by Kelly Risser
"Ms. Quinn, what is your answer?”
I felt my face go hot. Busted. I’d just sent Evan a text, and I had no idea what Mr. Hersh asked me. Thankfully, I’d managed to slide my phone into the pocket of my jeans before he caught me.
“Could you repeat the question?”
Mr. Hersh looked at me over the top of his glasses. “Pay attention, young lady.” His eyes scanned the room before landing on the brunette in the front row. “Simone, did you hear the question?”
“Yes, Mr. Hersh.” Simone turned and gave me a smug smile before answering. “World War II ended in 1945.”
I slid lower in my chair, grateful that the class had turned their attention away from me. My phone vibrated in my pocket, but I didn’t dare look at it.
The bell rang. Finally! School was over.
I walked back to my locker and threw my books in, grateful that I finished my homework in study hall. At least I didn’t have to worry about that this weekend. I was a little sad that Evan wasn’t coming home. I hadn’t seen him for over a week.
My phone vibrated. I pulled it out, only then remembering the text I received during History class. The first was Katie. TGIF! She was probably already in the gym since she had volleyball practice tonight. There was a big volleyball tournament tomorrow. “It’s last-minute prep,” Katie told me on the way into school. “Coach insists, although we’re totally ready.”
My heart sped up when I read the second text, which was from Evan. I’m out front.
I grabbed my jacket and bag, slamming my locker closed. He was here! I hurried to the main door, but made myself slow down as I pushed it open. I didn’t want to appear too eager. He leaned on his car, surrounded by a group of people. I recognized a guy from my science class, but the rest were strangers. I saw the moment that he noticed me—his eyes lit up, and his attention focused entirely on me. The rest of the group turned to look where he was staring. Embarrassed again, I felt my face heat up.
“Hi Meara,” the guy said as I approached. I waved and hoped it wasn’t obvious that I couldn’t remember his name. He turned to Evan. “Catch you later.”
“Sounds good, Max,” Evan said. Ah, right. Max Spencer. Max left, and the others followed. He was on the hockey team, if I remembered correctly.
“I didn’t mean to scare off your friends,” I said. Evan laughed and pulled me into his arms.
“I’m glad you did. Now I have you all to myself.” He kissed me. I shivered slightly and leaned into him. Breathing in his cologne, I rested my head on his shoulder. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed him.
“How was the first week?” he asked.
“Not bad,” I admitted, stepping back to give us some room. I didn’t want to make a scene. “It exceeded my expectations.”
“Meara,” he said, shaking his head. “You could have tripped in the lunchroom on Monday, dropped all of your books in front of everyone on Wednesday, and slammed your fingers in your locker today, and that would have exceeded your expectations. When they’re that low, there is nowhere to go but up.”
“True,” I said. “But I didn’t trip or drop my books or slam my fingers.”
He took my left hand and kissed the tips of my fingers, then pretended to inspect them. “You’re right. They look fine to me.”
“I’m thrilled you’re here, but where’s my mom?” Mom told me this morning she was planning to pick me up after her appointment. She knew Katie wouldn’t be done with practice until much later.
“I think her appointment ended early. She called and asked if I could pick you up.”
“That’s weird. She’s never done early.”
“Maybe she’s getting better?”
“Maybe.” I didn’t believe it. This morning, her face was ridiculously pale, and her hair seemed to thin before my eyes. Just two days ago, she’d started covering her head with a scarf when she went out.
Evan opened the car door. “You ready?”
“Are you sure this is okay? I know you’re busy with school…”
“Get in, Meara. I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to see you. I’ll study first thing tomorrow. I promise.”
The car was warm and smelled like Evan’s cologne—clean and sporty. I loved that smell.
“Are you hungry?” he asked as he pulled out and merged into the “get me the hell out of here, it’s Friday” traffic.
“Antonio’s?” I suggested. A few weeks ago, he took me to his favorite pizza restaurant in Halifax. It was near campus and super yummy. I’d been craving it ever since.
“Antonio’s it is.”
Twenty minutes later, a hot, steaming pizza was placed between us. It smelled amazing, but I knew better than to try and bite into a slice right away. I burnt my mouth the first time. I slid a piece onto my plate to cool and sipped my Diet Coke instead.
“Can you show me around after?” I asked. “You know, since we’re so close to campus?”
“Sure. We can take a walk. You can see my dorm room, too.” I raised my eyebrow at him, and he lifted his hands in defense. “What? I have a roommate. Chances are that he’ll be there.”
I laughed. “I’m just teasing you.”
“Just for that…” He reached over and took my cooled slice, taking a huge bite.
“Evan!”
“What? It’s good. Why don’t you have some?”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. The pizza had cooled a bit, and I was able to eat the first slice I took. The cheesy tomato perfection melted in my mouth. It didn’t take long for us to finish the whole thing.
Our waitress brought the check and placed it on the table. I reached out, but Evan covered my hand before I could take it.
“I’ve got it.”
“You don’t have to—you’re not working anymore.”
“Meara, I can pay for it. Let me treat you.”
Okay.” I relented, looking into his puppy dog eyes. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.” He pulled out his wallet and paid before sliding out of the booth to stand next to me. When I stood, he took my hand. “We’ll just leave the car here. Campus is literally two blocks away.”
As we walked, Evan pointed out the coffee shop where he got breakfast, the bookstore, which carried university sweatshirts, and even the Laundromat, although he admitted that he rarely used it. He brought his clothes home.
“You make your mom wash your clothes?”
“She likes to do it. She insists.”
“Yeah, right.” I gave him a little nudge, and he laughed.
“Okay, so maybe she doesn’t like it,” he admitted.
“I’m sure she’s got enough laundry with the inn and all…”
“You’re right.” He sighed dramatically. “I suppose I could do my own laundry.” He stopped and motioned in front of us. “We’re here.”
If I hadn’t been caught up in teasing Evan, I would have noticed that the rows of neat shops had ended at the start of a beautiful, green space. Neatly trimmed hedges and tall trees lined several paths, which led up to classic, brick buildings.
“It’s beautiful,” I said.
“It’s not bad.” He tugged my hand. “C’mon, I’ll show you the science building.”
We took the path on the right and passed several buildings. The air was cooling, but comfortable, and many windows were open. Between the movie posters I could see on the walls, and the various songs I could hear blaring from within, I knew these had to be dorms.
“Do you live in one of these?” I asked.
Evan didn’t even glance up at them. “No, I live on the other side of campus. These are for upperclassmen.”
“Oh.”
Evan stopped in front of a long building. It looked more modern that the others we passed. I guessed it was built at least fifty years later.
“Is this the science building?”
“This is it,” he said. “Want to go inside?”
“It’s open?”
“Night classes. It will
be open until nine or so.”
I stared at the building. I wasn’t sure I was comfortable going inside. “Will we get in trouble?”
“Why would we get in trouble?” He tugged at my hand. “C’mon, Meara. We won’t stay long.”
As we walked up the stairs, I felt a prickle on the back of my neck. It was the most curious feeling, like someone was watching me. On one hand, I wanted to turn around and see who it was. On the other, I was scared. I’d never had that feeling before. It creeped me out. Curiosity won. I turned around.
A man stood near a tree in the middle of the green space. I couldn’t make out his features. He was tall, and his hair was light. He nodded his head, turned, and walked away. The feeling vanished.
“Do you know him?” Evan asked, and I startled. For a moment, I forgot he was there.
“No, I thought maybe you did.” I looked up at Evan, and he shook his head.
“Never seen him before.” Evan opened the door. “I’ll show you the lab first.”
Evan was like a kid in a candy shop. He was so excited about everything in the building. Science was not my favorite subject, but it was hard not to get caught in his enthusiasm. He was so focused, so passionate about what he believed in. I thought about how it felt when he turned that same focus on me. My face grew hot.
“Are you okay?” Evan asked.
“Fine,” I blurted. “Where are we going next?”
“Do you want to see the animals?”
“Animals? Like classroom pets?”
He grinned at me. “Kind of. We keep them for observation. Most are retired zoo or circus performers.”
“What kind of animals?”
“You’ll see…”
We walked down an empty corridor and through the door at the end. It was a staircase, and Evan led me down. The air took on an unusual smell, and I heard splashing.
“Is there a pool in here?”
“Of sorts.” Evan opened the door. “Ta da! Our pets.”
The lights were dimmed, but I could clearly make out the large tank of water and the animals swimming inside. “Seals?”
“And sea lions. We have some pretty cool aquariums, too. In the room back there.” He pointed to the back corner. “Do you want to get closer? We can climb on the platform.”
The door Evan had just pointed at burst open. “Excuse me, but no one is allowed in here after hours.” A nervous-looking man approached us. When he saw Evan, he relaxed. “Oh, Mr. Mitchell. It’s just you.”
“Hi, Professor Nolan. Sorry, I was just showing my girlfriend, Meara, the animals. We’ll go now.”
“No problem. Take your time.” He smiled at me and nodded at Evan before going back the way he came. I was impressed. A teacher had never given me that kind of respect.
“Wow. Mister Mitchell. Very impressive,” I whispered to him.
“Very funny,” he whispered back. He put his hands on my lower back and guided me to the stairs.
“I have a part-time job here, you know, caring for the animals.” He spoke quietly next to my ear. “Professor Nolan heads the research program. He’s a pretty cool guy. Nervous, but he knows his stuff”
The stairs that lead to the top of the tank were covered in wide strips of non-slip material.
“Are we going to get wet?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” Evan said.
Great, I thought. I didn’t feel like spending the night in wet clothes.
The platform was sturdy and dry. It was actually much higher than the surface of the tank. A ladder led down about three feet to another platform below, where the seals and sea lions could come out and rest.
“Do you want to go down?” Evan asked.
I looked down. Pools of water scattered across the platform. “Looks kinda wet.”
Evan laughed. “We can stay here.”
We sat on the edge of the platform. It didn’t take long for the animals to notice us. They started to jump and spin as if they were performing. Then, one by one, they came onto the platform below us. Soon, they were barking.
“They like you,” Evan said.
“Why…What…?” Then I remembered that he said he worked here. I shoved his arm playfully. “Right. You feed them, don’t you?”
He laughed. “Yes, I do. It’s past their dinnertime, but we can give them a snack.”
“Do we have to go down there?”
“No, we’ll just toss it over.” He walked to a cooler at the back of the platform, picked up a bucket near it, and filled it. He brought it back over. “Frozen fish. They love it.”
I looked in the bucket. The fish looked disgusting, and smelled, well, fishy. Evan looked at me, so I picked one up. I fought the urge to drop it or gag. It was slimy.
“Now what?” I asked. The tail was pinched between my fingers.
“Toss it down.” He threw a few fish down to the animals. The group nearest dove for them, the rest looked at me expectantly.
“You’re going to need more than one,” Evan said.
I took a handful and dropped them down. Then another. It was kind of fun. When the fish were all gone, Evan showed me where the women’s bathroom was so I could wash my hands.
We went back to the stairwell. When we reached the main floor, I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you for the tour. I’m impressed. You’ve made a name for yourself.”
“I like it here.” His arms went around my waist. “But I miss you.”
Evan leaned down and kissed me. A quick glance confirmed the hall was empty. Apparently, night classes were not held in this corridor. I thought about the last time he kissed me like this. The night of his hockey game. I remembered what else happened that night, and I broke the kiss, looking down. I couldn’t meet his eyes.
That was the same night of David’s last visit. When I confirmed he was real, and he told me he wasn’t human. I hadn’t said anything to Evan yet.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
I cleared my throat, and finally looked up at him. “I need to tell you something. I’m not sure where to begin.”
“There’s always the beginning,” he joked. His expression grew serious when I didn’t laugh. “What is it, Meara?”
“I saw David again.”
“Your father?” he asked. “When?”
“I had a dream about him my first night here, and I had a few more after that,” I said. “I thought they were just dreams, but then he showed up in Katie’s room…”
“What do you mean ‘he showed up’?”
I shrugged. Under Evan’s gaze, this was even harder than I imagined. “I woke up and looked at the clock. I heard someone clear their throat, and David was standing by the window.”
“When did this happen?”
“The night we came to your game…”
“Why was he there?”
“To talk to me, I guess, although he never tells me anything useful. He just spouts obscure garbage and then disappears.”
“What does he say?”
“Stuff like, ‘he had to leave, I’ll understand someday…he’s not human…’” The last part was barely a whisper.
“Wait. What?”
I looked up at Evan, and then glanced down the hall. It was still empty. I didn’t need anyone else listening and thinking I was crazy. “He says he’s not human.”
“What is he?”
“I don’t know!” I ran my hand through my hair. “He wouldn’t tell me.”
“And you’re sure he was there? You weren’t dreaming him?” I could tell Evan was trying to be understanding, even if he didn’t believe me.
“I was awake. I know it. I’m not even sure the dreams were dreams. I mean, the first time I saw him, he looked exactly as he did in that picture Katie gave me.”
“What picture?”
“The one of the four of them together. The one on the beach.”
“Katie took it from my mom’s room?” Evan seemed mad about this.
“I don’t kn
ow,” I said. “She gave it to me a few weeks ago while we were shopping.”
“Do you have it with you?”
“No, it’s at home on my dresser. Why?”
Evan shook his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t understand how he can look the same as he did then. That was seventeen years ago…”
“He said he’s not human. Maybe he doesn’t age.”
“Meara.” Evan sounded a little exasperated when he said my name. “You don’t believe that, do you? What would he be? He’s probably just referring to his behavior. You know, how it was inhumane to leave you and your mom.”
“I suppose.” I frowned and considered what Evan said. It didn’t sound right, yet I had no evidence to argue otherwise. David gave me no clues as to what he was, if not human. He sure looked human.
“So, is he living here now?”
“I guess,” I said. “He told me he was back.”
“But not where he’s living?”
“No.”
“Did you ask your mom?”
I shook my head. “No, I just told her about my dreams.”
“And?”
I chewed my lower lip. I was ready for this conversation to be done. “She didn’t say much except that it’s natural for me to dream about him since we’re here now, where she met him, and I never had. As far as I know, she hasn’t seen him.”
“I’m surprised he wouldn’t talk to her first. Do you think he’s here to take you?”
A chill ran down my back, and I gave an involuntary gasp. “I hadn’t even considered that. But, I’m seventeen years old. In a few months, I’ll be eighteen. Why would he come now if he wanted to take me? Why not when I was little?”
“No idea,” Evan said. “It was just a guess.” He took my hand and squeezed. “Let’s go back to my dorm. It’s more comfortable than a deserted hallway.”
I followed Evan out of the building and across the green space. His dormitory was almost directly across from the science building.
“Convenient to be so close,” I said.
Evan gave me a lopsided grin before opening the door for me. As we walked to his room, we passed several people in the hall. Everyone smiled, waved, or said hi. I wondered if Evan was friends with them or people were just friendly here. Outside his room, he slid the key card and opened the door. It was dark.
“Okay, so my roommate’s not here.”
“Apparently.”
“I’ll be on my best behavior.” He held his hands up in a gesture of innocence, but his wink ruined it.
I laughed. “Uh huh.”
The room was relatively clean, considering two guys lived here. Evan’s bed wasn’t neatly made, but the comforter at least covered the sheet. On the dresser was a framed picture of his family, one of me, and a bottle of cologne. That great cool, spicy smell that was Evan wafted lightly from the bottle when I picked it up. He cleared his throat, and I turned to find him sitting on the bed watching me.
“I saw your dad once,” Evan said. “At least, I think it was him.”
“How’d you know it was him?”
He shrugged. “That picture Mom has in her room of the four of them. She keeps it on her dresser.”
I knew what he was talking about. It was the picture Katie showed me. I turned and looked at him. “When?”
“About ten years ago. I was covering the neighbor kid’s paper route. He was on the rocks. Near the lighthouse.”
The lighthouse? That was where I saw him, too, twice before in my dreams. “Did he see you?”
“I don’t think so. If he did, he didn’t say anything. I was on my bike, and it was early. I didn’t know what he was doing there. It spooked me.”
“Do you remember when you saw him? The time of year?”
“Yeah. Because it was freezing. February.”
What was my father doing in Peggy’s Cove the month of my seventh birthday?
