia says. “She has caused increasing damage to mainland America, and it’s clear that she is doing it to prepare for a larger scale land attack. It looks like she wants to overrun the land with the ocean, Evelyn.”
I take a moment to clear my thoughts, frustrated by Celia’s assumption that I will be joining the army. “Obviously, this is bad,” I say, “But what are you or I supposed to do about it?”
“I have been training under the tutelage of Captain Jack in preparation for battle, Evelyn. You have yet to do anything other than faint. If you can get yourself under control, I can only assume that you are meant to join the forces as well.”
“You can keep the insults to yourself, Celia, I’m not interested. What I do want to know is how on earth all of this started happening to me. Why have I been turning into something that can breathe and move and communicate in the ocean and why is it so important that I come along?”
“As to your first question, you became a two-worlder because that is what you are. It’s in your DNA to live underwater or to at least exhibit these traits. The traits won’t make themselves manifest until you are ready and worthy to receive them. You can breathe underwater, sleep underwater, even live underwater.
“The two-worlders who decide to live underwater full time eventually begin to take on other characteristics of sea life. Most take on the characteristics of finned fish like Lady Pescara. She has become a mermaid because she decided to spend her life in the ocean. Other sea dwellers, take on the characteristics of lesser fish. This happened to Ceto. After deciding to live under the ocean, she began to take on the traits of an octopus. I have never seen her, but I hear she is way creepy looking, all those tentacles. Ugh.”
“But why is it so necessary that I come now Celia?” I ask.
“Your guess is as good as mine, Evelyn. Lady Pescara insists that you will be an asset to the force. She’s had me keeping an eye on you this whole semester. I told her that you were taking too long to come to the ocean, you probably wouldn’t ever get into the water. Captain Jack knew you were ready first, of course, but it still took you so LONG to get out into the open water.”
Celia is only going to continue insulting me as long as we are here together. I stand up from the bed and head to my dresser, looking for water-appropriate clothing. As I choose my swimwear, Celia walks away to let me dress myself this time. Before leaving the room, she turns to face me again. “You know, I have been in the water since I graduated. It only took me a week to get out into the open water. Why did it take you so long?”
I sigh and answer, “I have no idea, Celia. This whole thing is a surprise to me. How did you get into the open water after a week, anyway? Weren’t you confused by everything going on around you?”
Celia rolls her eyes like she is trying to teach a total idiot. “I wasn’t surprised, Evelyn. I was prepared. My dad and mom talked about it so much that it was natural. Besides, I did grow up in Florida. The ocean is nothing new to me.”
I raise my head to meet her eyes. “Hang on. What do you mean your mom and dad talked about it? They know what we can do?” I have to know how she confided all of this craziness to her parents. I realize I will have to tell my mom eventually and I have no idea how to do it.
Celia looks confused. “I didn’t tell my mom and dad, Evelyn, they told me. I was raised knowing this could happen someday so my parents prepped me for it.”
What the heck?! Uncle Russ?! No wonder he keeps checking on me. He isn’t protecting me for my mom’s sake, he is just curious to know if I will make the leap. I wonder if he is as irritated by my progress as Celia. How did he know I would turn two-worlder? Do I have it written across my forehead or something? I know Celia is the wrong person to ask all of these questions to. I have to get to Lady Pescara if I want any more information. I’m thinking, but Celia is still talking.
“My dad comes to the open water to assist in the war councils. That’s what stopped the meeting last night. Right when you fainted, he came rushing into the room with some kind of important information. He headed straight to the war council leaders and they spoke very quietly for a long time. I don’t know what the fuss was about since I had to help you out. Captain Jack saw you faint and had me help him carry you to the hospital. By the time I got back, the war council had dispersed. That’s all I know.
“So, if you’re finished playing the fainting damsel, we can head back out tonight and see what has been going on. Do you think you are ready yet?”
“Wow, Celia.” I slam my drawer shut and start changing into my swimsuit. “I didn’t ask for this. I have no idea why I have to be a part of this thing. Trust me, I would love nothing more than to not be a part of the two-worlders. That’s not why I’m here. So let’s get this figured out so I can get out of it and you can go back to being the shining star.”
I want her off my back and unfortunately, the only way to get that is to go with her, back to the oc
ean, to meet with Lady Pescara. I know she has the answers I am looking for.
I am ready to go in my favorite, blue one-piece and I pull on my wetsuit. I slip into my flip flops, grab my sandwich, and take a quick sip of the drink Celia brought. “Let’s get going Celia. The sooner we get to Lady Pescara, the sooner you can be free of me.” With a roll of her eyes and a quick flip of her perfectly blonde hair, Celia leads the way out the door, back to the sea, with me following resolutely behind.
Chapter 11
Pisces is not at the edge of the continental shelf to meet me this time. Another fish, Daria, comes instead. I am disappointed that Pisces is not my guide again. I would be more comfortable to have him at my side. But Daria it is, so Daria I ride. She is smaller than Pisces, but not by much. Her brilliant scales shine pink and orange in the dim light of sunset that barely reach us below. I am surprised to find that I can understand Daria’s thoughts as well. It is a little easier to read her as I get used to this new form of telepathy. She understands me and we communicate silently in the water. She reads the needs of my body as she dives quickly after Celia and her fish. Daria’s dive is a more gradual slope than Celia’s fish. Her mind connects with mine and she warns me when to duck and gives me little pointers on how to make my ride more comfortable.
We make our way to Atlantis and around the temple I saw last night. I stand out much less in my water attire. I am not the only one in a wetsuit, though there are still mostly-seaweed outfits all around, and I get fewer looks from curious eyes than I did yesterday. Daria follows Celia as she leads the way to Lady Pescara. Celia turns around to check on me, then smiles and swims by a group of teenage two-worlders. I recognize several from the meeting last night. I am met with faces trying to stifle a few chuckles. Celia is taking a moment of enjoyment out of her temporary control over me.
Celia and her fish pull up to a building I haven’t seen before. It is very near the temple, but not so grand in scale. Celia dismounts and heads inside. I climb down from Daria and head in, whispering a mental ‘thank-you’ as I leave.
Once inside, I catch up with Celia as she heads up a flight of stairs. A few humans and merpeople linger in the foyer, most of them older and wearing war medals on sashes that run from shoulder to hip. At the top of the stairs is a long, open hall overlooking the floor below. There is no barrier, so out of instinct, I keep closer to the wall. When Celia reaches the end of the hall, she stands before a large door. It shows the signs of having been underwater, but doesn’t look nearly as old as the other doors here. After knocking, Celia is admitted to the room and I follow behind. It is an office complete with an executive style desk and maps on the walls, but these maps have markers all over the ocean – none on the land portions. Lady Pescara is floating/standing behind her desk, Uncle Russ by her side, looking over several sheets of wax-coated paper spread out before them.
“Hello Celia! Hello Evelyn!” I nod a small, courteous smile to Uncle Russ’s warm greeting. I still feel wounded by his deception. He comes to greet Celia and me with a handshake. “I see you have brought our newest recruit back with you Celia. Well, I’m glad to see she’s here and ready to join the ranks.”
I know I can’t keep my silence. “I’m not sure I want to join the ranks, Mr. Salvesen,” I’m not willing to call him Uncle yet. “Celia has told me about the war going on in the ocean, but this is the first I’ve heard about any of these things. I’ve only known about my water abilities for a few weeks. I am still confused about what is going on here.”
Lady Pescara looks up from her papers to see my face. She is the one person in the room who has been open with me. I am more inclined to trust her.
“Captain, Ms. Salvesen, would the two of you leave Ms. Marin and me alone? I have some things I would like to explain to her. Ms. Salvesen, thank you for your help with Ms. Marin. If you’ll both remain just outside the door, I will call you in shortly.”
Celia gives a respectful nod to Lady Pescara and heads out the door. Uncle Russ says, “Yes, ma’am” and also gives Lady Pescara a nod of respect before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. I stifle a laugh seeing Uncle Russ in a wet suit; his belly squeezed in a little too tight. It is a brief amusement.
I turn my head to Lady Pescara. She holds out her hand and motions for me to sit in the chair at the front of her desk. She swims over and sits on the desk edge in front of me.
“Ms. Marin. I am sorry that you have had to come to your knowledge of your sea abilities in such a time as this. If you had been brought here in times of peace, there would have been support groups and abilities classes to help you in your discovery of your nature. Unfortunately, this is not a peaceful time. As Ms. Salvesen was directed to tell you, we are fighting against an enemy whose strength is growing. We have had spies out who last night gave us alarming information. Apparently, we have a traitor in our midst. Information about our training camps has been reaching Ceto and she has been using it to her advantage. Her own spy is somewhere among us. That is what ended last night’s war council. We must be careful how we proceed in order to root out our traitor.”
“Lady Pescara, I’m sorry you have to deal with this, but I still don’t understand why I have to be here. Celia said you thought I would be an asset to the force, but why? How did you know that I would even show these abilities?”
Lady Pescara folds her hands in her lap and looks at me silently for a moment before answering. “Evelyn, I have been wanting you here for years.” How did she even know I existed years ago? “I knew your parents very well,” she says. “You come from a strong heritage of faithful two-worlders who have served Atlantis in times of peace and in times of war. Many have been casualties of this very fight. I have often wondered if your father’s disappearance had something to do with Ceto.
“Since your mother moved with you to Arizona, I have thought many times of the strength you could be to our force. Many from your ancestral line have held multiple water skills. It has been my hope that you would hold multiple skills as well. Most of our two-worlders hold one or two of these skills, like Celia. We use those skills to our advantage as we prepare for war. But if I have a person who holds three or more skills at a time, then I am able to use them on more covert missions.
“But understand me Evelyn, I am determined to win this war with or without your help. If you decide to stay, I welcome you whole-heartedly. If, however, you decide that you do not want to join us, you must be escorted out of Atlantis. I will have Celia contact you when the war is over and you can come again to learn about your abilities. That could be years from now, I don’t know. It only depends on how quickly we can overpower Ceto.”
Lady Pescara sits in momentary silence as she lets me absorb the information. Conflicting emotions fill me from the inside out. War. My father. Lady Pescara wondered if Ceto had been responsible for my father’s death. It could be grasping at straws, but the possibility of it makes my stomach turn. What happened to him? I have a line of two-worlders in my ancestry. I had no idea. Did my father hide it from my mom? Did she find out after he disappeared? Is that why we left? I can tell that Lady Pescara is waiting for my decision. I still have a million questions, but I know I can’t ask them right now. I have to trust that I will find out the answers, and this is the best place to find them – under the ocean.
I raise my eyes to meet Lady Pescara’s solid gaze. She looks like she could be a very beautiful person. She just needs to smile. Is that what war does to you? Makes your smile disappear? I don’t have time to follow that line of thought, my answer is ready.
“I will stay Lady Pescara. I thank you for your openness and your information. I still have questions, but they can wait for the right time. Until then, what do I need to do?”
A brief smile of approval crosses Lady Pescara’s face. Yes, she is beautiful. But just as soon as that smile came, it goes. Lady Pescara gets up and so do I. “Very well then,” she says, “I am pleased. I’m grateful for your willingness to serve even without all of the a
nswers you seek. I do hope you will find what you need while you are with us.” We make our way to the door and find Uncle Russ and Celia waiting for us on the other side. “Ms. Salvesen, Ms. Marin will be staying with us. Please take her to Captain Jack and inform him that he has a new recruit. Ms. Marin, I will be in touch with Captain Jack in regards to your progress. Both of you make certain that you are well rested before resuming your day’s training. That will be all, ladies.”
“Yes ma’am,” Celia and I answer, almost in unison. Celia glares at me through narrowed eyes, her nostrils flaring slightly. She nods to Lady Pescara and turns to leave the room. I nod and again I follow Celia.
Chapter 12
I am lost in my thoughts as I follow Celia through the streets of Atlantis. We are swimming now. Without our fish guides. I am so much faster than I was in my jeans and shoes yesterday. But even though my wetsuit is designed for fluid movement, I feel like I am swimming faster than I ever have before. It’s like my body was made to do this. The feeling is new and amazing. Even though I am stuck with Celia, I find that this new experience brings a smile to my face. But there are many other things on my mind.
I think about my father and my mind races with questions. Has Ceto done something to him? How could he hide his underwater life from my mom? Is Ceto the reason I have no living grandparents? What are the water skills Lady Pescara talked about, and what skills am I supposed to have? How many other people do I know that have these abilities? I know James is in the ocean somewhere, but who else is here?
James. The craziness I’ve been experiencing has started to close that wound, but now it is reopening. James. I saw the guy I thought was my boyfriend kissing my roommate and friend. That sucked royally. And I haven’t had time to deal with it. He started telling me about life underwater when I decided to learn about it on my own. Had I really ignored him so much it was easy for him to forget we were together? Were we really together or was it just an easy fling? Someone familiar to be with until someone more permanent came along?