Academy Island

Thunk

It was dark, almost night before North found me waiting for him outside Mr. Blackbourne's tower. I hadn't had the nerve to go in and try to eavesdrop at the ladder, twisting my insides around everything he or I might say to each other after Mr. Blackbourne was done with him. I was a thorough mess now, worrying I'd gone too far, gotten too upset. North sat down heavy next to me, sighing and rubbing at his eye. I peeked over the top of my arm at him.

"Sorry." I offered. "I didn't mean to get you in trouble like that."

He snorted, not exactly reassuringly, and reached over to scuff at my hair. I closed one eye and squinted at him, wrinkling my nose at the rubbing. It was difficult to get used to the way these guys kept touching me like it was nothing. The easy way they did it made me think they hardly thought about it at all the way I did. He eyed, me, thinking hard before he spoke.

"That was really...something. Not sure if I approve of your method though. We are guys after all, and you're a girl."

He thought I was weak. Maybe I was, but that didn't mean I couldn't learn. I stared hard at him, my jaw set. "I'm not made of glass. I can take it."

His lips pressed together. "That's not what I meant. Never mind." He shook his head and I pouted. That earned me his stern look. "Don't give me that lip. I get that you feel like you need to pull your weight. It's just that..." He hesitated, pulling short. It made my eyebrow go up, waiting for him. The look he gave me was fleeting, naked. He turned his face away, and I watched his adam's apple bob.

"You're so small, I get the feeling sooner or later you're just going to get swallowed up by this place. I don't want that to happen. None of us do."

My mouth opened up to protest, but I snapped it shut. He was worried, and I just couldn't find it in myself to to reprimand him. I sighed instead.

"I'm going to keep helping out."

He gave me a cursory glance, his eyebrows furrowed, worried. "Yeah, I know. Just, think before you do anything, don't put yourself in unnecessary danger. And listen to us once in a while."

His voice was dry, reserved. I nodded stiffly, not sure how I'd be able to follow all that and stay true to my determination without messing it up somehow. I'd try though.

We went crab hunting along the shore the next day, and I had again the chance to dig my toes into cool packed sand at the edge of the world. It felt like forever since I'd first landed on this beach, half naked, spooked, alone with my fears. I fetched another rambling brown crab, turning it over so I could check if it was male or female the way they had shown me; bagging the little guy when I could tell it was a him. Kota'd been insistent the distinction was necessary in keeping the supply from dwindling, but there wasn't many with the telltale markings on their underside and I'd only nabbed three keepers for the day.

I glanced out over the shore, shielding my eyes from the sun so I could see where everyone was. Kota crouched along with Silas along the rocky part of the beach, reaching under the rocks and turning them over. Luke was running a race with Max, his bag abandoned by the grassline. I smiled softly after him, brushing the hair that'd escaped my messy bun from out of my face. The wind was picking up, clouds gathering over the ocean. A spattering on my lip and cheek, a bare sprinkling, warned it might rain. The whole scene in front of me was changing with the weather. And yet...

There was something strange. I couldn't quite put my finger on it though. I turned towards the waves and stood stock still, trying not to breathe, feeling the sounds of the waves and the patter of falling spray against the rocks. I opened my eyes, the blue of the ocean filling my sight, becoming out of focus, like watercolors bleeding into each other the harder I tried to listen.