Caregivers Clan: Sisters 1

“No,” Kaimana vigorously shook her head, “I’m not going in there.”

Furor eyed the crystal clear pool with trepidation, and Cheiro was the only one who didn’t mind the idea of floating in the water to think. 

“Might as well get it over with,” Cheiro mumbled. 

“Do you remember what happened with the depthstriders?” Kaimana growled. 

“How could any of us forget?” Cheiro replied sarcastically, “But you can’t tell me that one bad experience made you develop a fear of water?”

“One bad experience?!” Kaimana exclaimed. Her voice echoed around the cavern and she cringed when it came back at her. Kaimana turned to the Handmaids and apologized. 

Furor was on Kaimana’s side. After the depthstriders, Furor was uneasy around water. 

“Furor, you can’t agree?” Cheiro asked her youngest sister when she noticed Furor staring at the water. 

“Cheiro,” Furor started, “It was a frightening experience. We were stuck, we could have drowned.”

“Oh please, you guys would have been fine,” Cheiro’s voice grew louder, “This is ridiculous.”

“Petra!” Kaimana shouted and then cringed when her voice echoed back yet again.

Cheiro flinched at the old name she hadn’t heard in years. She hated the name their mother gave her, but it certainly was a useful tool to make her be quiet. 

Kaimana took a breath before she continued, “You’re being cruel.”

Cheiro smirked, “Me? When have I ever been nice?”

The three sisters stared at each other while they stood at the edge of the clear pool. Around them were a group of female haedians covered with thin veils, patiently waiting for the group to enter the pool at the center of the cavern. The walls of the cavern were completely covered in smooth sparkling crystals. Each crystal reflected the cavern and reoseans near them, if the sisters took a minute to look they would’ve been amazed. 

Furor sighed, breaking the silence, “Let’s just end our journey here.”

“We’ve come so far,” Kaimana whispered. 

“The water is clear,” Cheiro tried to speak calmly, but it came out tight and aggressive, “You can see the bottom of the pool. It’s a completely different scenario than the currents of the depthstriders.”

Furor and Kaimana considered what their eldest sister was saying. Cheiro found it challenging to remain quiet while her sisters pondered. It was a no-brainer for Cheiro, but she could only think of so many things to try and convince them. Briefly, Cheiro looked at the Handmaids wondering if they would offer any support or words of wisdom. However, the longer she looked the more she felt that wouldn’t happen. 

“Can we touch the bottom?” Furor asked, taking a closer look at the pool. 

Kaimana stepped closer to the pond and placed one of her claws in shallow water near the edge. 

“I’ll go in first,” Cheiro said as she unfolded her four wings before she stepped to the water’s edge. 

Furor and Kaimana watched their eldest sister wade into the water. It was clear that Cheiro could reach the bottom of the pool. As she walked deeper into the pool, all three sisters were surprised by the lack of sand. They all expected silt or sand to be kicked up clouding the pool, but it never happened. The only thing that disrupted the pool’s crystal clear reflection was the odd ripple from Cheiro’s movement. 

“See?” Cheiro turned, “Nothing to worry about.”

Furor and Kaimana looked at each other. They nodded and then quietly decided who would go first. 

Kaimana stepped up to the edge of the crystal pool. She stared at her reflection for a few moments before she carefully took a step into the water. The water felt refreshing, barely any warmer than the air around her. Kaimana stared through the water to watch what she was stepping on as she moved closer to Cheiro. She took a deep breath before she turned to Furor. 

“It’s not so bad,” Kaimana told both her sisters, “It’s nice actually.”

Cheiro nodded and then urged Furor to follow suit. 

Furor took a deep breath and then followed Kaimana’s process. She carefully watched where she was stepping to make sure she wouldn’t fall. Like her sister, she thought about how soothing the water was, it was nothing like Furor had expected. She exhaled and looked up from the water to see her sisters watching. 

“What now?” Furor asked. 

“Lay back, float, and let the water soothe you,” A voice from the Handmaids spoke. 

Cheiro watched as her younger sisters looked panicked at the idea of their feet not touching the ground. She would have mentioned it was like flying, but that’s what she said during the depthstriders race and that didn’t end well. 

“Take your time,” Another Handmaid said calmly. 

Furor looked around, unsure, but with another deep breath, she carefully laid back in the water. Kaimana followed her lead until they were both suspended in the shallow pool. Cheiro watched them for a second before she too joined them floating on the surface of the water. 

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