Nita finds herself in a dangerous position when her charge catches a glimpse of her. She must choose between saving herself from Zuri's wrath and saving her charge. READ THE EPISODE »
Jabir was smaller than Nita had expected--much smaller. It was her first time seeing a Payeh up close, but even from a distance, she could tell the young boy was small for his age. Like all male Payeh, the wings trailing behind him were golden with blue and green plumes of decorative feathers decorating the gold. His skin was the same electric blue that appeared in the rings embellishing her tentacles and white skin appeared across his green eyes like a mask. The young Payeh seemed content to chase a small, furry, animal through the sand while the other Payeh took to the skies.
Nita sighed. There was nothing interesting about watching the young Payeh running in circles. She wondered, again, why he was so important as she settled into a hiding spot behind two large boulders. Just when she thought she would fall asleep from boredom, Nita heard a splash.
"What is he doing?" Nita whispered.
Peering over the boulder, Nita witnessed the young payeh struggling to swim in the rushing waves of the water. With each stroke of his arms, his wings became confused, stroking in awkward positions and throwing him off balance. Nita chuckled to herself, remembering her first attempts to swim in storm waves. She understood why he was struggling to fly--clearly this youngling did not have full control over his wings.
Jabir didn't give up though; he struggled and struggled, while Nita looked on until his body began to tire. When his legs and arms stopping paddling, the large wings collapsed around him and she began to sink.
"Get up!" Nita hissed. "Come on! Get up!" As the boy's body continued to fall beneath the waves, Nita panicked. Really? On the first day?
Nita debated going to rescue the boy. She wasn't supposed to be seen and actually saving the boy would definitely put her at risk of being seen, but she couldn't let him drown--not on the first day. As a wave devoured the last of his body, Nita kicked off from the boulder like a torpedo, diving into the heart of the ocean toward her charge. It only took a second to reach the boy and even less to grasp the boy in her arms.
The wings were soft--even wet--and heavy. Nita let the water carry the weight as she lead the boy back to the coast. Struggling to push him on shore, Nita lifted her on body into the sand for leverage. The sand stung her tentacles but she kept pulling. When most of his body was safely on shore, she let go and sighed.
His eyes were still closed and his body unmoving
"Wake up," Nita cooed as she shook him gently.
Jabir's green eyes jerked open and Nita leapt in to the water with a splash. He sat up gingerly, blinking his eyes and looking around. "Wait! Come back--I want to thank you."
"Zuri is going to kill me." Nita muttered.
