Visions (On Hold)

Lakes: Trevon

Hey guys! So to avoid confusion, Thalia's name is pronounced (Thuh-lee-uh). There are many ways and that's the way it's pronounced here! Thanks :)

I picked my way through the moss that covered the bottom of the lake. It was nasty stuff. It tangled around my arms and legs, threatening to snare me and keep me here until I drowned. Well, starved rather. I have gills so I can't drown.

Always sending me to do her dirty work. Why can't she find her own stupid necklace? It isn't even a necklace. It's a string with a rock on it! How is that special enough to send your big brother to find it? Although I suppose when your mother is in bed ill, you can do anything you want.

Deep down I knew that this necklace was extremely important to Thalia. It was the last connection that she had to our father. He left when she was only two and he never came back. But it isn't quite what you think.

My father was pretty important in our Lake. He was on the Board of Judges so, naturally, when official "outside" business needed taking care of, he had the most experience so he was chosen.

He left, intending to be back in a month or two. But now, eleven years later he still hadn't returned.

It was hard being raised without a father. When I had recently turned sixteen, there was no one to stand with me during the ceremony. And since my father wasn't "missing" no other male was allowed to stand with me.

To me that wasn't right. It had been eleven years. Eleven years in the "outside". Even with the herb used to breathe out of water he would have run out long ago. They knew that he was dead and it seemed like I was the only one that accepted that! It wasn't right that another male wasn't allowed to take his place. Now I was graced with shame in the community.

I was interrupted from my thoughts when I flicker caught my eye in the dark water. It was the necklace.

I swam down to where it was lodged under a boulder. My powerful arms tensed and my webbed hands and feet stretched to trust me forward through the disgusting water. The sooner I get back to the top water the better.

I reached the boulder and pulled on the string. It came out easy enough and I started to swim back up to the Caves.

All this to find a necklace that Dad gave her eleven years ago. How did she manage to loose it anyway?

The farther up I swam the clearer the water became. Soon our community came in to view. My section is the first you'll see of it. To the eye it just looks like a bunch of caves randomly strewn about. But to me it was home. Our cave is the first on the right.

As I approached Thalia came barreling out.

"Trevon! Did you find it? Did you? Did you? Did you?" She yelled as she swam out to meet me. I laughed. She wasn't all that bad.

"I sure did. Here you go." I handed it to her and she quickly tied it around her neck.

"How's Mom?" Her face fell as soon as I said it.

"It's bad Trevon. After you left her fever got worse."

"Let me see."

She led me down into the cave, which was very clean by the way, and into the main room. The farther into the community you go the nicer caves you will find. The outside caves just had gaping holes for entrances and hole in the ceiling for light. Naturally, everything was made of rock.

"I was just sitting here braiding my hair and I heard some funny noises from her room so I went to check. When I got there she was burning up." She told me.

I looked at her long black hair. It was straight as could be and showed no signs of recently being in a braid. I was angry that she lied to me. Mom hadn't made noise for days now. I gave her what I hoped was a piercing glare with my red eyes.