Ondine

by Ebony McKenna

  ‘What’s all the racket?’ Ma said, as she came out to the garden and took in the scene of Ondine crying with a black ferret at her feet. ‘What did he do to you?’

  ‘It’s yer mad auntie, she’s struck me down again, and I didnae do anything!’ Shambles complained, rubbing his furry paws over his head in anguish.

  ‘We only kissed,’ Ondine said, surprised to hear her words come out as a croak.

  ‘That’s highly inappropriate, Ondine de Groot,’ Ma said.

  It’s a sure sign of trouble when parents use your full name,56 and Ondine knew better than to argue with her parents when they were in a foul mood. Actually, arguing with them at any point often proved a waste of time because she seldom emerged the winner. But all good sense had flown because their Beautiful Kiss57 had ended too soon, as had Hamish’s human form.

  ‘It was just a kiss,’ she found herself repeating in a tone that implied it didn’t really matter, when in reality it really, really did matter. It mattered a whole lot. She’d become good friends with Shambles the ferret, but Hamish the young man seemed the answer to her dreams. How long had she imagined what he’d be like as a real person? Then to get a glimpse of his true self, to let him into her heart – only to have it taken away so soon. Could life become any crueller?

  Shambles was still busy swearing. Loudly and lustily.

  ‘Get inside, Ondine. I’d like to speak to Hamish alone,’ Ma said.

  ‘You’re so unfair.’ Ondine wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. ‘I’m not a baby, so stop treating me like one!’

  ‘We’ll stop treating you like one when you stop behaving like one,’ Ma shot back.

  In frustration, Ondine’s hands balled into fists. This was an argument she couldn’t win, but she’d try anyway. ‘You were my age when you and Da got together, so that makes you a hypocrite as well!’

  ‘It was different then –’ Ma started.

  ‘Oh, blow it out your ear!’

  Things went very silent. Ondine slapped her hand over her mouth in shock. She’d never spoken to her mother like that before, and the power of it made her heart hammer against her ribs.

  Ma stood there, mouth agape. Even Shambles stopped swearing and moaning on the ground.

  With lips pressed into two straight lines of fury, Ma straightened her shoulders and drew herself up to her full height, which was a couple of centimetres short of her youngest child. When had her mother shrunk so? Ondine wondered about this for a nanosecond before they resumed the mother–daughter showdown.

  Her voice low and dangerous, Ma said, ‘Show some respect for your elders.’

  ‘Is that the best you can come up with? Speaking to me like I’m a child? Ma, I’m nearly sixteen. I’m allowed to kiss whoever I like!’

  ‘It wasnae her fault,’ Shambles piped up. ‘It was all me doing. I took advantage of her, and that must be why I’m a ferret again. I had lusty thoughts and didnae feel worthy of her.’

  Confusion knotted Ondine’s brain. Their encounter had been nothing like Shambles described. The way she remembered it, Hamish had given her a chaste kiss on the cheek, and she’d demanded more. Her cheeks flushed with heat.

  ‘It’s “whomever”.58 Now get inside, Ondine – you’re overtired.’

  It must have been pure aggravation that made Ondine say what she said next, because no rational person would have blurted it out.

  ‘Oh yeah, fine, send me to my room. But while you’ve been so busy spying on me, you haven’t even noticed that Cybelle and Chef are making eyes at each other.’

  ‘She’s just saying things. Don’t listen to her,’ Shambles said, but his intervention made no impact.

  The colour drained from Ma’s face and for the first time in Ondine’s memory, her mother was at a loss for words.

  A huge and theatrical yawn escaped Shambles’s little mouth, as if he’d given up on both of them. Or he just wanted to clear the area for the oncoming catfight. ‘I did me best, ye wouldnae listen. I’m for the laundry. Goodnight, ladies.’

  Heavy, nasty guilt sank into Ondine’s feet. She couldn’t move. She’d just dropped her sister right in it, and Cybelle had done nothing to deserve it. If Ondine believed she was entitled to happiness, weren’t her sisters entitled to the same?

  Which made her a hypocrite of the highest order.

  Between clenched teeth, her mother said, ‘Go. To. Your. Room.’

  Something made Ondine’s feet move, although her brain felt so fogged she had no idea how she managed to find the way to her bedroom and crawl under the covers.

  Sunlight pierced daggers through the curtain gaps. She feared sleep because of the frightening dreams that might come her way. Should she stay awake and feel miserable, or fall asleep and have her subconscious make her feel worse?

  In the end, the choice was not hers to make. Despite the beams of early morning light in her room, Ondine passed into unconsciousness, just before the worst few hours of her life unfolded.

  51 You liar, I’m going to bash you.

  52 I’ll put my fist where it’s not welcome.

  53 I’ll get my revenge.

  54 And don’t even think about trying to silence me.

  55 Sorry to break it to you. Santa’s just a modern-day symbol of the Christmas season and the spirit of giving. Or rampant consumerism. Ach, dry yer eyes.

  56 How to judge parental mood by the name they call you. e.g. Ondi = Ma in a good mood. Ondine = Ma is busy. Ondine de Groot = Ma is really narked. Ondine Benedicte Wilhelmina de Groot = Ma’s just walked in and Ondine’s standing over a dead body with a bloody knife in her hand.

  57 This had been her first Serious Kiss, so it required capitalisation. Considering Ondine was fifteen, it shows how protected her life had been up until that point.

  58 What is it with parents always correcting your grammar? They’d never do it to their friends.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Ondine had the strangest sensation of having had a particularly awful dream. Shambles had become a real man, and a stunningly handsome one at that, but then some force took it all away and he was back to being a ferret. As her brain clicked and whirred into wakefulness, she knew it was no dream. Waking up further, she sprang out of bed and clutched her stomach. She wanted to be sick, and for so many reasons. Last night, she’d made a fool of herself in front of Hamish and in front of her mother. Topping it off, she’d robbed her middle sister of any privacy she might have enjoyed while her parents were distracted with Margi and Thomas.

  There was a choice to be made. Get out of bed and face her mother and sister or stay in her room forever. A staccato rap on the door put paid to any notion that it was hers to make.

  ‘Ondi, get up, family meeting,’ Da said.

  ‘I want at her first,’ Cybelle said.

  With an angry look that could strip paint, Cybelle burst into her room and slammed the door behind her. Black panda smudges circled her eyes where the neat eyeliner used to be.

  Nasty, heavy things tumbled around in Ondine’s stomach.

  ‘How dare you!’ Cybelle’s face was red with fury. ‘Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Chef’s going to get the sack because of you!’

  ‘I’m . . . I’m sorry,’ Ondine blurted. Hot tears sprang into her eyes and blurred her vision. ‘I’m so sorry, Cybelle. I didn’t mean it. I was so angry with Ma . . . it . . . it . . . just came out.’

  Cybelle stood there with her hands on her hips, her lips pressed white in a hard, straight line. Just as her mother’s had been the night before.

  ‘Sorry’s not good enough! You’ve just ruined my life. I hope you’re happy!’

  With that, Cybelle slapped her hard on the cheek. Pain seared Ondine’s face, but she didn’t put up a fight.

  ‘I deserved that.’ Hot tears splashed her face. ‘Belle, I’m so sorry, I really a–’

  Cybelle slapped her other cheek, spreading the pain. Behind Cybelle, Da charged in, grabbing his middle daughter in a bear hug.
/>   ‘That’s enough!’

  Cybelle flailed her arms, kicked her legs out and screamed so hard bits of spit flew out of her mouth, ‘I hate her, I hate her! She’s not my sister!’

  ‘Calm down, love. It’s all right, I’ll not sack Chef.’

  Fresh tears sprang from Ondine, and she covered her face in shame. Heavy guilt roiled in her stomach and curdled her brain. All she wanted to do was stay in her room and cry. Her father would have none of it, demanding her attendance downstairs.

  Not caring what she looked like, Ondine shrugged on a dressing gown and trudged down to the gathering.

  Old Col sat regally at the top of the table, while Shambles stood before her, pleading his case, ‘What did ye do to me, Col? I thought ye lifted the spell.’

  ‘I did,’ the elderly woman said with a tired shrug. ‘I’m as much in the dark about this as you. My only guess is the full moon must have played some part. We all know there’s nowhere to hide on the night of a full moon.’

  ‘Spare yer epithets,’ Shambles said, and he turned to see Ondine, Da and Cybelle walk in.

  Da’s mouth fell open in surprise. ‘Ondi, I can hear him talk now.’

  If her father could hear Shambles, it would save time with translations. It also eroded any last vestiges of privacy she might have had with him. Not that she deserved any privacy after what she’d blurted out about Cybelle last night.

  Shambles nodded to Ondine to acknowledge her entrance, then resumed his pleading to Old Col, throwing his short arms around as he talked.

  ‘But I didn’t do anything wrong. We all know that. I was being responsible for the first time in my life. It was just a kiss, it was never going to go any further. Why would that make me turn back into . . . into this?’

  Just a kiss had been the same words Ondine had used. They were a lie so she could save face. But hearing Hamish-as-Shambles say it to someone else, with everyone listening, well, that was a different matter entirely. Maybe to him it was just a kiss, but to her it was everything.

  Old Col looked at the ferret. ‘Ah, but you see, Hamish, maybe this isn’t a punishment after all. Maybe the full moon shone a light on the kind of man you could be.’ Her eyes glistened with confidence.

  Ondine had no idea what the old woman was banging on about. Forget sage advice, this was more like scratching around for answers like a chicken in a compost heap.

  ‘Enough of that,’ Da said, taking his seat at the other end of the table and pulling Ondine down beside him. Cybelle sat across from them so she could shoot her sister filthy looks. The fact that Cybelle also sat beside Chef was not lost on anyone, particularly Josef.

  Incredibly, Ma stayed quiet as Shambles approached Ondine and climbed on to the crook of her arm. If this had been last night, if he’d been a man again, his touch would have sent searing heat into her bloodstream. But it was the morning. He was a ferret again. What a passion killer!

  ‘I am sorry about last night. I’m sorry I made ye cry,’ Shambles said.

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ Ondine managed, giving him a wan smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Maybe he was a ferret again because she didn’t want him to leave. Wasn’t that what she’d been turning over in her head yesterday? If he became human again, he’d probably leave. If he remained a ferret, he’d stay with her.

  The head of the household cleared his throat and directed his comments to Chef. ‘I have a blinding headache from last night, so excuse my lack of manners. Henrik, I want to know what your intentions are with Cybelle.’

  They could all tell by Da’s clipped tone that it was not a request. And he’d called Chef by his real name for the first time in ages. Ondine’s heart sank. Their father had been softening so nicely lately – now he seemed to have reverted to caveman mentality.

  Cybelle kept her head bowed, her hands clenched into fists on the table. Every now and then she lifted her eyes to shoot Ondine a greasy look of utter contempt, before resuming her sulk.

  Nobody said anything for a few seconds as everyone else’s eyes fell on Henrik.

  When Henrik spoke, his voice was quiet but determined. ‘No, Josef. It’s private. This is something between me and Cybelle, no one else.’

  In shock, Cybelle lifted her head and smiled as she looked with pride at her paramour. Henrik glanced back at Cybelle, and traced his fingers over her white knuckles.

  Nothing came out of Da for a moment, such was his surprise. He swallowed and started again. Like a spluttering lawn mower, it took a while before he got a good spin going. ‘You will tell me, because it concerns my daughter, and your tenure here as an employee,’ he demanded.

  So he was about to sack him? Ondine couldn’t believe how nasty her father sounded.

  ‘Remind me never to play poker with your da,’ Shambles whispered.

  ‘I heard that,’ Josef said, turning his now-famous frosty stare towards Ondine, which nailed her to the spot. After he’d turned her blood to ice, he looked over everyone at the table. ‘Who else heard him? Show of hands.’

  Gradually, everybody raised a hand to about shoulder height, even Henrik.

  ‘All of you?’ Ondine blurted.

  They nodded. Her heart sank. There really was no privacy in a large family and, judging by the extra people sitting around the table, hers was about to get larger.

  Shambles piped up, ‘That’s great news! If ye can all hear me, it must mean the spell is breaking.’

  Da turned to Henrik, waiting for an answer from his earlier question.

  Henrik kept his voice low and steady as his eyes locked with Josef’s. ‘Mr de Groot, if you sack me, you’ll be minus a chef. I’ll go and find another job. But it won’t stop me seeing Cybelle. Only Cybelle can decide that.’

  A strange icy feeling spread through the room.

  ‘That’s right,’ Cybelle said in little more than a whisper as she touched Henrik’s arm for support. ‘If Henrik goes, I’ll go too. Then you’ll be short one chef and one daughter.’

  Blotches of red bloomed on Da’s face, while the veins on his neck doubled in size and threatened to burst. Ondine felt she might be sick from all the excitement.

  ‘What he means is, he wants what’s best for Belle,’ Ma interrupted. ‘We want you to be happy, sweetheart.’

  ‘My head is killing me,’ Da said by way of explanation. ‘I know this is coming out wrong, but this is all a big shock to me.’

  Henrik spoke again, ‘It’s only an hour till lunch, so if you want to sack me, better do it now, otherwise I’ve got work to do.’ At that he rose from his seat.

  Josef said nothing more. Henrik kissed the top of Cybelle’s head, not gloating in victory, just confirming that he and Cybelle were united. A team.

  A stab of jealousy pierced Ondine’s heart as she watched her mother wrap her arms around Da’s shoulders in comfort, while Margi rested her head on Thomas’s shoulder. Hope sank like a stone as she sat there with a talking ferret instead of the real man he should be, a real man she could fall in love with.

  Things then took a turn for the worse as Ma looked towards her.

  ‘Ondine, you may give me that apology now.’

  It would have been so convenient if Melody or even Mrs Howser had come in at that point, to break the tension. No luck – they were sleeping off the party. As they weren’t family, they’d been spared the meeting. A hard lump formed in Ondine’s throat as she swallowed. She’d never shouted at her mother like she had last night, and it called for a grovelling apology. Everyone was looking at her, and it made it that much harder to deliver when all she wanted to do was crawl into a cave. Preferably one with a big rock she could shove over the entrance. Life as a hermit held tremendous appeal.

  ‘I’m sorry, Ma.’ Ondine’s voice was barely above a whisper as she bowed her head.

  ‘Didn’t quite catch that,’ Ma shot back.

  Ondine tried to swallow again. ‘I’m sorry, Ma.’ This time it came out like a squeak, but it was louder and at least her mother would hear it.
/>   ‘For what?’

  Ondine lifted her head and looked directly in her mother’s eyes. ‘I’m sorry, Ma, for being rude to you last night, and for answering back, and for implying you talk out of your ear.’ Tears blurred her vision.

  Ma smiled and said, ‘Thank you, I appreciate that. Now you may apologise to Cybelle.’

  Oh great, she had to go through it all over again.

  ‘I’m so deeply sorry, Belle, for betraying your trust and telling Ma about something I shouldn’t have.’

  ‘I don’t accept it. You had no right to say anything, you –’

  ‘Belle, that’s enough,’ Da interrupted.

  An uncomfortable silence descended around the table.

  Ma cleared her throat. ‘Good. Now go to your room, Ondine. You’re grounded until I say so. I’ll let you say goodbye to Melody and Mrs Howser, but that’s it. And then we’ll talk about changing your electives for school. Joining the ski team is no longer an option.’

  Something heavy drained out of Ondine. It could have been her fighting spirit, or perhaps her sense of justice. Had her parents just taken her choices away from her? For what? Gossiping about her sister? She couldn’t move her legs. Shock rooted her to the spot.

  ‘You’re going to take my ski lessons from me because I was rude?’

  Da spoke up. ‘No, we’ll need to change your electives because we can’t afford them any more.59 You’ll need to choose classes that have the least number of excursions and the cheapest text books. We now have two weddings to plan and they cost more than your education.’

  ‘What?’ Cybelle looked shocked. ‘Why should I get married? I’m not getting married! Nobody gets married any more.’

  ‘I don’t care how modern you think you are, there are some traditions I insist on. You are getting married. That is one argument you will not win,’ Ma said.

  Forget her sister not wanting to get married, Ondine was still reeling about her curtailed studies. ‘But what about all the jewellery and money you kept?’

  It was Ma’s turn to blush. ‘It’s gone, Ondi. We spent it on renovations. That’s why we couldn’t afford to close the dining room last night. We need everything we can get.’