Pure Blood

  Chapter 11

  Crix, take care of my baby girl. Crix! Brother! Take care of my baby! Keep her safe, Crix. Crix! Never let her out of your sight. Never! She needs your protection and guidance. Crix, take care of my baby girl. Crix! Crix!

  Crix shot straight up. Sweat poured down his bare chest. His breathing was heavy and fast.

  Control yourself buddy. It was just a dream. Just a dream.

  Crix looked over to his left and saw Mer sleeping peacefully. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically. Crix slowed his breathing down. He leaned over Mer, swept her hair out of her face, and kissed her gently on the cheek. She didn’t move. Crix smiled and set his feet on the cold wooden floor. He wiped the perspiration off of his forehead and stood up. He quietly walked out of the room, careful not to wake Mer. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. There, he got a glass of cold water and drank it in one gulp. He took a deep breath, set the glass down, and headed up the stairs again. He got to his bedroom door and was going to open it, but stopped. He turned and looked at Holidee’s door. It was shut. It was quiet. He took a step toward it and stopped.

  Quit it. You’re being paranoid. She’s fine.

  He turned back around.

  But what if there is something wrong? What if…?

  “Just in case.” Crix walked to Holidee’s door and opened it slowly. He peered his head into the room. It was quiet. Crix looked at the bed. The covers were drawn up to the pillow. The covers were lumpy like they should be. Crix breathed a sigh of relief, but walked over to the bed just to make sure. When he reached the bed, he didn’t see any brown hair on the pillow. Panic leapt into his skin. He threw back the covers, only to find sheets and pillows. His eyes got wide with terror. He ran into his bedroom, not caring about being quiet. He threw on pants, and was pulling on the thin long sleeved shirt, when Mer stirred.

  “What’re you doing?” She glanced at the clock. “It’s only three.”

  “Holidee’s not in her bed. I have to go find her.” His sentences were rushed, and his breathing was fast. Mer started to get up, but Crix was out of the room before she set foot on the floor. He ran down the steps, skipping every two steps. He had a feeling that wherever she was, it was near the ocean. He rushed to the door, threw it open, and ran towards the beach. As he reached the steps, he started to see the water. Darkness still ruled the night, but Crix’ eyes adjusted immediately to it. He could see everything. He reached the first step and stopped in his tracks.

  “What the…?”

  Crix looked at the ocean. Hundreds of creatures filled the water. They were crowded together. Some of them almost beaching themselves. Orcas, dolphins, fish, seals, sea otters, some other whales, and even a shark were half way in the water and half way out of the water. Hundreds of marine animals were waiting in the shallow water. Waiting for what? Or who? They were covered in something. All of them. Covered in some sort of black liquid. It streamed across the Orcas’ white-eye patches. It covered the dolphins’ flukes. It drenched the fish and seals. It matted the sea otters’ fur. It was everywhere.

  Then a sudden pain hit Crix harder than a three hundred pound linebacker. He doubled over in pain. It struck all over his body. It hurt everywhere. He was having trouble breathing. He felt like his lungs were closing. He felt like he was covered in thick gunk. He tried to shake it off, but it only spread further down his body. The pain increased. His head filled with voices. Voices of help. Voices of the dying. Voices from the depths of the water.

  Crix slowly descended the stairs. He clutched the side railing for support. The pain continued to seize his body. He reached the sand. He tried to walk to the salty water, but fell halfway there. He rolled onto his back, the pain increasing. He rolled over and crawled to the water. He was on his hands and knees, as the water rushed in around him, making his hands and knees sink into the ground. He looked up and came face-to-face with an orca, the killer of the sea. Its black snout and pearly white teeth could chomp Crix in two. The strength of this magnificent creature alone was more than an elephant. Crix could see one of its eyes. It stared at him, pitifully. It dug deep into his soul and pleaded for help. Crix reached a weak hand out to it. He slowly placed his hand on the giant whale’s nose. He stroked what was supposed to be rubbery skin. He removed his hand and examined it. Thick, black gunk was sticking to his hand. Oil. Crix looked back at the pleading eyes. I’ll help you. Don’t worry. The pain that had induced him lifted immediately. His body didn’t hurt anymore. He felt strong again. He sat up onto his knees and started to caress the gentle whale. He cupped his hands and poured water onto the leathery skin, trying to clean the oil off of it. It didn’t do any good. The oil was thick. Very thick. Crix tried scraping the oil off of the whale with his hands, and got a little progress. A little. Crix looked around at all of the ocean creatures. He knew he couldn’t save them all, even with his powers, but he had to try. He had to try.

  As he was washing the whale, a twinge of pain shot into him and then left. He stopped washing the whale. He heard someone gasp for air and cough. Crix looked around. All he saw was the aquatic animals. He started having trouble breathing again. He breathed in fumes from the oil, but he had no oil around him except for the whale. Then something triggered his brain. Holidee! He searched around in the water for her. He forgot about the animals. He forgot about the oil. All he thought about was Holidee. Finally he found her crawling up the beach. She was covered in oil. Her hair, her face, her arms, her clothes, everything was covered with oil. She fell onto the sand and rolled over onto her back. She was coughing uncontrollably. Crix ran through the water and onto the sand until he reached her. He sat her up.

  “Holidee,” Crix looked at his hands from touching her. They were black with oil. “Holidee, what happened? Are you okay?” Holidee nodded as she spit up oil.

  “An oil rig spilled. It wasn’t too big, but it did some damage. I need to help these animals.” She started to get up, but Crix pushed her firmly back into the sand.

  “No. You’re not strong enough. We need to get you cleaned up. This stuff cannot get into your lungs.” Crix picked her up and carried her to the water. There, he set her gently down into the water. “Take off your shirt and dip your head back into the water.” Holidee, in a trance, did as she was told. Crix washed her hair as best as he could. The oil was deeply matted to her brown strands. As he tried to get the oil off of her, Holidee talked.

  “The rig is out a ways, but the current will bring the spilled oil to shore quickly. Many of the animals that got caught in it, came to me, seeking help. They think I can save them all.”

  “You can.”

  “We need to contact someone and let them know what has happened. It could catch on fire and then we’d be in trouble. Crix, are you listening to me? Crix!”

  “I hear you, Holidee. You’re more important to me right now. Nothing else.”

  “But Crix, hundreds, even thousands, of creatures could be kil-”

  “Holidee! You’re more important than a million whales and dolphins! Listen to me. If you die, I don’t know what I’d do. I’d probably die too. You’re the most important thing in my life. You! You’re the one that can save a race. A whole race, Holidee. And if a hundred, or even a thousand, marine animals have to die to let that happen, then so be it, cuz if you died, and our race diminished, then all of the ocean’s creatures would die. All!” Holidee got quiet, thinking of Crix’ words. She knew he was right, but her heart could not just sit around and watch these helpless creatures die. She refused to. Her stubborn self wouldn’t let it happen.

  Holidee stood up and pushed away from Crix. She walked toward the same orca Crix had been trying to help and knelt down to help it. Crix followed her.

  “Holidee-“

  “No! I can’t sit around and watch these animals die! I won’t do it! I can’t. I have to try, Crix. I have to.” Crix looked at her and understood. He helped her wash the whale. Holidee was breathing heavily. Crix kept an eye on her as he cleaned the ma
rine mammoth. Holidee stopped washing. Her hand went still.

  “Holidee?” She didn’t respond. Her hand was still over the whale. She was having trouble breathing. Then she fell backwards. Crix caught her before she hit the water. He picked her up and ran toward the sand. Once his feet hit the soft grains, he set her down. She was unconscious and still covered in oil. He tried to wake her up. No luck. He leaned over her and pressed his ear to her chest. Her heartbeat was faint. Crix looked up at the top of the steps and met eyes with Mer. Her mouth was open in shock. She couldn’t believe the scene that lay before her. She looked at Crix in astonishment and worry. “We need to get her to a hospital.” Crix kept looking at Mer. “Mer, she needs a doctor. Now!” That last word shook Mer out of shock, and she ran to the house to dial 911. Crix picked up Holidee and carried her to the house.

  The paramedics arrived and they strapped Holidee onto a stretcher and lifted her into the squad. Crix was talking to one of them.

  “She has oil in her lungs. It needs to get out of there. An oilrig spilled out in the ocean. Are you listening to me?” The paramedic, who was looking away, looked at Crix. “I said that oil needs to get out of her lungs immediately!”

  “We’ve got it all under control, sir. Don’t worry.” Then the paramedic jumped into the ambulance.

  “Idiot!” Crix turned to Mer. “Make sure they get the oil out. It’s crucial, Mer.” She looked at him.

  “Aren’t you coming?”

  “Yes. I’ll be there as soon as I can. You can ride in the squad with her. Go. I’ll meet ya there.” Then Crix kissed her on the cheek and ran down to the beach. Mer watched him leave and then hopped into the back of the ambulance with Holidee and two paramedics. The ambulance drove away from the house.

  Crix ran to the water. It splashed everywhere around him.

  Fye! Fye, can you hear me?

  A gray dolphin surfaced ten feet from Crix. He ran over to her and stroked her fin.

  Hey, Fye. Remember me?

  She shook her head vigorously.

  Good. I need a favor, Fye. Do you know about the oil?

  A headshake.

  Do you know where it is?

  Another head shake.

  Great. Can you take me there?

  This time Fye hesitated. She looked around at all of the other marine animals and at Crix.

  Fye! Please! I can’t do this alone. I NEED to find that oil. Please.

  Fye looked at Crix and then nodded slowly.

  Thanks Fye!

  Crix and Fye both dove underwater simultaneously. Crix looked at Fye and grabbed her fin. He held onto her as she propelled herself through the water like a jet flew through the air. Fye swam for a while until she stopped abruptly. Crix let go of her fin and looked around. It was dark. Very dark. He could see the oil ahead of him, floating on the surface. Crix surfaced and looked around topside. He saw an endless black ocean in front of him. At least it seemed endless. Fye surfaced next to him.

  “This isn’t good.” Fye shook her head in agreement. Crix could smell the oil. It was getting closer. “We’d better get outta here.” They both dove back under the water. Crix grabbed onto Fye, and she began to swim back to the shore. When they reached the beach, Crix thanked her again. Fye left as Crix walked up the beach. Crix had to go to the hospital.

  Crix ran into the hospital and looked around. It reminded him of his past. Shivers crept up his spine. He shook them off and continued to look around. He spotted Mer sitting in a chair, reading a magazine with impatience. Crix walked over to her with a little limp. She saw him and stood up.

  “How is she?” Crix had embraced Mer’s arms.

  “She’s fine. They have her in surgery now, trying to get the oil out of her lungs. They say she’ll be fine.” Mer continued to look at Crix, but Crix was looking around at the sick environment. “It’s okay.” Mer hugged Crix, and he looked down at her. “I know what creeps into your mind when you enter a hospital.” Crix swallowed and looked straight ahead of him.

  “I can’t stand ‘em. They don’t do anything but give you bills.” Mer looked up at him and laughed. He smiled down at her. He relaxed a little after that. They both went to the elevator and got off on the third floor. There, they waited for a doctor to come to see them.

  “No! You’re not hearing me! You can’t just tow the boat away! You have to clean the oil up before it spreads or catches on fire!” Crix rubbed his head, as he felt a headache coming on. The man on the other line kept babbling incessantly without saying anything at all. Crix closed his eyes. “No! You can’t do that! It won’t help! Why won’t you listen to me? I keep telling you what to do!” A woman in the same waiting room as Crix shushed him loudly. Crix lowered his voice to a low roar. “You have to get people to clean the oil out of the ocean, and then you have to clean all of the animals that were caught in the oil spill. Hundreds of marine animals have probably already died because you’re on this phone, arguing with me!” The woman shushed him again. Crix lowered his voice again. “Okay, Okay. Listen. Just promise me the mess’ll get cleaned up and taken care of. Okay. Bye.” Crix slammed the phone down on the receiver and walked over to a chair to sit down. He picked up a magazine and tried to read, but with no luck. A few minutes later Mer walked into the waiting room and sat down next to Crix.

  “You’d think the bathrooms in hospitals would be clean. Man!” She looked over at Crix, who was rapidly flipping through a magazine. Mer grabbed his hands and held them. “Relax. Everything will be fine.” Crix looked into her eyes.

  “How can you be so calm?”

  “Because I am. You, on the other hand, are worse than a mother.” They both laughed and Mer continued. “Nothing is going to happen to Holidee. She’ll be up and about like her old self in no time. You’ll see.”

  “Yeah, but, what if she isn’t? I mean…” Crix looked down at the multi-colored carpet that made the room seem like doctors decorated it. “It’d be my fault if she wasn’t.”

  “Crix, even if something happened to Holidee, not saying that it will, but if something did happen to her, it would never be your fault. You can’t be by her side 24/7. That’s nonsense. You have to let her have some freedom. I know you’re her Guardian, but she can’t, and doesn’t need to be, guarded all the time.”

  “I know, and I’ve tried to give her some space, but then something like this would happen and…”

  “Crix,” Mer lowered her head down so that he would look at her. “Things are going to happen. You can’t prevent that, but you can teach her how to avoid those kinds of things.”

  “I just feel like if I let her down, then I let Gregoric down. I’ve already let him down once. I can’t do it again.” Mer knew he was referring to Gregoric’s death. She took her hand and stroked his face.

  “You could never let Gregoric down. You never have. He never expected you to save him. Never. He only expected you to watch over his little girl. Nothing else. Crix,” He looked into her eyes. “You’ve never let anybody down, not even Gregoric.” He smiled weakly at her.

  “Thanks, Mer.” They both were silent, until they heard two doors open. They both turned and saw a man in a long, white coat walk into the waiting room. He approached Mer and Crix.

  “Ms. Mauter?” Mer looked at him.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re the godmother of,” he flipped through his papers on the clipboard he was carrying. “Holidee Galygin?”

  “Yes.” The doctor eyed Crix suspiciously. “He’s her guardian too.” The doctor nodded.

  “Well, Holidee is doing quite well. We were successful in extracting the oil out of her lungs. She is resting now, but you may go see her. She may not wake up for awhile because of the anesthesia that was used during the surgery, but that will wear off in an hour or two. So you may go and see her, but let her rest.” He looked at Crix. “It looks like you could use some also.” Crix nodded, and the doctor left. Mer and Crix walked through the double doors and to room number ten, where Holidee was re
covering.

  Artificial sunlight peeked in through her eyelids. She opened her eyes and stared at a white ceiling. She looked around. She was in a hospital room. Holidee rotated her head and saw Mer asleep in the chair and Crix asleep against the wall next to her bed. Holidee cocked her head and studied something that was around Crix’ neck. She had never noticed it before. It was a necklace that was mainly made of a thin black string. In the front were silver cubes with letters on them. She couldn’t see the letters. They were too far away. She leaned further out of the bed, trying to make the word clear. She leaned further until-

  I

  Crix awoke with a jolt. He looked around the room and saw Holidee on the floor. He stood up and hurried over to her. “Holidee?” He helped her up off of the ground and onto the bed. “Are you okay?” Holidee nodded and smiled.

  “Sorry. I…uh…I fell out of bed.”

  “That’s obvious.” Holidee eyed Crix’ neck again. The necklace wasn’t tight around his neck. It hung a little loose. She saw an ‘h’ and a ‘d’ and an ‘e’, but then Crix pulled away so that she couldn’t see it anymore.

  “Crix? What does your necklace spell?” Crix looked down at his necklace, even though he couldn’t see it.

  “Oh…well…”

  “I’ve never noticed it before.”

  “That’s because I try not to make it stand out. It spells ‘believe’.” Holidee shook her head.

  “No it doesn’t. I see an ‘h’ on it.” Crix smiled.

  “It spells ‘holidee’ on one side and ‘believe’ on the other. I usually have the ‘believe’ side showing, but I guess through all the commotion it got switched around and I didn’t notice.” Holidee narrowed her eyebrows.

  “Why do-“

  “Your father gave it to me as a gift one Christmas.” Crix started to turn the letters around to spell believe, but Holidee stopped him.

  “Don’t.” Crix stopped and let ‘holidee’ shine in the light. He smiled at her.

  Mer stirred and woke up to see Holidee awake. She jumped out of the chair and went to the bedside. Holidee looked at her.

  “Hey, Bright Eyes. Finally decided to join us?” Holidee smiled.

  “How long have I been out?”

  “Only a day. They got all of the oil out of your lungs. So you’re well.”

  “Why couldn’t you do it?” Holidee asked, turning to Crix.

  “Well, the oil was in your lungs. I can’t just make it evaporate and disappear. No. I couldn’t’ve brought it out of you through your nose or mouth either. Sorry. Oceains can’t do everything.” Crix smiled.

  “That’s okay. You’re still a pretty good healer.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad you think so.” Crix looked at Mer and then back at Holidee. “Hey, you hungry?” She nodded. “’Kay. I’ll go get ya something to eat. Be right back.” Then Crix walked out of the room. Mer looked at Holidee.

  “I’m glad you’re okay.” Holidee smiled.

  “Me too.” Then she looked around the room. “How long have I been here?”

  “Only about a day and a half.”

  “Oh.” The oil spill came back into her mind. “What about the oil? Did they clean it up? Did they clean the animals? How many couldn’t be saved? How many-”

  “Whoa. Slow down, for one. They’re still in the process of cleaning up the mess. It’s not an easy thing to clean up, ya know. As for the animals, they’ve helped some, but not a lot. Their primary focus is on the spill so that more animals won’t get hurt. Crix was going to go check on the ones at our house after you woke up. Everything’s being taken care of. Don’t worry.” Mer smiled. “Don’t talk about it when Crix is here, though, okay? He’s been a little stressed about the whole thing, including you. He needs some sleep, but he refuses to until everything is back to normal. That’s Crix for you.” Holidee smiled too.

  “Mer?”

  “Yeah?”

  “How did Crix know I was down at the beach?” Mer narrowed her eyebrows.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe because you are always down at the beach?”

  “I don’t know. He would’ve had to check my room to notice I was gone. Does he check on me in the night frequently?”

  “I don’t…” she thought for a second. “I don’t think so.”

  “Then how…?”

  “How did you know that there was an oil spill?” interrupted Mer. Holidee looked at the floor.

  “I…I heard voices. Lots of them. They were calling, screaming for help. I didn’t know where they were coming from until I felt them. I felt their pain and struggle. I felt the oil on my body. I tried to get it off, but it wouldn’t budge. Then I felt water. I felt the ocean water lap up around me. It was shallow, though. Very shallow. And then, I knew where the voices were coming from. They were the cries of all of the animals. They needed my help. They knew I could help them. They trusted me and believed in me. And I had to help them. I just had to. I felt like if I didn’t help them, then I would die with them. So I helped them. At least, I tried.”

  “You did help them. And they are probably forever grateful. You know, Holidee, I’m not an Oceain, but I know a whole lot about them. My three best friends were Oceains, and my aunt and two cousins were Oceains. So I learned quite a bit about them, even though I couldn’t do the things they did. One of the things I learned was, that when you help a sea creature or save its life, it is indebt to you. It will never forget what you did for them. Never. And when the time comes for you to need their help, they will give it to you without thinking. So never think that you have to do something alone. You have Crix and every creature in the ocean. Every one. So if something comes up where you have no one to help you, think of the sea. Always look to the ocean for help. It will always be there for you. It will always lend you a fin.” Mer and Holidee smiled. Then they heard the door open and Crix appeared with a tray of food. The nurse also followed and went over to Holidee to make sure everything was fine. Crix set the tray down next to Holidee and she began to eat slowly. Once the nurse left, she looked at Crix.

  “Thanks.” He nodded. “When do you think I can get out of here?” Crix looked at Mer and then back at Holidee.

  “Probably not for a few days.” Holidee sighed deeply.

  “I hate hospitals.” Crix and Mer both smiled at each other and then laughed.

  “Me too, Holidee. Me too.”

  Two boys ran in through the hospital doors and asked the receptionist where they could find a Holidee Galygin. The receptionist looked at her computer screen and then told them she was on the third floor. They thanked her and ran to the elevator. The boy with dirty blonde spiky hair kept pushing the ‘up’ arrow for the elevator. His friend looked at him.

  “Zeke.” He continued to push the little round button. “Zeke, stop it. Zeke!” He stopped and looked at his friend. “It won’t come any faster, no matter how fast you push the button. Just chill.”

  “I know. I know. But…it’s just…”

  “When’re you going to tell her that you like her?” Zeke looked at his friend and then turned away.

  “I don’t know. I’m still not sure if it’s real. I mean, how do I know it’s not just some summer fling?”

  “Because you don’t just have summer flings, Zeke. In fact, you don’t have many flings. The only girls you’ve ever taken out have been dates to dances, and even those you were expected to take.”

  “I know. It’s just…I don’t want to screw up.”

  “You don’t want to screw up, or you’re afraid of what others will think? C’mon Zeke! Put your head on straight! When have you ever cared about what other people think? Hm?”

  “Well-”

  “Look, if you don’t get out of this middle school stage you’re in, then I’ll take her out on a date, and I’ll kiss her, and I’ll make her mine.” Zeke turned and looked at his friend sternly.

  “You wouldn’t.” His friend just simply looked into Zeke’s eyes.

  “I would. Go ahead and try me.??
? Then the elevator beeped and the doors opened. Zeke looked at the elevator and walked into the small compartment. Tom smiled, knowing his bluff had worked. Then he stepped into the elevator too.

  Tom and Zeke got off on the third floor. The waiting room was quiet and still. They looked around and saw one woman reading a romance book and two people asleep. The two sleeping people were Crix and Mer. They were sitting on a small couch. Mer’s head was lying on Crix’ shoulder, and Crix’ head was leaning against Mer’s head. Crix’ arm was around her, and his hand was lightly resting on her hair, as if he had been stroking her hair and fell asleep. Tom and Zeke smiled at each other and sat down without a sound. Zeke picked up a sports magazine while Tom leaned his head back to rest. Zeke watched as his eyes closed and then he started to flip through the magazine.

  Darkness fell in around him. No one was with him. He saw yellow and orange flames shoot up. They were devouring a building. It looked like a fairly new building. He looked around for Zeke or Holidee. They were nowhere to be found. He turned a corner and saw a boy. He looked a little older than him. He could only see the outline of his body, though, because of the darkness. Then he saw another man. He looked older than the other one. He wanted to get closer. He walked a little more towards the two who were fighting. The younger one was obviously losing. The older man picked up the younger one and threw him against a brick wall. The younger man fell to the ground. The older one picked him up and held him against the wall. The younger one was struggling to breathe. Then the younger one pulled out a knife and cut the arm of the older man. The older man dropped him, and he fell to the ground, gasping for air. The knife flew from his hands. The older man mumbled something and then picked up the knife. He walked towards the younger man and picked him up by the throat again. This time, however, he thrust the knife into his stomach. The younger man’s eyes widened in terror and he fell to the ground after the older man pulled the knife out of him. The younger man died shortly after that. Tom wanted to get closer still. He wanted to see who the younger man was. He walked up to the lifeless body and knelt down. He rolled the dead man over and screamed. It was him. He was the younger man. He was the lifeless body. Tom screamed again. Then the older man started coming closer to Tom. He cowered in fear.

  “Tom.” He didn’t want it to be true. “Tom.”

  “NO!”

  “Tom.” The man’s voice became lighter and softer. “Tom. Tom, wake up.”

  Tom shot up and pressed his knife to Crix’ neck. Crix stood still and looked at Tom in confusion. Tom’s shirt was soaked in sweat. He was on the floor, and Mer, Crix, and Zeke were around him. He was breathing heavy, and he wasn’t sure where he was at first. Then Zeke put his hand on Tom’s hand, which was holding the knife to Crix’ throat. Tom slowly lowered the knife from Crix’ neck. Zeke took his knife and put it in his belt. Tom looked around. He was back in the waiting room. The woman reading the romance novel wasn’t in there. He was thankful. Mer went to get a cup of water for him. He drank it down slowly.

  “Tom?” Tom looked at Crix. “Tom, are you alright?” But before he could answer, two doors opened and two nurses came running out.

  “Is everything alright here? We thought we heard someone screaming.” Mer and Crix both stood up and walked over to them.

  “Everything’s fine. He just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

  “Are you sure? Because we can go get…” Tom blocked them out and looked at Zeke, who looked very worried about his friend.

  “Zeke, it was him. I saw him. But this time it was different. I was older. We were near a burning building. He…he…”

  “Tom, it was a nightmare. It’s just like the others. This time, though, you sounded like you were…it was just a nightmare.”

  “Zeke, listen to me! He killed me! I watched as he stuck a knife into me! This dream was different. It was as if…as if it were my future, my destiny.” Zeke grabbed Tom’s shoulders.

  “Look at me! Tom, look at me! You are not going to die. No one is going to kill you. Your father is locked up far away. He is never going to harm you or your mom again. It was just a stupid nightmare. Nothing more. Do you understand?” Tom nodded. “Good. Now let’s get that wet shirt off of you.” Tom pulled the t-shirt up over his head and set it on the floor. Zeke unbuttoned his own shirt and took it off. He had a sleeveless shirt on underneath. Zeke took off the sleeveless shirt and handed it to Tom, who put it on. Then he put his shirt back on and buttoned it up. Zeke looked up at Tom, who was still breathing heavily. “Tom…” He reached his hand out to comfort him. Tom looked up with tears in his eyes.

  “He’s gonna make sure I die. I know it. I can feel it. Zeke, I don’t wanna die. I wanna grow old with someone I love and have lots of kids. I wanna see my kids grow up and have kids of their own. I don’t wanna die. I wanna live past my graduation. I wanna live to be the best man in your wedding. Zeke, don’t let him kill me. Don’t let me die.” Zeke couldn’t stand to see his best friend like this. Tears welled up in his own eyes. He grabbed Tom and hugged him. He held him close like a brother would.

  “No one’s going to kill you, Tom. I won’t let them. You’re all I have. And I’d be damned to lose you again.” Tom leaned back and smiled at Zeke. Mer and Crix walked over to them, after they assured the nurses everything was fine. They knelt down next to Tom and Zeke.

  “Tom-”

  “I’m sorry,” Tom interrupted. “About the knife.” Crix rubbed the front of his neck and smiled.

  “It’s okay. You did give me quite a scare, though.” He stopped rubbing his neck and looked at Tom. “Are you okay?” Tom took a deep breath and looked at Crix.

  “Yeah. It was just a nightmare.” Tom looked at Zeke and then back at Crix.

  “Are you sure? It sounded wor-“

  “I’m fine. Really. It was just a nightmare. Don’t tell me you don’t have them.”

  “No. I mean yes. How do you…never mind. It’s just that…the way you-“

  “Drop it. I’m fine. That’s all that matters, right? So let’s just go on with our lives.”

  “But…” Mer put her hand on Crix’. He understood. “Okay.” They all got up off of the floor and sat in chairs. They all sat there silently. Mer decided to ease the tension a little.

  “So, boys, how did you know to come here?” Zeke looked at Tom, who was still a little dazed, so he decided to answer the question.

  “Well, we walked over to your house, but no one was there. We thought maybe you all went out or something. So then we walked down to the beach. That’s when we saw people down there in rubber suits, cleaning up all kinds of animals. I had never seen so many animals on one beach! They were cleaning up oil. Then we knew you guys weren’t ‘just out’. So we asked one of the cleaners if they knew where anyone from the house was. They didn’t know, but they did saw that a man called, telling them to clean up the oil spill. We thought it had to be you, Crix, which meant that Holidee didn’t call, which meant that something must’ve gone wrong or something. So we went to the hospital, knowing it was our best bet.”

  “Clever. Holidee’s going to be fine. She’ll be allowed to leave in a day or so. They just had to get a little oil out of her lungs. Everything went perfect. She’s sleeping right now. We can go and see her in an hour.

  “Hey, Ocean Eyes! How’re ya feelin’?” Holidee squinted up at Crix. After her eyes adjusted to the light, she glanced next to Crix and saw Mer standing there along with Tom and Zeke. They were all smiling down at her. She still had an IV in her arm and wires all over her body, but she didn’t have a tube up her nose for breathing. She saw that her breakfast/lunch/dinner was setting out for her on a tray. She sat up a little so that she didn’t feel so small around them.

  “He-“ she coughed to clear her throat. “Hey. What’re you guys doing here?”

  “Well, we just wanted to make sure no one drowned. I think one babysitting job is enough,” Tom said as he shoved Zeke. They all laughed, including Zeke. Mer nudged Crix and
looked toward the door. He smiled and got the drift.

  “We’ll go get you some more water, Holidee.” They left, leaving Tom and Zeke alone with her. Holidee looked at them.

  “So when do ya think I get outta here?”

  “Anytime.” Tom smiled. “Zeke and I are notorious for sneaking out of places.” Holidee smiled, and the three of them continued talking.

  “So?”

  “So what?”

  “So why did you drag me out of there?”

  “Because they wanted to talk.”

  “They could’ve talked in front of us.” Mer looked at Crix.

  “It wouldn’t have been the same.”

  “But-“

  “They’ll be fine. Relax.”

  “I know. I know. I’m just not ready for this.” Mer turned and looked into Crix’ eyes.

  “Not ready for what?”

  “For this!” He flung his arms out in the direction of Holidee’s door. “I can handle teaching her how to be an Oceain. I can handle protecting her. I can handle being her mentor, but I can’t handle the boys, the problems, the dating…all that girl stuff! I’m not ready for the hormonal and emotional problems! I’m not ready for the dates to begin! I’m…” Crix looked at the opposite wall. “I’m not ready to be a dad.” Mer wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “That’s why I’m here. I can deal with all of the teenage drama.”

  “Yeah, but she needs a fatherly figure in her life, and she’s gonna expect it to be me. I just don’t think I’m ready.”

  “You’re doing great already. You’re worrying, which means you have the potential to be dad.” Crix looked down at Mer and smiled. Then he kissed her gently on the lips.

  “Thank you.”

  The next day, Crix picked up Holidee to take her home. Holidee was dressed in normal clothes again, waiting for Crix. He pulled up beside the hospital doors, and she hopped inside the car.

  “You ready to get out of the hospital?”

  “More than you know. Let’s go.” They drove along the narrow road, passing trees and meadows and a few houses. Something was on Crix’ mind, however, and he had to get it off of his chest.

  “Holidee?”

  “Yes?”

  “What do you expect of me?” Her eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

  “What do you mean?”

  “C’mon. You know what I mean. Less than a year ago, you didn’t even know I existed. Less than two months ago, you didn’t know I had anything to do with your life whatsoever, let alone your parents’ life. I mean, I popped into your life when it was a quarter of the way over. I tell you I was best friends with your father, that I’m your Guardian and protector, and that you are an Oceain and are the last hope for our race. How does that make you feel? You have to expect something of me.” Silence filled the car as Holidee soaked in what Crix had just said.

  “Well, I never really thought about it. But then again…” Crix looked down and then back up at the road, thinking, here it comes… “I was pretty selfish.” Crix turns and looks at her.

  “Huh?”

  “Well, after my parents died, all I thought about was me. I felt sorry for myself and I hated the world. I guess that’s how I grieved. Pitiful, really. I never thought about how Mer felt after getting dumped with a teenage girl she hardly knew. I never thought about anyone but me at that time. It wasn’t until you told me about my father and you as boys growing up the best of pals. Then I thought to myself, ‘Wow. I’ve been an idiot. Here’s a guy who lost the only friend he had in the world, and now he has to give up his happiness to teach some girl he never was allowed to talk to how to become something that she doesn’t even know she is.’ That’s when it hit me. You opened a whole new door in my life, Crix. A new light into my world.” Crix looked at her dumbfounded.

  “But-“

  “AND, when you told me who I really was, and how I had to save a whole race from extinction, yeah, I was a little perturbed, but I got over it, cuz now I have something to do. For once, I’m important to someone else in the world. I’m needed. I guess I did expect you to be able to teach me everything there was to know about being an Oceain, but I soon found out that you couldn’t. Not because you weren’t able to, but because there are powers in me that go beyond any Oceain’s strength. Crix, I don’t expect you to fill my father’s shoes. That would be absurd. No one can replace him, not even his best friend. And I had to figure that out on my own. Never try to be someone you’re not, because I like you just the way you are. And, Crix, I don’t expect you to give your life for mine. So you better not. I don’t care if it is your job. Don’t do it. I care about you too much and so does Mer. If something would happen to you, Mer would be depressed and unable to cope with life. I’ve already lost two parents, I don’t think I could handle losing two more.” Crix looked at her and smiled. She’s grown up so fast. What happened to the little girl who used to fall asleep on my chest?

  “And I don’t think I could handle losing a daughter, so don’t get yourself in a situation where it comes down to a life or death decision.” Holidee smiled.

  “But, of course, it’s not my fault if death follows me.”

  “Well, then it’s not my fault if my hands just happen to touch your skin and heal you.”

  “Okay. I promise.”

  “Me too.” The house peeked into view. They started to drive down the driveway towards the beautiful beach house that belonged to Holidee. Mer was waiting outside for them. Zeke and Tom were beside her waving. Each one of them were holding a poster board spelling, ‘Welcome Home Holidee!’. Holidee smiled as she thought about all of things that were wonderful in her life. Crix slowed to a coast. He wrapped his right arm around Holidee’s shoulders. She leaned against him, and he kissed her lightly on the forehead.

  “Welcome home, Ocean Eyes.”