by JE Hunter
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Monday morning was so cold it made my toes curl and burrow so deep into my duvet I didn't think I'd ever get them out. After eleven raps on the door from Grandma, however, I managed to find my toes, my well fitted, dark denims, my favourite black top with a lacy V-neck collar, and a pair of large, gold, star-shaped earrings that Marnie had given me for my birthday. I pulled my hair back into a messy, low bun and covered my head with a new black knit hat I'd bought in town with Colleen. I finished off my outfit with a bit of powder, mascara, and my favourite raspberry lip balm—a light bit of make-up that I’d had to beg Dad to let me wear last year. It was strange to not have either of my parents around for my first day of school. They’d always been there, both of them, with big goofy smiles and too-tight hugs. My eyes welled up and I let the tears come. It felt good to cry, even though thinking of being without Mom and Dad felt like trying to live without my legs.
After getting my tears under control, I fixed my mascara and then made my way downstairs for breakfast. “What's this?” I asked. On the table was a plate of pancakes, a bowl of strawberries, and a cup of whipped cream. Beside my plate was a fresh strawberry smoothie.
“A celebration feast for your first day of school. Today, you'll truly start on the path of becoming a sea-witch.”
I pulled out my wooden chair and sat. “Thanks. I guess I can officially start cackling now.”
Grandma was already sitting at the table, tea-cup in hand, reading an ancient-looking leather bound book. She ignored my comment. I'd eaten half a pancake when Grandma sighed and put the book down.
“Nessa, please, whatever you do today, try and embrace your nature.”
I swallowed the bite of pancake in my mouth whole. “My witchiness, you mean?”
“Being a sea-witch isn't a joke—it's a privilege.”
“Maybe to you.”
“It’ll be easier if you choose to enjoy it.”
“It would be easier if I had a choice.”
“This is the only choice.” Grandma turned and looked over her shoulder. “Speaking of which, you’d best hurry, classes are scheduled to begin in five minutes.”
I dropped my fork, letting it clatter onto my plate. “That’s fine, I’m full anyway.”
She picked up her book, returning to the reading she'd been doing before I'd arrived. “Come straight home after school; there’ll be no socializing since you're still grounded.”
I grabbed my navy blue rain jacket and new banana yellow backpack. The door banged shut behind me, her words buzzing in my ears. Grounded. How was I supposed to make friends, have fun, and maybe learn to enjoy this island, if I was still grounded?
I walked through the same wet green forest I'd passed through on Saturday with Grandma. My palms began to sweat as I passed the York's house, approaching the school. I slowed down once I saw the building: a large white structure two-stories high with a one-story arm reaching out into the forest. The whole structure was shaped like a giant T. From what Colleen had told me, I knew the long rectangular wing was the school part and the two-story building contained the dorm rooms.
The classroom wing had four windows on the side I was facing, and a single door right where the one-story arm met the two-story building. I paused, looking at the door for a few moments while I dried my hands on my jeans. I took a shallow breath before walking through the entrance.
To my surprise, the door took me into a large kitchen with two long, wooden tables with benches on either side. Noise was pouring out of a doorway to my immediate left. I stepped up to it and peaked inside.
There were windows on both exterior walls and a large desk straight ahead that obviously belonged to Joanna. The rest of the room was filled with educational posters, small desks with separate chairs, and the twenty-some students.
Naturally everyone turned to look at me the moment I stepped through the door. I was floored by the variety, strangeness, and intensity of the faces staring back at me. I caught Caesar's eye first. He was sitting against the back wall in a desk beside Markus and behind Juan, the other two pirates I'd met on Saturday night. Juan and Markus were both slouching, their legs pressed forward and their butts sunk to the bottom of the chairs. Caesar caught my eye and smirked before shifting his gaze to the front of the room.
A blue flash at the front, far side of the rectangular room caught my eye. I turned my head. Four, slightly transparent, blue people wearing Romanesque robes were sitting near the front of the room, giggling. There were two girls with short, spikey blue hair, and two bald boys in their group. All of them gazed at me with wide-eyed wonder, then looked back at each other, giggling behind blue palms.
There were students of every shape and colour. There were more kids than I was expecting. I searched for Colleen, hoping to find a familiar face. Why hadn’t I thought to ask her to wait outside? But just then Colleen caught my eye and waved me over to where she was sitting with Kyle. Nessa, I saved you a seat.” She pointed to her right
I went over to her, grateful, and sat down in an empty desk behind a curvaceous blonde with luscious, long curly hair I’d almost kill for.
Colleen smiled. “I’m glad you made it, I was afraid that you’d refuse to come,” she whispered just as her mom stepped up to the front of the room.
“Welcome, everyone,” Joanna said. “Welcome to the first day of the new school year. Some of you have never been here before and are not familiar with how this school works. This is a self-guided school where we strive to prepare all of you for life in both the Neptunian world and the human one. Depending on your background, you will either be in the human studies or Neptunian studies focus group. All of you will also complete the government required homeschooling program. Each day will be a balance of independent learning and group work. We will begin with a basic background lecture and a simple test which will give me an idea of which group you should be in.”
I rolled my eyes; I didn’t need a test to tell me I knew nothing about the Neptunian world. I waited patiently for Joanna to hand out the exams anyway, and wrote it as required. The results didn’t surprise me. By mid-morning I was in a Neptunian study focus group with all three pirates, the girl with long blonde hair, Kyle and his cousin Zeke, Colleen, and to my surprise, two green boys who looked like they were half-composed of seaweed.
“Good,” Joanna said after inspecting our new seating arrangements. “Now we will have introductions. For the next hour, I'll allow you to socialize amongst yourselves. Try to spend this time learning about one another—and don't be surprised if there's another quiz after lunch. While you're talking, I'll be handing out your homeschooling packages. Don’t be alarmed at the amount of work, as these packages contain all of the human government-required learning material for your respective year of study. Have fun.”
Everyone immediately turned and began chatting to their nearest neighbour. Before I had a chance to move, Joanna plopped a very thick package of homework on my desk. I looked down, dismayed. I'd been hoping school on a small island would be different. I'd been hoping it meant I wouldn't get cramped fingers writing essays on subjects I'd rather forget about, but apparently it meant I'd have more work to do.
When I looked up, the blue people were standing in front of my desk.
“H-H-Hi,” said one of the girls, giggling almost uncontrollably.
“Don’t mind Rainbow,” said the other girl. “She’s a bit silly. Only likes to laugh. Doesn’t like school. Not that the rest of us like school.”
“I guess we have that in common: I’d rather not be in school either.”
“I bet you would rather dance. We love to dance and sing.” Rainbow began moving vacated desks to the side until she had a decent sized space cleared on the floor.
I shook my head emphatically. “I don’t dance.”
Rainbow stopped moving the desks for a moment, tilting her head and studying me instead. “Is it because you’re a sea-witch? I haven’t met many sea-witches.”
“It’s not becau
se I’m a sea-witch. I’m sure a lot of sea-witches like to dance.”
“Then you must dance with me and my sister, Dawn. We’ll teach you!” Her eyes were as clear as water, so clear that I couldn’t even find a pupil.
“Um…I…” I looked around the room desperately, hoping to find an excuse to get out of the dance party. There was no one. Even Joanna had disappeared.
“Come on, pretend that you’re a sea nymph and dance just like us.” Dawn grabbed me by the wrists and hauled me out of my seat. I stood self-consciously in the middle of the floor as the sea-nymphs—all four of them—began to dance. They pulled on my arms and hands, forcing me to dance in a circle with them.
“It will be so great having a sea-witch this year because you can warm the water for us. We'd love to have a hot-tub party. We love cold water but we love hot water too,” Rainbow said. “Except for Cloud, he only likes hot water.”
“Sometimes I don’t mind the cold,” said the taller of the two boys.
“Well you might have to put up with cold water for a while longer,” I said, holding onto my elbow with one of my hands, to deter the sea nymphs from tossing me about as a dancing partner. “I have to concentrate really hard to heat even small amounts of water—and it almost always gives me a headache.”
“Maybe it won’t give you a headache if you do it for us!” Rainbow—or was it Dawn—said excitedly.
“Maybe,” I said, because I had a feeling that arguing with the sea nymphs wouldn’t get me anywhere. I gave in and danced with them, even though the only music we had were the silly songs the boys were singing, which were mostly about bright blue water, tasty fish, and the shining sun.
“Time to circulate!” The blonde girl I’d been sitting behind for the first half of the morning barged into the middle of the dancing circle, guiding me back to my desk. I smiled gratefully as we sat down. The sea nymphs continued to dance and sing in the middle of the room, their school exercises forgotten as they drifted into their own world.
“They're quite something aren't they?” The blonde girl had the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard.
“Who?”
“The sea nymphs. They're always up for a good time. We had a few of them in my hometown. They always threw the wildest parties. I'm Amynta.”
“I'm Nessa, a redheaded sea-witch who knows nothing about the Neptunian world.”
“Don't worry, you'll catch on quick. I love your earrings by the way.” She leaned over and touched the one on my left ear, closest to her.
“Thanks. My friend bought them for me for my birthday. Your earrings are cool too.”
Amynta smiled brightly and brushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder so I could see one of them better. They were long and silver with a sparkling white crystal hanging on the end. “I'm glad you like them. Do you like fashion?”
“Yes, of course. I'm dying out here, there isn't a mall for miles.”
“I'm so glad you said that. I was worried there wouldn't be anyone who liked to shop here. I love fashion. You should sit with me at lunch. I brought copies of my favourite Italian fashion magazines.”
“You're Italian?”
She shook her head, releasing more of her beautiful laughter. “No. I'm Greek. I'm a siren.”
“Greek? But you don't even have an accent.”
“Right, you're new. Sirens don't have accents. Whatever language you speak, you hear me speak. I could speak to you and someone who only speaks Spanish at the same time and you would both understand me perfectly.”
“That must make for great traveling. What made you want to come to school here?”
She shrugged. “Back home there are a lot of sirens, and sirens don’t do well when crowded together. We’re kind of territorial, I guess. Coming here was a way for me to see the world—and to be one of a kind. As for choosing Canada, let's just say there aren't a lot of schools my mom would have approved of. I guess her and Shannon are friends from way back.” She smiled at me. Her green eyes flashed and in the light I could see the kind of wild, excited look people always had before they rode a rollercoaster.
“Are there any sea-witches in Greece?” I watched Amynta anxiously.
“A few.” She tilted her head, watching as Joanna came back into the room and gently scolded the sea nymphs for not getting to know the other students. “Most of the sea-witches keep to themselves. They’re fairly rare, you know. And they have a lot of work to do.”
That didn’t bode well for my future. “What about sirens? Do you, like, get normal jobs or do you do something Neptunian?”
Amynta laughed. “Normal jobs? Most sirens haven’t worked a day in their life. The good part about being a siren is that you can compel others to do all of your work for you. Hence the territorial bit; if a bunch of sirens are trying to get work done in the same area it can get really competitive. But, these days, the other Neptunians are trying to get us on the straight and narrow, keeping us from compelling humans and all that.” Amynta narrowed her eyes. “I haven't made up my mind if I agree with that or not.”
Amynta moved on before I was sure what I thought of her. I watched as she sashayed her way over to Markus, flashing him a bright smile as she sat down. He leaned toward her, obviously interested. I wondered if perhaps she was compelling him. I looked up as one of the many dark haired, dark eyed students sat down beside me.
“We wish to know you,” she said, nodding politely.
“We?” I asked. There was no one else with her.
“Myself, I’m Shia, and them,” she nodded in the direction of a cluster of five other students, all of which had the same dark hair and eyes. All five of them stared at me from across the room but didn’t bother to come any closer
“Aren't they going to come over here and introduce themselves?”
Shia shook her head quickly back and forth. “No. They're first years. They're too shy. Merfolk aren't used to speaking out of the water. This is my second year here so I’m much more comfortable with human speech. Am I doing good?” She looked at me with eager eyes, a shy smile on her lips. Her eyes appeared to be just a bit too far apart, and her chin was narrow and pointy. But her creamy pale skin and her beautiful long, dark, wavy hair and round curves made her beautiful in an otherworldly sort of way.
“You're doing well. I can understand you just fine.”
“Tell us about you,” she said with a formal nod of her head. “Don’t worry about the others, they can experience this conversation just as I am. Merfolk have a psychic connection to one another.”
I shot a wary glance at the five merfolk on the far side of the room. They continued to stare at me. Each one of them was different: some had short hair, some had long hair, some had short noses and others had long noses, some were girls and some were boys, but they all had wide set eyes and pointy chins, and they all blinked in sync. The only one of the merfolk who appeared independent was Shia.
“I'm Nessa. I'm a sea-witch.” I turned my gaze back to Shia. She was wearing a purple tank top that was the exact shade of violet lilacs in spring, and pair of skinny-legged jeans. I glanced back at the other merfolk who were all dressed in plain t-shirts and regular jeans. “Why do they keep staring at me like that?”
Shia tilted her head so far to the left I thought it would fall off. She blinked at me. “What do you mean?”
“The other ones, they all look at me at the same time, and move at the same time. It's... unsettling.”
“Oh,” Shia's eyes widened. “They’re from the same pod. They’re in sync with each other. They can think as one.”
“Pod?” I asked, no less confused.
“They’re brother and sister born from the same pod of eggs at precisely the same time. Merfolk are born this way, in small schools.”
“Do you have brothers and sisters here too?” I looked around the room but I saw no one moving in sync with Shia.
She bowed her head. “No, I do not. Unfortunately, I was the only one born at my time and have no one to
be in sync with. But I can communicate with the other merfolk psychically, and talk to them silently.”
“Can you read my mind?” I was afraid she would say yes, and instantly tried to shut off my thoughts, especially the ones about Caesar and how good he looked sitting at the front of the room in a grey sweater and worn-in jeans.
“No. Merfolk can only communicate this way with other merfolk, not to other Neptunians, unless we’re speaking through the ocean. Maybe one day we will show you. But for now I must go, there are others we must meet.” Shia nodded gracefully to me, and then stood, leaving a vacancy beside me. Almost immediately, one of the green, seaweed-covered boys approached me.
"Hi," I said. The... being, for lack of a better word, stared at me. His large dark green eyes were steady. His head was tilted to the left so he could run his fingers through the long, seaweed like tentacles that sprouted from his scalp. I’d never seen such an interesting, and… strange… creature before. His skin was rough, tinted the colour of green algae. He was fairly small, and the longer I looked the more human details I could see. Once I was no longer distracted by the green hair and skin, which I initially thought was covered in pimples, but now saw was covered in small barnacles, I could see that the creature was just a teenager, like me, only male.
"You’re a sea-witch?" His voice was low and gravelly, which surprised me since he didn't look big enough to have such a voice.
I nodded. "That's right, I'm Nessa. And I’m not a very good sea-witch."
The boy nodded. "I'm Telmath, and that is my brother, Paket." He indicated to a similar looking boy who stood on the far side of the room talking with one of the gigantic Tiderunners.
"It's nice to meet you." I didn’t know if I meant it, but I said it anyway. I felt out of sorts, and suddenly wished I was back with my friends in Surrey, beginning my normal school year, giggling with Marnie, and partaking in our first-day-of-school-ice-cream tradition. "So, uh, where are you from?"
Telmath blinked. "You do not know our kind?" I looked at him closely, hoping for a clue: he was wearing loose fitting jeans and a T-shirt with an anime print.
I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed by my lack of knowledge. "I don't know if you've heard, but I'm pretty new to the Neptunian world. I only found out I was a sea-witch two weeks ago."
"That’s strange. Sea-witches are born. Like us, vodiani."
"That's what you are, vodiani?"
Telmath gestured at his brother. "We are harvesters of seaweed and algae. We come from the coast of Japan, but our kind have farms all over. Many are afraid of us. Are you afraid of us?"
I shook my head. "No." Maybe I didn’t know enough about the vodiani to be afraid, but the boy looked nice—if a little green. “We’re classmates, so we’ll be friends. Maybe you can tell me about Japan sometime.”
"Good. Father says it is always good to be friends with a sea-witch." Telmath smiled at me, and I smiled back. I hoped he couldn’t tell that I felt uneasy in his presence. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but meeting so many creatures that I never would have believed existed a couple of weeks ago was unsettling. Telmath nodded at me once politely before taking his leave. I was relieved when the next person to approach me was Caesar.
"Good first day?" He sat down backward in the desk in front of mine and leaned forward, resting an elbow on my pile of schoolwork.
"I'm not sure about good. Those..." I lowered my voice in case they had super hearing. "Vodiani just asked me if I’m afraid of them. Should I be afraid of them?"
Caesar crooked his mouth to the side, giving me a sly smile. “If you need advice and a shoulder to lean on, I'm all yours.”
I had to fight my own biology to prevent myself from drooling over Caesar's broad shoulders and glinting eyes. “I’m okay with getting advice from a distance.”
He shrugged, then smiling devilishly he said, “It’s your choice, but just so you know, you’re missing out.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, if I am—and I mean if—I’ll come begging for forgiveness once I know better. For now, can you just tell me what’s up with them?” I glanced around quickly, trying to find Colleen to judge her reaction to my talking with Caesar, but she was busy speaking to the sea nymphs.
"What will you give me if I share my vodiani secrets?" Caesar reached out for my hand, which I quickly pulled off the table.
"Why don’t you just tell me out of the goodness of your heart?"
Caesar laughed, his grey eyes glinting silver. "Because it would be nice if you wanted to share something with me. You could tell me something about yourself. Information for information."
I looked at Caesar, taking in his smooth skin, and the soft look of his dark, wavy hair. He made me melt with his warm and flirtatious smile. I didn’t understand how Colleen could remain angry with him for so long. I was definitely struggling. "I'm really craving ice cream. It's kind of a back to school tradition for me. But I can't get any on the island and I'm grounded. Now spill."
“Ice cream. I love ice cream. You know –“
“Tell me about the vodiani.” I almost laughed at the seductive smile on Caesar’s face. The charm he was laying on was as thick as syrup, and he knew it. But it was almost irresistible. “And maybe—maybe—I will consider having ice cream with you one day.”
The smile on his face exploded like a shaken can of pop. “Finally the jewel begins to shine.”
“Enough with the cheese, I only said maybe. Now tell me what I need to know.”
Caesar’s smile didn’t fade, and I wondered just what saying maybe had gotten me into. “The vodiani must be respected. Never, ever, show them any type of disrespect: don't raise your voice, don't ignore them, don't ever pick seaweed from their garden, and be as overly polite and friendly as you can.” I looked at the vodiani who were talking to Colleen and the sea nymphs. Dawn was showering the vodiani brothers with smiles. Obviously, some of what Caesar was saying had to be the truth.
“What happens if I don't? What happens if I get mad at them or something?”
Caesar shook his head. “Don't ever get mad at them, because if you piss them off, they'll kill you.”