Aqua

by Jonathan Dakin

  Chapter Four

  I must have prayed throughout the entire swim back to Aqua Island. I was begging God for forgiveness for what I had just done. At one point I tried to rationalise that what I did was thrust upon me in an act of self-defence, but that didn’t make me feel any better. I had taken two more human lives, and I didn’t know how I was ever going to move past this.

  I’m sorry Lord. Please forgive me.

  As soon as I emerged from the ocean on the eastern beach of Aqua Island, I felt a flurry of sensations. Being apart from the water made me feel insecure and unprotected. I was tempted to run back into the waves and let them swallow me up, but I didn’t. I had to face what I had done head on. I wanted nothing more but to speak to my mother and tell her everything while she held me in her frail arms. But I knew that I couldn’t. She would hate me for what I had done, and it would destroy our relationship. I already hated myself: I didn’t need anyone else to.

  The bright yellow sun was still high in the sky, even though the afternoon was beginning to turn into evening. I walked down the beach next to the crashing tide so that my feet could remain cool and be stroked by the ocean. The calming waves made me feel slightly more confident. They told me that it would all be okay. I would be able to deal with what had just happened.

  On my left were tall palm trees, their leaves drooping down to stroke the sandy shore beneath. I knew every single inch of this island from its rock pools to its dirt tracks. It wasn’t a particularly large island, but it was big enough to be an international hub for a group that called themselves the Elementus Populas. The strand that was dedicated to looking after and training me and my siblings was known as the Aqua Cohors, which was led by Babajide and his team of scientists, martial artists and other assorted personal. They were all dearly devoted to the idea that those of us born with supernatural elemental powers should be trained and guided by an independent source. Apparently, the group was founded during the Roman Empire, and had continued to this day, helping each new generation of Elementals. I had heard all of this so many times that it seemed to have lost all of its meaning on me, and just seemed like a children’s story instead of real life.

  Almost every government around the world genetically screened each child when they were born, to see whether or not they were one of the ‘chosen few’. As the oldest in my family, as soon my mother had given birth to me I was flagged as having the possibility of being an Elemental, which obviously turned out to be the case. Once my two brothers and sister were born, they knew that we had to be the Aqua Elementals, as this pattern of siblings had remained consistent throughout the millennia. So when I was five years old, they moved all of us- including my parents- to this island off the coast of the Equatorial Guinea, our former West African homeland. The government seemed to have no problem with us being here, probably because they would, in time, want us on their side to enact their will. I wasn’t prepared to be a tool for anyone to use, so Babajide thought it was best for us to remain here until we collectively decided what to do with our powers.

  But I didn’t have the first clue. I mean, I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know what to do about this awkward predicament we were forced into. The Aqua Cohors and the rest of the Elemental Populas clearly had an agenda, though they hadn’t yet revealed what it was. The government of Equatorial Guinea undoubtedly had plans for us too. The group known as the Inimicus- or ‘the enemy’- also wanted to use us for something, though we had been completely shielded from their nefarious intent. But there was only one person that I wanted to listen to, and all I wanted to do was get off this island and serve Him. I just wanted to help those less fortunate with the gifts I was blessed with. Was it such a bad thing to want to give aid to others? Apparently so. Babajide expressly forbid it. The Aqua siblings were not allowed to be split apart- together we were stronger. So we had to collectively decide what to do, and until we did, we were stuck in the Atlantic Ocean without a hope.

  The wet sand dented as my foot trod down onto it, and the rising tide washed my footprint away almost as quickly as I had made it. I inhaled deeply and allowed the salty air to tingle down my throat. The swim, followed by the walk, allowed me to think. I was still frantic and devastated, and I wanted desperately to tell Babajide everything so he could send help to the villagers in case of any repercussions. But in that moment, when my feet were stroked by the incoming tide, I didn’t feel quite so bad.

  Thank you God, I prayed tenderly to myself, thank you for giving me the strength to persevere.

  Just as I rounded the north-eastern bend of the island, I spotted Diane’s place. Still there as usual. Nothing on this island ever changed. Perhaps Diane is in I thought to myself as I got closer to the large wooden cabin, she’ll listen to me.

  Diane, a European whose nationality I was still unsure of, was a very interesting woman. I was pretty sure that she wasn’t from Spain, because she spoke Spanish with an accent I had never heard before, and regularly mispronounced certain words. But to be honest, I didn’t really care where she was from, because she was my friend.

  After inhaling deeply and then exhaling loudly through my mouth, I decided to leave the comfort of the sea and trudge towards her house. The chances of her being there were slim, as she was often away on business. Her connection to the island was strange: we first met her just after Valeska, a Czech member of the Elementus Populas, arrived. Valeska had been sent by The Supernus- the part of the Elementus Populas that oversees the other four sections- to help my brother Madzimoyo. He was born a Secondus, which meant that his secondary power, earth, was developing faster than his primary power, which was of course water. She arrived over two and a half years ago, and although she spent just a few months with us, we began to love her like a cousin. We also began to love her close friend Diane too. To us, they were both like extended family that were allowed to visit us on the island, and their presence was so important to us. They gave us a connection to the outside world.

  During Valeska’s stay, Diane suddenly appeared one day, and it was later revealed that she was sent here to support and train Valeska, as it was her first assignment. Years later, Diane still lived on the island- from time to time anyway. She said that between jobs she needed respite, and because she felt so at home on Aqua Island, she could only relax here.

  I smiled thinking about Valeska and Diane. As a family, we had shared some pretty amazing times with them. Even though Valeska left a long time ago, we still kept in touch, and often heard her exciting and sometimes dangerous stories. I was secretly jealous of her: I wished that I could globetrot around the world. I had always wanted to leave this country and discover what the rest of the planet had to offer. I had read so many travel books and seen so many images of wonderful places that where dotted around the world… but it just wasn’t the same as actually being there and seeing them for yourself.

  I wanted to leave this place once and for all. But then my mind drifted back to what I had just done…

  I shook the thought away. Things would be different. I would be in control. I wasn’t a danger to everyone around me. I knew I wasn’t. I could live amongst normal people. Why shouldn’t I?

  My feet crunched against dried palm leaves as I made my way towards the front door of the rustic cottage. It may have looked basic from the outside, but the inside was a fully furnished dream house. If Diane ever left for good, which I didn’t actually want to happen, then I would ask Babajide if I could take the hut for myself. But I knew he’d just say no, because he wouldn’t want to separate the Aqua siblings. I sighed in desperation.

  “Shasa?” a voice from the cabin called out. It was Diane.

  “Yes, it’s me,” I replied, my voice quivering in anticipation. I was surprised and relieved that she was actually there.

  I heard shuffling within the hut, and seconds later the door flung open to reveal Diane. She was medium height, like myself, but was thin and pale. Her shoulder length curly brown hair dangled down like springs that bounc
ed when she moved, and her hazel eyes lit up her long narrow face. She was wearing the sort of clothes that older women wear- hiking boots, khaki shorts, a tank top and a light shirt to cover up her pasty arms. I guessed that she was in her early fifties, the same sort of age as my own mother.

  Normally Diane would greet me with a beaming smile, but today she seemed… distracted. And upset. Her face seemed void of expression or emotion, and she seemed paler than usual. Her beady eyes scanned my face and her mouth dropped open in worry.

  “Whatever’s the matter, sweetie?” she asked me, holding out her reedy arms to embrace me.

  Without hesitating, I fell into her grasp and began to cry my eyes out.

  “There, there,” she comforted me, stroking my thick black hair with her right hand and rubbing my bare shoulder with her left. “Whatever’s the matter?”

  I pulled away from her, my face plastered with assorted liquids, opened my mouth and gushed out the entire day’s events. She watched me, listening intently but never interrupting, and when I was finished she hugged me tight.

  “It’s okay,” she consoled, “It’ll be alright.”

  “No it won’t!” I spat, “They’re dead! I’m a murderer! I’m a monster!”

  She placed her hands on my cheeks and then pushed my head back, so that we were eye to eye.

  “That’s not true Shasa. That’s not true and you know it!”

  I stared into her light brown eyes. They were unflinchingly earnest, but I didn’t believe her. There was nothing she could say to me that would convince me that what I did was right. I knew she would give me a speech about how I was different from other people and that I did what I had to, but I didn’t want to hear it. I almost wanted her to confirm my own thoughts. I wanted her to look deep inside of me and see exactly what I could see that no one else could…

  But she didn’t. She just stared at me, waiting for a response. It was almost callous. But I knew she wasn’t that sort of person. She was just distracted. Something was troubling her. She wasn’t really paying attention to what I was saying to her. I was starting to get worried- something in her gaze was beginning to upset me. So I softly pulled her hands away from my face and backed away.

  “Thanks,” I replied, in the most genuine voice I could muster, “You’re right,” I added. Her cold gaze continued to follow me. I then decided that it was time for me to leave. Whatever was disturbing her, she clearly needed to deal with it by herself.

  Just as I was about to turn and walk back down to the sea, she grabbed my left arm.

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice was matter of fact and devastatingly emotionless. “You came at the wrong time, Shasa. I just heard something terrible, seconds before you arrived. And it’s shaken me to the very core.”

  Now I was the one who was concerned. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I…I…” she stuttered, her eyes finally detaching themselves from my gaze and drifting down the beach. Emotions began to well up within her, and her nose began to twitch. “I just don’t know how to tell you this,” she continued as her hand dropped from my arm to her own, and she clasped them together tightly in fear.

  “Please…” I offered, deciding whether or not I should put my left hand on her shoulder, reassuringly.

  “It’s Valeska…” Diane continued, her gaze finally shifting back to my own, “She’s dead.”