Surface

by Jody Morse

  “Okay, I’ll bring someone,” I replied with a smile.

  “Oh, my God,” Jasmine said from across the table, her light brown eyes narrowing at me. “You like this guy.”

  “I—I didn’t say I liked anyone,” I stammered over my words.

  “You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face,” Jasmine replied, shaking her head. “You’re falling in love with this Tyler guy.”

  “For starters, I’m bringing Jackson to the wedding,” I began, gritting my teeth. “And it’s really none of your business. If I want to be with someone, it’s my priority. It’s none of your concern.”

  “No, but it is my concern,” Angelica said from her place next to Jasmine. “Felicia, we talked about this already. No dating.”

  “I’m not dating,” I replied.

  “No falling in love,” she rephrased her statement. “It’s just not healthy.”

  “And like what you’re doing is?” I scoffed at her. “This wedding is such a joke. You don’t even love him.”

  Angelica stared back at me, a hurt expression in her eyes. “Felicia, we already talked about this. It’s about security.”

  “I don’t care. It’s your fault that I’m like this. You can’t tell me how to live my life, too,” I replied, glaring at her. “I’ll bring someone to the wedding as a favor to you, but don’t you tell me what I can and can’t do. If you do, I can easily just cut you out of my life.”

  Angelica started to say something when I stood up and flounced out of the ice cream parlor. Once I was outside, I began walking to the lighthouse. I had to dip my toes in the water to release some tension before I saw Tyler. Otherwise, I knew I would have stayed stressed.

  When I got there, a light was already on in the lighthouse. I decided that maybe that was why Tyler had wanted to meet me here; it was a convenient place because he was already here for some reason.

  I took off my shoes and laid my things down on a rock so that they wouldn’t get wet, but before I could leap into the water like I’d been planning to, a whispery voice called out to me. Felicia. Sing for me.

  The song that escaped from my throat drifted all around me; I was entranced by the water, and I sang my heart out for it.

  Everything started to go foggy as I leapt off the cliff that overlooked the water; it was like a cloud was covering my eyes. The only thing I could see was the light that shone from the lighthouse.

  Once I was in the water, allowing the salt to soak into my skin, I began to sing louder and clearer. Any thoughts that I may have had were pushed to the back of my mind as I fell victim to the trance that held me hostage.

  Sing louder, Felicia. It is your place to sing, the voice encouraged me. My voice adjusted itself so that the beautiful melody grew louder. As I dove under the water, I could hear my own voice echoing from all around me.

  When I rose to the surface, I looked up at the sky, singing at the top of my lungs. As I looked back at the lighthouse, I thought I noticed a figure standing at the edge, but my eyes were too foggy. I couldn’t see who it was.

  I tried to stop singing, but I knew that it was impossible. The harder I fought it, the louder the song came out. I began shaking in every direction, trying to kick free from whatever it was that was forcing me to sing.

  I could have sworn that I heard someone call my name, just as I heard the whispery voice say again, Felicia, you mustn’t stop singing. It is your purpose.

  And that’s when I felt the water breaking as someone leapt into it. I panicked, but it didn’t stop the song from drifting out of me and echoing throughout the water. I sang clearly, my voice never faltering, as I felt the person moving closer to me. I dove under the water, and the fog covered my eyes.

  *

  When I woke up on the rocks lying next to Tyler, I felt my eyes immediately fill up with tears. I remembered luring someone, but everything had gone black after I’d gone under water.

  Unsure of what to do, I panicked. I knelt on the ground next to him, shaking him. “Tyler? Tyler, wake up.”

  When he didn’t budge, I felt the tears stream down my cheeks more quickly. “Tyler,” I whimpered, wrapping my arm around his waist. He was soaking wet. The worst thing that ever could have happened did; my worst nightmare had come true. I’d killed someone I cared about.

  And then I reached for his wrist and felt for a pulse. There was one. He was still alive.

  I pulled my cell phone out of my bag and dialed 911. I went through the motions of reporting that someone was hurt and telling the operator where we were, but the whole time, my mind was focused on one thing; a mortal had crossed my path without being affected by my song.

  Chapter 29

  When the paramedics and Tyler’s parents (who I’d been able to call from his cell phone) arrived and left for the hospital, I went to Angelica’s house. The door was opened a few moments after I rang the doorbell, and all four of them stared back at me.

  “Coming to apologize?” Jasmine asked sarcastically, and I rolled my eyes at her.

  “Whatever, I’m sorry,” I shot back at her. “Something just happened.”

  “What is it, Felly?” Scarlett asked, genuine worry filling her bright green eyes.

  “I was at the lighthouse meeting Tyler, and . . .” My voice broke as tears began to fill my eyes again. “I lured him.”

  “You killed him?” Gabby asked solemnly. “I’m so sorry, Felicia. I know how it feels to kill someone you care about. Just the other night, I lured a guy from high school . . .”

  I shook my head. “No. I didn’t kill him. I lured him. He didn’t die.”

  “Oh, no,” Scarlett whispered, turning to Angelica. “What’s going to happen to her?”

  Angelica shook her head, her face unchanged by the news. “I’ve never heard of it happening before. The legends don’t say much about how a siren would die if this were to happen, just that they will die.”

  “So, she might be okay?” Jasmine asked. At first, I mistook her question as concern for me, but then she said, “But maybe she’ll die later.” She turned to me. “Maybe Phorcys won’t have to find out that I changed you after all.”

  I gaped at her, just as Gabby scolded her. “Jas, that’s not nice. We don’t want Felicia to die.” Gabby wrapped her arm around me, trying to soothe me.

  “Yeah, seriously, Jasmine. You’re going way too far. Stop being such a nasty bitch to my sister,” Scarlett snapped at her.

  Jasmine glanced over at Angelica, seeking her approval.

  “It’s uncalled for,” Angelica confirmed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You need to accept her.”

  “You’re such a hypocrite. If it had been up to you, she wouldn’t even be here.” With that, Jasmine scurried off in the other direction. Moments later, I heard the sound of a door being slammed loudly.

  “What is she talking about?” I asked.

  “Angelica didn’t want us to change you,” Scarlett replied, looking down at the ground. “Jasmine only did it because I asked her to. And, even though she’s being a bitch right now, I think she knew it was the right thing to do.”

  I glanced over at Angelica, to see if what Scarlett was saying was true, but her silvery eyes didn’t reveal anything. Finally, with a sigh, she explained, “It’s not that I didn’t want you here, Felicia. And now that you are here, I love you as though you were one of my own. It’s just that there were so many risks. I didn’t want us to have to go to war with the Phorcydes. But now that it’s happened, we’ll deal with it.”

  Scarlett sighed. “Isn’t there someone who can tell us if she’s going to die or not?”

  “Well, there is one person.” Angelica hesitated. “I don’t want to call Phorcys, but I guess I’ll have to. He’s the only one who would know. He is God of the sea, after all.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number.

  After a few rings, she said, “Phorcys?” She paused. “Yes, it’s me, Angelica.”

  “Obviously,” Gabby muttered. “You�
�d think he’d recognize her voice, since he hates her so much.”

  “We have an issue that we’re dealing with here, and I need your help.” She paused again, listening to Phorcys talking on the other line. “It’s not about me. It’s about one of my daughters.”

  She hit a button and held her cell phone out. I saw that she had turned speakerphone on. “So, what is this issue that you speak of?” a male’s voice bellowed from the phone. It sounded exactly like what I imagined the voice of a sea God to sound like; I just wouldn’t have imagined him to have a phone at all.

  “One of my daughters lured someone tonight, but the boy in question survived. He didn’t die,” Angelica said.

  Phorcys laughed into the phone. “You want me to believe that a mortal crossed one of your daughter’s paths and survived?”

  “That’s correct,” Angelica replied, staring at me. “My daughter is standing right in front of me now. She doesn’t look ill.”

  “She should be dead,” Phorcys roared into the phone. “How long ago did this so-called incident take place?”

  “About twenty minutes ago,” I spoke up.

  “Is that your daughter speaking now?” Phorcys asked Angelica.

  “That was Felicia who just spoke, yes.”

  “She has a most lovely voice. I do not understand how a young man could cross her path without giving in to death. Nevertheless, she should be dead.” He paused. “Tell me about this guy. Was he old, young?”

  “Young,” I replied. “He’s an ex-boyfriend of mine.”

  “I expect you to drop dead any time now. So long, sweetness, for there is another world just waiting for you. And Angelica?” Phorcys asked.

  “Yes?” Angelica’s voice sounded as sweet as could be.

  “I will be seeing you soon so that we can settle our differences,” Phorcys replied. There was a click on the other line as he hung up the phone.

  “Oh, Felly,” Scarlett cried. “If you die, I just want you to know that I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” I turned to go out the door, but then I realized that I couldn’t go home to Gram. I couldn’t let her find me dead. “I want you,” I said, turning to Gabby, “to tell my grandmother that you were hanging out with me when I died. Tell her that I was happy and full of life.” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. “And I want you to look after her. Go check on her every day until she dies, too.”

  “I will,” Gabby promised.

  I sat down on the couch and crossed my legs. Scarlett sat next to me, and Gabby sat on the floor. Angelica paced around the room. I knew that we were all waiting for the same thing—for me to die.

  When the sun rose the next morning, I opened my eyes. I had fallen asleep on the couch, with Scarlett’s head on my shoulder. I was still alive.

  “Maybe you should call Tyler,” Angelica said when she saw that I was awake. “Find out exactly what happened.”

  “I will, just not right now,” I replied. “His parents are probably with him. I should give them some time. I’ll call him tomorrow. I just don’t want them to think that I’m somehow responsible for what happened to him.” Assuming that they didn’t already think I was. His mom had just stared at me like I was an alien, probably surprised because she’d never seen me before.

  Angelica nodded. “You should probably go home now before your grandmother begins to worry. I need you to come back over here around three, though, if that’s okay?”

  I nodded my agreement and went home.

  *

  After I ate lunch with Gram, I began walking back to Angelica’s house. It was hot out—brutally hot, in fact. I was tempted to jump into the ocean and go for a swim, but I felt a little nervous about being around water without supervision right now, in case I drowned. No one had specified how I was supposed to die.

  When I arrived at Angelica’s house, there was a limo parked in the driveway. I wondered if she and George had decided to get married sooner than they had originally planned. That reminded me that I needed to confirm that I’d have a date for the wedding. I’d already asked Nora for the day off, but I hadn’t asked Jackson if he’d go with me yet.

  I texted Jackson and said, I need a date for a wedding Saturday. Are you in?

  Sounds good. I love weddings, Jackson texted back right away.

  I smiled as I walked up the porch steps. Before I had the chance to knock or ring the doorbell, Gabby swung it open. Under her breath, she told me, “Be on your best behavior. Watch what you say because it could be used against you.”

  I wondered if Angelica was going to lecture me for something, but that didn’t make very much sense. If she was really mad at me, she would have said something when I was over earlier.

  That’s when I saw the woman who was standing in the kitchen. Her hair was a shade of auburn, and it looked lively with curls that fell just below her neck. When she turned her head to speak, I could see that she was very young and very beautiful.

  “I know it’s not really your fault, Jasmine,” the woman was saying. “I respect you. I’ve even suggested to Phorcys that we get together with you more often.”

  “She’s telling the truth,” a familiar voice bellowed. “Don’t worry, sweetness. We don’t hold this against you at all. Only Angelica is to blame.”

  It took me a moment to understand what was going on, but when I did, I wished that I could turn around and leave. Phorcys and his wife, Ceto, were standing in Angelica’s kitchen. But where was Angelica? And how had she known that they’d be here around this time? Had Phorcys warned her after their phone call last night? Why hadn’t she warned me?

  “Phorcys, this is Felicia,” Gabby said, stepping into the kitchen. “She was not expecting your visit, so please forgive her attire.” Since when had Gabby started talking so formally? And what was wrong with my outfit? I glanced down at my denim shorts and skimpy tank top and then at Gabby and Jasmine, who were both wearing formal dresses.

  “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the miracle daughter,” Phorcys cooed, and I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or if he was genuinely amused by me. He took a step closer to me and I saw him; he stood about six feet tall, and he was made entirely of muscle. His hair was a shade of light, silvery blue. He strolled over to me and shook my hand. “How ever do you do?”

  “Okay,” I replied nervously. “And how are you?”

  I was so confused. I thought we were supposed to be at war with these people and, yet, we were being so nice to them. I realized that probably was why. If we weren’t nice to them, they would probably have their monster children kill us right now. I glanced around to see if there were any monster children (which I pictured to look like big dogs, for some reason) in the house, but I didn’t see any.

  “I’m quite confused, to be honest,” Phorcys answered. “My wife, Ceto, and I need to decide what we should do with you.”

  I gulped.

  “She is a pretty one, isn’t she, Phorcys? She just might be Angelica’s prettiest creation yet.”

  “I quite prefer Jasmine myself. But she is pretty.” Phorcys nodded in agreement, and I shuddered at the way they were talking about me. Did they want to get rid of me, or were they planning to kidnap me?

  “Let’s wait to see what Angelica has to say,” Ceto said. “That wretched woman’s probably already figured out some sort of deal she wants to negotiate with us.”

  “Why, actually, I have no such deal, Ceto,” Angelica replied, gracefully making her way into the kitchen. I nearly gasped at the sight of her. She was wearing the lowest-cut flowing red dress I had ever seen, along with red velvet heels. Angelica even made Ceto, a sea goddess, look ugly.

  “Why, there you are, Angelica,” Ceto said, glaring at her. “We must talk.”

  “Ah, we must,” Angelica agreed. “Why don’t we let Jasmine lead this discussion? She is, after all, the one who got us into this mess.” It was the first time I had actually heard Angelica blame Jasmine for what had happened. I wondered if she really thought it was her fault,
or if it was all just an act to make herself look less guilty in front of Ceto and Phorcys. Either way, it seemed like she was throwing her ‘daughter’ under the bus.

  “Well, Phorcys, you know I’m not a bad person,” Jasmine began. “So, when I saw poor Felicia struggling to breathe under the water, I couldn’t just watch her die. You would have done the same thing, wouldn’t you?”

  Phorcys stared at her for a moment, debating the situation. “The only problem I have with your argument is that I have asked this family not to create any more sirens. You disobeyed my wishes. You understand that, correct?”

  Jasmine nodded, bowing her head slightly. “I understand, yes. I am so very sorry.”

  “Oh, Phorcys, don’t be angry with Jasmine. She’s so young and inexperienced. It’s hardly her fault,” Ceto insisted.

  “I suppose,” Phorcys said offhandedly. I glanced up at him and noticed that he was barely paying attention to what Ceto had to say; his eyes were locked on Angelica, who was waving a paper fan in front of her exposed cleavage.

  “Really, we should talk about the greater issue here, which is why this one,” Ceto motioned to me, “is still alive. It hardly makes sense.”

  “Felicia is very talented,” Jasmine said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if she has some sort of super powers or something.”

  “You don’t say?” Ceto asked before turning to me. “What sorts of talents do you possess?”

  “She’s a good swimmer,” Jasmine spoke for me. “I think with a few years of training, we could really sharpen her abilities. As it is, she draws more people—but she doesn’t even kill but half of all of the people she lures. That has to count for something.”

  “Why, yes, I do suppose it does,” Ceto replied, studying my face. She turned to Jasmine. “Let’s talk more about this. Show me to the powder room.”

  Jasmine nodded and linked arms with the woman before leading her away.