Beached

7- Connected

       "This could literally take forever," I muse as I scan the countless boats docked along the bay. My hands rest on the handles of the wheelchair.  "They all look the same."

        "You saw it. You got any details. A name?"

        "It was white."

        "And...?"

        "And....rusty?" I sigh. "I don't know, it all happened so fast. I was kind of in a net full of fish when I saw it, I wasn't looking for words I couldn't read."

        "Look who it is!" a voice says from behind. "My favorite couple!" Dread spills through my being like it was dumped over my head in a bucket. Mandy Conifer. 

       "Hi, Mandy," I turn around, forcing a smile. She's dressed in a bikini that looks about three sizes too small, a thin untied cover-up loosely draped around her tan shoulders and a beach bag looped through her arm. Her companion wears a tank top and shorts, the telltale bikini strap tied around her neck.

      "Heya, Sticks!" she greets enthusiastically. Sticks. A reference to my abnormally skinny limbs and overall physique. "Hey, Babyface. Who's your friend?"

        I make disapproving eye contact with the one beside her: Brevity. Luca and I have known her since we were little. Both of them actually. Except, Mandy went the "cool route" while Luca and I remained in the reject pile. Brevity is the one in the middle, wanting to retain her old friends, now deemed unworthy in the almighty Mandy's eyes, yet she also wants to finish high school at the top of the social scale. She takes advantage of the fact that she's still in Mandy's good graces, following her around like a purse dog. But when they're not together, Brevity's one of us. She's normal.

        "My cousin," Luca and I say at the same time. We make eye contact.

        Mandy looks at us with her penciled eyebrows raised. God, I wish I had the guts to punch her right in her pretty face. "He's both of your cousins?"

        "He's my cousin," I correct, irritated. "And he doesn't want to talk to you."

        "I think he can speak for himself," she says, eying him like a steak dinner after a week without a meal. My skin crawls with odium. 

        Sebastian looks up at her, unspeaking. 

       "So Brevity," Luca says. "What brings you here." Traitor. I know Luca's thinking it too. Why does she hang out with that-?

        "Mandy and me are going on her father's boat."

        "He taught me to drive it," she says, jingling the keys. Her eyes divert back to Sebastian. "You can come if you want."

        "He can't swim," Luca smiles with forced civility. "As you can see. His legs don't work."

        She scoffs, her hand on her hip, "I never said we were swimming, Babyface. Just going for a ride. Eating some lunch. She looks back down. My hands tighten their grip on the seat handles. "What do you say? Wana come?"

        Sebastian looks at me, then back to Mandy. I can practically feel the irritation seeping out of my skin.

        "No."

        Luca and my heads magnetize toward the voice in shock. We look at each other. Luca's eyes shout, "Did he just-?!"

        "Fine," she crosses her arm. She tries to keep the disappointment from reaching her expression. "Maybe we can do something some other time?"        

        I watch him, eyes unwavering. He doesn't answer.

        "Come on, Brev, let's go."

        Brevity's gaze follows us as she follows Mandy, then she turns around.

        Luca and I watch the girls round the corner before looking at Sebastian.

        "You heard that too, right?" Luca falters. "He said 'no,' I'm not imagining things?"

        I nod, looking down at the one in the chair. "How did you do that?" I rush.

        He stares at me blankly.

        "Do you think he could always talk?" Luca inquires. "Like he was just being shy or something?"

        "I don't know..." I falter. "How could he? He was isolated from humans. Plus, it's impossible to talk underwater, you know?"

        "Then how did he...? Does he understand us?"

       Sebastian leans forward in his chair and taps my forehead twice with his index finger. I stare at him in amazement. "I think he's learning."

        "From your head?"

        "When we first met... he did something. Maybe it was more than just sharing memories," I turn to Luca excitedly. "What if we're still connected?"

        "Still, we've only had him for a few hours."

        I look down at him. "I guess he's smarter than we give him credit for."