Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (2 page)

Sai shook his head. “I’m only
her escort because I have to be.”

“Oh, for crying out loud,
admit it,” I whispered, “part of you is happy about it.”

Once again, Sai didn’t
answer.

We remained quiet, awaiting
Faema’s arrival like two gulls bracing for a hurricane. When she drew closer, I
observed the serene smile plastered to her lips. “The eye of the storm,” I
murmured. Sai nodded.

“Hello,” Faema said as she
reached the two of us. Plopping herself on the sand beside Sai, she grabbed his
arm and looped hers through. “I hate to pull you away from your
friend
,
but your mother sent me to fetch you.”

“I already finished my chores
for the day.” Sai tried to pull his arm away but Faema held on.

“Well, you know how it is
around festival time. There’s so much to do.” In a quiet voice to Sai, she
whispered, “If certain non-natives would help out, things would go a little
faster.”

I bristled but before I could
say anything, Faema continued.

 “It’s probably better. I
don’t know that we could use you, Aylen. I have yet to see you exhibit any
worthy skill to the island.”

I opened my mouth in defense
but Sai spoke first. “Faema, go home. You weren’t invited.”

“Maybe not to your little
party on the beach, but I was asked to have you as my escort for the festival.
That entitles me to some of your time.”

Turning to meet my pained
expression, Sai said, “I should get going. I’m sure my mother thinks I cut out
too early today.”

I nodded, standing. “See you
tomorrow morning?”

He rose to his feet, brushing
Faema’s hands from his arm. “No. I’ll be preparing for my performance. I’m
acting in one of the festival plays.”

I tried to smile but I knew my
eyes scrunched up too much to appear sincere. “Oh, I’d forgotten that. Then
I’ll just see you after the festival.”

“Right.” Sai opened his mouth
as if to say something more, but Faema pulled on his arm. I watched him turn to
go and tried to swallow the fears rising inside of me. With narrowed eyes,
Faema spun around to look at me one last time before continuing on.

I stood alone, breathless, as
though a gust of wind had ripped through my center. “A hurricane,” I whispered
to the breeze, watching my only friend walk further away

It was typical of Faema to
try and divert Sai, but that evening it injured me more than usual. Lately, Sai
had seemed to be separating himself from me and I wasn’t sure how to make him
stop. How was it possible to compete with an island, a society, an entire
lifestyle? Deep down, I knew I fell short.

I stood at the water’s edge
where it foamed around my feet. Only Sai’s footprints, alongside Faema’s,
proved his presence and the incoming tide was slowly wiping them clean. 

I turned my attention to the
rush of water coming toward me, reaching my legs, and swirling around my
calves. A shiver of doubt ran through my body. So much of the future, my world,
was uncertain.

Stepping forward to meet a
new swell, I raised my arms, braced myself, and dove into the water. It rushed
to envelop me in spite of my unsure strokes. It would be the only place I felt
peace for a while.

Chapter 2

Vairda was the largest out of
the nine islands nestled in our stretch of sea.  My family lived on the
outskirts of the most populated village, Lailie, not far from the shore where I
usually met Sai. Lailie was also the designated location for the festival.

That night, I walked home on
a well-trodden road lined with thick palms and feathery undergowth.  I’d chosen
to follow a route through the village in hopes of glimpsing the festival
preparations.

The community bustled as I
strolled through its fire lit streets. Women chatted as they hung abundant
baskets of flowers from totems and men strategically situated giant statues of
whales and sea monsters, carved to appear as though they leapt from the ground.
Everywhere I looked villagers hustled and worked, preparing for the biggest
event on the island calendar.  It was the most I’d ever seen during festival
time and I relished each sight as if I were a part of it.

Stone streets made up most of
the city and circling the city center were round huts belonging to Lailie’s
leaders. Each hut surface had been decorated with sea shells and colorful
stones. From every door was a path leading to a single fist-sized intricately
carved stone in the middle of the wheel shaped layout. Long ago, Sai had told
me the village had been built around that stone due to its beauty. 

Making my way through the
town, I stopped at the center and turned around several times, admiring the
decorations. I glimpsed a few disapproving glances thrown my way but ignored
them. I knew my presence was a surprise.

I hungrily drank in the
sights before moving on toward the fringe of trees bordering the village.
Casting one last glance toward some of the more unusual decorations, I
disappeared beneath the dark canopy. I hadn’t gone more than five steps when
the sound of my name halted me.

“Aylen, wait!” I cringed when
I recognized the voice and wished I’d been three seconds faster in walking
through town. Turning, I forced myself to smile.

“Hi, Faema!” The enthusiasm
in my voice was as thin as strained mango juice.

“I went back to the beach to
find you after Sai and I left. You weren’t there,” Faema said.

“I went for a swim. Good
swimming weather this time of year.”

“That’s unusual for you.
You’re not much of a swimmer.” Faema offered a sour smirk. “Anyway, I thought
about what you said and I wanted to issue a personal invitation for you to come
to the festival to witness my crowning as Vairdan princess. We may even have a
few small tasks you could help with. I doubt you could ruin the really simple
chores.”

She had my full attention
now.  I realized it wasn’t enough that Sai would be her escort. She wanted to
verbally torture me as well.

“You’re so thoughtful. Sort
of,” I said, trying to turn my frustration into a cohesive sentence. “My
parents —” I began before Faema cut me off.

“Oh, that’s right! Your
parents won’t let you. It’s too bad they don’t feel you’re ready to make your
own decisions yet.”

I forced a smile. “I
can
make my own decisions.” It was a lame response and we both knew it was a lie.
However, I wasn’t going to allow Faema to think she’d walked away the victor of
this particular battle.

“Well, then you might want to
consider making a showing to see Sai and I stand together while I receive the
crown. Keep in mind, he won’t have time to be with you. As my escort, he’ll be
committed only to me for the evening. Maybe if you find a way to attend, I
could dig up an escort for you. I think Corla has a twelve year old brother
who’s free.”

My phony smile grew wider.
“Thanks for the offer Faema, but I would prefer my escort to choose me. I
wouldn’t stoop to begging for one.”

Faema tossed her flaxen hair
behind her shoulders and laughed. “If you think I had to beg Sai, you’re wrong.
Sai asked me. I practically had to beat the boy back with a stick, he was so
eager.”

I could feel the heat of fury
bleed into my cheeks and I silently thanked the night for concealing the color
on my face.

“Now, Faema.” I leaned
closer, dropping into a hushed tone, “let’s not say things that aren’t true.
Between us girls, I think we both know what he really thinks of you.”

Faema glared at me for a moment.
I grabbed the chance to make my escape. “I hear a lot of stories are told at
the festival. I hope you have a chance to tell some of your own. You would do
well.”

I turned, straightened my
shoulders, and walked through the trees, leaving the flickering fires of Lailie
and the angelic looking bully behind. The sounds of conversation and
preparations began to fade in the distance and I mentally demanded my heart
stop racing. Although I tried not to let Faema’s words bother me, I couldn’t
help but chafe at her surety in Sai’s affection. I hoped I’d done a convincing
job of pretending to have more confidence than I felt. It was the only way to
face her down.

My hut was nestled near the
base of one of the island’s many mountains, surrounded by small trees, ferns,
and palms. It appeared snug and safe, tucked away in a world of its own. As I
neared it, I could see why it had been easy for my parents to become so
reclusive.

Tonight, standing by the
door, I contemplated how to bring up attending the festival to my parents. Sai
obviously didn’t want me there this year, but that didn’t stop me from hoping
to attend. I just needed a way to convince them I was old enough to go.

Entering, I found my mother
relaxing on her side on one of our woven sleeping mats near the hearth. She’d
propped herself up with an elbow and her cheek rested in her hand. A few paces
away, a half used candle flickered while she intently studied an aged piece of
parchment. I hadn’t seen it before, but that didn’t surprise me. There were many
things my parents kept from me.

“Where’s Dad?” I asked,
glancing around the room. There weren’t many places for him to hide. My parents
had always lived simply, limiting our décor to a few shelves for storage, the
locked trunks they’d brought from the mainland, and two partitions separating
our sleeping quarters.

“He’s hunting food for
tomorrow,” my mother said, stifling a yawn. “He wants to avoid festival
travelers in the morning.” She scanned the parchment one last time before
rolling it up.

“What is that?” I pointed to
the paper and cocked my head in an attempt to get a glimpse of the writing
scrawled across the page before it disappeared into the roll.

“Journal entries from the old
land.”

“I knew you salvaged some
weaponry from the shipwreck. Some of your records survived as well?” I eyed the
document suspiciously. So much of my parents’ pasts remained a mystery. I knew
they’d been warriors of sorts from the sword fighting drills and techniques my
father weekly trained me on, but they’d never shared anything else.

My mother answered with
silence. She placed the parchment on the floor by her side and turned to face
me. “Did you have a nice time with Sai tonight?” she asked with a smile that
didn’t quite reach her eyes.

I was no fool. I knew
perfectly well when she was trying to avoid a conversation about her past.
Because I currently had other concerns, I let the matter drop.

 “It was alright.” I
positioned myself on the floor, trying to get comfortable. “Sai had to leave
early to help with festival preparations.”

“It’s the same thing every
year. It practically takes over the island.” She shook her head.

“He’s escorting Faema this
year.” I avoided meeting my mother’s eyes, afraid she would read my hurt.
“Which I should have been prepared for. I just wish . . .”

“That you could attend the
festival as well,” she finished for me.

“Mom, please let me go this
year.” I raised my eyes this time and looked at her. Her face was an
emotionless mask but her eyes were soft. It was the usual expression she wore
when we discussed things I wasn’t allowed to do.

“I know you’re curious about
island traditions and the Vairdans make it seem very appealing. But you need to
understand that these are not our traditions or beliefs. We don’t think the
festival is the right place for you to be.”

“I’m sixteen. Shouldn’t I
have a right to make that choice for myself?” I sighed. “You raised me here and
I’ve never known another land. Shouldn’t I embrace Vairdan traditions as my
own?”

My mother frowned for a
moment, her forehead creasing in thought. “Aylen, I’m not sure if we’ll ever be
able to leave Vairda, but even if we stay this will never be our true home. We
have our own beliefs.”

“Then why can’t you share
them with me? Why won’t you tell me anything about where you and Dad came from?
If you hate it here so much, why do we stay?” My words hung in the room with
unveiled emotion.

“We want to explain it all to
you, but we just can’t yet. There are things we’re protecting you from. Things
about where we came from that no child should have to know.”

“I’m not a child!”

“But you still are, Aylen! At
least where this matter is concerned!”

“Why don’t you let me attend
the festival just once until you’re ready to tell me the truth?” I pleaded.

“Some of the Vairdan stories
are stemmed from our history, but they’ve been manipulated into silly legends
and tales. They’ve become half-truths and lies. I can’t bear to have you
believe in the nonsense they preach as fact.”

“But at least they have
something to be proud of. You don’t even allow me that. You won’t even tell me
the truth about where we came from and why we tolerate being outcasts on this
island.” Tears sprouted at the corners of my eyes and threatened to blossom
down my cheeks. I swiped at them, knowing tears were a sign of immaturity to my
mother.

“I would rather have you
believe in nothing than allow you to place your faith in a pack of lies and
ridiculous stories,” she said, jumping on the opportunity to end the debate.
“You’re not going to the festival tomorrow evening and that’s the end of the
discussion.” My mother set her jaw and stared at me, visually challenging me to
argue. My shoulders slumped in defeat and I stood. There was little use in
saying anything else. I turned to retreat to my partitioned quarters, but
halted mid stride. I was tired of other people making decisions that affected
my life in a way I didn’t want. I was even more fed up with being subject to my
parents’ and the islanders’ prejudices. Raising my head, I met my mother’s
eyes.

“All my life, I’ve obeyed you
and Dad. Even when I didn’t agree with your choices for my life, I obeyed you
out of respect. When you’ve refused to offer me explanations, I’ve let the
matter drop. But this. This means something to me.” Mom didn’t move. She
studied me intently and I returned the gaze for several moments before
finishing my speech.

“You and Dad were obviously
very different people in the old land than who you are now. You once fought for
something. You believed in something. I’ve at least gathered that much
information in what little you’ve shared with me. And you still seem to believe
in something, even if I’m not a part of it. But I’ll never understand why
you’ve tried to raise me to be so weak when you were once so strong.”

Before she could respond, I
turned once more and stalked to my quarters. When my mother didn’t follow, I
curled into a ball on my mat and closed my eyes. The scent of salt lingered on
my skin and tickled my nose as warm liquid dripped silently from under my
eyelids. In the distance, the sound of the ocean and the gentle sway of trees
eventually soothed my mind into a restless sleep.

The sun had already burned
off the morning fog by the time I awoke. Birds chattered outside and I listened
for a while, relishing their cheerful language. Then I remembered my argument
with my mother. Guilt choked at my desire to attend the festival but I
throttled it back. This was a battle I would fight for and with the new day, I
found fresh resolve.

The hut was silent but I knew
my parents were close by. They were never very far, even when I wished them to
be. Quickly, I slipped into a fresh change of clothes and left the enclosure of
my quarters. As I made my way to the latrine, I spotted my mother, picking
plump, pink berries from one of the bushes bordering our property. I hardly
glanced in her direction as I made my way past.

When I emerged, my father
stood only a few feet away, waiting for me. In his hands, he held the two
wooden practice swords he’d made years earlier. His sword was nearly as tall as
me while the other was a much smaller weapon, similar to one of the swords I’d
glimpsed in my mother’s trunk.

“I’m really not up for it
today, Dad,” I said, trying to brush past him.

“When have I ever allowed you
to use excuses to get out of sword practice?” Dad smirked and held my weapon
out to me.

“This is pointless. You’ve
never given me a reason why this is important. And did you talk to Mom last
night? I’m pretty sure you both think I’m a baby. What’s a baby doing learning
how to use one of these?” I glared at him, wondering how he would respond to my
less than respectful tone.