Water

by Terra Harmony

  Chapter 12

  Quite a Sight

  Six hours and two entire pots of coffee later, I was halfway through the oceanography book. Not that much was being retained. Attempting to stay awake, I moved from the living to the dining room, to the back porch, then finally to Micah’s room. The changes of scenery did little to help. A loud bang at Micah's door interrupted me halfway through my lousy attempt at an end of chapter quiz. Without giving me the chance to answer, Shawn swung the door open. Once again, his looks were disarming. With bright blue eyes and smooth, light skin, his face appeared almost angelic. I had hope, that is, until he opened his mouth. He snorted, voice gruff. "Get your shoes on; it is time to see Cato."

  I sighed, making sure to follow orders as slowly as possible. "What’s the matter, Shawn? My mark keeping you up at night?"

  Shawn just smiled. "An eye for an eye."

  I narrowed my eyes, wondering if he meant tonight or some other time. Not that he would have answered if I asked.

  So, Shawn, when do you plan on exacting your revenge? If you can give me as much notice as possible, that would be great.

  Shawn barely waited for me to finish tying my shoes before walking out of the room. I ran to catch up, following him out the back door. The night was lit by a full moon. I breathed in the spicy-orange scent of flowering plants.

  Shawn ruined it. "Follow me and try to keep up." He took off, avoiding both the gardens and the large open field. Instead, he disappeared into a dense grove of trees that blocked out the helpful moonlight. The path we had started on thinned, then vanished entirely, leaving us at the mercy of the trees. More often than not, I lost sight of Shawn and had to depend on my hearing to follow in the right direction. He was doing his damndest to lose me, but he was having as much trouble with nature as I was. The shrubs and tree branches seemed to claw at his stocky body more so than mine.

  Shawn kept looking over his shoulder, purposely causing branches to whip back into my face. A few caught me, stinging my forehead and cheeks. I had the urge to break off one of the sharper sticks and jam it in his back, but I had enough trouble keeping my footing around the protruding tree roots. Although hanging on to a stick lodged in someone’s back could have help me there.

  I was rudely awakened from my daydream by another branch to the face – this one drew blood.

  "Having trouble back there?" Shawn called, sounding winded.

  "Holding my own! Sounds like you can use a break."

  Shawn stopped abruptly, turned, and put his hands around my throat, squeezing. "Make no mistake; your time here is short. But keep that up and you aren’t going to last the week."

  My eyes began to water. I briefly considered calling for energy but my mind was in a panic. Feebly pulling and scratching at his hands did nothing; the edge of my vision began to blur. Finally, I forced my right hand around his waist and up, giving him a hard slap on the back. He immediately let go of my throat, giving a painful cry and arching his back. The look in his eyes chilled me, but not enough to keep my mouth shut.

  Before he could do anything else, I ran past and looked over my shoulder at him yelling, "Follow me and try to keep up." I ran as fast as I could, dodging the branches when I saw them in time. Twigs snapping right behind me told me he was close. Fear didn't kick in until I felt his breath on the back of my neck, just like the dragon during the avalanche. Maybe I pushed him too far this time. A break in the trees appeared ahead and I picked up the pace, hoping our destination, and Cato, was near.

  A tree root caught my foot, and I stumbled. Attempting a quick step to stay on my feet, I might have recovered if it weren’t for the jolt from behind, pushing my upper body forward. I don’t know if Shawn just ran into me, or if he had chosen that moment to begin training for the NFL, but we both went down in a football-style tackle worthy of any Monday night game.

  It must have been quite a sight, the pair of us rolling out of the woods, tumbling over one another and coming to a rest right at Cato’s feet. Shawn and I slowly untangled, picking ourselves off of the ground, and dusting off dirt and leaves. My throat burned, as if his fingers left imprints that were beginning to bruise. I rubbed at it and glared at Shawn, who was too busy nursing his back. Hopefully his back hurt as much as my throat did.

  Cato looked at Shawn. "As much as I enjoy a dramatic entrance, I believe Kaitlyn could’ve done without the physical exertion right before this task."

  Shawn didn’t respond, keeping his eyes downcast.

  With a wave of his hand, Cato dismissed him, and Shawn obediently shrunk back into the woods.

  Cato already had my arm and was escorting me away from the trees. "It isn’t often Shawn finds his match in a running partner." I risked a glance over my shoulder, attempting to see how Shawn took the parting shot. He hesitated, seeming to debate if he should respond. He decided against it, and continued into the woods, never turning his back on us. As he slipped into the shadows, the moonlight glinted off his cold blue eyes so they were the last to fade from view.

  Cato waved his hand ahead of us, directing my attention away from Shawn to the lake. There was no evidence it had been frozen over the day before, not even floating ice chunks.

  "Do you know what today is?" Cato asked.

  "Um, Christmas?" I joked.

  Cato smiled. "I suppose in a way, for us, it is a lot like Christmas. It is the first day of spring, known by many names; the vernal equinox, Ostara, Eostre, or the Goddess of Dawn, after whom Easter is named. It is a time when day and night become equal in length, a true balance of light and dark."

  "Fun," I said. "Do we get to open presents?"

  "Kaitlyn, this is much better than any material gift. Many of us feel reborn after a long winter. It is a time of triumphant return of life to Earth. And for you, it is quite significant as well. It is the acceptance of your new life as Gaia, if you choose to do so."

  My eyebrows rose. "You mean I have a choice?"

  "You were taken against your will, but to continue on this path, you must do so freely." Cato held out his hands, both closed tight, holding something. "In my right hand I have a gift, choose this hand if you want to stay. In my left hand is a key to that lockbox over there." He pointed to a small box sitting near the shore of the lake. "It contains directions out of here, money, and your passport. If you choose this hand, you are free to go."

  Cato looked at me intently, trying to read my face.

  It was hard not to burst out laughing at the dramatics. "Hmm, blue pill, red pill."

  Cato furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

  "You don’t watch many movies, do you?"

  Now he was frowning. "And you don’t take anything seriously, do you?"

  With a valiant attempt to sober, I made my choice without much thought. His right hand; I was too curious now not to stay, despite Shawn’s malintent, and possibly, in spite of it. Cato smiled and opened his hand. There was nothing in it.

  It was my turn to frown.

  "I told you, Kaitlyn. This day is more important than any material gift." He took my hand in his and led me to the edge of the water. "Now, to cast away your old life." He handed me the key. "Throw it out as far as you can."

  I did so, hitting the lake dead center.

  "Well done! Deepest part." Cato congratulated me. "Now, do the same with the box."

  I paused. "Are you serious? Don’t you want to get the money out first - maybe buy some decent bread?"

  Cato laughed. "It isn’t about the money, and the significance of the task is well worth the cost."

  I shrugged my shoulders and did as I was told. The box didn’t make it nearly as far, but sank quickly. I watched it slip from view and my stomach turned. More than anything, I was disturbed at how indifferent I felt as the chance to have my old life back dissapeared.

  Cato clapped his hands once. "Good, good. Now we can begin." He took my hand in his and began to chant. "Oh lady of the starry heavens, wise all-father, behold our child Kaitlyn. Hail Earth, mother of all. This is ou
r Gaia, our love, and our jewel." Cato bent down and grabbed a pinch of dirt, smearing it across my forehead.

  "Hey!" I backed away in protest.

  "Stay still!" He hissed, then went on with his prayer, "Bless her and protect her, earth of the north." He bent down.

  My toes grew warm.

  "Bless her and protect her, fire of the south." He stood back up, this time with fingers wet from the lake. He laid his wet hand on my right shoulder while at the same time the wind picked up and a strong gust hit my left. "Bless her and protect her, water of the west and air of the east. I call upon the elements – grant our Gaia your enduring and eternal strength, and steadfastness. May she ever have a spirit that seeks the stars, and roots deep within your loving breast."

  Cato took my hand again and faced us both so we looked out over the lake.

  "Now what?" I whispered, trying not to ruin his reverent mood.

  "I am looking for a sign," he whispered back.

  I followed his gaze into the woods across the lake, squinting my eyes into the shadows. I didn’t need to try nearly so hard. A few seconds later, a butterfly came at us from across the lake. It may have been a trick of the moonlight or water, but the tiny insect seemed to shimmer and sparkle as it flew. It made a few circles around my head, its wings glittering like fireworks. It was the most brilliant and beautiful fanfare I’d ever seen, all held within a few inches on the wings of a butterfly. It was more than a welcome to this new world of magic, it was an acceptance. Not only did I make a conscience decision to stay, but nature itself gave her approval. The butterfly finished its parade and danced back across the lake, fluttering carefree. I smiled with delight, almost sad to see the thing go.

  "Well, Kaitlyn. I think you’ve officially been–" Our simultaneous gasp of horror cut Cato off. An owl, camouflaged until the last second by the shadows of the trees, dived toward the butterfly. The butterfly, light-hearted and blissfully unaware, had no chance. The owl’s talons snatched the magical insect. As he passed us, still squeezing the life from the butterfly, the owl turned his head and screeched. It's screams echoed across the lake, dying out as soon as the owl disappeared into the trees once again.

  I shook my head, looking for words. "What does that mean?"

  "I’ve, I’ve never… I don’t know."

  It was the first time I’d seen Cato speechless.

  Chapter 13

  Fishing

  After gathering his thoughts, Cato finally responded, "Let’s start with the butterfly. A butterfly represents transformation; highly appropriate in this situation, as you have just accepted a new lifestyle. A butterfly also represents faith; in this case perhaps the earth is communicating her faith in you as the new Gaia."

  "And the owl?" I encouraged; he had an irritating habit of speaking slowly.

  "In mythology, if an owl flew over an army before battle, victory was imminent. However to some, the owl is a bird of ill omen". He paused, scouring the encyclopedia of a mind he had. "Also, locals to this island consider the owl to be a very wise animal. Before a long journey, they listen to the owls. The owls make two different sounds; the first means it is safe to go, and the second means it's better to stay at home." Cato paused, seemingly lost in thought.

  "Well, what kind of sound did that one make?" I asked, tapping my foot.

  He shrugged, "Honestly, I don’t know. I’ll have to research it. Not to mention the fact I have no idea what the symbolism is when an owl kills a butterfly."

  "That was very unhelpful, Cato," I said, looking back out at the lake. "It would have been better to never have seen that at all."

  "Well said, Kaitlyn. That is often the case with signs."

  I wanted to shake him.

  "Anyway," Cato brushed his hands on his pants as if it would brush off the entire incident, "let’s get down to business. Sit down with me." I followed his lead, sitting right next to the edge of the water and removing my shoes. A silky layer of bright green moss served as a soft blanket. We settled in, enjoying the small comfort nature had to offer. Wary of what else nature had to offer, I scanned the skies for more owls.

  "We are going to work on the command of your powers, and how to restrain them through careful self-control."

  "Wouldn’t this be safer with Micah here?" I asked.

  "Don’t worry," Cato said. "Micah is nearby in case we need him."

  I looked at the tree line around us, wondering just how close.

  Cato continued, "Besides, much as the moon affects waves, it seems to also have an effect on powers. A full moon like tonight allows us better control over them."

  "I’ll take your word for it," I said.

  "First of all, I want to tell you how it is possible to prevent land outside of the Chakra draining energy from you, in order to prevent, well, disasters."

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  If he noticed my glare he didn’t acknowledge it. "Practicing here would be futile; there would be no way to tell if you are doing it correctly. But what you will have to do is use your own energy to build a wall around yourself, essentially blocking the earth from taking your energy. Now I know what you are thinking." Cato chuckled.

  Please, do tell, I thought.

  "You are thinking ‘What good does it do if I have to use energy anyway to make the wall?’ Well, it is a balance you will have to find on your own. Different places on the earth will take different amounts of energy from you. Locations that are highly active in one way or another will take more. Be mindful of how you feel, of your energy levels, and decide on your own what needs to be done. It will take some time, but you will learn."

  "Is it something you do, away from the Chakra?" I asked.

  "Yes, when I venture out. I’ve found it gets more and more difficult with age, so I try not to leave unless absolutely necessary."

  I nodded my head. Hopefully, I wasn’t destined to such confinement. "Sounds pretty horrible, honestly."

  Cato gave me his best smile, but there was a sense of futility behind it. "Perhaps you can have Shawn help you with this one. Building walls is essentially what he does to control other’s powers."

  I shook my head. "I’m not sure Shawn would be too eager to help me do anything."

  "Don’t be silly, Kaitlyn. He is part of the team." Cato brushed my fears aside. "All right, let’s begin."

  I mimicked him as he put his bare feet in the water.

  "It helps to be in direct contact with natural elements," Cato explained. "First off, I want you to try to sense what I am doing. Sit as comfortably as you can, and relax your breathing. Close your eyes, keep your mind empty except for the task of sensing my energy."

  I slowed my breathing and concentrated, searching the frequencies around me for a disturbance. After several minutes, I focused in on a spot to the right of us in the lake. The water molecules were slowing, causing the water to grow colder by the second. I could follow the energy waves back to Cato.

  He coached me further, "You found it. Now see if you can figure out what I am doing."

  I targeted in, and almost immediately sensed movement underneath the water. "Fish! You’re grouping them all together."

  "Keep going," Cato said. "There is more."

  I focused in again, and exclaimed, "You are trapping them!"

  He had set up an underwater cage. I could feel the fish panic as their movement was suddenly limited.

  "Very good! Now pay attention to how I end the session."

  He stopped sending out the energy but it didn’t disappear immediately. Instead of retracting the threads back into him, they fizzled away.

  "An abrupt stop of powers can cause too much of a commotion." Cato explained. "We don’t want to agitate the ecosystem more than we already have."

  I nodded my head.

  "Now, I want you to try," he said.

  "Try what?"

  He sighed. "Trap some more fish."

  "How did you do it, exactly?" I asked.

  "I cannot tell you how to use your own p
owers. Everyone would have a different way of doing it. Knowing how I did it won’t help you figure out how to do it on your own."

  Wow, could the man be any more helpful? It didn't matter. I already knew how he did it, and furthermore – I knew I could do the same. I already had. Something told me to find a different way. The less I shared my powers, the better.

  Cato was looking at me expectantly.

  I stifled a sigh and attempted to focus. I didn’t want to force the fish; at least not with more cold. At some point it would become too much for them. Perhaps the communication thing. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and concentrated. I imagined filling a balloon in my stomach with energy absorbed from the ground. The sounds of the forest distracted me a few times and I had to start over. Each time it got easier and easier, and once I thought there was enough energy stored, I let it go. I sent it out from my throat. It only felt natural – I was communicating, after all. I wasn’t sure I was actually doing anything until the energy stream hit the water. It didn’t slow down, but it did become diluted. It felt good, using my powers for a productive task, no matter how small. Pride got the best of me and I opened my eyes and looked at Cato with a wide smile on my face. I let out a giggle I haven’t heard since the first grade.

  Cato frowned. "Concentrate, Kaitlyn, before you lose it."

  "Oh, right." I focused back to the water. The energy was still there, but the balloon was emptying quickly. Finally, it completely deflated and my streams fizzled out.

  "Don’t imagine yourself as having a finite amount of energy. It is always within you and all around you. Use the energy from the land, from the air, or the water if you have to."