Ileana gazed up at the stars, picking out the different constellations. Orion, with Betelgeuse glowing softly like a big, red eye. Taurus. Her sign, Gemini, the twins. It really wasn’t fair that there were no mermaid constellations. Maybe if—
A bright flash erupted from within Gemini—it was a shooting star!
Ileana watched the streak of light zoom cross the sky. Maybe she should make a wish. Wishes didn’t come true, not really. But then humans thought mermaids didn’t exist...
She held her breath and wished for John Taylor to fall in love with her—with both sides of her, human and mermaid.
The falling star vanished.
Ileana blinked. It was just a meteor. Her wish wasn’t going to come true. John was never going to realize she even existed. Ever.
She dove down into the deep, calm water and began to swim back toward the island, leaving the sea and the sky behind.
Saturday morning Ileana woke up bright and early, as the sun was just beginning to rise. She checked the weather report while eating a quick breakfast of smoked salmon and leftover seaweed salad. A storm would be heading in later in the afternoon, but right now it was sunny and warm, if a bit breezy. But the wind would make the waves more fun to ride.
She pulled on her favorite swimsuit, boy shorts with a tank top that would stay on no matter how crazy a fall she had in the waves—unlike the flimsy bikini top she’d worn the very first time she’d surfed. She threw on an old T-shirt, grabbed a towel, then strapped her shortboard to her bicycle and headed to the beach.
This early in the morning the traffic was light, and the parking lot was almost empty. She locked up her bike and trotted along the trail that led down to the beach, her flip-flops making little smacking sounds on the hard pavement. There was a band of clouds off in the distance, but still far enough away that there should be plenty of good hours of riding before it began to rain.
When she reached the beach she took off her T-shirt, tying it in a knot around her flip-flops so it wouldn’t blow away if the wind picked up. She set the bundle down on top of her towel and walked across the shells and multi-colored sea glass that covered the beach, careful to avoid stepping on anything sharp. At the edge of the water she stopped on the cool, wet sand, the water licking at her toes, and checked the pattern of the sets. There weren’t very many people out surfing this early in the morning, which was perfect.
Ileana pulled her hair back in a ponytail and took a deep breath, savoring the familiar scents of seaweed and sand and salt. She tied her board’s leash to her ankle and waded into the ocean. The sand squished between her toes. When the water was almost waist-high she set her board down, climbed onto it, and began to paddle out to where most of the surfers—and the biggest waves—were.
The waves broke on spots of the reef where there were bigger chunks of rocks or coral. One stormy day last year she’d swum around the jagged arc of reefs in her mermaid form, careful to avoid the sea urchins, knowing the weather was bad enough to keep everyone else away. She liked knowing what lay beneath the water, seeing the shallow areas where the coral and razor sharp rocks would be dangerous at low tide, understanding why the waves broke where they did. At one point she’d been pulled outside the breaks by the strong current, and would have been taken far out to sea if she had been in her human form.
Ileana was heading back out to the waves after a few rides when she realized John Taylor—John Taylor!—was about fifteen feet away from her. Her heart thumped so loudly she could barely think straight. John Taylor!
“Hey,” John said.
He moved closer to her and gestured to someone behind him. Ileana glanced over her shoulder. From the shock of auburn hair she knew it was Frank, one of the guys John hung out with at school. Frank gave her a little wave, then resumed paddling.
Ileana looked back at John. He had the longest, darkest eyelashes she’d ever seen on a guy. He wore dark blue board shorts, and of course had no shirt on. She tried to pretend she wasn’t staring at the solid curve of his biceps, the way his mouth lifted up slightly on one side, or admiring the way his dark, wet curls clung to his head.
“Hi,” she said.
“I didn’t know you surfed,” John said. “I mean—I guess, like, pretty much everyone surfs. But I haven’t seen you out here before.”
Ileana started to reply, then got a mouthful of water as a wave splashed over her head. She tried to spit out the seawater without looking ridiculous.
John laughed. “First time out?”
She coughed and shook her head. How embarrassing. “I come here sometimes. I haven’t seen you either.”
She ducked under the surface as another wave passed over them. They were almost to where the waves were breaking.
Ileana and the two guys paddled past where the waves broke over the reef and moved out into the deeper, calmer water. They sat up on their boards, legs dangling off the sides, and watched the swells come in. There were a handful of other surfers, but there were so many breaks that the three of them had this area to themselves, at least for the moment.
Ileana stared out at the horizon. Should she look at John? Would that make her seem too obviously in love with him? Or maybe by not looking at him she was coming across as aloof—that would be just as bad. Or worse. Or not worse, she wasn’t really sure. She swallowed and peeked at John out of the corner of her eye.
“See you on the next round,” Frank said, and began paddling to catch the wave rolling in. Ileana and John turned to watch. Frank popped up on his board at just the right time, his right leg in front.
“Nice,” John said.
“He’s pretty good,” Ileana said. John was talking to her! She felt an almost uncontrollable urge to giggle.
“Yeah.”
They watched Frank’s back, the waves and the soft splashing of the water against their legs and boards the only sounds. A seagull glided by, high above them.
John turned to face Ileana. His eyes were the clear blue of the summer sky. “Hey. Maybe we could, you know, do something sometime?”
“Sure.” Ileana grabbed the end of her long ponytail and curled the wet tip around a finger, trying to pretend she was calm even though it felt like firecrackers were going off inside of her.
“Cool.” John grinned and turned his board around. “Now check this out.”
He paddled back toward the break, jumping up to stand on his board right before the next wave arrived. He looked over his shoulder at the incoming swell and readied himself to ride, then he glanced over at Ileana for a split-second, throwing his balance off—not by much, but just enough. He almost caught the wave, then he and his board were tossed high into the air. Ileana caught her breath as John’s board smacked into the side of his head and he fell, head first, into the water.
Ileana pressed her hands to her mouth, waiting for John to come back to the surface.
He didn’t.
She slid off her board into the warm water, feeling it close above her head. The water was all churny where the waves broke over the reef, making it hard to see very far. She swam as fast as she could toward the spot where she’d seen John fall, keeping her head underwater and her eyes open, hoping she’d see him. Then there he was!
His head was low in the water. He moved his arms and legs, but very slowly, as though he were trying to swim through molasses. He must have hit the sharp rocks of the reef because there was a trail of blood flowing from his left arm.
She kicked her feet, swimming as fast as she could in her human form, but John was moving away more quickly than she could swim. He had been pulled into a rip current and was being swept out to sea. By the time she caught up with him, he’d drown—if he hadn’t already.
Ileana wriggled out of her shorts and pressed her legs together. They merged into one, her tanned skin tone darkening to a greenish brown, her feet changing to fins, her human flesh transforming until it was replaced by iridescent gold and emerald scales.
She barreled toward John, her powerful tail p
ushing her through the water far faster than she could ever swim in human form. The riptide was like having the wind at her back, helping her along. A small shark hovered near John, attracted by the scent of blood. Ileana ignored it, knowing it would recognize her as a mermaid and therefore leave them alone.
John was floating face down; his eyes were closed, his body still.
She grabbed his shoulders and lifted his head up above the surface. “Are you breathing? John! Please be alive!”
John coughed and sputtered. “What—” He flailed his arms about, his movements slow and weak.
“Be still. I’ve got you. You’re fine now.” Ileana glanced back at the island to get her bearings. There was a deep channel to the west where the water would be calm. She began to swim toward it at an angle to the current, which was a bit of a challenge because John kept squirming. But he was alive! She felt shivery from all the adrenalin.
“Hey, where are we?” John tried to turn around; she kept her grip on him tight. “We’re all the way out in the ocean! We’re going to drown!” He tried to pull free of her arms.
“No we won’t. Don’t worry! We’re safe.” One of his feet kicked her hip. He stopped moving and went still, his muscles tense.
Ileana tried to keep her tail well underwater, although that made swimming a little slower. He’d just brushed against her scales—he couldn’t see her tail. At least she was pretty sure he couldn’t, not the way she was holding him. Besides, she needed the power of her mermaid side to get him closer in to shore, otherwise the current would suck them back out.
Once she got him in further she could let him go and change back to her human form before he noticed. She grimaced, remembering she didn’t have her swimsuit bottoms anymore...But she’d saved John. She’d just have to worry about clothing later.
She swam on, passing through the current and into the gentler waters of the channel. There was someone sitting on a board far ahead of them; from the red hair it had to be Frank. She could hand John over to him, then change her form. Although Frank would be able to see her tail in the water...
He’d probably be too distracted to notice it, though. At least she hoped he would. She wasn’t sure John was able to swim yet. He must have a concussion—she didn’t want to let him go until she was sure he’d make it back to the beach okay.
“You’re a mermaid,” John said.
Prickles ran down Ileana’s neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I saw your tail. You had legs, and now you have a tail.”
“Um. Yeah,” she said. She grinned. He had seen her tail! She’d wished on the shooting star for John to like not just her human side, but her mermaid side too. He’d asked her out and, while she hadn’t planned having to rescue him, now he knew about it. Her wish had come true!
They were almost to Frank. He had two surfboards, his own and Ileana’s. She wondered if John’s had made its way in to shore, or if it were lost forever. She swam up to the empty board and turned John around so he was facing it.
“Hey, man, are you okay?” Frank asked. He scooted over to sit on Ileana’s board, steadying his own while John climbed on to it. Ileana moved her tail so it was pointing straight down, which hopefully made it harder to see. Although John knew her secret, now. She was so happy it felt as though her whole body was glowing.
John sat up on Frank’s board, legs hanging over the sides, and gingerly touched the right side of his head.
“I fell off my board and I guess I hit my head.” John glanced at the slash on his arm, which was still oozing blood. “Man, that coral is sharp. I think I might need stitches.” He looked back at the ocean, then turned and squinted at the shore, his eyes gliding over Ileana’s but not meeting her gaze. “I got pulled out by the current. It’s really strong, and I guess I was too woozy to fight it. I feel kind of weird.”
“Well, you’re okay now,” Frank said. I couldn’t find your board. Sorry, man. Let’s get you back to shore and get your arm checked out.” Frank slid off his board into the water. “Ileana, here’s your board.”
John snorted. “She doesn’t need that. She’s a freakin’ fish.”
Ileana felt as though an arctic wind had just blown into her heart. She stared at the side of John’s face, the face she’d dreamed about for months. He glanced down at her and scowled, his blue eyes cold and empty, then he looked away.
“What are you talking about?” Frank said. “Dude, maybe you smacked your head harder than you think.”
“Think about it, man,” John said. “She’s not human. Half of her is a fish.” He cracked his knuckles. “I’m out of here.”
He swung around and lay chest down on the board, barely missing kicking Frank in the face, then began to paddle in to shore.
Ileana bit her lip. This was not what she’d wished for last night. Not at all.
She held her breath and looked at Frank over the surfboard that floated in between them. She hoped it hid her tail, but he had to have seen it when she’d swum up. There was no way he couldn’t have. She’d been a fool to think he wouldn’t notice. What was she going to do now? She’d been taught to never, ever reveal her true nature. Now she’d let two people find out. She blinked back tears.
“Just ignore him,” Frank said. “He’s got a hot temper, and a lot of pride. He’s embarrassed that he fell in the first place, and is ignoring the fact that you saved his life. Here, take your board and I’ll swim back.”
Had he not noticed? Seriously? Ileana licked her lips; they tasted of salt and seawater.
“I’m okay,” she said, even though she wasn’t. John had liked her, and now...Now he thought she was a freak. This was the worst day in her entire life.
“No, really,” Frank said. “You must be exhausted from fighting that current. I’ll turn my back while you, um, change, though. Don’t worry. Although don’t you have to, well, be dry first?” He began to turn around. “Sorry, I’m just curious.”
“Change?” There was only one thing he could be referring to. Ileana grabbed hold of the edge of the board. “You—you saw?”
Frank paused and met her gaze, his right hand on the surfboard. “Yeah. I’m sorry.” He shrugged. He had warm, brown eyes and a smattering of freckles across his nose. “But I’ll never tell anyone. Promise. And hey, if you weren’t a mermaid, John would have drowned. You would have too if you’d tried to save him. The currents out there can be hard enough to get out of even if you haven’t been smacked in the head by your own surfboard because you were showing off for a pretty girl.”
He grinned. His smile was infectious. Ileana felt the corners of her mouth lifting up even though her heart had just been broken. “So here, change and then take the board.”
Ileana shook her head. “I can’t. I, well—” She took a breath. “I lost my swimsuit bottoms.” Her face felt like it was a million degrees. She must be bright red. “Because, you know, I couldn’t change form with them on. So I can’t really go in to shore.”
“Sure you can. I’ll give you my shorts.” He began to squirm around in the water. “Hold on. They’ll be way too big for you, but they’ll work.”
“But then you’ll be—”
Frank chuckled. “Yes. Yes I will. But I’m willing to pay that price.” He threw his shorts on the board and raised an eyebrow.
Ileana shook her head. “But—”
Frank turned his back to her. “I can’t see anything. And I promise I won’t look. Go ahead and change. Then we can both swim in to shore together.”
Ileana stared at the back of Frank’s head, then grabbed his shorts and sank down, the water enveloping her in its familiar, comforting embrace. A small school of fish drifted by. Frank was awfully nice. She’d never paid much attention to him. Of course, what girl would, with John Taylor always around?
She’d been so in love with John, and it turned out he was a total jerk. She wasn’t a freak. She was a mermaid, and the only reason he knew that at all was because she’d saved his life. He co
uld have at least said thanks.
She twisted her tail fins, her scales melting away, her bottom fins changing into feet, her tail splitting and forming two legs. She wiggled her toes and pulled on Frank’s shorts. They were large enough that she’d have to be careful they didn’t fall off, but they’d work. What a sweet thing for him to do.
She kicked back up to the surface, averting her eyes from the now shortless Frank. She rested her elbows on the surfboard, water dripping off her face and splashing on the fiberglass. Frank turned around and rested his hands on the board. There was a tiny scar on his temple; Ileana wondered what it was from.
“What if he tells someone?” Her voice sounded wavery and weak. She tightened her jaw. No matter what John said about her, she’d done the right thing.
Frank shook his head. “He won’t. He’ll be too embarrassed to have to admit he had to be rescued. And besides, who would believe him? He hit his head, after all.”
“Yeah. I guess so.” Ileana scratched her ear. Frank was right. No one would believe John, not unless they saw her in her mermaid form—which she would never allow to happen. Not again.
“Hey,” Frank said, grabbing the edge of the board and pointing it straight to shore. “Would you like to go for a hike sometime? I mean, just as a change of pace from surfing.”
“Sure,” Ileana said. “That would be really nice.”
They began to paddle to shore, each holding on to one side of the board. Ileana had to keep pulling up the shorts to keep them from falling off, so it was slower going than it would have been otherwise.
“You know,” Frank said, glancing at her, then turning quickly away. “I saw a shooting star last night.”
Ileana smiled. “Did you make a wish?”
Frank nodded. “I sure did.”
The water lapped gently against the surfboard.
“I did too.” Ileana said.
“I think maybe mine came true,” Frank said, his voice so low she could barely hear him.
Ileana looked at Frank. He was really pretty cute. His auburn hair stuck straight up in one spot, and his skin was so pale she hoped he was wearing sunscreen. She tugged on the waistband of her shorts; Frank’s shorts. Maybe she had gotten what she’d wished for after all.
Fiction River Page 8
