The Academy (25 page)

Mrs. North smiled back graciously at my weak joke. “Well then, if you’re really sure you don’t mind…”

“Not at all,” I assured her hastily.

“We’ll be fine, Mom,” North put in. “C’mon, Jameson.” He pushed into the long bedroom and dropped his duffle bag on the bed. I followed a bit hesitantly and put my own smaller bag beside his.

“Well, then…” North’s mother smiled at both of us. “Supper will be in about half an hour. And I made your favorite, Daniel—
s’roth
tail stew.”

I turned to him as she left. “What’s a
s’roth?”

He shrugged. “Just a weird animal that’s native to Apollo. It looks like a cross between a tree and a cow from Earth-that-was. They don’t move very fast and they have this long, fleshy tail that grows back when you cut it off. It’s kind of a local staple since you don’t have to kill the animal to get the meat—works out great for everyone.”

“Except for the
s’roth
apparently,” I said, settling carefully on the side of the bed.

North sat down on the other side of the bed, across from me. “Are you sure you’re okay with this? I’m sorry, I didn’t think it would bother you so much.”

“It doesn’t,” I said quickly. “It was just…unexpected. But I’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.” He gave me a penetrating look and then glanced away. “Well, we’d better get ready for supper. And there might be time for a swim in the ocean afterward—if you want.”

“I don’t know how to swim,” I confessed.

“Don’t know how to swim?” North looked at me as though it was unthinkable. “Is that another Victoria thing or you just never learned?”

I shrugged uncomfortably. “Sort of both, I guess.” Honestly, it was because a true lady in Victoria would never wear anything as skimpy as a bathing costume—even the ones that covered from neck to ankles were considered too form fitting to be proper. But I couldn’t tell North that.

“Well, don’t worry.” He clapped me on the back. “I’ll teach you.”

“What?” I looked at him fearfully. “I don’t know, North. I’m not sure I want to learn.”

He raised an eyebrow at me. “Don’t tell me the fearless fencing champion who challenged Broward to a duel is afraid of a little water?”

Actually, I was more afraid of what the water might reveal but I only shook my head. “I’m just…not sure.”

“Don’t worry about it, the waves here are really gentle as long as you go at the right time of day.” His voice dropped a little and he looked into my eyes. “And I swear I’ll keep you safe.”

My heart skipped a beat and I couldn’t protest any more. Though I knew he was just being a good friend, it felt like there was a kind of electricity between us when he looked at me that way.
You’re imagining it,
I told myself sternly.
Stop thinking like that—you only make it worse!

“Well?” North said softly and I realized he was waiting for my reply.

Mutely, I nodded.

“Good.” North squeezed my shoulder. “You’re going to love it. I promise.”

I wasn’t so sure about that but I seemed to have lost my ability to say no to him. I hoped I would regain it soon—for my own safety as well as my distant brother’s.

The
s’roth
tail stew was delicious—meaty and delicate at the same time. It was clear to see why North had described the
s’roth
as a cross between a cow and a tree. Its flesh had the consistency of both meat and vegetable somehow combined into one. I found it strange but tasty and very satisfying.

The swimming afterward wasn’t bad either, though there was a little difficulty in finding me a bathing suit. I couldn’t wear one of North’s, of course, and I didn’t have one of my own. Eventually North’s mother produced a pair of “trunks” which she said had been North’s when he was my size. Judging from the cartoon characters printed on the colorful, baggy fabric, he must have been much younger when he was as small as I was now. The trunks were loose shorts which came down to my knees. They hid my crotch well, which I was grateful for, but I still had to insist on wearing a shirt with them.

“It’s just us now, you know,” North pointed out as I searched through my bag, looking for a shirt which was light enough to wear while getting submerged in water and yet thick enough to still cover my bandaged breasts. “You don’t have to be so modest.”

“It’s always ‘just us’ in the dorm,” I pointed out a bit stiffly as I selected a shirt and looked for somewhere private to put it on. “And I’m still modest there.”

He nodded. “I guess so. I just want you to know you can trust me. I’m not going to laugh at you or make fun of you if you have something…” He cleared his throat. “Something you’d rather not show to most people.”

I looked at him sharply. Was it possible he suspected me after all this time? But his look held no suspicion—only hope. Did he want us to get closer during this break? My heart speeded up—I wouldn’t deny that I felt the same way. But I could never get close enough to show him what I was hiding from the rest of the world, could never trust him enough to put not only my life but Kristopher’s life in his hands. And even if I
could
have trusted him that much, the idea of being topless in front of him made my cheeks flame with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling my face go hot. “But I just…I’m shy, North. Please try to understand.”

His piercing blue gaze softened. “Yeah, all right, shorty. I didn’t mean to push—just wanted you to know you can trust me.”

“I do,” I said softly.
As much as I can, anyway.
Our eyes met and held for a long time, then North cleared his throat and looked away.

“Go out the door and take a left,” he said. “Fresher is the room at the end of the hallway.”

“Thank you,” I said and left, clutching the shirt and trunks to my chest.

Despite the long hover-cab ride up to North’s house, it was a surprisingly short trip to the sea. A winding staircase had been carved into the side of the mountain that led directly down onto the sandy shores of a private beach. I stared in wonder at the vast expanse of pearlescent dove gray sand, glittering like silver in the light of the dying sun. Beyond it, clear blue-green waves lapped the shore gently. Just like everything else on Apollo, it was beautiful.

“You like it?” North, who was standing beside me, asked softly.

I nodded. “It’s breathtaking.”

“And it feels even better than it looks.” He gave me a challenging smile. “Come on, I’ll race you.” He took off like a golden arrow over the silver sand and I threw down my towel to chase him.

“Wait up,” I yelled as he pulled ahead easily, his long legs quickly outdistancing my own.

“Try and keep up, shorty!” He laughed at me and skidded to a halt as he came to the edge of the ocean.

“No fair,” I said, finally reaching him. “Your legs are so much longer than mine.”

“That’s no excuse for being slow,” he teased me. “Come on, into the water.”

“Wait—” I started to protest but North already had me by the wrist and was dragging me into the sea. I was frightened at first but the cool waves lapping my ankles and North’s warm grip on my arm soon soothed my fears. At his urging, I waded out farther, feeling the soft crunch of sand and shells beneath my bare feet, and filling my lungs with the salty sea breeze.

“Well?” North said at last when we were standing waist deep in the water—though it was more like thigh-deep for him. “What do you think?”

“I’ve never felt anything like it,” I admitted in a low voice. I could feel the muscular strength of the current pushing against my legs, could smell the salt on the air and hear the soft cries of birds overhead. I was almost overwhelmed by the new sensations and yet, I felt a peace standing here in the ocean beside my friend—a peace that I’d never had before.

“It can be a little overwhelming the first time you see it,” North said. “Especially if you’ve never seen any kind of ocean before.”

Overwhelming was a good word. As far as the eye could see there was nothing but water and sky—well, except for a long rocky finger that extended far out into the ocean to my left. It seemed to be composed of dark red stones with bright blue spiking branches growing out of them. “What’s that?” I asked North, pointing at it.

He gave it a cursory glance. “The breakwall. It’s to keep the waves from getting too high—they have them out here every mile or so. You want to be sure and keep your distance from it—the sea thorns will rip you to shreds if you get too close.”

“Sea thorns?” I looked at the bright blue spikes.

“They grow on the rocks—nothing seems to stop them.” North shrugged. “Just keep away from the breakwall and you’ll be fine.” He looked back at the sea and sighed softly. “You know, they say of all the moons in our system, Apollo is the most like Earth-that-was. Except the sand there was supposed to be gold instead of silver.”

“I’m sure that was beautiful,” I said, loving the feel of the sea breeze ruffling my short hair. “But I can’t imagine anything more gorgeous than this.”

“I came here a lot last year after…well, after.” North’s pale blue eyes were fixed on the distant horizon as he talked. “It helped. Some.”

I wanted very much to know more about his brother and exactly how he had died but he didn’t offer anything else. “It’s very peaceful,” I said, scrunching my toes in the sand.

“Too peaceful.” He looked at me suddenly with an unreadable look in his eyes. “Which is why you need to learn how to swim—
now
. C’mon, I’ll show you.” He grabbed my wrist again and began pulling me deeper into the water but this time I resisted.

“North,
don’t
,” I protested, my voice tight with fear. “I don’t want to go in over my head!”

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to dunk you.” He stopped pulling and spread his arms. “Although it’s better if you’re not afraid to put your head underwater.”

“I don’t want to do that—not yet,” I said quickly.

“All right, then, we’ll start with something else. You need to learn how to float.”

“Float?” I said stupidly. “How…?”

“I’ll show you but you have to come a little farther out.” He waded out until the water lapped at his chest and waited patiently for me to join him.

Hesitantly, I made my way to his side. I was standing on my tiptoes now, the water almost up to my chin. The current, which had felt so soothing pressing against my legs earlier, now felt dangerously strong. I clutched at North’s arm to keep my balance as a particularly strong wave rolled in, almost lifting me off my feet.

“Good.” North looked pleased that I had trusted him. “Now you’re going to lie flat on your back and let the water hold you up.”

“What?” I began to shake my head. “I don’t think so, North.”

“Don’t worry—I’ll be holding you. Look, just
trust
me.” He stooped and suddenly I found myself being held in his arms like a baby. Panicked, I locked my arms around his neck. Was he was going to push me out on my back and just let me go?

“Don’t strangle me,” North said, although he didn’t make any move to put distance between us. “Just relax.”

“I…I can’t,” I whispered, frozen with fear.

“Jameson…Kris, look at me,” he murmured.

I turned my face up to his and realized, with embarrassment, that we were only inches apart—close enough to kiss. It reminded me of the position we’d been in when he pinned me to the mat during our first Judo lesson. But this time instead of pulling away, North was still holding me close, still looking into my eyes.

“North?” I whispered in a tiny, uncertain voice.

“It’s okay.” His deep voice was soft and soothing—almost tender. “I told you I’d keep you safe, didn’t I?”

“Yes…” I licked my lips nervously and tasted salt. “It’s just…I’ve never been in so deep before.”

“Neither have I,” North murmured and I wondered if he was talking about the ocean…or something else. “But we’re here together and I swear I won’t let you go, Kris. I’ll
never
let you go.”