Free Uncharted by Tracey Garvis Graves Page A

“Thanks.”
    “Be careful,” I said. “The reef sharks won’t bother you, but there’s no telling what else you might encounter. Just pay attention, okay?”
    “All right, mate. I will.”
    Calia and I watched him enter the water. Soon he was swimming toward the reef. I shielded my eyes from the sun with my hand. “It shouldn’t be too much longer,” I said.
    “Until what?” she asked.
    “You’ll see.”
    We didn’t have to wait long before I saw the first fin. Calia saw it, too, because I heard her sharp intake of breath.
    “What is that, Owen?” Panicked, she looked toward the reef where James was snorkeling, ready to yell at him to get out of the water.
    “It’s okay,” I said. “It’s a dolphin. Keep your eye on that fin. There will be three or four more any minute.”
    “Look!” she said when the rest of them surfaced in the lagoon.
    “Come on,” I said. I started walking toward the shore.
    She followed me. “Will they leave if we get in the water?”
    “No. You’re going to love this.”
    She was fascinated, just like I knew she would be, and even James took off the fins and mask long enough to meet them. I showed them how to gently stroke their stomachs when they turned over onto their backs, and catch a ride by holding onto their fins. Calia laughed when they splashed her. “Do they come every day?” she asked.
    “Usually twice. Once in the late morning and once again in the afternoon. I feel bad when I’m not here, because they never miss a visit,” I said. “They’re the friendliest animals I’ve ever encountered.”
    When the dolphins left—as abruptly as they’d arrived—Calia and I swam in the lagoon for a while. I glanced at the sky and knew it was lunchtime by the position of the sun. “Are you getting hungry?” I asked.
    “A little,” she said.
    “Do you like fish?”
    “Sure.”
    She stood next to me in the water after I retrieved my fishing pole from the house and threw out my line. While we were waiting for a fish to bite I said, “The name Calia. It’s unusual.”
    She rolled her eyes. “My mum named me.”
    “I’ve never heard it before.”
    “It’s derived from the medieval Greek name Kaleas, which means ‘good or beautiful person.’”
    I stopped watching my fishing line long enough to look over at her. “Your mom chose well, because it’s a perfect name for you.”
    This time there was no mistaking the flush on her cheeks. She looked over at me, smiled, and said, “Thanks, Owen.”
    •   •   •
    James had enjoyed meeting the dolphins, but as soon as they left he was right back out at the reef. I had to yell at him to come in after I’d caught enough fish for our lunch.
    “What’s your story, Owen?” James asked while we were eating. “Calia said you’re from California and that you’ve been here a whole year already.”
    “No story. Just felt like getting away,” I said. “I go back to the mainland often enough that I’m never really bored.”
    “But don’t you have a job? How do you afford the supplies then, mate? And the seaplane?”
    “James,” Calia scolded. “Don’t be nosey.”
    “It’s okay,” I said. I turned toward James. “I planned ahead. Set some money aside. I can leave anytime.”
    “So you just left everything behind and came here?”
    “Pretty much.”
    I’d been thinking a lot about what I might want to do next. I’d considered and then discarded half a dozen ideas. Nothing seemed interesting enough to convince me to start making plans. But going home to California hadn’t even made the short list.
    “I’m going for a swim,” Calia announced. “Come with me, you lazy boys.”
    I was feeling a big sluggish after our meal, and apparently so was James. I wasn’t surprised; I’d never seen someone eat so much in one sitting. Something told me he wasn’t quite done growing yet.
    “I’ll join you in a few minutes, as soon as my stomach settles,” he said.
    “Same here,” I echoed. She