Born of Earth: An Elemental Origins Novel

by A. L. Knorr

  Saxony wrote back as quick as a flash: Really? I'm having a hot dog and it's delicious.

  Georjayna: For breakfast? Gross.

  Out in the kitchen, I heard my mom zip her bag closed. "Gotta go, sunshine!" she called.

  "Yeah, I heard." I came out of my room dressed in jeans and my favourite t-shirt, a black off-the-shoulder with the number 89 emblazoned on the front. I left my long brunette hair down in loose waves. "I guess you're going to go out to The Boneyard tonight after work?"

  This was my mother's secret and the main reason she was so busy. During the day she played the professional salvage diver but at night was when she did all the real work, completely alone and in dark and sometimes dangerous waters.

  Her eyes sparkled. "Yeah, do you mind?"

  "No, Mom. What are you after this time?" I perched on the edge of our faded pistachio-coloured sofa and pulled on my socks.

  "Heirloom jewelry. Rachel's manager has already called us to ask about salvage possibilities," she answered, kicking my running shoes over to me.

  I yanked my shoes on without undoing the laces. "That was fast. But, did I overhear you say that Eric has declared Devil's Eye off-limits?"

  Eric Davis is Bluejacket's team analyst. His job is to analyze the dive site and decide whether it's safe to take on the salvage contract or not. The sites he declares unsafe are the ones my mother does on her own time. Of course, any payment offered then goes to her alone. Sometimes the Bluejacket team finds out that she dove on her own, sometimes they don't. If they do find out, the whole team is furious with her, Eric more than any of the others. He takes it as a personal insult even though its got nothing to do with him.

  "Since when has that ever stopped me?" she cocked an eyebrow. She wasn't breaking any company rules by diving on her own time, but every dive school in the world would condemn her for diving alone. She'd earned herself a reputation for being foolhardy, but only because no one knew her secret.

  "Since never," I answered. "But every time you dive on a wreck he's declared off-limits, you make things harder for yourself. He already has a serious problem with you."

  She was back at the front door, her slender hand on the knob. "I don't care how he feels about me as long as he stays out of my way. Besides, what he doesn't know won't hurt us."

  I sighed, then gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Be careful, okay? I know this is your brand of fun but you know I worry about you when you go to The Boneyard. Especially at night," I shuddered. Just the idea gave me the willies.

  "Hey, who is the parent here anyway?" she laughed as she grabbed another bottle of water. When I didn't reply she looked at me, her violently blue eyes scanned my face and she became serious. She reached up a pale hand and laid her palm on my cheek. "If you only knew what it was like. You'd have nothing to be afraid of."

  I nodded. I'd heard it before but it was still hard to imagine, and it didn't really make me feel any better.

  She gave me a quick hug and said, "have a great last day, sunshine." And she was gone.

  As I gathered my things, turned off the lights and locked the door behind me, I fought the familiar twinge of guilt that came when I thought about how my mother was trapped in a life she hated because of me.

  What if dad were still alive? Would she still be here?

  My mother is a creature of the deep, a siren, a mermaid. And because her daughter is human, she can never really go home.

  Chapter 2

  After the last bell, my friends and I met at the South entrance of the school and walked to Flagg's Cafe for a celebratory treat. The day was perfect. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the air was still enough that we could put our sweaters into our backpacks and go bare-armed. On Canada's East coast sometimes even summer weather can be cool.

  We chatted about how our last days went, dodging excited high school kids as we walked. The sidewalk was full of celebrating teenagers acting like they'd just gotten out of prison.

  "Did you hear about Rachel Montgomery?" I asked Saxony. I knew she liked the actress.

  She gasped. "Yes, isn't that crazy? She could have died. I love her but she was pretty daft to go out partying in The Boneyard, man what an idiot. Seriously."

  "That's what my mom said too," I added, smiling.

  "On the news it says she went home already," Saxony continued, "but I bet you she's still in the city. They always say stuff like that to throw you off the scent. Maybe we could find out where she's staying and stalk her.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  Akiko snorted. "Good luck with that."

  I squirmed internally. Saxony would flip to know that Rachel was indeed still in town and my own mother would be making a personal delivery to the star. That thought sparked an idea and I made a mental note to ask my mom about it later that night.

  "So, remind me when you both leave again?" Georjayna asked Akiko and Saxony. Both girls had plans to spend the summer abroad.

  Saxony answered first, "My flight is in six days, and Akiko leaves the day after me. So we have to have one last get together the four of us before we go. Saturday night?"

  "Works for me," said Akiko.

  "Me too. You, Targa?" Georjayna said, looping an arm through mine. As always, I felt like a child next to her. Georjie was a good half-foot taller than me.

  "Yup. I have nothing going on. I was thinking about getting a summer job and signing up for one of the summer school courses," I said. "Get a head start with my science credits for next year."

  "That's a great idea, Targa," said Akiko in her soft voice.

  "No, that's a terrible idea!" said Saxony, her long red curls bouncing in protest. "Why would you subject yourself to more school on purpose? Hang out at the beach. Get a boyfriend. Read one of the thousand books on your reading list if you must, but for Pete's sake, don't go back to school."

  Akiko smiled at Saxony's rebuff. She was never offended when Saxony disagreed with her because that's just how they are. They have opposite points of view on most things. Sometimes I don't understand how those two had ever become best friends.

  Georjayna, Saxony and I have known each other since preschool. We grew up together. We weren't always as close as we are now. Sometimes it takes kids a few years to sort out who they like and who they don't, but by the time we hit junior high the three of us were inseparable.

  Akiko lives on the border of two school districts so she'd gone to a different elementary school and junior high than the rest of us. She and I had become friends years later during the second half of Grade 9 when we had a history and math class together. She'd been a loner but was also the smartest kid in math class, so I'd asked her for help since math was my weakest subject. She and I started meeting in the library and she'd tutored me for the rest of the year.

  When Georjayna had a pool party at her house for her fourteenth birthday, I asked if I could bring a friend. When I walked in with Akiko, Saxony and Georjayna squashed the tiny girl with hugs. Unexpectedly, Akiko and Saxony had bonded.

  We arrived at Flagg's and Akiko and Saxony grabbed one of the tables on the patio while Georjie and I went inside to order. The place was abuzz with activity, mostly students who'd had the same idea we'd had. We waited in line for a good ten minutes before our turn came.

  "Two cappuccinos, a flat white, and an iced coffee please," Georjayna said to the redheaded boy behind the till. I recognized him as one of the kids from our school. He was a year behind us. He blinked at her like an owl and then stuttered our order back to her as he punched the buttons on the computer. Georjayna didn't seem to notice but I sure did, he was blushing to the roots of his hair.

  Georjie is leggy, blonde, tanned and looks like a fashion model. On the outside, she's tall and intimidating. On the inside, she's a total geek. She's amazing with computers, cameras and all things digital. She has over five thousand followers on her blog and don't even get me started on her social media accounts. She gets a kick out of it and she even makes some money with it, although it's a complete mystery to me how
. The idea of putting my life up online for anyone to look at gives me the creeps.

  "You must have made quite the mad dash from school to get here in time for work?" Georjayna said to him.

  "Who me?" he said, his voice cracking. His look of shock that this blonde goddess was conversing with him made me hide a smile behind my hand. One look at gorgeous Georjayna and most people assume she's a snob. People are always shocked to find out that she's nice, and interested in people no matter who they are. I have seen her stop and chat with a vagrant on the street more than once because she's curious. I'm not sure how she ended up this way because her mother certainly doesn't see the value in chatting with a homeless person. Georjie is the first to admit that her mother is a snob.

  "Of course, you," she said, kindly. "Oh, almond milk for the iced one please. Sorry, I forgot." She put her palm to her forehead.

  "That's ok," he said while fumbling with the milk container and splashing the front of his apron. She chatted with him while he fixed our drinks but he was so distracted that I doubted we'd end up with what we ordered.

  "Thanks a lot," Georjayna said warmly when he'd finished, flashing him a smile full of dimples and perfect white teeth.

  He dropped the foamy spoon he was holding in the sink with a loud clatter. "Welcome," he mumbled.

  Akiko had chosen a table in the shade and was waiting patiently while Saxony was standing in the sunlight and chatting up a cute boy I didn't recognize. I didn't know what they were talking about but she was laughing and had her hand on his arm. She has no shortage of admirers with her curves and huge green eyes.

  The boy looked over at us as we carried our drinks to the table and I watched him visibly wilt as Georjayna walked up and set the drinks down. He shifted his open backpack from one shoulder to the other and a textbook fell out. Saxony picked it up and handed it to him. He took it, said something to her and walked away, giving a last anxious but appreciative look over his shoulder.

  Saxony came and sat down, shooting me with an exaggerated glare. "You couldn't have stayed inside just a few minutes longer? He was cute and you scared him away. Way to go."

  "What are you looking at me for? Blame the six foot blonde, not the pasty brunette," I said, pointing at Georjayna.

  "I'm not six feet!" Georjie said, affronted. She's been sensitive about her height for as long as I've known her.

  "Close enough," said Akiko, pulling the flat white closer.

  "It's not me, it's you," Georjayna said to me, and my jaw dropped. "Did you not notice that every single flipping boy we passed on the way here stared at you like you're a sirloin? I mean, I know you're gorgeous, but gads. Could they be a little less obvious about it?" She rolled her eyes.

  "You're so deluded," I said, shaking my head. "They have pills for that you know."

  "Then you should get on that prescription too," said Saxony. "You've always been blind as a bat when it comes to men."

  "What is this? Pick on Targa day? I have perfect eyesight, thank you very much."

  "Men," Akiko said sarcastically, but more to herself. She was looking down and stirring her drink. When she lifted the cup to take a sip she noticed the rest of us were looking at her. "What? These high school kids aren't men, they're boys," she said simply, gesturing to the world around us in general.

  At barely 90 pounds, Akiko is very petite and her half-Japanese half-Caucasian heritage gives her a racially ambiguous look. She also has the coolest hair I have ever seen. It's so thick you can't see her scalp at all. I have touched her hair enough to know that it feels just like a wolf pelt. To look at her gives the impression that she's tough. But really, Akiko is quiet, hard working, dutiful and humble even though she has a brain like a computer. She also gives the impression that she knows things no one else knows and she's patiently waiting or biding her time until... until what, I don't know. She doesn't talk about her past at all, and not even much about her future. Most times we don't know what she's thinking until she's made a plan and it was right about to happen.

  This summer, Akiko is going to Japan because her grandfather made plans for her to spend time with relatives she's never met. He wants her to learn more about the Japanese side of her heritage. At least, that's what she told us, but it seems a bit strange to me that she should go spend two months with people she doesn't even know, relatives or not. It's hard to tell how she feels about it. When she told us about it a few months ago, she presented herself as neither happy nor unhappy, just resigned.

  "You're so right," Georjayna sighed, bringing me back to the present. "They are just boys."

  I took a sip of my cappuccino. "Are you looking forward to Japan, Akiko?" I asked.

  She shrugged. "In some ways," she replied. Then she deflected, which is what she always does. "How about you Saxony? Are you looking forward to Italy?"

  Saxony lit up. "Are you kidding me? It's Italy! I can't wait. The coffee, the cheese, the history, the art," she sighed, then added with emphasis, "the Italians. I'm so lucky." We all knew she meant the Italians of the male variety.

  "Don't you mean the diapers, the sippy cups, and the strollers?" said Georjayna. We all laughed, and no one more than Saxony.

  Saxony had applied and been granted an au pair position for a family in Venice. The family had two boys and they'd wanted an English speaking, live-in au pair to take care of them for the summer. I had a hard time picturing Saxony as a nanny but she insisted that as long as she could give them back at the end of the day, she loves kids.

  "Thank God they're not that young," she said, "I'd have turned them down flat if the kids were toddlers. Thankfully, at six and nine they're well past the sticky stage. Besides," she reminded us, "I'll have full room and board and my own apartment." We all agreed, she'd lucked out.

  "What about you, Georjie?” said Akiko. "Have you decided about Ireland?"

  Georjayna's mom Liz was trying to convince her to go stay with her beatnik Aunt Nelda in Ireland for the summer. We knew Liz was just trying to foist her off. Liz was very focused on her career. Georjayna used to go to Ireland when she was little, but when her mom made partner all that stopped and its been ages since she's been back.

  "Oh, that's easy," she said. "As long as Targa is here for the summer then I'm staying too. We'll hang out at the beach, catch a few hot summer flicks and binge watch all the new TV series, right T-Nation?" she said, batting her brown eyes at me.

  I smiled at the use of my old nickname. She'd given it to me years ago, shortly after my dad died. I'd emotionally retreated and always appeared to be in my own little world, my own little ‘Nation of Targa'. So, she'd christened me and it had stuck. "Right," I said in agreement.

  Georjayna's wheat blonde hair was in two loose braids and she grabbed one in each hand and pressed them together in prayer, making her look like a penitent milkmaid. "Aye," she said in a strong Irish accent, "cuz if yur leav'n too I promised me Mam I'd go, and last time I was there they talked all funny-like and I could'na understand a single word."

  I laughed. Georjie had always been a talented mimic. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad," I replied. "I'd love to see Ireland, or anywhere in Europe really."

  She continued with the accent, "That's because you've never been to Anacullough, the small town me aunt lives near. Blink and you'll miss it. I'd go crazy." Georjayna crossed her eyes and dropped her braids.

  "You could always come visit me in Venice, Targa," Saxony said, then slurped up the last of her iced coffee. "As long as you don't snore you can share my bed, but if you do I'll push you into a canal."

  "I appreciate the offer," I smiled. "I don't have the money for that but maybe one day."

  We chatted for another half hour before we started looking at our watches and phones. We agreed to meet for lunch at the park the next day and also to get together on Saturday night at Georjayna's house for a farewell dinner.

  Georjayna texted her mom for a ride after Akiko and Saxony said goodbye and left to walk home together since they lived near each other.
Georjayna and I took the empty cups inside.

  "Your mom is able to pick you up today?" I asked as we dumped our garbage in the appropriate recycling bins. I was surprised because Liz basically lived at her office and left Georjayna to her own devices.

  "Yeah, but only because she had a hair appointment at Oasis and just finished. Lucky timing" she replied. Oasis is a high-end salon only two blocks from the cafe. “Mira picking you up?" Georjayna asked.

  "Nah. I like walking," I replied, covering for my mom. She might even be out at The Boneyard by now.

  A look of disapproval crossed Georjayna's face. The trailer park was at least an hours walk from the café. I know what Georjie thinks. We've talked about it before. She likes my mom for her devil-may-care attitude but she also thinks she's irresponsible when it comes to me. Mira is the kid, and I'm the adult. She’s not totally wrong about that.

  Chapter 3

  Georjayna grabbed my hand as her mom pulled up in front of the cafe in her white S.U.V. "Come on. We'll give you a ride."

  Liz is a high-powered lawyer. Both of us have moms who work too much and we both sometimes wrestle with feelings of abandonment, but in terms of wealth, Georjayna is my polar opposite. She's got everything that money can buy short of a private helicopter, and I'm sure they could afford that too. They have the mansion with the indoor pool and gym, the designer clothes, the gadgets and technology. But Liz never stops working and barely notices her daughter. Trying to oust Georjayna for the summer is such a Liz move.

  "Hey Targa. How are you?" Liz asked, giving me a plastic smile from between the front seats as I got into the back seat; her bluetooth earpiece perpetually stuck in her ear. Her blonde hair looked fantastic. Liz sounded more British than Irish. Georjayna had told me that she'd taken accent correction classes to try and make herself sound more English after she'd moved to London to study.

  "I'm fine, Liz. Thanks. You look nice. How are you?"