Arcene: The Island (10 page)

There was a lot of detritus bobbing about, knocking against the still-strong sides, it was just a shame there were no whole boats, just bits of wood and seaweed, pieces of plastic acting as reminders of ancient civilization where everything was wrapped then wrapped again. And they put it in bags too!

"Leel, don't run off, it will be properly dark soon and we need to be inside by then." Arcene watched the smoke drift lazily from the chimney. They should be fine, it wouldn't be visible from any distance, and besides, the smoke from the forest fire would hide their presence from unwanted guests.

Arcene was no fan of spending the night in houses, she preferred to be outdoors so she could make her escape easily if need be, and Leel could pretend to be a guard dog whilst snoring loudly, oblivious to anything going on around her. Still, it comforted her; she felt safe under the stars.

Tonight would be different, just for novelty factor, and because she needed a semblance of home comfort, even if all that meant was an indoor fire and hopefully a bath. Leel was sniffing at the base of a shuttered building, still intact. She joined her faithful companion, taking a sniff as she got close. "Ooh, you smell better. Better than me anyway. What you found, girl, something good?"

Woof.

"Okay then, let's take a look." Arcene bent to the steel door and noted that a padlock hung open across the fastening so took it off. She gripped the bottom of the door and it lifted surprisingly easily, rolling up with a loud clatter that sent birds settling for the night flying from their perches, startled. "Let's take a quick look before it's pitch black. Maybe there's a bucket or something."

Leel strode purposefully into the interior; Arcene followed.

A Bucket

The interior was dark, but Arcene made out the shape of a small boat in front of her. Maybe it would float? There was no way she could inspect it now, but in the morning she would definitely return and give it a thorough going over. Would there be a sail? How did you steer boats? Her experience was limited, but how hard could it be? Float, steer, what else was there? Nothing to go wrong really.

Arcene turned her attention away from the promise of transport. There was nothing to be done now, so she had to get her priorities right. The stench of her own body was becoming too much, she needed to get clean and that meant— "A bucket, cool." Arcene kicked it in her haste, then chased after it as it rolled away.

Leel, not wanting to be left out, bounded ahead and pawed the metal, sending it spinning out the door. "Leel! Go fetch, quick." Leel was outside in a flash, focused on her prey and determined. Arcene dashed after her and watched in dismay as the bucket rolled toward the water.

"Quick, Leel, or you'll have to put up with me being all stinky." Leel pounced and caught the handle in her mouth. She sat, and turned her head with pride, the bucket swaying in her jaws looking like a miniature. "Good girl, well caught."

Arcene took the bucket and scooped up water from the harbor. They retreated to their temporary accommodation, heat hitting them fiercely as they entered the small room. The fire roared, orange reflecting off the bare walls making it cozy and inviting. Arcene placed the bucket in the fireplace then squatted and stared at the flames.

Something felt wrong. Ah, the sword. What was wrong with her? How could she have left it while she went outside? That was a grave mistake to make — her sword should go everywhere with her, no exceptions. It was part of her, she should know better than that. She picked it up for comfort, feeling whole as her hand wrapped around the hilt, simple yet immensely elegant.

She was still for some time. Dirty, clothes ripped, hair black from dirt and ash, sword balanced perfectly across her knees. Leel sat beside her, towering over her in her bent position. Together, they stared at the flames, each lost in their own thoughts of home, food, and that familiar tingle of excitement — tomorrow would be an interesting day. There was adventure across the water and they both intended to get to it no matter what.

Pfsst.

"Ugh, didn't think this through." The fire sizzled as smoke billowed into the room. It was like being back in the burning forest, lungs full of noxious fumes. At least this time there was an easy escape. Arcene ran after Leel, already outside breathing the fresh air, and the smoke emptied through the door behind them.

Arcene stood back from the building, and watched smoke pour out the windows, doors and the chimney — so much for keeping a low profile. Minutes later it was gone, just a gentle wisp blown away from the rooftop by a warm and pleasant evening breeze. She ventured back inside, hoping the fire wasn't completely ruined.

There was the faintest of glows, but she'd made a right mess of things and no mistake. The bucket was on its side, a hole burned through the bottom — what a stupid thing to do. There would be no hot water now, no bath in front of the fire.

Arcene busied herself clearing away the bucket and scooped up the wet ash as best she could with the rim. She added more wood to the fire and blew on it hard until her cheeks were red and she was finally rewarded with her second fire of the evening.

"Well, I guess there's only one thing for it," sighed Arcene, as she rubbed her filthy hands on her vest then began to strip off. She unlaced her boots, pulled them off, followed by her ruined socks, then it was the kilt and panties. Last was the vest. It was all ruined, torn beyond repair, so she threw everything into a corner apart from the boots. She busied herself with the backpack for a moment, getting out new clothes, clones of the outfit she'd taken off.

This was her look, her style, and the black, over-the-knee socks with the pink bunnies stitched intricately up the sides were the only part of her outfit that didn't scream, "Don't mess with Arcene!" There were more identical clothes in the pack. She liked the consistency, the lack of the need to worry about what to wear. This was her, who she was. Deadly, yet whimsical — it suited her perfectly, or so she believed.

"Wish me luck, Leel." Arcene grabbed a bar of what passed for soap and ran shrieking out into the street. Without slowing, she launched herself into the water with a leg tuck, bum hitting the water first. Her heart missed a beat as she submerged in the icy ink, but at the same time she felt instantly alive.

Woof, woof.

Leel shouted from the side, wanting to play but none too keen on getting wet again now she was finally drying off. "You silly dog, I won't be long. It's fr... freezing." Arcene's teeth chattered as she rubbed quickly at her body while a cloud of dirt drifted slowly away. She ducked under to ensure her hair was throughly soaked then lathered up, splashing about one-handed.

Damn, the sword again, what is wrong with me?
She panicked a little, aware how defenseless she was, so hurried with her ablutions, washing her hair twice, as it needed it, rinsed quickly, and rubbed at her slender limbs and taut waist, proud of her body even if it was still rather pubescent. She would never be a fully developed woman, but she was who she was and would remain that way forever, and unapologetic.

With an easy stroke, Arcene made it back to the harbor edge, hauled herself out and ran fast back to the warmth of the small room. She stood by the fire and wrung out her hair, scraped the water off her body with the side of her hand, and let the fire work its magic. Soon her bottom was pink from the heat and her toes tingled with that strange feeling you get after they have been cold then warmed up too fast. It was a welcome pain. She felt alive again. Clean, refreshed and whole.

"You know what would be perfect?" Arcene asked, as she pulled on her vest. "A nice boar to roast over this fire." Leel stared at the flames, then at Arcene, then out the door. "I know, you want to go hunting, but there's nothing here, is there girl? Don't worry, we'll make do with what we have." Arcene finished dressing and took some valuable supplies from the backpack.

There wasn't much, and she made sure to save a little for the following day when, hopefully, they would get a proper meal — it was best to be cautious though, just in case.

Arcene and Leel settled down in front of the fire. The mood darkened as the night closed in on them. They were never their jolliest when all they had were a few cuts of cold meat and water. The fire burned; they snuggled up under blankets. Leel's belly made a nice pillow for Arcene, and she soon fell asleep, exhausted after two days of hot air balloons, forest fires, mole people, more fire, and not enough food.

The island loomed large as the moon rose above the sea.

Arcene dreamed of little birds breaking free of their shells and flying high into the sky for the first time.

Leel dreamed of catching seagulls.

Let's go Sailing

The fire was almost dead; the bare floor cold; the blanket freezing.

Leel's belly rumbled so loud Arcene could stand it no longer, and she was so hungry she contemplated going next door and apologizing to the blackbird before knocking it on the head and building the fire up to roast it. Things weren't quite that bad, but Arcene felt physically drained. Why did these things keep happening to her? Probably because secretly she wanted them to.

With her bare arms covered in goose bumps, Arcene untangled herself from the blanket reluctantly and got to her feet. She stretched. Ooh, she was sore. Not surprising, but what was a girl to do? She put all thought of the last few days behind her — this was a new day, a day for adventure.

"Ugh, the acorn. Gosh, I'm really not myself." Arcene unfastened a small pocket in the backpack and removed a simple acorn. It had a lot of history this acorn, but more than that it was a link back to her home, to The Commorancy and to Letje — probably the scariest woman alive, but also the kindest. More importantly, she was her friend.

This acorn had a little of Arcene and Letje inside it, energy directed by The Noise. It was their link, almost a flip-talker without the need for satellites and all that went with communication via digital means. Why hadn't she thought to use it yesterday, to tell her friends and family she was all right? Because it had been rather an eventful day, that was why. But still, it was lax, she should have done it immediately.

Arcene squatted and let the acorn sit in her open palm. She moved into a state where The Noise was all-pervasive and let herself become one with the no place, the energy that went deeper than the conscious mind could fathom.

Uh-oh, I'm in trouble.
There was a message waiting for her, almost like a recording but nothing spoken. This was beyond words, pure emotion, and it was red and angry. It asked if she was all right, if she was safe, and why had she failed to get in touch? It was pure Letje, powerful and disappointed. The message contained so much, and it flooded into Arcene in an instant — time had no meaning, it was just there.

It told that she could sense Arcene was alive and the anger lessened, but she was to make contact and put their minds at ease. Lucien was fine, happy and playing, but asking for his mommy and didn't she want to come home? Should someone be sent to get her? Was she on her way?

Tears fell from red eyes. She was a bad mother. Her son wanted her and she was out playing at being free as if she had no responsibilities. Was she evil? No, she was still partly a child herself and being away from her home had meant she had reverted to the wild version of herself she had been for so long. Acting carefree, and as if her life were her own, not tied for eternity to her own flesh and blood that needed her, wanted her.

With a sniff, Arcene sent her reply, giving everything to the acorn, her link to her home, telling of her sorrow and shame, that she was safe and would arrive soon. She missed Lucien terribly, everyone else too, and not to worry.

She cut the link.

Arcene remained motionless for a long time, just stared at the acorn, wondering what made her act the way she did. It wasn't just her life to be so carefree with any longer, she had a child to look after, a family that cared for her and she cared for in return.

She wasn't alone in the world, things were different now. She had to be more careful, to think about the effect her actions had. But this was life. It was for enjoying, experiencing, and somewhere deep inside Arcene knew she acted as she did because she wasn't fully mature as a person. She would always be this way to some degree, concerned with herself and not fully empathizing with others, sometimes finding it hard to imagine how they felt about what she did — living for the now, letting life experience flood in and take away concerns for family and friends.

"I guess I need to grow up a little." Arcene clenched a fist, as if pressing send on a flip-talker, and she knew that the new message would be relayed. She was fine, would be home soon.

Arcene fought with the contradictions of her nature. This was her one chance to be alone and do what she wanted without the routine she loved and hated: the repetition of the days and the confines of home. "One day. I'll take one day to explore the island and then I will go home and not leave until Lucien is old enough for me to take him on adventures with me."

Mind made up, but with a part of herself telling that she was being selfish and should leave immediately, Arcene stepped out into the empty street.

Seagulls stared at her, then carried on with their bird business. Leel could be heard snoring inside the house. Arcene lifted her hands to the clear blue sky and smiled — it felt glorious to be alive. What a gift.

"Just one day, just one day." Arcene reached over her shoulder and tapped the pommel, it gave her comfort. Time to plait her hair, as it got in the way of a quick draw otherwise. She untied the ribbons from around her wrist and set about the laborious task. She never made a good job of it, but it was better than trying to grab your sword only to get a handful of silver locks instead.

Arcene could hear Leel still snoring; her belly rumbled and she wondered if she could creep up on a seagull unawares.