by A. L. Knorr
That night, mom and I both slept in her bed. We hadn't done that since my dad had died. We didn't talk about it, I just crawled in with her and she wasn't surprised when I did.
Chapter 39
I was swimming in bright teal water, the ocean floor was rich with vividly coloured coral and beautiful tropical fish. Little white sharks flanked me on all sides and stayed with me as I swam, mimicking my every move. We circled and danced in the water, their cool bodies nestling in close to mine and then spreading out and swimming away only to return to me again. A group of manatees joined us and spiralled slowly around me, the movement of the water spinning my hair into a rope. Sea snakes and eels spiralled around the manatees creating a magical choreography of the kind only seen in animated movies.
I opened my eyes and looked straight into Mom's face. I felt a stab of disappointment. It had been such a nice dream that I wanted to go back to sleep.
Mom was just looking at me, watching as I'd slept. She smiled. "Good morning sunshine. Sleep well? You looked so peaceful."
I nodded and rubbed my eyes. "I was having a nice dream. How long have you been awake?"
"Awhile. Thinking a lot about what happened yesterday."
"Yeah." I let out a long, slow breath and rolled onto my back.
"Turns out my mother was right all along," she said quietly, and I turned my head to look at her. Her eyes were shining. "The love your father and I had..." her voice quavered in a rare show of emotion. She swallowed. "It produced an elemental." A tear slipped down her cheek. "All these years I thought she was either lying or mistaken. All these years, I have been so bitterly disappointed." She brushed a strand of hair away from my face and smiled. "But she was right after all."
I nodded. I thought of my father, Nathan, and my heart ached for him in a way it hadn't in years. He would never know the gifts that their love had given to me, and he wouldn't, even if he was still alive today. I took my mom's hand and squeezed. "You don't even know the half of it, mom.” I pushed myself upright against the headboard.
"What do you mean?"
I told her about everything that had happened to me the day before: my sonar, my ability to control water. I explained to her what happened after she'd been shot. What I did with Eric and his boat, about the swirling sea-life and the massive hole I'd created in the ocean. The field of dead sharks that shocked Eric into tears. She listened, her eyes growing round.
"All of my theorizing about you was so wrong. Being born in brackish water didn't make you weak at all. It meant that the moment you stepped into saltier water and saturated your system, all of your powers manifested fully. Just like sunshine opening a rose." She shook her head. "Look what authentic love can do."
"And what about what happened to you?"
"Me?" She looked genuinely surprised. "Nothing happened to me."
"What are you talking about? You looked like something out of a horror movie! Is that what salt-flush looks like, because if it is then you're going on a no-sodium diet."
She laughed. "No, honey. That wasn't salt-flush, that was just really, really pissed off."
“Remind me never to get on your bad side. What was with the scary..." I pointed to my dog-teeth, "...and the slitty..." I pointed to my eyes, drawing my lips back in a snarl and rolling my eyes. “You were terrifying!"
She shoved at my shoulder playfully. "A lot of good it did us. You are the one who saved us, and without the fangs and talons. I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks, Mom." My heart suddenly felt so full I thought it might burst.
She took a sharp breath like she was about to say something, but then stopped.
"What?"
"No, nothing." She shook her head. "Never mind."
“Don’t do that. Just spit it out."
"Well..." She was playing with the ties on the front of her sleep shirt, looking a bit embarrassed. It looked strange on her. "Does what happened yesterday, change how you feel... about... anything?"
I was quiet. It did, I could admit the truth to myself. My stomach gave a squeeze of anxiety as I realized that it had changed everything. "Yeah," I answered softly.
Kudos to my mom for not jumping up and down on the bed and shouting 'hallelujah'. Her eyes were shining with excitement but she also knew me well enough to know that just because everything had changed for me didn't mean things were any easier. I still had people I cared about here.
"I'm still not sure how ready I am to leave everything I've ever known behind and start a new life. But I also know that I can't just ignore the power I've been given," I said.
"Well, I thought the day would never come.” She tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "We don't have to figure it all out right this instant. It's just a relief to hear you're open to it."
Just then there was a knock at the front door. We shared a look of surprise.
"Are you expecting somebody?" I got up and combed fingers through my hair to get out the worst of the bedhead.
"No. Are you?" She pulled her robe over her pyjamas.
I shook my head and followed her to the front door. She unlocked and opened the inside door and there on the other side of the screen door was Antoni.
Chapter 40
"Antoni!" Mom and I exclaimed at the same time.
"Hello again," he said. "I hope I didn't wake you?" He gestured at our pyjamas.
"No, no. Come on in." Mom opened the screen door for him and he stepped into our entrance. "What are you doing here? How did you find us?"
He was wearing a Novak polo, the same one he'd worn the day he'd caught me garbage collecting on the beach. He was also carrying a briefcase. As soon as he stepped in the door and I caught his scent, desire for him washed over me. I took a few steps back as he came into the house and the screen door closed behind him.
He took off his sunglasses and tucked them into his pocket. "Simon was kind enough to tell me where to find you. I was trying to call and text you, Targa," he looked at me. "But you didn't seem to be available."
I grimaced. I was probably in the ocean when he'd called, I hadn't even plugged my phone in before I fell into bed the night before. "Sorry, I forgot to plug it in.”
"That's ok. I'm here now and I need to speak with you.” He looked from me to my mom. I turned to go to my room to put on some clothes when he added, "Both of you."
I turned back. "Okay. I'm just going to get dressed, I'll be quick." I suddenly remembered the dress and added, "Thank you for the dress, Antoni," I said, sincerely. "It was... an amazing gift. Truly."
"My pleasure.” He was looking me warmly in the eyes but he wasn't smiling. It struck me that there was something amiss about him. Was my thank you simply too feeble an appreciation for the kind gesture?
I walked up and gave him a hug. I felt his surprise at first and then he wrapped his arms around me and we melted together. I basked in the warmth and comfort of his touch. I breathed in his scent but was pleased to notice that rational thought had not vacated my brain the way it usually did. The want was there, but it wasn't overtaking me, making me lose control.
He gave a small cough and I remembered that my mom was still there in the room with us. Her presence didn't embarrass me, but I was sure it embarrassed him. I released him and turned towards my room.
Mom looked down at herself like she forgot what she was wearing. "Well, if she's going to be all proper and get dressed then I guess I should too. Will you excuse us for a moment?"
He nodded. "Shall I make us some coffee?" He gestured to the espresso maker sitting on the stove.
"Good idea," she answered as we walked down the hall. Then added over her shoulder, "Coffee canister is in the fridge."
We gave each other looks of confusion as we each reached our bedroom doors, which were across the hall from one another. "What's going on?" she mouthed to me.
"I have no idea," I mouthed back.
She shut her bedroom door behind her and I did the same.
I scrambled to find a clean pair of underw
ear, I hadn't done any laundry since we'd got home. Finally, I found a clean pair of shorts and a short sleeved terrycloth hoodie. I raked a brush through my hair and gave my cheeks a pinch. It worked for girls in Jane Austen stories, why not me? Then I cursed myself for being stupid. I wasn't supposed to attract him, I was supposed to repel him, wasn't I? Somehow I had forgotten the reasoning behind it all. I sighed, feeling ridiculous.
I went back to the kitchen and took a seat at the island. I watched Antoni pour espresso into our mismatched coffee cups. Mom joined us moments later wearing a pair of jeans and a Bluejacket t-shirt.
"I can imagine your surprise at seeing me here, especially since you left us only a few days ago," Antoni started as he handed the espresso around.
Just then, my mom's cell phone rang. She looked at the screen and said, "Hang on a sec, will you?"
"Apparently, I should have taken her number instead," Antoni murmured. He took a sip of his coffee and cocked an eyebrow. I smiled, sheepishly. Between my mom and I, it was usually me who was always glued to my cell phone.
"Hello," Mom answered. "Oh, hey Simon." She mouthed an apology to Antoni over the mouthpiece.
He shook his head and mouthed back, "Don't worry."
I realized how much my mom's manners had improved since the trip to Gdańsk. She wouldn't have bothered apologizing to anyone for having to take a phone call before we'd left for Poland. I wondered how many swims in the Atlantic it was going to take before she was my brassy mother again.
"Oh, really?" My mom was saying, and she caught my eye. I was positive the call was about Eric. "Wow, that's a shock," she said, but her acting was horrible. She didn't sound shocked at all. "Ok, well I understand." She paused. Then, "I'm not going to pretend that, no." She moved into the living room to finish her phone call.
"How have you been?" Antoni said softly, so as not to disturb my mom.
"I've been good. How about you?" I cupped my hands around my warm mug. It wasn't like I could give him a rundown of everything that had happened to me over the last few days.
He cleared his throat, and I thought he appeared to be a bit nervous, which was unlike him. "Honestly Targa, I've been better." He had a way of completely disarming me when he was honest and vulnerable like that. I was thinking about how to respond when my mom said goodbye and hung up her cell.
"Everything okay?” I asked.
She nodded. "Simon has fired Eric for poaching. He was just calling to let me know not to expect him back at work. He's livid. He's calling the whole team one by one today."
Antoni's eyebrows shot up. "I can't say I'm surprised he's been dismissed if you'll pardon me venturing a personal opinion," he said. "But I would never have guessed it would be for that."
"Yeah, you think you know someone..." Mom said. "But more surprising is that Eric told Simon he's going to apply to join the Sea Shepherd once he finishes his sentence."
Antoni dropped his chin in shock. "Aren't they a vigilante organization who fight poaching?"
"They are," confirmed my mom.
Antoni shook his head, "That's one hell of a one-eighty on Eric's part. I can't keep up."
"Pretty weird," I said, biting my cheeks to hide my smile. "So, what's so important that it brought you all the way across the Atlantic to our doorstep?"
He gestured to the chair beside me and said to my mom, "You might want to sit down."
She did, draping her arm over the back of my chair.
Antoni continued, "I have some unfortunate news." He folded his hands together in his lap. "The evening after you left, Martinius had a stroke. To be more precise he suffered three strokes, all within a period of 9 hours."
"What?" A large, cold rock materialized in my stomach. "Will he recover?"
"No, actually. I'm very sorry to say that he passed away after the third stroke. Obviously, it was rather unexpected," he said, quietly.
I took a sharp breath. Only now did I noticed the dark smudges under Antoni's eyes, and he looked a touch gaunt. He was grieving. No wonder he'd said that he'd been better.
Mom was always quick to recover from shock, "I'm sorry to hear that Antoni, he was a good man," she said, simply.
"That he was," he agreed. "The funeral will be in two weeks. Of course, it would be wonderful to have you there but there are no expectations on you to do so. I just wanted to make sure you knew."
"Did you come all this way to tell us this in person?" Mom asked, sounding doubtful. He could easily have called.
He nodded, "I did, but that's not all. Before he died, Martinius was under enormous pressure to name an heir. As you know, he had placed a number of people from among the Novak executives as his successors, but he had never been fully happy with that. After he had the first stroke, which was a minor one, we thought he'd pull through, but it gave us all quite a scare. He lost some mobility in his right hand, but he still had the ability to speak. So, he called his lawyers and changed his will." He scratched at his jaw. He had more stubble there than normal.
"It caused quite a disruption in the company, I can tell you," he continued. "His wishes almost went unfulfilled. There were those who argued that the stroke had clouded his judgement. The Novak executives had a specialist run Martinius through a battery of tests in order to confirm that he was in possession of all of his mental faculties. He passed the tests with flying colours and the executives no longer had the right to say he was unfit."
My hands had grown cold. The thought of Martinius having to prove his sanity after a stroke and in order to fight for his wishes made me feel sick. I hoped it sounded worse than it actually was.
"How awful," Mom said. And then she gasped, and covered her mouth with one hand as though she'd had a sudden realization. "Oh gosh. It's you! He's named you his heir?"
I looked from Mom to Antoni, my eyes feeling like if they went any wider they'd pop out of my head.
"No," said Antoni. "Actually, it's Targa."
Chapter 41
The silence was deafening. The clock above our kitchen window sounded like a hammer on metal as it counted by the seconds. The ticking sound fuzzed out and the edges of my vision blurred. I gripped the counter with both hands. Mom's hand touched my back, and it helped to ground me.
"What do you mean, it’s me?"
Antoni held out his hands. "I don't understand it myself but I do know that Martinius was of sound mind when he made the change. I was there. I know him, probably better than anyone else in his life right now. He said you are family and that it couldn't go to anyone else as you are the youngest living Novak." His eyes bored into mine as he said these last three words, and they echoed around in my skull.
Youngest living Novak.
Mom and I shared a look. I knew what she was thinking. Martinius never believed her when she told him she wasn't Sybellen. Deep in his heart he believed she was his long lost family member, which in turn made me his family too. Maybe he thought that she'd just forgotten because as she'd explained, years in salt water can do that to a mermaid mind. Or maybe he just thought she was outright lying. We also had never said we weren't related to Sybellen. Hadn't Mom admitted that it was possible or even probable that Sybellen was an ancestor? Whatever it was, it had been enough for Martinius.
"Are you?" Antoni's voice brought me back. He was looking between us from one face to the other.
"Are we what?" my mother countered, but she was fully aware of what he was asking. She was stalling for time. We had to assume that Antoni knew nothing of our real nature or our connection to Martinius. It would only lead to more questions and could get us into a real tangle.
"Family. Are you part of the Novak family? And if you are, why didn't you tell me?" Antoni had a minor note of accusation in his voice - hurt by the thought that I had kept it a secret from him.
"We're not," my mother insisted. "It's a mistake, Antoni. Martinius and I did have a talk about it. Martinius was convinced that we are distant relatives of the Novak family, but I'm sorry to disappoint you. It's jus
t not true."
"Did this discussion happen when you barged into his library that day?" Antoni asked, this time keeping all accusation out of his tone. If he had any personal feelings about the way we'd stormed in on his former employer, he didn't show them.
"It was," Mom admitted. She didn't say anything else and several seconds of silence passed before Antoni prompted her for more information.
"Why would he think it to be true then? He wouldn't do so without reason."
Mom and I looked at each other. How did we explain this without telling him about the drawings of the figurehead?
"He thought that there was a strong resemblance between us and the way his grandfather had always described Sybellen to him. Pale skin, black hair, blue eyes," she offered. It was lame, but I couldn't think of anything better.
"I see," Antoni looked unsatisfied. "There wasn't any more to it than that? A family tree or a distant relative with the right name? Anything like that?"
Mom shook her head, no.
"You have to go back and have the will changed again," I said. "Put it back the way it was and leave the Novak executives in charge."
But he was already shaking his head. "You don't understand, that's impossible. The will has been legalized and signed. There is nothing to be done." He opened the briefcase and removed a stack of paper. "In fact all that is left is for the two of you to sign."
"Why me, didn't he leave it to Targa?" Mom asked.
"You're involved too," explained Antoni. "He's left you all of The Sybellen's artifacts, the wreck site, the Novak salvage operations such as they are, and a few other tidbits, the bulk of which is artwork. Much of it is priceless, mind you."
He put a selection of documents in front of my mom and one in front of me. "Also, this is a bit complicated, but since Targa is a minor she can't fully take control of her inheritance until she turns 18. That leaves you in charge for now." He took two pens from his briefcase and set one before each of us. The stacks in front of us looked simply enormous. I watched all of this numbly.
