by Leesa Birch
Gasps sounded from around me as we headed through one of the more crowded rooms.
“Please stop. Put me down,” I pleaded. It came out quietly but Barrett heard me. My back was burning.
“Almost there, Ivy, hold on.” The cold night air hit me as we exited the building. The gravel in front of us crunched as a car pulled up.
“Take her!” demanded Barrett. I was placed in the back seat and someone climbed in next to me. I lay across his lap as the car pulled out of the drive hastily.
“Ivy, what happened?” It was Gary’s lap I was on. I lay on my side with the skin on my back red raw. Barrett spoke up.
“I think she’s been drugged. Her voice is slurred and her pupils are very large. You should have let me go after Spencer. Look at what I did to her back carrying her out of there; my suit jacket wasn’t thick enough to stop me from burning her. I hope you caught him.” Gary’s fingers lightly touched my skin. I flinched.
“I caught him alright. After a brief, shall we say, discussion with Spencer, I turned him over to Mr. Lewis.” I felt very sleepy. The car was a much smoother ride than the van. I drifted off with Gary holding my hand.
I was in bed when I woke up. My head was killing me. The morning sun was shining through the cabin windows onto the bed. Lying on my stomach, I tried to move. I let out a small moan as my back tightened.
“Keep still, sweetheart. You’re home now.” I turned my head to make sure it was Kane.
“You were right about the dress,” I admitted. I tried to look up at him but he was just out of view. The dress wasn’t. It was hanging on the bathroom door. “Would you burn it for me?” The bed wobbled as Kane got off and took the dress outside. The draught across my body made it quite clear that I was naked. Goosebumps along my back made me bite the pillow in pain.
Hearing the door close, I released the pillow. Kane lay on his side on the bed next to me. He handed me a glass of water with a straw in it.
“How bad is it?” I asked. Pushing himself up onto his elbow, he carefully traced around the burns.
“You have a nice stripe along your back here, and another one across the back of your thighs here.” I winced as his fingers drew near. “I’m not sure when the Elders will drop by to help. They’re a bit busy with the lake problems. Here, this might help a little.” A cold, wet cloth was placed across my back and thighs.
Kane lay back down and looked deep into my eyes. I could tell he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He carefully pulled me across so that I was leant against him. He kissed me gently as he laid my head on his chest. I wanted to know what was bothering him and I knew it wasn’t just last night’s catastrophe. Maybe I was just being paranoid.
I thought about telling him what I had done to Spencer but I wasn’t really sure myself. It scared me and I didn’t want to add to his problem - whatever that was.
Grogan knocked on the door just as we finished breakfast. I pulled the sheet covering anything he didn’t need to see.
“Morning, you two. I hear that you managed to get yourself into trouble again, Ivy. Lucky Gary and Barrett were there with you.” He strode across the room and perched on the edge of the bed. “Hmm, looks nasty. Barrett did that?” Grogan’s hands were cold as he examined my latest injuries.
“He didn’t mean to, Grogan. I’m just happy he was wearing gloves. My head hurts more than the burns. I know what you’re going to say. It was my own fault, the evils of alcohol, etc. I was told I’d be safe. So far, two out of three jobs I’ve done for the council have ended in injury.”
My headache lifted as Grogan took my pain. The burns took a little longer though. “How does that feel? Better?” he asked. I nodded without causing myself harm. “Good, because the council have another job for you, Ivy.” I twisted carefully, holding up the sheet. Kane didn’t look very happy about the news and Grogan seemed concerned. “You know about the problems with the lakes first hand, Ivy. The council want you to take some samples to a lab they have out in Arizona. I know it’s a little out of the way, but it’s central to a lot of the affected lakes. Before you voice your concerns, Kane, Gary and Barrett will be going with her.”
Grogan turned from Kane to me. “You’ll be gone a few days, Ivy. You’ll need to wait for the results before coming back. It’s a secure facility in the middle of nowhere. You’ll be fine.” There was that phrase again. Every time someone said it, bad things occurred - usually to me.
“Is it damp in here?” Grogan asked. I looked at Kane and then fiddled with my sheet uncomfortably.
After Grogan left I was expecting some sort of a lecture on personal safety. It never came.
“It’ll be a long three days without you, Ivy,” he said, playing with my hair.
“Why, will you miss me? I’m sure you have some cows to keep you occupied until I get back.” He smiled.
“You know the herd don’t fall for my charms anymore. Besides, I think that sheet belongs to me.” His eyes transformed into lustrous black spheres as he made a grab for the sheet. I held it tight as he tried to wrestle it away. A tug of war ensued and a lot of giggling. I didn’t put up too much of a fight though. It was a win-win situation either way.
As Kane was heading to the ranch and I would be away for a few days, I bent the rules a little on the goodbye kissing. Gary had pretty much exhausted the van’s horn before I managed to get out of the door.
“Really, Ivy - you’ve only just had your water put back on.” I gave Gary my best sarcastic look as I climbed into the back of the van.
“Here are the samples Grogan took earlier. Guard them with your life, I’ve been told to say.” Barrett handed me some phials in a small, metal container. He seemed a little awkward with me today.
“Are you okay, Barrett? If you’re worried about the other night, don’t be. Grogan healed me. It’s not like they were my worst injuries ever. Ask him. Besides, if you hadn’t have been there, Gary would have had to shoot the door. I know he likes that.” Gary grunted something from the driver’s seat. Barrett smiled. He seemed to relax a little more after that.
The conversation on the plane to Arizona was mostly Gary telling Barrett how prone to disaster I was. He was a little too graphic, describing some of my more horrifying injuries too. I shuddered. Some things were just meant to be forgotten.
The heat of the desert hit us as we disembarked the plane. I hoped the lab had decent air conditioning. British people didn’t do that well in high temperatures; Lake Dwellers would probably do worse. Barrett loaded up a new van with plenty of water. Dehydration could become an issue here.
“How far is it to the facility?” I asked.
Gary looked at his watch. “About an hour. But it’s off the beaten track. Not far from a water refinery.” I climbed into the van and we headed off.
The heat was stifling in the back of the van, even with the windows open. The rumbling of the tyres on the not-so-new road, coupled with the temperature made me feel sleepy.
“Maybe you should drink more water, Ivy.” Barrett was right. I wondered how he was coping as he lived underwater when he wasn’t working for the council. I was about to make a joke about him looking a little green around the gills, when an explosion in the distance caused the van to swerve.
Gary tried to turn into the skid but lost control. The wheels screeched then the van tipped. I was thrown sideways as a case of bottled water hit me. I didn’t land gracefully - neither did the case of water. It landed square across my chest, winding me.
As the van slowed to a stop, I pushed the case off me and checked the others. Holding my ribs, I made my way to the front.
“Gary! Barrett!” Barrett groaned as he came to. Gary wasn’t in the van. Coughing, Barrett managed a brief, “I’m okay.”
I pushed aside more cases of water and kicked the back door of the van open. Stumbling out onto the road, I looked around for Gary. A body in a dark suit was lying motionless about thirty feet away. I ran over to him, dropping to my knees.
“Gary! Ca
n you hear me?” The noise of power lines crashing across the road in front of us startled me. Loose wires made zapping noises as they broke free from their poles. “Gary!” I ripped open his shirt, shifted my eyes and felt for the damage. He had fallen quite badly, damaging one of his legs. I had trouble moving it. Once I had, I repaired any torn muscles and twisted bones. Placing my hands back on his chest, I fixed a broken rib, removed potential bruising and his concussion. “Gary,” I slapped him hard. “Wake up! We may have a problem.”
Over the noise of the zapping live wires I could hear the familiar sound of rushing water. As Gary came round, I helped him into a sitting position. Barrett looked a little unsure of his footing as he scrambled out of the van. His injuries would have to wait. I couldn’t heal him without hurting myself. The sound of water was getting closer. I was terrified at what I saw when I stood up.
A large body of water was moving at speed towards us and the live wires. I looked around frantically for somewhere to run to. I didn’t think we would make the nearest rocky mound.
“What do we do?” Gary made his way over to Barrett who had his phone in his hand.
“We need them to shut the power off before the water hits us. Ivy, you have to hold the water back until it’s done.” What? Were they insane? I looked at the van. Maybe if it wasn’t on its side we would be alright. “Ivy!” I didn’t have time to argue.
My eyes shifted as I held out my hands, trying not to panic. The rushing water stopped ten feet or so away from me. I let out a slight grunt as it hit the invisible barrier I produced. Standing as if I was pushing against a large rock, I pushed back at it. The water began to create a wall, growing with speed in front of us. Barrett gasped behind me.
“Man, she’s strong. No wonder the purists are afraid of her.” Gary was frantically yelling down the phone to someone. I wavered a little and tried to regain my composure.
“Hurry up! I can’t hold it. There’s too much water!” My arms trembled against the sheer volume of it. The wall grew outwards as fast as it rose. I dropped to my knees as the tsunami’s rim began to curl maybe fifty feet above us.
“Now, Ivy, let it go!” shouted Gary. I wasn’t strong enough to let it go gently. The wall collapsed as I brought my arms up to shield myself. The water hit us hard, pushing everyone down the road. The van whizzed by my elbow, just missing me.
I lay coughing up water as the torrent dissipated over the red landscape. I tried to push myself up as I looked around for the others. Barrett stood by the now-upright van, looking refreshed. Gary was sat on the ground, holding Barrett’s phone in shock.
“That was impressive,” Barrett commented as he held out his gloved hand to me. I took it and he pulled me up off the floor. I wobbled a little as I tried to regain some semblance of balance. My hands were hot and shaky.
“What happened?” I surveyed the damage whilst holding my ribs. “Gary?” He seemed a little stunned.
“There was an explosion at the water refinery. That’s all they’d tell me. Are you alright?” He pointed to the ribs I cradled.
“I’m okay. I got hit with a case of water in the van; just bruised I guess.”
Water poured from the van as we opened the doors. What a mess. I shifted broken cases of water out of the way to find the container with the samples.
“They’re okay - the phials aren’t broken,” I said to the others. Gary tried to start the van. It made a terrible noise, then nothing.
“We’re not going anywhere for a while, the engine’s flooded.” He opened the hood for a closer inspection.
“Maybe Ivy can help with that,” offered Barrett. Gary considered it for a moment.
“Okay, Ivy, what do you know about engines?” I shrugged my shoulders at him.
“Not much,” I said, “What do you want me to do?”
Gary ushered me to the front of the van.
“I need you to remove all the water from the engine, apart from that bit.” I looked to see where he was pointing.
“I’m not sure, guys. I might accidentally blow it up - then we’d be in even bigger trouble.” I don’t think the thought had even crossed their minds.
Barrett looked around the red landscape. “We could always just sit here in the searing Arizona sun and wait until the engine dries out naturally.” Gary raised his eyebrows in a pleading manner.
“Fine, but wouldn’t it be less risky if I removed all the water, then you refill that bit?” Gary nodded in submission. “Okay, you’d better stand back just in case.”
After helping myself to some water, I still felt a little drained from the surprise flood. I stood facing the van’s engine. Not wanting to botch the task, I concentrated hard on the moisture. I didn’t feel a buzz this time. Maybe that only happened when I dry myself? The van shook slightly then water ran through the engine onto the floor. No ‘poof’ either. The water pooled around my feet gently. Nice. I smiled, proud of myself that I didn’t blow anything up.
Gary refilled the water tank and tried again. After a couple of turns, the engine ticked over. “Let’s try again.” We all climbed back into the van and headed for the lab.
The facility was larger than I had expected. Most of the building consisted of concrete with a glass panelled roof. The glare as the sun bounced off it was almost blinding. No one greeted us as we pulled up outside. The place looked abandoned.
“Wait here with Ivy while I check the place out,” Gary said to Barrett.
I watched as the heat blurred the distant landscape.
“How are you coping with the dry heat?” I asked Barrett. I wasn’t doing too well with it. He raised his eyebrows and sighed.
“Maybe this wasn’t the greatest idea.” He fidgeted in his suit. “And no matter how often I come on land, I simply can’t get used to wearing clothes.” I thought about that for a second. It didn’t occur to me that in their original state they wouldn’t be clothed. I supposed seals would find it difficult swimming around the ocean in a suit.
“I think you would attract too much attention walking around naked though,” I joked.
Barrett grinned. “If you say so, Ivy.”
Gary wandered out of the glass entrance doors with a dishevelled-looking man.
“There’s no need to drag me. I was in the middle of an experiment!” The man in the white coat tried his best to protest.
“The facility is almost empty. Found this guy though. He said the rest of the staff were told to clear out while he worked on our little problem. Top secret and all that.” Barrett stepped forward, removing his glove.
He held out his hand to shake. “Nice to meet you....”
“Ryan, my name is Ryan.” Barrett held Ryan’s hand firmly as he towered above him.
“This is Ivy, who will be waiting for the results with you. She is very special to us,” he said. I wasn’t sure but it sounded like a threat. I just waved and gave him a goofy smile. The poor guy looked ready to run. I knew that look well. Being shy, my first instinct was always to run.
Barrett removed his hand from Ryan’s and came over to where Gary and I were standing.
“Well?” Gary asked.
“Mostly jittery. With a slight odour of deceitfulness.” Gary thought about Barrett’s remarks and offered, “It’s probably all the secrets he’s had to keep over the years.
Everything here is classified. Ivy, I have to take the van back to get it serviced after the tsunami on the highway. I’m taking Barrett back with me. He looks a little green around the gills.” I’d so wanted to say that! He was right though. Barrett was having trouble hiding his true skin colour.
“I’ll be fine. Just hang around and wait for the results. I know, keep out of trouble.” Gary looked at the uncomfortable lab technician.
“I’ll be back in the morning. First thing - okay?” I nodded. I was looking forward to the peace and quiet.
I waited until the van was a blur on the horizon and followed Ryan inside. Thankfully, it had air conditioning.
“Would you
like to follow me, miss; we’ll get the tests started straightaway.” I gave him the container with the lake samples inside and followed as instructed.
“Please, call me Ivy.”
The whole facility, well the parts I saw, were white; everything - floors, walls, ceilings and lights. It was very shiny indeed. We didn’t pass anybody on the way to Ryan’s lab. Our footsteps echoed down the corridors.
“Welcome to my parlour,” said Ryan. The room wasn’t as spotless as the rest of the facility. There were active experiments, test tubes and bubbling liquid, plus cabinets of weird-looking things in jars.
Ryan took the phials out of their container and sat them in a rack. I found a stool in the corner out of the way. I hoped he could find an answer for what was happening to the lake. I had a sneaking suspicion, however, that it wasn’t just biological.