Olive Branch Continued

[Snick]

Patrick walked with his brother and Siobhan to the pier and tried ignore how tense the silence was. The few times one of them attempted to say something, it lightened to mood with all the power of an anvil. As they approached the boat dock, Patrick tried again. "This was a good idea, O'Brien, thanks." Even if it felt hopeless. He began loosening the rope of the Hobie Cat automatically, setting the mast in its upright position with skill and precision from years of practice of working as a team with Phrixos.

Phrixos automatically stepped in to help Pat set everything up. When all was ready, he looked to Siobhan, then the little boat, wondering where she could sit. His lap, maybe? Or squished in beside him. But then the boat would be unbalanced. Maybe they could put something in Pat's side to even things out. He scratched his stubble-less chin, trying to ignore the random annoyance he felt at Pat for thanking Siobhan. His mind was a shambles, unfocused and going a mile a minute.

Pratt looked to his brother. "How do you suggest we all fit in there without sinking it?" he asked, knowing his brother's head was not as messed up as his own. "All four of us Pratts could fit, albeit snugly, when we were younger... but now..."

"It's all right. I can wait here . . ." Siobhan said, glancing rather anxiously at the setting sun. It would be dark soon. She didn't want to be alone. That was the one hold over from being kidnapped. She couldn't be alone in the dark. She looked at the boat carefully. It had two narrow hulls, one much more narrow than the other, and a flat heavy canvas sheet connecting the two, and a sail in the middle. The hulls were about 18 feet long. The bigger hull had two places down inside it to sit in. There were ropes and what looked like hand holds along the side. She was suddenly petrified. ''I'll just ask the lighthouse to take me home."

Patrick could see the girl was afraid. "O'Brien, you're from Boston. You must have been on a boat before. Maybe not as small as this one, but it will be all right." He gave her his slay-the-ladies-with-his-dimples smile. "I usually stand most of the time anyway. You get down in my place. I'll stand. No problem. Phrixos and I will be sailing it. You're just along for the ride." And to keep us from killing each other, he added mentally.

He looked at his brother. "That work all right for you?" It was what he had been doing that summer with taking out both his younger siblings. At least Phrixos would be sailing with him. Iris tried to help. Emphasis on the word tried as far as he was concerned, not that he'd tell her that.

"Yeah," Pratt nodded. "That'll do."

His fingers found Siobhan's hand and wrapped gently around it. He knew she didn't like the dark, and attributed her fear to that - not the water or boat. Why would she even suggest sailing if she was afraid of the water? Pratt stepped down into the boat and tried to coax her to join him.

"Everything will be fine, Ginger," the gentle tone and soft expression were things Pat probably hadn't witnessed in years. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Thank you, Pratt," she said, letting him help her into the seat. She looked around for a life vest, knowing the boys probably wouldn't need them, but she would. She wasn't afraid of the boat or the water, but that didn't make her a strong swimmer. She could barely dog paddle. The way the two boys moved together, no one would know they had not been sailing together in a couple years. The security of his hand and the gentleness in his voice did much to calm her and assure her that this might work after all. The sureness of his skill as he put up the sail and controlled the boat reassured her of his confidence. "We can do this," she whispered.

Pat hoisted the main sail and soon the three were off. He heard what Siobhan said, however. It stayed in the back of his mind while they left the dock and moved into the water, catching the wind and tacking out from the shore. "We can do what?" he finally asked. "Is this about more than making up? I am sorry I hit you, Phrixos. I felt awful." Not that he understood what was so bad about kissing Carissa. She wasn't the first witch he'd kissed and she wouldn't be the last.

He nodded and smiled apprehensively to Siobhan. Pratt wanted to kiss her, to seal his promise that everything was going to be okay. But what kind of message would that give Pat? That it was fine for him to kiss girls, but not Pat? The sailing, yes, they could do. But could he get along with Pat? Could he convince his little brother to steer clear of the Skulls? What if he'd already made up his mind? What if they made his mind up for him? The thought wouldn't seem plausible, if it weren't for all the conspiracies surrounding the Legacy.

"It wasn't a pleasant feeling for me, either," Pratt stared forward. "And I'm here to ask you not to join Novus Ordo Secolorum. Making up is optional."

"If we make up, I'll listen," Patrick answered. Why should he be out here just for Phrixos to boss him around about what legacy to join? Now if Phrixos gave a damn about him, then it was worth listening to him. "So what have you got against the Skulls, other than Dad was one?"

"What's it matter to you? Not like you've made any attempt at a truce," Pratt grimaced, pushing the urge to shove Pat into the sea deep down and making an adjustment to the sail. "I don't want you getting in with the wrong crowd, is all, no matter what Dad says. Don't be intimidated by him, because he'll be bluffing. You're his last hope, and he's not going to mess that up over a stupid Legacy. Mikey hasn't been groomed the way we were, and he doesn't want to be. And he'd never hand the company down to Iris, as much as he adores her. He doesn't believe women should be in positions of power."

A quick glance was sent Patrick's way, wondering if he was listening. Should he tell his brother about their suspicions that Glassman had something to do with Siobhan's kidnapping? Could he trust him not to relay the information to their father? A white-knuckled fist held fast to the mast as he turned his head to check on Siobhan, almost expecting to see her face turning green.
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[Snick]

"I'm making the attempt now. And I tried when I was upset and hit you. I just totally messed it up then." Patrick pulled the rope and leaned back, letting the sail fill with wind and propel the boat forward. He looked down at Siobhan who gripped the sides tightly, biting her bottom lip, but looking excited. Good, she liked it.

"It's about more than who my friends might be. Tell me. Does this have something to do with the lighthouse? What are you two really afraid of? I won't say anything to Dad."

"Royally messed it up," he agreed acridly, following up with a grumpy 'hmph'.

"We just have suspicions about the faculty, especially Glassman," Phrixos watched Siobhan for a moment before looking ahead again, hoping Pat was being sincere. "He was quick to get Lorccan out of the dance. Not that Lorccan could have protected Siobhan. From what I have heard, he looked extremely pleased with himself once the darkness powder wore off."

He studied his brother out of the corner of his eye, knowing from witness accounts of that night that Glassman was seen near Pat, Iris, and some of her friends at some point. "We know next to nothing about him. Where he came from, what he did before he worked here," Pratt shrugged. "And then there's Llewellyn. Disappearing after the abduction, claiming to have been searching for her. For all we know, he was the one in the other room, while they were interrogating Siobhan, doing unspeakable things-"

Was that common knowledge now? That a muggle had been tortured and killed that night? That the muggle's freshly severed ear had been placed in her hands, still warm and sticky and smelling of blood? It was still somewhat fresh when she was transported to Pratt's arms. The memory will always be fresh in his mind. The thought triggered the olfactory memory, making his stomach churn. Either way, he didn't finish his sentence, looking a little peaked.

Was he sure his dad wouldn't just disown another son? Someone had to inherit. Patrick wanted it to be him. He wouldn't be like his dad. He wished Phrixos would trust him on that. "You suspect Glassman. Dad trusts him."

He looked at Siobhan. He'd heard rumors of something really bad happening. Her eyes looked back at his, big and green and full. "You don't, Siobhan. Tell me what you honestly believe. I know you don't have proof, but what does your instinct tell you, O'Brien?"

"Patrick, he's dirty. He's in on it. I don't trust him. I don't trust any of the faculty except Castilla completely, but that's on principle, but Glassman, everything in me tells me to keep away. He's in on it. He sent Lorccan away. I think he let the ugly thug into the dance and showed him where to find me. They knew too much about me and Lorccan. Someone told them. Please don't join them, Patrick." Whether he ever spoke to her again or not, she had to save him from those evil thugs, for Pratt's sake.

"Screw Dad," Pratt muttered (filtered, for Ginger), glowering at the salty water gently bouncing off the side of the hull. He probably would've stood there, looking smug right along with Glassman.

A horrible sense of dread filled his gut at that thought. His lungs pushed out and pulled in the air as if it had more qualities akin to the ocean than scent. The sensation of drowning was all too familiar. Forcing his panic-stricken eyes closed, he concentrated on his breathing and hoped it would pass quickly. He could see the mental image even clearer now, his father's gloating grin. Had they noticed? Maybe they were too wrapped up in the conversation that he hadn't even heard.

"I respect you, Siobhan. If you say Glassman is dirty, then I won't add to your worry. You've been scared enough already." Whether or not he believed her, it wasn't worth making the girl more upset. He knew how much his brother cared for her, and well, he liked her. He'd find some other legacy to pledge.

He watched O'Brien breathe out a relieved sigh and whisper a "thank you" almost like a prayer. She had been that worried? What had they done to her? He looked over at his brother, the unspoken question on Patrick's face.

Patrick was looking at him questioningly. Had he been asked something? Pratt's breath quickening a bit more, he made a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders and a tilt of his head. The confusion and anxiety was written all over his face, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He couldn't worry Patrick with his sudden thoughts of their father. There was still the matter of trust, of which Pratt was in short supply where Pat was concerned. His worries would be expressed later, to Siobhan, in private.

She would tell him he was being silly, kiss him gently, and make the anxiety go away. The mere thought helped a little, bringing the slightest of grins to his lips. Phrixos looked furtively at Siobhan, the grin growing into a smirk. Yes, she could fix him right up. Almost forgetting that Pat was even there, he gave the tiniest start as his eyes fell upon his little brother. Pratt's stance was suddenly slouchy, overly-relaxed.

"It's settled then?" he couldn't even bring his gaze to Patrick's face. "And our making up? What is it you're expecting?"

Patrick steadied the rope and looked at his brother, the boy he used to idolize and missed looking up to. "We're brothers. I still have to do things Dad's way . . . but I'm not going to narc on you to Dad. Just because I want to run the family business one day doesn't mean I want to turn into him. I don't. I'm not your enemy, and I'm not Dad's spy."

Patrick leaned back over the water, hanging onto the rope with his feet on the side of the boat and his back just over the waves. "I know we don't have the same friends. I don't expect you to spend all your free time with me, or even most of it. Go ahead and prank me, I get it. But remember I'm on your same side, Phrixos. Sometimes, I need you to talk to. Someday, you might even need me."

"Actions speak louder than words, so prove it," Phrixos said, unconvinced. "And stop that. The water's too cold for me to jump in and save your ass."

The show off. He could do that, but he didn't want to give his girlfriend a heart attack. Again, he looked at Siobhan to check on her. "Alright back there?"

Siobhan sat calmly in the boat, glad to see the boys were talking and relieved Patrick had agreed. His terms seemed reasonable enough, if he meant it, he really wasn't going to spy on his brother for his dad. "I'm fine," she answered automatically, looking out at the water near the opposite hull at a triangle like thing in the waves . . . her heart stopped beating as she realized what it was and it bumped the boat with its nose. "Shark!" She pulled out her wand, ready to point it at anything that got near either Pratt.

[Snick]

Patrick would have thought Siobhan had turned into as big a joker as his brother if he hadn't felt the bump. He quickly stood up and got his backside out from above the water, scanning the waves for the tell-tale dorsal fin of the shark. He finally spotted it. "Do you see it, Phrixos? Can you tell what kind it is? It looks about ten feet long to me. I haven't seen one this close to shore before." He held his wand, the tip lit, scanning the waves to see if it was going to bump the boat again.

"I can't tell, it's too dark out," Pratt craned his neck, squinting. Then Pat lit his wand, but all it did was reflect on the surface of the water. "Something must have lured it in."

Something bloody, since that's what attracts sharks. Maybe the smell of blood wasn't just in his head. While Phrixos looked around for a possible explanation (hopefully something not covered in salty crimson), there was another bump against the side. He stumbled, but held on tightly. Knowing Pat could handle steering and such on his own, he carefully made his way to Siobhan.

"Don't worry," he whispered and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Breaking his promise to keep her safe was not an option.

The shark was acting all the more aggressive, bumping the boat again and again, like it wanted to eat them, and Phrixos was kissing Siobhan's head and telling her it would be all right. Wasn't that sweet. Patrick would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't working so hard to make sure none of them were killed. He tacked the sail and pulled the other way bringing the boat round toward the shore. "Tacking," he said, pulling it again and turning it, as the shark bumped them again. "I could use your weight too, Phrixos." The shark was making him a little anxious, and he would probably need to tack it a dozen more times since they were going against the wind.

Pratt groaned and sprang into action. He wanted to stay with Siobhan, protect her. The boat rocked almost continuously, mostly preventing him from getting anything accomplished. Finally, holding tight to edge of the boat, he whipped his wand out and aimed at the dorsal fin protruding from the water.

"Telumictus!" a magical arrow shot from his wand.

"Good spell!" Siobhan yelled. "I'll be all right. Help Patrick sail the boat. I can shoot arrows at the shark too." Siobhan pointed her wand at the fin, "Telumictus!" She had never tried the spell before, but there was no time like the present. A plastic dart shot out of her wand. She concentrated. "Telumictus!" Now a common bar dart like from the Black thorn pub shot out. That was closer. "Telumictus!" A small arrow shot out of her wand, but it didn't hook in the dorsal fin like Pratt's had, nor was it well feathered. She looked up at him. "I'll get it, but get us back to shore. Telumictus!!!" she yelled angrily. This time an angry green arrow shot clear through the fin, leaving a hole.

It was helping, the arrows. Even if they weren't always arrows and they weren't piercing the shark's fin, they were a distraction. The boat was now steady enough to get the tacking done and move toward shore. That was when, suddenly, Siobhan cast a proper magical arrow that seared straight through the only visible part of the large predatory fish.

As they moved along, it seemed the shark had given up. It was no longer charging the boat. The dorsal fin was nowhere in site. Pratt leaned over, putting one of his hands on his knee, and tried to catch the breath he hadn't realized had gotten away from him. Between ragged panting, he could hear the distinct sound of something moving in water, and it wasn't the smooth motion of the boat. The splashes, the pacing of them, sounded like a person swimming. The breaststroke, perhaps.

"Do you hear that?" he whispered. His eyes were squinted as if he could hear better that way.

Siobhan leaned in and listened. She could hear a person swimming. Someone gasping.
"Damn it!"
She pointed her wand at the water and saw a man in the water. He had blood all over him. Maybe he was who attracted the shark. She screamed. "There's a man in the water! He's hurt." Maybe they could pull him onto that flat stretched part in the middle

Everything in Phrixos screamed to get to land, that it was a trick - a trap. If it was after this man, why did the shark come after the boat? And why hadn't they noticed the man earlier? The closer he got, the louder he was. He was coming from the general area they'd just been in, they should have heard him sooner, passed him as they hurried away. None of this made any sense, and red flags went up in Pratt's mind.

Siobhan wanted to rescue the cursing, sputtering man. He wanted to get to shore as quickly as possible. Pratt's attention turned to Pat, wondering what he wanted to do.

"I think Siobhan scared off the shark. Toss that guy the life preserver and help me sail the boat," Patrick answered, understanding the question on his brother's face. He didn't want the guy on the boat either, and even with him hanging on to the preserver, it would slow them down some, but it would at least calm Siobhan down

"Fine, whatever," Pratt grimaced and threw the life preserver in the direction of the mystery man. If he climbed up and stabbed them to death with his big, pointy hook hand, ate their livers, and left them for fish food in the ocean, it wouldn't be his fault. Much to his surprise, the man turned out to be Dorel Bryson, custodian. What was he doing out in the ocean? Wasn't his houseboat docked in the lagoon? The relief he felt was temporary. Not just because he remembered the only faculty to trust was Castilla, but because the man was ranting and raving - at them.

[Snick]

Rather than grateful, the man seemed more angry as he took the life preserver. That was when Patrick recognized him. He was one of the staff at the school.

Soon he and Phrixos had the Hobie cat nearly to the pier, but the man was no less appeased. In fact, he seemed angrier, and was now directing his swearing mostly at Siobhan.

The custodian climbed onto the dock, his back bleeding profusely. "You worthless kids nearly killed me. I was only trying to keep you from killing yourselves. You had no business going out on a boat after dark." He lay on his stomach, looking menacing and pointing his wand randomly at the three of them as he spoke. "If any of you tell any one what my animagus form is, or even that I am one, I'll see to it that you have permanent spell damage, and I don't give a damn if I go to prison, understood?" He looked to each of them with his dull black, shark-like eyes to make sure they agreed. "All of you have detention with me every Sunday night for six hours for the next six Sundays--four to ten p.m. no excuses. One last thing." He pointed to the two keepers. "You two, get back to the lighthouse as soon as you tie up the boat. You," he said, pointing at Patrick, "get the nurse, tell her to come right away. I don't want anyone else knowing I'm hurt."

Siobhan watched as Patrick took off running for the nurse, muttering his agreement as he ran.

"I won't tell anyone either," she said, climbing out of the boat. She felt horribly guilty, but a part of her, deep inside, wanted to laugh. She couldn't laugh in front of the custodian though. She was the one who had nearly killed him.

"Show me how to tie it off, Pratt." The sooner she got away from here, the better, then she could kiss her boy friend.

"What kind of moron, knowing he's a shark, goes and attacks a boat of students?" Pratt snapped. Seriously, what kind of damage did the man have if he thought it would be a good idea? Of COURSE they were going to attack back, defend themselves.

"Fine, whatever, man," Phrixos watched Patrick run off, then joined Siobhan in docking the cat. "Like this," he showed her how to tie the knot. "Aaaaand, there. It'll do."

She helped him tie off the boat and took his hand. "Lighthouse, get us back home." The beam of light swept them up in yellow warmth and Siobhan wrapped her arms around Phrixos as it pulled them into its tower, right by the light itself. As it pulled them away, she released the laugh she had been holding back, hoping Mr. Bryson didn't hear it.

fin