Page 36 of For the Strange and Surprising

“The bugs?”

“Yes, the bugs. She wanted your attention, and now that she knows how to get it, that’s how she will appear to you.” Isolde delicately lifts her right shoulder. “But she’s also the reason for your changes in behavior.”

Okay. Now I’m thoroughly confused and entertained. “How? Why?”

“I can’t explain how, because I still don’t entirely understand how she works. Why, though? That’s a little more straightforward. She wants you to stay—to want to stay—and she’ll do what she can to keep you here. She doesn’t have malicious intent behind it, but there is still intent there.

“Spiran handpicked you, pulled you from Earth, and chose the tribe that best fit your attributes. When you arrived, your mind and body were in shock. That made you vulnerable to suggestions, which is why I didn’t want to drop everything on you at once. I wanted you to meet the people and explore before you made your decision.”

“Are you saying that I can go home, Isolde?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know, Ada. I chose to stay. I had nothing good to live for on Earth. Spiran offered me a new beginning, a place to call home, people who genuinely care for me. But I came from a different time. This decision might not be so easy for you to make.

“I’ve seen people choose the opposite, say that they want to return. They sail to the island that surrounds us, and from there, I don’t know what happens.

“Spiran has said that she and her sister have an agreement of sorts. We reside atop light—life. Across our ocean is darkness—death—and she promised to deliver visitors from Earth back to their home. I think we both know that promises can be warped to fit one’s needs, though.”

The implications… If Spiran brings life, then her sister takes it? Would I have to die here to return home? And if I did die here, is there any way to guarantee that I would make it back to Earth? Or would I be truly dead?

I don’t want to think about the weight of that decision while I’m not alone. Changing the subject will temporarily cleanse my mind and give me something else to focus on.

“So, Spiran is pulling my strings, causing me to act out of character?” The disbelief in my voice isn’t very subtle.

“I’m not an expert, Ada, but my educated guess is yes and no.” She straightens the utensils on the table in front of her. “Some of your thoughts and reactions come from her, some are your own, and some come from your element.”

“I’m sorry,” I splutter. “Can you explain that?”

Isolde flashes her coy smile. “For example, the attraction could be any or all of the options at once. You could be feeling plain old lust. Spiran could be urging you closer to potential matches. Your element is still far from maturity, but it could sense one who has near equal power to what you could have.”

“Yes,” I drawl. “I know what lust is, and I guess I could understand where Spiran would use that as a tactic. But explain the element part, please.”

“The Mongrels are water elementals. Have you not seen—”

“No. What?”

She grimaces. “This might be too much for today?”

“Well, you have to tell me now, Isolde. What do you mean by water elemental? Like… You control water with your hands?” I shake my head, patting the air with my left hand. “Wait. That’s not the right question. How do you control water?”

“With my whole being, Ada.”

Isolde swirls her finger, and water rises from the glass in front of me. She laces her fingers together, resting them on the edge of the table as the liquid dances. It forms a perfect sphere; then, it resembles a fountain. The drops get inches from touching me before they circle back to join the floating orb.

“I represent water, and so do the Mongrels. Not everyone can manipulate the elements, but we all have a tie to them.”

As she funnels the water back into the glass, I stick my finger in it just to make sure it's real.

“This is insane. You know that, right?”

“So I’ve been told.” She giggles, her grin telling of how much she enjoyed her show.

But I am ridiculously aware of how… strange all of this is. I can’t think of a proper reaction outside of clenching my jaw and shaking my head until my neck begins to ache.

“Why would Spiran pick me?”

I have nothing to offer.

“That’s something I can’t answer for you. No one can, except for you.” She glances over my shoulder before lowering her voice. “I’m sure the revelation will sweep you off your feet when you figure it out.”