He keeps his eyes on the water, and that same faint tension is still there in him.
Ehhh, what to do?
I guess I have to ask directly, because sooner or later my confusion will become too unbearable.
"And you, umm… if there’s something you’d like to tell me, I’m listening. I’ll adjust."
"I’m still thinking it all through, but you’ll know the result of that thinking," he says.
Well.
So it has to be enough for now.
Patience!
We drift farther and farther from shore, the blue opening up into endless space, the scent of the ocean filling our lungs.
For a long stretch, we just keep moving until the marina fades behind us and the land disappears in the distance, leaving us surrounded by nothing but open water.
It grows calmer, as if the world’s problems are slipping away from us.
Eventually, I decide we’re far enough from land, so I shut off the engine, step away from the controls, and move to stand beside Blue.
We may as well use the time to have less business-like chats, since we're on a nice yacht, right? Why make it all serious? It's an opportunity to get to know each other.
So I tilt my head, watching him.
"Your name fits this place pretty well," I say with a smile, and for the first time today, Blue responds with a faint smile.
"It does."
"Did your parents name you because of your hair?"
Blue nods. "I was born as… an accident. My dad was already forty-five and they weren’t planning on having more kids. Even Jacob, who’s four years older, wasn’t exactly planned. When my dad found out about the pregnancy, he was pretty down about it, since he thought he was through with having children, and had health issues. My father was quite happy though, he secretly wanted more kids, but knew my dad was done with this stage of his life. When I was born, I had light blue hair. My dad went through what they call baby blues, and eventually they decided that the word blue kept surrounding me, so they named me that, even though they usually preferred more classic, heavier names like Jacob, Victor, or Sebastien."
"Yours definitely stands out. But it suits you. A lot of people in your family have unusual hair colors."
"Yes, there’s a bit more alien lineage in us than average," he says, another small, almost sly smile forming.
"Same with us. Though in our case, most people have chestnut or red shades."
Blue falls silent for a moment, then suddenly asks, "Do you think your brother is a shifter?"
I blink in surprise. "No. Why would you think that?"
"He just… gave me that impression, based on what he said."
I stay silent, feeling a bit confused.
"Does he have any kind of pet in his dorm?"
"Nope, they’re not allowed. Why?"
"James was sneezing like crazy around him. He’s allergic to a lot of types of animal fur. Cats for example."
"Maybe Marlow visited someone who had pets?"
"Maybe. Anyway, it’s just something I picked up between the lines. I could be wrong. But if you have such an unusual ability like predicting five seconds into the future, then your family must have some exceptional genes."