Chapter Three

The next day was windy and miserable. Everyone arrived at school in a bad mood except for Ricky, but then it would take the end of the world to put Ricky in a bad mood. Even then I think he might possibly find something good about it… He was just that kind of person. Ricky had insane hair that seemed to explode like those tiny sponges that you put in water and they burst into enormous shapes. When he walked, his hair bounced up and down like an animated comic strip. Most of the time he kept it really short. Ricky was tall and skinny – perhaps not as tall as we thought, but his gawky skinniness made him look taller.


I spent a late afternoon with Olga. If she was suspicious about my hiding out in her shop, she didn’t say anything. Even when I started spring-cleaning her shelves, she just looked at me over the rim of her spectacles and then carried on with the accounts and orders she had in front of her.

I took a longer route home – and by that I mean instead of 5 minutes, it took 8. That was when I became aware of them. They were speaking in Afrikaans and I knew immediately they were up to no good – when I rounded the corner and peeped down the alley, my breath caught in my throat and I froze. They were going to kill him – that much was obvious. He was one of them. Oh, great. Just great… I briefly considered the insanity of helping another individual who might possibly drown me until I caught a better view of the stranger. In art history we all had the standard Helen Gardiner’s Art History book, but Kate did one better – she got an obscure modern History of Art book that I loved for one image alone: the Dying Gaul. I was completely intrigued by the work. It was your standard perfection of human form by the Roman masters of sculpture, but there was something intriguing about the work – maybe it was because at first sight you didn’t see the model’s face his head hung low. Perhaps that element of mystery made it more enigmatic, but there was something about the stranger as he looked at me with those supernatural eyes that seemed to hold the same enigmatic air. He looked like a young Thor – blonde hair with streaks of white and tiny shimmering hairs on his angular face. His perfect features were interrupted by a nose that looked as though it had seen more than one break and a mouth that was marginally lopsided. My heart pounded deliberately against my chest. The fact that he looked like a wreck didn’t seem to mean anything. The fact that I knew he was trouble – as hard as I tried to remind myself of this, I just kept staring blankly at him. It was some charm thing, I convinced myself – I’d have to ask him very nicely to switch the damn thing off as a favour for saving him. Oh boy, some idiots never learn their lesson…

I looked around and saw a few cars parked in the area that I assumed had car alarms. Eventually I found one with an open window, so I squeezed my arm in, unlocked the door and opened it so that the alarm sounded shrilly, piercing my eardrums relentlessly. I ran back to the alley waiting behind the bins and when I saw the boys run out to see what was going on, I slipped behind them. I lifted the stranger up and looked up to see we were a few meters away from the fynbos trail to the beach. Although it wasn’t a long walk to the beach this guy wasn’t helping at all – I was lifting and dragging a load that was far more than my capacity to drag, never mind lift.

‘So,’ I panted, ‘you’d better not try and drown me in return for me saving your life, buddy.’

A choked cough came from his chest.

‘And please, could you turn off the charm so I can think straight? By the way, you look and sound terrible. What on earth happened?’

‘Can’t… talk…’

‘Right, sorry.’

After what seemed like forever, we arrived at the water’s edge.

‘Ok, I know your tricks, so I’m staying right here – you go knock yourself out.’

‘Thank you,’ he collapsed in the water and crawled deeper in.

That’s when I heard them. This time, the fish boy wasn’t their target.

‘Oh great,’ I turned and saw them walking towards me. Bennie lead the group of kids with Johnnie and another guy I didn’t know.

‘So, the whitey thinks I’m not good enough for Kate the Skate?’

Johnnie looked nervous. His eyes darted back and forth from me to the group.

‘Why you helping dat fing?’ he nodded his head towards the stranger. ‘My boys ya wanna know why you sticking your nose where it don’t go… So, you know what I fink? I’m gonna teach you a lesson, whitey…’

You know those times when you shouldn’t laugh and you just can’t help yourself and those are the times you laugh the hardest and can’t stop? Well, I bit my lip hard so my mouth wouldn’t slip into a grin. Bennie would be a lot more intimidating if he had dentures…

He made a myriad of colourful, grotesque threats. The more they edged closer to me, the more I backed up into the water. Rather get drowned by good-looking fish boy than be subjected to the treat Bennie was threatening. Suddenly one of the kids screamed a really high-pitched squeal, looking behind me. I spun around and saw an enormous thundering wave ploughing towards us at a phenomenal rate. There was no barrel or lip – it was just one gigantic wall of water – I wondered if this was what the Israelites saw when Moses led them through the Red Sea. And then I saw him stand up. He stood up in slow motion, the water streaming from him like globules of sticky syrup. As he stood straight, he looked like a gleaming Norse god of the water. His eyes were glowing bright turquoise as he glared angrily at the boys and his cropped silver blonde hair was glistened in the sunlight. His lips were moving as though he was chanting something, but no sound came from his mouth. His hands were open but not relaxed – as if he was gripping something really heavy that was invisible. His muscles were tense and articulated with the kind of definition that would have any artist grabbing for a waterproof sketchbook and pencil, salivating at the magnificence of the specimen before them. If I was infatuated before, I was hopelessly besotted now. He looked intimidating and divinely beautiful at the same time.

I looked past him to the wave, pointing stupidly at it. Suddenly I lost all sense and ran deep into the water.

‘Get out of the water now!’

He looked calmly at me. ‘I’m Jonah.’

‘Uh, Emily – but… uh, now isn’t the best time for introductions,’ I looked past him at the encroaching wall of water.

His mouth twitched into what could have been the beginnings of a smile. Holy cow, he really had to stop doing that.

‘You’ll be safe. Hold on tight.’

He looked past me. Bennie, Johnnie and the third guy were running like mad, the kids beating them as they ran down the beach.

I saw the wave coming and clung to him, shutting my eyes tightly and feeling a little stupid. It reminded me of the first time my father took me into the sea. He forced me to stand and face the waves and refused to pick me up. I was terrified. I was three years old at the time.

I clung to him, feeling nothing but a rush of air and a spray of water – so I opened my eyes and looked. The wave crashed violently over us, but we stood untouched. It dragged the group all the way to the fynbos. They stood up, dazed and confused, spluttering and choking, but making a very direct route far away from the sea once they got to their feet.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked

I looked at him, still in his arms and still in a state of shock.

‘Are you going to drown me now?’ I didn’t bother pulling away from him – I was worried I couldn’t stand and it was really very comfortable in his arms in spite of the fact that he was freezing cold.

He grinned. ‘Now, why would I do something like that?’

‘Gilgamesh tried.’

He froze for a second and then relaxed. ‘Gilgamesh is a psychopath.’

‘Ha!’ I slapped my hand over my mouth quickly.

‘Sorry. I didn’t realise you were so… so human.’

‘We are nothing like humans,’ his eyes flashed.

Hmm – reminder to self, humans are completely loathsome to the… uh, what did I call them? Half human half fish race? Merpeople?

‘I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to offend you,’

His scowl eased and the smile returned. ‘I guess you can’t be held responsible for the entire human civilization’s sins and transgressions.’

‘Really? How generous of you.’ I realised I was still clinging pathetically to him and he seemed to be amused by it all. ‘Uh, sorry,’ I pulled away, blushing. ‘I didn’t mean to get all “hysterical female” on you.’

‘Hey, any time. Are you okay, though?’ He frowned at me with something that looked like concern in his eyes.

‘I’m fine; I just want to know why you are here? I mean, I have a number of other questions too, but we’ll start with that one…’

He hesitated briefly – I suppose assessing my trustworthiness.

‘We are searching for someone.’

‘Who?’

‘A tribe we used to trade with hundreds of years ago.’

‘Why is Gilgamesh trying to kill people?’

‘Not people. Just women.’

‘Great! That makes me feel a whole lot safer…’

Suddenly his expression changed.

‘You have to leave,’ I frowned at him, confused at his abruptness.

‘I’ll see you again and explain what I can. Be careful – and stay away from Gilgamesh.’ He said quickly.

He looked around, agitated. And then he barked at me, ‘Go now and please, be careful!’

I turned and moved quickly to the trails leading to the houses. There was a danger coming he couldn’t protect me from, that much was obvious. Or perhaps he wasn’t meant to save me… I smiled to myself. The dying Gaul.

I struggled to focus all the way home and I don’t think I heard much from my mom as she moaned about me being so late and not phoning her to tell her. I wondered around the house in a bit of a haze – he was all I could think about. Now, let me just point out at this stage that I don’t have a romantic bone in my body. As soon as people start getting all soppy – I get bored and lose complete interest. And don’t even try and go the route of ‘I can’t live without you’ because that just warrants a slap for complete and utter hysterical stupidity. Yes, I like happy endings, but I don’t like to hear endless wallowing in lovesick banter. And if it’s unrequited, I’m all the more irritated. There are plenty of fish in the sea (Isn’t that an ironic turn of phrase?). I suppose the fact that I was wondering around in a blissful euphoria surprised and irritated me no end. I kept thinking of his face. Of the moment when I turned around and saw him rise like a sleeping giant from the water. And when he stood in all his magnificent and awful Roman sculpted, Norse deity splendour – with the rage seething in his eyes. His pale skinned body glistening in the sunlight and those glowing turquoise eyes. I couldn’t imagine anything more amazing. It was as though my dying Gaul had exploded out of the ancient marble that he’d been trapped in for hundreds of years and now he was here. I was enamoured and in a complete foggy haze. No matter how I tried to convince myself to pull it together and focus, it seemed I had no control over my obstinate, lovesick brain. I wanted desperately to see Jonah and talk to him again. More than anything else, I wanted to know about him. Who was he looking for and why? He had protected me and I could see the unmistakable anger in his eyes when Bennie appeared on the scene. I shook my head as though that would make any difference to my ignorance and confusion. What was I going to do?

I was going to see Jonah again. After that, I’d make up my mind.

Oh, who was I kidding? I’d believe anything fish-boy told me. I would seriously have to get it together before seeing him again. Which reminded me – he hadn’t told me where or when we’d meet again…

The next morning I was surprised to see Gabriel and Benedict standing with Ross at his front gate. Oh, this week just kept on getting better. I turned around and looked back at the house… What? No asteroid falling on the house? I rolled my eyes and turned back to the road to walk to school alone.

‘What’s wrong Emily?’ Benedict and the gang were following me. ‘Where’s Kate? Did you two have a fight? You know, it’s a grave injustice that not every woman can have a real man…’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Well, when you find a real man, be sure and let me know,’ I muttered half to myself.

‘Benedict,’ Gabriel barked, then caught my arm to turn me around and face him. He glared at me. ‘Bennie’s passing around some disturbing rumours. Says you’re hanging out with some weirdo and he tried to drown them. I’m warning you – you’re naïve and clueless, like most girls your age. Obviously you’re a bad judge of character which means more astute individuals need to remind you when you’re out of line.’

‘Excuse me?’

Ross was watching me quietly – I had never seen him behave this coldly, as if he weren’t really there, just watching everything unfold. It was like he was dumb and mute… only his eyes darted back and forth, so I know he heard exactly what was being said.

‘Ross told us what happened to you on Sunday.’

I glared at Ross – Judas…

‘If you want help, you need to start acting your age and sober up,’ Gabriel barked at me.

‘C’mon Gabriel, why’re we even wasting our time? She’ll never be anything more than a loser with that hippie father and all his “save the world” whining.’ Benedict sneered. I swung around and punched Benedict – connecting him on the nose and cheekbone with such anger and force he actually toppled back slightly before regaining his footing. I wish I could say the movement was fluid and smooth like Lara Croft or some Ninja chick, but I’m afraid to say I think I looked more like a gawky flamingo trying to punch a wall with ankle weights on…

I had heard the crack and the blood gushed from his nose now.

‘You broke my nose!’ he covered his nose with his hand and glared at me.

My hand was throbbing violently and I suspected I wasn’t any better off than Benedict, but it felt good to watch him wail like a baby.

‘If you had any brains between the three of you, you’d realise that a toothless drunk with an addiction hardly constitutes a reliable witness – and don’t try and tell me the others backed his statement up since we all know what he’ll do to them if they don’t… I’m not one of the idiot slags that follow you around, Gabriel, so don’t for one minute confuse my state of mind and maturity with your trailer trash that has no concept of self worth. Oh, and just by the way, what about Bennie trying to solicit dates from kids at school through Johnnie? You know, for someone with supposed intelligence, your powers of deductive reasoning are the equivalent of a dead sloth.’ I turned to Ross. ‘And as for you…’ I didn’t know what to say, I just shook my head. ‘You are on your own, Ross. If you choose these idiots for friends, then you are on your own. Benedict, stop being such a Nancy.’

With that, I turned and walked to school my hands trembling and cold – my right hand steadily swelling up.

Just great!