Page 62 of Jewel of the Sea

“I do not know. I assume Jax must have tried, but I do not believe he found any success.”

Aymee removed a stack of folded clothing from the chest and set it aside, reaching back into the container. Near the bottom, her fingers brushed over an unfamiliar fabric, thicker and heavier than the rest. The flashlight’s beam revealed a hexagonal pattern on the dark material. She lifted the garment out of the chest.

It was a PDS — Personal Diving System. Though it appeared small, she knew it would fit almost anyone, regardless of size or body shape. Until Jax had brought the injured Macy to town, the only other such suit Aymee had seen was the one on display in The Watch’s small history museum.

The suit Macy wore had no apparent seams or seals, and none of the tools in the clinic had been able to cut the material. Only through sheer luck had Aymee’s fingers brushed over the small plastic piece on the suit’s wrist, activating the holographic display that introduced her to Sam, the suit’s computer.

He’d been frustratingly cheerful as he opened the suit’s seal, allowing Aymee to peel it off Macy’s feverish body.

Folding the suit over one arm, Aymee glanced into the bottom of the chest, where a clear mask lay.

“Arkon, didn’t you say the computers in these suits can connect to the computer in the Facility?”

“They can. It allows Macy to bypass the entry codes.”

“Do you think it could work on the doors here?” She looked up at him as he approached.

Arkon tilted his head and smiled. Excitement gleamed in his eyes. “I think it is well worth an attempt.”

“Then let’s do it.” She rose to her feet with the suit in one hand and the flashlight in the other.

Bending down, Arkon plucked up another flashlight and turned it on. He ran its beam over the faded painting on the nearby wall and hesitated. “I was hoping to show you this when there was sunlight to see it by.”

Aymee stepped closer and studied the painting. Time had faded its colors, and the paint had peeled, chipped, and flaked away in many places, but she could still make out the people it depicted.

“Even though I know more about how it must have been created than ever before, I find it no less amazing. I puzzled over it for days after Jax first showed it to me. And when I finally met a human and asked how it had been made, she told me she knew someone who could do this.” He turned his head and looked at her. “But this, despite its scale, is nothing compared to what you can do. Even when it was fresh and undamaged, I doubt it would have compared.”

A spark of pleasure lit inside her, and Aymee’s cheeks heated. She tucked the suit beneath her arm and rubbed a finger over the paint. “What were you trying to puzzle out?”

He lifted a hand and gently touched the painting, as well. “I don’t know. How the colors were brought together. How it could look so disjointed up close, but so coherent from farther back. How it could appear alive, despite so many years of damage.”

She glanced at him. “Think of it as...a moment in time. A single moment of motion, of feeling and expression, frozen and forever captured.” Leaning closer to the wall, she traced a fingertip over the colors; they were only blobs and smears so close, but she knew each brushstroke had been deliberate. “Everything in that moment has a shape to it, and those shapes are so familiar that sometimes you only need to imply their presence. Our minds take all those little shapes and fill in the blanks to make something whole.”

Stepping back, she looked at Arkon fully. “It’s just like how the stones you set up on the beach for me implied motion, even though they were still.”

His hand lingered on the wall, but he dipped his head. “So, then...it is a matter of understanding the component pieces and how they relate to each other to create something greater?”

“Yes, and how to use them to communicate what you want to express.”

Arkon dropped his hand and met her gaze. “What do you seek to express when you paint?”

“Life. Beauty. Emotion.”

He smiled. “Then you are truly successful at your craft.”

Aymee chuckled. “We’ll paint together someday.”

“I brought the paints and brushes you gave me. They are in one of the chests.”

“You did?” Anticipation swept through her; she couldn’t wait to create art not just for him, butwithhim, and it would provide an enjoyable distraction from her worries. “Then we’ll be painting together soon. We’re likely to be stuck here for a while, right?”

“Though I cannot deny I am eager to spend the time with you, I am sorry, Aymee.” He reached forward and took her hand in his. “These are not the circumstances under which I had wanted to share this painting with you.”

She turned her hand to fit it over his palm, curling her fingers around his. “Don’t apologize, Arkon. I’m happy you’re here with me, whatever the circumstances.”

He gave her hand a soft squeeze. For a moment, she thought he’d pull away, but he hesitated, maintaining his gentle grip. “We had best get to it before the hour grows much later. I imagine the chance at a relatively warm and dry spot to sleep is too good to forgo.”

Aymee grinned. “This suit better work.”

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