Call of the Water (COMPLETE)

28. TWO OF US

I returned to an empty room. Neither Opal nor Ardea were in. I set my bag aside and decided to go look for them.

I found them in the garden. They sat on the grass with their eyes pointed up at the sky. I too looked up. The sight above me lured out a smile. The clouds were particularly impressive that afternoon. Not grey, gloomy clouds that would bring a promise of rain, but white, fluffy clouds that seemed like gigantic popcorn.

"Hey! May I join you?" I asked as I approached them.

"Of course," Ardea said and gave me an inquisitive look. Although she said nothing else, I felt as if I were being compelled to tell her all my secrets.

"I know!" Opal exclaimed. "A turtle trying to bite into a cotton candy!"

"What?" I asked as I forced myself to avert my eyes from Ardea's piercing stare.

"We're trying to guess what the clouds represent," Opal explained.

"You can't guess what the clouds represent," Ardea corrected her. "Their forms are completely random. It isn't until you compare them to your experiences that you can give their shape a meaning. Your previous experiences tell you what their shapes look like."

"And since we all have different experiences, the shapes represent something different to each person looking at them," I added, grateful that Opal created a diversion that allowed me to gather my thoughts.

"Exactly," Ardea agreed.

"Okay. So, based on your experiences, what do you see there?" Opal asked me. She squinted from staring at the sky.

I observed the cloud she was pointing at more closely and said, "I see two fish fighting over a piece of the coral reef."

"You are such an Aquantien," Opal stated before asking another question, "Why did you stay behind today?"

There it was. The question I dreaded. I did not want to talk about my conversation with Professor Cyan at all. Everything I found out there had to remain a secret. But I knew Opal wouldn't just let it go. I knew I was gonna have to tell them something.

"I had a question about the homework she gave us," I lied.

Kneeling on the grass, Opal placed her palms on her knees allowing herself to lean towards me. "You could have asked me if there was something you didn't understand."

"I didn't want to bother you. You're already helping me with History, I don't want to bug you with Literature as well." Another lie.

"Then you could have asked Ardea," Opal said and looked at our friend.

"Do we really have to talk about homework?" I asked before Ardea got a chance to join the discussion and reveal my lies.

Ardea was already trying to catch my eyes, but I returned my attention to the sky. "Look! A pineapple!" I said and pointed at a cloud.

It didn't work. Opal had more questions. "You've been in her classroom all this time? You were gone almost an hour! You could have written the entire homework in that time."

"Well," I stuttered, "no. I wasn't there the whole time. Just a few minutes. Then I went to our room and read the book for a while."

Although I didn't specify which book I was supposedly reading, Opal knew very well that there was only one book preoccupying me these past few days.

"Seriously? Are you planning on memorizing it?" Opal's eyebrows raised slightly. "If you memorize all that, there won't be any room for any other information."

I laughed. "Don't worry, that won't happen."

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