Chapter Five #2
It really is an island of misfits. There are two groups that all came running when they saw the chopper.
Citiali brought me and Alder to this palm frond lean-to where the boy and his mom were.
The father is an ass that traded his wife and kid for a waitress who is now pregnant.
The groups are obvious, ‘the pussies’ are levelheaded and protective of their women and a boy they tell us of.
The others roll their eyes and move anyone out of their way or talk over them.
I’m not sure they care what group they’re from.
“He’s always got to be the center of attention.
” The ass mutters on the side of Moss. Moss turns hitting the ass with his shoulder so he leans my way off balance.
A small step to the side and I raise my arm like I’m defending myself and knock the shit out of the ass with my elbow. I wince at the crack I hear.
New girl doesn’t like that. “Hey! You did that on purpose!”
I feign innocence. “I saw something coming my way. He’ll be fine.” The ass is mesmerized by his blood dripping on the sand, I must have broken his nose.
Alder walks away from the commotion and I follow. Nash laughs behind me. Citiali walks with me. “What’s wrong with the kid?”
He shrugs, “something about his liver and iron.”
Alder moves his phone away from his ear. “Hemochromatosis.” Whatever the hell that is.
Citiali nods and types on his phone. “Hemochromatosis, genetic disorder that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron.” He looks up at me. “Isn’t it mercury that’s in fish?”
I nod. “I read about high iron in fish but I thought it was good. Maybe the absorb part is bad for kids like the mercury.”
He looks over the water then back with a nod. “Teller said that’s right. It’s a pediatric thing. Kids are tough.”
That’s why I’m not planning on kids. This world is crazy enough. He nods seriously. I shake my head.
His hands go up. “Mucimi, Teller, Nash and Aurora.” That’s Mucimi’s girls name, Aurora.
I nod and bend as Alder pockets his phone. “Will he be okay?”
“Yeah, they take blood.” He looks at Citiali and waves a hand at his head.
“They’ll draw a pint of blood and run some test for liver function. The treatment is removing blood. The mom said they’ve eaten raw fish.”
“Shellfish easy catch to net.” Alder corrects him. I nod. “Did you need anything else here?”
“I done. Dickass say boy sick eyes yellow. IT say boat come for rest.”
I turn and he climbs on my back. “Why did everyone else come?”
“Bored with robot. AI help to match passenger to room, food, drink, activity. Ship card done. Maintenance class done. Pres Jordan make virtual training. Doctor I do alone.”
Citiali laughs. “You want to learn to surf?”
Alder looks at the water. “No wave.”
I get it. “The ship has a wave pool to surf in.”
“Sophie and Peggy are surfing now. Asa sent me a picture.” Citiali turns his phone.
Charlie’s Angel in a damn suit. I glare at him and his smile gets wider. “Let’s go learn to surf.”
The asshole. He laughs.
Alder is all for surfing. Fuckin’ wonderful.
§*§*§
Cruise ship
Sophie
Peggy’s yell has me looking. She drops straight down while her board skims the water to my side.
I shake my head. She hit a minute the last time. The waves were ratcheting up but now the whitewater waves roll through at a much more mellow pace. I fallback.
“How are you standing so fast?” She got the shorter board like me.
“Follow the wall. Paddle at an angle then split the first wave that looks right and start lower. Use the coffee cup and ride it on through, they’ll roll out the next level. Use your back arm to guide your turns to the next waves.”
She nods the whole time I’m talking. “I’m on it.”
The instructor laughs and does a hand signal to get the waves. “Get set, there’s no lineup.”
Peggy stops and gives him a look. “No advice?” He’s given her surfer lingo every time she falls and we go back, so it’s a valid question.
He’s still smiling. “She just gave it to you. She ain’t a kook, follow what she said and you can drop in her wave at the pocket. It will suck you in and hold you in place. This ain’t the ocean, girl.”
Peggy makes me smile with that same intent look she gives everyone leaving her tips.
A nod gets us back to whitewater. You gotta start somewhere so I go through the paces until she pops up and is driving her board with her arm.
The woman just needs words she can understand to jump into “pro”.
I turn closer as we ride down the wave period with both my hands pointing at her with one arm straight out. She laughs but doesn’t take the bow.
The whistle tells us the session is over. We’ve been in more than the hour but there wasn’t a lineup.
Peggy laughs pointing at the waiting line. Alder and Hud are with Jordan and Stella.
“Fuckin’ showoffs.” Stella puts her fist out, so I bump it then Peggy does as we pass them.
I bend to Alder. “Use the shorter board that he recommends. Stay low and do the coffee cup OMBE from the lessons. Once you get in, the wave will keep you there through the next levels.”
He gives me a funny look. “How you know I YouTubed on chopper ride?”
I smile. “Now I know you did, but you’re Alder, LP. You always do your homework. Listen to the instructor but ask when he says words that you don’t know, then just follow what I said. It’s easy if you’re not trying to follow every step he gives.”
He does his one nod. “Thanks you barney explain. Advice for Boss Hud?”
I turn. “You surf?”
His eyes meet mine and I’m stunned that he met mine and he’s got concern in his that’s so pronounced, it’s almost tangible to me three feet away from him. “Before. I didn’t bring the flipper and can’t use the robotic. I got the brace for the pool. I don’t feel it.” That’s why he shows that concern.
“Let Alder get the lesson. I’ll stay with him and explain using your words.” Peggy is a gem.
“Thanks. It shouldn’t take long; he's from Florida and has been everywhere so he knows all but the pool feel.” I sneak a look his way to make sure I’m not giving more than he’s comfortable with. He strikes me as a moody, loner-like perfectionist.
The nod he gives has Peggy nodding. “I got LP. Go hang ten or whatever.”
I laugh at the nut and ask the instructor if we can try Hud’s brace starting on the beginner waves.
A wave of his arm as if he’s opening the pool for us has my eyes rolling. “I don’t think the C-Spring would work without rubber, or something to hold you at the bottom of it.” I say to Hud.
“I was just thinking that it’s one I’m used to but I’d need the board to have a foot placement mat on it.
I didn’t expect to surf or I’d have prepared better.
The brace has my water shoe, that’s all I had time for.
I always surf barefoot but used shoes in a cove in Australia. ” It must have been rocky.
Easy enough. I grab a shorty board on the way. “Short works better in the pool. 7’4” or 6” should work for you. Get your balance then follow what I told Alder. It worked for Peggy, stay low and coffee cup to turn you so you’re always at Alder’s side.”
He follows me paddling at the same angle. I forgot to tell him that so I’m glad he pays attention. The whitewater is a mellow roll but it’s good for him to see how his foot will work. He tips so I help. “Stay low, it will help balance you. Bring your arm forward a little when you turn.”
He does and guides his board out in front of me. I hear the laugh and smile. He won’t be concerned anymore. He’s got this.
I ride the wave back to the beginning and roll my hand for the operator to move to intermediate. My bag is by the board stand so I dress quickly and get to the class with LP and Peggy.
Stella points so I look back. Hud definitely has experience. I do the same cheerleader stance with my hands doing the two-handed point with one across my body and the other straight out. He shakes his head rolling on in, like his missing foot is a nightmare someone else lives.
I wait and give Stella the normal words when Peggy murmurs them to Alder.
I taught the younger kids how to surf but never had all the words.
I surfed by book and movies but never in Santa Monica or wherever the Beverly Hills kids surfed, so I’m lingo deficient.
I know some words but Stella isn’t going to care.
She’ll be pissed I interrupted the lesson even if she’s a first-class surfer.
The deep laugh behind me has me turned fast. I throw the VP of Teach chin. “Citiali. Glad you’re here. I thought you don’t read everyone.” My voice is lowered so I'm not annoying the Badass surf class.
He nods. “Not usually. Mucimi is close, Nash and Mase are here. I feel Dakota getting closer.” He lowers his voice too
I put my hands up. “They make the no reading hard.”
“Yeah, the older and powerful enhance ability for the rest of us.”
“Sucks.” I turn back to the lesson.
“Hud is wondering how you knew what he should do.”
I look back. “Didn’t, it’s what I learned about the pool. It took me a little to get used to the wall and manufactured current. His foot is in his head, I just gave him the difference from ocean to pool so he can work it out in a way that his foot is a help not a hindrance.”
He nods and I feel warm just as his paint shows across his eyes.
That’s weird. He leans closer. “Appreciation from the ancestors.” He walks away and I realize the Badass surf class is in front of him.
His back has a big tattoo that looks like the changing paint colors.
I turn and pull Peggy away from the gawking with her mouth hanging open.
“When did they get color changing ink?”
I pull her along. “Don’t know. That looks like it moves. He said appreciation from the ancestors. I got a blast of warm inside. Like a hair dryer turned on under my skin.”
“Mikey said healing is like that. They healed her when we were short on Protectors. She had a stick from the roof sticking out of her stomach when the dipshit shot a chopper down over Stella’s lab.”
I stop short and she bangs into my arm.
“What?”