The Cultivated Girl

Chapter 19 - Fleeting horizons

Simone hit toes first, the briny, cold liquid a bracing antidote to the clammy fear. She popped up to find her and Nada surrounded by their clutch.

"You okay?" she asked Nada.

Nada opened her rosebud mouth as if to wail and screamed: "whoo-hoo".

"What?" Simone asked.

"Whooo," Nada yelled again, babbling: "That was so amazing, like flying. Don't you think it was like flying? I felt like I had control of the whole world. I just didn't think about it at all – what about you?"

"Nada, I thought you couldn't swim, said Simone. "I'm ok, I guess but you should probably hold onto me. "

She grabbed Nada just as the desert dweller went under for the fourth time.

"Show off," muttered Janie. Alexia, moving like a hungry shark in the water, ducked the blonde casually before noticing: "Where's Due?"

"Bugger," said Simone, choosing one of the milder of the array of multilingual swear words at her disposal. "Where did the tree hippy go now?" She projected her thoughts outwards in the hope Due would hear her and answer.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" asked Nada. "Why doesn't she talk?"

Simone was saved from answering by a black robed figure that swooped off the ledge towards them. It was Priestess Brody, whose majestic dismount looked like a massive bird of prey sweeping towards them.

"Is she... flying?" Asked Nada.

"Wouldn't surprise me," said Alexia. "The Principal have unbelievable powers. We are extremely privileged to have them teaching us. Some years they cannot spare the time and their deputies or an appointed Coven member instructs us. We'd better hurry and assemble before she gets there."

"Alexia, my leg is starting to play up a bit. Could you look after Nada please. I'll follow you. Otherwise I'll just slow us all down and we don't want to look bad."

Alexia grabbed Nada just as she gulped another mouthful of seawater courtesy of the frothing waves. "Love the confidence Nada but how about you learn to swim first."

The three swam slowly towards the beach, Simone with a lame doggy paddle. She was glad Joli wasn't there. It made it easier to lag behind until she could hardly see Alexia and Nada between each surging swell. She waited until a particularly massive wave broke, cutting her off from sight then ducked and swam strongly underwater in the opposite direction. So long as she kept the waves between her and the beach it was highly unlikely anyone would spot a solitary swimmer. Simone was sure she'd spotted a land mass not too far from shore as she jumped. If she could just reach the island she could hole up overnight and try get away the next morning.

Her leg ached. Simone swam a few strokes with her face above water, straining to catch a glimpse of the island. As she crested the peak of a frothy wave she could see it, slightly to the left of her course. It felt like half the day passed with the small outcrop staying out of reach. The sun burnt her exposed crown and parched her throat. Finally, as desperation reached for her, the island loomed overhead.

"Oh crap". As she reached it she realised, too late, that it was impossible to climb out. Chards of jagged obsidian and lava rose sheerly out of the sea, pale guano coating the sides. The swells were sucking her closer to a lazy whirlpool at the base of the dark cliffs. For an instant she wondered if it might be a portal back to her own world then saw that even if it was, the whirlpool would spin and grate her against the sharp rocks better than any food mixer. She'd never make it back to the other side in one piece.

Simone struck out furiously for the open water, praying for a rip to take her further out to sea. Her leg was cramping and she could feel herself being dragged back half a stroke for every stroke she took.