When you are called, you must answer. We will not ask again.
Thirty-Two
BRETT WRIGHT
Theunderbelly of the clouds reflected the vibrant yellow of the sunrise. Against the vast robin’s egg blue of the sky, they shone like gold. Only the narrowest strip against the horizon gleamed with a bright orange-red, which instantly faded to a shimmering canary yellow. I sighed at the beauty. I’d always loved sunrise, but now that I got to see so few of them, they were especially beautiful. For a moment, I longed to soar up above the clouds and dive through the sunbeams as the day was born. I let out a laugh. Flying, canary yellow, robin’s egg blue? It seemed I was missing birds. Maybe one day I’d find out I had angels in my ancestry and I could sprout wings and fly. Then I could have the best of all three worlds. Land and sea weren’t enough? I needed the heavens too? Well, I guess I did have angel of a sort in my ancestry. So much for wings.
I knew I’d be tired later, having yet another long day of travel ahead of us, but I’d been compelled to come to the surface. Maybe it was the constant swimming that was egging all of this on, no matter how leisurely our pace. After nearly two weeks of migrating… migrating… what was I, a water buffalo? Whatever. After nearly two weeks, even I was sick to death of swimming. Sure it was beautiful, and I really did love getting to see farther into the ocean, seeing the landscape change, as well as the varied sea life as we drew closer to the equator. Still, it was like the road trip I’d taken through wine country with my grandparents when I was a kid. It was gorgeous. I got it. Enough already.
Maybe Syleen had picked up on my sense of cabin fever, or perhaps she’d been in such shock that I’d actually asked her permission instead of waiting to ask forgiveness later that she’d said yes when I requested time to go to the surface. Of course, she’d simply said it would be a good opportunity to give the others a much-needed rest and allow them to sleep later than normal. I hoped Lelas wouldn’t be hurt that I’d woken a couple of hours before dawn and come to the surface. She probably needed the sleep like everyone else, and I just needed a few hours by myself. Between the constant travel and being in the middle of such a large group, I could feel my skin starting to itch. Plus, since each day I became more and more moody, Lelas would probably be the first one to tell me to take a break for a bit. Pull my head out of my ass. Of course, she wouldn’t say it like that, but it would mean the same thing.
Despite my need to get away from everyone, there had been nearly an instant change when I realized I had found my home with the tribe. Whether the mers noticed my shift in attitude or I started acting less aloof, I had gradually been treated more and more like a family member and less like the demon half-breed who might spontaneously combust and boil everyone. Even Therin was speaking to me again. Granted, only in socially appropriate circumstances, and nothing more than what was necessary, but still…
I wasn’t quite sure where we were in relation to land, never having been a great scholar of geography. I’d barely passed the test to name all fifty states in elementary school, let alone the rest of the world. I knew we were getting close to the equator, which the mers referred to as the heat ring, which actually made more sense. Even so, I wasn’t certain where the equator cut through. I was pretty sure it went through Central America, but maybe it was lower and went into South America. Wherever it was, the water was getting warmer and the fish a little more colorful. Lelas was in heaven. Syleen announced the day before yesterday that we would stop in a couple of days and rest for a while. I’d been thrilled at the prospect of finally being done with traveling, but Lelas’s excitement had bested my own when she learned we’d be staying here like she’d hoped. As apathetic as I felt at the moment, I knew I’d love it as soon as we’d found the place we were going to stop for a while. Where we’d been before was beautiful, but it was nothing compared to where we were now. Even so, and despite being sick of traveling, I’d always longed to travel to the warmer parts of the ocean, see the reefs by Australia, where the real warm water was. Here I was, still stuck on the western shoreline.
As gorgeous as the more tropical water was, right here was the place I needed to be. The wind curving over my skin instead of the water currents. The silence of sky instead of the silence of sea.
I startled at a shrill squeal behind me and turned quickly, splashing water as I did. A lone seagull floated a few feet away, his white head cocking from one side to the other, his yellow beak snapping my direction as he cawed.
Seagulls have never been my favorite bird. Pelicans are much more to my liking, but I couldn’t help finding the little guy’s irritation at my presence rather adorable. I held out my hand toward him. He struck out and snapped at it, then lifted himself out of the water. He hovered about fifteen feet in the air before settling back on the surface only a few feet from where he’d been. I felt a little stupid. Had I expected he’d let me touch him? Maybe if he’d been a seal or a dolphin responding to my mer blood, but not a bird. There went my angel theory.
We watched each other. He seemed to have decided I wasn’t a threat, and quit squawking.
I quickly lost interest and turned my attention back to the sunrise, which was over now. I cast a resentful glare over my shoulder at the bird. Even without various colors, the bright blue of the sky was beautiful. At this point it was too similar to the sea to captivate me, but the clouds quickly skimming over the arch of the sky were soothing. As always, in the middle of the sea, without any land in sight, the vastness of the world overwhelmed me. I was so small. There was so much to see and explore. That was doubly true now that the whole ocean was open to me, more than double, actually. If I took my time, maybe I could fill up all the endless immortal years. The thought quickly darkened the beautiful sense of freedom.
Turning, I looked back at the seagull and did a double take. He’d lost his autonomy as scores of his fellows had joined him in silence. The sky above was peppered with countless others as they drifted down, filling the surface of the ocean with their feathered bodies. For the briefest moment, I was in awe of their sheer numbers, their sleek sameness. Their gleaming white heads, soft gray wings, black tails, yellow beaks opening and closing soundlessly.
An image of Tippi Hedren walking through the schoolyard before the birds attacked played through my memory. As if reading my mind, the closest bird turned its head and inspected me with its red-ringed white eye and let out a harsh shriek. Its fellows instantly took up the call, their cries filling the water around me and the sky overhead as waves of them continued to swoop down toward the sea.
Without a look back, I dove. Even if I didn’t like the idea of being immortal, being pecked to death by hundreds of gulls wasn’t one of the ways I wanted to test the theory.
“Youdo not appear rejuvenated.”Lelas swam forward for an embrace, but then saw my face.
“Yeah, well, be glad you didn’t come this time.”
“Was it not beautiful?”
“It was, but kinda left me feeling depressed. Like something bad is coming and I can’t stop it, ya know?”
She gave a half grin.“You are always looking for the darkness, even in the sunshine.”
I rolled my eyes at her but couldn’t suppress a grin of my own.“You and your fortune cookie logic.”
“My what?”
Another eye roll.“Never mind.”I didn’t want to explain fortune cookies or my experience with hundreds of seagulls.“Everyone up and ready to take off?”
Lelas shook her head.“Syleen said we are going to rest today. Most have already taken off to explore or hunt.”
That explained why Lelas was by herself.“You waited for me?”
She nodded. Of course she had, and I’d come back all bitchy and moody. I really didn’t understand why the girl put up with me sometimes.
“What made Syleen decide to stay here?”
“I did not inquire. She simply said we have traveled far, and it would be good for our spirits to enjoy a day of simply living.”
“Are you upset? I know you’ve been dying to get to wherever it is we’re going.”
