Jamaican Sunshower: OMG! Finally! I got the third chapter up! I'm so excited! I hope you guys like it, really I do! I know it's been months since I last updated this story and I'm so sorry, but things have been going on. My family is moving and my senior year started and I got a job, finally, and college applications and scholarships and ahhh! It's enough to drive a chick mad! But I had this brewing in the back of my head and when it all simmered down, this is what I came up with. So…I hope it's to your liking and that the wait was worth it for this chapter! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: C.S. Lewis owns every Narnia character so don't sue me!
The Cair Paravel
Chapter 3: Lucy and the Turtles
Bungalow 17
The sun crept into the room of Bungalow 17, it's soft rays landing on the occupant of the bed within the room, warming her skin yet allowing her to stay asleep. The door creaked open slowly, a face appearing in the small opening. Kathy smiled mischievously when she realized that Geneva was still sound asleep in her bed, her hair falling over her face. She crept into the room quietly, giving herself some room to get a running start. Then, with a small laugh, she ran for the bed.
"Sacajawea!" she cried as she flopped onto Geneva's stomach.
The poor, unsuspecting girl shot up in bed and shouted, "SON OF A-!"
She didn't finish her sentence aloud. Instead, she fell back into her pillow face first and shouted the rest of her obscenities. Kathy laughed joyously at Geneva's expression, moving off of the younger's stomach.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Kathy asked innocently, although the expression was killed by that sly smirk on her face.
Geneva shot back up with an angry look in her eyes and hit her guardian in the face with her pillow, "What the hell, Kathy!? Can't you wake me up normally!?"
"Aw! But then it wouldn't be fun would it?" Kathy answered, sitting up on the edge of the bed.
Geneva merely groaned and laid her face back in her pillow, her body left uncovered and her butt making a perfect target.
"Okay! C'mon, time to get up! We're meeting Erin and Carter in 2 hours and you know how long it takes us just to MAKE breakfast let alone eat it and then get dressed. So come on! Get…UP!" Kathy punctuated the last word with a hard slap to her rear.
"OW! KATHY!" Geneva shouted as the older woman high-tailed it out of her room.
Geneva took a moment to rub her rump, trying to soothe the sting, before she flopped back in bed, groaning slightly. She put a hand to her head and stared up at the ceiling fan above her head. She didn't really get much sleep last night since her mind was working over time thinking about her customer from Pancho Lee's, the one named Peter. And as if her thinking about him while she was awake wasn't bad enough, she had to go and dream about him last night as well. I'm not going to go into details about the dream, but let's just say it was a little racy.
"Good Lord…I hardly know the guy and he's already taking over my mind," Geneva grumbled to herself as she got out of bed and went to her mirror.
She looked at her reflection, seeing the dark-skinned, dark-eyed girl staring back at her. Her dark-brown, almost black, hair, cascading to mid-back, was in unruly curls. Not at all like the pretty, big curls the woman who was with Peter last night had. No, that woman had beautiful curls in her luxuriously long hair while Geneva had messy curls in her wooly hair. Her features weren't at all pretty, the only thing she could be proud of were her full, pink lips. She felt they made her smile prettier, if nothing else. Other than that, she considered herself ordinary with boring brown eyes and too dark skin with a horrible little mole on her left cheek.
"Hmm…It's amazing how one look in the mirror could totally kill any hopes I had of maybe…just maybe having a shot at Peter. Well…such is life," she sighed to herself before grabbing her towel and making her way to her private bathroom to get ready for a day at the beach.
Surf Shoppe
"Um…Peter…are you sure about this?" Lucy asked as she watched her dear older brother wander down a row of surfboards, analyzing each one with a curious eye.
Peter turned to give his sister a quick glance and a reassuring smile before turning back to the boards, "Of course, Lucy! I've always wanted to try surfing! And what better place to do it than on one of the Hawaiian Islands?"
Lucy looked doubtful; "But Peter…those waves are sometimes rather big. What if something happens to you out there?"
Peter chuckled and bent down to look his little sister in the eye while holding onto her shoulders, "Lucy, nothing is going to happen. The surfing instructor is said to be an excellent teacher and they say that the big waves are ideal for a surfer."
"But you're not a surfer, Peter. You're a novice," Lucy replied, trying to find some way to reason with her brother.
"Come now, Lucy, you worry your pretty little head much too much," Julia cried in her shrill voice that Lucy hated oh so much, "Peter will be fine. He's a strong and handsome man, he can do anything."
"That's funny, I don't remember addressing you at all Julia!" Lucy retorted angrily, spitting out Julia's name as if it were something foul.
Said pretty blond turned from the mirror she was currently staring at herself in and gave Lucy a glare from behind Peter's back. The man didn't even notice as he spoke to Lucy.
"Please, Lucy, I promise you I will be careful and that I'll stay safe," he reassured, smiling at her.
Lucy remained silent before she sighed in defeat and pouted, "Okay."
Peter beamed and kissed her on the cheek, "Thank you, Lucy!"
With that, the young man stood up and grabbed the surfboard he had taken a liking too, a creamy white one with a blue lightening bolt shooting down the middle, and taking it to the front. He presented it to the cashier and it was rung up for rental.
"Thank you and I shall have it back by 6," Peter said as he picked up his board and walked out of the Surf Shoppe with his sister and friend.
The trio walked across the soft sand of the beach and chose a nice spot near the water where Peter would be getting his lesson. Once they were all set, the umbrella was up and the blankets were down, Peter went off to go meet his instructor. Lucy watched as her brother and the man talked for a few minutes, both seeming to get along right off the bat. Soon, the instructor had Peter going through some basic training exercises on his board while still stationed in the sand such as balancing and stroking.
Little Lucy sighed once more before begrudgingly turning her attention to Julia who was laid out on a beach towel; her bikini clad body totally exposed to the rays of the sun.
"What are you going to do all day, Julia?" Lucy asked with little interest.
"Even though it's completely obvious, I'm going to work on my tan," Julia answered snootily, "I have to make sure I'm completely gorgeous for Peter when we become official. I want to be a tanned goddess for him; he deserves the very best."
Lucy rolled her eyes, but nonetheless ventured forward, "Would you mind taking a couple of hours away from your tanning and come hunt shells with me?"
Julia let out a very snobbish laugh and sat up while pulling her sunglasses down, "Please, Lucy, I have no time for silly child games like that. A woman needs to spend her time enhancing her beauty."
"It's not a game, Julia, it's exploring," Lucy retorted, feeling agitated.
"Nonetheless, I have no time for that. Why not go and play in the waves or something and leave me alone?" Julia finalized, laying back down and putting her glasses on.
Lucy stood there for a moment, fuming angrily, before stomping away just as angrily down the beach. Julia was such a witch and she was getting tired of her trashy attitude. Little Lucy hoped that there was someone out there better for her brother, way better than Julia was.
Across the Beach
Geneva trekked through the sand at the Cair Paravel, being sure to avoid running into any of the tourists and their children. She was simply just wandering around the beach since she had grown bored of just sitting with Kathy, Erin, and Carter. Her guardian had decided to just laze about in the sun before she went to work and Erin and Carter had taken a more intimate initiative. Deeming it both boring and inappropriate, Geneva left the older folks and made her way down the beach by herself. She soon came to a collection of rocks that reached a little ways away into the clear, blue ocean and allowed for people to get a close up look of the exotic fish without getting into the water.
"Hmm," she sighed, watching as an angelfish flitted by her, soon followed by a school of silver fish.
She watched as two colorful crabs walked by her on a different rock, both jumping into the water together to go back to their home in the sea most likely. She smiled softly at the scene, wondering to herself if she would ever find her significant other to walk home with.
"Ahh!"
Geneva jumped out of her reverie when she heard a high-pitched cry from somewhere behind her. She whipped around and looked for the source of the cry, but found none at first. Now, if it was anyone else, they probably would have let the noise pass by without another thought, but this wasn't anyone else, it was Geneva. So, with that in mind, the dark skinned girl rose up from her sitting position and slowly made her way over to a section of the rocks that had an opening in it.
"Hello?" she called out, listening for any sounds that may be heard.
Sure enough, not a second later, she heard the low groaning of a female coming from within that opening. She moved closer towards it to where she was able to look over the edge and peered inside; she saw little Lucy.
"Lucy?" she called curiously, a worry line forming across her brow.
The little redhead looked up at the mention of her name and bluish-green eyes met golden-green. Lucy's face lit up as a smile crossed her features when she saw Geneva's face.
"Oh my! You're that nice waitress from last night at Pancho Lee's Café! Geneva!" Lucy exclaimed, scrambling to climb back up the rocks to where Geneva stood.
Said girl smiled reactively and held out her hand to help the little 8-year-old back onto the top layer of rocks, "That's me! I didn't think you'd remember really."
"Oh of course I remember! I could never forget such a nice person like you!" Lucy answered, her smile still big on her face.
Geneva giggled at her words, feeling heat rise to her cheeks from the little girl's praise, "Aww! That's so sweet! In the words of my southern friend Erin, you're as sweet as a sweet potata pie!"
Lucy laughed joyously, feeling her spirits lift from just standing there with Geneva. The ebony girl calmed her own laughter and looked around on the beach searchingly.
"Lucy, where's your dad? I don't see him anywhere," Geneva asked.
Lucy looked confused for a minute as she tilted her head to the side, "My father?"
"Yeah, the guy that was with you last night at the restaurant? The one named Peter. Oh, and that lady that was with you guys, too, the blond one. She's your mom right?" Geneva clarified.
"Oh dear god, no! Peter's my brother! He's only 19! And Julia's not my mom, she's just a friend of Peters!" Lucy answered, horrified at the thought of Julia being her mother, or even her sister.
Geneva's jaw dropped in shock, "Shut up, no he's not! You two look so much alike!"
"Well, siblings look like each other too, you know?" Lucy answered with a playful grin.
Geneva scratched her head in thought before nodding and smiling, "Yeah, I guess you're right, but your brother? Man, seriously. Anyway, where is he?"
"He's out having a surfing lesson," Lucy answered, her effervescent mood falling to lower levels.
Geneva let out another laugh, "Surfing lessons? Oh man, I never get tired of seeing newbies face plant in the water. Not that I'm saying your brother sucks or anything, but still. Hahahaha!"
Lucy couldn't help but laugh as well, the image of Peter falling numerous times in the water making it's way to her mind.
"Anyway, Little Lu, does your brother know you're all the way out here by yourself?" Geneva continued, looking towards the beach once more.
Here, Lucy's smile diminished and a frown overtook her features, "Well…not really. He left me there with that she-devil Julia while he went out for his lessons."
Geneva smiled humorously at the way Lucy described the woman that came with her; "Well, does she know you're out here by yourself?"
"Oh, she doesn't even care. She's too busy working on her tan to care about me. That woman!" Lucy spat out, glaring at the ground.
"Hahaha! It seems like you don't like this chick very much!" Geneva laughed.
"Is it that obvious?" Lucy asked sourly.
"Just a little," Geneva answered in good humor before she bent down to Lucy's level, "Say, you seem a little bored, am I right?"
Lucy nodded her head solemnly; "Then let's go do something fun!" Geneva exclaimed.
"Fun? Like what?" Lucy asked, her interest piquing.
"Well…um…" Geneva strayed, putting a finger to her lips in thought before she snapped her fingers and cried out, "Aha! We can go swimming with the turtles!"
"What?! Swim with turtles?!" Lucy asked, astounded by the suggestion.
"Yup! That's just one of the many activities we have here to do at the Cair Paravel and it's safe and lots of fun!" Geneva replied.
"Well…I don't know. Peter might not think it's too safe."
"No worries! You'll be with me and I'll never let anything happen to you. Besides, I know the supervisor of the activity on a personal basis and he sure as all hell won't let anything happen to us! You'll be safer than a baby on lockdown!" the ebony-skinned girl grinned.
Lucy couldn't help the smile that made its way to her lips and jumped up and down in excitement, "In that case, let's do it!"
Geneva laughed as she took Lucy's hand in her own and led the little girl off of the rocks and back onto shore. They continued to walk in the opposite direction away from where Lucy's beach spot was and towards a shack farther down the beach. On the way, Geneva became familiar with the little girl. Lucy liked to be outdoors and play with her friends, her favorite kind of books were fantasy with talking animals and pretty princesses that get rescued by handsome princes, she loved all sorts of foods, though her favorites were desserts, and she loved her dear older brother Peter to death.
"Oh, Lucy, you're just so adorable!" Geneva exclaimed, leaning down to give the younger girl a warm hug as the two females giggled.
"Thank you, Geneva!" Lucy giggled, hugging the woman back.
"What about your parents, Lucy? You haven't said anything about them yet," Geneva pointed out.
Here, Lucy's smile diminished into a thin line, "My parents are both hardworking people, but they're hardly around. All they think about is work, work, work! I hardly see them more than maybe 4 times a month and that's if I was lucky! If I didn't have Peter, I would be incredibly lonely."
Geneva looked down at the redhead for a moment, feeling sympathy for her. She knew what it was like to not see her parents very often, she knew all too well.
"What about your parents, Geneva? I bet they're really nice people!" Lucy changed the subject, her lighting up when she asked Geneva something about herself.
Geneva fought to put a smile on her face and shrugged, "I don't know about my parents, I live with my friend Kathy. I haven't seen my parents in a long time."
"Oh…that's so sad," Lucy voiced.
Geneva shrugged again, "Not really. Oh look, here we are!"
Lucy, abandoning her curiosity about Geneva's nonchalant answer about her parents, looked ahead of her to a small shack with a man standing behind the counter. He looked to be in his early forties with tanned skin, short, black hair and deep brown eyes. The wrinkles of age and wisdom were already showing on his face, but he didn't look really old or anything.
"Aloha Kai!" Geneva greeted, catching the man's attention.
In that moment, his face lit up warmly with a smile as bright as the summer sun. His features softened immediately and the look made Lucy feel safe and welcome. She had feeling she would like this Kai man just as much as she liked Geneva.
"Aloha Gena Girl!" Kai answered in his Hawaiian accent, giving her the 'hang loose' symbol with his hand, "What's going on today?"
"Just hangin' loose until I take the night shift," Geneva answered.
"Hey, shouldn't dat be illegal?" Kai asked, curious.
"I heard it was illegal in California," Geneva mused, tilting her head to the side in thought before she shook her head to focus, "Anyway, you still open for turtle swimming? Me and my new friend Lucy here want to have some fun."
It was here that Kai looked over the counter of the shack and down at the shy little redhead that was trying to conceal herself behind Geneva's legs. He smiled at the little girl and laughed.
"What a pretty little girl. My name is Kai," he greeted, holding out his hand for Lucy to shake.
Lucy smiled and emerged from behind Geneva's leg to shake the man's hand, feeling proud that someone thought of her like a grown up enough to shake her hand instead of ruffling her hair or pinching her cheeks.
"It's nice to meet you, Kai. I'm Lucy Pevensie!" she greeted back, a radiant smile on her face.
"Oh! Little girl got herself a British accent! We don't get much of them!" Kai commented, letting out another laugh.
"I know, right?!" Geneva replied, "Anyway, Kai, you up for taking us out to see the turtles?"
"Of course, my friend! And they are especially friendly around this time! You have more of a chance to touch them and interact with them than you would with the dolphins at this time," Kai replied, stepping out behind the counter and calling behind him, "Hey, Enakai, I'm taking these next customers out to the turtles myself! You and the boys hold down the service okay?!"
Just then, a young man with wavy dark hair and brown eyes came up to the counter. His build was strong and sturdy, his skin the traditional lovely bronzed color of his brothers of Hawaii. He smiled at Geneva and the little girl, his smile white and sweet.
"Gotch'a boss! Aloha Geneva! How's Kathy?" Enakai greeted, waving to his friend.
"Aloha Enakai! She's cool! Crazy as ever, but cool," Geneva answered back, giggling.
"I thought being crazy was your job," the young man joked, grinning playfully.
"Only when I'm bored. Oh wait! That's 99% of the time, isn't it? Hahaha!" Geneva answered him, laughing, "Aloha Enakai! See you later!"
"Aloha Gen! Say hi to Kathy for me when you see her!" he called back, waving her off.
"Will do!"
With that, the trio of Kai, Geneva, and Lucy made their way to the pier a little ways away from the shack that Enakai was now managing. There, you will find moderate sized boats that held a number of people; these boats were specifically used when taking visitors out to swim with the dolphins or the turtles for all the equipment needed for such an excursion was located on these boats. Kai helped the two young females into one of the boats, settling in himself and starting the motor. Lucy cried out slightly at the sudden burst of speed from the boat and latched herself onto Geneva's waist, causing the older girl to laugh humorously. Very soon, they got out far enough to where the turtle swimming activity wouldn't intervene with the surfers yet also allowed for the paramedics to reach them quickly if they were needed.
"Okay, just give me a minute, yeah? I'll have you two in the water in no time!" Kai said as he went to the supply room to get the needed equipment for the activity.
Lucy was practically bouncing out of her seat when she saw all the turtles in the water. The water itself was as clear as crystals and allowed for her to see the numerous amount of turtle families that swam by them. One of the turtles even swam up to the side of the boat and let Lucy pet it before it dove back down into the blue depths.
"Oh! This is so exciting! To think, I'm going to swim with real turtles! Swim with them, Geneva!" Lucy exclaimed, bouncing up and down in her seat.
"I know it's exciting! Even though I do this often, it's still a thrill for me personally," Geneva replied, smiling down at the little eight-year-old.
"My vacation may not have started out right, but this sure makes a turn for it!" Lucy voiced, watching the turtles swim.
"Why didn't it turn out right, little tyke?" Geneva asked, curiously.
Lucy obtained a grimace on her face as she explained her meaning, "It didn't start the way I wanted because that Julia came along. Ugh! She is so annoying and snobby! What a disgrace?!"
Geneva smiled sympathetically, "Why don't you like her? She seems nice enough."
"Porcupines are nicer than her!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed, causing Geneva to jump slightly, "She is such a witch! She's evil, conniving, and greedy! She only cares about money and status! The only reason why she's nice in your eyes is because Peter's there and she wants to impress him."
"Wow…those are some heavy words for an eight year old," Geneva commented, chuckling slightly.
"I'm an eight year old with problems. Peter is so blind to her plans. He doesn't think that Julia is capable of anything atrocious, he's too good to think something like that of any woman. I'm so worried that she'll snag him in her claws…and kill him," Lucy mumbled.
Geneva put her arm around her in a comforting gesture and smiled as Lucy snuggled closer, "Well…don't think about it right now. We'll get to Julia's treachery soon enough. Right now, let's work on making you a happier eight year old okay?"
Lucy looked up and smiled gratefully at her new friend, "Thank you, Geneva."
"No problem," the girl smiled back before turning her attention to Kai as he came out of the supply room with two packs of oxygen tanks, two underwater masks, and two intercoms.
"Okay, ladies, I have all the equipment. Now I just need to go over the rules," he said as he gave the items to the girls to put on.
"I know you know the rules like the back of your hand Geneva, but it's for little Lucy's sake," Kai smiled at the little girl as Geneva helped her put on her oxygen tank, "First, you have a limited perimeter of 4 miles away from the boat, no more and no less. You have an alarm that lets you know when you're crossing that perimeter, though you won't really need it since Geneva's going to be with you. Second, when you see the turtles, for your own safety, do not grab them suddenly or forcefully. You can pet them if they allow you to and maybe even ride with them a little if they let you grab onto their shell. However, grabbing them from out of the blue will frighten them and will cause them to do anything to protect themselves, which may include ramming or biting. That is not a nice feeling. And thirdly…have fun!"
Geneva and Lucy giggled as Kai led them over to the stairs on the side of the boat that would allow them easier access into the water. They were now fully equipped for their activity; Lucy was hardly able to contain her excitement.
"You two have intercoms on the shoulder of your tanks. That is for me to contact you when it's time to come back to the boat, got it?"
"Yup!" Lucy cried as Geneva put on her mask and slid into the water.
"Great! Have fun little Lu! See you girls in a few hours!" Kai waved them off.
Lucy waved as well before sliding into the water herself, holding onto Geneva for support. The older girl waded away from the boat and looked at Lucy.
"You ready to go under?" she asked.
"I'm a little nervous," Lucy admitted.
"It's okay, I'm here with you. Just hold my hand and duck your head, okay?"
Lucy nodded and did as she was told while taking a deep breath. Geneva counted to three and both girls submerged themselves into the ocean water. It took Lucy a moment to fully see her surroundings as silver bubbles rushed past her, but once she was focused, she nearly lost her breath. It was like she had been transported into a perfectly harmonized world under water. There were multiple varieties of fish that swam together in their own community. Bright colors of orange, pink, yellow, blue, green, and purple swirled past and around the two girls who stayed rooted in one watery spot. The coral reefs seemed to wave at them in colors of orange and pink as fish continuously swam in and out of their protection. It was a wonderland of the ocean, stunning the young eight-year-old into awe. Lucy was only brought from her trance by a tap to her arm. She turned her attention to Geneva as the older girl indicated to the side of them.
"Look over there Lucy," the teen said through there intercom that connected to each other.
Lucy did as she was told and felt her heart speed up in excitement. Straight ahead of her, swimming towards them in small groups, were large, green turtles. Their movements were slow and lax, giving the sense of lazy strolling in the water. If she were above water, she would have let out a gust of amazement.
"Oh my goodness! This is so-oh!" Lucy was cut off from her astonished gasp as she felt something hit her in her back.
She turned around to look and was delighted to see a turtle with a sun-like pattern on it's back right behind her. She cried out in glee as the turtle swam away from her and towards Geneva who giggled as she stroked the turtle's head.
"Hahaha! Hey, there Nohea!" Geneva said through the intercom to the turtle, "Lucy, this is my friend Nohea! I've known him since he was just a little turtle. Ran into him on one of my excursions out here when he was barely big enough to swim around freely. Poor thing was caught in tangle of seaweed and I helped him get free. Ever since then, we've been real close."
Lucy watched in amazement as the turtle cuddled up to Geneva as if she were its mother then slowly swim towards her. He stopped and waited; for what? Lucy didn't know so she opted for staring at the turtle until she heard Geneva giggle.
"He wants you to pet him, Lucy! He's trying to say hi!" Geneva said.
"Oh!" Lucy gasped before she looked back at the turtle and gave his head a little pat as she giggled, "Nice to meet you, Nohea!"
Then, leaning close to Geneva, Lucy asked, "What does Nohea mean?"
"Nohea is Hawaiian for 'Handsome', which I think fits him perfectly," Geneva answered playfully, causing Lucy to giggle.
The turtle swam off to join the rest of its turtle family. Geneva immediately swam after him, beckoning for Lucy to follow her.
"Come on, Lu, let's follow them! They have lots to show us!"
Lucy obediently followed suite, giggling cheerfully as they swam in the middle of the group of turtles. It was like magic to her to be shown the clear, blue ocean through the eyes of a turtle. She saw many species of fishes that inhabited the coral reefs around them. She witnessed as two crabs walked down the side of rock near her, one stopping and looking to be waving at her before it continued it's way to it's home. She swam along next to Nohea and Geneva, laughing as the turtle bumped her playfully and swam around her in a dance. Her eyes attempted to drink in every detail of the water world before her and imbed the images in her mind. It was such a beautiful place to be and she wished she could stay there forever, happy and carefree like Nohea and the rest of his family.
"This way, Lucy! If we go just a little bit farther, we'll catch up to the dolphins!" Geneva said aloud, pointing to the direction the turtles were still swimming in.
"Alright!" Lucy answered and prepared to swim along with her new friend when the static of their intercoms on their shoulders stopped their movements.
"Hey, Geneva, you should probably start heading back now," Kai's voice said.
"Why? What's going on?" Geneva questioned.
"It's just a warning alert, but the life guards have spotted sharks out on the far perimeter," Kai answered.
"Shark perimeter? This early in the summer?" she asked, starting to worry a little.
"Right now, they're staying off on the perimeter and some seem to be going out farther rather than coming in, but just to be safe, I think you two should start heading back here."
"Roger that, Kai. We're coming in," Geneva answered finally and then turned to Lucy, "Okay, Lu, don't be scared alright? Let's just start heading back."
"What's going on, Geneva?" Lucy asked, panic laced in her voice.
"It's nothing big, okay? We just have a few sharks hovering on the perimeter a little past the safety zone. They are nowhere near us, so we'll be fine. Now let's go."
Geneva took Lucy's small, pale hand in her black one and began the journey back to the boat. Lucy was still a little frightened, but when she looked at Geneva, it trickled away. She trusted the older girl, far more than she trusted any other older girl, and if she said they would be fine, she believed her. They swam barely five feet away from their previous destination when Lucy felt something hit her back. Thinking that it was a shark, she began to panic and screamed in fear.
"GENEVA! IT'S A SHARK!!" she cried out as she swam behind the older girl who turned around in alarm.
A second later, Geneva let out a laugh when she saw Nohea behind them, most likely wondering why they weren't following him anymore. Lucy, seeing whom it was that had bumped her, laughed as well as she swam from behind Geneva.
"Sorry, Nohea, but Lucy and I gotta head back now. We already have sharks making their perimeter, so you have to be careful okay? Promise?" Geneva said to the marine animal, holding her hand out as if expecting it to make her a pinky promise.
Much to Lucy's wonder, the turtle put its flipper up and touched Geneva's hand. The girl laughed, removed her tube that pumped air into her mouth and kissed the turtle on the head.
"See ya, Nohea!" she cried once she put the tube back.
The turtle seemed to nod his head in his own way and turned around to swim back to its family. Geneva and Lucy made their own way back to the boat. Once back on board, Lucy was stripped of her scuba gear and wrapped in a towel to help her dry off and get warm. She had the biggest smile on her face that was ever seen on an 8-year-old as she recounted the fun that she just had.
"How was it out there, ladies?" Kai asked them when he noticed the little girl practically jumping out of her seat.
"Oh, Mr. Kai, I had so much! We saw fish and crabs and lobsters and clams and a whole group of turtles!" Lucy blew up in happiness, "I even got to meet Nohea, Geneva's friend!"
Here, the girl in question laughed lightly, "He bumped into us while we were down there."
"Well, I'm glad we could make little Lucy's first Turtle Swimming experience a blast!" Kai answered as he smiled at the girl before returning to the Captain's Brink where he steered the boat.
"Oh, wait until I tell Peter about my adventure!" Lucy exclaimed, turning bright eyes to her darker companion.
"I'm sure he'll be very interested," Geneva answered with a smile and a laugh.
Back on Shore
"LUCY!!!"
Peter Pevensie frantically ran around the beach in search of his 8 year old sister. He had returned from his surfing lesson, a little tired yet satisfied with his progress, to find a tanning Julia and no Lucy. When he inquired where his sister was to Julia, he was met with a dismissive,
"She's playing in the water."
He had checked the water with a swift glance yet saw no one that resembled his sister. Confused, he checked again, only a little closer this time; still nothing. He repeated his findings to Julia who finally sat up and removed her sunglasses to look as well. After a few moments, she quirked her head to the side in confusion.
"That's funny…I could have sworn that's where she went," Julia replied.
That was enough to send Peter into a panic. He then proceeded to run around on the beach, asking people if they had seen a little girl with reddish-brown hair and blue-green eyes wearing a blue swimsuit. Unfortunately, no one had seen her and Peter resorted to just screaming her name until someone answered.
"Lucy! Lucy!" he yelled, looking around frantically, "Oh, god, please let her be okay. Lucy!!"
"Peter!"
The blond man swiveled around and let out a gasp of relief when he saw his little sister running towards him, followed by an older, darker female. Lucy flung herself into her brother's arms and allowed for him to hold her tightly.
"Lucy! Where have you been?! I've been worried sick about you!" he exclaimed.
"I went swimming with turtles with Geneva!" Lucy answered, indicating to the girl behind her.
It's here that Peter finally looked at Lucy's companion and saw that it was the waitress from Pancho Lee's. His eyes did a quick scan of her profile, finding that her hair looked silky when wet and she was much curvier than he had originally thought in her orange, board-shorts two-piece. However, he didn't give himself time to really ponder on these thoughts for very long.
"You took my little sister to swim with turtles without my consent?" he asked her, anger in his voice.
Geneva stepped back a little from surprise as he stared at her, blue eyes blazing with anger.
"How dare you do such a thing?!" he exclaimed, standing straight.
"I was just trying to help her out. Little girl looked bored as hell when I found her, so I thought I give her something to do," Geneva retorted.
"It is not your position to find something for her to do! As far as I'm concerned, you're a complete stranger and you have no right to be taking my sister anywhere!" Peter yelled back.
"Leave her alone, Peter! She was just trying to be a good friend and do something fun with me," Lucy defended.
"It doesn't matter what she's trying to do, Lucy! She can't just take you away to do something without me knowing about it!" Peter argued.
"You could have been hurt, Lucy dear! We were so worried about you!" Julia put in.
"Oh, now you care, Julia! You didn't seem very interested before when you told me to just play in the water by myself while you just laid on your towel and worked on a tan for hours!" Lucy retorted, glaring at the blond woman.
Julia quickly quieted herself, blushing red when Peter looked at her accusingly. Geneva sighed to herself and interjected.
"Look," she said, catching Peter's attention, "I'm sorry I took her swimming without telling you. That was very irresponsible and I'm very sorry for it."
"As you should be," Julia snapped, trying to regain Peter's good grace.
Geneva spared her a small glance before turning back to the blond man, feeling her cheeks catch fire at how his blue eyes seemed to lighten under the Hawaiian sun. Peter stood up and sighed through his nose, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, it's alright. Lucy's not hurt so…it's fine," he finally replied, giving her a small smile.
Geneva gave a small smile back and shook her head, "No, it's not fine. She's not my sister so I had no right to do anything with her."
Here, she knelt down to Lucy's level so the two were eye to eye, "So, Little Lu, did you have fun today?"
Lucy nodded her head vigorously, "Oh yes, Geneva, I had a blast!"
"I'm glad because…that's the last time we're spending the day together," Geneva responded.
"What?! Why!? Is it because of Peter?! Because if it is, don't pay him any mind! He's just trying to be a sad sod!" Lucy exclaimed frantically, wanting to convince her friend that she didn't do anything wrong.
Geneva laughed lightly and shook her head, "It's all good, Luce. Maybe we can talk every now and then, but there won't be anymore activities together. What I can do, though, is have a list of activities provided by the resort made for you so you won't be bored. It'll be same kind of fun only you'll be with kids your own age with a responsible adult around to supervise your safety."
"But I want to do stuff with you," Lucy said with a pout as she hugged Geneva around her neck, "I had so much fun."
A smile crossed Geneva's face as she hugged Lucy back; "I know, I did too."
She pulled back and stood up, avoiding looking at Lucy's teary face, and nodded at Peter.
"I hope you're satisfied now," she said before she turned and walked away.
Peter, who had sobered up from his rage enough to start feeling guilty, watched her go, his eyes straying to her swinging hips again. That same heat he felt the first night he met her returned to his cheeks. Geneva, for some reason, had the power to make him feel hot under the collar and he's barely known her for two days.
"Thanks a lot Peter, I just lost my summer friend," Lucy grumbled as she glared at her brother.
"Oh, come now, Lucy. You can still see her and we'll have lots of fun together," Peter said, trying to quail her anger towards him.
"Sure because my idea of the perfect summer has Julia in all the plans," Lucy said in annoyance as she moved to walk around her brother to her beach towel.
Peter sighed at her words, guilt still lingering, before he looked up in the direction Geneva had gone. He saw her orange-clad figure in the distance, pausing at a section of the beach where three more people were starting to pack up. He knew he wrongly accused her of putting his sister in danger; Lucy was probably the safest child on the island when she was with Geneva. He needed to apologize to her; she deserved at least that much.
Pancho Lee's: Dinner Rush
"Woah! Watch out now!"
"Coming through!"
"Serves up for table 14!"
"I hate 5 year olds! They are the spawns of the devil!"
"Stop your whining and get that food out there!"
It was only the second day of the second week of summer and Pancho Lee's Café was as packed as it was the day before. There was actually a line getting ready to go out the door as people waited to be seated for dinner and it's only been an hour since the rush started!
"Got another order for the Pineapple Brisk with a side of Pea Rice and a Julius Salad!" Kathy yelled as she entered the kitchen area, spotting a familiar head of dark brown curls, "Hey Gen! Crazy night huh?!"
"Psycho!" Geneva answered, giggling a little as her order was made and put on a tray for her to take out to the customers.
She grabbed the tray and prepared to leave when Kathy stopped her; "Uh bupbup, wait a minute there!"
"What's up?" Geneva asked when she caught Kathy's sly smile.
"I saw you talking to that Peter guy today," Kathy answered as Geneva groaned, "What was that all about?"
"Trust me, nothing exciting," Geneva said with a wave of her hand and a roll of her eyes.
"What did you guys talk about?" Kathy asked.
"Well, what had happened was," Geneva started when Kathy snickered, "Shut up! Do you want to know what happened or not?!"
"Sorry, sorry, go on," Kathy urged.
"I actually took his little sister out to swim with the dolphins and-."
"Okay stop there," Kathy interrupted with her hand, "The point of me bringing the guy to your attention was for you to get to know HIM better. Not take his little sister on a date!"
"The girl was bored, okay?! I couldn't just leave her like that!"
"How did you even end up going swimming with her anyway?"
"What do you want to know first? What happened with Peter or what happened with Lucy? Which one is more important to you?" Geneva snapped with attitude.
"Fine, fine, fine! What happened?"
"Well, I took Lucy swimming with the turtles without telling Peter and-."
"Big mistake, really," Kathy interrupted again.
"And he got really mad," Geneva said through gritted teeth in annoyance, "when he found out. Totally flipped on me with the scorn of a thousand brothers."
"Ouch," Kathy commented.
"I know, right? So I just told Lucy I couldn't hang out with her anymore and…went about my way," Geneva finished, using her hands to play out her 'walking away'.
"Did he say anything after that?" Kathy asked as Geneva picked up her tray to carry it out once more.
"Na-da," Geneva answered.
"Well, at least I tried right?!" Kathy called as Geneva prepared to leave.
"Tried and failed!" Geneva laughed, pushing through the doors and taking her order to the table designated.
"Here you go! Sorry to keep you waiting! Would you like anything else with that?!" she said to the customers, a man, his wife, and two pre-teen boys.
"Thank you, it was no problem, really. And I think we're just fine for now," the man replied, smiling politely at her.
"Enjoy your meal then," Geneva said, turning to leave when Audrey stopped her mid-stride.
"Hey, Gen, you got someone asking for you," she informed the girl.
"Really? Who is it?" Geneva inquired.
Audrey merely shrugged; "Don't know, he didn't say, but he's waiting just outside the doors."
Geneva looked towards the entrance to see it filled with potential customers waiting to be seated. She thanked Audrey, let the girl on her way, and made her own way to the front. She pushed through the mass of people, greeting some nicely to make them feel welcomed and cared about, and eventually found herself in the open air where the end of the line was. And waiting at the end of that line, leaning against the wall and staring up at the moon, was Peter Pevensie. Geneva froze when she saw him, wondering if something else had happened to Lucy that he was going to blame her for. Peter, noticing that he wasn't alone anymore, turned his head and jumped slightly when he saw Geneva standing there and staring at him.
"Geneva!" he cried, startling the girl too.
He stumbled slightly over his words, trying to find some stability in his person. Finally, after clearing his throat, he looked at her and gave her a small smile.
"Good evening," he greeted sweetly yet awkwardly.
"Look, whatever's wrong with Lucy, I'm sorry. I didn't know, I checked her over, she seemed fine when I left her. If she has some sort of injury, I'll pay for the hospital bill," Geneva rambled, defending herself from an invisible accusation.
"Geneva, Geneva!" Peter said over her cries, grabbing her hands to make her stop, "It's fine, okay? Nothing is wrong with Lucy, she's perfectly alright."
"Oh," Geneva replied lamely, feeling herself getting lost in his deep, blue eyes, "Well, what did you come over here for then? I thought I couldn't see Lucy anymore."
"I never said that," Peter groaned, dropping her hands and running his own through his hair; for one split second, he thought of Geneva's hands in his, how small and delicate they were and how warm.
"Look, Geneva," he finally said, coming back from his thoughts, "…I'm sorry, about what happened today. I was completely out of line…and I'm sorry. I was just so worried about my little sister when I couldn't find her and then I saw her with you and…all my worry formed into anger and I lashed out at you."
Geneva said nothing, she just crossed her arms and looked to the side. Peter looked at her for a moment, taking in her profile and how she seemed to put up some kind of guard to protect herself. He could just sense it, a personal barrier that she created in cases like this. For some reason…he didn't like that.
Peter laughed, catching her attention fully; "You know…it's funny. We've only known each other for two days and it looks like we're fighting as lovers."
Geneva started in surprise, feeling heat course through her cheeks; "Well…I wouldn't say that!"
Again, Peter laughed and walked a little closer to her. He leaned once again against the wall closest to Geneva and smiled warmly at her. Geneva gave him a friendly smile in return and giggled a little.
"Will you forgive me for being such a sad sod?" he asked her sincerely.
Geneva looked up at him, straight into his eyes, and found in them sincerity and kindness. She could see that he truly was a brother who cared a lot for his little sister; how could she be mad with him or even hurt by him?
"Hmmm…I don't know what the hell a sad sod is, but I do forgive you for earlier today," she finally said, offering him a handshake.
Peter looked down at her hand, at the delicate wrist and slender fingers, as if the gesture were foreign. His parents raised him to greet the varying genders in different ways. With the men, he shook their hands firmly and with strength. However, with the women, he had to be gentle and sweet for women are soft creatures that were meant to be treated softly. That's what his father had said to him. So, listening to years of teaching, he took Geneva's small hand in his and gave the back a soft kiss.
"Thank you," he whispered against her dark skin.
Geneva, not really sure on how to react, tore her hand from his and stared at him. Peter wasn't expecting that at all and looked back up at the young girl curiously. Geneva laughed nervously as she held her hand close to her body.
"Hahahaha…well…that was unexpected!" she squeaked out.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to frighten you," Peter apologized.
"Frightened?! Who was frightened?! Not me!"
Peter cocked his head to the side and chuckled; she was surely interesting.
"Well, regardless, I hope we can be friends from now on, Geneva."
The girl lowered her hand and stared at him, quirking a smile a second later; "Of course. I'm not one to hold grudges."
Peter nodded, as did Geneva, and they stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes. Finally, Geneva broke the ice.
"Well…I gotta get back to work now…so," she trailed off as she turned to leave.
"Wait!" Peter stopped her, "Hold on…I can't come into Pancho Lee's every time I want to see you. So, maybe, we can set something up?"
Geneva pondered this for a moment; "I saw you in a wet suit today. I'm guessing you're taking surfing lessons?"
"That's correct. I have another lesson tomorrow," Peter confirmed.
"Cool! I have the night shift again tomorrow which means I get the day off. I'll come by and maybe we'll catch some waves together!"
"You surf?" Peter inquired.
"Yup, ever since I moved here," Geneva said with a proud smile.
"Well…that's great! So I'll…see you tomorrow?"
"Gotch'ya!" Geneva agreed, waving to him, "Bye!"
Peter waved her off, smiling as she went back into the café. His intention was to come here and apologize to her, not ask her on a date. Well, technically, it wasn't a date, just meeting between friends. However, if that were true, how come it sounded like a lie in Peter's own ears. Maybe, just maybe, because he wished it differently and that's all he thought about on his way back to his hotel room. Let the summer…begin.
End Chapter
Jamaican Sunshower: Soooo? What did you guys think? I hope you liked it! And trust me, now that I'm getting a little bit more free time, I can really start working on this! So, I hope this satisfies you for now and you all will stop hating me! Also, I promise all my readers of my other Narnia Fic, Out of Air, They Appear, I have not given up! I will continue it because there are so many of you that believe in me! So don't fret and stand by and for those of you who don't want to see that story continued, TOO BAD! HAHAHAHA! There's more to come! Please Review! Ciao!