Derrolyn Anderson - [Marinas Tales #1] - Between The Land And The Sea

by Derrolyn Anderson

  I pressed her, “Tell me about that day.”

  She sized me up, speculating as to whether I was ready to hear the story. She nodded.

  “I got a call from Martin– he was beside himself. He was calling from a hospital in San Francisco. At first I thought he was hurt, but then he blurted out that his wife was in labor, and things were going badly. He was so upset... I never heard him sound so desperate.” She explained that dad had never told her about his whirlwind romance and marriage.

  “I don’t know where he met her, but I guess it was love at first sight. They just eloped without telling anyone. I figured he didn’t want to hurt me, because of... well, you know. Cruz was six months old then. I loaded him in the car and hurried to the hospital.”

  “And you met her,” I said.

  “Yes. When I got there your dad was a wreck. I talked to the doctor and he said there were complications, and that she had refused to end the pregnancy despite the warnings. He said she wanted to see me...” her voice caught in her throat, “Your dad was in no shape to do anything, so I brought Cruz in with me to see her... Adria.” She paused, sighing sadly.

  “Go on,” I urged.

  “She was so beautiful… you look just like her. She was terribly pale, but her eyes– her eyes were happy, triumphant. When she saw Cruz, she just lit up. She touched her belly and told me that you were a girl, and that your name was Marina. She said I would need to help Martin. She wanted to hold Cruz, but the monitor went off...” her eyes filled with tears as her voice trailed off.

  “Keep going,” I said, intense.

  “They hustled me out of the room, and things just went wrong,” she looked at me sadly,

  “And you were born. Your dad just fell apart. It was scary– I’d never seen him like that. I filled out the forms to give you the name she picked. Martin was totally numb with grief. He kept saying it was his fault, he should have left her alone...” It was hard for me to imagine my dad like that. He was always so even-keeled, steady and calm.

  “He loved her so much he just kinda shut down. He was in no shape to take care of a baby. I stayed at the hospital that night and took you home with Cruz the next day.” She looked at me with a sad smile, “Your dad threw himself into his work, his traveling. I think he was afraid to see you, to be reminded of her. One day when you were about nine months old Martin showed up.”

  “So I used to live here.” I wasn’t much surprised. I had been comfortable here from the first moment I arrived.

  Abby went on, “He took one look at you and it was like the fog lifted. I could see his heart healing right before my eyes. The two of you bonded instantly. He moved in with us for a few weeks and when he left he took you with him.”

  “Where did he take me?” I asked.

  “He had just gotten an endowment at the university, and he moved you into the San Francisco apartment,” she smiled sadly at the memory, “It broke my heart to let you go, but I could see that you belonged together. Poor Cruz, he missed you so much.” I was quiet for a moment, “Thanks for telling me, Abby.” We hugged each other and I looked up to see Cruz standing there. I left them alone and went to my room.

  I had figured that my mother wanted me, but now I knew she had knowingly sacrificed her life for mine. It was sad to hear how much her death had affected my dad. Hearing the story made it easier to forgive him for not telling me the truth, and the little flame of resentment I was harboring flickered out. Now I missed the mother I had never known even more, and understanding my father, felt closer to him.

  I was a half-mermaid hybrid, but he was only human after all.

  That Friday, Ethan walked me to the parking lot, asking me what I was doing on Saturday. I told him that Cruz and I had planned a trip to the city, wondering if he was thinking about going surfing again. I wanted to surf so badly I could taste it, but I’d already called Evie, and I knew she was busy planning our day together.

  “Do you miss it?” he asked, “Living in the city?”

  “There’s a lot to do there,” I said, thinking about the museums and theaters. “But I miss Evie, and that’s who we’re going to see.”

  He looked thoughtful, “When are you moving back?” he asked.

  “My dad gets home this summer,” I said, “But you never know with him, we usually go where his latest project takes him.”

  “What about college?” he asked.

  “I don’t know... Cruz is going to design school in San Francisco, and I want him to move in with us. Maybe I’ll stay in the city and go to school with him.” We walked slowly to the parking lot.

  “Have you talked to your dad yet?” he asked, stopping me in my tracks. After my talk with Abby I was even more fearful of upsetting him. I was afraid he might send me away from Aptos to keep from having to deal with the truth– taking away any chance I had of finding out more.

  The one thing I knew for sure was that he didn’t behave rationally when the subject of my mother came up.

  “No,” I said looking down, forced to face my fears, “We write e-mails back and forth, but I–

  I’ve been putting off calling. I think I should see him face to face to really... talk.”

  “You must miss him,” Ethan said.

  “Do you know what I miss?” I said, wanting to forget about my father, “Surfing!” He smiled at me.

  “No seriously, I was at the beach yesterday and it was all I could do to keep from jumping in! I can’t wait to try it again!” I said with enthusiasm. I must have said something wrong because he looked a little worried.

  “It’s okay, I know it’s not a good idea to go out alone,” I said, thinking about all his safety rules. “But I mean, I do miss surfing. And swimming. I can’t stop thinking about it. I have the most amazing dreams about being in the water every single night.” His handsome face looked increasingly concerned.

  “Don’t worry! I won’t do anything stupid again. I just... I had so much fun, I felt so happy that day. I really want to go again. I can’t wait a whole week... Can we please go after school on Monday?”

  He looked uncomfortable, and I was confused.

  “What?” I asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Marina, we need to talk,” he said. When we got to the parking lot Cruz was waiting at the car.

  I turned to Ethan, “Why don’t you drive me home?”

  “Yeah, good idea,” he said. He waited for me by his truck when I went over to tell Cruz he could go along without me.

  “Is everything alright?” Cruz asked, reading my apprehensive face.

  “I don’t know,” I replied, starting to worry, “But I’ll find out.” I gave him the keys and a quick hug, “See you at home.”

  Ethan held the door for me and I climbed into his truck, watching as he came around to slip in next to me. He looked even more serious than usual.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, a little fearful. There were still people milling about the parking lot, and I could see some of Ethan’s friends watching us.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

  We drove away from the school lot and headed up the coast a bit. He pulled off onto a small lane that came to a dead end. We were up on a hill that looked out over the harbor, and I could see Ethan’s apartment building covered with fuchsia blossoms below. He parked the truck and turned towards me, a strange look in his cobalt eyes.

  He exhaled, “I’ve been thinking about this all week.”

  I looked over at him nervously, “What?” I asked quietly.

  “This is going to sound a little weird, but it’s been bugging me.”

  “What is it?” A feeling of dread washed over me, and I imagined that he was going to tell me he didn’t want to go surfing with me anymore.

  “I was talking to Long last Sunday, at the market. He was telling everyone about how you dove in to save Shayla. He thinks that there’s something... supernatural going on.” I looked at him with horror, “You didn’t say anything, did you?”

  “Of cour
se not!” he exclaimed, looking offended.

  I looked down, “I’m sorry... I guess he figured out that I couldn’t have possibly saved Shayla on my own.”

  “No, not at all,” he looked at me sincerely. His eyes were so blue I could have gone for a swim in them. “He was impressed by your bravery. Everyone is– it’s just that he’s been talking about all this stuff with his Grandfather.”

  “Lue Khang?”

  “Yes. You know how he was going on about the water spirits calling you?” I nodded, “I think he saw her. I think he knows about Lorelei.”

  “I do too. What Lue was saying, what he thinks...” he paused, “The Hmong believe that there are spirits that live in the natural world. They can protect you or they can be angry. He thinks the water spirits are offended. He says that something has been taken from them.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “He thinks it’s you. He thinks they want something from you.”

  “Me?”

  “He said they call to you, and that’s why you’re always ending up... in trouble. I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t help but worry there may be, I don’t know– something to it.”

  “He’s just superstitious,” I said.

  “But Marina, I mean, you didn’t even know how to swim and now you can’t seem to stay out of the water. It’s like you’re drawn to it.”

  I protested, “Hey! You’re in the water all the time!”

  “You seem to see a mermaid every time you go near the ocean...”

  “You saw her too, and so did Megan and Cruz... And maybe Lue.” I frowned, “So I’m not the only one.”

  “You’re the only one who can understand them.”

  “I know,” I conceded, “But that’s because of my mother.” He took a deep breath, “Exactly. What if it’s that– what if she’s what they’re missing?”

  “My mother? I can’t do anything about that,” I said.

  He was quiet for a moment, as though he was debating whether to tell me or not, “Marina, there’s something else. It’s what’s been bothering me.”

  “What is it?” I asked, “What else?”

  “Lue says, the Hmong believe, that in a situation like this… a sacrifice is required.” My blood ran cold. I had been worrying about Ethan, afraid they would hurt him. Now I was terrified. My eyes flew open wide.

  “What if they do something to you?” I gasped.

  He looked at me like I was crazy, “You’re worried about me?”

  “Well, you’re always surfing, and–”

  There was a scratching sound on the truck. We both looked up to see a seagull that had landed on the hood. The bird advanced on the windshield, coming straight towards me. It waved its beak slowly, like it was saying no, turning each eye to face me for a better look. I was reminded of the whale’s eye the night on the buoy. The bird flew away, and I turned back to look into Ethan’s alarmed eyes.

  “Superstitious?” he asked with raised eyebrows.

  “I don’t know,” I was spooked, but I tried not to show it, “Nothing makes sense to me anymore.”

  “Promise me you won’t do anything reckless,” he looked serious.

  “I promise if you do.”

  He drove me home in silence, each of us holding in our thoughts. He got out to walk me to the door.

  “Just be careful,” we both said at the same time, and laughed. I hugged him impulsively, and felt his body tense up. I pulled away, feeling awkward, when he gathered me back into him tightly, wrapping his arms around me like a cloak. He buried his face in my hair and drew in a deep breath. Our bodies fit together like two puzzle pieces, and we stood there for a minute, afraid to move, not wanting to part.

  A dog walker jangled by, breaking the spell.

  “Have a good time tomorrow,” he said in a husky voice, turning to leave. I went into the house in a daze, nearly running into Cruz as he came down the hall.

  “So, what did Ethan have to say?” he asked me. I gathered my thoughts.

  “He was just worried about me, he wants me to be careful.”

  “Oh really, ” he said skeptically.

  I smiled, “Yeah, he wants me to be careful when I drive you to Evie’s tomorrow!”

  “Lord have mercy,” he said as he walked past me into the kitchen.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  EVIE

  We drove to San Francisco with the convertible top down, music turned up loud, and wind blasting back our hair. I wore one of my prettiest new dresses and Cruz looked stylish in a black leather jacket and riding boots, a striped scarf artfully draped around his neck. We were making our escape, leaving behind all the stress of the past few weeks. We drove along the coast the whole way, enjoying views of bucolic farmland and wild unspoiled bluffs with surf raging below. My driving skills had improved considerably and we made it into the apartment building’s underground garage in no time. Boris came out to meet us at the entrance and took the Porsche to park it in Evie’s level.

  “Allo sveetheart,” he said to me as I handed him the keys.

  “Hi Boris! This is my cousin Cruz.” Boris scowled at him as we unloaded two large garment bags from the tiny back seat.

  “Bets you’ve been having blast vith za Porsche,” said Boris, eyeing Cruz suspiciously.

  “Yes– it’s been great!” I said, giving him a quick hug. I took Cruz’s arm and led him to the elevator.

  “That is one scary looking Russian!” Cruz said under his breath.

  “Boris?” I laughed, “He’s really the sweetest guy… He’s just super protective of Evie.” We took the elevator up to my apartment, popping in to get cleaned up before we went over to Evie’s. I almost expected to see my dad when we walked in, but the place was empty and the air was still. I went into my room and felt like a visitor, like I was a million years older. I ran a brush through my snarled hair as Cruz stood at the window, taking in the view that swept across the city and ended with the Golden Gate Bridge.

  “Wow,” he said, “It’s even better than I remembered it!” I showed Cruz my art studio, a spacious high ceilinged room with the same spectacular view through a much bigger window.

  “You have to stay here when you’re in design school! We could share the studio space and you could have the guest room.”

  “That would be awesome!” said Cruz, “We could have tons of fun in the city.”

  “It’s a plan,” I said.

  Cruz sighed heavily, “I wish we were out of high school right now.”

  “I know,” I sympathized, “If it wasn’t for you and Megan I’d be outta there.”

  “What about Ethan?” Cruz asked slyly.

  Ignoring his comment, I shepherded him towards the door, “Ready to go meet Evie?”

  “Let’s do it,” he said.

  We crossed the hall over to Evie’s apartment and banged on the door. It swung open and Evie threw her arms around me, two leaping little dogs at our feet. She was fully done up for our big day, dressed in couture Valentino with her hair coiffed elaborately. I introduced Cruz, and he just stood, transfixed.

  “Come in, come in,” Evie said, gesturing us inside.

  Cruz was frozen at the doorway. I took his arm and led him in.

  “Marina,” he said, wide eyed, “You didn’t tell me that your Aunt Evie was the Evelyn Pond!”

  Evie beamed at him, clearly pleased. After Cruz recovered his composure, he went on and on about how Evie was a true fashion icon, who had inspired some of the great designers of her generation.

  “She was the first real ‘it girl’,” he said reverently, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I knew she was famous,” I shrugged, “But she’s always just been Aunt Evie to me.” Evie smiled and gave me a squeeze.

  “Your cousin is very knowledgeable about fashion,” pronounced Evie. If she was taken aback at all by Cruz’s makeup and piercings, she didn’t show it. She looked at the garment bags Cruz had slung over his shoulder.

  “Come, let’s have a pee
k at all these marvelous designs that Marina tells me about.” We unzipped the bags and Cruz pulled out one spectacular piece after another, spreading them out onto Evie’s plushly upholstered sofas. She gushed over each item, taking note of the exquisite workmanship and detail. I don’t think I’d ever seen Cruz so happy and the feeling washed over me, so powerful it was contagious.

  I looked around fondly at Evie’s enormous and opulently decorated apartment, a riot of gilt and velvet, silk and color. It was so different from my own sparsely furnished place it was almost comical. The floors were graced with dozens of intricate Persian rugs, and every horizontal surface held an object of ornate beauty. The walls were crowded with colorful paintings and tapestries, and there were many elegant portraits of Evie taken by famous photographers.

  When Cruz pulled out the mermaid inspired dress Evie oohed and ahhed.

  “You should see that on Marina,” he said, turning to me, “Could you, please?” I took the gown to Evie’s dressing room. I slipped it on, and was reminded of when Ethan came in and saw me in it. That was the first day I truly started believing what Lorelei told me about my mother, I thought, feeling a twinge of regret. There was no going back now. I looked in the mirror and admired how beautiful the gown really was. Even without the extreme makeup and hair the dress looked amazing.

  I gasped as a sharp pain bloomed inside my head and a sudden rush of gut-wrenching fear gripped me. Ethan, all I could think about was Ethan. I had to sit down to catch my breath.

  Maybe putting on the dress triggered some kind of panic attack. The strange feeling passed and I gathered myself together, rubbing my temples.

  When I came out Cruz and Evie had their heads together over his clothes, animatedly chatting away. Clearly they were kindred spirits, and I felt better watching them. Evie looked up to see me and gasped.

  “Oh Marina! It’s divine! My goodness Cruz, you are a major talent!” Cruz looked so proud I thought he’d burst. We spent the next few hours talking about clothes, fashion and designers. Evie showed Cruz her cavernous dressing room, stocked full of vintage gowns going back fifty years. He was like a kid in a candy store, fussing over each rare item she extracted from her massive wardrobe.