“Who? ”
“The one you ride waves with. He’s a nice one.”
I thought about Ethan and the shark attack. I knew the answer but I asked it anyway, “Did you see him before that? ”
She laughed, “I like the wave riders. ” She whirled away to grab something else off the buoy.
This was getting ridiculous. I felt like I was trying to reason with a toddler.
“Lorelei!... Lorelei?... Can you take me back to the beach now? ” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I looked behind me into another pair of mermaid eyes. She looked very much like Lorelei, only there was a big difference. This one was angry!
Lorelei surfaced and her surprise quickly turned to fear.
“It is forbidden! ” The new mermaid screeched. She grabbed Lorelei by the arm and dragged her underwater. They were gone for a few long seconds until Lorelei shot out of the water like a leaping dolphin, followed by the angry creature that lunged for her tail, grabbing on.
There was an unearthly shrieking as they fought, their powerful fins churning the water into choppy waves. I was knocked off the board by the violence of their struggle and I tread water, trying to avoid their thrashing tails. I grabbed hold of the buoy, scooting around to the side opposite their horrible high pitched screams.
Then it was quiet. I moved around the buoy, peering down in the water for any sign of them.
I scrambled onto it, looking around for Lorelei.
Off in the distance, my surfboard was floating away on a powerful current. I cursed myself for not attaching the leash. I jumped in, desperate to retrieve it, but from the water level I could no longer see it. I scrambled back onto the buoy and it was gone. I circled the buoy, looking for any sign of the two mermaids, wondering what could possibly be going on under the deep blue waters. The minutes crept by like hours, and I finally had to admit to myself that they were gone.
It slowly dawned on me just how much trouble I was in. I was alone in the middle of the ocean, marooned on a buoy. Nobody knew where I was. I thought of Cruz, waiting frantically on the beach and I felt an awful rush of guilt. I kept praying that Lorelei would pop back up and take me home, but I had much less faith in her reliability than I did before. I could hear Megan saying “I told you so” in my mind. I remembered waving goodbye to Ethan.
I settled down on the buoy as the hours ticked away. Pushing aside some of the junk, I managed to get myself out of the water with my knees drawn up under me. I looked around at the bizarre mix of things Lorelei had gathered. In addition to her little collection, there were a good deal of bird droppings scattered about. Fighting back nausea, I tried not to put my hands on anything, but had to hook an arm on the rails of the transmitter to keep from falling off in the rolling water.
I contemplated setting out for shore, but I couldn’t see it and I wasn’t entirely sure of the direction. The sun began to set just as the fog rolled in, plunging me into complete blackness. I thought of Abby and Cruz, Evie and my dad. Tears rolled down my cheeks when I thought of Ethan, showing up to take me surfing, finding me missing.
I wiped my eyes and tried to think positively. Maybe a boat would come along, or maybe Lorelei would return to swim me back. It was hard to be optimistic in total blackness, and my thoughts turned dark. What if that other mermaid had hurt Lorelei? She certainly looked vicious.
I thought of their ghastly shrieks and shuddered.
I picked up the baby doll and wondered about my mother. She had wanted a human baby and it had killed her. I had killed her. Everyone always said I was lucky, but I certainly wasn’t lucky for her. Evie always said to watch out what you ask for because you might just get it. I had sure asked for it this time– stubbornly going out to see Lorelei against everyone’s better judgment.
I tried to make some sense of the way Lorelei had behaved. She was a strange mixture of young and old. She seemed to have no concept of family structure outside of sisterhood. I was reminded of a nature show I saw on TV once, about the social organization of a bee hive. The worker bees were all sisters, daughters of the queen. They had their own language and could recognize an intruder to the hive, even if it was another bee.
I wondered if mermaids were like that. I shuddered to think of a queen mermaid, for surely she would be far more fearsome than anything I could imagine.
I was thirsty. Thirstier than I had ever been. I was too nervous to eat lunch, so the last thing I drank was my morning coffee. I thought about Ethan’s warning about dehydration. I licked my salty lips. I was hungry too, but water was what I needed.
“Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink,” I croaked, remembering little snatches of verse from a long ballad. My tutor in India had committed it to memory, and had recited it to me whole in his clipped, precise British accent– “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. I struggled to recite more of it, remembering the long saga of a horrific sea voyage. When I closed my eyes I imagined I was on the ghostly ship in the poem, suffering right alongside the stranded sailor.
The hours ticked by and the wind picked up. I was cold, but nothing like when Lorelei had dragged me out here the first time. I remembered that I had stashed the hood in my suit and I contorted around ’till I fished it out. It helped. At least I wouldn’t freeze to death.
Now that I knew my mother was definitely one of them I had a whole new set of questions.
My father could answer them, but I might not ever see him again. I tried to beat back that negative thought. My mother must have transformed herself into human form. All of the mermaid myths took on a new significance now that I knew the truth.
Almost all the legends contained tales of some sort of magical transformation. I wondered how that went. If she could change, could she change back? Could I turn into one of them? I trembled inside at the thought.
I tried to keep my gloomy thoughts at bay, focusing hard to fill my mind with memories of happier times. I recalled lighthearted days spent with Aunt Evie, exploring art museums and galleries in the city. Evie took great pains to expose me to as many of the world’s masterpieces as possible, encouraging my interest in art. We’d dress up to attend show openings and museum fund raisers, and I had to smile, remembering how artists and curators flocked around her, desperately trying to curry her favor. Being around Evie in public was a lesson in human nature.
The wind rose up again, blowing the fog away to reveal a bright moon and stars. I scanned the heavens, trying to remember the constellations. I found the great square of Pegasus, Ursa major and Ursa minor. Above Pegasus was Draco, the giant dragon snaking across the night sky.
I thought about all the mythology that went along with the stars. Myths, I thought. If mermaids could exist, then why not dragons or flying horses?
The silence was shattered when a whale surfaced next to the buoy, blowing a spray of air and mist ten feet high into the moonlit night. I scarcely dared to breathe lest I frighten it away. I should have been scared, but I felt a strong kinship to the leviathan, a fellow mammal all alone in the vast watery expanse. It was enormous, at least fifty feet, and it came so close to the bobbing buoy that I reached out and touched it, feeling its rough skin slide past my fingertips. It sucked in a breath of air through two blowholes that looked like nostrils.
Odd, I thought, I never knew that. I was so alone the whale felt like a friend, come to check on me. It rolled in the water, and I could see barnacles growing on its huge fins; it was a humpback. The whale slowly circled around the buoy, giving me the impression that it was curious about me. Our eyes met in the moonlight and I could hear its eerie song. I had the sense that everything was going to be alright, that some miracle might occur to bring me home. As the docile giant swam away, all my feelings of well-being vanished along with it.
The horizon grew discernibly brighter as the sun rose in the east. The sky was rosy with dawn, a beautiful sight that I was the only living soul for miles around to witness. I knew which direction was home now, but I was feeling weak, and I real
ized the strong currents would take me off course if I tried to swim for it. As the sun rose, I started to warm up, and my tongue felt dry and sticky. The muscles in my legs began to cramp, and when I tried to stand I grew lightheaded.
The wetsuit now became my enemy as I started to overheat. I took off the cap and booties to try and cool down. Unzipping the suit, I peeled it down to my waist, exposing my bare back to the scorching sun. The sun blazed bright red through my eyelids, and I sank back down to lean on the buoy. I felt like a starfish drying out on the beach.
I must have dozed off when I heard the cheerful sounds of dolphins splashing and chirping all around me. It’s my imagination, I thought, remembering the day the dolphins danced in a circle around me and Ethan. I wondered what it would feel like to be a dolphin, fantasizing about having the ability to swim so fast, to be so free... like a mermaid.
The noises continued, and when they intensified into a loud buzzing roar, I opened my eyes, surprised to focus on Cruz’s worried face.
I smiled blearily at the apparition, thinking it was a nice dream. I asked it, “Do you have any water?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CONFESSION
We motored into the harbor, Ethan steering the small inflatable into its berth. I’d been peeled off the buoy and made to sip water slowly, as Cruz filled me in on his own awful night.
Ethan was preoccupied with piloting us back to land, and I was afraid to make eye contact, ashamed of my stupid move. I sat in mute exhaustion, resting my dizzy head on Cruz’s shoulder as he spoke. He put a reassuring arm around me.
“I’m so sorry Cruz, I should have listened to you.” My voice sounded hoarse and raspy.
I felt horrible about implicating Cruz. He described to me how he’d been frantic, pacing on the sand for hours. He finally went to Megan’s, where they tried to figure out what to do. Cruz had lied to Abby, telling her I was spending the night at Megan’s. I felt bad about involving them, but I was grateful that Abby didn’t know, for she would certainly tell my father and I would definitely be sent away for this one.
Megan and Cruz ended up spending the night on the beach, waiting in vain for my return.
They knew that Ethan lived at the harbor, and went to him at dawn for help. His father was away on a fishing trip for the weekend, but Ethan had his inflatable skiff.
They told Ethan about Lorelei, and were surprised when he believed them. Of course he would, I thought, for he had seen her too. I felt terrible, for now he knew that I had lied to him.
Lies of omission.
They told him about my near fatal trip to the buoy last time. Megan had guessed that she would take me there again, and Ethan thought he knew where they might find it. Cruz and Ethan left the harbor in the early morning light to search for me. They were far out to sea, circling hopelessly and getting nowhere when the dolphins came and guided them. I thought about the pod we saw surfing and wondered if they were the same. Could Lorelei have sent them?
I dozed off and on, utterly exhausted, lulled to sleep by the droning engine. The next thing I knew Ethan was lifting me up from the boat onto a dock where Cruz held me upright and steadied me. Megan came running up, a relieved look on her face.
She gave me a big hug, “Thank God! We thought we might not get you back!” I looked down, contrite, “You were right. I’m sorry.”
“For God’s sake Marina, promise us you won’t have anything to do with her anymore,” said Megan sternly.
I hesitated, Lorelei may be annoyingly childlike, but now I knew she was part of my family.
My voice was quiet, “I don’t know if I can.”
Megan looked at me in frustration, “Marina, you’ve got to drop this obsession! It’s going to get you killed!”
Ethan was standing there, arms crossed. He looked mad.
“Thank you for finding me,” I told him timidly, “You saved my life.”
“My place is up there,” he said, gesturing to a row of apartments overlooking the harbor,
“You need to get out of that wetsuit.” He was right. I was uncomfortable and dirty from the buoy.
I turned to Cruz, “My clothes! Do you have my bag?”
“Sorry, I left them at home when I got the car last night,” Cruz said, “I’ll get them and bring them here. Mom thinks that Ethan picked you up from Megan’s to take you surfing.” Megan yawned and stretched, “My mom is wondering where I disappeared to… I gotta go.” Cruz followed Megan over to the Porsche. He stopped and turned around, dangling my purse. He must have taken it off the buoy.
“At least I got your Prada back from her!”
Megan and Cruz looked at each other and laughed. I turned to face Ethan. He was not amused.
“Come on,” he said, walking away. I trailed behind him.
Ethan’s place was on the second floor, and I followed him up the stairs on stiff legs. The front of the building was covered with a huge blooming bougainvillea, creating a wall of brilliant fuchsia. He opened the door and let me in wordlessly, avoiding eye contact.
I stood there awkwardly, feeling like I had ruined our friendship. Ethan left the room and I looked around nervously. His apartment was comfortable but spare; you could tell that no woman lived there. An overstuffed couch sat facing a big TV, and there were stacks of sports and surfing magazines. A desk in the corner held a computer and printer, piled high with mounds of papers.
He came back in the room, brusquely handing me a folded towel, sweats and a T-shirt. He pointed in the direction of the bathroom. “Give me your wetsuit and I’ll get it cleaned up for you.
You need to rinse off.”
I nodded, “Thanks,” I said weakly. I stripped off my wetsuit and handed it to him through the cracked door. When I peeled off my swimsuit I could see the outline of a nasty sunburn flaming on my back. I shuddered with the chills, and got into the shower. The warm water felt like heaven, and I wanted to curl up and go to sleep right there. I rinsed out my swimsuit and hung it on the rod.
I slipped into Ethan’s clothes and looked in the mirror. My bruised face was now sporting a sunburn across the bridge of my nose and my cheeks. My lip was still swollen with a big scab where the split had closed. My wet hair was tangled and messy, and I looked comical swimming in Ethan’s too big clothes. I came out to find him sitting on the couch. He looked up and tried to suppress a smile.
“I know,” I said, “I’m a mess.”
“Have a seat,” he gestured to the couch. I sat down, clenching my hands in my lap.
“I’m sorry,” I said, looking down.
He exhaled hard. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked with a twinge of annoyance in his voice.
“It’s a long story,” I said.
“I have time,” he said.
And so I started talking and it all spilled out. I told him how I saw Lorelei the day I first saw him, and felt her hand pull me up from underwater when I got hit by the sleeper wave. I told him about taking Cruz and Megan to see her and talking to her for the first time.
“They can talk?” he asked, shocked and curious.
“Yes, but I’m the only one who can... I’m the only one who understands her,” He looked surprised, raising his eyebrows at me.
I went on to explain, “Her voice– it sounds like bells to me. But Cruz and Megan can only hear water.”
“Marina, Cruz told me that she nearly killed you,” he said gravely, “I can’t believe she dragged you all that way... and without a wetsuit? Twice!” He looked angry again.
“It’s not like that! She didn’t know!” I felt strangely protective of her, as if she needed me to defend her, “She didn’t understand why I got so cold.”
“That explains why you had no water in your lungs,” he shook his head, “You must have been freezing to death!”
“Literally,” I said, meeting his eyes. I had to look away, remembering when he asked me about it before.
“Why weren’t you afraid to go back?” he asked quietly.
I told him
that Lorelei didn’t know anything about people, and that she was the one who had saved me from Shayla’s panicked death grip. I explained how she had peeled Shayla off of me, and ended up saving both of us. I told him how I’d made plans to meet with her again on that day. I went on to try and describe her childlike nature; I wanted him to understand that she was joyful and naive, lighthearted and carefree. Whatever she was, I knew that she meant me no harm.
“She’s innocent... she just doesn’t understand humans,” I was struck with the realization that I was only half human, and shivered suddenly as a cold chill passed through me.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked.
I nodded mutely, suddenly speechless.
“Was she the girl, the one who stopped the shark?”
“I think so... she was there that day we were surfing. She saw you teaching me. I tried to ask her about it but she was being... difficult.”
“What do you mean by difficult?” he asked with raised eyebrows.
I looked at him with pained eyes, “She kept trying to show me things that she’d collected...
things that were my–” my voice caught in my throat. I could see the hairless baby doll in my mind and I squeezed my eyes shut.
“She sent the dolphins that day,” he said flatly, the truth dawning on him.
“I guess... I didn’t have a chance to ask.”
“Is that the only reason you wanted me to teach you to surf?” he asked, sounding a little hurt.
I shook my head vehemently, meeting his eyes sincerely, “No! I really wanted to try, it looked like so much fun! And it was fun! Probably the most fun thing I’ve ever done,” I dropped my gaze, a little ashamed, “But it did occur to me that I could use the board to try and find out more...”
“What happened yesterday?” he asked firmly, “Why did she leave you there?” Something in his tone demanded the truth.
I heaved a shaky breath, “After she brought me out to the buoy another one showed up.” He looked shocked and listened intently as I described the other mermaid’s arrival and the horrible screeching fight that ensued. Their wild thrashing struggle was fresh in my mind as I tried to explain the frightening speed and power of the battling creatures. I told him how I had been left there alone, and how scary it was in the dark.
Derrolyn Anderson - [Marinas Tales #1] - Between The Land And The Sea Page 16
