CHAPTER EIGHT
The sun was shining when I woke up the next morning. At first, I had no idea where I was. I rolled over and turned my gaze from the blank wall to my window. I caught a glimpse of a bright blue sky and tall pine trees swaying outside. Then I remembered: I was stuck on my grandma-the-sea-witch's island in the middle of nowhere. I groaned and pulled the thin sheet that had barely kept me warm over my head. Why couldn't I have woken up back home in Surrey—or even better—Mexico?
I laid in silence—I'd drained my iPod battery dry last night and needed to recharge it—and gave myself an extra few moments to warm up to the morning. Once my stomach began grumbling so loudly I could hear it, I forced myself out of bed and downstairs for food, still dressed in my brown silky pyjama pants and green pyjama top.
Grandma was sitting at the kitchen table, but she didn't bother to greet me. I went straight for the fridge, digging through it until I found some peanut butter and jam. The toaster and a loaf of bread were already in plain sight on the counter. I was just finishing my first slice and a glass of orange juice when I heard the boat motor in the distance.
“What time is it?” I asked, the foggy memory of my plans with Colleen coming back to me.
“A little after eleven,” Grandma answered, still absorbed in the paperwork that seemed to permanently occupy the kitchen table. “That's most likely Colleen coming to pick you up.”
“Crap!” I dropped my dishes in the sink, smoothed down my tangled bed-head, and ran outside to greet Colleen before realizing I was still in my pyjamas.
“Be home in time for supper,” Grandma’s voice called after me. “There's some reading material you’ll have to start tonight in order to finish before school starts.”
I ignored her as I pulled open the door and ran down to the dock. If she seriously thought I was going to do homework before school began, she was kidding herself.
“Good morning, Nessa,” Colleen called as she cut the motor, leaving the boat floating aimlessly a few feet from the dock. “You...uh...look great... But you don't really look ready.”
“I know,” I called back. “I'm sorry. I slept in. I just need a few minutes to run upstairs and change.”
“Help me tie the boat up and I'll come in with you. Then I'll have a better idea of what your room's like before we go shopping.”
“Good idea.” I grabbed the rope Colleen threw to me and held it taunt as she guided the boat closer.
It didn't take long for me to change and for Colleen to get a good look at the barren state of my bedroom. Colleen recommended a mirror and some nice curtains while I threw on a cute grey T-shirt with the word peace spread across the front in green lettering, and a pair of jean shorts. We set off, enjoying the sunshine and skirting the calm morning waves on our way to Tofino.
Ernie was filling his boat with gasoline as we pulled in. As soon as we were close enough, he turned and smiled. Ernie put down the bright red container and came over to give us a hand docking the boat. Once it was tied up, he said, “Good morning, Colleen. I see you've made a new friend.”
Colleen jumped onto the dock once the ship was secured. “You bet. It's nice to have a girl my age on the island again.”
Ernie's eyes twinkled as he turned, leading us toward the row of parked cars. “I suppose I'll be seeing the two of you making a lot of trips into town.”
“You know I love the island, Ernie, but sometimes it’s nice to get away.” Colleen walked up to the driver's side of a white Camry, which was parked next to Grandma's Buick.
“And I suppose you don't mind the sushi either.” Ernie chuckled, tucking his hands into his pockets as we climbed into the car. He watched us as we backed out of the driveway and turned onto the main road.
It didn't take me long to see that Colleen wasn't all that comfortable behind the wheel. “Wow, you sure drive slowly,” I said.
Colleen scrunched up her shoulders and flushed. “I know. I can't help it. Driving terrifies me. I don't feel as at home in a car as I do in the water.”
“I feel the exact opposite.” I looked down at my hands and my chipped, red nail polish. I'd have to remember to buy a new colour today; red wasn't looking so good now my hair was as bright as a ripe tomato. “Would you say you feel more at home as a seal or as a girl?”
Colleen relaxed her shoulders but she still gripped the steering wheel firmly with both hands. “Both; just not as a girl driving a car. What about you? Do you feel more at home now that you know you’re a sea-witch?”
“I really don’t feel like a sea-witch,” I admitted. “Mostly I just feel the same as I did three days ago: like a human. Although, after all the exercises Grandma put me through last night, I’m kind of starting to feel a teeny bit like a sea-witch, albeit a really bad one.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that she made me try to move water for two hours. I went to bed with the biggest headache I've ever had in my life.”
Colleen frowned. “That sounds awful. I always thought Shannon would be a great grandmother.”
“She's not.” I turned my attention out the window. “Where are we?” The street was populated with multi-coloured surf shops, wood-framed cafes, and cute restaurants.
“In the biggest, most bustling part of downtown Tofino—which isn’t really that big. There's a small store here where we can probably find you some new pillowcases and blankets. With a bit of luck we'll also find a mirror and some decorations. It must suck having to redo everything. I mean, I've spent years trying to get everything in my bedroom just right.” Colleen found an empty parking stall on a side street and pulled in. I followed her as she made her way out of the car and down the street into a one-story building that appeared to sell a little bit of everything—including florescent pink, plastic scuba fins.
“Yep, definitely sucks. I had a great room until–” My voice failed me as I realized that I had no idea how to tell the girl I’d just met that Dad had died. Back home, all my friends just knew, but here on the island I was the new kid. “Until my mom decided to ship me off,” I said instead. “But I still have my emergency credit card at least, so if you find anything you want today, it's yours.”
Colleen bit her lip and looked over her shoulder at me. Her hair was loose and silky, and brushed against the side of her neck. It was the shiniest hair I'd ever seen. “No way, I can't let you spend your money on me.”
I shrugged, reaching up to shove a piece of hair under my tan hat. “Don't worry; it isn't my money.” If Mom has to pay a little for abandoning me, so what?
Colleen led me to the back of the store where house wares and home decor were packed tightly in single, narrow aisle.
The nearest shelf exploded with floral printed bed sheets. “I'm not really sure there's anything here I'll like.”
“Nothing here is going to be absolutely amazing, but there should be something that isn't vomit-inducing. Tofino doesn't have much for home ware but it does have some really nice outfitting stores where you can get some cool clothes and gear for living on the island, like rain jackets and boots and stuff. You'll definitely need all that. And probably a waterproof backpack for school too.”
“Whoa. Focus. Bedroom first.” I began searching a shelf of plain coloured sheets. “What about this?” I held up a square plastic package containing pink sheets with orange polka-dots.
“Where the heck did you find that?” Colleen pressed a hand up to her lips to stifle a giggle.
“In the rack, where else?” I tossed it into an empty shelf behind us. “I think they're a little out of my price range though. Too bad, they probably would have made me the coolest girl in the school. Speaking of which, where is the school exactly?”
Colleen began digging through the racks beside me, looking for suitable curtains while I searched for a suitable bedspread. “On the island,” she answered, pulling out a set of long yellow curtains that she made a face at and then immediately put back. “My mom runs the boarding house for all of the students that c
ome from far away, and teaches most of the classes too.”
“How many students are there?” I inspected a set of baby blue sheets, placing them into a small pile of bedding I considered acceptable.
“It changes every year, and this year there’ll be around twenty. This is my second year. There are only three years of classes at the school and most students begin attending when they're fifteen or so. Before I was fifteen, I was strictly home schooled but spent most of that time at the back of the classroom studying my own books. But when my dad was around, I occasionally studied at home.”
“What does your dad do? How come he wasn't at supper last night?”
Colleen froze like a dear in headlights. She closed her eyes briefly and then opened them again. “I don't know where he is.” She drew in a focused breath. “He's missing.”
“Oh.” My tongue stuck to my teeth; everything I could say was inadequate. “I'm sorry.”
She shook her head, her hair bobbing with the movement. “Don't be. You would've heard about it sooner or later and I'd rather you heard it from me. Besides, it's nice to have a friend to confide in, especially since the Tiderunners are on their summer swim vacation, including my best friend Kyle.”
I paused when Colleen said the word friend. Was that what we were? I barely knew the girl but yet I knew her secret and she knew mine. The friends I had back home knew nothing about my being a sea-witch. I shook off my sadness as best I could. “So, who are the Tiderunners?” I flipped through the last of the sheets.
Colleen pulled out another package. “What about these?” she asked, holding up light blue coloured curtains with velvety vines on them.
“I like them,” I replied. “They'll go well with these.” I showed her the blue sheets.
Colleen nodded in agreement. “The Tiderunners live on the Island too. They’re a huge family of orcies,” she said in a whisper.
“Orcies?”
“People that can change into Orca whales. Kyle's my best friend. We grew up together on the island, and spend a lot of time swimming together. But he's a guy so...you know...there's a lot I can't talk to him about.”
I smiled, pulling out the perfect comforter—beige with light blue stripes. “Or shop with,” I added. Colleen laughed.
We grabbed a baby blue rug on the way to the cash register. I insisted on adding new hair accessories and natural beeswax lip gloss for the both of us—raspberry for me and mint for her.
“You really don't have too,” Colleen said, struggling to hold the tan and blue stripped comforter while I picked out a pale peach shade of nail polish for myself, taking care that it didn't clash with my hair.
“Like I said; it isn't my money. And this way I'll feel less guilty. It’s always nice to have an accomplice.” I paid for the purchases, pulling out a red credit card to cover the balance. Once the transaction was complete, the cashier handed me my full bags. Colleen and I headed out of the store.
“So,” Colleen glanced over at me. I could tell without looking at her that she wanted to say something. I knew what it was, so I was at least able to brace myself for it. But when the words came at me, they still stabbed like broken seashells. “Your grandma told me that your Dad died. I know you probably don’t want to talk about it, but I just wanted to say that I know. So if you do want to talk about it, I’m here. As a listener. If you need one.”
I kept my eyes fixed on the sidewalk. “Thanks,” was all I could manage. Though I wasn’t sure why I said it, because I certainly wasn’t thankful that Dad was dead. “It’s hard. But every day is a little bit easier. Mostly I just feel numb. I miss him—a lot. I always will.”
Colleen opened the trunk of the car and we stuffed the bags inside. “I miss my dad too. I just hope…” Colleen sighed. “I just hope he’s alive.”
I gave Colleen a small smile. “I hope he is too.”
Colleen smiled back at me as a gust of wind blew by, blowing her hair to the left. “Thanks.”
I rolled up onto my toes and shoved my hands in the back pockets of my jean shorts. “So what now? Lunch?”
“Yes! It's time for sushi.” She grabbed my arm and sprinted around the car. “Come on, it's just around the corner.”
“Good. I'd hate to have to go all the way to Vancouver,” I said.