by Kristen Day
“That’s not the best part, though.” I paused dramatically, “I can breathe…underwater!”
My announcement was met with silence. Then they all start talking at once.
“What?!”
“That’s amazing!”
“You’re so lucky!”
“No way! How’s it work?”
“I don’t know, I just…started breathing water.” I shrugged and purposely left out the whole Finn tried to drown me part. “It was pretty crazy.”
Willow’s eyes widened. “That means you must have an affinity for a sea animal!”
“It does?”
“The sea turtles!” Phoebe jumped up, almost spilling her milky chocolate. “They must have recognized you! That’s why they were around you!” I realized it made perfect sense. It would also explain the images that I saw when I touched the turtle. Wow. Controlling water, breathing underwater, and an affinity to sea turtles. This was seriously blowing my mind.
“So what does that mean? To have an affinity?” I questioned her. “Are they going to follow me around every time I go in the ocean?” I didn’t remember any sea turtles the night Finn and I were swimming. And drowning. And then breathing. And…
“It means you have a special connection with them, so you can communicate with them somehow. It’s different for each person,” Willow explained, reaching for another brownie.
Phoebe sat back down beside me. “I’ve only known one person who had that kind of affinity and it was this guy who could communicate with sting rays. Talk about weird. I don’t think I’d want to be BFF’s with one of those.” She made a face, “But sea turtles are awesome! They get huge and live for like eighty years. And the baby turtles are adorable!”
“Have you ever watched them hatch?” Willow asked me.
“I’ve seen it on the National Geographic channel, does that count?” I tried to remember what the documentary showed. I’m pretty sure that halfway through Laura Beth came in and changed the channel to something much more thought provoking, like Jersey Shore.
Carmen looked up from her text messages with Logan to add to the conversation. “It’s really cool to see - the female turtles lay their eggs on the beach, then leave. After they hatch, the babies find their way to the ocean by following the moonlight shining off the water.”
“We’ll have to take you to see it!” Phoebe declared, “They’re an endangered species but we can still get really close. They usually hatch right around this time. They stay in the nest for a couple nights after they hatch, then when they’re strong enough, they run to the ocean. If the moon isn’t shining, we get flashlights to help them go the right way.” She rubbed her chin and raised an eyebrow at me, “You know, we could just throw you in the ocean; I bet they’d follow you anywhere.” She laughed, but I had a feeling she was probably right.
~Ӂ~
When Sunday rolled around, I lazily shuffled into the living room to find Phoebe and Willow watching the Weather Channel and painting their toenails. Phoebe was balancing a bottle of neon green on her knees, and Willow was in the process of filling up the room with used cotton balls.
“Dang, Willow. How many toenails do you have?” I ruffled her already messy hair and made myself comfortable on the couch.
“Note to self,” she paused to toss another used cotton ball in the pile. “Any nail polish with glitter in it requires turpentine for removal.”
“I might have an electric sander in my room if you think that’ll help?” I snickered. She tried to throw a Q-tip at me but it fell short, landing on the floor three feet in front of me.
“Oh!” Phoebe pointed at the TV, grinning from ear to ear. “Hurricane Faye’s coming to visit!” By her excitement, you’d think she had just announced that Prince William was coming instead.
“Hurricane Faye? Isn’t that a bad thing?” I’d never been through a hurricane before, but I couldn’t imagine that staying on a tiny piece of land surrounded by water was ideal.
She just giggled like I was being ridiculous. “Of course not! We break out the popcorn and enjoy the show!”
“But it’s a hurricane,” I emphasized, “It could wipe out this entire island and all of us with it.” Did the word ‘hurricane’ mean something different around here?
“We never leave for hurricanes; I’ve been through three since I’ve been here,” Willow looked up from her toes. “It’s pretty amazing to witness.”
Amazing, sure, but from a front row seat right on the beach? Not so much. Something surfaced in my memory. “You know…I saw a documentary once about a hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas at the turn of the last century. There was a school on the beach just like us. But no one was able to warn them about the hurricane, so they didn’t know to leave. When the water started rising, the nuns tied themselves to the little girls to keep everyone together.”
“What happened?” Phoebe’s face turned white.
“When the hurricane hit, as each girl drowned, she weighed down the others, and the nuns couldn’t keep everyone above water. When they dug through the ruins of the school looking for survivors, they found all the girls and nuns still tied to each other. All of them had died.”
“That’s awful….” Willow looked up from her toes, her face grave.
“I know. I can’t even imagine how scary that would be, which leads me to my next question. Why are we not running for the nearest mountain town?” I scratched my head.
Carmen came out of her bedroom, “Duh, our ancestors came from the sea.” She tossed some silver nail polish to Willow and picked up a magazine, flipping through it. “So don’t get your panties in a wad. They placed a protective shield around the campus. We’re golden. Plus, we used all the extra death-by-drowning rope tying Phoebe to the balcony last year. Now that was fun to watch.” She blew a kiss to Phoebe who caught it and pretended to shove it in her mouth, chew it up, and finally spit it out on the floor.
“Don’t ask.” Phoebe squelched the question already on the tip of my tongue. I decided on another one.
“So, why can’t we make the hurricanes veer off course and stay out to sea or make them fall apart before they reach land?” I thought of all the lives that could be saved and the millions of dollars in damages that could be prevented.
“Messing with the balance of nature is a risky business. Especially something as powerful as hurricanes.” Willow blew on her shiny metallic silver toenails to dry them, “It’s forbidden by the Sanctions.”
“What are the ‘Sanctions’?” I needed a dictionary for all these new words.
“Basically the rules we have to follow. There aren’t many, but they definitely enforce them.” Willow explained.
“Most of us aren’t powerful enough to do much harm anyway,” Phoebe shrugged, “I mean, what kind of damage could my little sand tornado cause?”
“It could devastate an ant farm,” I said in all seriousness. “Mass chaos would erupt and the death toll could rise to as much as a twenty. I wouldn’t want that on my conscience if I were you.” Carmen laughed in her orange juice.
“The complete and total annihilation of an entire sand castle, that’s what,” Willow added.
“I foresee some serious chafing if it got in your bathing suit,” Carmen looked up from her magazine, “and you thought razor burn was painful…”
“And don’t get me started on how it feels in your eyes. We could all go blind in a matter of minutes,” Willow threw out. We all erupted into a fit of giggles, except Phoebe.
“Laugh it up now, but a gigantic sandstorm is next on my list and you three,” she narrowed her eyes at each of us, “will be my next victims, so you better sleep with one eye open.”
Carmen stood up suddenly, “Logan and his friends are going down to the beach in a little while. The hurricane’s already kicking up some huge waves so they’re going surfing. Which means you guys are coming out there with me,” she looked at us expectantly. “So get your bathing suits on.” She didn’t wait for an answer; instead she dis
appeared into her bedroom.
“Anybody want to go to the beach? I heard Carmen’s going…” Phoebe yelled sarcastically at Carmen’s closed door. We stifled our laughter.
“I heard that!” Carmen said through her closed door. “I want bathing suits on ASAP! I’d hate to drag ya’ll down there butt naked!”
A couple of minutes later I had my bikini on and my thoughts inevitably drifted back to Finn. Would he be down there today? Did I want him to be there? Yes. Definitely, yes. I took out my phone and started to write him a text. Then deleted it. What was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, was hoping to talk to you and find out if you’re a murderer. Meet me at the beach in ten.’ Yea right. I’m sure he’d run down right away, welcoming me with open arms. Right before he strangled me to death for being a complete moron.
Chapter 18
By the time we got down to the beach, it was already teeming with activity. The sun was shining and the temperature was over ninety degrees. The smell of suntan lotion and salt, mixed with sea grass greeted us. The breeze off the ocean made the heat bearable, but I could tell it was stronger than usual as my hair whipped around my head. I pulled out a pony tail holder and threw it up out of the way, as my eyes scanned the ocean. Carmen was right; the waves had doubled in size overnight. They formed farther out, gathering speed and height as they raced towards shore. Long barrels, ideal for surfing rolled continuously over the length of the beach, crashing and then regrouping as they ate away at the sand. The rhythmic pulse became hypnotic and I found myself staring at them with a sense of wonder and…something else. Pride. A part of me belonged to that vast expanse of blue water circling the horizon as far as the eye could see. An entire world hidden beneath the surface; it harbored undiscovered secrets and its power could ravage entire continents. Its immense strength commanded respect and humbled the strongest of creatures.
“So, you gonna stand there all day like a statue or join the rest of us soaking up the sunshine?” I looked down at my roommates who were all laying on the blanket squinting up at me. I laughed and found a spot on the blanket to stretch out on. I scanned the water for any surfers resembling Finn but they were all too far away to tell.
“Phoebe, isn’t that Ian?” Carmen lowered her sunglasses and pointed.
“Well, don’t point at him!” Phoebe smacked her hand down, but kept her eyes down the beach on the dark haired guy walking toward us. As he got closer, I noticed just how good-looking he was. His dark hair was cut short; he had a diamond stud in each ear, and wore a necklace of black onyx around his neck. He walked with a slight lean, making him look a little ghetto, but in a badass sort of way. I looked over at Phoebe and noticed she was fidgeting with her hair, watching him nervously as he approached. A slow, crooked smile spread across his face and for an instant he reminded me of Finn.
“Girls,” he nodded at the rest of us smoothly and extended a hand to Phoebe, “Want to walk?” Obviously not a man of many words. She glanced at us anxiously and I could see the unease in her eyes. I smiled encouragingly at her as she took his hand. They would make a cute couple; Phoebe with her pink and gray camouflage bikini, and Ian in his black trunks and laid-back style. As they walked away, Carmen put her sunglasses back on, laid back down and sighed, “Ah, young love. Makes me want to hurl.”
“Do you think he’ll ask her to the Ball?” I silently hoped he would. It would be great to have Phoebe there with me in the event I got asked. If I got asked. And if I said yes. Who was I kidding; when I said yes. Not that I’d even seen him since Friday night. And what if I found out he was a murderer? Why couldn’t I have normal boy issues? Preferably, the kind that don’t involve drowning in the ocean or murder.
“He definitely will,” Carmen sat up and mimicked Ian’s head nod and smooth voice, “Me. You. Ball. Saturday.” I died laughing at her bad imitation. I closed my eyes to ward off the blinding sun. I took off my sunglasses so I wouldn’t have raccoon eyes, but it made it hard to see anything.
“Anybody up for some beach volleyball?” I looked up at Logan and Noah resembling Greek gods, standing in front of us. Bronzed and muscular, they were the picture of perfection. Almost too perfect. The kind of perfect that makes you question if you’re seeing who they really are. And what they’re trying to hide. Or maybe I was just paranoid. “You girls look like you could use some exercise…” Logan pulled down his Ray Ban sunglasses and looked at us, raising a light brown eyebrow.
“You can’t handle this,” Carmen told him as she rubbed more lotion on her legs, un-phased by his fighting words. Unlike Phoebe, she had the ability to hide all nervousness and insecurities. She had an air of confidence that made guys fall all over themselves. I probably should have taken some notes.
“Prove it,” Noah answered Carmen and reached out his hand to me. Instead of taking it, I stood on my own. He looked momentarily hurt, but then smiled down at Willow. “You in?”
Willow sat up on her elbows and shook her head, “I’m allergic to exercise. Ya’ll have fun.”
“Your loss.” Logan called back to her as we walked towards a makeshift volleyball court. It was basically a net with the surrounding court drawn in the sand. I’d played volleyball once and it definitely wasn’t a pretty sight. I was hoping my skills had improved since then, but I wasn’t too optimistic. With me and Noah playing against Carmen and Logan, I had a feeling Noah was on the losing end of that bargain. He palmed the ball, threw it in the air and gracefully served it over the net toward Carmen. She jumped and spiked it over the net before I had even realized what was happening.
“Come on, Stasia, the ball’s not going to defend itself!” Noah called out playfully, but I just rolled my eyes. The more we played, the more I realized volleyball wasn’t my sport. After a horrific showing on my part, Logan and Carmen high-fived as the winning shot arced over the net and through my un-talented arms. Noah came over and gave me a high-five anyway.
“Good game, partner,” He tried to give me a hug, before I moved out of his reach. “Ya’ll should come up to Rostrum and party with us.” He looked around tentatively and in a hushed voice asked, “Do you get high?”
“I don’t smoke.” I retorted, unimpressed.
“That’s not what I asked,” he sneered at me, stepping closer. I took a step back.
“I don’t get high, either.” I stood my ground this time and looked him in the eye with conviction.
“You don’t know what you’re missing.” He shook his head at me. His tone turned slightly condescending “You don’t have to be scared. There’s nothing wrong with it. Just like smoking cigarettes, really. Just better. And Logan’s mentor just made a run to Wilmington to get a bag of some really good stuff.” I got the distinct impression he assumed I was innocent and gullible, just waiting for someone like him to come along and corrupt me. Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t innocent or gullible. I didn’t need lessons from him or anyone else for that matter. What he didn’t know was I’d been around drugs since I was about eight years old. When your foster parents choose partying for three days straight over feeding you, it tends to stick with you.
“I’m not smoking grass with you, Noah.”
“Well, well…” he smirked at me, not expecting me to know another word for weed, “maybe she’s not so goody-goody after all.” He stepped closer to me again and tried to put his arm around my waist. I twisted out of his grip and stared daggers at him.
“Do not make the mistake of thinking you know me.” I said through gritted teeth. I tried my best to suppress the buried anger he’d unknowingly triggered. I glanced back at Carmen for backup, but she appeared to be in deep conversation with Logan.
“Come on, don’t be like that. I thought you were gonna be cool.” He tried again to put his arm around my shoulder, but a strong tan hand clamped down on his first.
“Touch her again and I’ll kick your ass.” I jumped back in surprise at Finn’s voice. It was dripping with pure darkness, sexy and terrifying all at once. He was face to face with Noah and even tho
ugh he was only an inch or two taller, it might as well have been a foot. Fear crossed Noah’s face, but disappeared just as quickly.
“What do you want Morrison?” Noah growled, but the slight tremble in his voice gave him away. I could tell it wasn’t lost to Finn’s ears. He stepped even closer and grinned at him with malice.
“Finally met a girl that won’t fall for your bullshit?” Finn’s face turned sinister and his blue eyes flashed, “She deserves respect and that’s the one and only thing you’re ever going to give her.”
“Whatever dude.” Noah tried to blow off Finn’s threat, but he wasn’t fooling anybody.
Logan walked up and eyed Finn, “We got a problem, Noah?”
“Nah,” Noah quickly looked me up and down and then smirked, “It’s not worth it.” Anger shot through me at his insult and I moved in between him and Finn.
“Screw you.” I pushed him as hard as I could and surprisingly, he flew back, landing hard on the sand. Everyone turned to stare at me except Carmen, who was suddenly standing right beside me.
“Get your boy under control before I whip his ass too!” she stared angrily at Logan. “Nobody talks to my friends that way!” I looked down at Noah who was rubbing his chest, and I saw two hand-sized bruises beginning to show. Did I really do that?
“She deserves it if she’s hanging out with ‘death boy’.” He helped Noah up off the sand. When he turned back around, Finn tackled him, holding him down in the sand by his throat.
“Finn!” I called out to him. People were beginning to gather around us. “Come on…let him go, let’s just leave.”
“Stay away from her,” he growled at Logan, and looked up at Noah, whose face was drained of color, “or you’ll regret it.” He gave Logan a smile dripping with evil and released him abruptly, pushing his head back in the sand. Logan rubbed his neck where Finn’s grip had left a red mark. Every muscle in Finn’s body was tense and I had a feeling he wanted nothing more than to kill them both. He radiated malevolence and my stomach turned to ice as I remembered his hands around another guy’s neck right before he pulled out an axe.
