Beneath the Waves

by Ali Vali

  The recent oil spill had decimated their business, but with the help of BP’s deep pockets, they were starting to recover and prove the seafood they were catching was safe to eat. With her help, they’d brought in enough healthy specimens that the fish farms she’d helped them start were reported to be thriving. Eventually they could make a living with just that, but like her, they loved the open water. They’d never leave it unless forced to.

  “Kai, that you?” A man’s voice came over her radio.

  “Antoine?” The seventy-one-year-old shrimper had six sons who all worked for him and probably were the other five blips on her radar.

  “Come to see if I’m paying you back?” Antoine said and laughed.

  “I trusted you from the day you shook my hand, so cut the crap. Are you by any chance putting any in?”

  A lot of Antoine’s neighbors had taken the settlement money and banked it, but he’d listened to what she was preaching when it came to the future of the fishing industry. With her help, he’d invested in what quickly grew to be a massive operation that farmed redfish, speckled trout, drum, and lemon fish. The only payments she’d asked for her sizeable investment was that he return a fourth of his crop to the wild.

  “Come see. We’ll wait to put the reds in.”

  She anchored close to Antoine’s boat and swam the fifty or so feet to look at his holding tanks. The vessel, along with the other five, belonged to Kai, and she’d designed each one.

  “That’s a lot of fish, my friend.”

  “Too young to keep if they’re caught, but big enough to survive. And you were right about the weather. When it’s rough like this and the wind is whipping, ain’t nobody out here but us, so no fucker who doesn’t care what size the catch is bothers.”

  There had to be over a thousand redfish in the large holding tank, and they were splashing like they realized freedom wasn’t far off. The Guidrys were making money, but she wanted them to learn that they could do so while still giving back to the waters that sustained them.

  “Your grandchildren will thank you,” she said as the bottom of the hold slid back and the fish stopped momentarily before flitting off to the marsh grass a hundred yards away. “More releases like this and they’ll still be here when their grandchildren fish these waters.”

  “Damn right,” Antoine said and laughed again, “and my neighbors are kicking themselves in the ass for not listening to you. I got them fancy restaurants from New Orleans lined up after the word got out.”

  “Good, but don’t forget our deal.”

  “Don’t worry. I ain’t about to put the gris-gris on myself now.” He closed the hold and signaled the others to release their loads. “We added three more tanks and bought out a few more places to be able to spread out. You want to come by and see? The wife’s making a big sauce picante.”

  “Set two more places.”

  “You got somebody stowed away on that boat, Kai?” Kevin, Antoine’s eldest son, asked.

  “More like a stalker with her own boat, and I expect she’s not too far behind me.” The water around her seemed to be full of life, and she had higher hopes for the future. With careful conservation and partners like the Guidrys, she’d spend her life rebuilding this important habitat.

  “We can take care of that for you,” Kevin said.

  “Nah, this could be a good thing because we need to bridge the gap between big oil and the fisherman. If we can get them to buy in, maybe one of your brothers will run a place where all the fish get released.”

  “Put me in line for that,” Kevin said as he slapped her on the back. “I ain’t going to be one of those dumbasses who didn’t listen to you.”

  “You got it, and once you’re up and running, let’s see how many women you attract.”

  “Women?” Antoine asked as they waited for the other boats to finish.

  “Women love a guy trying to save the fishies,” she joked as she gazed toward the south. The storm was putting on an impressive lightning show, but her senses didn’t ping that Vivien was in danger. Actually the experienced boater was speeding toward them so it wouldn’t be long before they would spot her. “Head back and we’ll be right behind you.”

  “You sure you don’t want one of the boys to stay with you?” Antoine asked.

  “Vivien Palmer’s more dreamer than threat, so I’ll be fine.”

  She swam back to her boat with Ram and Ivan on each side of her, then gave them leave to hunt in deeper water so they’d leave Antoine’s release alone. It seemed strange that after years of silence, Vivien’s shell had suddenly opened her thoughts and feelings to Kai so vividly it was drowning out anything else when she was near. But really all that filled Vivien’s head was a rampant curiosity that Kai had doubled when she’d dumped her on the supply boat.

  Sudden fits of anger weren’t Kai’s norm, but she’d never met anyone so guarded, naturally suspicious, and in pain as Vivien Palmer. Unquestionably she’d give Vivien all the attention she wanted as a way to start chipping away at her guarded personality. Not having her parents believe what Vivien considered a childhood trauma had scarred both her and Franklin, and the Palmers had only piled on to that through the years. Kai didn’t sense the elder Palmers had done it maliciously, but their efforts to guide their children had opened a chasm between them as wide and deep as the deepest ocean canyon.

  The Sea Dreamer was a nice vessel with what appeared to be some massive horsepower, from the size of Vivien’s wake. Vivien’s curiosity was driving her, but Kai could also sense the joy she experienced from having the wind in her hair and an expanse of water before her. Even in this weather, it was hard to miss Vivien’s happiness in the environment where she felt most at home.

  “You don’t have any cannons on that thing, do you?” Vivien asked as soon as her anchor went down.

  Kai was sure Vivien had no idea how she was able to find her so easily and would probably laugh in her face if she explained the beacon she had tied around her neck. “I’m glad you found me so I can apologize. That wasn’t a nice thing to do, and not a good way to start what I hope becomes a friendship.” She stared at Vivien’s hand since it was clenched in a fist at her throat. “You interested in getting out of this for a little while?”

  “We’d have to head inland, or do you want to come aboard?”

  “We actually have a dinner invitation, if you’re interested.”

  “New Orleans is a long way off.”

  “Invitation, not reservation,” she said as she maneuvered closer to the Sea Dreamer. “You want to go together or follow me?”

  “Are you going to dump me in the marsh if I get stupid again?”

  “I blame my lack of manners on fatigue, so you have my word it won’t happen again.” She locked the cabin and set Salacia’s security features from the small control she wore on her wrist. Whoever decided to step aboard without permission would have a memorable experience when they jumped overboard and found the guards patrolling the water. Even if they told someone what happened, no one would believe a Great White sighting here, much less seeing two massive sharks.

  “You change your mind?” Vivien said with a sigh.

  “Let’s go on yours,” she said as she waved Vivien closer. “This way if I get out of line you can demand I swim back.”

  Vivien allowed her to get them where they were going and sat quietly up on the fly bridge as they went up the bay that would lead to the bayou the Guidrys lived along. The Sea Dreamer was big but manageable, and Kai noticed the racks of tanks on the back. Vivien worked for her father and the board, but her life’s goal was to find the meaning of the symbols on her shell. Every memory Kai tapped into was testament to that search, and even though Vivien had never come close, nothing killed the drive to find the hidden clues she just knew were hidden below the waves.

  Vivien finally broke the silence between them. “No hints as to where we’re going?”

  “Don’t tell my boss, but I’d like to show you the real reason I moved here.�
� She smiled and winked, finally getting Vivien to smile as well.

  “All there is around here are small fishing villages, and the only thing the residents like about the oil industry is fishing around our offshore structures.”

  “You’re partially right.” She slowed them down and waved at the onlookers who stopped what they were doing and stared. “They do love fishing the platforms out there, but a lot of their family work for you and the others drilling here. You don’t bite the hand that pays you, so you won’t find too many people planning protests against you.”

  “You should’ve been here when the Deepwater Horizon went down. There were plenty of protestors then.”

  “The outrage over that was justified. Any company who works fast and unsafe should be called out on a world stage, but that’s not what this is about.” She put the engines in neutral so they’d drift in, and one of Antoine’s sons was waiting to tie them off.

  Large tanks lined the land all the way to the house, and they were adding more near the trees along the side. Kai had designed the area to save the large oaks and cypress trees that held the land together. A series of elevated walkways allowed the family and workers to reach every tank for observation and feedings. At the back of Antoine’s large elevated home, the marsh grasses were thriving, unlike those of his neighbors.

  “What’s all this?” Vivien asked as she peered into the nearest tank.

  “The oil industry didn’t kill the fishing industry around here. Overfishing did.” Kai knelt next to Vivien and ran a net through the water, filling it with what looked to be guppies. “Like a farmer, anyone who wants to harvest the waters has to seed it first. I’m helping Antoine and his sons show the others a path that’ll lead to not only more fish, but a new mindset.”

  “What are these?” Vivien asked as Kai released her catch.

  “Redfish that hatched a few days ago, ma’am,” Antoine’s son said.

  “This is one of the nurseries.” Kai pointed to a few more tanks. “Once the fish are bigger, they’re separated so none of them get crowded. It’s easier to maintain them here since they use the water from the bayou. That way they don’t have a huge transition when they’re released.”

  “We planted the grass Kai gave us, and the waste from the fish feeds it,” the man said. “It’s got all those smart folks from LSU crawling all over us to see how it works, but later about that since dinner’s ready.”

  “You really are a fish lover,” Vivien said with a huge smile.

  “Especially when they’re covered in cream sauce.”

  *

  The dinner was enlightening, especially when Antoine told Vivien he’d been acquainted with her father for years and that Winston had helped him start his own business. Vivien had never known her father to be overly generous except for anyone who could advance Palmer’s business interest. It’d given her a new perspective that’d loosened the anger that for too long had clouded her thoughts of a man she rarely understood anymore.

  Kai had brought them back and anchored her vessel a few hundred yards from her own and swam back fully clothed. She hadn’t had very much time with Kai, but it was nice to see someone so comfortable in her own skin, since Kai had appeared as at ease with the Guidrys as at her father’s table.

  The breeze blowing in from the southeast wasn’t cold, but it was enough to raise goose bumps as it ticked up another notch. With the rain earlier the boat bobbed more than usual, as if the Gulf hadn’t settled yet, but the night was too beautiful for her to go in. She took another sip of the scotch she kept on board and gazed up at the stars, remembering her mom’s old stories.

  Vivien was sure she’d made most of them up, like the shell legend. If not, they’d have dragged half of Florida back with them after every trip. However, she didn’t care if her mom had conjured it from her imagination, because she still cherished it. It was right after the vacation when they’d reported the girl missing and that the sharks she’d feared had attacked her. The two people who should’ve believed her didn’t, which had rocked her self-confidence. She’d never been a fibber as a child, so it’d been like a hard slap to her soul when her parents hadn’t taken her at her word, and she’d moped around for weeks after they’d returned home.

  Her mother had found her at her bedroom window one night in the dark, staring up at the sky, and told her a story about a girl who thought there wasn’t a place for her in the world. The child had no voice, no one who truly believed in her, and since the child felt like those things would never change, her life became one of despair. It wasn’t until a loving sprite visited her one night that she knew that, with time, she would find all the answers she sought in the stars.

  “Just as there’s a place for every star in the heavens, one day you’ll find yours,” her mom had said. “Once you do, you’ll be the point by which someone navigates their way home because that’s what you’ll be to them—home.”

  Surprisingly, her mom had apologized for not believing her and Franklin, and it was the last time they’d discussed it. She’d carried the experience with her like the shell she wore, and so far she’d kept her vow never to forget the girl and so to honor her memory.

  “I’ve probably worried about you all these years, and you’re most likely happily married with three kids. But if you’re up there—I still think about you,” she whispered as she took a sip of her drink. It was late and she had an early day on Triton, so she flexed her legs to stand but stopped.

  Kai had come out of her cabin and stood briefly on the deck before diving in completely naked, giving Vivien only a brief glimpse. She figured announcing herself now would embarrass Kai as well as herself, but even with the threat of being discovered, she couldn’t look away as Kai swam near her vessel.

  Kai appeared at home in the water despite the large swells, and Vivien laughed along with her when a few dolphins came up near Kai as if wanting to play. They bumped Kai as she swam, and one even hurdled over her almost like it’d been trained to do so. In all her time at sea, Vivien had never had a pod come so willingly close and interact with someone like this.

  “They are creatures drawn by happiness.” A voice echoed through Vivien’s head, and she put her glass down when she heard it. “Release your sadness about things you have no control over, and you’ll be free to find the answers you so desperately seek.”

  “What in the hell’s happening to me,” she whispered as she closed her eyes and pressed her hands to the sides of her head. Had the stress finally made her snap? If she had, the only good that would come of it would be getting her parents to stop pushing an agenda she wasn’t interested in, but she doubted even a douse of madness would make them give up on the things they wanted for her.

  When she opened her eyes again the dolphins were still there but Kai wasn’t, and after scanning the area, Vivien figured she’d gone back inside. She was where she most enjoyed her life, but she was alone. Tonight that was a scarier thought than usual because she knew this fractured life she was leading would eventually not be enough. One side would come to demand all her time, and even if she wound up exploring the ocean’s depths, without someone to share it with, all of it was meaningless.

  “Good Lord, I’m becoming more morose by the minute,” she said to the dolphin that stared up at her and made clicking noises. “Maybe I’ll get to come back as one of you the next time around, and all I’ll have to worry about is fish nets.”

  She picked up her glass and held it against her chest. Tomorrow it was back to Triton and her last days on the water for some time. The corner office and her father were waiting. “So my unhappiness is almost complete.”

  *

  Kai swam to their outpost with Ivan and Ram at her sides, wanting to put some distance between her and Vivien. The structure was empty of people, but the equipment she needed for her mission was ready to deploy in their dive room. This technology was much more advanced than anything the military and the oil industry had at their disposal, and it was Kai’s intent to keep it
that way.

  Everyone involved in the oil industry was after better cleanup, but if it was readily available, in her opinion, the drillers would only take more and more reckless chances if they were working with a safety net.

  She threw on a T-shirt and shorts before entering the control room and entering the code for the secure chamber in the palace. It was time to report her actions so far.

  “Did you arrive all right?” her mother Galen asked with a large smile. Hadley sat next to her and chuckled.

  It was all the proof she needed to know that she hadn’t stumbled onto her position and the Palmers by chance. “The trip was fast and without incident, and the Palmers and their friends make even the worst of our council meetings seem tame and cordial.”

  “Do you remember our conversations about how you have to be considerate not only of the realm but of the Earth as a whole?” Galen asked.

  “Yes,” she said with a sense of shame. Granted, she’d been young when she’d met the Palmer children, but that wasn’t an excuse.

  “We were glad you chose this place so you could see Vivien and Franklin again. What you did wasn’t horrible, so ease your mind about what you’re feeling now,” Galen said and reached out as if she could touch her through the screen. In a way she did through the shell at her neck.

  “Those around them misunderstood what happened, and they didn’t take the traumatic event Vivien and Franklin thought they saw seriously. They’ve gone on from that moment believing large sharks tore you to pieces, and not only were they not believed, but they’ve carried the helplessness of not being able to help you,” Hadley said.

  “Because of that, they’ve built a moat around themselves, and last night you got a taste of what that small act has become. How they face life and people isn’t your fault, but you did plant the seed of uncertainty,” Galen explained.

  “Vivien and Franklin have each other to rely on, and from what I saw at dinner, I’m not solely to blame for their relationship with their parents. Mr. Palmer’s progressive in business but treats his children like show dogs. He prances them out for their board of directors and others, but he only values them, in my opinion anyway, for breeding and business.”