Luke

Luke woke up to birds singing, wind blowing and mother shouting on the first dreary day of the summer holidays. He stretched and yawned and wondered what was for breakfast. He looked over at his fish tank and said good morning to his 3 goldfish. They all rushed to the side of the tank and swam around frantically, each fish trying to get Luke's attention. Luke had a secret, he could speak to and understand fish and a few reptiles!

He began to notice it when he was about six, when he went to an aquarium. He was in a room with a display of fish tanks when he saw an octopus inside. Luke had been fascinated by the eight legged creature and had wanted to learn more about it's life, so, he was naturally surprised when he touched it's conciousness and began to speak to it in his own mind. Soon Luke realised that he could talk to most fish and all Cephalopoda this way.

Luke was worried about not being taken seriously or being taken as a madman so he didn't tell anyone, not even his sister who was one of his closest friends.

Luke rushed down the stairs and into the dinning room where he saw his sister and his mum arguing again.
Kira, Luke's sister, was tall for her age and had long, brown hair. Recently Kira and Luke's mum Jennifer had been arguing about Kira's fringe, Jenny claimed that it was a health hazard and that it covered half her face whereas Kira said that she could still see and that every one at her riding club had their hair like that and, she said, some had it even longer.

Jennifer then said it was a wonder any of them could get on their horses. Kira's comeback to this was to storm of to her room and slam the door. Luke had often wondered why Kira went to her riding club, she wore her gold horse badge all the time but she never seemed to talk about it with him. She spent almost all weekends, most afternoons and every other Saturday night down at the stables looking after the horses but there where no pictures of her and any horses around the house. The most information Luke was able to find out about Kira's riding club was a bit that he had over heard one night a few months ago when Kira and Jenny were arguing and then Kira mentioned a person called Battleaxe. Luke assumed that that was the name of Kira's horse as no one would call their child Battleaxe.

Luke ate up his breakfast in the company of his father, Colin, as Jenifer had gone to apologise to Kira about being rude to her friends. Colin was not part of the riding club that both his wife and daughter where, but he did have his own hobby, and this one was closer to home. Every full moon Colin would go out and rehearse with his band, which where called the sirens. When questioned about the bands name by his son Colin answered that the sirens where mythical creatures and did not exist, Later that day Luke had searched on-line for pictures of sirens and had found lots of pictures of giant birds of prey with human faces. Luke was surprised that his father chose for his band to be named after such a monstrous creature but Luke didn't really mind as it was his dad's band, not his.

Luke finished his breakfast and headed upstairs. On the landing he saw his sister in a pair of army greens and a water proof jacket but with her golden horse badge pinned onto the collar of her dark blue riding polo shirt sticking out from under her jacket. Kira went down the stairs in the opposite direction and Luke went into his room. Suddenly three small, wet, fishy consciousnesses pushed against his own and he began to talk to his fish. Five minutes later Kira came into Luke's room to tell him that she would be staying with her riding club friend's house that night when she walked in to find her brother in a full conversation with his three goldfish! Luke tried to stop himself but it was too late, the secret was out.
"Luke?" Said Kira nervously "are you talking to your fish?"
"I-it's not what it looks like!" Exclaimed Luke rapidly trying to convince Kira otherwise
"Just answer my question!" Kira continued "Where you talking to the fish?"
"Well... Yeah, I was"
Kira's face lit up like a Christmas tree as she raced back through the door and down the stairs
"MUM! DAD! LUKE WAS TALKING TO HIS FISH AND THEY WHERE DANCING!" Kira screamed as she ran down the hall way. Some moments later Luke's mother started running towards the stairs as well and within 30 seconds the whole family was in Luke's bedroom.
"Is it true?' Asked Colin as he looked sternly at his son 'can you talk to fish?"

"um... Yeah?" Luke replied curiously. Colin's face broke into a wide smile and he looked proudly down at his 10 year old son. Kira's attention quickly flicked down to her watch and then over to her parents.
"I'm going to be late to my riding lesson!" She exclaimed with a look of horror on her face
"Don't worry sweetie, I'll get you there" said jennifer as she and Kira rushed out of the room and down the corridor. Colin was broken from his trance staring at Luke and he looked down at the Fish and the fish tank.
"I suppose I have some paper work to send" he said mysteriously as he too exited the room leaving a confused and disgruntled Luke behind. Luke looked over to the three goldfish
"I suppose you think it's funny?" he asked them sarcastically as he turned around and plopped himself on his bed, burying his head in his hands whilst turning over the questions the day had so far presented. Why where his family so interested in his relationship with his fish, why did Kira spend so much time at a horse club when he'd never seen her on a horse, and what was his dad on about?