NUTPS Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Alek awoke to the sound of the ocean, its breeze and tide bringing harmony of nature’s infinite orchestras to his ears. He yawned, put on some slippers, slid out of bed, crawling down the stairs to the kitchen.
His mother was at the stove and laughed when he appeared.
“Your hair!” she managed, almost letting a piece of bacon complete its transformation into an oily charcoal.
“Yeah, yeah.” Alek said, pulling out a box of cereal.
His mother’s eyebrows arched.
“Don’t you want to…” she motioned to the bacon and pancakes.
Alek’s eyes snapped wide open. “Oh!”
“Everything alright?”
“Yeah! Why?”
Before the pointless debate could continue, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it.” Alek rose from his seat.
He went to the door and peeked into the peephole. It was Alexis. She was wearing a summer dress. He wondered where she got it from. It couldn’t have been from a sunken ship; otherwise she’d be wearing some tattered eighteenth century garment. No, maybe she sunk a cruise liner? He opened the door.
“Hi!” Alexis smiled.
“Hey.” Alek’s face was a mix of curiosity, confusion, and, most of all, surprise. This girl was getting to be pretty funny, not to mention a little interesting, besides the fact that she was from a species that only appeared in fantasy. And here she was again, proving that she was not a dream.
“C’mon in.” Alek stepped aside.
“Who is it?” his mother called.
“My friend, again.”
“Oh good! She could walk with you to school.”
Alek raised his eyebrows and looked at the cecaelia.
“Sure, I guess.” Alexis shrugged.
A rapid series of footsteps pattered on the floor and Alek’s mother appeared, holding his backpack.
“Well, here you go!” she threw the bag into Alek’s arms.
“But-” Alek started, already pushed out of the house with Alexis.
Alexis grinned. “I suppose it’s a little early to judge land dwellers, but I think your mom is a little strange.”
“My whole family is. My dad owns a frigging oyster farm.”
“Oh! So is that’s what that netted place is. I pass by it on the way here.”
“Yeah.” Alek said. His stomach grumbled.
“For cecaelia, that usually means hunger, is it the same for humans?”
“Uh-huh. My mom threw us out before I could eat.”
“Oh. Well, to me she seemed like a sensible person, just a little strange.”
“How can you tell?”
“When she put that brown sack in, she also put some money, I think.”
Alek pulled out his paper bag and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. His eyes showed a little surprise, but not a lot. He knew nothing of what to expect from this girl, except what was not expected.
“Cecaelia need good eyes in the sea.” Alexis said, noticing his confusion. “Actually, I’m surprised at how limited your senses are.”
Alek sniffed. “Hey, I’m not blind or anything. For my species, I have perfect vision.”
“Well, that’s not speaking to well for humans, is it?”
Alek rolled his eyes. “Let’s get some breakfast.”

The restaurant, like all other places on the island, served seafood. Alek thought of supporting his father’s company by getting the oysters (all of the island’s oysters were supplied by the farm) but was more hungry for fish. He flipped the menu over to a picture of a fried calamari and looked at Alexis.
Alexis smiled. “Don’t worry. Whatever monkey falls into the ocean, we eat.”
“Really?” Alek laughed.
“No. That’s for sharks and whatever happens to be swimming underneath the trees.”
The waiter walked by. He was a frequent employee that served the Alek many times. He smiled at Alek and Alexis. Alek placed his order and turned back to Alexis.
“So did you descend from squid or…”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Alexis finished.
“What’s your species like.”
“Well, we’re not as flawed as yours,” she began, earning a grunt from Alek, “but we don’t have many things you do.”
“Such as?”
“Technology.” Alexis said immediately.
“How? You have opposable thumbs and I guess you are as intelligent as we are…”
“Definitely.”
“Then how could you not have technology?”
Alek’s fish appeared.
Alexis smiled. “I told you. It’s a bit complicated.”
“Hm.” Alek said, stuffing himself with white meat. He liked the local fish markets; they always had a good catch.
“Good?”
Alek managed a muffled grunt past the meat.
“That does look good.”
Alek swallowed. “Do you eat it raw? I mean, you don’t have any fire underwater…”
Alexis smiled, her white teeth showing.
“We have our ways.”
“Right…”
The waiter reappeared and placed a glass of water on the table. Alek took a quick sip and thanked the man. Alexis glanced at the glass and then at the waiter, watching him disappear into the kitchen. She turned back to the half-full glass.
Alek saw her gaze. “You want some?”
“Are you gonna finish it?” she asked
Alek pushed it forward. “Nah.”
The sea witch pulled the cup in front of her, watching the ripples still into nothing. A ripple reappeared and the water shook, moving the entire glass. It moved over the side of the glass and fell into a puddle on the table.
Alek instinctively tried to get up away from the spilt water, but the entire flowing mass stopped. In fact, it was reversing, moving into a pile of moving, flowing water. His brain told him two thing: one, a thousand scientific laws were just broken and, two, the water looked like a giant amoeba. It moved into a taller and taller mass until it started to form something. It was a girl. It took Alek a second to realize that it was Alexis as her facial features formed on the water-figure. The real Alexis, a thousand times larger than the figure smiled.
“Pretty good, huh?”
Alek was starved of words. “Uh…you’ve got a lot of time,” was all that came out.
After a second: “Yeah, looks just like you.”
“Thanks.” Alexis’s smile broadened. “Our methods of art are a little limited.”
The humanoid figure turned and waved at Alek.
“Uh, hi.”
The figure danced gracefully across the table, making little droplet footprints on the glass surface.
“Wow.”
The water ballet stopped and the figure gave a bow.
“That’s amazing. How did you do that?” Alek’s face was pure amazement.
The real Alexis propped her head up with an elbow. She was smiling even more now. Her aqua eyes were shining in the morning sun.
“And you think I’m in the dark? Your species is quite oblivious to what’s going on right under your noses.”
Alek had a cough in his throat.
Alexis continued. “You have technology, knowledge, all that stuff, what we have is a little magic.”
“But, shouldn’t you have technology?”
Alexis grinned. “It’s illegal.”
“Your society banned it?”
“No!” she laughed, “But with how dangerous it is, we might as well have.”
Alek made a puzzled look.
She explained, “Acquiring knowledge beyond our current powers is not allowed. You land dwellers, if you knew what you were getting into, you would not have chased after knowledge.”
“What?”
Alexis sighed. “I’ll explain later.”

After seven hours of classes, two of which was, ironically, biology, Alek felt like just collapsing on his bed. He came close, but the doorbell echoed, followed by his mother’s footstep.
A second later, “Alek!”
“Coming.”
He went down the stairs, cursing whoever made him postpone a well-deserved nap. It was Jenny.
“What?” Alek’s voice was saturated in annoyance.
“Oh, I wanted to just say, ‘Hi.’”
“Yeah?” he sighed, his eyes still half-closed.
“Hi.” she laughed. “Is it okay if I come in?”
“Sure!” Alek’s mother called.
Alek opened his mouth, but Jenny had already entered.
“Y’know, I just got that order I told you about,” she was so happy, “I just want to play with it right away.”
“Huh?”
“You know.”
“Oh, right.” Alek rubbed his eyes.
Jenny didn’t notice. “So, I was wondering if you wanted to see it in action.”
Alek dragged himself to a nearby couch. He moved to prop his feet across and lie down, but Jenny was already sitting next to him.
Her eyes were sparkling. “I’m…I’m just so excited!”
“Yeah.” Alek grunted. “You have been waiting for a long time.”
“Yep.”
Alek’s mom appeared. “Cookies?”
Jenny took a couple delicately, careful not to spill crumbs. “Thank you very much! I love your cookies. They’re delicious.”
“Why, thank you.” Alek’s mother smiled. “Any for you Alek?”
“No.”
“But I thought you liked the oatmeal now. You ate a dozen when your project partner came along.”
Jenny made a confused face. “I though I was your project partner.”
“Different project.”
“Oh.” Jenny shrugged. “How’s it going, then?”
“For what?”
“Your other project.”
“Pretty good.” The corner of Alek’s mouth raised a bit.
“Uh-huh.” Jenny shrugged it off. Her smile reappeared. “Yes! I got to get it built right away.”
“If you say so…”
“Alrighty!” Jenny was so happy. “See you-“
The doorbell chimed.
Alek’s mother’s feet pattered against marble again.
“Hello?” she opened the door.
Alexis peeked in. “Hi, is Alek home?”
“Why, he indeed is.”
Alek felt two things: most of his blood rushing to his head and a knot beginning to weave and entangle itself in his stomach. He was pretty sure that his belly would explode. And if that didn’t, then his face would.
Alexis strode cheerfully into the living room and sat across from Alek, right next to Jenny. The other girl’s eyes narrowed to almost slits, though her irises were visible due to her thick glasses. Alek imagined two lionesses in the African savannah going at it.
“Hi! I’m Alexis.” the disguised sea witch held her hand out.
The handshake’s recipient took it with an icy cold grip. “Jenny.”
A couple seconds ticked by. Alexis’s smile was still plastered on her face, as was Jenny’s scowl. Max trotted into the room, sniffing Alexis’s legs. He stuck out his tongue and took a lick.
“Go. Shoo!” Jenny pushed the dog away gently.
Max tilted his head to the side and returned to licking Alexis, who laughed.
“I hope he doesn’t bite.”
Jenny muttered, “No. He just licks people he likes.”
Alek cringed as she looked at him behind her glasses. He turned a little in discomfort.
Alek’s mom appeared. “My, my. Is my son gathering a party?”
A dozen cookies appeared on the table.
Alek stuffed one in his mouth, noting that they were oatmeal. He was confused right now, sometimes he hated the things, others, he loved them. Which was it now?
“He is indeed.” Jenny said icily.
Alek choked and made the decision: hate. He chewed and swallowed instantly.
“Jeez, you people eat funny.” Alexis said with a smile.
“‘You people?’” Jenny turned. “Are you not from around here?”
“Sometimes, somewhere near.” Alexis said nonchalantly.
“That’s funny. There isn’t any land for a hundred miles from this island.”
Alek gasped, dislodging a piece of cookie plastered onto his teeth. Freed from its toothy prison, the wet crumb flew from his mouth and made a splattering landing on the coffee table.
“She lives on the ocean.” he managed.
Jenny lifted an eyebrow as she cleaned the mess. “Where exactly? By Alek’s dad’s farm?”
“No by the sunken submarine.”
Alek choked again, this time on his own spit.
Jenny’s face grew more confused.
“Submarine?”
“Yeah.” Alexis took a cookie. She paused before biting, noticing the four eyes placed on her. “You’ve…never seen the submarine?”
“No.”
A silence passed. Alexis, suddenly not wanting to eat the cookie, was deciding whether to still eat it or place it back on the plate. Jenny began drumming her fingers on the table.
“I guess I better get started.” Jenny finally said and got up. “See ya.”
“Bye.” Alek said with a half-smile.
Alexis stood up, despite Alek’s expression.
“Well, it was nice to meet you.” she smiled genuinely.
“Likewise.” Jenny muttered.
The door shut loudly behind her.
“Well, shall we?” Alexis asked, her arm held up in a mock bow.
“I’m kinda tired…”
“We’ll go quickly. You asked ‘how?’ today, so now I’ve got to explain.”
Alek felt the increasing sleepiness of his missed nap tug at his mind, but at the same time, curiosity pulled back. The tug-o’-war of his mind continued for a few seconds.
“Are you okay?” Alexis laughed.
Sleepiness fell into the pit of nothingness and curiosity cheered in victory.
“Yeah…let’s go.” Alek yawned.