The Siren's Code

In the water at last

Cassie shouted at her alarm groggily, it was beginning to feel like groundhog day, Xena was asking her how long she wanted to snooze for, just stoooop Xena she said, annoyed more at their helpful voice than the alarm itself. Stretching sleepily, her body protested as she clambered down the ladder into the kitchen, she needed coffee.

Pulling out the old sodden coffee filter, she chucked it in the bin, finding a fresh one to line the top of the machine, she opened the fridge and grabbed the coffee Margo had given her – grown at the Perma Project – shaking about the right amount in she filled the water container with just over a cup and flipped the switch to hear the water start to make it's way up to percolate the grounds. The noise sounding like someone trying to suck the last drop of drink through a straw. She used to be incredibly rude about filter coffee, likening it to those big jugs you get in diners with the bottomless coffee cup and the happy waitress with equally large jugs supporting the name of the diner across them. The coffee, she always felt, had no crema and therefore was not strong enough and basically tasted like cardboard – but what did she know?

What she did know was her dear old Gran had a percolator machine way back when the rest of the UK were drinking granules out of polystyrene cups. Imagine, she grimaced, absentmindedly rotating her pendant between thumb and forefinger. Strangely her Gran had always been quite high tech in a Steam Punk sort of way. Coffee percolator, a dishwasher that looked more like a Victorian centrifuge. Way to go Granny, with your elegant cigarette holder, marble ashtray with the cool pushing down thing to get rid of the ash. Smart parties with cake and gin and interesting gentlemen. Oh crap, she looked at her phad, she was late.

Jay waited with Basta, outside the surf shack, a nice seven-five board propped next to him where he sat on one of the eclectic chairs, the light gradually allowing him to rate the waves on the reef which were not far off perfect. He mulled over what Bear had said last night as he listened to the rhythmic beat of the breaks, subconsciously counting the sets and picking the best learner breaker each time. He wondered if the rhythm and timing he always found so calming was as a result of being human or being part zero's and ones.

What was it with this girl, why could he not read the situation around her, it was an anomaly which didn't fit the rhythm, but was beguiling in its malfunction.

Basta rushed off tail wagging so hard his whole body wagged off balance, even Basta seemed caught up in this thing whatever it was. He stubbed his rollie out standing up to see her welcome Basta as she jogged towards him down the path, a fluster of dog, girl, sand and noise, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm late..."

Jay smiled, why was even that so appealing. There was genuine worry emitting from her, whatever she was saying was just noise but her eyes, flapping arms and wiggling toes said it all, like a small penguin owning up to knocking her brother off the iceberg to see if he could swim. He'd never seen remorse come out through someone's toes before. Jay gestured towards the board and watched worry morph to excitement as her whole face lit up in a way so exaggerated that anyone could read. Definitely more expression than his usual type who tended to have expression injected out of them.

"Have you surfed before?" he said taking the board onto the beach with Cassie and Basta following.

"Kind of, I've tried... but not in any way that you may recognise as surfing.''

"Snowboarded?"

"Yes a bit, spent most of my time on my bum and head."

"Ok we'll start from the basics. Are you goofy or regular?" He pushed her suddenly, Cassie automatically putting her left foot forward to balance herself. "Regular."

She looked up perplexed, her brain catching up with itself from trying to fire a 'what the fuck' that never got out to an "oh, ok I get it."

"So," he said, laying the board down on the ground, "leash on your back foot, nearest the fastener" he bent down near to her trainered foot, and showed her how to wrap the velcro noticing the small turtle tattoo again.