Page 112 of River
“Yes, just for a few weeks.”
“Oh, I thought you meant that you were moving back.”
“No. I’m involved with different wildlife preservation programs, and I’ve been asked to come and speak to the sharks.”
Silence fell around the table.
Charles swallowed his food before asking, “I’m sorry, but did you say sharks?”
“Yes. They’re having problems at the moment. There have been several attacks on people, and I’ve been asked to mediate.”
I could see the Robertson family exchanging looks.
“Forgive me, Fleur, but how would you speak to the sharks exactly?” Liv asked in a polite voice that still revealed that they were questioning Fleur’s sanity. “It sounds dangerous.”
“Do you have to swim with the sharks to talk to them?” Saffron asked. She was the only one who didn’t seem to question that Fleur could communicate with animals.
“No, telepathy works over great distances, so I simply have to connect to the collective shark consciousness in that area.”
“If it works over great distances, couldn’t you just do it from here?” Maximum asked.
“I could, and I have, but it’s been years since I’ve been back, and I’d very much like to see my parents and friends again. The invitation seemed like a good time for me to go back to my roots for a few weeks. There’s a safari park where the owner has asked for my help. He’s offered to pay for my plane tickets, and while I’m there, I’ve promised a friend to teach. It’s pro bono work to help him raise money for his wild cat sanctuary.”
“When are you going?” Maximum asked.
“In May. I would have gone sooner, but some of my parents’ work will be exhibited in a gallery in Cape Town this May, and I know it would mean a lot to them if I came.”
“Are your parents painters?” Liv asked.
“No, they’re photographers.”
“Can I come?”
Fleur turned her head and looked at Maximum with surprise. “You want to come to South Africa with me?”
“It sounds amazing. I’ve traveled so much but never been to South Africa, and I want to know what the sharks have to say.”
“South Africa is a beautiful country, and I recommend you go, but I…”
“Please?” Maximum’s face was intense, and he’d turned his body to Fleur. “It sounds like an adventure that I don’t want to miss. I promise not to drive you crazy with my questions.”
“I doubt you can stop yourself,” she answered with a tug of her lips.
“River can tell you I’m a fun traveling companion.”
“He is,” River supported her brother. “But Max, aren’t you going to an orphanage this year?”
“I haven’t committed to anything yet. I was thinking about trying something new for a change. There’s this place in Brazil where they’re planting trees, but South Africa was always high on my list of places to go to, and to travel with someone local would be a major bonus.”
“Some of the places I visit have primitive accommodations,” Fleur said as if that would scare Maximum off.
He gave her anoh pleaselook. “The past six years, I’ve lived half the year volunteering in some of the poorest orphanages in the world.”
“Really?” She tilted her head. “That’s great, but I’m not talking about poor places as much as camping. We’ll be out in nature for days with no access to bathrooms.”
“Then what do you when you have to pee?” Saffron asked.
“We go behind a bush,” Fleur said matter-of-factly.
