Rebel by Cheryl Brooks

waterfall.”
    “So the pond is clean enough to swim in?”
    “As long as you don’t mind swimming with a giant turtle and some really big fish.” He chuckled. “The turtle loves company. If you tell Captain to stop up the drain under the waterfall, he’ll come inside and swim with you.”
    She cast furtive glances in all directions. “Do you think it’s safe for me to take a look at it now?”
    After conducting his own visual scan of the area, he nodded. “Sure, go ahead. I’ll, um, keep you covered.”
    Onca led the way with his pistol drawn, unsure whether to stick close to her or stay back so he could keep a lookout. The latter was probably the best option, but for some reason, he was reluctant to do so.
    The pond was shaded by a huge linwayla tree with trailing branches that nearly reached the water, its purple flowers interspersed with palmate leaves. The grassy bank sloped down to the water’s edge from the ring of closely planted tantuth shrubs. Onca opened the gate and ushered her inside. “The shrubs keep the turtle from getting out, and they’re a lot more attractive than a fence.”
    Kim touched the shimmering leaves with a tentative fingertip. “I’ve never seen anything like these before. They look like they’re made of glass.”
    Recalling that same delicate touch on his face, Onca felt his throat tighten. “Yeah. They come from Edraitia. Pretty, aren’t they?”
    “Edraitia?” she echoed. “Never heard of it.”
    “Really? I bet you’ve seen some of the natives. Blue skin and bushy red hair?”
    “So that’s what Peska was! She never told me—wouldn’t say why she was living on the street, either. She liked to draw—that is, when she could find something to do it with. She gave me some clay once. I made all kinds of shapes out of it until it was too dry to play with anymore.” With a wistful smile, she cupped a leaf in her palm. “I really miss her.”
    “Hopefully we’ll find her soon.” If Kim kept saying things like that, Onca wouldn’t wait until she received her share of the trust. He would give her everything he had. In fact, he wanted to do it right now.
    What is wrong with me?
    Shrugging off the odd feeling, he opened the automatic feeder and gave her a handful of fish food. “Here. Toss this in the water.”
    On cue, the fish surfaced and gobbled up every bit of it.
    “Wow. I see what you mean. They’re huge! Can you really swim with them?”
    “Yeah. They nibble at your toes a little, but they don’t actually bite. The pond’s not very deep—you’d be able to touch the bottom.”
    Laughing, she looked up at him, her eyes brimming with mischief. “See? You even have pets for your children.”
    “That’s funny. I thought they were my pets.” Her laughter triggered a slight pang in his chest as he tapped the dispenser for more of the food. “The turtle’s behind you.”
    To her credit, she didn’t scream when she turned around. The turtle crawling up the bank toward her was easily as big as she was and probably outweighed her. “I thought turtles were green, not orange.”
    “Most of them are. This one’s Delfian. They’ve got a lot of weird stuff there.” Not the least of which were the native humanoid females who had eight breasts. “He’ll eat right out of your hand, and he likes having his neck rubbed.”
    Kim held out her hand, and the turtle scooped the food from her palm. “Does he have a name?”
    Onca shrugged. “Not really. I just call him Turtle. The fish are called kalifins .”
    “Are they Delfian too?”
    “No. They’re a species of goldfish from a lake about two hundred kilometers south of here.” He nodded toward the pond. “Check it out.”
    She watched, openmouthed, as the kalifins swam together in perfect unison. After performing several spectacular leaps, they cut through the water with their golden tails fanned out above the surface, then turned on their sides and waved their long pectoral fins. “Did you teach them to