“Uhm, yeah,” Cruz replied sheepishly.
“Wow, you’re really good,” Ethan said sincerely. He looked up at my face, “You look like a mythological creature.”
Abby came back in with four glasses in her hands, “I made some lemonade, dinner will be ready in half an hour.” She bustled out, leaving us all holding a glass and a dazed look on our faces.
“Come on Marina, let’s go get changed,” said Megan, grabbing me by the arm and pulling me down the hallway. I undressed mechanically, and Megan helped me hang the gown and pull the pins out of my hair. I put on some clothes and wiped off most of the makeup. I sat on the bed numbly.
“How can you possibly know how to talk like her?” asked Megan.
I looked up at her, stricken, “I don’t know,” I lied. Tears welled up in my eyes. Now I knew for sure that I was some kind of half-breed freak.
Megan bent down to give me a hug, “Don’t be upset– I think it’s pretty cool. I mean... what if you have some kinda magical mermaid super powers? That can’t be all bad!” I smiled up at her gratefully, “I guess since I can hear her...” She sat down by my side, “Marina, what did you say to us out there?” she asked gravely.
“I said that Cruz was going to be famous. I sort of... saw... him in my mind being interviewed.” I bit my lip, “In the future.”
Megan looked at me thoughtfully. I could see the wheels turning as she puzzled it out.
“It looked like it was at a fashion show,” I added quietly.
Megan patted my back, “Let’s go out there and rescue Cruz,” she said with forced cheer,
“He must be dying!” When we made our way back down the hall we were shocked to see Cruz showing Ethan some of the other pieces from his collection. They looked up at us.
“These are really good,” said Ethan, “Cruz is gonna be famous.”
“We know,” Megan and I said in chorus. Everybody laughed and the tension in the room eased up a little.
We all sat down and talked about how talented Cruz was. He looked shyly pleased.
“Cruz is going to study fashion design in the city next fall,” announced Megan proudly.
“If I can save up enough,” Cruz added.
“Oh you will,” I said, “I know it.” Megan looked at me meaningfully.
Charlie the cat came strutting down the hallway, looking us all over before jumping up on the couch, finally planting himself on Ethan’s lap.
“He likes you!” Cruz said, surprised, “I’ve hardly seen him since Marina showed up. He practically lives on her bed!”
Ethan stroked Charlie and he settled down, purring loudly. Cruz started gushing about Megan’s singing and we were both shocked when she agreed to perform for us. She went out to her car to get her guitar. Cruz turned to me with amused eyes.
“It must be your makeover,” he said with a shrug.
Megan sang us a song and was every bit as good as I remembered. I looked at Ethan to see his reaction and found him staring at me intently again. I nervously broke eye contact and focused on Megan, encouraging her to sing a few more before she lost her nerve. Abby poked her head around the corner and smiled with delight to see us all getting along so well.
Cruz told Ethan about how they coaxed me onto the roller coaster at the boardwalk.
“She thought it looked like a death-trap,” he laughed, “She said it looked as bad as some of the trains in India!”
“You should see them,” I said defensively, remembering the rickety overcrowded cars.
Megan joined in, “Yeah, but when we finally convinced her to go she had to do it again and again! My hips were bruised for days!”
“She said it reminded her of bad turbulence!” Cruz laughed, “Can you believe it was her first roller coaster ride ever?”
“You’re lucky,” Ethan smiled at me, charming me with the way his eyes crinkled up at the corners, “It’s a great one for your first time.”
Abby poked her head around the corner, “Soup’s on!”
We all sat down to a spaghetti dinner that wasn’t awful. I wondered why Ethan had agreed to come in to eat. Abby chatted away with everyone, asking about school and talking with Ethan about his work in the garden. I listened carefully, impressed by his knowledge of plants, but startled a little every time I looked up and met his eyes.
We finished eating and Abby cleared off the table as Cruz walked Megan out to her car. I got up to start doing the dishes and Ethan insisted on helping me. He stood by my side, drying and stacking the plates I handed him.
“So, how do you like Aptos?” he asked me, his fingertips brushing mine.
“I like it here... it feels like home,” I said, “but I could live without the high school part.” He laughed a little, “What was your last school like?”
“I never went to school before,” I said, realizing how weird I must seem.
“Really?” he asked, looking surprised.
“I mean, you know, I had tutors…”
“Wow,” he said, “So everything’s new to you.”
“Um, yeah,” I didn’t elaborate. There was an awkward pause.
“Megan was really good,” he said, moving a step closer, “and I didn’t realize Cruz could make clothes like that.”
“Yeah,” I agreed with a nod, “They’re both pretty amazing.”
“You bring out the best in them,” Ethan observed, watching me closely again.
“Me? I don’t deserve any credit for their talent,” I said, looking at him suspiciously.
“I just mean, well... you’re just kinda, I dunno... inspirational.” I didn’t know what to say about that, so I said nothing at all. We finished the dishes, and Ethan reminded me that he’d pick us up in the morning. I walked him to the door where he thanked Abby and said goodbye.
Collapsing into bed, my mind started racing. I had to find out the truth as soon as possible.
The image I’d seen of Cruz in the future shook me to the core. I don’t know how I knew, but I was absolutely certain that it was real– as sure as I was about anything. The fact that my vision of Cruz was blurted out in mermaid was another piece of the puzzle I knew I must solve.
I had to find Lorelei, for now I was truly desperate to know more about my mother. Tossing and turning in bed, every time I’d ever questioned my father and been put off kept crashing into my consciousness. Clearly, a lifetime of pretending it didn’t matter had taken up more energy than I realized. Baggage handcuffed to my wrist, unanswered questions I’d been dragging around my whole life tortured me, refusing to be ignored any longer.
I fought to sleep, and when I finally drifted off my dreams were filled with violent visions of two mermaids fighting. Their horrendous shrieks filled my ears, and the water was churned to foam with the thrashing of their tails.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHALLENGE
The next morning Ethan arrived exactly on time, waiting on the porch as I stood in the doorway calling for Cruz to hurry. We piled into the truck with our book bags, Cruz yawning and looking around inside the cab. I sat in the middle, acutely aware of the way my leg brushed up against Ethan’s with every bump and jolt. He could have left me a little more room.
“Nice truck,” Cruz said to Ethan, “It’s a classic.”
“Thanks,” he replied, explaining how he’d rescued it from a junkyard and restored it. Cruz knew a surprising amount about engines and they talked about the work Ethan had done as we drove along. I was happy they were friendly and I sat between them silently, my mind elsewhere.
“You’re quiet today,” said Ethan, casting a sideways glance at me.
“Uh huh,” I said.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I was surprised he noticed, because I was feeling particularly edgy. I knew those boys in art class were running off at the mouth about me, and as much as I pretended it didn’t matter it really did. I expected I’d be treated to another round of stares and whispers all day long, making me waste all my energy acting like I
didn’t notice. At the moment, I wanted to be anywhere but school.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, but I really wasn’t.
I think he could tell, because we pulled up and he turned to me, “Don’t worry so much,” he said as he parked the truck.
As much as I was dreading what lay ahead of me I was even more focused on what had happened last night. I couldn’t stop thinking about the prophetic vision I spoke in the mermaid’s strange language. I was anxious and fretful, wondering how I’d find Lorelei, formulating questions I’d ask her, determined to know the truth. I was unsure how I’d manage to get through a whole day of school.
We thanked Ethan for the ride and parted ways.
“Are you gonna be alright?” Cruz asked me, a concerned look in his eyes.
“I’m fine,” I said, “I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Well,” Cruz said, “You looked amazing yesterday. I wish we thought to take a picture.
Where did you learn to do such awesome makeup?”
I told him about some of the runway shows that Evie had taken me to, describing how we sometimes got go backstage to watch the creative chaos unfold. Cruz got a dreamy look in his eye as I painted a picture of the frantic stylists, manic dressers and crazed makeup artists putting everything they had into a few short minutes of frenzied artistic expression. Like most of life, fashion shows looked totally different depending on your perspective.
“I can’t wait to move to San Francisco,” he sighed.
“Hang in there,” I said, “We’ll be there before you know it.” I thought about how much fun it would be to show Cruz around the city and my spirits begin to lift a little.
The first half of the day dragged on, and by the time we met for lunch I was back to feeling agitated. The weather was clear and sunny so Cruz and I grabbed Megan and we went to eat on the benches outside. I let my guard down a little, relieved to avoid the stares and jabbering gossip in the cafeteria. From the looks I’d been getting, I was pretty sure the guys in art class had embellished the tale of my mermaid drawing considerably.
Cruz and Megan started back in on me about my plans.
“Marina, I can see why you want to meet with Lorelei,” said Megan. “But it would be stupid to put yourself in that kind of danger again.”
“I have a wetsuit now– I’ll be fine! If I can speak mermaid there’s so much more I must know.”
“Can’t you just talk to her from the cement ship?” asked Cruz.
“I can try, but she always disappears when someone comes along. Plus, there’s no guarantee she won’t just drag me into the water again.” I remembered how swiftly she had snatched me off the cement slab.
“How about from behind the fence,” Megan said pointedly.
“I’ve been thinking… if I can find her early, when there’s nobody around... I could change into my wetsuit real fast and you guys could wait for me and–”
“Hold on Marina,” said Cruz, “I’m not agreeing to anything.”
“Me neither,” said Megan.
“I’ll be fine,” I said firmly, “I know she won’t hurt me.”
“Not on purpose,” Megan intoned ominously. The bell rang.
Cruz got up. “We’ll talk about your insane plans after school,” he said.
Megan offered us a ride home and we accepted. I headed towards art class, and passing the girl’s bathroom I ducked in, suddenly feeling dizzy and nauseous. I splashed some water on my face and neck and went into a stall, sitting with my head in my hands. I heard a flurry of footsteps on the tiles and drew up my knees, afraid Megan was checking up on me. I just wanted to be left alone for a minute.
I heard voices, and I recognized Heather and Jamie from art class. Another set of footsteps shuffled in.
“Hey Shayla,” said Heather, “Can I bum a smoke?” I heard a match strike and smelled the cigarette fumes. It made me feel even more sick.
“You guys got art with that freak Marina, right?” Shayla said with contempt.
“Yeah,” said Jamie, “Did you see what she was wearing today? Those were like three hundred dollar jeans, and her shoes are like, way, way expensive.” I looked down at my feet and squeezed my eyes shut.
“She thinks she’s so great cuz she has nice stuff. She’s just a stuck up little bitch,” added Heather.
“Her and her queer cousin Cruz came to school with Ethan today. I don’t know how he can even stand to be around those losers,” said Jamie. My blood began to boil.
“She’s totally lucky he works for Cruz’s mom,” said Shayla, “Cuz that’s the only reason he’s even nice to her.” I felt my face flush hot.
“Did you hear that she drew a naked picture of herself in art class?” asked Heather.
“Yeah,” Shayla said, laughing mockingly, “What a total slut.” I started shaking with shame and rage.
The bell rang, and after passing around breath freshener they left for class, leaving behind only a cloud of smoke. I wanted to disappear, overcome by a sudden image of myself diving into the ocean and never coming back out. I began walking in the opposite direction from art class, intending to wait for Cruz and Megan in the parking lot. Turning a corner, I ran straight into Mr.
Briggs.
“I see you’re late too,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “but you’re heading in the wrong direction.”
I reluctantly turned and walked to class with him. When we got there all the seats were taken except the one next to Ethan. I saw him move his books off the chair and look up at me expectantly. I went and sat down numbly. Heather and Jamie were clearly disappointed to see me show up, looking at me malevolently. I just looked down and willed the class to end.
We were shown a slide show of Picasso and Braque paintings and instructed to do our own version of a cubist painting. Paints and small canvas boards were provided, and I busied myself with the work, taking pains to avoid Ethan’s eyes. His chair scooted closer to me and I could feel his leg brush up against mine occasionally as we worked. Heather and Jamie chatted away, vainly trying to engage Ethan in conversation. When the time came to pack up Ethan followed me to the sink.
“Can I give you guys a ride home?” he asked as we washed our brushes.
“No thanks,” I said, my voice thick, “Megan’s taking us.” I turned to leave. When I got to my desk I went to reach for my bag and felt something wet. Someone had dumped the dirty paint water into it. I looked up to see Heather and Jamie scurry out the door, laughing maliciously. I saw red.
Ethan came over to me, worried. He’d seen that expression on my face before.
“What did they say to you?” he asked, alarmed at the smoldering rage in my eyes.
“Nothing,” I replied sharply and turned to go. I grabbed my soggy bag and stormed out to find Cruz and Megan, eager to get home and put an end to this day.
I was pacing back and forth, waiting just back from the little cluster of girls standing and snickering at me when I saw Cruz and Megan approach.
“Hey fatty, your boyfriend looks like a girl!” Shayla called out to them. I could see Cruz and Megan look down, cowed. That did it. I raced up to within inches of her face, shaking with a ferocious rage.
My fists were clenched with fury and I spat out menacingly, “Do you have a problem?” Shayla stepped back reflexively, unaccustomed to being challenged. Then her eyes narrowed and she came at me. I had never hit anyone before but I was fully prepared to fight back, too angry to be afraid.
Strong hands grabbed me by my shoulders, lifted me off my feet and moved me aside. Ethan had gotten between us. I looked up to see Shayla’s shocked face.
“Knock it off!” he said to both of us, looking angry. He took me by my upper arm and escorted me to the parking lot, followed by Cruz and Megan. They were staring at me in awe.
When we got to Megan’s car I was breathing deeply, trying to control my raging anger.
“Marina,” Ethan said intensely, turning me to face him. “Don’t you know not to mess w
ith someone bigger than you? That girl is tough, she could really hurt you.”
“I don’t care,” I said defiantly, shaking his hand off my arm. He exhaled hard, turning to Megan and Cruz.
“Can you get her home alive please?” He turned to go.
Megan and Cruz scolded me about being reckless the whole drive home, and by the time we pulled into the driveway the storm had passed, and I was feeling calm again.
“I’m sorry,” I said remorsefully, “She’s just so awful.”
“Sticks and stones,” Cruz had said, explaining that fighting back only made it worse.
I couldn’t understand how to explain to them the rage I felt when I saw them being harassed.
It was as if I was being taken over by a different me– a more ferocious side of my character was starting to emerge and it was more than a little alarming. The only problem was that I liked the way it felt to give myself over to it.
Once they got over their shock, Megan and Cruz had a laugh about the look on Shayla’s face when Ethan broke up the fight. Then they got back to fretting about what she would do next and decided they needed to stay by my side at school as much as possible.
“We have to stop you from starting a fight,” Cruz said, looking at me like I was a bomb about to detonate.
“You sure do have a bad temper!” Megan exclaimed.
“No I don’t!” I protested.
Cruz laughed so suddenly he snorted. Megan and I started laughing along with him and soon I felt better than I had all day.
“You don’t understand,” I said, shaking my head, “I never did anything like that before I got here... it must be all the fog or something.”
Cruz laughed his snorting laugh again, “Aptos fog is to blame?” he shrieked, “What about San Francisco?” I shrugged. He had a point.
Megan studied me, calculating, “Maybe it’s a mermaid thing.” I cast a cynical look her way and turned towards Cruz, “Please don’t tell your mom what happened,” I asked him, “She worries enough as it is.”
Derrolyn Anderson - [Marinas Tales #1] - Between The Land And The Sea Page 12
