Chapter Seven
Their farewell was tearful and Natalya withdrew a little for the first part of their journey to Hope Island, taking as much notice of the outside as she had on her trip home from the hospital.
Linka sat beside her while Wheeler took the pilot's chair and the two of them did their best to keep up a flow of chatter to entertain the little girl, even though she was mostly unresponsive. When they reached the open sea however, she seemed to rouse from her depressing reflections and began to take an interest in the new surroundings, although her responses didn't really become more encouraging.
"Do you like the ocean Angel?" Wheeler asked, receiving only a shrug in acknowledgement.
Linka prompted her, "You can swim though, you have had lessons, da?" This time the young girl nodded and Linka continued. "The water around Hope Island is warm during the day, we often swim together and play games in the water. Would you like to do that?"
Another shrug.
Glancing back at them for each response - while he kept the majority of his attention on the autopilot run controls - Wheeler happened to see Nat's attention momentarily distracted by a seabird heading back towards the shore. "Hey Babe, what kind of bird was that, it looked kinda big?"
Surprised by the question Linka asked, "The seagull?"
"Yeah, what kind was it?" he prompted.
"A Caspian Gull I think, although some of the species are quite similar and I am not sure how close we were which can affect our perception of its size... I was not paying particular attention, why?"
Wheeler chuckled, "Linka knows all sorts of things about birds, but they all look the same to me. You like birds Nat?"
It was then that the Wind Planeteer realised she had her daughter's full attention, "There are lots of birds on Hope Island, would you like to hear about them?"
Receiving an encouraging nod she settled down to expound on one of her favourite subjects, not forgetting to throw a grateful smile in Wheeler's direction.
Gaia was waiting for them when they arrived, looking more solid than usual, and it made both Planeteers realise that they'd forgotten to explain to their charge that she sometimes wasn't. They automatically exchanged a look of horror at the prospect and then had to stop themselves laughing at the way their minds had apparently mirrored each other.
"Nat, this is Gaia," Linka began the introductions, "we work for her."
"Pleased to meet you Natalya, I hope you will be happy here." The young girl gave her a shy smile but cuddled closer to Linka. "I've put a second bed in your room for now Linka. I have also set up a new cabin for Elara who has agreed to take care of Natalya when you are on missions…"
The Russian looked a little uncomfortable as she spoke. "That is very kind of you Gaia… you have gone to a lot of trouble on my behalf."
"Not at all." The spirit said softly, "Elara is studying medicine in Oceanus and I have intended for some time that she should join us here. Unfortunately she is in the middle of preparing for some exams so she will not be here until after Christmas."
Linka hesitated "I hope she will not mind being a child-minder then, it is not exactly in line with being a Doctor."
"Yeah, we could definitely do with a live-in nurse at times," Wheeler agreed, "but we don't have that many injuries that need professional attention, let alone a full time doctor."
"Elara is studying medicine because biology fascinates her," Gaia laughed, "She will be able to attend to any injuries you have but she is more of a scholar and wants to continue her studies. She loves children though and is really excited at the prospect of living on land. Do not worry, she will have plenty to occupy her."
Linka gave her a more genuine smile and thanked her again.
Natalya had lost interest in the conversation and was beginning to look around her, while still holding on to Linka. Noticing, Wheeler said, "So what do we want to do first, get something to eat or give Nat the full tour?"
"I should get her settled in my-our room first." Linka said, "Are the others around?" the last was directed back to Gaia.
"They are around yes, I suggested it would be better if they did not all turn up at once." She gave the young girl an affectionate glance.
Wheeler had ducked back into the 'cruiser and now returned with Nat's baggage, "I'll drop these off with you and then go and make some sandwiches. I'm starving even if you aren't."
The vigorous nodding of the little girl's head at the mention of food made Linka laugh, "You two are very alike sometimes."
"Is that a bad thing?" He challenged her, and she shook her head, unable to prevent her eyes betraying her affection.
He grinned. "Come on."
Linka sighed as she entered her room, even with the extra bed that was taking up most of the spare space, she had a sense of coming home to normality that she'd feared she'd never experience again. "Which bed would you like LyubImaya?"
The young girl, leaning against the doorframe, gave an awkward shrug.
Sitting down on one of the beds Linka held out her hand, and when Natalya took it, gently pulled her down beside her, wrapping an arm around her. "I know it is not easy, it is all new for you." She kissed her head. "This is my home and I would like it to be our home, but we will not stay if you are unhappy, I promise."
Nat looked up at her as if checking the truth of her statement. Linka smiled, "Whatever happens, we will be together, we will look out for each other da?"
A small smile appeared on the young girl's face and she gave a slight nod. She then gave a huge sigh and got up. Before Linka could start to worry, she picked up one of her bags and put it on the other bed, claiming it as her own.
They spent a little time making room in the cupboards and drawers and unpacking their things until a knock sounded on the open door.
"Wheeler's making enough sandwiches for a small army, so I said I'd go and see if I could find one." Gi grinned at her friend, "I also couldn't wait any longer to meet our newest Planeteer."
Linka laughed, "Natalya, do you remember Gi? She came to my birthday party."
Nat nodded and gave the Water Planeteer a small wave, before putting her hand in Linka's and pulling it towards the door.
Gi led the way saying, "Are you hungry Natalya?"
"Either that or she wants to get back to Wheeler, the two of them are inseparable." Linka commented. She received a sharp tug on her hand and Nat mimed having a pain in her belly. "Ok, it is the food you want."
Despite that, when they entered the kitchen, Nat released Linka and ran to Wheeler to be picked up like she hadn't seen him in weeks. "Hey Angel, are you all settled in?"
"Nyet," Linka answered along with her daughter's usual shrug, "My room is a mess and I do not know where I will put everything."
"Which means she's happy," Wheeler told Nat, putting her down on a chair and sitting next to her as Gi brought over a plate of sandwiches. "There's nothing Linka likes more than organising things, except complaining about organising things."
Linka gave him a look but failed to mask the warmth in her eyes, "Haha."
Gi happened to catch Nat's eye during their banter and gave her a conspiratorial wink, which made her grin at her new friend, and she tucked into her lunch as if she didn't have a care in the world.
Despite giving Ma-Ti and Kwame a small smile in acknowledgement as they were introduced, Nat seemed to become shy again in their presence, once again leaning into Linka. Her attention however, was on the Fire Planeteer, a slight frown creasing her brows as he chatted enthusiastically with his friends.
"The gameplay is fantastic," Ma-Ti told them, "Even Kwame was hooked."
The African nodded, "The artwork is stunning, and from what I have been able to ascertain, quite accurate."
"Only you would do historical research into the hottest new game out there," Wheeler grinned, "I can't wait to try it."
Nat pushed her plate forward roughly so that it made a noise, drawing their attention.
"Natalya…" Linka chided softly, feeling uneasy. She had known that things would be different for her fiery companion when he returned home to his normal life but she hadn't worked out how to convey that satisfactorily to her daughter.
Wheeler however just turned his smile on her as if he didn't even realise something was wrong, "Nat is a gamer too aren't you Angel? We'll get your console set up in the games room later and then you can challenge us to your favourite game."
She shrugged and Linka thought that that hadn't been the response she wanted. "Are you ready for the tour we promised you? You and I can get started while the others finish their lunch."
The young girl shook her head and pulled away, reaching out to hold Wheeler's arm, pulling on it gently. "Nat, we cannot expect all of Wheeler's attention anymore, he has been very good to us but he needs to spend time with other friends now."
"It's ok," he told her, "We can all catch up later."
"You cannot keep giving in to her, she needs to learn that you have a life outside of us." Linka persisted, making Nat hang her head.
It seemed obvious to the other Planeteers that it was on the tip of his tongue to argue, and equally obvious that he only held back because he didn't think he'd like Linka's response. Instead he said carefully, "I'm sure she understands there will be times when I'm doing something important, and can't just stop. But, right now, I'm not doing anything important and it's her first day here so unless you would rather spend some time with just the two of you, I'm happy to tag along?"
Nat looked up at Linka pleadingly, but it was the expectation of rejection on Wheeler's face that made her cave. "If you are sure…"
The two most important people in her life immediately grinned and she couldn't help smiling in return. "Come on then." She stood, and added to the others, "I am sorry about this, we will not be very long."
"Take as long as you want," Gi told her, and the others agreed. When they'd gone however Kwame shook his head and said, "That is heading for trouble."
"Ok, so where do we go first?" Wheeler asked with more enthusiasm than Linka was feeling.
"Well the common room is closest?" she moved towards it as she spoke and the others followed. She looked around the unusually tidy room with comfortable chairs spread around a low table and a television on the far side. "This is not going to be a very exciting tour I am afraid."
Leaning against Wheeler, as if having gained her point she was intent on keeping his attention, Nat shrugged.
The American however chuckled, "It's not supposed to be exciting, it's just supposed to show Nat where everything is.
Linka nodded and walked over to a second door, "We built the games room here so that the boys did not completely take over the main room." Nat was obviously far more interested in this and they let her look around for a while, before continuing the tour, promising to let her play there later.
"This is the science lab." Linka told her as they entered the next building, "You must never come in here without an adult Natalya, it is very important and you must promise."
The young girl nodded.
"We have tests running that are vital to our research and some equipment that could be dangerous, you must take this very seriously and never run or play here."
Nat looked a little annoyed but she nodded again.
"Don't worry Angel, she says the same thing to me." Wheeler said trying to lighten the mood, "but Linka knows what she's talking about when it comes to this stuff, she and Gi can teach you all sorts of things about science if you're interested?"
The defiant look gave way to interest and this time the nod was more genuine.
Linka relaxed a little, "I love science, I would enjoy sharing it with you." Nat ran to embrace her, and though she caught her and held her close, she said with a little frustration, "I said no running in here." And when the little girl looked up at her, "Hope Island is a wonderful place to live but it still has rules and they are as important as the ones you had back in Russia. I do not mean to be unkind, I just need you to be safe." She looked over at Wheeler and said wryly, "Both of you."
Wheeler stepped forward and laid a gentle hand on Nat's head, "Linka doesn't say things for the sake of it, if she's worried about us, it's for a reason… and despite what she seems to think I do listen to her when its important, and the rules here are important."
"Spasiba." Linka looked down at Nat, "Do you understand now LyubImaya?"
The girl nodded again, her eyes lowered.
"Ok." Linka hugged her again, "Come on."
They walked back out into the sunshine and Linka pointed at the other buildings, "Obviously we cannot go in because they are private, but that is Gi's bedroom, ours, Kwame, Wheeler and Ma-Ti."
Nat looked up expectantly at Wheeler, and when he asked, "What Angel?" she pointed at the cabin Linka had indicated was his.
"I think she would like to see your cabin…" Linka told him uncomfortably, "You can say nyet though if you are not ok with it."
"I don't mind." Wheeler laughed. The little girl ran ahead, not waiting for them since she'd been given permission and he added, "don't worry Babe, there's nothing in there she shouldn't see and I'm not worried about her breaking stuff either."
When they reached the now open door however, Nat turned to look at him with an expression worthy of Linka, wrinkled her nose and then held it between her thumb and forefinger.
Seeing past her into the room, and the mess of clothes, car magazines and empty cans, Linka tried not to laugh. "Are you sure there is nothing she should not see Yankee?"
"Very funny, you two make a great double act," he moved into the room to scoop up the young girl and tickle her mercilessly, making her wriggle with delight before he let her escape.
Laughing, Linka said, "She does have a point, it smells like a boys' locker room in there."
He closed the door and joined them outside, "Oh yeah, and how do you know what a boys' locker room smells like?"
"Because that kind of smell tends to invade the corridor beyond it and every time the door is opened people gag." Linka teased, and then ran as he sought to wreak vengeance on her too. He caught her easily and she submitted for a moment laughing, before pulling away and returning to her now grinning daughter. "Enough, we have a tour to finish."
Wheeler was grinning too, "Uh huh. Where to next?"
She gave it more thought than he was expecting, "Let us walk down to the landing area and the dock and then go back up to the Crystal Chamber. We can call Grandmuska while we are there and let her know we arrived safely." She sounded a little guilty as she finished, realising that she should probably have done that earlier.
When they got to the pier, Nat wanted to run along it to look out to sea, but Linka had other ideas. "Hold on to my hand, it can be slippery and we do not want you to fall in and get your cast wet. I have some covers to keep it dry when we go swimming."
The girl sighed but submitted peacefully, and they spent some time just standing looking at the ocean with Linka identifying any birds that flew past for her.
At last the Wind Planeteer suggested that they should go on, and Wheeler nodded, saying to Nat, "The Crystal Chamber is kind of our communications and control centre, but it's also where Gaia hangs out most of the time."
Linka paused outside, remembering what they'd thought of earlier and she sat on the steps instead of going in so that she could be on more of an eye level with her daughter, "Nat, Gaia is special. She is connected to the planet and…"
The Fire Planeteer sat beside her, "You know Captain Planet has superpowers, right?" the young girl nodded, "Well Gaia has some abilities of her own."
Linka nodded, "And we do not want you to be afraid because she is very caring and would never hurt anyone but… she is not always solid."
The young girl looked confused and Wheeler added, "She can appear and disappear, project her image, and sometimes you can see through her."
Nat's eyes open wide, and Linka smiled, "She can do other things as well, but there is nothing to worry about, it is just the way she is."
When Nat finally nodded in understanding, or at least acceptance, they stood up and took her up into the open hut. Gaia was there, and they thought she must have been listening because she was slightly transparent.
"Hello again Natalya," she addressed the staring child, do you like what you have seen of Hope Island?"
She received a nod in return and smiled, "I will leave you to make your call to your grandmother, there are things I need to attend to on the island." She disappeared, making Nat jump, but she grinned sheepishly up at Wheeler when he laughed at her reaction.
"Do you want to make the call to Grandmuska Natalya?" Linka recalled her attention and received an eager nod.
Wheeler stood off to one side, watching as she patiently explained the controls to the child and smiling at the way the relatives greeted one another. When Nat got bored she wandered over to join him, asking silently to be picked up.
"Darling, Nat has wandered off." Linka's grandmother told her gently, in their native language. Concerned but not wanting to sound critical.
"I know. She has not gone far." The Wind Planeteer smiled, and beckoned Wheeler to join her, adding in English. "I think we have worn her out, we should take her back to my cabin."
Her grandmother beamed at the sight of her great granddaughter already fast asleep against his shoulder, although Linka had a suspicion that she was just glad to see Wheeler.
To be continued…