Chapter 11
Maelis
Tyrone brought it in folded neatly, his expression half-exasperated, half-conspiratorial. “Don’t ask how it got here,” he muttered, sliding the slip of paper onto my blanket. “Just read it before Paul catches me smuggling contraband.”
He gave me a wink paired with a concerned frown.
We knew this was forbidden. There wouldn't be consequences for me, not really.
But I'd had enough time to think about what it would mean for Cerban if it was discovered that he had not gone against the rules yet again.
He might be sent back to his home planet, never allowed to return to Earth.
The finfolk had come here because on their planet, only a few men got to be with women.
Climate change had meant that only a small proportion of the population was female.
To get a mate, as they called it, you had to apply and go through vigorous tests - or at least that's what I'd heard.
The finmen who'd come to the island had not been allowed to be in a relationship.
They'd stay alone for the rest of their lives.
The thought made me sad. Some people chose to be single and that was fine until it became a decree imposed on you by others.
Everyone deserved a chance of finding love.
And if I wasn't careful, Cerban's might be taken away from him for the second time.
The moment Tyrone left, I unfolded the note with hands that trembled more than I liked to admit.
Maelis,
I am forbidden to see you, but I cannot stop thinking of you.
You are strong and brave and you fought for your life as fiercely as any warrior I have known.
I will respect the humans’ rules for now because you need rest, but I will not stay away forever.
When you are well, if you wish it, I will come to you.
Cerban
I pressed the paper to my chest, fighting a ridiculous urge to smile. Strong and brave. A warrior. No one had ever written words like that about me before.
Maybe I had judged these aliens prematurely. I did really like him - and not just because he'd saved my life. Not just because he was forbidden.
As much as I wanted to reply, I was also cautious that it would only increase the chance of discovery. If I wrote to him again, it had to be something important, not just a random note professing how much I wanted to see him.
And I had just the thing. I couldn't get the strange rhythm of the bubbles out of my mind.
I’d replayed the footage half a dozen times since yesterday, staring at the steady rise of air against the cave wall. Five bursts. Pause. Five bursts. Pause. Not random. Not natural.
Cerban needed to know. He’d been there, had seen them too – I was certain of it. And if I was right, if those bubbles meant something, then he was the only one who could help me unravel it.
The thought of diving again made my chest tighten.
Images of rock crushing down, of the last hiss of my regulator, jolted through me like electric shocks.
But the bubbles gave that fear shape, turned it into something I could face.
If I could solve their mystery, then the cave wouldn’t just be the place I almost died. It would be the place I found answers.
I unfolded his note again, tracing his name with my fingertip. Desperation pressed at me. I had to tell him.
When Tyrone came back to check my vitals, I blurted, “Can you get another message to him?”
He froze, thermometer in hand. “Maelis–”
“Please. Just one. It’s not about thank-yous or romance or whatever Pam and Paul think is happening. This is important. I need him to know what I saw down there.”
Tyrone sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “You’re going to get me fired. Or worse.”
But after a moment, he lowered his voice. “Fine. Write it quickly. And keep it vague – I’m not passing along a love letter.”
I snatched the paper from the bedside table, words spilling fast, messy but certain:
Cerban,
I’ve been reviewing the dive footage. The bubbles in the cave weren’t random. They followed a rhythm: five bursts, pause, five bursts, pause. I need you to help me figure out what it means. When the storm clears, we have to go back. Together.
I folded the paper and pressed it into Tyrone’s hand before I could change my mind. “Please.”
He shook his head, muttering, “You’re both going to kill me,” but tucked it into his pocket.
As he left, my pulse quickened. For the first time since the cave collapse, I felt less like a victim and more like myself again.
If Cerban came back for me – and I had no doubt he would – then the sea hadn’t finished with us yet.
I’d just settled back against the pillows, trying to slow the jitter of nerves in my chest, when the door opened again.
I expected Tyrone with more tea – or maybe contraband biscuits – but instead Paul strode in.
He was dressed sharply in a white suit, the rolled up sleeves the only admission to the tropical climate outside.
Now that the storm had passed, the sun was shining again as if nothing had happened.
He looked tired, the storm’s aftermath carved into the lines on his face, but his voice was softer than I’d feared.
“Good to see you awake,” he said, pulling up the lone chair and sitting rather than looming. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got run over by a ship,” I muttered. “But much better. And alive. Thanks to… him.”
Paul nodded, hands clasped loosely between his knees. “Cerban. Yes. I owe him for that. We all do.”
The words surprised me. “I thought you were furious.”
“I was,” he admitted, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Furious at the storm, at the scare you gave us, at the finfolk for breaking rules we can’t afford to bend.
But not at you. You couldn’t have predicted the storm nor the cave collapsing.
And Cerban…” He shook his head. “He did the right thing, even if it puts us in a difficult position.
None of us knew you were out for a dive, and even if we had, we wouldn't have been able to rescue you. "
Relief loosened something tight in my chest. For once, Paul wasn’t just the manager reciting rules; he was a man who cared for the people under his watch.
“Pam’s been in touch,” he went on, his tone turning more businesslike. “You know how she is. She’s worried this could undo the trust we’ve built with the finfolk. She’s ordered that Cerban continues to be confined to quarters until she decides what to do.”
The thought of Cerban locked away, punished for saving me, made anger prickle beneath my skin. “That’s not fair.”
Paul gave me a long, steady look. “I don’t disagree. But my job is to protect both staff and guests, and sometimes that means keeping to the rules, even when they don’t seem fair. What matters now is that you recover. The rest… we’ll find a way to handle it.”
He stood, smoothing his damp shirt. “Get some rest, Maelis. Tyrone will keep me updated on your progress. And if you need anything, you come to me. Understood?”
I nodded, the words caught in my throat.
When he left, the room felt quiet again, save for the hiss of the oxygen cylinder. Paul might be bound by rules, but he hadn’t condemned Cerban outright. That gave me a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, not all bridges were burned quite yet.