Fathom

by Merrie Destefano

  Maybe it was him and me against the world, after all. If so, that was fine. As long as I got to fight too.

  “By the way, Kira, who is this gorgeous townie?” Riley ran her gaze over Sean, as if taking notes. I sucked a long hot breath between my teeth, steadied myself. Unfortunately, the nice guy inside Sean picked the wrong moment to rear his lovely head.

  He held out his hand and introduced himself.

  I wanted to kick him. Some Knight in Shining Armor. You’re not supposed to make friends with the invaders.

  The two of them were shaking hands—much too long, in my opinion.

  “Now, isn’t that sweet? Small town hospitality and in such a lovely package. I’ll take six of these, to go, please,” Riley purred.

  I couldn’t see Sean’s face. Was he smiling? I took a step forward so I could see his reaction. At the same time, I slid my arm in his.

  “Honey, you need to learn to share your toys,” Riley said to me. Then she glanced at Sean. “Hey, how would you like to go to the beach with me tomorrow?”

  Sean didn’t say anything. Quiet. Just the way I liked him.

  That was when it hit the fan.

  Riley batted her eyelashes like a Southern belle dressed in petticoats and curled locks. “Why, Kira,” she said, her voice innocent. “Didn’t you tell him that you and Caleb have a date tomorrow?”

  That was when the party jolted back to life, a chaos of chatter and music, plates and glasses clattering. I could barely focus my thoughts. A river of hormones flowed through the room, strong as a tidal wave.

  Both Sean and Caleb were staring at me.

  “You have a date tomorrow?” Sean asked, confusion in his voice.

  Did he think I was just playing around with him? If so, that wasn’t true. I liked him way too much to joke around with his feelings. But then, why had I say yes to Caleb?

  “It’s—it’s not a date.” I stammered. My neck started to burn and itch and I scratched the skin beneath my cross. I could feel Caleb’s sea green eyes on me. No matter what I called it—date or not—I shouldn’t have agreed to get together with him. But even as that thought entered my mind, I felt a pull, like a tide, drawing me toward him.

  “Really,” I said, looking up at Sean. “It was just a group of kids going to the beach to play volleyball and swim.”

  “She’s right,” Caleb said then. “You should come too. You should both come.”

  Now I was the one feeling confused. So it hadn’t been a date after all. And probably going to the party with Sean hadn’t been a date either.

  Riley crossed her arms as if the party had taken a turn for the worse. Brianna gave me a look and silently mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.” Then she forced a smile and played the role of hostess again.

  “Come on, Riley,” she said, laying a gentle hand on the petite brunette’s shoulder. “Let me introduce you to some of my other guests.”

  Riley and her court followed Brianna, leaving me alone with Caleb and Sean.

  It was time for me to play that trump card that girls have used for centuries.

  I excused myself and said I had to go to the bathroom.

  Chapter 18

  Kira:

  My mother was waiting for me in the bathroom. In the mirror, in the chrome, in the gleaming shower doors. Every place my face was supposed to be, hers was instead. I could even hear her voice in the whisper of the water in the pipes.

  I leaned against the tile wall and buried my face in my hands.

  Kira.

  A soft voice said my name. I tried to ignore it. I didn’t want to hear ghosts tonight. Besides, my familial ghosts never gave me the kind of advice I needed.

  I pushed myself away from the wall to confront the image in the mirror.

  The real problem here was, what was I going to do about Sean and Caleb.

  And apparently about the rash on my neck.

  I stared at myself, lifted the Celtic cross and saw a mass of red bumps on my chest. The cross actually burned my skin when I held it between my fingers. Crap! I leaned forward, trying to keep it off my neck while I unfastened the chain.

  Kira—

  I ignored the voice, twisted my purse open and dropped the necklace inside. Then I fumbled around, looking for my lipstick and, in the process, my fingers latched onto a small fabric pouch. Curious, I pulled it out, then turned it over in my hand. Whatever this was, I hadn’t put it here. It was about two inches square, made of plain white cotton and all four sides were sewn shut. I shook it. Something rustled inside. I held it up to the light.

  It was filled with something, tiny granules. Like salt, maybe. Or sand.

  Gram.

  This must be one of her secret good luck charms. Didn’t seem to be working though. I wouldn’t say my luck had been all that great tonight. I thought about tossing it in the trash, then I hesitated. If Gram had gone to all the trouble to make this trinket for me, the least I could do was lug the stupid thing around. After all, she meant well. Maybe these talismans of hers really worked in reverse—maybe me carrying them around somehow calmed her down.

  Then I heard it again, for the third time. A voice calling my name. This time accompanied by a soft knock.

  Kira.

  It was Brianna. Knocking on the bathroom door.

  I opened the door.

  “Are you okay?” she asked. She came inside and closed the door behind her.

  I nodded. I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t ready to admit defeat either.

  “You’ve been in here a long time. I just wanted to make sure—” She paused for a moment, glancing at the rash on my neck. “—I’m really sorry about Riley. I didn’t even know she was coming tonight. Caleb promised me that she wouldn’t be—”

  Then she stopped as if she had said too much and might get in trouble.

  “—anyway,” she continued, “I want you to know that I’m your friend, no matter what.”

  “I know,” I said, although I had no idea what she was talking about. Sometimes I just had to go with the flow with Brianna. It was different with Sean—I could tell him to shut up, but with Brianna I had to listen. For a long time. Until I figured out what she were really trying to say.

  “I didn’t know that you and Sean liked each other.”

  There she finally said it.

  I looked away from her. Saw my own reflection in the mirror, suddenly looking all of sixteen and not a day older. I didn’t look old enough to have a boyfriend. And right now there were possibly two guys out there interested in me.

  “Yeah,” I said finally. “I didn’t really know either. In fact, I’m still not sure how he feels.” I faced her. Friends were supposed to be able to talk about these things, and I certainly couldn’t talk to Sean about it. “I kissed him tonight.”

  “Really?” Her eyes widened.

  “And I did tell Caleb that I’d go to the beach with him. Brianna, what am I doing? I just don’t feel like myself lately.”

  “I don’t know if it helps, but I’m going to the beach tomorrow too. So why don’t you forget about Caleb and Sean? I mean, they’ll both probably be there—and Riley too—” She watched me from the corner of her eye, maybe trying to see how I’d react to that last piece of information. “—but we can pretend like it’s just us, if you want. No sense staying inside when summer’s finally here.” She paused. “You don’t want to miss another day of swimming, do you?”

  I shook my head, suddenly mute. All day long, I’d been wondering whether my out-of-control behavior today had been a result of me not getting to go swimming.

  “Then you’ll come with us?”

  I nodded.

  “And if Riley starts to bother you, we can just walk into town and get a frozen yogurt or something,” she said.

  I didn’t say anything, but instantly a completely different scenario played out in my head—something I never would have imagined yesterday. I saw myself at the beach and Riley was flirting with Sean again. In my mind, I punched her in the face, knocked
her right on her butt in the sand. Then I growled at all her minions until they scattered.

  •

  The strangest things happen when you’re not looking. Water boils when you’re in the other room, cats scratch the sofa when you’re sleeping, teachers decide to give a pop quiz when you’ve been out sick.

  And apparently guys become best friends if you stay in the bathroom too long.

  Brianna wandered off to make sure we had enough desserts, leaving me to fend for myself.

  “You’ll be fine,” she said with a wink.

  Sure. I expected to walk in on World War III. Instead, it was Armistice Day. Meanwhile, music boomed through the living room and somebody turned on a strobe light. I could barely hear what Sean and Caleb were talking about but I could tell by their arm gestures it was probably surfing. Sean mimed paddling out, then balanced with arms outstretched. Caleb nodded and laughed. Neither one of them even noticed that I had come back in the room.

  Another pencil-thin waitress sauntered past with a tray full of drinks, but these looked different. They almost glowed in the strange light. I grabbed one and then pushed my way across the room, through the tangles of popular cheerleaders and athletes, just as the room transformed into a pulsating dance floor. Fresh air beckoned from a balcony up ahead, past a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Pacific. Far away on the ocean horizon, a small boat bobbed in the water, casting a narrow beam of light.

  It looked small and insignificant.

  Exactly how I felt right now.

  I slumped against the railing, took a sip of my drink, wrinkling my nose. It tasted strange, slightly bitter, but it warmed my throat and then my stomach. By the time I was halfway through with it, I felt warm all over.

  That same waitress was making her rounds across the balcony and I grabbed another drink before she disappeared. This one tasted better than the first one, or maybe I’d just gotten used to it. I wondered why I thought I had to come to this party. I could be home right now, curled up on the sofa, studying for my chemistry final. I slugged down the last of my drink, noting that my lips felt numb.

  “I see you ditched your boyfriend,” a voice beside me said.

  My eyes felt heavy and my body felt like it belonged to somebody else when I turned to see who had spoken. Outlined in blue and silver light—like she was made out of polished chrome—her cheekbones and piercings gleamed.

  Riley.

  I grimaced. I would have said something, except my tongue felt thick and clumsy. Instead, I glanced over her shoulder and saw that almost everyone was dancing now, not just the popular crowd. And there, at the edge of the room, Sean and Caleb were still acting like BFFs. Sometimes boys were such nerds.

  Just then a rush of heat flowed through me and for a minute I thought I might throw up. I put one hand over my mouth, turned away from her.

  “Are you all right?” she asked, taking a step closer. She gave off a sticky sweet fragrance almost like cotton candy and it made me dizzy. She took the glass from my hand and sniffed it, then raised her eyebrows. “Where’d you get this?”

  “One of the waitresses,” I told her, my words slurring.

  She laughed. “Somebody spiked your drink, sweetcakes. Wish I coulda had one of these. Bet it was good.”

  I shrugged, then tried to move away from her. But all my movements were exaggerated and awkward. I accidentally pivoted on my heel and stumbled, slammed my back against the railing. For a moment I teetered and wondered if I might fall. I saw a flash of swirling water far below me, heard the distant roar of waves. But Riley grabbed me and pulled me away from the edge of the balcony.

  “Careful, there, little Townie Princess.”

  “S’nothing,” I said with a flip of my hand. “Go back t’ your party.”

  “Actually, I was heading to a different party.” She cocked her head and studied me. The she lowered her voice, “The girls and I are going for a midnight swim. Wanna come?”

  I licked my lips, imagined the salty bite of ocean water on my skin. Right now, nothing in the world sounded better.

  “It’s too hot up here for my taste,” she murmured, fanning herself with one hand.

  Either she was right or she had just conjured a dead calm. The wind stopped blowing and, within a heartbeat, the air hung thick with sudden heat and humidity. Swarms of gnats and mosquitoes churned through the night air, rising up from the ocean. A moth fluttered against the bank of windows, eager to get inside the house, hungry for the light.

  I glanced down at the ocean, watched the never ending procession of foaming, curling waves, water wrapping itself around the rocks and then retreating, returning with a fury a moment later. I felt like that moth, hungry for the ocean, ignorant of danger.

  “Wanna come with us?” Riley asked again, her voice sultry.

  I nodded, then whispered, “Yes,” never taking my eyes off the dance of sea and shore.

  “Come on, then.” She grabbed my hand, led me down the stairway at the edge of the balcony. I latched onto the railing with my other hand, but my feet didn’t feel like they were attached to my body. Is this what it felt like to be drunk? I pulled my hand away from hers.

  “Sure you’re steady enough on your own?” She stopped and grinned at me, her face sometimes blurring and doubling.

  Honestly, I wasn’t. But I didn’t want her help. Couldn’t let her think I was weak.

  “Riley, come on, hurry up!” Two other girls called from the base of the steps. When I got close enough to see them, I realized that they were stripping down to their underwear, leaving their clothes draped on the railing. I glanced back up at the house and the balcony. This would be an open invitation for any of the guys up there to join us. Maybe that was what these girls were hoping for.

  I was finally at the last step, sand grinding its way between my toes. Already my sandals were off, but I couldn’t remember unhooking the straps.

  “Need help with that zipper?” Riley asked.

  I shook my head. I slipped out of my dress, then tossed it over the railing. It missed and pooled on the ground.

  Then I followed them as we all ran across the beach, screaming and yipping and diving into water that refused to take away the heat that burned my flesh.

  Chapter 19

  Caleb:

  I watched with sadness as my sister retreated into a back bedroom alone and closed the door. Part of me had hoped that meeting Kira face-to-face would have lifted her spirits. After all, just like me, Lynn had begged our mother to tell us Kira’s legend over and over when we were children. Unfortunately, all the teen hormones surging throughout the house must have stirred the Burning within her. Her countenance darkened when one of the local teenage boys flirted with her. Shortly after that, she left the room.

  Now the music blared and everyone danced, Selkie and human alike. I couldn’t see through the crowd as it jostled me back and forth. Sean stood at my side, distracted. He stared into the throng of teenagers, just like I did.

  Riley was missing.

  “Have you seen Kira?” Sean asked. He began walking across the room, pushing people out of his way. I followed him, concerned.

  Apparently both Riley and Kira were missing and that wasn’t good. Not good at all.

  “No,” I answered, wishing I had something else to say.

  Dylan, one of my fellow Selkies shuffled past us then, arm around a human girl, her hair messed up, her shirt on backward. I could imagine what they’d been doing. It’s almost impossible to resist the Burning. All the humans responded so easily when my pheromones were flowing, when the heat seared my skin. The longer I ignored my desires, the stronger they got until only one thing could satisfy it.

  The ocean.

  We stood on the balcony now. I grabbed one of the human boys by the arm—it was disrespectful, but right now I didn’t care—and I yanked him closer.

  “Have you seen Kira?” I asked.

  He shook his head. I pulled him even closer.

  “Think. R
eally, think about it,” I said. I tightened my grip on his arm and he looked frightened for a moment.

  “The girl with the long black hair?” he asked. Then a sly grin crept across his face and I longed to smash my fist into his jaw. “She’s hot—”

  “Where is she?”

  Sean was at my side then. He’d already searched the downstairs. I could tell by his expression that he hoped she wasn’t upstairs with some juiced-up jock. He leaned into this guy’s face like he meant business.

  “Have you seen her?” Sean demanded.

  The guy tossed his head, swept long bangs out of his eyes, as if trying to get a better view of who was mad enough to rearrange the features on his face. "I—I—,” he stuttered.

  “Spit it out,” Sean growled. "If you know something, you better spill it. Now!”

  “I think she went down the stairs about fifteen minutes ago. With that tourist chick, the one with the sleeve tattoo.”

  “What’s down there?” Sean asked, peering over the balcony edge.

  I swallowed, trying not to think about what could be going on down there right now.

  “The beach,” I said. Then I released my grip on the kid and darted toward the steps. Sean raced at my side, like we were in some sort of competition. “Wait,” I told him, one hand on his chest. “I’ll go down and see if I can find them, but you should go ask Brianna for a couple of flashlights. Otherwise, we won’t be able to see anything once we get down there.”

  Sean paused, as if uncertain. He didn’t know that I could see fine in the dark. Or that I was pretty sure I already knew what was going on down there right now.

  He wouldn’t want to see it. I’d heard about rituals like this. I needed to get there before Riley finished.

  There was a good chance Kira wouldn’t survive if I didn’t get there soon.

  “Hey, don’t know if it matters or not, but I think she was drunk,” the kid told us then.

  “Which one?” Sean asked.

  “Kira,” he answered. “The pretty one.”