Sea Dweller (Birthstone Series) (4 page)

“I don’t care if he escorts
her. I’m not going to babysit them.” I tried to appear nonchalant as the lie
left my lips.

Haji watched me closely.
“Well, that’s good then, I guess. But are you going?”

I stopped walking. “Would it
matter?”

“To me it would.”

 I couldn’t keep the surprise
from my tone as I turned to look at her. “Why?”

Haji cleared her throat. “I
think it would be good for you to understand Vairda better. Besides, I know a
little what it’s like to be an outsider.”

I scrutinized her perfect
features and blond hair and nearly snorted. “When have you ever been an
outsider?”

“My great-great grandfather
came from the mainland. He wasn’t accepted by anyone other than the woman who
married him and he never told anyone how he arrived. He was always considered
an outsider. My mother was the first person in the family who began to look
more like a Vairdan than a mainlander.”

“I had no idea,” I said.

“You’re one of the few who
didn’t. Faema teases me about it. You’re just a more obvious target so she and
her friends usually set out to make you more miserable than me.”

 “But, aren’t you sort of
friends with her?”

“We really just tolerate each
other. So, are you going or not?” Haji put her hands on her hips and cocked her
head, studying me.

 “I’d like to. But I don’t
know the first thing about costumes or blending in.” I sighed. “I don’t want
Faema knowing I’m there.”

Haji’s eyes lit up and her
lips spread into an eager smile. “If that’s all you’re worried about, I can
definitely help!”

After I returned from the
river, my parents kept me busy for the rest of the afternoon. Too elated to
complain, I completed every chore with cheerful exactness. There was something
so much sweeter about liberty I didn’t have to force.

Amidst my excitement, I
worried about Sai. I hated needing to keep my presence a secret from him,
knowing he would have put me at ease and made the entire night enjoyable. But
my secrecy was for the best. Ever since his parents had started pushing for a
relationship with Faema, I’d begun to doubt his loyalty to me. Other than the
strange incident the year before, Sai had only ever shown me friendship and
even though I’d harbored deeper feelings for years, they hadn’t been returned.
If Sai was attracted to the idea of marrying Faema, would it be so surprising?
After all, he was bound to marry an islander sooner or later.

The idea sliced at my heart.
I had loved him from the first moment I’d met him. But from every conversation
I’d shared with Sai, I knew I was only his friend. The moment he announced his
betrothal to some island girl would mark the end of my most important
relationship. 

Much later, when the day
finally began to wane, my parents were waiting to speak with me before I left.
My mother wrapped her arms around my shoulders to embrace me and I hugged her
back tentatively, unsure of what to say. I didn’t have to fumble for words for
very long. She spoke for me.

“I know you feel I stifle you
but please understand, every decision I make is because I love you.”

I’d heard similar words in
the past but I nodded. “I love you too, Mom.”

She held me by the shoulders
at arm’s length for a moment, studying me. Finally, she said, “Be home at least
two hours before sunrise. The festival goes until mid-morning but by sunrise,
there will only be those who are intoxicated or who’ve fallen asleep on the
streets. I want you home before the crowd is gone.”

I squeezed her reassuringly
and then turned to my dad. I cast him one final look brimming with gratitude,
knowing he’d had much to do with making this a reality for me.

He hugged me back when I
threw my arms around him, but quickly pulled away again as though defeated. I
tried to pretend I hadn’t noticed. Instead, I waved goodbye and fled my
property before my parents could offer additional warnings or instructions.
Moments later, I was darting through the trees, heading straight for the
distant celebration lighting up the night.

Chapter 3

On the outskirts of Lailie, I
paused, listening to the festival drums beat a steady, pulsating rhythm. They
seemed to keep time with the thrumming of my heart. I hugged the night to my
body like a cloak as I made my way through deserted streets and around empty
homes, searching for Haji’s hut. I breathed a sigh of relief when I knew I was
close.

I was still a couple of homes
away when I heard the rapid approach of two islanders. Praying it wasn’t
someone I knew, I dove into the black shadows behind one of the huts and waited
for the voices to pass. Instead of moving on, they stopped a few paces from
where I hid. Worse, I recognized Sai’s voice.

“You should have seen the
fish I caught the other day in the lagoon. Why didn’t
you
catch it?” Sai
said with a laugh. “If I had a fishing spot like that, I wouldn’t just leave
the best for some other person to take.”

 The sound of Sai slapping
his friend on the back brought a small grin to my lips in spite of myself. I
guessed he was talking to Haran, the only person I knew who had the best access
to one of the island’s largest lagoons.

“Oh, that’s nothing. I left
that little one so you wouldn’t feel bad. So, when can we dive the cove again?
You’ve left behind some pretty big one’s there yourself.”

“Name the day,” Sai
challenged and I grinned at the jovial sound of his voice. A familiar ache
edged its way into my chest. For a moment, I allowed myself to wonder what it
would have been like to spend the night of the festival with him. To be by his
side, an equal among his Vairdan friends.

“I don’t want to go back to
that mess,” Sai suddenly said, his tone darkening.

“I know,” Haran said, “this
year, my mother almost broke my back with the things she had me doing. It’s
almost worth leaving the island just to never have to help with the Stone
Festival again.”

“As if we could leave,” Sai
scoffed. “Sometimes I doubt there’s any other place in the world besides
Vairda.”

“Aylen came from somewhere
else, right?” Haran asked.

“Her parents did. At least
that’s what they claim. They say that’s why they never come to our
celebrations. They have their own beliefs.”

“But Aylen doesn’t?”

“No, but it doesn’t matter.”
Sai stopped speaking and I strained to hear more. After several moments of
silence, he cleared his throat and continued. “They won’t allow her to come to
island celebrations anyway.”

The conversation died while
the raucous laughter of a drunken passerby echoed through the night. It was
Haran who finally spoke next. “You wouldn’t want her here while you’re
escorting Faema. It’s probably better she can’t come.”

“Probably,” Sai said, his
tone guarded. “Hey, you think Haji is ready? Maybe we can speed her up.” Haran
responded with a snort of laughter.

Moments later, the sound of
fists attacking a door rose over the distant festival music.

“Haji! We know you’re in
there! Come out!” Sai called.

Curious, I crept carefully
away from the shadows and peered around the corner of the hut.

Haji’s front door flew open.
The gauzy scarlet wrap she wore hugged each curve of her body and around her
head was a golden crown of curls. Adorning the style were little red flowers,
pinned throughout her hair.

“Why, Sai and Haran,” she
said, an ironic lilt in her tone, “how interesting to see you here.”

“Your family is already at
the festival. What are you doing?”

“Avoiding you guys,” she
teased. Her eyes darted past them and landed on me for a split second. They
widened slightly and I quickly ducked back behind the wall.

“But Haji,” Haran said, “we
love you! You’re like the annoying sister we never had.”

“Wow,” Haji said, “you really
know how to flatter a girl. I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t have an escort,
Haran.”

“That hurts, Haj. Deeply.”

“What is this supposed to
be?” Sai spoke this time. His question was followed by the sound of a solid
slap.

“Leave it alone! Do you have
any idea how long I worked on it? And don’t smudge the face paint. Go away,
pests.”

Sai answered her by laughing
again. “You’re obviously ready. Come with us.”

“No. I have something
important to do.” She paused. “Aren’t you supposed to be escorting Faema?”

“Don’t remind me,” Sai said.

“I’ll take her off your
hands,” Haran offered.

“Yeah, you guys go duke it
out, or whatever.” I listened to Haji’s door slam and waited for the sounds of
Haran and Sai leaving.

“Someone’s in a bad mood,”
Haran said, his voice fading as he and Sai strolled away.

“Yeah, well girls hate to be
told you think of them like a sister.”

I silently counted to ten,
waiting for their voices to fade entirely before peeking out from my hiding
place. A moment later, Haji’s door creaked opened. She poked her head out of
her hut, glanced around, and waved me over.  I scrambled for the entrance and
stumbled inside. She shut the door behind me, sighing with relief.

“Talk about bad timing. How
long were you there?” she asked, barring the front door.

“Not long. They arrived right
as I did.” I shook my head. “It was strange to see him around other friends.”

“Strange how?” She turned to
rummage through a pile of fabric draped over a shabby, weathered table.

“He just seemed so relaxed.
You look like you all have fun together.”

“We do. Sort of,” Haji said,
steering me to a spot by the fire and motioning for me to sit. “We used to see
each other all the time in school before we were all released. We quit going
after we turned sixteen.”

“I know. Sai told me a little
about that.” I sighed, wondering what it would have been like to attend classes
with the islanders my age. While they’d been learning to fish big game, use
hunting weapons, build small boats, and recognize useful island plants, I’d
learned how to sword fight from my father. Occasionally he’d taught me his own
fishing methods after my mother had given me swimming and reading lessons. For
the most part, I’d passed my days painfully bored.

“It was fun,” Haji said.
“There used to be daily competitions in certain subjects. Sai almost always
won, but it got to the point where we’d all drop him off the south point
waterfall every time he got too confident. He thought it was hilarious.”

“You dropped him off the
waterfall?” I asked, incredulous.

“It became a near daily
routine. After a while, he’d race us to the top and jump off into the pool
himself. It sort of ruined the fun of punishing him. Sometimes we’d just follow
and end the day with a good swim.”

I winced. It was strange to
think he had an entirely different life from the one I shared with him and I
couldn’t help wishing I’d been a part of it.

I hardly noticed as Haji
began coiling my hair to the top of my head and tying it in place. The fire
popped and crackled in the hearth, jolting me from my thoughts. Haji hummed to
herself, a tune I recognized from Sai’s own hums.

“What song is that?” I asked,
curiosity overcoming my reserve.

“It’s a song we learn really
early on. It’s about the mainland and how our people escaped. You’ll hear it
tonight.”

“Really?”

“That’s what surprises me. We’re
all taught it’s a horrible land. It’s no wonder your parents settled here
instead of trying to go back but they act like they can’t let go of it. Vairda
is a much happier place.” Haji picked up several slender green vines from her
supplies and attached them to the top of my head. The ends curled and looped
down my back and around my shoulders like real hair and I shook them slightly,
smiling at the way they slapped against my skin. 

Finally, Haji wound a
brightly dyed blue scarf around my head, wrapping it numerous times until my
dark hair was completely covered and only the green coils spilled from
underneath the fabric.

  “Time for paint,” she said,
picking up a palette of plant dyes. Quickly, she began to color my face a
smooth shade of cream, concealing the countless freckles scattered across my
nose and cheeks. Once that was complete, she lined my eyes with a deep blue dye
and blended swirls of green around the outsides and into my temples. She left
my cheeks pale but painted my lips a bluish-pink shade, generously applying the
strange color.

When she was finished, Haji
stepped back to examine her work. She whistled proudly, shaking her head. “Sai
may have been the best at fishing and weaponry, but no one beats me in island
art.” Digging through her pile of supplies, she muttered, “I have one more
thing for you.”

A moment later, she held up a
gleaming azure stone hanging from a white string.

“Blue agate. Purely for
aesthetic purposes but it will complete the look.” Haji draped it over my head
so the stone rested in the middle of my forehead. Pulling the sides of the
scarf over the string, she secured it into place. Then, she tossed me another
garment.

“Your costume. You can put it
on over there,” she said, directing me toward a partitioned corner of the room.
Behind the screen, I removed my plain Vairdan chore dress and wrapped the
beautiful blue fabric around my body. Like Haji’s costume, the dress hugged my
figure naturally. One side of my waist was left partially revealed as the
garment sloped up my body, tightly covering my chest and fastening over my
right shoulder. Zigzagging around my figure, the hem, lined with pale green
stones and frayed purple silk, made me appear lanky and taller than usual.

Grinning, I stepped away from
the screen. “You’re a miracle worker,” I told her. She gasped and clapped her
hands together once.

“There’s no way anyone will
recognize you.”

“Thank you so much, Haji.” I
smiled, unsure of how to show my appreciation.

“It’s nothing. I’m just glad
to finally know you.” Haji shrugged and adjusted one of the flowers in her
hair.

I cast a sidelong glance her
way. “I didn’t think anyone besides Sai has ever wanted to know me.”

“I think most people are
afraid of what they don’t understand, or afraid to find out how much they may have
in common with someone. I was always too scared to risk further teasing.”

“What made you change your
mind?” I asked.

Haji studied me for a moment.
“There’s more to a person than beauty and bloodlines.” Haji adjusted the hem of
her sleeve, avoiding my eyes. “And when I saw you at the river, hearing the
things Faema said, I realized I would have wanted someone to stand up for me if
I had been in your place.”

Once more I smiled. I
couldn’t help it. After sixteen years on the island with only one friend, I
could hardly believe I was making another. “Thank you,” I said. “You’ve done an
amazing job at making me unrecognizable.” I glanced at the door, noticing the
sounds of the festival seeping into the walls of the hut.

Haji nodded. “If you’re ready
for this, then I think I’ll head out. We’ll get questioned too much if I show
up with an unknown guest so we should arrive separately.”

When I agreed, Haji peeked
outside her hut. Seeing it was clear, she offered a quick wave and slipped into
the dark shadows outside.

I waited alone for awhile,
afraid to breathe, every limb tingling with nervous energy. Exhaling, I
commanded my hands to stop trembling and marched toward the door. When I
cracked it open, the path to the center of the village lay empty. Before I could
lose my nerve, I stepped outside, shutting the door to Haji’s home behind me.

Up ahead, the sounds and
songs of the Stone Festival rang through the night in full force, beckoning me
forward. Entranced, I followed. With each step I took, I imagined sixteen years
of constraints unraveling, binds breaking to pieces, thread by thread. The
night held no bars for me and when this idea settled in my mind, I
involuntarily gasped, a sigh born from the realization of freedom. It was the
same sound I’d thought I’d heard the day Sai and I had released a wild bird
from its cage after long weeks of healing.

I quickened my pace. No
matter the outcome, it would be a night to remember.