Call of the Water (COMPLETE)

32. PEARL OF THE SEA

"Have you ever been diving, Professor Cyan?" That was the question my father had asked her. That was the question that paralyzed her. I could only see her back, but I was pretty sure all the colour left her cheeks.

Uncomfortable silence surrounded me again, twice in less than twenty minutes. My mind went blank. Even if my life depended on it, I would not be able to put together a coherent sentence.

"No, no, no," Ms. Cyan hurried to say. "I will not be going diving with you."

Seeing how her eyes widened, I decided to intervene. "Don't pester Professor Cyan. We invited her for tea and biscuits, and we should all go treat ourselves."

I glanced at my teacher. I thought I saw a sigh of relief, but she still had a look of a hunted seal.

It was at that point that a few heavy drops of rain came rushing towards the ground. More followed, and soon enough, we were in the middle of a cloudburst that urged us to seek shelter inside the house.

"I'll put the kettle on," My mother said. "Azora, you get the biscuits."

The fragrant scent of fruit that rose from our cups filled the entire room. By the time we were done with our tea, the sun emerged again. Outside, droplets of rain shimmered like diamonds.

"After rain like this, it is so wonderful to go swimming," my father said.

"Indeed," my mother agreed.

Ms. Cyan lowered her eyes to avoid getting included into the conversation. It didn't do the trick.

"You really should reconsider going diving with us," my father said to her.

"It's too cold for diving," Professor Cyan said. Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She still didn't lift her head.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." My father's voice became rather cheerful. "We have an extra diving suit, it will cover you top to bottom."

"Yes," my mother added in good spirit. "It should be just your size."

My parents were nothing short of a couple of geniuses! Diving suit might be the perfect solution. Not to shield Ms. Cyan from the coldness of the water. She was an Aquantien, her body was used to lower temperatures, but I knew which suit they had in mind. It left nothing but the face to the elements.

"But I really couldn't..." Professor Cyan began.

"The suit will cover you from top to bottom," I repeated, capturing her eyes with my stare.

"But it's been so long..." She didn't finish that sentence either. She didn't even have to. I knew what she meant. It's been decades since she's been in the sea.

"You won't be alone. I will be right there with you. We'll all be there with you." I hoped I managed to ease her trepidation.

"It's settled then," my father closed the deal. "You're coming with us."

My mother's lips stretched into a wide smile before she said, "Wait just a second, Professor Cyan."

She looked at me with eyes full of apprehension. She was like a dolphin trapped inside the fisherman's net, with no way to escape the inevitable bitter end.

I walked over to her and whispered, "It's okay. This might actually work. You'll understand what I mean when you see the wetsuit." I tried to catch her eyes, to show her that there's no need for fear, but a part of me knew that I would never be able to convince her in that. This was a person who hadn't been swimming in decades, an Aquantien who said goodbye to the water and now we were pushing her over the edge.