Zadie slipped out of the infirmary. She and Star, Opal, and Amber tiptoed down empty hallways, past closed doors, careful not to create unwanted attention. She was still weak and grateful for friends to help her back to her room.
“Where’s Halo?” she asked.
“We don’t know,” Star began.
“Jet and Koze put you on the stretcher, and the medics took you to the infirmary in an air van,” Opal continued.
“Another airboat brought us to the infirmary. Jet and Koze went back to search for her. They’re still gone.”
“It’s my fault.” Zadie sank down to the floor in tears. She was happy the sisters were here, gathered round and telling her not to worry. They even promised to stay with her all night.
“I need to tell you the truth about the accident. Annie caused my drum to fall off the float at the festival parade. Later that night I found a warning note on my pillow. She wanted my Shell Drum song to use as her gift on Birth Day. I refused to give it to her, and then she threatened to report Jet for breaking the rule of going past the Star Points. She saw him, and she even has evidence.” Zadie told the story quickly, hoping she could refrain from crying. She didn’t deserve their friendship after putting them in jeopardy.
She saw the stunned look on their faces.
“We know about Jet, too.” Star broke the silence.
“Oh, no! He gave you the shells and the starfish, didn’t he?”
“Yes, he gave them to us, and we used them to decorate the gown Annie plans to wear for the Birth Day,” Opal told Zadie.
“We made her a matching tiara, too,” Amber added.
“We did what she wanted because we didn’t want anyone to know where we got the shells,” they answered in one voice.
“But there is more to the story.” Zadie began pacing the floor.
“Then, after the parade I told her I would give her the music. I let her tape it, too, believing the choir planned to use it. I even wrote words for the music. I was afraid and mad at her, too. That evening, after dinner, I told her I’d changed my mind and she could not use my music because it belongs to me. I wrote it to be my gift to the angels. I accused her of trying to steal my talent. She laughed at me, said it was too late.”
Zadie collapsed on her bed.
“Now the worst has happened. Annie will tell Angel Vesta about Jet, and now poor Halo is missing. She didn’t know anything about the threats. It’s all about the shells and my music.”
“Do you think?” Amber asked.
“That’s why Annie wrecked our raft?” Opal added.
“Because she intended to use your music?” Star chimed in.
“And our jewelry?” They spoke as one person, again.
“I wish I’d given her my stupid music in the beginning” Zadie confessed to her friends. “Maybe none of this would have happened,” Zadie confessed to her friends.
She reached out to them, and they huddled together and wept.
“Let’s stay together, tonight,” Star suggested.
“I’ll bring our pillows and blankets.” Amber hurried out of the room to get them.
“I’ll help. We’ll have a pajama party.” Opal held the door for her sisters.
Zadie moved things around so they could make pallets on the floor with pillows and blankets. Shadows fell across the room as the suns slipped below the horizon. A pale half-moon played hide-and-seek in the clouds, casting an occasional beam through the high triangular windows.
“You awake?” Zadie whispered.
Three voices muttered, “Uh-huh,” in unison.
“Do you think Jet and Koze will find her?”
“They’ve been gone for a whole day. Do you think that means they’ve found her?” Star spoke.
They lay in silence pondering the question in silence.
“What if Jet gets turned back?” Zadie asked.
“He won’t,” three voices answered.
“He might. He broke the rules. That’s what Annie said. His secret place is off-limits, past the Star Points, she has proof.” Zadie repeated the threat.
“That’s where he found the shells and starfish for our jewelry,” Star added.
“And my drum, too,” Zadie told them. “He calls it his secret place. I followed him one day, but he disappeared behind some bushes, and I couldn’t find him. I’m pretty sure it’s past the Star Points.”
They sat together in silent misery, each contemplating her guilt.
“Do you think the Guardian angels can hear us?” Zadie asked.
“I’m pretty sure they do,” Star answered.
“Let’s ask them to help,” Amber said.
“How do we do that?” Opal asked.
“Well, Angel Vesta says they’re with us all the time. I think they probably report everything to God,” Zadie told them.
“Yes. That makes sense.” Three heads nodded in agreement.
“Do you think they would listen to us?” Zadie propped herself up on an elbow.
“Let’s ask them to save Halo.”
“And to help Jet and Koze,” Amber, Opal, and Star said together.
They lay on their stomachs and joined hands to form a circle of four in the middle of the room. Clouds moved across the moon, masking the view with a curtain of darkness.
“We should close our eyes and hold hands,” Amber instructed.
“Ask the angels to help us,” Star added.
“Guardian angels, if you can hear us, please let Koze and Jet find Halo. Please let her be alive and okay. Please let them all come back safely,” Zadie started the prayer, her voice trembling with emotion.
“Please let her fly up,” Star said.
“Please let Jet and Koze be okay, too,” Amber added.
“And please let Jet fly up. He didn’t mean to break the rules,” Star said.
“He only wanted to help us make our gift special,” Opal told them.
“We ask the angels to please listen to us. We’re sorry Halo got hurt. She’s innocent. She didn’t know anything about Jet helping me, or Amber or Opal or Star. She saved my life. Amen.” Zadie sobbed.
“Now, let’s all ask our own Guardian angels to help,” Star said.
“We don’t need to talk out loud. I’m pretty sure they can hear us even if we can’t hear each other,” Zadie added.
The four girls held onto each other, their fingers entwined, pouring out their silent prayers until they exhausted themselves and finally slept.
~ ~ ~
Four girls, their hands still joined, woke to the joyous sound of tower bells ringing to announce the first day of Birth Day presentations. Zadie stood up first then watched the triplets rise in unison. She reached out to hug her friends.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be together,” Star told her.
“Let’s meet back here in half a bell. Okay?” Zadie asked and waved bye to the three blond heads bobbing as they hurried to their room.
Zadie showered, washed her hair, combed it into a wet ponytail, and tied it with a purple scarf. She carefully took her new lavender skirt and blouse and hung them on hangers in a carrying bag for tonight’s group gift presentation. She’d spent almost half the year’s pinfeathers to buy the outfit for tomorrow night’s presentation.
Her request to be part of a group had not been answered, but she wanted to be ready if it was granted. Her new outfit matched the color of the water in the base of her shell drum. Now it didn’t seem to matter. No one would see the drum or the skirt.
Annie already had the tape, and Zadie would let her sing the words she’d written. She no longer needed the words. Now, the only thing she wanted was for Jet and Halo to return safe. Her heart sank at the thought of giving her gift to Annie instead of to the angels. She ran her hand over the worn pages she had written so carefully and pressed them close to her heart. Now, “The Shell Drum Song” had a new name. “Annie’s Song.”
“Angels, if you can hear me up there, please understand. This music is really for you.” She lifted her head and spoke to the sky beyond the skylight.
~ ~ ~
The triplets had always enjoyed choosing their outfits together. They’d always selected ribbons for their hair, shoes, bracelets, rings, and lockets to match for every event. Today they dressed in silence, moving like robots. They put on everyday jeans and tops, tied their hair in tails, and forgot about jewelry. When they looked at each other’s bloodshot, puffy eyes, they knew exactly how they looked without the confirmation of a mirror.
Identical sea-green dresses bordered with pink beaded rosebuds laid across their beds. A wide sash of pink ribbon circled the waistline and cascaded down the back in a stream of tiny beaded strips. Pink leggings and matching slippers completed outfits now fitted into three identical carrying bags.
“We need.” Star blinked.
“To smile,” Amber said.
They pasted on fake smiles and watched Opal take a long blue silk dress from the closet. It was a dress fit for a fairy princess. Tiny blue shells sparkled around the collar and cuffs of the sheer sleeves. The ankle-length skirt billowed from a V-shaped waist. A box containing matching shell earrings completed the outfit.
“It’s still our gift.” Star folded the dress carefully into a tissue-lined box.
“The angels will know,” Amber told them.
“Everybody who knows us will know.” Opal closed the box and stuffed it under her arm.
“Ready?” Star asked. “Let’s find Zadie.”
~ ~ ~
The outdoor amphitheater was built on a knoll above the Dolphin Sea. A great shell-shaped canopy sheltered the stage, dressing rooms, storage areas, and prop rooms. An orchestra pit formed a semicircle around the base of the stage. Curved seating faced the stage, offering a spectacular view of the sea behind. The venue was built to feature plays, concerts, dance recitals, and occasional performances by students or an occasional entertainer from one of the other villages.
Shiny stars twinkled against the dark-blue stage curtains. A lectern carved in the shape of a feather stood on stage right. Students who elected to present their talents as part of a group were scheduled for morning and afternoon performances. The two evening performances would feature individual talent gifts.
Zadie, Star, Opal, and Amber filed in and took their assigned seats. They’d each sent requests to the program professor asking for permission to present their gift with a group. So far, they had not received an answer. If their request was denied, they would simply have to present a lesser gift at tonight or tomorrow’s performance.
Zadie found two empty seats on their row to save just in case Jet and Halo made an appearance. She whispered to her friends, “Let’s ask the angels one more time.” They closed their eyes, squeezed their hands together, and sent another prayer to God and their Guardian angels.
Angel Vesta’s clear musical voice rang out from the stage. “Happy Birth Day. Today we give thanks to God for our talents and offer these talents as gifts to the angels who watch over us. Let the contest begin!”
~ ~ ~
Jet hoped the ABC was secure on the strip of gray-sand beach.
Koze lay like a big toy sprawled across the back seat of the ABC. The beach curved around the deep basin of the Dolphin Sea. Mangroves grew in clusters at the water’s edge, merging into the dark tangle of trees and jungle lining the beach. Vines wound through the roots and grass, curling around and choking the trees supporting them.
Jet got out of the ABC, searching the rough waters, hoping for a glimpse of Gamy. Why did Gamy bring and leave them here? This appeared to be a deserted cove, probably with no fresh water or food. Koze was out of commission until they could get back to White Feathers, and he still hadn’t found Halo.
He kicked the sand with his boot, shoved his hands into his pockets, and meandered toward the cliffs. He thought about tonight’s celebration and his dream to present a painting. He wanted to give the angels his best one, the one of the suns shining down on the glass dome of White Feathers Academy.
Jet fell to his knees and prayed to his Guardian angel, “If you can hear me up there, please help me. I know it was wrong to go past the Star Points. I jeopardized Zadie and the triplets’ chances to fly with you and all the other angels. I love them. I never intended do something to hurt them. Please help me find Halo and get Koze back to White Feathers and Angel Vesta. If I don’t get back soon, Koze might rust, or disintegrate, or do whatever broken androids do. Thank you for listening to me. Please ask God to listen to me, too.”
He’d started off breaking one rule then another, and another—the chain seemed endless. Now he’d probably be sent to another village, or turned back, and he didn’t know what that meant. He’d never see Zadie again. Maybe he’d fade away or be sent to another world, maybe even Earth. Halo had lived on a place called Earth before she came here. He didn’t know anything about Earth, or anywhere else for that matter. He and Zadie had come to the first village together and had been together since they were babies. He wanted to get back to White Feathers, and beg Zadie not to be mad at him. He had to get Koze back to Angel Vesta. He had to do it, somehow.
Jet watched the suns cross each other directly above him. Twelve bells, lunchtime, but he wasn’t hungry. A crab dashed sideways, away from his foot, toward the water. A sand dollar slid beneath the sand, making bubbles as it buried itself. He was afraid. He remembered the day in the cave, the mushy ground oozing around his feet, the biting insects, and damp rock walls. It was the same inner warning all over again, just like that fateful day he discovered the spotted berries. He had crossed the stream dividing his caveworkshop from the jungle where the berries grew. The same day, he swam across the flooding stream, praying to survive and promising never to enter the jungle again.
He heard a barking noise. The sound came from deep in the jungle, near the edge of the cliffs. Jet crept along the beach and the jungle, moving slowly toward the cliffs. There was no sign of life except biting insects.
He dropped to a crouch behind a clump of seagrass. Something or someone moved near the bottom of the cliffs. He froze, holding his breath, afraid to move. Then a big golden animal lunged through the grass, running directly toward him. He grabbed a branch from the closest bush, ready to defend himself against whatever was out there.
Midas appeared out of nowhere, leaped on top of him, knocking him down, licking him in the face, rolling with him in the sand. Then a person with a mop of curly red hair and wearing a dirty purple swim tank jumped on top of them. They rolled together in the sand. Tears and exclamation of joy and a few happy growls confirmed their discovery of each other.
“How did you find us?” she asked before giving them another hug and without waiting for Jet to tap out an answer. Suddenly another person, a much smaller person, ran out of the bushes yelling at all of them.
“Well, it’s about time somebody showed up.” Dr. Leaf was so happy he didn’t even try to scowl at them.
They sat cross-legged in the sand, telling each other with sign language, lip reading, and link messaging their survival stories. Jet told them about the fish named Gamy and how it could communicate with Koze. He told them about Koze’s loss of power and how the ABC was marooned in the rocks until Gamy managed to free the boat and led them here.
He got Halo’s attention the minute he mentioned Koze.
“He’s here with me, in the ABC on the beach. The only thing I know to help him is to get him to White Feathers. Angel Vesta will know how to have him repaired.”
“Did Gamy have one blue and one purple eye?” Halo asked.
“He did. He communicated with Koze and promised to lead us to the starfish girl. You must be the starfish girl.” Jet tapped the information on his link.
“He called me the starfish girl?” She received a smile and nod in reply.
“I wish Gamy would lead us back to White Feathers.” However, it seemed like wishful thinking on her part.
“We’ll get back.” Jet’s dark eyes flashed with determination.
“The big fish, Gamy, brought me here. Then it came back to bring me wishberries to eat. I still have some. Are you hungry?”
They sat on the beach, sharing wishberries with each other and Midas, too, and made plans to explore the jungle. They needed to find a way back, even if Gamy didn’t come back to help them. Midas paced back and forth, his tail wagging, exercising his newly healed paw. Dr. Leaf had already gathered as many wishberries as he could stuff in his apron pockets.
“Did you know the shells here are like the ones you found in the cave? My starfish necklace glows here even in the daytime.” Halo moved it to demonstrate.
“Did you know they wiggle when they’re alive? Mine glows at night. I’d like to take some back to White Feathers with us.”
“I don’t want to break any more rules. Let’s leave the shells where we found them.” Finally, he smiled, teasing her, and added, “Except your necklace and the glow-in-the-night shell.”
“Where did you find shells?” Jet asked as they approached the airboat.
“Here.” She pointed along the gray-sand beach. “They wash in with the tide.”
“I think I know this place,” Jet tapped, and then Midas began growling and barking.
“He wants us to follow him.” She jumped up, dropping empty branches from her lap.
Jet raced ahead, following Midas through tangled vines to a dead-end heap of moss-covered stones. She ran close behind him, and Dr. Leaf followed.
“It’s only rocks. Midas, I thought you found something.” She put her hands on her hips, pretending to scold him.
But the big dog got behind her and nudged her forward.
“I don’t want to play. Now stop it.”
He pushed against her again, causing her to stumble and nearly fall into the gap between the rocks. Midas paced back and forth, sniffing the ground where the two boulders seemed to overlap. He led the way, urging them with barks and wagging to follow him.
The overlapping rocks hid a narrow path winding down into a dim cavern. Light sifted through the trees, casting eerie shadows on the damp walls. Midas squeezed in and out of the opening, barking encouragement.
Jet knew this place. It had not changed since the terrible day he discovered it. He needed to warn her. He couldn’t let her go any farther into the cave. He remembered everything about it vividly, especially the swamp and the daily flooding of the stream running through the cavern. He still had nightmares about the undertow pulling him down and the slimy things crawling through the mire. This was the place where the spotted berries, the glittering shells, and the danger lurked. She ran ahead with Midas into the darkness of the cave.
He needed to get her attention and stop her from going deeper into the cave. He picked up a rock, threw it against the stone wall, and hit the alarm on his wrist link to activate flashing red lights and the sound of a siren. His mind screamed stop, even though it might be their only chance to go home.