Safe.
Sitting with her back against the wall and Jinx brushing against her legs, Tara felt relief flooding through her limbs. She was glad to be away from the crowd of humans. So many of them. Their currents mixed and crossed over each other, roiling through the air with the rising heat. Allie Jo seemed to enjoy this chaos; for Tara, it caused only vexation.
The feeling had crept over her as they entered the downtown area. Not that silly girl, Jennifer; the age of being was coming over her. Tara could sense Jennifer’s blood, hot and rushing. She would have to tell Allie Jo this—the girl was nothing for Allie Jo to worry about.
A slight breeze wandered through the room, carrying the sweet fragrance of the white flowered trees in the lawns below—magnolias, Allie Jo had told her. Their perfume was lovely and intoxicating.
Sighing, she glanced up at the bud partially enclosed by kudzu leaves. She’d thought it to be some kind of wart when she noticed it a few days ago, but now she saw that it had changed. She touched it and something beat against her fingers. Life grew inside! How odd and amazing.
She wondered if she would ever grow accustomed to life on land.
When the bus had returned them to the hotel, people streamed in, like fish going downstream. Chase asked her what was wrong, but she couldn’t explain; she herself was too perplexed.
Men and women bumped into her, some looking back to say excuse me, others moving on slowly, like sea cows.
She felt confused, lost—too many sensations. Following Allie Jo’s lead, she had taken a seat in the Emerald Dining Room and they had lunch with Allie Jo’s mother.
“This spinach is quite good,” Tara had said. She ate something called a salad. “Like kudzu,” she added.
A brief look of confusion crossed Mrs. Jackson’s face. Then Allie Jo started laughing. “You are so funny,” she said, but her eyes carried a warning.
Tara longed for this lunch to be over. Mrs. Jackson asked many questions: “Where are you from?” “How’s Melanie doing?” and even worse, “Your mom and dad let you come by yourself?”
Tara guarded her words, lest she become ensnared. Still, the woman seemed delighted when Allie Jo announced that Tara helped with the signs and would continue to help throughout the festival.
“It’s a madhouse,” Mrs. Jackson declared, yet the face she wore was one of glee.
Tara despaired of ever truly understanding humans.
Today had been very hot, hot enough to make sweat come out of her skin. Yet she’d had pleasure in being outside and in receiving the new clothes Allie got her. One was a bathing suit, stretchy with skinny straps. Such flimsy skin would never work in the seas, but here in the springs, it would be perfect.
Tomorrow, they would help Chef arrange platters. Shrimp cocktail. Tomorrow would be good. She could hardly wait.
For now, she was drained. She closed her eyes and snuggled into the beanbag, pulling Jinx onto her lap. Jinx purred, soft tendrils of sound that encircled her like a warm, rolling fog. It was not long before sleep took them both.