Ice, Page 2

  Chapter Two

  ‘A leader is a dealer in hope.’

  Napoleon Bonaparie

  Eighteen years later…

  I held my book in front of my face, fanning myself with its broad pages. Even as the air conditioner churned out cool air, its system was failing to combat against the heat that seeped through the walls. It didn’t help that all the bodies in the room were hot and sweaty, including my own as I tried to lower my body temperature. Even the teacher at the front of the room preferred sitting by his desk to teach rather than assuming his usual position by front and center.

  It was just a typical day. Nothing unusual and no new students. Just life as per usual.

  I cast my gaze out the window as the teacher’s voice droned on. I was so bored I couldn’t even remember his name. The heat was turning everything into a blur, leaving my brain as a pile of mush within my skull. I was surprised when I understood that the bell signaled the end of the school day when it echoed throughout the halls.

  I didn’t waste time as I pulled my book shut and shoved my stationery back in my pencil case. I couldn’t wait to be out of this smoldering sauna and in the ocean. It was Monday afternoon, my only day scheduled with primary school children to teach them to surf. It wasn’t my ideal afternoon but it paid for my phone and car. It certainly beat wiping down tables and scrubbing bathrooms.

  I joined the fray of the moving tide of human bodies as everyone exited the building and headed for buses and cars. It wasn’t difficult to guess that they would all be heading straight to the beach, but I was lucky in that they were mostly courteous enough to stay away when I was teaching small children the way of the waves. I myself was no different from everyone else as I slid into my car, blasting the air conditioning the moment I was inside.

  Catching sight of my sister was like a mirror image except dressed in a mini skirt and breezy white shirt that was now knotted at the back to reveal the skin of her belly. I wasn’t nearly as confident with my own body, but that didn’t matter. Just because we shared relatively identical exteriors didn’t mean that I didn’t have a mind of my own. She could do what she wanted.

  As though she knew what I was thinking, her gaze scanned the parked cars as she conversed with her friends and spotted me in my car. She was meant to come home with me, but as her boyfriend approached her I presumed that she would be fine. She smiled and waved, and I did so in return before pulling out of the car park and flooring it out the exit.

  I was late!

  I sped through intersections, glad that my father was Head of Police seeing as I knew that he had them all at a private function back at the station. Obviously others knew about the lack of supervision, too, because three cars sped past me in a street race. With their hoods down, the convertibles were sleek and a mass of wind-swept hair as they took a sharp turn and disappeared in seconds. I kept driving and finally arrived home, my eyes on the sky as I ran up the front steps.

  I hoped that it didn’t storm.

  It was nice walking in through the front door and shutting the heat outside. My mother was still dressed in her work clothes as I approached the kitchen and into the full force of the air conditioning. She smiled as she placed a bucket of home made sorbet into the freezer and left it to freeze. I dumped by school bag on the counter top and snatched an apple from the bowl of mixed fruits.

  ‘Hey honey,’ she addressed me. ‘How was school?’

  I crunched into the apple before answering with a shrug. ‘Hot,’ I replied. She smiled as she started preparing for dinner, even though it was hours away. I took another bite before I slung my swimming bag over my shoulder and waved goodbye to my mother by the bench. ‘Got work. See you tonight.’

  ‘Okay. Love you honey!’ she called after me. I made my way out to the heat of the shed, its enclosed space stifling as I shoved the door open and stepped inside. I carefully maneuvered past the Chevy SUV with its faultless black paintwork and reached for my surfboard. I usually kept it down by the beach in a storage shed that had been recently built, but even more recently a break-in had occurred and resulted in a multitude of surfboards being stolen. I was one of the lucky ones, my board remaining untouched under a dust-covered tarp but others hadn’t been so lucky.

  Ever since my board stayed at home in the safety of our garage, no matter how annoying or late it made me for work.

  I glanced at the waterproof watch at my wrist and found that I was getting closer and closer to being more than fashionably late. With my board secure under my arm and my change of clothes enclosed in my other hand, I made my way to my car once more and secured the surfboard atop the roof. For once the clasps weren’t difficult in my grasp and I was able to slide back into the driver’s seat within a couple of minutes.

  When I arrived at Atlantic Beach fifteen minutes later, I parked my car between two S.U.Vs and ran past the blue and white entrance sign, a series of mothers gathered there as they watched me run past with disapproving eyes. My footfalls led me past the public access sign and onto the soft sand where a group of children were seated, waiting for me with their surfboards waiting nearby. They were all lathered in sunscreen and peered up at me through the sunshine. Some children ventured along the beach, admiring the shells and some complaining as the sharp edges cut into their feet.

  One of my regulars, Claire, raised her hand while the other brushed her blonde plait over her shoulder. ‘Iris, that water looks really dark,’ she told me. ‘It looks really cold in there.’ She appeared concerned so I walked over and placed a calm hand on her shoulder.

  ‘You’ll be fine,’ I told her. ‘It might be cold, but you have your wet suit to protect you from the brunt of it. You’ll love it.’ I offered her a calming smile, and she managed one of her own in return. She bit her lip and nodded, and I stretched to my full height before gathering everyone together. With my one-piece below the clothes I had worn to school, I quickly shed my layers and pulled on my wet suit. It was snug but admittedly, it was fun to dive into the ocean with the material tight around my body. It was like a second skin. It made me comfortable.

  With the children in front of me I could accurately count five children altogether, ranging from ages six to twelve. Three were regulars, including Claire and two boys, while the other two were girls who came on occasions when they weren’t being swept off to visit their father across the country.

  ‘Now kids,’ I addressed them all. ‘If you get in trouble, don’t waste energy. I will come and get you. Remember to stay on the small two-to-four foot waves, and stay out of the path of the more experienced surfers. Paddle with cupped hands and duck dive under waves that are two large and powerful for you to handle. We’ve been over the process from beginning to finish so many times I won’t even bother boring you with them again. But I will recommend that you use caution and ask me if you’re unsure.’

  I looked down at them with a smile. ‘Any questions?’ They shook their heads. ‘Ready to get surfing?’ They nodded eagerly and leapt up, voicing their joy in a chorus of shouts. They each took to the water, splashing and paddling as they maneuvered their boards in the direction of the outward currents. They all had keen sight, and when I joined them past the waves where it was relatively calm, I sat on my board and instructed them one by one.

  Claire went first, followed by the two boys Henry and Alex. The two girls who weren’t regulars hung back with me until the first three trailed back into shore on their tiny waves and made their way through the surf to our group once again. The first - Emily - lined her board up and watched over her shoulder for a wave. I kept close by to make sure she was safe, and was proud when she balanced her body over her board and became one with the wave.

  She waited back at shore, not nearly as confident in her swimming ability as Claire, Henry and Alex. Her sister Taylah was the least experienced of the group, and I made sure that I offered her tips and support every moment. She slid around the board, shaking with fear of being dunked by one of the larger waves as it built up and she
drifted with me over the top. My feet tingled and I resisted the urge to wiggle my toes through the water. I needed my complete focus to be on Taylah.

  ‘I can’t do this!’ she said, her teeth chattering.

  ‘Yeah you can!’ Claire yelled above the rush of the waves. I moved my board close beside Taylah’s and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

  ‘Claire is right, Taylah. You can do this, and you will do it well.’ I gave her a small squeeze. ‘Just have confidence in yourself.’ She offered me a tiny smile and nodded slightly. When her gaze turned back to shore an expression of determination passed over her face and made her appear much older than she truly was.

  ‘I’ll do it,’ she said with a nod, setting her lips in a thin line. I gave her a tight squeeze once more before releasing her and moving back a little to give her room. She scanned the waters behind her, watching with eyes narrowed in focus as a surge pulsed toward her through the currents. She took off when it met her, balancing her body along her board. She wobbled still and almost slipped off, but then gripped on tightly and pushed herself up. She remained crouched low, arms flailing but she managed to ride the wave into shore. Applause sounded from all around as my students, the parents on the beach and random passersby congratulated her on her efforts.

  When my students and I returned to shore after another hour of surfing I approached Taylah and gave her a high five. She grinned up at me, her smile beaming as her sister walked up and slung her arm around her shoulders. Emily appeared thrilled with both of their progress this afternoon, and pride beamed from deep inside me as their mother ran over and scooped them into a tight hug.

  ‘Thank you!’ she said to me, peering over the girls’ heads. She tugged them up the sand and toward their car as thunder rumbled off the coast and lightning flashed nearby. The mugginess was still around and as the sea water dried against my skin, the dry wind whipped sand against my legs and sweat clung to me.

  ‘See you next week!’ I yelled at the retreating families. I quickly placed my board back in its protective casing and ran up the beach, undoing the back of my wet suit so I could replace it with my favourite white lace shirt and a pretty purple sarong. Rain began to fall by the time I got back to my car, and I threw my surfboard into place. Lightning struck nearby, causing devastatingly loud thunder to course through my ears and shudder through my body.

  It was when I slid into the driver’s seat that I saw the odd colouring of the water.

  I shook my head, looking back at the churning of the waves. The sun was probably setting, but it could have been caused by the darkness of the storm clouds blocking out the sun. Without a second thought, I slammed the car into reverse and gunned it away from the beach. Wind and rain pelted heavily against the car, to the point that I wasn’t so sure that there wasn’t a degree of hail mixed in with it. It got worse when I was driving over the bridge back to the mainland, sea spray washing over the few cars that ventured out into the weather.

  It took double time to get back home but at least the initial onslaught of raw weather had passed within a couple of minutes. By the time I got my car into the automatic garage the wind had died down slightly and the rain was falling in drizzling mist. I got out, noticing that my father’s car was parked in the next space over. He was home. I wondered idly what he would have thought had he known that my sister hadn’t come home with me.

  I pulled my surfboard from the roof of my car and brushed off the twigs and leaves that had fallen onto the protective covering. I placed it on its new shelf above my father’s vintage surfboard and opened the garage door, raising my arms above my head as I tried to block the rain from drenching me. I ran up the back steps and slowed my pace, shaking the mist from my hair as I stepped through the back door. The lights were bright but soft above the kitchen table as my mother and father set the table together. My father turned to face me, arms crossed as he cut me a sharp glare.

  ‘Iris,’ he addressed me. ‘Where is your sister? It’s well past closing time for any stores and I know she was meant to come home with you.’

  I tried not to let him get to me as I strode past and placed my car keys in the ceramic bowl by the hall. He followed me, his arms falling to his sides as he strode in front of me. He turned on his heel, placing himself before me with a frown.

  ‘Iris, I won’t say this again. Where is your sister?’ I shrugged and tried to walk past and start mounting the stairs but he kept his arm out, blocking me from my escape. I met his gaze evenly, meeting the fire in his eyes with my own blue-green flames.

  ‘I don’t know,’ I told him. ‘She disappeared at school with her boyfriend and I haven’t heard from her since. Try her phone and if she doesn’t pick up, go out and look for her yourself!’ I’d been yelled at time and time again for tracking her down on my own, so it was about time that my parent’s suffered the consequences. I shoved past, running quickly up the stairs as he yelled at me from below. I found solace in my room the moment the door was shut. The bolt slid shut, locking out the rest of the world.

  When I made my way out of my French doors and onto my private balcony that I shared with my sister, I leaned on the banister and overlooked the ocean. The rain fell heavier, piercing the roof with loud bangs that resembled a series of drummers. As though to match the beat, the ocean churned and overflowed onto the grass across the street. I peered in the mounting darkness, finding a vehicle slowly pulling up to the side of the street. Its headlights barely cut through the heaviness of the rain, but I didn’t need to see who was inside to know who they were. A moment later a door cranked open and a disheveled Lainie ran through the droplets until her feet were firmly planted on the front porch.

  I rolled my eyes and focused on the rhythmic rolling of the waves as arguments ensued and lightning struck over the water. Wind whipped through the buildings, eerie as it howled yet where I stood was barely touched by the harshness. Thunder rattled down my spine and deep into my bones, leaving me cool despite the freezing rain. I stood at one of the only places along the balcony that I could stand close to the banister without being touched by the rain. It fell sideways, drenching Lainie’s end with plump droplets the size of golf balls.

  I didn’t feel fear as I watched, barely moving as my sister slammed her bedroom door and the light danced across the balcony. A chill ran through my spine and down to my toes, tingling as though I’d sat on them for too long. Something flashed in my peripheral vision, a glaring violet light that all but vanished when I turned my head and stared at the churning waves.

  I blinked my eyes, spotting a large tail as it splashed through an enclosing wave and disappeared from view.