Beneath the Waves

by Ali Vali

  “We padded our absolute goal date with a forty-day cushion, and we’re well below that, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” Frankie said, as if that fact would calm everyone down. “Vivien always exceeds expectations, and I don’t see her coming up short this time.”

  Frankie, or Franklin Winston Palmer V, as the board referred to him, wore a suit and tie, but Vivien knew the twin to her shell rested at the base of his throat. It was one of the many things they had in common, along with being the two sole heirs to Palmer Oil. Their father was taking his turn at the helm, but their fate as far as he was concerned was to run the company and grow it like every generation of Palmers before them, whether they wanted to or not. On most days she leaned toward the “or not” part of the equation, since her father didn’t tolerate any deviation from his carefully plotted plan well.

  “Franklin’s right. We’ll be fine, and they’ll back off,” Winston said as he stood again. “They know better than anyone how hungry the world is for oil, and Triton’s sitting on a shitload of it. If they fail us on anything just to be petty and set us back, there’ll be hell to pay.”

  Her father wasn’t allowed near inspectors for a reason, but that didn’t stop him from delivering that particular lecture whenever he could when she was within earshot, since she was the one responsible for making them happy with their facilities. To show weakness toward any asshole with a clipboard representing the state or the federal government was tantamount to treason in Winston’s worldview.

  “The world is hungry for oil, but it scares women and children when they see it floating on the surface in big globs because some corporate douche bag wanted to cut corners,” she said sweetly, and this time Frankie did laugh.

  The vein bulging on her father’s forehead made her stop talking, but she did straighten to her full five feet two inches to show she wasn’t backing down. She was often described, no matter that it gave her heartburn, as short, cute, and blond, but no roughneck in the Gulf dared fuck with her more than once. She’d earned both the respect and reputation she’d received one confrontation at a time.

  “Perhaps we’ll invite an expert on manners to our next meeting to discuss what is and isn’t appropriate language at board meetings,” her father said as most of his cronies nodded. “The floor’s open for discussion now that Vivien is finished.” That was his warning for her to keep her mouth shut, but so did everyone else, so they adjourned earlier than Vivien thought.

  “In my office,” Winston said before attending to the men who’d lingered.

  “You know,” Frankie whispered when he rolled his wheelchair next to her, “calling him and these other douche bags out isn’t your finest hour.”

  “A reality check never hurt anyone.”

  “Uh-huh,” he said, and took her hand. “You have some time before you have to report to the principal’s office?”

  “For you, always.”

  Chapter Two

  Galen sat on her throne and gazed down at Kai, then sighed because their separation would come when this gathering concluded. How had time flown by so fast? However, Kai needed to begin the quest everyone made when they’d come of age. She’d be gone for months, and Galen would see Kai’s face only on a screen. Her partner Hadley sat next to her with her hand over hers, undoubtedly having the same thoughts about their daughter, but she looked justifiably proud.

  Every child in their realm started school in their third year, and until they were twelve, they learned all their lessons in the classroom. Everyone studied history to better understand what direction their future should take, and all citizens were free to choose what they would dedicate themselves to. Everyone but Kai, and only she and Hadley understood the weight of the expectations of all those people on your head.

  Hadley had taken the same approach to parenting her parents had, once Kai learned to walk. That had been a special time for Hadley, and more important than the lessons on how not only to defend herself and the realm was teaching Kai the strategies it would take to do it well.

  All those hours with Hadley had given Kai not only a solid foundation but a quick wit that Galen had come to love. Even as a toddler Kai had been fiercely independent, but in the training arena she’d listened and taken all Hadley’s instructions seriously. For that reason Hadley had allowed Kai to accompany some of their squads out on patrol from the time she was ten.

  Those opportunities had given Kai’s independent streak the chance to lead her into trouble at times, but never because of bad intent. Hadley and the other trainers had done a good job of reining Kai in without being harsh, since neither of them could reprimand their daughter for a trait she’d inherited from both of them.

  Stubborn determination was as big a part of who Kai was as her broad shoulders, dark hair, and eyes as green as the water on clear days. Though she shared many of their traits, her looks were all Hadley, and Galen had rejoiced in that fact from her birth. Hadley had captured her heart completely from almost their first meeting, and eventually some other lucky soul would experience the same joy with Kai.

  “Enough sappy thoughts, my love,” she heard Hadley whisper. “Don’t keep the tadpole waiting.”

  She pinched the top of Hadley’s hand before smiling at Kai. “What quest have you chosen, team-leader Merlin?”

  Kai came closer and dropped to her knees as a sign of respect. She now wore the suit of a warrior, the one they’d gifted her with, but with one small distinction. The triton symbol lying at the center of her throat was gold instead of silver, marking her as royalty. The suit’s navy material was thin but protected her from blades, bullets, and a multitude of other threats as well as regulated body temperature in all depths. Like Hadley, Kai looked strong and regal in it.

  “Your majesties, I’m headed to the Gulf of Mexico and the waters that drain into it. That part of our world is sick, and it’s our responsibility to try to heal it before it’s too late.”

  “It’s never too late, child,” Oba Rhode said from her position three steps down from the thrones. “History teaches us this, but you’ve chosen well.”

  The high priestess and shaman of their realm had chosen the name Oba for the river goddess when she’d taken her vows. She was young, compared to her predecessor, but none of the others had complained when Galen chose her. Oba had a gift rarely seen with their people, and she had greatly helped both her and Hadley since she’d been given the water orb, one of the most treasured relics in their kingdom.

  The priestess assigned to the first settlers had brought the orb from their homeland, and only the queen and the high priestess touched it. It granted the guardian the power to see the future, even if the woman wasn’t talented in that area. In Oba, though, the orb had found a true master, who could combine its power with hers so the future became as real and accurate as the present in cases the orb pronounced necessary.

  “Thank you,” Kai said and nodded slightly in Oba’s direction. “I’ll do everything in my power to make you proud,” she said to her mothers.

  “Who’ll go with you?” Hadley asked.

  “Talia Hessen and Isla Sander have accepted my invitation.” Both women, who had watched over Kai for years, stepped closer and dropped to their knees. Their triton spears shone as brightly as Kai’s. Each warrior eventually received a silver one that was a replica of the golden triton that belonged to the queen. “While we’re on land, Ivan and Ram will guard the outpost we finished last month.”

  Kai glanced up to the two great whites swimming lazily above the dome where they were gathered. She’d raised the two sharks from infancy, and they shared a spirit bond that allowed them to swim wherever she did. Even at the current depth, they were both fine. No matter where she went, Ivan and Ram would follow and gladly give their lives to keep her safe.

  “Rise,” Galen said as she and Hadley stood. “As your queen I wish you calm seas and success, but as your mother I pray for your safety. Remember well all your lessons, and never stray too far from the water,” Galen said
for only Hadley and Kai to hear.

  “I won’t, Highness, and I promise to be good.” Kai smiled up at them, then winked as she climbed up to join them. Only the high council and important guests were present in the throne room, but the proceedings were being broadcast throughout the realm. Usually graduations from their military and science academy were large affairs presided over by her mother Hadley, but like in every important moment of her life, everyone wanted to share her accomplishments. At times she longed for the anonymity of a large crowd.

  “Sisters, I vow to protect the realm, the water, and our queen and her consort until my final day.” She placed her hand on the golden triton and welcomed the power that coursed through her. This phenomenon occurred only when the rightful heirs to the throne held the ancient object.

  “May the gods watch over you,” Galen said.

  Kai’s hand began to glow, and she raised it toward the water above them. “And you, my Queen.” The stream of light from her hand went through the glass and lit the ocean around them as it streaked to the surface. The cameras followed it so everyone could see the lightning bolt Kai had produced, proving to their subjects that the next in line would be even more powerful than her mother.

  “Long prosper Atlantis,” Kai yelled when she lowered her hand and took Galen’s as every citizen in attendance and beyond echoed her cry.

  *

  Frankie’s corner office was a duplicate of Vivien’s, though his displayed the treasures she’d found over the years. While she detested spending time in the Palmer Building in downtown New Orleans, Frankie thrived there, especially when it came to the contract negotiations that garnered them the new business that kept her on the water. The Gulf of Mexico’s new frontier in oil exploration at the moment was over the outer shelf, and that’s where she spent most of her time.

  New floating platforms working in sixty-five to twelve thousand feet of water had finally tapped into a reserve, which, by conservative estimates, contained over three hundred years of crude. The water out there was deep blue, and she loved it enough to volunteer for every job that gave her the opportunity to get wet.

  Everyone else in the company took one of the seaplanes in their fleet when forced to go, but she always went out in her own boat. The smell of salt and the wind in her hair gave her the freeing experience she’d had as a child when she spent her summers on her grandparents’ beach. But as much as she liked being on the water, diving under it was her passion. To her, the depths were like life: they’d give up their secrets a little at a time, but only if you were willing to look.

  Frankie had gladly taken the office part of the deal since water terrified him. A birth defect had stolen the use of his legs, and his wheelchair, to him, was the anchor that’d kill him if he ever fell overboard. She’d never been able to convince him otherwise.

  Frankie stripped off his tie and shut his door. “You look good.”

  “Thank you, and thanks for covering for me last week.” Her quick trip to the spot off Miami’s coast hadn’t been successful, but she’d had to chance it after her research into the symbols on their shells had led her to another map. None of them ever provided anything that would satisfy all her questions, but she’d chased down every lead she found. The day she got lazy would be the one on which she’d find the map that would point her to the treasure trove she knew was out there. Nothing she looked for, though, had to do with jewels and gold.

  “Did you find anything?”

  “Bad weather and high seas. It was weird since the sky was blue two minutes before I geared up. I’ve seen squalls come up, but this one was ridiculous.” She lay on the couch in his office and held his hand when he rolled next to her. “Triton will keep me busy for the rest of the summer, so maybe in the fall I’ll give it another shot. If we plan far enough ahead, you can come with me.”

  “A resort in Miami sounds good, but forget me getting on a boat with you.” He laughed and squeezed her fingers. “I know this is a stupid question since you’re searching whenever you can, but do you ever think about her?”

  Vivien didn’t need to ask who “she” was. The pain from what had happened in their childhood had healed but had left a scar that made the incident impossible to forget. Neither of them had been prone to childhood pranks or wild stories, but no one, especially their parents, had believed them.

  Frankie had been the only one she’d had back then who didn’t think she was completely insane. He’d seen the same thing, and no one had been able to make him change his story, not even after the forced therapy sessions they’d both been subjected to.

  “I shouldn’t, after all the hell we’ve been through, but I do—all the time. It’s like an old news reel that plays in my mind even when I want to forget sometimes.”

  June 1994

  “Throw it, sister, and you’ll get a treasure.” Five-year-old Frankie mangled the pronunciation of the word treasure, but his older sister Vivien understood him perfectly.

  The prized sea shell she’d found would be a great addition to her collection, but she’d toss it back because Frankie had asked. He’d taken to heart the old fairy tale their mother told every time they visited their grandparents at their beach house in Key Largo, Florida. Ever since he was old enough to understand, he’d caused her to lose a number of great finds.

  “If the sea gives you a treasure, throw it back,” their mother Cornelia said every night as she tucked them into her old bedroom on the third floor with its two walls of windows overlooking the water. “It’ll give you something even more precious in return.”

  “This one’s really pretty, Frankie.” The small conch shell was golden with dark-brown spots and pink around the edges. “Maybe it’s the reward for all the other ones we threw back.”

  “No,” Franklin said, and slammed his hands on his wheelchair. “Throw it, Mom said.”

  She studied it one last time, then lifted it to her ear to hear the shell’s memory of the ocean. Frankie smiled when she held it to his ear as well before she hurled it as hard as she could. Her lost treasure sailed past the breaking surf, and she figured it was lost forever. Right before it hit the water, though, a hand broke the surface and caught it.

  Both of them stared as the shell moved closer, but whoever held it didn’t raise their head above the water until they reached the part of the beach where the waves broke. The girl who emerged appeared slightly older than Vivien’s ten years, and she’d never seen a suit like the one the girl wore. Her navy-blue, almost short wetsuit, with an intricate design at the chest, appeared to fit like a second skin.

  “Is something wrong with it?” the stranger asked as she held up the small shell between her thumb and index finger. “Little guy didn’t make it, but keeping this honors his memory.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t know you were out there,” Vivien said. Why was this great swimmer making clicking noises with her tongue? As different and interesting as this girl seemed, she couldn’t help but concentrate on the two large fins that appeared offshore, not that far out. Whatever species of sharks they belonged to had to be massive. She might’ve not been that old, but she’d never seen anything like them during her visits.

  “So…why’d you throw it back?”

  “My mom said so,” Franklin said, appearing frustrated that he couldn’t move closer. “We’ll get a better treasure if we do.”

  “I’ve never heard that one, but maybe she’s right.” The girl closed her fist over the shell and waved before running back into the waves.

  “Wait!” Vivien yelled, panicked because of the two circling sharks still close by. “Come back, you’ll get hurt.”

  She moved into the water but only to her ankles, afraid to go any farther. The fins were gone, but so was the stranger, and she hoped something horrific hadn’t happened to her. Whoever it was hadn’t surfaced anywhere yet, so she turned and ran for the house.

  “Wait for me, Frankie. I’m going for help. Keep your eyes on the water and see if you spot her.”

  Th
e coast guard slowly patrolled from their pier in both directions for a few hours after their call but didn’t find anything. They’d come to make sure, but no one believed Vivien’s story even though Frankie vouched for her. Her parents hadn’t severely punished them, but she could tell they weren’t pleased. Frankie was still too young to blame, so most of her father’s displeasure had landed on her shoulders.

  “Anyone who sends the coast guard on wild-goose chases because of a fish story sometimes gets into big trouble,” their father had said as they went to bed that night. “Do anything like that again and I promise you’ll be sorry.” Their mother had skipped storytime as she followed their father out. And they’d had to stay inside for the next three days.

  “We weren’t lying, sister,” Frankie whispered into the darkness.

  She could hear the waves crashing outside, the surf stirred up by the summer storm raging about a mile out. Thinking about someone she didn’t know being killed that way made her sad and angry that no one had taken her seriously. Maybe the girl’s parents were searching for her and would never know what happened—ever. Like those lost kids on milk cartons at the grocery, they’d be looking forever and never find a sign of her.

  “I know, Frankie. We tried so it’s not our fault.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks with the edge of her sheet but tried to keep her voice steady.

  “You think she’s okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said, to protect Frankie from nightmares. “That’s why they didn’t find her. She swam far away with our shell for good luck.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to remember everything about the stranger. What the girl had said made the encounter seem important. “Little guy didn’t make it, but keeping this will honor his memory.” Holding the girl’s image would honor her memory if she hadn’t made it.

  She could still see the small conch shell around the girl’s neck. It was carved with something, but she’d been too far away to see what it was. She went to sleep, where a night of scary images waited for her.