Free Of Water and Madness by Katie Jennings Page A

can onsite.”
    “Don’t worry about it, I’ll go.” Liam placed a hand on his weary father’s shoulder, concern in his eyes. “You don’t look so hot, old man.”
    Lucian sighed, wiping at the sweat that had begun to bead on his forehead. “I didn’t sleep very well, but I’ll be alright.”
    “Stress?”
    “A feeling of dread.” Lucian shook his head, feeling foolish for even saying it. He looked at his son and tried to smile. “Tell you what, you go on down to the Gulf and I’ll let you play hooky for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe you can take that girl of yours out to a late lunch.”
    Liam grinned. “Deal. Now you go lie down, take a break, whatever. When I get back I don’t want to hear that you’ve been working.”
    “Mmm.” Lucian smiled and turned around, preparing to close out his work for a couple of hours, thinking that perhaps a nap would indeed rest his nerves. “Be careful down there, Liam,” he said with his back turned as Liam started to leave.
    “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it,” Liam assured him as he swept from the tower and shut the door.
    Though neither knew it, both father and son felt an abrupt, unnerving shiver run over them the minute the door shut, as if the hollow echoing sound of it foreboded what both of them had been sensing for days.

    When he arrived in New Orleans, the sun had barely begun to rise in the east. He walked along the coastline, enjoying the sultry southern air and the sound of the salty waves coasting to the shore. In the distance he could see the oil rig, lit up with shimmering lights as the crew continued to tirelessly manage the spill. If his father was right, then they had the leak fixed by now, but there would still be more to do in the days to come.
    A lot more, he thought as he glanced down at the water. Though he couldn’t see it yet, he knew oil was floating over the surface of the waves in the distance, and would eventually make it to the shoreline. He would need to test the water and see just how much oil had leaked, and then decide what he could do to help.
    Kneeling down beside the water, he slipped his hand in and closed his eyes, letting the images flood his mind of the spill and the levels of oil currently contaminating the water. Because it appeared that very little had leaked before they had stemmed the flow a few hours before, he let out a relieved sigh, pleased it wasn’t as bad as he had been expecting.
    Glancing at the oil rig with a knowing smile, he set out to help the men even though they would never know what he had done.
    Focusing on the algae below the surface and along the ocean floor, he instructed it to absorb and devour the oil, thus over time cleansing the water. It was really the only way to fix the problem, and would help the humans as they tried to solve it using their own methods.
    When he was finished, he rose to his feet as the sun crested over the horizon, bright and golden. Holding his hand over his eyes to shield them from the light, he watched the oil rig, feeling sorry for the humans onboard. Such things were a liability on the entire area, and many people would be affected before the algae and the humans were able to clear out the spilled oil. But at least he had done his part to help.
    Turning around to head home, he stopped short when he spotted a woman watching him from a few yards away, her long honey blonde curls glowing gold in the sunlight. For a brief moment, it seemed almost as if she were ethereal, with a soft, silvery glow emanating from all around her, thrumming with power and an aura of intensity. But when he blinked, the impression was gone, and all he saw was a human girl, likely around his age, with sun kissed skin and a charming smile.
    “Hi,” she called out, waving to him as she approached. “Did you hear about the oil spill, too?”
    She had a lilting southern accent and pretty blue eyes that fluttered flirtatiously at him. Sensing her intent, he shoved his hands into