Chapter 25

I rolled off my comfortable mattress, ready for whatever the day brought me. “Another day in paradise,” I said aloud.

I strode over to the wall. I still slept in my jumpsuit, a gift of the sea, since the nights were cold. I doffed it quickly, switching over to one of Puja’s old sarongs she had been nice enough to give me, along with a patchwork shawl. I needed to cover up; I’d learned that the hard way after I’d fried myself my first week. Sunny had been right about that, but when wasn’t she?

I smiled at the thought of my two friends. Everyone in Haven was fantastic, but Puja and Sunny had really taken me under their wings. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have a choice of clothing at all. Heck, now I had accessories. Would I wear the necklace of shells Puja had made me, or Sunny’s old straw hat?

As always, I chose both. I wouldn’t want to offend either of them, after all.

I stepped out onto the beach, delighted that I was the first one up. It made it easier to take my morning runs. “I guess there’s a couple of good things from my old life.” It felt dirty saying that sort of blasphemy, but truth was truth. I’m sure Ozzie wouldn’t mind my little runs. It simply felt proper.

The sun barely peeked over the horizon, casting long shadows across the whole village as I warmed up. It wasn’t a long jog, but then, Haven was a perfect size for a run. We lived on the island’s east shore, and the curved beach near the bay made for great scenery.

I couldn’t help but smile as a dolphin came up for air nearby. The same fish the men caught brought other denizens of the sea to visit. I gave a silent thanks for the visit before turning my attention inland. The beach was perfect, but it had some rocky sections, slick with water and seaweed. I had fallen once and cut my leg, teaching me to take my time.

Is it perfect, then?

I shook my head to clear the negative thoughts. I hit another sandy stretch, getting myself back up to speed in a moment. “See? Perfect.”

Just as I built up a good runner’s high, I had to turn around. A tall stake marked the end of where we could go. Beyond there was forbidden on Ozzie’s orders. I wish he’d tell us what was wrong with it. It can’t be too bad; it is Haven, after all.

Oh, well. I’d had my fun; there were chores to do.

Once I was back in the village, I saw I wasn’t alone. Puja waved me over, dumping out a satchel of fish at her feet. “Perfect timing. You can help me debone these for breakfast.”

“Great!” When I’d first arrived at Haven, the idea had seemed disgusting, but it’s amazing what you can get used to. After I’d fetched my knife from my home, I crouched down next to her. “Want to make it a race?”

Puja cocked a grin at me. “Are you ready to lose, kid?”

“I’ll take that as a yes! Start!”

Puja’s good eye narrowed. “You little cheat, I wasn’t ready!”

“You’ve been doing this longer; I need a handicap.”

“Are you two at it again?” asked Sunny, failing to stifle a yawn. “That isn’t very Haven-ly of you. We should be working together.”

“This is how we work together,” I said. “It makes it a game, so we get it done faster.”

“I suppose,” said Sunny, not sounding completely convinced. “Oh, good morning, Kumar.”

“Ladies,” Puja’s son said, exiting the home he shared with Puja. I noticed the two had a proper door with a hinge. It probably kept the cold out better. Not that my home isn’t perfect. Everything is.

“Good morning, Kumar,” I said, not looking up. Puja hadn’t lied, he was a handsome boy; I didn’t need a distraction while I used the knife. “It looks like you had a good haul yesterday.”

“Yup, it’s been a great season,” he said. “Better than last year.”

“It’s been a good year for the gardens, too,” said Sunny. “The weather’s been perfect.”

“The sea is good to us,” I said automatically. I wondered why the weather would be better this year than last; wasn’t everything always perfect? How could the sea improve perfection? Something seemed off, but I couldn’t quite put it together.

Oh, well. I had bigger worries, like my contest with Puja.

Puja threw her knife down in the sand, crossing her arms triumphantly. “And that’s the last one! In your face, kid!”

“I got closer than yesterday,” I said.

“That you did,” she said, nodding proudly. “You’ve grown a lot. I remember when you couldn’t even touch a dead fish.”

“I’ll do anything for Haven, even if it’s disgusting,” I replied.

Kumar ran his hands through his long, unkempt hair, forcing it into a ponytail. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, which I didn’t mind one bit. He had a swimmer’s physique, and an all-natural diet had done him wonders. “Hey, Rose, do you feel like coming out with me today? Sunny said you wanted to try fishing.”

“Kumar,” said Sunny, sounding scandalized. “That wasn’t an idea for a date, that was me telling you about a problem!”

I smiled warmly up at him. “Sunny’s right. It isn’t my place to go fishing; they need me here.” I was only supposed to do what I was asked, after all.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point,” he said dejectedly. “Maybe some evening, I can take you out on my boat? Not for fishing, of course, but just for fun.”

“That would be lovely,” I said. I wasn’t paired yet, after all. I wouldn’t be assigned a partner until I’d been on Haven for a full month, but that was no reason not to get closer. Haven was so lovely, who wouldn’t want to raise a family there?

The idea filled me with joy, but it seemed wrong.

Something always seemed wrong.

I was being silly, of course. Haven was perfect, after all. I just needed to settle in.

**********

The gnawing feeling hadn’t left me the next morning. That little voice in the back of my head saying something was off wouldn’t let up at all, and I’d had nightmares with ghostly, half-familiar figures reaching for me. “Not a good time to be alone,” I said to myself.

Wait, who said I had to be? If Kumar wanted to get closer, this was as good a chance as any.

I rapped my knuckles on Kumar and Puja’s door. The cyclopean woman opened the door. “Rose? What do you want?”

“Can Kumar come out to play?” I asked, a playful lilt in my voice.

She raised the brow over her bad eye. “It’s too early for nonsense. What is this about?”

“I was about to go for my morning run, and I wondered if he wanted to join me.”

“Yeah, I’ll grab him,” she said, slamming the door shut. There were sounds of protests from inside, followed by a loud whap.

Kumar was rubbing the back of his head as he stepped out. “A morning run?” he asked, his yawn loud enough to echo on the storage container. “What did I do to deserve this torture?” His rakish grin made my heart skip a beat, especially once I noticed he was shirtless again.

“You invited me out on your boat, but why wait to hang out?”

“But it’s so early,” he said, tying his long, midnight-black hair into a ponytail.

“That’s why it’s perfect,” I replied. “It’ll be just you, me, and nature.”

“Oh, I see what you mean.” I think he may have read some lewder intentions into my invitation than I meant, since he gave me a quick once-over. “Only for you, Rose. Lead the way.”

The gentle arc of the beach was especially picturesque that morning, like the sea had wanted to make it just so for us. I appreciated the gesture, like all of the sea’s gifts.

“How are you settling in?” asked Kumar, bringing up the rear. I think he was checking me out, which wasn’t entirely outside the point of the expedition.

“Wonderfully. Haven is everything I could dream of,” I said. “You’ll want to slow down here; the rocks can be really slick.” I followed my own advice, high-stepping onto the flatter sections of exposed stone. “How do you like being a fisherman?”

“It’s amazing,” he said. “In my old life… Well, it feels like a million years ago, but I know I was inside all the time. Now it’s just me, my mates, and water as far as we can see.”

“What’s it like working with Ozzie? We only get to see him when they bring the catches in, or when we have the nightly meal.”

“Why, do you still think you should be out fishing with us?” asked Kumar. He had gotten ahead of me as I passed over a particularly large outcropping. I supposed it was the advantage of having longer legs. I took his offered hand, finally getting back onto the sand.

“No, I get it now,” I said. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“That’s good to hear,” he said. He took a break, shading his eyes and whistling in admiration at the ocean beyond us. “That’s a beautiful sunrise. You picked a good spot for this.”

I nodded. “I’m glad you see! Back in the old life—”

His fingers touched my lips, quieting me. “Come on, you know the rules,” he said. “We don’t talk about that.”

“But you just did!”

“That’s different,” he said, grabbing my wrist. “Come on, let’s get going.”

I slipped out of his grip. “No, how is that different? All I was going to say was how hard it was to get anybody to join me before!”

Kumar pursed his lips at me. “Let’s not worry about that now. I’m sorry to spoil a good time.”

I decided to accept the half-apology and we resumed the run. We chatted about the day before, though life in Haven was so predictable that it was a challenge to think of much new to report.

“Then your mother finally finished that new shell necklace she’s been working on; she’d had a hard time finding the right type of sea snail, but I found one of the rocks when the tide went out.”

“Uh huh,” said Kumar, his eyes glazed over. It reminded me of somebody from the old life. He must have been a bit of a jerk, too.

When we got to Ozzie’s marker, Kumar turned, peering in the direction of the village. “Wow, you can barely see that Haven’s there.”

“Yes, isn’t it nice to have a little privacy?”

“I’ll say,” he said, leering at me. “We can’t take too long, but this is going to be fun.” Without any warning, his hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me into a deep kiss.

“Mmph!” I struggled against his firm grasp as his hand roamed further down. When he broke off, I glared at him with all my might. “What are you doing? Let me go!”

“Why? This is what you wanted, right?” Kumar caressed my cheek with his free hand, even as he kept me pinned to his broad chest. “You’re here to see if we’re compatible for pairing. Why else would anyone go so far from Haven?”

My lips curled into an open snarl. “This is my morning run! I just wanted to share it with you, you animal!”

Taking a step back, Kumar raised his hands in protest. “You’re the one who led me on, Rose. First that dessert, and now this.”

“What kind of a stupid…” I trailed off. Had I imagined that movement in the trees? The palms and other trees made a nearly impenetrable barrier this far from Haven, since the men weren’t harvesting them for firewood at the border of the allowable world. Still, I swore I’d seen a shadow moving around back there.

“What are you looking at?” demanded Kumar.

“Nothing,” I said. “We should head back.”

“Yes, we should,” he agreed. “It’s too bad you got cold feet. It’s going to be our last chance for a while.”

Thank the sea for small favors. “Why? Are you going somewhere?”

He nodded. “Sometimes the sea tells Ozzie we can go out further; it sounds like this time we’re going to be gone for a few days.”

“Tell Ozzie I wish him well,” I replied. I didn’t often get to speak with our enigmatic leader, since he kept to his seniors most of the time. I thought it would be a good chance to score some points with him.

How wrong I turned out to be.