chapter three
Chapter Three
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Claire eventually cornered you three days after your first outing with Felix. You’d kept good ok your promise to Ame, and she had shown you the algae she promised she would too. The samples you had taken were fascinating, and interesting enough you’d gotten the go ahead from Yates to reach out to Dr. Augustine for a consult.
Her interest in your findings were thrilling, if not insanely intimidating. While you’d decided to focus on algae, you were more of a coral girl.
You had also started eating your meals with both Felix and Ava, finding yourself somehow looped into a niche little friend group.
“So what’s the deal?” she demanded, her bangs were sticking up at an odd angle, betraying the fact that she’d just come from the link bed. “Are you avoiding me?”
You absolutely were, but there was no reason to say that and make her feel bad. “No,” you said awkwardly. “I’ve just been really busy—with the algae and the tulkun. Felix has been helping me.”
Claire deflated. “I can’t believe this. Of course you get an in with the guy who all but wrote the book on ocean currents and Pandora’s paleooceanography. And you totally steal him!”
That was not what happened, but you understood where she was coming from. Claire had focused pretty exclusively on seismic activity, and was interested in volcanoes and the geography of Pandora’s waters. Felix would have more overlapping knowledge to share with her then he would with you—Coral Girl, or, Algae Girl.
“Sorry,” you muttered. “You can sit with us, if you want. Felix is really friendly.”
Claire shrugged. “Whatever,” she muttered, turning and walking away without another word.
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The next morning, Claire plopped her tray down right next to Felix. She immediately began complaining about Yates and the brutal lecture she’d given everyone that morning about improving Na’vi relations. It had basically amounted to, “Don’t fuck it up.”
“Yates is just desperate,” Felix groused as if Claire had always been there. “Augustine had an in with the Omaticaya and was making progress with them before the shooting. All the Metkayina we’ve encountered have been illusive at best and outright hostile at worse.”
“True,” admitted Claire. “But seriously. How could we fuck it up anymore then it already is?”
Ava grumbled, “You be surprised. Harris by the way.”
“Claire,” she gestured at you. “We went through the training together back on Earth.”
“Bet that was fun,” teased Ava, glancing at you. You spared her a dark look.
“Not really,” said Claire plainly. “Hana is a total bore. All she wants to talk about is coral.”
Felix laughed outright at that. “It’s algae now. Or Ame.”
Claire’s brow furrowed. “Ame?”
“Her tulkun friend,” said Ava. “They get together and braid their hair. Swap stories, talk about boys.”
You scoffed, rolling your eyes at their teasing. “We do not. We talk about murder and ocean currents.”
“Hardy har har,” mocked Felix. “I see what you are doing, don’t pretend you don’t turn into a preteen around her.”
You laughed as Ava imitated you flipping your hair. “Oh Ame, you’ll never believe what Felix said!”
“Shut up!” you laughed. “I don’t sound like that! And for the record, Claire, we don’t talk about Felix, or anyone here really.”
“Tulkun?” Claire finally said, voice flat. Her eyes flashed in anger as she stood up. “Seriously, Hana? Are you kidding right now? I have tried and tried to be your friend—and this is how to treat me? By making up stupid lies about a space whale?”
Before anyone could say anything, Claire had left in a huff.
“That went well,” said Felix.
“What’s her childhood trauma,” snarked Ava.
You sighed. “Claire can be difficult, but she means well.”
“The term you are looking for is abrasive.” replied Ava.
Felix cleared his throat. You food tasted like ash. You may not be Claire’s biggest fan, but you didn’t hate her either. She made snap judgements and was brash in ways you weren’t—ways you wished you could be.
“Anyway,” he said. “How’s the algae doing?”
You brightened, happy to discuss a subject you felt confident in.
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Ame laughed, the sound carrying through the water as you told finished the story. “Try not to gasp,” you were saying, voice filled with laughter as you kicked your legs in the water. “He then said, ‘Not to sound controversial, but I think that went well!’”
You and Ame glanced at Felix and then back to each other, pearls of laughter escaping you both.
“Laugh it up,” chided Felix. “You try and sound intelligent when Dr. Yates is around.”
You shared a look with Ame, pushing off her fin and into the water. You wiggled your tail, giving a few quick kicks back to the boat.
“You know we are just teasing you, right?” you asked him quietly, not wanting to have offended him.
Felix sighed, bringing a hand up to rub his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” you said. “Now what’s eating you?”
Ava looked up from her book. “He’s stuck. Can’t figure out why the currents converge so oddly around here, but can’t dive deep enough to get a look at it.”
“You think it a fault?” you inquire curiously.
“It looks like it from here, but I want to confirm visually. Besides, if there is a fault there might be some fossils there,” he continued.
You nodded in understanding. “Or organisms, especially if it’s deep.”
“Mariana Trench deep,” he grumbled unhappily. “We don’t have the technology yet though, and it’s too far from shore for me to free dive to look at the surface.
After a few moments, you looked at Ame hopefully. She rolled her eyes, smacking her fin in the water as invitation.
“Thank you, Ame!” you shouted, latching onto Felix’s arm and pulling him toward the water.
“What are you doing?” he hissed.
“Ame will take us,” you said simply. “Just keep your head low and hold your breath.”
Felix’s eyes widened, making them look comically large on his avatar. “Thanks, Ame.”
She splashed him. You laughed, taking your cue to jump in the water, grabbing her fin. Felix joined a moment later, a little more hesitantly.
“She won’t let you drown,” you promised him.
Felix nodded nervously. “Right. It’s not Ame I’m concerned with.”
“Well, I won’t either,” you told him.
And then Ame submerged herself. It was a quick journey, Ame knew what spot Felix was talking about and had quickly swam over there.
While Felix pulled out his camera to take pictures, you kicked along the bottom of the ocean, mesmerized by the plant life. The occasional creature swam by quickly, little fishlike creatures that were silver in color. You couldn’t tell much beyond that, as they were too quick for you to get a proper look at.
Instead of drifting pointlessly, you collected some shells along the bottom, waiting for Felix. He didn’t last long, swimming to Ame and desperately pointing upwards. You still had several minutes left, but dutifully grabbed onto her fin and allowed yourself to be brought to the surface.
Ame hummed, her words translating themselves much quicker then they had in previous weeks. Find anything?
You grinned, showing her the iridescent shell you’d snagged. “I was thinking of making a necklace,” you said. “What do you think?”
Ame admired it quickly, squeaking her approval as Felix climbed back onto the boat.
“Thank you Ame,” he said gratefully. “This is perfect. Really, this is amazing!”
Ame chortled happily, and you placed a hand over her eye, resting your forehead on her head.
“Eclipse is nearing,” you muttered unhappily. You, Felix and Ava had come out to the tulkun pod nearly everyday since that first visit—and with it, your understanding of Ame’s language and tone grew, and so did the friendship between you too. You didn’t want to go.
“Tomorrow?” you asked her, looking at Felix.
Tomorrow, she agreed. Felix nodded too, Ava giving a thumbs up without looking away from her book.
You grinned, swimming back to the boat and getting on next to Ava.
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Tomorrow did not come quick enough. You woke, shower, ate, all in the span of 15 minutes. You beat Felix to the link room by 10 minutes, and were already dressed and in your avatar by the time he joined you.
“Where’s the fire?” he laughed.
“No fire,” you admitted. “Just excited. Ame wanted to show me something today.”
His gaze softened. When you had first seen his Avatar, you had been struck by how him it was, while not being him at all. The curly hair that frames his face, wide eyes and flat nose. You had thought it was Felix, but not. An alien version of him. Now, as you’d spent more time with him in this body, it had started to seem stranger interacting with his human self, like the human body was the one that was alien.
You weren’t ready to admit to yourself that you had started to feel that way about your own body too.
“You really care about her, don’t you?” he remarked, sounding wistful. A little jealous, too.
“I can’t explain it,” you admitted. “She’s kind of my best friend. Is that weird?”
“I don’t think so,” he said. “Everything I’ve seen—she’s just as cognizant as you or me.”
“We can’t tell anyone,” you said, grabbing one of the bags as you began the walk to the boat. “I’m afraid of what they will do to the tulkun if they know. Just look at the Na’vi. Claire thought we we’re screwing with her.”
“I don’t think so,” he disagreed. “The general public doesn’t know much about the Na’vi. They don’t know they have names and traditions. I think the tulkun could help with that. Not one but two sentient species on one planet?”
“I just want to protect her, protect them.” you said. “If you think that telling everyone is a good idea, I’ll do it.”
“Let’s talk about it later,” he said lowly as a few security personnel passed us by.
“Agreed.”
Ava met you at the boat, book tucked into her pocket. She was a literature buff, you’d learned. She was currently rereading the Great Gatsby.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Ready!” you replied, smiling at her.
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