“Gemma. ” He breathed deeply and brushed her hair back, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. Something must have occurred to him then, because he looked around. “Wait. What time is it? Why aren’t you at swim practice?”
She smiled sheepishly at him. “I needed to see you. ”
“Why? It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you, but you never skip practice. You love swimming more than you love anything in the world. ”
“Well, not anything. ” She lowered her eyes and stepped back so she could sit on his bed. “I know that you’re unsure, but can you just trust me?”
He narrowed his eyes, perhaps afraid of what she might be getting at. “How?”
“Let me spend the day with you. Just one day. ”
“Gemma. ” He laughed a little and shook his head. “I want to spend every day with you. Why is today so important?”
“I don’t know. ” She shrugged. “Maybe it isn’t. ”
“You’re so cryptic lately. ”
“Sorry. ”
“All right, then. ” He scratched the back of his head, then sat down on the bed next to her. “So what do you want to do today?”
“Well … you could teach me some of those awesome dance moves you were doing earlier. ” She tried to imitate some of them.
“Oh, that’s just mean. ” Alex pretended to be offended. “Those were my private dance moves, and you were being a creepy stalker on the roof. I should call the police and report a Peeping Tom. ”
“Oh, come on. ” Gemma stood up, doing horribly exaggerated versions of what he’d been doing. “Show me what you got. ”
“No, never. ” He laughed at her attempts to copy him.
When she kept going, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back on the bed. She started giggling, and he pushed her back down so he was poised over her. His arms were strong around her, and she’d never felt closer to him.
He bent down and kissed her, making her heart skip a beat. It gave her a warm feeling that started out in her belly and spread out through her fingertips.
When she’d been swimming in the bay as a siren, she’d thought it was the most amazing thing she’d ever felt. But lying there, kissing Alex, she realized she’d been wrong. The way he made her feel was so much better because it wasn’t some crazy magic curse. This was real.
“All right,” Alex said, still hovering above her. “I guess I can show you a few moves. ”
Abruptly, he stood up, taking her hands so he could pull her up with him. He busted out some ridiculous moves. Gemma tried to join him, but she was laughing too hard. He put an arm around her waist, pulling her to him and doing an exaggerated waltz.
Eventually they both collapsed back on his bed, laughing. And that was where they spent the rest of the afternoon. Lying in his old twin bed, laughing and talking. Sometimes they kissed, but mostly they just lay together.
The mood got somber when Alex told her how worried he was about his friend Luke. They hadn’t been that close, but he’d always liked Luke. Without looking at Gemma, Alex awkwardly admitted that it scared him that somebody could just disappear like that, without a trace.
Gemma had done the best she could to comfort him, holding his hand and reassuring him that everything would turn out okay.
After that, Alex tried to lighten things up. To her disappointment, he’d put on a T-shirt, but it was probably better that way, since she found it hard to focus on much else when he had it off.
He regaled her with tales of his clumsy adolescence, telling stories that made her laugh so hard, her belly hurt. For lunch, he made them peanut butter and potato chip sandwiches, which they also ate in his bed, spilling crumbs all over his Transformers sheets.
At one point, he’d apologized for the sheets, insisting he’d had them since he was eleven, and they were in good shape, so he had no reason to throw them out. Gemma smiled and nodded, but really she thought it was sorta cute how geeky he was.
For a while they just lay there, not saying much of anything. They lay next to each other, looking up at the ceiling but slightly tilted toward each other, so their sides touched. Alex was holding her hand, and sometimes he squeezed so tightly that she could feel their heartbeats between their fingers, pounding in time together.
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She rolled over, snuggling closer to him and resting her head on his chest. He put his arm around her, holding her against him. He kissed the top of her head, then breathed in deeply.
“You always smell like the sea,” he said, his voice quiet.
“Thanks. ”
He pulled her even tighter to him, but it was a good tight. It only made her feel safer.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you, and I don’t know why you can’t tell me. I wish you could. But whatever it is, I’ll be there for you. Whatever you’re going through, I’m here. I want you to know that. ”
Gemma didn’t say anything. She just closed her eyes and held on to Alex as tightly as she could. At that moment, she vowed that nothing in the world would take her away from him. Not even sirens or age-old curses.
EIGHTEEN
Discoveries
The wall between them was almost visible. Whenever Harper even tried talking to her sister, Gemma would shut down. It didn’t matter what it was about, either. Gemma just didn’t want to say anything to her.
After her talk with Daniel on the boat, Harper wanted to approach their relationship from a different angle, but it was as if Gemma didn’t want a relationship of any kind.
Even when Brian came home, her attitude didn’t get much better. Dinner conversation was stilted and tense. The sad truth was that it was actually a relief when Gemma excused herself and went to her room.
Harper had the next day off, so she drove Gemma to swim practice. Gemma’s car still wasn’t fixed, and with the way she’d been behaving lately, Brian had no intention of fixing it anytime soon. She didn’t seem to care all that much, though. But then again, Gemma didn’t seem to care about much of anything anymore.
After she dropped Gemma off, Harper did something she never thought she’d do—she rummaged through Gemma’s stuff. In a way, Harper almost hoped she’d find drugs. At least that would explain what was going on.
But other than a weird green fish scale tangled up in her sheets, Harper didn’t find anything at all. As far as her room was concerned, Gemma was normal.
Gemma might not have been talking to her anymore, but she had to be talking to someone. Sighing, Harper went next door to talk to the guy whom she still considered one of her best friends.
“Hi,” Harper said when Alex opened his front door.
He leaned in the doorway, his T-shirt pulled against his broad chest in a way that Harper still wasn’t completely used to. Alex had always been tall and lanky, until the beginning of their senior year when he had a somewhat miraculous growth spurt, and even though Harper didn’t care—not the way Gemma or some of the girls at school had started to care—it was still weird to her that Alex was so foxy.
Thankfully, Alex didn’t seem to notice. He hadn’t figured out that he’d gone from geek to hot, and that was good. Harper didn’t think she could’ve handled being friends with him if he’d given up nights playing video games in pursuit of cheerleaders.
“Hi,” he said. “Gemma’s not here. ”
“I know. She’s at swim practice. ” Harper rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. “Wow. I just realized how sad that is. ”
“What?” Alex asked.
“The only time we talk anymore is when I’m looking for my sister. ” She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away from him.
“Yeah, I guess it is,” he agreed.
“Can I be honest with you?”
“I always thought you were. ”
“It’s weird to me that you’re dating my little sister,” Harper admitted, her words coming out in one breath. “I mean, I never liked y
ou, not like that, you know. But … you were my friend, and she’s my kid sister. And now you’re into her. ” She shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s strange to me. ”
“Yeah. ” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the steps. “I know. And I felt like I should’ve talked to you about it first before I asked her out. ”
“No, no. ” Harper waved her hands. “You didn’t need my permission or anything. I just … I feel weird hanging out with you when Gemma’s not around. Like I’m betraying her somehow. ”
“No, I get that. ” He nodded. “Because you’re a girl, even if you’re not a girl I was ever interested in. ”
“Right. Yeah. I’m glad you get it. ”
“Yeah, me, too. ”
“But … I guess the thing is, you’re my friend. ” Harper fidgeted with the ring on her finger, twirling it around. “And I want to be friends again. ”
Alex stared at her, looking confused for a moment. “I didn’t know we’d stopped. ”
“We haven’t, not really, but it’s been ages since we’ve hung out,” she said. “I think the last time was right after graduation, and that was weeks ago. ”
“So … you’re asking to hang out?” Alex asked.
“Yes. ” She nodded once. “I am. ”
“Like right now?”
“If you’re not busy. ”
“I’m not. ” He stepped back. “Did you want to come in or something?”
“Actually, do you wanna take a walk? I could really use the fresh air. ”
“Uh, sure. Yeah. ” He glanced around, as if he thought he was forgetting something, then he stepped outside and shut the door behind him. “Let’s go. ”
They walked almost two full blocks before either of them said anything. Harper tried a few times, but she only managed to make sounds and squinted up at the sun. She’d thought a walk would be easier because there would be movement to distract them.
In reality, she didn’t understand why things were so awkward between them. She blamed it partially on Alex, since he was uneasy in normal situations. But a big part of it was her, too. She felt nervous around him.
“So,” Harper said finally. “How is your summer going?”
“Good, I guess. ” He shook his head. “I mean, other than what happened to Luke. ”
“Oh, yeah. ” She grimaced and looked over at him, trying to get a read on how much it upset him, but he just stared down at the sidewalk. “I heard about that. I’m sorry. ”
“You don’t need to be sorry. It’s not your fault. ” He kicked a rock with his shoe. “I just feel so horrible for his family and everything. ”
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“Yeah, I bet. That has to be really rough. ”
“His mom called me crying on Tuesday, asking me if I knew anything about it, and then the cops questioned me the next day. ” Alex didn’t say anything for a minute, so Harper reached out and touched his shoulder gently. “I didn’t know what to tell them. I don’t know where he is. ”
As he walked with Harper, his dark hair cascading across his forehead, he looked the same as when he’d been twelve and his beloved dog had gotten hit by a car. Underneath his new foxy exterior, he was the same sweet Alex.
A twinge of guilt gripped her heart. As soon she found out Luke had gone missing, Harper should’ve talked to Alex to find out how he was doing. Instead she’d been too wrapped up in her own drama, and she’d ignored her oldest friend.
“I’m really sorry,” Harper said again, but this time she was apologizing for not being there for him.
“It’s okay. I’m sure he’ll turn up. ” Alex took a deep breath. Then he glanced over at Harper, forcing a smile. “So what about you? How’s your summer going?”
“Uh, pretty good,” she said, and she wasn’t sure if that was true or not. So far, everything had felt a bit chaotic.
“Are you seeing anyone?” Alex asked.
“What?” The question startled her, and she tripped on a crack in the sidewalk because she wasn’t paying attention. “Why would I be seeing anyone?”
“I don’t know. ” He shrugged. “Gemma mentioned something about a guy on a boat. ”
“What?” Harper quickly looked away, hoping that Alex didn’t notice the color on her cheeks. “Daniel? No, he’s just … he’s … no. Nope. No way. I mean, I’m leaving in a couple months. And with everything that’s been going on with Gemma, I don’t have time for that. So. No. I’m not seeing anyone. ”
“Oh. ” He paused. “Yeah. That makes sense. ”
“Yeah. ” Harper chewed her lip and twisted her ring again. “How … um, how are things with you and Gemma?”
“Good. ” He nodded. “Great. ”
“Glad to hear it. ” She let out a deep breath and stared up at the sky, wishing a few clouds would come in and blot out the sun.
“Actually…” He stopped walking and looked over at Harper. “Honestly, I have no idea how things are with Gemma. ”
“Really?” Harper asked, and hoped she didn’t sound too eager for information. “Why? How do you mean?”
“I don’t know. ” He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, then he started walking again. “I probably shouldn’t even be talking to you about this. ”
“No! I mean, of course you can. ” She hurried to catch up with him. “We’re friends. ”
“You promise you won’t say anything to her?” Alex asked.
“I promise. We aren’t really talking right now, so it shouldn’t be that hard. ”
“You guys are fighting?” Alex asked, sounding genuinely distressed by it. “I’m sorry to hear that. I didn’t know. ”
“No, we’re not fighting, exactly. I think she’s just…” Harper waved her hand. “Never mind what I think. You were telling me about you and her. ”
“Oh, yeah, right. ”
Before Alex could say more, Harper pointed to a trail cutting through the park and leading into the woods. “Let’s go that way. It’ll be cooler. ”
It was a thick wooded area filled with cypress trees and maples. The trail that went through it wasn’t an official hiking trail, but one that had been worn down by kids making a shortcut to the bay. It actually went right up to the water, so the bugs would be much worse, but it would be worth it to be out of the sun.
“The thing about Gemma is…” Alex shook his head and seemed to struggle for the right words. “I like her. I do. Really. ”
Harper nodded as they walked into the trees. “I know. ”
“And I think she likes me. Well, I’m pretty sure, anyway. ”
“No, she definitely likes you. ”
“Really?” His head shot up, and he smiled a little, looking relieved. “Good. ”
“You couldn’t tell?” Harper smirked.
“That’s the thing. Sometimes she’s pretty obviously into me. And then other times it’s like she’s not even there. ” He looked over at Harper. “Do you know what I mean? She’s with you, but her mind is a million miles away. ”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. ”
“And now all this stuff with those weird girls. ” He shook his head. “She won’t tell me what she’s doing with them or why she keeps hanging out with them. ”
“She won’t tell you?” Harper asked, not bothering to hide the disappointment in her voice.
“No. ” He looked over at her. “She’s not telling you, either?”
“She’s not telling me anything, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Alex said. “And those girls are just so … creepy. ”
“I know,” Harper agreed, remembering the way they’d left Gemma on the shore. “I swear, they’re evil. ”
“I wouldn’t doubt it. And Gemma’s not evil. She really isn’t. So I don’t know what she’s doing. ”
“I know! It doesn’t make any sense at all!” Harper was excited to have somebody to talk about this with, somebody w
ho really knew and understood both her and Gemma. “I just wish this all wasn’t happening right now. ”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m leaving at the end of August for school, and then it’ll just be Gemma and my dad. And she’s getting all wild and crazy now, and soon I won’t be around to deal with it. ”
Alex didn’t say anything to that, probably because Harper had just reminded him that his time with Gemma was limited, too.
As the trail wound closer to the bay, the bugs got thicker, swarming around them. Harper waved her hand, trying to shoo them away.
“The bugs are ridiculous this year,” Alex commented, and Harper had to agree.
The trees had begun to buzz with the sound of them. Then Harper saw them. Big black flies were hovering in a cloud a ways off the trail, where ferns and weeds had overgrown a rocky area near the ocean.
“Ugh. ” Alex groaned. “What’s that smell?”
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“I don’t know. ” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s like … rotten fish, but different. ”
She’d actually started smelling something faintly as soon as they’d entered the trees, but she hadn’t thought much of it. On a hot day like today, it wasn’t uncommon to get the scent of bad fish wafting from the docks.
But now the stench was almost overpowering.
Harper stopped walking, but Alex took a few steps ahead of her before he stopped and turned back to her. The flies were getting thicker, and they both swatted at them with their hands.
“This is obscene,” Harper said, ducking down to keep from inhaling a bug. “I think I’d much rather take being hot and sweaty over dealing with these insects. Let’s go back. ”
“Okay, good idea. ” He started walking back to meet her but stopped short.
“What?” she asked.
He stared down at the ground, seemingly frozen. The bugs flocking around him didn’t even seem to bother him. Harper was about to ask him what again, but he bent down and picked up something off the ground. It was small and green and on the edge of the path, smashed into the dirt so it had barely been visible.
“What’s that?” Harper asked and walked over to him.
Alex brushed the dirt off it, so Harper could see it. She still didn’t understand what it was exactly, except that it appeared to be some kind of ring, but Alex’s hands had begun to tremble.
“It’s a Green Lantern ring. ” He turned it around in the light. “Luke had his parents get him this instead of a class ring. He never takes it off. ”
“Maybe it fell off when he was going for a walk or something,” Harper offered, trying to ease his fears.
“He never takes it off,” Alex repeated and started looking around. “He was here. Something bad happened to him here. ”
“We should get the police. ” She swatted away another fly, but Alex was oblivious to them now.
His eyes were pinned on the cloud of flies a few feet off the trail. He turned and walked toward them, mindless of the poison ivy and brambles that covered the forest floor.
Despite her reservations—more likely because of them—Harper went after Alex. As soon as he’d found the ring, she’d felt it in the pit of her stomach. A sick tightness. Just like Alex, she’d immediately known that something was wrong, that Luke wasn’t okay.
Alex stopped when he saw it, but for reasons she didn’t understand, Harper took a few steps forward, as if she wanted a better look. In reality, she didn’t want to look at all. She wanted to forget it as soon as she saw it, but it was already etched in her memory, certain to haunt her nightmares for years to come.
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