Chapter 3: The Tides

Kitty was so awe stricken by the mysterious appearance of Celeste that she didn’t venture outside their hut for weeks. Her mother and father kept trying to get her out, and kept asking her what was wrong. Kitty never answered them. Eventually her parents decided that she must be sick because there’s no other reason that an eight-year-old would choose to stay in her hut all day. For the next two weeks she stayed inside thinking about Celeste.

Eventually she got bored, and ventured back out again. Within days she’d forgotten all about that day in the mausoleum and played freely with her friends again.

The time came when Kitty had grown too old for games, and it was now time to work. That day she awoke, knowing something special was going to happen. In their tribe, nothing was more important than your fourteenth birthday. It was the day when you were officially accepted and thought of as an adult. Kitty ran excitedly to the clothing hut and dressed in her favorite gown, the exact same shade as sunlight. Today she decided to leave her light brown hair down, just to do something different.

It was odd because she felt no older, and she looked no older either. She was just Kitty as she’d always been, and she might as well have still been thirteen. Kitty shook these thoughts from her head and walked up to the kitchen by the lab to see if anyone had started breakfast. No one was there but the researchers. They were bustling around and talking about things Kitty had ignored when learning in the nursery. It was odd, because normally her mother made breakfast for the tribe since she was so good at it, but she was nowhere to be found.

Kitty thought she might be at the beach, so she went to look. No one was there except for Harmony, her mother’s best friend. She was pacing back an forth, kicking up sand. She looked both worried and frustrated.

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“What’s wrong?” Kitty asked.

Harmony said nothing, Kitty assumed she just didn’t hear her, so she spoke louder, “What’s wrong, Harmony?”

Harmony was startled out of her thoughts. ”Kitty, I'm worried about your mother.

“What?” Kitty yelled this time, “Tell me!”

Harmony didn’t stop pacing, “We saw this crate, and she thought it was something important. She said she was just going to swim out real quick and get it, but I told her not to, since the tide was about to pull out.”

“Who are you talking about?” Kitty asked, hoping that she would say it wasn’t her mother, even though she knew it was.

“Your mom.” Harmony said, “Try not to worry, please? She’s a good swimmer, better than anyone I know, she’ll be okay.”

Kitty looked out at the ocean and felt sadness wash over her, “So the tides, they pulled her off?”

Harmony nodded, “She’ll find her way back, I’m almost positive.”

“How can anyone find their way home in an ocean?” Kitty asked.

“Please Kitty, your mother is smart, she’ll be ok. I'm sure of it."

Kitty ran away, angry and upset, she ran to the mausoleum, not knowing what she was looking for at first. Then she realized what was in the mausoleum, Celeste. She knew that she was looking for some of the guidance that Celeste had promised her six years ago.

She breathed heavily, and walked into the mausoleum quietly knowing this was the place to get answers. Eventually she reached the leader’s room.

Kitty was silent for a long time. Eventually she yelled out, “Help me, my mother…she’s gone.”

Noting happened for several minutes, and Kitty was worried that Celeste had never existed, that is was just a dream all along. Eventually Kitty decided she wasn’t going to come, so she began to walk out of the elaborately decorated room. She heard a voice from behind her, "Hello Kitty."

Kitty turned around and saw the tall, ghostly woman.

“Celeste?” She asked.

She nodded, “Yes, it’s me.”

“Why did you take so long I was standing here forever.” Kitty said.

Celeste smiled, “Even spirits have things to do.”

“So my mama, is she okay? Will I ever see her again?”

“Well, tell me what happened first.” Celeste answered.

Kitty was stunned, “You mean, you don’t know? I thought you knew everything.”

“Wisdom and knowledge are two totally different things.” Celeste replied, “So please tell me what happened so I can help you.”

“The tides swept her out.” Kitty answered.

Celeste nodded and thought for a bit before speaking, “She should be alive, as long as she doesn’t fight the current.”

“Current?” Kitty asked.

“Yes,” Celeste answered, “there is a current that starts here, and leads to our original tribe. She’ll end up there.”

“Original tribe? You mean, the one that you and your friends came from, right?”

Celeste nodded.

“How do you know?” Kitty asked, hoping it was true and not just someone’s attempt to calm her down.

Celeste looked around, “The tribe that was here before us, knew a lot about Isola. They carved a map of the whole island, currents and all, on these walls.”

“So I could even find the way to her?” Kitty said hopefully, “If she’s alive, she be there, and the map could show me to her?”

Celeste nodded, “Yes, yes, but you can’t go now, you are just fourteen and you don’t have the resources or support of the tribe, wait until you’re leader.”

“But she’s my mama, I have to go save her.”

Celeste smiled, “And you will, but until then she will be fine with my tribe.”

Worry not, for your mother will be well taken care of in my tribe. She will be welcomed back like a queen, she is the descendant of me and my brave friends who had left to save the island.”

Kitty nodded, a little disappointed, she wanted to know, already curiosity ate at her insides. She had to know what had become of her dear mother. She thanked Celeste graciously and went back to her hut to think and plan. She was going to meet her people, and she was going to be a hero.