Free Poseidia by J.L. Imhoff Page B

stood at the foot of my bed, her arms crossed sternly over her chest.
    “The glass wall opened on its own and I fell through the dome ,” I explained in my defense, before she even said a word.
    “ I know.”
    “How do you know?” I asked, surprised.
    “I sensed your departure when it happened. We all did.” She pulled up the computer menu to the glass wall in my bedroom and typed something.
    “ You sensed it?” I slid my feet over the side of the bed and wiggled my toes, expecting them to change any minute.
    “There are things you haven’t yet learned about us. It will take time to clarify.”
    “That’s what I want to understand. I want the explanations, today.” Reality sank in now that the danger had passed. Lily had a lot of explaining to do.
    She stared out the glass for a long time , seeming preoccupied. “I disabled your wall for now.”
    Figured that much. “What’s wrong?”
    “Everyone knows. The High Council wants to see you. I’m afraid of what they’ll determine.”
    “What do you mean ‘everyone knows?’ Yes, I made a mistake by running away with the dolphin. I’m sorry for it. It was a stupid, emotional, impulsive decision.” I grasped the tooth I’d kept as a souvenir, from under my pillow, and handed it to her. “A tiger shark attacked me. I couldn’t see well—it was so dark.”
    She frowned, only briefly glancing at the tooth. “You couldn’t see? You should have been able to as if it was daytime. I’ll talk to Lucas about that.”
    “You missed the part where I was attacked.”
    “What you did put our whole community in grave danger. You’re too inexperienced. If you had been seen by anyone, we would all be at risk. Not to mention the harm you brought to one of our creatures.”
    “I came back,” I defen ded as a surge of adrenaline shot through my veins. I was seen. Maybe even photographed. Had I ruined my chances here? “Roman said you had to meet with a High Council.”
    “I don’t know what they’ll do,” Lily worried, turning back to stare out the wall. “You’ll have to stay here for now. I’ll come and get you once the High Council has decided what to do.”
    “ What? It’s that serious?”
    “Yes , it is.” She left my quarters then.
    Falling back into the sheets, I dove under the comforting weight of blankets. I wished I could undo what I’d done, but I couldn’t. The tooth Roman had given me was still in my hand, and I enclosed my fist around it tightly. Will they put me in some kind of prison? Or kill me?
    Exhaustion won out and I slipped into a deep , dreamless sleep. When I woke up, Lily was sitting on the edge of the bed.
    “They want to meet with you in a few days. They’re meeting in private first, and will see you soon after to hear your side of the story. This hasn’t happened before, so they want to confer amongst themselves. In the meantime, you’re not to leave the dome. I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you.”
    “Am I a prisoner? ”
    “This is for your safety and ours. You came back. That’s good.”
    “Do you think they are going to throw me out?”
    “I don’t know, but I doubt it. We’ll see. Now, let’s go eat, you must be hungry. They have some fresh fruit down in the common area, and I thought we could have some tea. It’s dusk already.” She held out her hand for me.
    “I slept longer than I thought. Let me clean up first. I need a hot shower.” As I placed my hand in hers to stand, I remembered the brutality of the attack. My hand went to my abdomen , searching for evidence of the bite.
    There was none. Not a mark of any kind. “I don’t understand. I was bitten right here. Shouldn’t there be a scar or something?” The torn dress was piled in the corner, right where I’d left it. I shivered at the memory.
    “Roman healed you —it leaves no scars,” she affirmed. She walked to the closet and took out a new dress for me to wear.
    “Can everyone here do that?” I asked, walk ing to the