by Kristen Day
“Just wait until I get good at this, my whirlpools will run laps around your whirlpools,” I threatened him.
“I have no doubt about that,” he said with a crooked grin.
~Ӂ~
“I am officially the worst Tyde of all time,” I shook my head as we left the building, “I can’t believe that just happened.”
“I had the same problem when I first started,” Finn reassured me.
“So you knew that would happen?”
He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and faced me. “When your essence is that powerful, you have to learn how to harness your abilities and control them.”
“My essence?” Wasn’t that a brand of shampoo?
“The part of your soul that’s tied to the sea. Think of it as a glass of water – most of the people here have glasses that are about 25% of the way full. The more essence you have, the greater your abilities. We’re born with our essence, but the gods and goddesses have the power to give us more. You could say their glasses are about 200% full. If they choose you, they give you a part of their own essence.” He smiled at his own metaphor.
My mind went back to the conversation with my roommates. “What about direct descendents?” I squinted in the sunlight and remembered my sunglasses that were still in my bedroom.
“They’re born with their glass around 90% full. The gods and goddesses don’t have to give you more essence, unless they’ve chosen you for something that requires 100% essence, which also makes you immortal.” That caught my attention.
“Immortal? That can really happen?” No way.
“Well even if you’re immortal there are still things that can end your life. It’s just harder to die.” I caught the ghost of a smile on his lips.
“How can you tell how much essence I have?” I asked him, wondering if it shows somehow.
“I just know.” His features hardened and he looked away. “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” I felt the hair on my arms lift as trepidation pushed its way into my mind.
“So tell me.” I pleaded with him, wanting to comfort him and bring his smile back. One side of me was scared of what he might admit, but the other side longed to know who he was and what secrets he carried. The more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to know about him. It didn’t matter to me what skeletons he had in the closet. Curse or no curse.
“That’s not an option.” His voice was low and rough all of a sudden. Anger flashed in his eyes and he met my gaze with conviction. “Meet me at the Cape, Friday night at 8:30. You need to practice.” He took my hand, threaded his fingers through mine like he did on the beach the night before, and walked away leaving me standing by myself, confused.
When I got back to Maren, Kira was sitting on the couch talking to Phoebe and Carmen. She jumped up when she saw me walk in.
“Hey Stasia!”
“How are you?” I asked her as she gave me a big hug.
“I’m good! I can’t stay long, but I wanted to bring you something.” She reached into her Roxy beach bag.
“This is for you.” She handed me a wooden box with what looked like waves etched into its sides. Taking off the lid, my breath caught at what I found inside. It was a silver bracelet made up of beautiful blue stones. Turquoise. I looked up at Kira in surprise. Carmen and Phoebe ran over to get a closer look.
“Kira, this is amazing!” I could feel my eyes getting moist as I took it out of the box.
“Oh my god, it’s gorgeous!” Phoebe squealed.
“It was given to me by my mom when I started at Lorelei. I want you to have it.” She smiled and put the bracelet on me. Not having a Tyde mother there with me, a big sister was the next best thing.
“I don’t know what to say,” I gave her another hug and admired it.
“Just seeing it on you is all the thanks I need,” she said, “Turquoise is the stone that represents us. It protects the wearer from negative energy and brings good fortune. Ship captains used to wear it to ensure safe passage.”
“If only it could help me pass biology safely,” Carmen muttered. Phoebe poked her in the ribs.
“I’ve got to run, but you girls let me know if you need something.” She locked in on me, “We’ll talk soon. Keep your phone on.”
Chapter 14
When Friday finally arrived, a flock of butterflies had taken up residence in my stomach. Finn wasn’t in class again, so I was a little worried he wouldn’t show. What would I do if he stood me up? I mean, it wasn’t like it was a date. He wasn’t obligated to me or anything. My palms started sweating and the butterflies doubled. It was just practice, so there was no reason to get all nervous. No different than in class. Except that it was completely different than in class. Alone in the dark, in the ocean, with only our bathing suits separating us? What’s to be nervous about? Unfortunately, it was more of a date than I’d ever had before. Boys tended to stay away from me in Atlanta since ‘charity case’ didn’t really make for an attractive quality. There were a couple I had liked but they definitely didn’t make me feel the way Finn did. The things he made me feel were frightening, thrilling, and torturous all at the same time. The way he looked at me made every part of me come alive. I imagined what it would be like to touch his bare chest and have his arms around me. Just the thought made my body tingle.
My roommates had gone to the mainland to do some shopping and to see a movie. I made up an excuse about my stomach hurting so I could stay back, but I still felt guilty. I wanted to tell them about Finn, but after Carmen’s warning, I was afraid of what they might say. Besides, it wasn’t like there was anything to tell.
It was almost 8:30 when I began walking toward the Cap. I watched the horizon catch fire as the sun set. It left dramatic oranges and reds dancing across the darkening sky. The air was warm and the breeze wasn’t chilly even though I was wearing a bathing suit. The Cape was completely abandoned, except for a couple of seagulls and the charred remains of the bonfire. Several logs of driftwood still littered the sand and someone had left a blue beach chair to fend for itself. I picked a spot farther up the beach to sit on while I waited for Finn. The sand was warm and comforting beneath me, and I dug my toes in. The moon had begun to rise over the ocean and night was threatening to take over completely. Seagulls skimmed the waves and hopped around on the sand, squawking at each other. One hopped over, eyeing me. It gave me a squawk and came closer. As if hearing something, it turned its head to the water. I followed its eyes and a shock of electricity ran through me as a figure came out of the waves. Somewhere in the corner of my consciousness, I sensed the bird fly away, but all of my concentration was on something else.
Only wearing dark blue swim trunks hanging low on his hips, he looked straight out of a Ralph Lauren commercial. My eyes ran down his body of their own accord. His broad shoulders were strong and defined, followed by a muscular chest and washboard stomach. Even in the low light, I could see the water running down his sun-kissed skin and forced myself not to think about the parts of him I couldn’t see. He walked toward me confidently and ran his hand through his wet hair to get it out of his eyes.
“Hey there,” Finn grinned and sat down beside me, “enjoying the view?”
I could feel my face redden and I was thankful for the fading light. I just hoped reading minds wasn’t one of his abilities. I shrugged my shoulders, “Eh, It’s alright. I’ve seen a million sunsets.” My lousy lie won me a chuckle and a crooked grin.
“I didn’t notice it; I was too busy watching something much more beautiful.” He met my gaze with a confidence that left me breathless. His blue eyes seemed darker than normal and I allowed myself to drown in them while everything around us faded away. I knew I was dangerously close to falling for him, and once I fell; there would be no getting back up. Even knowing the risk I was taking, I kept walking toward the proverbial edge with reckless abandon. He caught a stray piece of blonde hair blowing across my face, and tucked it behind my ear. I froze as the tips of his fingers brushed
my neck and shoulder. The heat they evoked lingered like glowing embers across my skin. His hand dropped, finding mine. He leaned closer and I saw something spark in his eyes as his lips curved upward. I held my breath.
“Time to see what you’ve got, Pasha.” he stood up, bringing me with him.
“What’d you call me?” I looked up at him with confusion.
“Pasha. It means ‘beautiful star’,” he translated for me as we walked hand in hand toward the ocean. He could call me anything and I’d probably answer to it. Well, almost anything.
The water resembled liquid silver as it lapped at the shore and that familiar longing to swim under the waves hit me again as I fought the urge to run to them. I let go of Finn’s hand when the water was up to my thighs and I felt the tingling sensation that always seemed to greet me. I stopped, closed my eyes, and held my palms right above the foaming water. A million tiny bubbles broke against my palm, tickling my skin. The water felt alive. I smiled and opened my eyes, but Finn had disappeared. After scanning the waves, I saw him a couple yards out and swam out to him.
“What should I try first?” I asked once I got there.
“See if you can calm the waves,” he suggested. Good one.
“No, seriously what should I try first?”
“I am serious. Try it.” He acted like I should be able to do it with both hands tied behind my back. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that same confidence in myself.
“But I don’t know how.” I frowned at him.
“Yes you do, just will it to be,” he explained cryptically. This was ridiculous. He really expected me to stop the waves crashing into the shore? Like I was any match for the tidal forces of the moon. At least he didn’t have high expectations. A laugh tinged with hysteria bubbled up inside of me and I faced the waves. Concentrating hard, I tried my best to picture them slowing down and becoming completely smooth. I pictured the water losing its foam as it flattened and stilled. Unfortunately, back in reality, the waves continued rolling toward the beach like normal. After staring at them for what seemed like an hour, I turned to Finn in frustration.
“This is pointless. I can’t do it.” Carmen’s face popped in my mind, “Plus, don’t you have to be descended from someone who has that ability?”
“Not always. Try again. This time face me.” Like that would help my concentration. With zero faith in my abilities, I looked into Finn’s eyes. They matched the darkness of the ocean and the rest of the world faded away. Remembering the feeling of the breaking bubbles, I reached my arms out and placed my palms on top of the water. Completely engulfed in Finn’s eyes, I forgot all about what I was supposed to be doing. All I could think about was what it would feel like in his arms. Run my fingers through his hair. Then he smiled.
“Perfect,” he said. That was an understatement. Wait.
“What’s perfect?”
“What were you thinking about?” he cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing,” I spit out a little too quickly. At least he couldn’t read minds. I filed that away in my ‘good-to-know’ folder.
“Obviously it’s a little more than nothing, look what you’re doing,” he pointed behind me.
I turned to see the boiling ocean had turned into a tranquil lake. Completely still and utterly quiet, an eerie silence had fallen over the night. I glanced to my left where waves were crashing farther down the beach and saw the same to my right. The ocean-turned-lake was only in our immediate vicinity.
“Holy shit,” was all I could manage. Finn laughed and it sounded louder amid the calm of the ocean. “But this can’t be me, I wasn’t even trying yet,” I tried to argue, shocked by what I was seeing.
“It’s all about harnessing the energy from your emotions, then transferring them to the water. You must have been thinking about something pretty powerful.” His crooked grin was back. But my mind was on to a more frightening issue.
“How do I make it go back to normal?” It would be my luck to break the ocean.
“Lift your hands,” he instructed. My arms were still extended, so I took my palms off of the water. A concrete wall of sensations slammed into me. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and every emotion I’d ever felt assaulted me in an instant. Completely overwhelmed, my body went limp and I felt myself slip under the water. Finn’s arms slid under my knees and back, lifting me up. I looked into his eyes, mere inches from my own.
“You okay?” he beamed at me.
“I think so” I replied, unsure of myself, “what the heck was that?”
“Your energy returning to you,” I barely heard him as I became acutely aware of the amount of skin touching as he cradled me in his arms. Being held by him, I got the feeling nothing could ever hurt me.
“I knew you’d be amazing,” he said with admiration, which quickly turned to sadness. He released my legs so I could stand on my own again, but I held onto his arms to test my strength. He steadied my waist and I could feel the taught muscles in his arms as his skull and crossbones trace sparkled brightly just under the surface. My eyes moved over the rest of his torso, glistening in the moonlight. I wanted to wrap up in him and never let go. I met his eyes. He was watching me with something that resembled restraint. He cleared his throat, let go of my waist and ran his hands through his hair. With my heart beating out of my chest, I glanced back at the shore to see the waves had resumed crashing. It was as if time had stopped. The whole experience was exhilarating.
“I want to do it again!” I told him eagerly. But he shook his head.
“Let’s stick to smaller things for now. You should pace yourself.”
For the next hour we practiced making bubbles (which I had done unknowingly when I had first gotten in the water), making little ripples, whirlpools like we did in class, and small waves. It was as if I was meeting a part of myself for the first time. It was as natural to me as breathing.
“So you’ve gotten the hang of some things above water,” he paused and his face lit up, “but you haven’t tried anything under the water. It’s an entirely different experience.”
“But its dark, I won’t be able to see anything,” I countered.
“Afraid of the dark, Stasia?” At that he disappeared beneath the surface. Left alone in the moonlight, I suddenly felt very alone. I thought I saw something move on shore, but then again it could have been just a trick of the moonlight. As a chilling feeling crept up my spine and settled in my chest, my heart rate quickened and I decided it was time to join Finn under the waves. With one last look toward the beach, I took a breath and dove under.
I was immediately shocked by how well I could see. It wasn’t as bright as during the day, but everything had somewhat of a glow, making it very easy to see. I spotted Finn a couple yards out emanating the same glow. Once he saw me, he continued swimming away from the beach. I followed him out as the ocean floor dropped farther and farther beneath us. He finally stopped and turned to face me. His stormy blue eyes had taken on a completely new quality underwater. I could see flecks of teal and green among the darker blues. He grinned at me as his hair danced in the current. He put both hands on my shoulders and ran them down the outside of my arms, stopping at the crook of my elbows. He pulled me closer and I noticed without our arms to tread water we began sinking quickly. A look of determination settled on his face and the grip on my arms tightened.
I stared back at him trying to understand what he was doing. I tried to move my arms, but I’d have better luck getting out of a vice grip. Then I tried to push away by kicking my legs, but that turned out to be a futile effort as well. I looked up and realized just how far we had descended. Each inch we dropped was an inch between me and life sustaining oxygen. As my lungs burned for air, panic set in and I tried to think of a way to get away from him. Coming up with nothing, I continued struggling, which only made the need for oxygen that much worse. Why was he doing this? Was he going to kill me? Why? His face remained so eerily still, while a terror like I’d never felt befo
re emerged from the depths of my soul.
Cursed. That’s what Carmen had said. Thanks to my made-up excuse, no one even knew I was out there. He could anchor my body to the bottom of the sea and I could be eaten by sharks before they found me. I began struggling again, but my lungs were at their breaking point. Small black spots formed in my vision and Finn began to blur in front of me. I could only make out his lips moving.
‘Just breathe’ they said. What kind of sick joke was this? He was the one holding me captive underwater and he wanted me to just breathe? Now he was repeating it over and over. He was sick. Or crazy. Or both. My lungs were on fire and the urge to take a breath became intolerable. The small black spots turned to larger black splotches and I knew I’d lose consciousness soon. Suddenly, all on their own, my lips parted and my lungs inhaled.
Chapter 15
Water immediately poured into my nose and throat, filling my lungs. I felt the pressure pushing against my chest. It was cold, foreign and I waited for the pain to come, for the blackness to take over.
Then I exhaled. My eyes zeroed in on Finn, who was concentrating on me like a science experiment, and it frightened me all over again. Then I inhaled. And exhaled. No pain. No blackness strangling me in to oblivion. Just me and Finn, suspended in the ocean. I started taking deeper breaths as my vision cleared and my energy returned. I watched him carefully and saw that he was breathing too. This couldn’t be happening. People couldn’t breathe underwater…it was impossible.
He smiled slowly at me and a red hot rage filled every fiber of my being. Having use of my arms again, I pushed away from him as hard as I could and kicked up to the surface. I broke through and immediately took a breath of fresh air. In the back of my mind, I marveled at how easy it was to go from breathing water to breathing air again. Then I remembered why I was breathing water in the first place as Finn broke the surface beside me.
I swam towards shore. The waves had greatly increased in size and the thought crossed my mind that my anger was causing it. Good. Maybe they’d swallow him whole and keep him out there. I finally made it past them and onto the beach, when I felt him right behind me. I whipped around, narrowing my eyes. “Get away from me.” I turned on my heel and kept walking.
