In the kitchen, Caro and Claudine put the kettle on.
‘Amber has Kekui, she’s practically swimming in it.’ Claudine whispered to her twin.
‘Do you think the others saw it?’ Caro asked pulling out a herbal tea bag. Claudine shrugged her shoulders. ‘If they did, no-one said anything.’
Claudine frowned. ‘So how will the others be able to look out for it?’
‘They’ll smell them before they even enter the room.’ Claudine jumped slightly as Amber entered the room. Amber nodded. She felt distracted and confused; the voice inside her head seemed to have disappeared altogether.
‘I can’t believe that Anna was ever one of us. How can she not care anymore?’ Caro said looking briefly at Amber. Amber shrugged, her guilt reflected in her spiking aura. The twins glanced at each other knowingly.
‘Do you remember those dolphins found washed up on the African coast, confused and dying? For centuries, they had followed Gaia’s energy roads through the sea and avoided any unnatural danger. Now, others like them get lost. Those that survived watched their pods slaughtered by humans for food. The natural harmony of Gaia is changing Amber, and Nevaeh might be our only hope of fighting them before they do the same to us.’ Claudine tinkled the teaspoon loudly.
Amber frowned at the way she almost mouthed Nevaeh’s name as if saying it aloud might jinx them. She tried to push Nevaeh into the back of her mind, but it was difficult when she thought about how eager she was to come over.
She remembered how they made a beeline for her that first day. She just didn’t seem as unique as they made out. She was just a weird girl, lying under a tree, talking to herself. Mostly she remembered how many birds there were and even caught the flash of a few rabbits scuttling into the undergrowth. She smiled then, suspecting that this was why Hawk wanted her recruited, because of her love of animals, or maybe her looks.
Amber bit her lip feeling her mobile vibrate and quickly turned it off. She felt so confused. Everything they said earlier made sense but why couldn’t they teach her to at least trance properly? She felt stuck between two groups, this group liked to do things slowly, and the others had promised to teach her now. She looked at the twins, who had waited an entire year before they could even trance, and felt uncertain. The longing to join was strong, stronger now that she could choose to do it right away. She remembered how the twins described the feeling of joining and the connection with Gaia.
‘Gaia’s energy makes us feel as if we have super powers. You can see, hear and feel everything'.
Amber remembered the feverish look in their eyes, and the seed grew each time she thought of it.
She shook her head; did they really think Nevaeh was more powerful than that? She blushed realising that Claudine and Caro were waving their hands in front of her face.
‘You alright Amber?’
Amber shrugged.
‘Yeah, I was just thinking ‘bout her y’know, Nevaeh.’
Caro cast her sister a look.
‘Y’know, being special and all that.’ Amber muttered.
‘I mean how do we know that Nevaeh can do anything?’ she looked at the twins. 'Seriously, you’ve met her right?’ she added.
Claudine and Caro cloaked their expressions, a look Amber picked up on.
‘I knew it,’ she pounced, pointing a finger at them triumphantly.
‘You think the same thing as me.’
Claudine shushed her, looking behind them. Amber felt like dancing - she wasn’t the only one who had doubts.
A commotion of whining and snarling drew their attention outside. Even in the darkness you could see two naked figures crouching on the patio facing their totems, their heads bowed. It was something Amber had never tired of seeing, and she knew that as experienced as they were, joining was the most crucial. If the totem sensed that their energies were not on the same frequency, or there was danger, the reaction reversed. Instead of joining, their own totems might attack them. In her training, Andrea had told her about the legend of a totem sister who was swallowed whole. Like any legend the possibility of it happening again was always at the back of her mind. It seemed impossible when she watched the way they blended so intimately.
The twins shifted next to her. Joining was contagious, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before they too, were outside. With their joining complete, Seth and Nettles turned to look at the three of them in the window, before disappearing in a flurry of silver and black hair.
Amber shivered. Before she joined this group, she never seriously thought about the environment, except what bin to put her plastic in. Now it seemed so much more serious.
‘What were you saying?’ Caro slurped at her tea, ignoring the way her twin had started to pace round the kitchen. Joining was contagious and Caro, who always bragged that she was the eldest by two minutes, did seem to be more in control. Claudine started to growl, and Amber backed away returning to the lounge. She remembered a time when they were upset by something while waiting to join and almost exploded into a fury of fur. Apparently it was quite normal for the youngest initiates to lose control and she didn’t want to be in striking distance. She knew that the twins would wait until Seth and Nettles had returned; patrolling was always done in rotation, for safety.
In the lounge, she felt the familiar butterflies at the way Andrea flipped her hair over. She had been so stressed lately, and they never seemed to spend any time with each other. Now that school was finished for the summer holidays, she was always alone. She sat next to her feeling guilty and bit her lip wondering if she should tell her.
‘Andrea…I…’ Andrea shushed her, a flash of irritation spreading across her face and held her mobile out briefly to make a point.
Amber mouthed a sorry, but Andrea was too busy talking to one of the elders and waved her away. Feelings of guilt melted instantly and she pulled her own phone out while picking up her bag. Scrolling through the messages in the hallway, she half listened to Claudine and Caro growling.
At least someone needed her; she reasoned and almost jumped when her mobile vibrated.
Andrea would literally kill her if she saw who it was, especially when they had all been warned about having non-totem friends; she had both.
‘Okay…I’m off now. Think I’ll pop into the hospital to see her,’ she said, shuffling a bit before realising that as usual no-one was paying her any attention.
19
Packs
Wrapped in the body of their totem, Seth and Nettles were finally free to follow the ancient Gaia law by allowing their totem to take control. It was a way of integrating with different packs. And tonight, they were on the lookout for any strays that had become confused. It was becoming quite common lately, and they often had to guide them back. For some, it was too late. They had wandered into gardens and were attacked by guard dogs.
Integrating was always risky. By losing, if only for a short time, the reasoning of the human mind, they put themselves in danger. But it was necessary to become accepted.
Seth, whose totem was a silver haired male fox, padded lightly through the woods, a light rain had fallen and he kept his ears alert to the keening cry of the others. Cries, not only distinguish different packs but also warn others that circle the village. Their instinct to feed was roused by a small rabbit that lay on its side with its throat cut, and at first they were wary – it wasn’t a fresh kill. Tucking their tails between their legs, they sniffed, hesitating between fleeing and eating.