"Swim towards us," my father called.

He and my mother already swam further away to reach our favorite diving spot. I looked at Ms. Cyan. Her eyes were focused on the surface of the sea. It was as though the shimmering water enchanted her.

"Are you ready?" I asked her.

"I'm ready as I'll ever be," she responded and we were on our way.

I paced myself, not only to be there for her in case she needed any assistance but also because her childlike joy was such an unusual sight.

She moved her arms through the water as if she were afraid she might harm it in some way, while at the same time her face was wearing a smile that made her eyes sparkle.

"This is the spot," my mother said when we caught up with them. "The sea isn't very deep here, but there are rocks that host dozens of species, from algae to larger marine animals. If we're lucky, we might even find Nemo." She winked at us, adjusted her diving goggles and submerged into the blue water.

I put my goggles on and was happy to see Ms. Cyan did the same.

"One, two, three," I counted and we both dived in.

Under the surface, I could see Ms. Cyan opening her mouth after which her eyes widened and panic took her over. I reached for her arm to pull her to the surface. She was coughing uncontrollably, spitting out water she had swallowed.

"You mustn't let the water into your mouth," I told her when the coughing ceased. "Your gills no longer work," I whispered so that no one else would hear.

"What happened?" My father swam to us, worried.

"It's nothing," I reassured him. "Professor Cyan just swallowed some sea water."

"I'm alright now," she added, feigning a smile. Under the water, her hands were drawing symbols of infinity to keep her on the surface. I was using the same technique.

Seeing that we were both fine, my father relaxed, letting the water to lift his body up as if he were lying on a water bed.

"Let's try again," I suggested and one more time Ms. Cyan vanished under the surface. She held her lips tight together to prevent the water from getting in, but her nose had plans of its own. Once again we had to surface and once again she had to cough out the salty water.

This time I turned to my father right away to tell him that everything's under control. I didn't want him to swim to us.

Neither me nor my parents liked those diving masks that covered the nose, so we didn't have them in our diving equipment collection. Ms. Cyan, however, could use one of those right now.

"You're gonna have to pinch your nose with your fingers," I said. After a quick glance in my father's direction, I added, "My dad is getting suspicious." He didn't swim to us this time, but his eyes still rested on us.

"Let's try one more time. Hold the nostrils closed with your thumb and your index finger, close your mouth and hold your breath."

This time it worked. She didn't choke on water and was able to swim beside me as we went on to explore the wonders of the sea. Or reminisce, in our case.

My mother was right when she said that in that spot, the sea wasn't very deep. Just a few meters below the surface were rocks abundant in life.

Star-shaped polyps adorned the calcium carbonate structures they built themselves over many decades. Sea anemones welcomed the unsuspecting victims by their lilac tentacles while the sponges added a vibrant yellow to the underwater tapestry of life. Ms. Cyan looked at the living rocks she once considered her gardens like an intruder waiting to get caught.

From time to time she would stretch her arm as if she wanted to touch the life on the rocks but her moves were insecure. Long ago, this was her home and now it was pretty clear she felt like a stranger here. The creatures that were once a part of her world, now presented a source of fear. They were reminders of everything she had when she was a child, everything she had to let go but not because she chose to.

She surfaced to take a breath. I followed her and did the same. Without speaking, she submerged once again.

Her longing eyes followed a school of shimmering silver fish that scanned their part of the ocean as if they had not a single care in the world. As they moved closer to the cliff, they startled an octopus. Its brown body blended into the background perfectly. It wasn't until it moved that we noticed its presence.

Amongst the algae, a small sea horse found its hiding place. Its colors and even shape, mimicked the look of the algae. What it lacked in speed, it compensated in cuteness.

A jellyfish swam by us. Its bell-shaped body pulsated slowly causing it to move slowly through the water, while the tentacles swayed in the same slow rhythm. Ahead of us, I noticed my mother reaching for another jellyfish whose see-through body was carried by the sea current. Was that a good idea? I wondered. The jellyfish had sting cells that could make touching them a very unpleasant experience.

My mother grabbed this particular jellyfish and crumbled it up in her hand before pushing it under her belt. It wasn't a jellyfish, I realized. A plastic bag was floating in the sea. This was primarily a human world, I had to remind myself. Maybe one day they will start taking better care of it.

The afternoon just flew by. The sun dropped lower, coloring the horizon golden. After we found ourselves on the boat that was waiting for us anchored, Ms. Cyan closed her eyes, letting the sun bathe her like the sea did just minutes ago.

I had never seen that expression on her face before. The corners of her lips curled up ever so slightly. With her upper eyelids just barely touching the lower ones and deep breathing filling her body with oxygen, she was an image of tranquility.

My mother copied her posture. A smile appeared on my father's face and once again, a feeling of gratitude filled my heart.

Along with gratitude came a sense of pride. I did it. I reunited Professor Cyan with water. Iris Cyan was home.

No, not Iris Cyan, I thought to myself. That was not her name when she lived under the waves of the ocean.

Sanda. Sanda was home.

° ° ° ° ° ° °

Margarita Maris took us to the shore. My father docked it and the rest of us walked the short distance to our house.

"I don't know about you, but diving worked up my appetite," my mother said. "You will join us for dinner, won't you Professor Cyan?"

"I honestly think that I've already overstayed my welcome. It's time for me to get back to the inn I'm staying at. The dinner is waiting for me there," Ms. Cyan responded. Her eyes were wandering around as if she was looking for an escape route.

"You haven't overstayed your welcome, I assure you. It was a pleasure having you with us, and we wouldn't be proper hosts if we let you leave hungry. You dived with us, it's only natural to dine with us as well." It was impossible to say 'no' to the smile on my mother's face.

By the time my father joined us, we had already showered and changed. The dinner was on the table and we were in the middle of comparing our diving impressions.

"You scared me for a moment Professor Cyan," my father said when the conversation died down. "It wasn't comfortable listening to all that coughing.'' He looked at her with narrowed eyes as if he tried to see into her thoughts.

She lowered her head and focused on her hands. They were in black gloves again and were adjusting the ends of her silver scarf so that they wouldn't accidentally end up in the seafood risotto on the plate before her.

"It was nothing," I replied to justify her. "She just dived in too fast, that was all."

The suspicious eyes shifted to me. I did not like the way they were looking at me. That was the look I faced so many times over the past weeks. I was so grateful that Ardea and Opal weren't here with us. Swiftly, I scooped some risotto with my fork and stuffed it in my mouth.

My mother found the perfect time to interrupt us. "You know what they say, 'Practice makes perfect'. With that in mind, I think you should come diving with us again tomorrow, Professor Cyan."

"That would be great!" I added enthusiastically in attempt to shift my father's attention to another topic.

"What do you say, Professor Cyan?" It was my mother's turn to gaze at her with narrow eyes. With both elbows on the table, she leaned towards her and I could see that it was making my teacher uncomfortable.

"I really shouldn't," she answered in a soft voice.

"You shouldn't because you feel that it would be an imposition, or you shouldn't because you don't want to go diving again?" my mother asked, adding more tension to Ms. Cyan's posture.

"Didn't you like diving, looking at all the wonders hidden under the waves?'' I added a question of my own. All I wanted in that moment was to see a smile of joy on her face again.

"I liked it very much, however..."

She didn't get the chance to finish the sentence. My father decided to get himself included. "You really aren't causing us any inconvenience. We're happy that we got the chance to take you with us. And we would be even happier if you joined us again."

I looked at her, smiled widely and nodded my head.

"What do you say?" my mother asked, looking at my professor with warmth in her eyes.

"I suppose it would be nice," Ms. Cyan replied cautiously.

"Wonderful!" My mother smiled. "Now, how about a cup of tea? Azora, could you go put the kettle on?"

I got up from the table and headed to the stove to do what she said.

I only had to take a few steps to get to the kitchen, so I was able to hear my father asking Ms. Cyan, "Please, tell me only one thing – when we go diving tomorrow, would you like us to pretend that you're not an Aquantien?"

Another chapter, another opportunity to thank my wonderful readers. So, thank you for reading my story!

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