02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales (41 page)

A breeze blew the curtains up and I got a
fresh whiff of scent from the night blooming flowers outside.
Suddenly frightened, I got up to close the window and lock it,
drawing the curtains tightly. Chilled, I wrapped my arms around
myself and crawled into bed, pulling the blankets tightly around
me.

Evie’s words replayed over and over in my
mind. I hoped she was right about any muse powers I possessed being
worthless unless bestowed willingly. If they couldn’t be forced,
then I was useless to any possible “bad factions” of the
association. I would attend their meeting and argue my case. I
could deny my transformation, and claim the internet footage was
doctored. The hybrid council couldn’t possibly be half as
terrifying to confront as the mermaid’s bizarre underwater
assembly.

If I’d discovered anything about myself
through this whole ordeal it was that when faced with terrible
choices, I could be tougher than I had ever imagined.

Sometime in the early morning hours I fell
asleep, dreaming and waking sporadically through what was left of
the night. Images from my week in the sea mingled with memories of
days spent surfing with Ethan and Lorelei. The pictures formed a
strange collage in my mind that was only a misty memory in the
morning, leaving me with the impression that I was missing
something. It was infuriatingly just beyond my grasp, like some
secret that slipped away the moment I opened my eyes.

All I knew for sure was that a change was in
the works, and I could only hope it would be for the better this
time.

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

School Daze

It was Thursday morning by the time I really
started to come to terms with the truth about my life. I passed the
school days wandering unhappily through the halls, surrounded by my
little group of protectors. I painted for hours at night, keeping
indoors and away from any possible sinister strangers. I convinced
myself they couldn’t seriously be waiting for me to slip up and be
caught alone. If someone wanted to talk to me all they had to do
was knock on the door.

I spoke to my father again, reassuring him
that everything was fine in Aptos. He’d sent me here, wanting for
me to have a normal high school experience, and now we were
finally, ironically, on the same page. I sincerely wanted to finish
out my senior year and only have to worry about regular everyday
things. Everyone was buzzing around me, excited about going to the
prom and planning for college. I felt cold and still inside,
fretting about inevitable confrontations with a shadowy group of
half human hybrids.

Dad was getting ready to return to
Afghanistan, and I could hear the underlying frustration in his
voice when he complained about the disruption of his research. The
work had turned out to be more political than scientific, and it
was only his stubborn nature that kept him from throwing in the
towel.

“Come home dad,” I pleaded on the phone,
“I’ll be done with school in just a few weeks... we can have our
vacation this summer.”

“We have to choose a college for you,” he had
fretted, knowing we had missed a few deadlines for
applications.

“I’m not quite sure I know what I should do
yet.”

I had planned to stay in Aptos and go to
school with Ethan, but since I’d come back from Greece my whole
world had been turned on its ear. I rarely saw Ethan at all that
week, so I was doubly grateful for the constant presence of my
little group of friends. They kept me from slipping into a complete
depression, for when they were around I had to at least act as
though I wasn’t on the verge of bursting into tears.

Contrary to what my friends claimed, I didn’t
think Ethan looked all that upset about our breakup. When our paths
crossed he was never alone; the surfer groupies had caught wind of
our breakup and were following him around more closely than ever,
clamoring for his attention and no doubt vilifying me. We shared no
classes, making it easy for him to avoid me. I could still feel his
gaze occasionally, turning to see him look away the second our eyes
met.

My stomach sank when I remembered how he
accused me of trying to punish him. I was starting to think it
would be easier to leave Aptos, to walk away and put everything and
everyone behind me. Everywhere I looked something reminded me of my
broken heart, and I was tired of being sad all the time. The urge
to go surfing and lose myself in the ocean was swelling up within
me like a wave, and I was about to reach my breaking point. I was
afraid I was going to do something stupid.

When I got home, I hid away in my room,
feeling restless and irritable. My phone rang and I jumped on it,
eager for a distraction from the gnawing discontent mounting in my
chest. It was Evie.

“How are you sweetheart?” she asked in a
concerned tone.

“Better,” I lied.

“Have you patched things up with Ethan?”

I was silent for a second, taken aback again
by her tone, “No, he can’t even stand to look at me. And why do you
even care? Didn’t you want me to find a rich guy to date?” I
sounded bitter.

She was contrite, “I was wrong about him
because I didn’t realize how much he knew. I see now how protective
he was being... I mistook his concern for a need to dominate. You
see, there’s nothing worse than a man with a controlling
nature.”

I thought about Joe, “Yeah,” I said grimly. I
hadn’t told her about that one.

“Marina, some men can be guarded to the point
of stupidity. They simply feel too much to allow anyone to come
close enough to hurt them... Just be kind.”

Again, I was surprised by her assessment of
the situation.

“So,” she said crisply, “Can I expect a visit
on Saturday?”

“We’ll be there,” I muttered sullenly.

“Is everything alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m just tired.”

I promised to bring Cruz and Shayla; Evie
promised to plan a wonderful day. I hung up more agitated than I
was before. I picked up a brush and started painting but it was no
use. I felt like I couldn’t breathe in my stuffy little room and I
opened the window wide. It was rapidly darkening, and the cool
night air flooded in along with the sweet scent of the night
blooming flowers. I quickly shut it again, desperately trying to
block out the images of Ethan flooding my mind. I looked up,
transfixed, to see the moon growing in size, and nearly full. I
could feel its pull; I thought about how brightly it would light
the waves.

I grappled with myself for what seemed like
hours until I succumbed, reaching automatically for the bag packed
with my wetsuit.

The house was dark when I slipped out,
locking the door behind me. I saw no unusual cars on the street as
I swiftly retrieved my board and set out for the stairs, looking
behind me to make sure no one was following. I pushed aside the
bushes and made my way down the uneven brick path to the wooden
stairs.

I was completely focused on the sea,
anticipating my imminent relief, looking out at the moonlight
illuminating the cement ship. I didn’t notice him until I had come
within a few feet.

“Marina–” he said, his voice rough from
disuse.

I nearly jumped out of my skin, dropping my
bag and staggering back with a cry.

It was Ethan, sitting on the bench of the
landing, facing out towards the glowing waters. I stood there
panting raggedly, my heart racing from the sudden jolt of
adrenalin.

“Ethan?”

He stood up, “I had a feeling you’d be out
here tonight.”

I leaned my board against the rail, my hands
shaking, “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t really know,” his voice was quiet,
with a touch of sadness.

My heart went out to him, and I stood there,
confused for an instant.

“How long have you been here?”

“Awhile.”

I thought about what Evie said and I slowly
walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his back and laying my
head on his chest. I was still shaking a little when he clutched me
in a desperate embrace and dropped his head to my shoulder with a
long shuddering breath. That was all it took.

I started to cry, and the more I fought to
stop the harder my shoulders heaved as all the emotion I had
stuffed down or surfed away poured out of me. He held me tighter,
stroking my hair and rubbing my back. I was surprised at the
intensity of my outburst, and struggled to regain control.

“Shh,” he said, “It’s gonna be alright.”

“N–no it’s not,” I choked out.

“Tell me what happened,” he said, taking my
face in his hands and wiping my tears with his thumbs. I looked at
him in the dappled moonlight and a familiar calm passed over
me.

“I miss you,” I whispered.

He bent to kiss me softly and I knew it would
be fine. We stood there locked together, neither one wanting to
move, filling in every empty spot between us.

“Oh God, I love you so much,” he groaned,
nuzzling my hair and planting kisses all over my face. I inhaled
his scent deeply and relaxed into his chest, amazed at how good I
felt. I’d been scared and unhappy for weeks; standing there in the
dark it felt like we were the only two people in the world. All the
negative feelings I’d been holding onto faded into the background
like the hum of traffic on a far distant road.

He sat down on the bench, pulling me onto his
lap and locking his arms around me.

“Don’t go surfing... please stay with me,” he
whispered in my ear beguilingly, his husky voice vibrating down my
spine. I turned to kiss him again, I wasn’t about to go anywhere.
Sorry Lorelei, I thought, hoping she could hear my thoughts.
Another time.

I sighed and laid my head on his shoulder, “I
don’t need to anymore,” I said. We sat there in silence for a
while, savoring how good it felt to be next to one another. After
being lost at sea for so long, I felt like a little boat that
finally made it through a big storm into a safe harbor.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“I know,” I replied, and when he tried to
explain himself I kissed the words off his lips. A cool breeze blew
across us, making me shiver in my thin shirt. He arranged himself
around me.

“Tell me what’s going on. What happened in
Greece?”

I started slowly, beginning with the
helicopter crash. As I described the time I spent with Kalypso he
listened intently, and when I got to the part about Evie’s
surreptitious role in my life I could feel his body tense. His eyes
opened wide in the moonlight when I told him about my being a
muse.

I was uncomfortable with the idea, “I don’t
really see how it can be true,” I moaned.

“I can,” he said quietly, “You make everyone
do better.”

“Or worse,” I said, thinking about Joe’s
seemingly unmotivated malice.

Ethan was the most upset by the fact that I
would be made to attend a shadowy hybrid council, and I had to
agree. I was scared about going, and afraid they might show up in
Aptos at any minute. The thought made him shake his head and hug me
closer. When I told him more about being followed he tensed up, and
when he learned about Shayla being jumped he threw his head back
with a groan.

“I knew something was going on! I haven’t
seen you alone for one minute all week.”

“Evie wants me back with her but I didn’t
want to go... everyone thought as long as I had people around me no
one would try anything. We figured there was safety in
numbers.”

“You shouldn’t be coming out here alone,” he
said, burying his face in my hair and inhaling.

“I had to get out… I was going crazy,” I
whispered.

“You make me crazy,” he murmured, burrowing
his face into my neck. “I’m miserable without you.”

“Oh Ethan…” I felt like I was going to cry
again.

“You’re not safe here,” he said in a low
voice.

“I’m not safe anywhere,” I said.

“You should be with Evie,” he said
quietly.

“Do you want me to go?” I asked, a pulse of
fear running through me.

He was quiet for a few heartbeats, then
kissed me like it was the last time. He buried his face in my hair
again and let out a muffled cry, “No!” He was breathing harder,
“No... I don’t... I should but I can’t.”

Relief washed over me, “I’m not afraid,” I
lied, returning his embrace.

“You should be.”

His words hung in the air, challenging me to
deny their truth. Instead, I changed the subject.

“You know... you were kinda right about
Evie,” I told him.

He blew out his breath hard, “I didn’t know
anything, I just had a feeling there was more to her than she let
on.”

“She has a lot of respect for you.”

“No kidding?” he was surprised, “I got the
exact opposite feeling.”

“Once I told her everything she changed her
mind. She’s impressed because you were skeptical of her. Everyone
else she meets is easy for her to manipulate.” I kissed his ear,
making his whole body quiver, “Apparently, you’re a pretty hard
case.”

“She’s wrong about that,” he said, turning my
face towards his, “You have me in the palm of your hand. I love you
so much.”

I sighed, “Really?”

“I never thought I could feel so bad... I was
so afraid you were going to leave with Kimo...”

I drew away, “I told you we were only
friends. He’s been really nice to me.”

“I know, I know,” he said, pulling me back,
“Mike told me what happened. Kimo told him he thought I was stupid
for leaving you alone. Hearing that he knew about me made me
hope...”

“Hope what?”

“That maybe you still cared a little… maybe
you wouldn’t leave me for him. Please... please give me another
chance. I can’t get by without you.” He kissed me again, stroking
my face with his hand. I’d never seen him so openly needy and it
frightened me a little. What if he was only immune to Evie? What if
he only liked me because of my muse powers? I never thought to
worry about that before. I shivered with uncertainty, and didn’t
say anything.