Cerulean (One Thousand Blues) by Anna Kyss

is exactly what I need right now. “What do you think?”
    “You came to meet me. Was that allowed by your authorities?”
    I shake my head. “I try my hardest not to listen to the Authority.”
    “Well that answers my question, I guess.” Jesse grins. “Next thing I know, you’ll be biking down from here.”
    “In the waters, there is no such thing as… fun .” I try to explain. “I did take risks, but I needed to, to fight off the apathy.”
    “I’ve heard that underneath, people get really down.”
    How? How do these islanders know so much of underneath, when we knew nothing of them? “Who did you hear that from?”
    Jesse’s eyes widen. He opens his mouth, then closes it again. “Well, I… Captain told me.”
    The black-haired woman from the landing approaches. “Jesse, our kin are hard at work while you relax here. Remember the day.”
    He jumps up and joins the cooking crew. The woman remains, looking me over from head to toe. “I don’t believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Rachel.”
    “Chey.” At her continued stare, I add, “Chevrolet.”
    “Hmm. Different.” Rachel watches as Jesse stokes a fire that the meal steams over. “Jesse is my son.”
    The trail of walkers slows, and the last few people in line appear: mothers hold infants and toddlers; an elderly woman ambles with a stick in each hand for balance; and a group of children walk hand-in-hand.
    “If you’ll excuse me, I must prepare for this evening’s ceremony.” Rachel disappears into the growing crowd.
    Activity buzzes all around. People laugh and talk and greet one another. I sit and watch. The children run around and play a game, trying to poke each other with a single finger. Someone brings a chair for the older woman and helps her settle into it. We threw around the word community underneath, but watching these islanders, I see for the first time what community really is.
    Jesse’s mother raises a large bell and hits it three times. The group sinks to the floor, in a circle, surrounding the silverswords. There must be nearly one hundred people gathered together. Jesse crouches on my right side, while Captain sits on my left. Sydney and Danny snuggle close on the other side of the circle.
    “Sacred Sunday.” Jesse’s mother moves to the center of the circle.
    “Sacred Sunday,” the circle calls back, in unison.
    “We gather here to honor the House of the Sun, our protector during the darkest hours. Without this sacred spot, all would be lost.”
    Everyone in the circle leans forward until their mouths hover over the ground. Captain’s hand on the back of my neck encourages me to do the same. At the sound of the chime, they kiss the reddish soil. I quickly imitate the motion.
    Another man steps into the circle. He wears an odd device, a thin semi-circle of wood with a glistening string holding it together. On his other hip is a pouch; long sticks topped with feathers stick out. “We gather here to honor the Nene. Without the goose’s sacrifice, our kin would not have survived.”
    The circle lifts their arms to the sky in one fluid movement. At the sound of the chime, their fingers imitate wings flying through the sky. I copy once more.
    A younger woman, dark hair flowing over her tan skin, enters the circle. “We gather here to honor the silversword. This rare plant serves as an example for how to survive, even when there are few of your kind remaining.”
    She walks over to Sydney and embraces her. Sydney hugs back, then wraps her arms around Danny. Danny releases her, then turns to the person on his other side. One by one the hug spreads around the circle. Before I realize what is happening, Captain engulfs me in his bulky arms. I stiffen, unsure how to respond.
    “Your turn, li’l mermaid,” he whispers in my ear.
    I face Jesse and hesitate for a long moment. I was so angry with him, but up here, the feeling of community spreads. And he did begin to share answers. Slowly, I reach out. Jesse