Water

Wave Thirty Three

Three scarlet tails drifted from three different hammocks, all clumped together at the far end of the chamber. One amethyst tail swayed from a different hammock at the other end of the room. All were silent.
         
A fresh current washed around the room, signalling that the tide had turned and evening was upon them. The free floating orbs, bobbing around the room, dimmed accordingly. They created a turquoise glow in the otherwise jet black waters. Leira felt her hopes dim with them. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about which section of the Nest she might be placed in next. A tear began to trickle down her cheek and mingle with the salty water around her.
         
Her hammock rustled and shifted slightly and Leira jerked in surprise as a head appeared through the seaweed coverings. Nerida’s face smiled bashfully down at her and, wordlessly, she shuffled into the hammock to lie nestled next to Leira. Leira noticed Nerida’s normally perfectly lined eyes were smudgy and blurred around the edges, the black ink leaving tracks down her face. Moments later, Tal slipped into the hammock on Leira’s other side and the three joined hands. Leira felt their pain and sorrow at the failure and they shared it, connected, without projecting.
         
A short while later, Hali’s bright green eyes glinted at them and she somehow managed to squeeze in with them, although the hammock rocked precariously and Tal nearly fell out. Nerida clasped her hand to her mouth when this happened, smothering a giggle. Leira began to smile too and Hali joined in, amused at how they must all look. Tal quickly regained his balance and, with some effort and balance, the four young Mer managed to remain squashed in the hammock. For a while, Leira was content to listen to the comforting buzz of their thoughts as they began to chat back and forth, reliving the race. Nerida projected her memory onto the roof of the hammock and they gazed at it: Tal pulling Nerida onto his seahorse; seeing the Citadel rush toward them; the blur of colours flashing past, and then Leira’s face filled the memory. Leira insisting that they go back to the wall; Hali pulling rank.
         
At this, Hali sat up and looked across at Leira.
(How did you know, Leira?) Her words were heavy with suspicion and Leira looked down to avoid her gaze.
(I told you, I had a-)
(-hunch. Yeah, we know.) Hali thought back quickly. But she didn’t sound convinced. To lighten then mood, Tal reached under Leira’s chin and began to tickle it.
(A hunch? That sounds likely!) He nudged playfully at her mind to emphasise his point, but Leira – unused to such teasing – didn’t realise his intent. Instinctively, she retaliated as her Guardian training kicked in. Her mind flooded into Tal’s until he was completely subdued. She felt his memories flow before her as he squirmed next to her. Almost unable to stop herself, she saw flash after flash of his innermost thoughts, the ones he didn’t project to anyone.
         
She saw his respect for her, his fierce loyalty to Hali, and his desire to please the other Scouts. She saw his dreams of returning from successful missions, the blood of enemy herds on his hands. And she saw Nerida. Image after image after image of Nerida filled Leira’s mind; some of them memories, others fantasies. It was like a drug: the total control she had over him, his darkest secrets. Dimly, she noticed Tal tense and writhe next to her. She sensed his wave of humiliation. It was enough. She ripped her mind from his. Leira turned to Tal and saw his tears forming. She projected in the smallest whisper,
(I’m so sorry, Tal. I didn’t mean-)
(How did you do that?) Tal faced her now, blinking back tears. (It was so painful, being that powerless. How’d you do it? We knew Guardians could disconnect from the Herd, and we knew they had power, but we’d no idea they could-)
(What? What did she do?) gasped Nerida.
           
Leira saw her frightened face and realised Hali and Nerida had no idea what they’d witnessed. She tried to picture what they’d seen; Tal writhing and screaming, Leira watching over him.
(Her mind. It was in ours. She had control – she saw…) Tal’s projection trailed off. He avoided Nerida’s gaze, but projected the images of her that Leira had seen on to the seaweed hanging above them. Nerida bowed her head modestly, her cheeks reddening. A small smile seemed to flit across her lips. Hali frowned.
(Tal?)
(We’re ok. It’s just – we had no idea it would hurt so much. No wonder Kai got angry when you did that to Bay, Leira.)
         
Leira shifted in the hammock. The proximity to her teammates had moved from intimate to uncomfortable. Even as a young Mer, she’d been trained to defend her mind and taught how to control the minds of others. She tried to imagine how it must feel, to an untrained Mer, to suddenly have another invade your mind and see everything. Not only that, but to lose control over your very self. She shuddered.
         
(I’m so sorry Tal,) she repeated.  Tal ran a hand through his hair and released a shaky breath in response. Leira sensed the balance of their friendship tipping and knew it was precariously poised. It was only fair she gave him something of herself in return. She took a deep breath and continued.
(I knew the right direction, back then, in the race, because I, I-)
(Did your Guardian thing?) Hali interrupted, seeming more curious than angry.
(Yeah. I did my Guardian thing.) Leira admitted, feeling both ashamed at having broken the rules, and relieved she’d told the team her secret.
(We thought so,) Hali sighed, satisfied that she’d learned the truth.
(And you’re not angry?)
(Furious,) Hali returned. (You should’ve told us back then; we could’ve won the race!)
         
Leira projected her surprise at Hali’s response.
(We aren’t angry you broke the rules. We’re angry you didn’t trust us enough to tell us.)
(Well you didn’t exactly trust me either!) Leira retorted. Hali remained silent. Nerida’s musical lilt broke the silence as she projected,
(We don’t mind that you broke the rules Leira. You used your training to try and win. But we’re a team. All of us, or none of us. And if we don’t start sharing information, then we can’t ever be a team.)
(But Kai-)
(Kai’s scared of you Leira!) Hali projected loudly making Tal jump. (He’s scared of your strength and what you can do. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. If we’d been out on a mission, would you have tried to repress your skill because you felt it might be cheating or that one of us might tell on you? If I had your power, then I’d be-)
(Unstoppable?) thought Leira, without meaning to.
(Formidable,) added Nerida.
(An even bigger pain in the…) Tal’s thought was cut off as Hali reached across to swipe her arm at him, but she was laughing as did.
         
Nerida sat upright in the hammock, her eyes suddenly wide and serious.
(While we’re sharing secrets, then, I think it’s only fair I tell you mine.) Tal looked up at this, an intensity behind his gaze. Nerida hesitated before projecting, softly,
(I’ve fallen for you too, Tal.) She lowered her long eyelashes and smoothed her scales with delicate fingers. A silence fell over them as Tal continued to stare at her, his jaw open. The silence grew. Hali caught Leira’s eye and Leira couldn’t stop herself. She snickered. Hali’s expression was one of total horror mingled with disgust. Leira’s snicker turned into a guffaw of laughter and she keeled over as Hali pretended to retch. Tal and Nerida joined in with Leira’s laughter, doubled over at Hali’s display.
         
After the laughter died down, Leira turned to Hali. She noticed Tal and Nerida had done the same and were looking at Hali expectantly.
(Oh, so now it’s my turn?) Hali thought at them. Before they could respond, she continued.
(It’s ok. It’s meant to be this way. I’ll share.) Hali twisted herself round so she drifted above them. A shadow crossed her face and she looked at the three Mer lying before her. Her presence seemed to swell and fill the hammock.
         
(Every Mer we meet assumes that we’re a leader. They take one look at us and think we’re strong, we’re dominant.) She gestured down at her immense tail. (But we don’t feel strong. We aren’t so sure the other Mer are right. Especially not when you’re around.) She looked at Leira. Leira glanced around, confused, before realising Hali was talking about her. Hali, the strongest Mer she knew, was threatened by her?
         
Hali smiled down at her and drifted back down to settle between Leira and Tal. She moved her head so she was face to face with Leira.
(We know how strong you are Leira, even if you don’t.) Hali smiled as she thought it, and for the first time, Leira felt that Hali saw her as an equal. She returned the smile and the four continued to sway softly in the hammock, more a team now than ever before. More than teammates, Leira realised. Friends. An outsider gazing in would’ve seen a huge green hammock suspended from the ceiling, and from it, four great tails twisting and brushing up against the others. Three of them glowed a beautiful scarlet in the orb-lights, and one was a magnificent amethyst creating a rainbow of light in the dim waters.
         
This was the sight that greeted Kai as he peered in through the entrance hole. Retreating quietly, he smiled, pleased with his work.