03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales (14 page)

“Late,” he said, avoiding eye contact.

“Oh, uhm, well, Shayla and I decided to get
an early start.” I felt guilty for not staying longer and helping
out more. I must have been crying too hard to hear him get in, I
thought, glad he hadn’t mentioned it.

“I gotta go get dressed,” he said, avoiding
eye contact.

Just then Shayla walked in, stretching her
arms over her head. She wore an oversized tee shirt, sweat socks
and a brilliant smile, “Good morning!”

Cruz’s eyes flashed to mine desperately, and
Shayla looked back and forth at the two of us, “Who’s that in the
bathroom?” she asked.

“Excuse me–” Cruz said, rushing out.

I frowned and poured Shayla a cup of coffee,
rummaging through the fridge for some milk.

“You look all crapped out,” she said, as I
slid her over a mug, “Why don’t you just call Ethan already?”

“I will,” I said, wondering what I should
say.

A few minutes later Cruz came back in,
followed by a freshly showered Bradley.

“You remember Brad, right?” he said.

Shayla and I exchanged a glance and smiled,
wishing him a good morning. I offered him coffee, but he declined,
saying he needed to get going to work. Cruz walked him out the
door. After a few minutes he came back and sat down at the granite
counter quietly.

“Do you want some coffee?” I asked.

He looked at me and Shayla apprehensively,
“OK.” I poured him a cup that sat untouched while he nervously
picked at the black polish on his fingernails.

“Are you okay?” I asked gently.

He pressed his lips together with
determination, “I have something to tell you guys…” There was a
pregnant pause, “Me and Bradley are more than just friends.”

“Uhm, okay,” I said, “He seems nice.”

“Really?” he looked up incredulously, “Aren’t
you shocked?”

Shayla and I exchanged another glance, and I
could see she was biting her lip to keep from laughing.

“Not really,” I said, adding, “He does seem
like a nice guy.”

Cruz slumped with relief, taking a deep shaky
breath. He looked like someone who had just put down a huge
burden.

“What will Megan say?” he fretted. This time
Shayla couldn’t contain her laughter, snorting with mirth.

“Cruz,” I said gently, “She’s happy if you’re
happy.”

He rolled his eyes at Shayla sarcastically,
but couldn’t help smiling. A minute later his face darkened, “Yeah,
I guess Megan won’t care. But what about mom? And Ethan… and Dutch…
Oh God–” his voice cracked and he dropped his head into his
hands.

I came around the counter and put my arm
around him, “Cruz, it’s okay… Don’t you know that? Abby just wants
for you to be happy– that’s all! Who you love doesn’t matter…
because we all love you.”

He looked up at me with tears in his eyes,
throwing his arms around me.

“Totally!” Shayla chimed in, “Nobody’s gonna
give a rip!”

“I guess,” Cruz’s voice was shaking, “But
mom’s been like a walking hormone lately… What if the shock is bad
for the baby?”

Shayla couldn’t help laughing again, but got
up to join in our hug. “Don’t be stupid,” she told him, “Your mom
is like, the best mom in the world!”

Cruz wiped his eyes, nodding, “Yeah, I guess
I really lucked out in the family department.”

“Me too,” I said, instantly reminded of the
mermaids. As bizarre as the last few months had been, I was still
glad that I’d come to know them. They were part of me, part of the
mother I had never gotten the chance to know, and at that moment I
knew that I would never give them up… as long as I lived.

Cruz ran his fingers through his hair, fixing
his bangs across his forehead, “You have no idea how hard it is
keeping such a big secret about yourself.” When our eyes met, his
widened, and he smiled sheepishly, “Uhm, never mind!”

I nodded sardonically. My secret was a whole
lot darker than Cruz’s ever was, and he didn’t even know the half
of it.

The three of us drank a pot of coffee
together, all sharing the sense that our lives were about to change
forever. Shayla rummaged in the fridge and made us her favorite
breakfast, introducing us to toast with peanut butter, bananas and
honey. Cruz told us more about Brad, gushing about how smart he
was, how rich and sophisticated. He confessed that he was a little
intimidated by him.

“I mean, he grew up in mansions,” he said,
wide eyed, “He showed me his dad’s giant beach house and
everything.”

I exhaled in exasperation, “I hope that you
know he’s no better than anyone else just because his father has
money.”

Cruz sighed, “He’s so perfect, I can’t
imagine what he sees in me.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Shayla exclaimed,
“You’re the smartest, most talented person I know!” She looked at
me and grimaced apologetically, “No offense.”

I smiled, “None taken.” I thought about what
Cruz just said and realized that I felt exactly the same way about
Ethan. The only difference was, Cruz had a bright shining future
ahead of him… and me? The only thing I had to offer were four more
years of uncertainty and a lifetime of weirdness. Not to mention
the homicidal anger.

I thought about the council meeting and
squared my shoulders. I got up and cleared the counter, “I’d better
go get dressed.”

“Me too,” said Shayla, bouncing up to leave.
She turned, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder like
she was in a shampoo commercial, “Cruz?”

“Yeah?”

She smiled wickedly, “I hope he at least took
you out to a nice dinner!” We could hear her snickering all the way
down the hall.

When I got back to my room I dressed, packing
my things methodically and zipping up my bag resolutely. There was
none of the usual excitement or anticipation I used to feel before
traveling. I thought about Ethan again, and fished the phone out of
my bag to call him.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine… I’m sorry I had to leave so
early.” I bit my lip.

“Marina,” he sounded frustrated, “It was
Amber, right? I saw her there after you left. Did she say something
to you again?”

I felt a twinge of jealousy and paused,
feeling ashamed. I looked down at the necklace on my nightstand.
What could I say? It wasn’t his fault that I felt this way.

“You did it again, didn’t you? You got all
upset and you ran away.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling awful, “I’m
really afraid of what might happen.”

“I didn’t even talk to her!” he cried.

I felt like an idiot, “It’s none of my
business who you talk to.”

I could hear him sigh in frustration, “When
do you leave?”

“Our flight takes off in a couple of
hours.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No!” I said, a little too emphatically, “I’m
not angry at anyone.” But I wanted to be. I wanted to yell at him,
to tell him what she showed me and accuse him of treating me like
her replacement. I wanted to allow all the hurt I was feeling to
come pouring out. I controlled my voice, “I’m just nervous about
what I’m going to be walking into.”

“It’ll be alright… You’re gonna do fine. Just
be careful.”

My voice caught in my throat, “I’ll try.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” I hung up and picked up the
necklace, holding it in my palm for a few seconds. I slipped it
into my purse.

Aunt Evie was all hugs and kisses when Shayla
and I crossed the hallway to her apartment.

“Are you darling girls ready for Gay Paree?”
she exclaimed.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Shayla laughed,
catching my eye.

We took the elevator down to where Boris was
waiting alongside a long black limo. There was already a driver
inside, and after we climbed in he closed the door and sat up
front, giving me a quick wink before closing the tinted glass
partition. We drove through town, arriving at the airport.

I sat up and looked around when we passed by
the main terminal, “Where are we going?”

“I have a surprise,” Evie smiled brightly, “I
finally decided to pick up my own jet… the last two charters I took
were absolutely abysmal… And you know, simply
everyone
has
one nowadays.”

I was starting to realize how completely out
of touch with reality Evie was.

We pulled up and parked next to a gleaming
new jet, with a couple of crisply uniformed pilots standing at
attention by the steps. Boris got out and started to unload our
luggage from the limo. I looked around the tarmac at the other jets
and private hangars, noticing an old blue truck driving along a
gravel road behind a chain link fence in the distance. It reminded
me of Ethan, and a fresh wave of sorrow and regret washed over
me.

The truck stopped and I could see a figure
get out of it. The fence was at least a hundred yards away, but I
would know that walk anywhere. Without even thinking, I dropped my
bag and sprinted across the asphalt, clearing the distance between
us in record time.

When I reached him, his face was up against
the fence, his fingers woven through the wire. I took his hands and
we kissed through the fence, wire pressing into our faces.

He smiled at me, “They wouldn’t let me drive
in. I thought I was gonna miss you.”

I didn’t know what to say, and I tried to
blink back the hot tears that sprang into my eyes.

“Don’t cry,” he said softly, squeezing my
hands.

“How did you find us?” I managed to choke
out.

“I guessed… there weren’t any regular flights
going to Paris.”

“You didn’t have to come all this way.”

“Yes I did,” he replied, and we kissed again
as best we could.

“I don’t want to go.”

“I know,” he said, his eyes darting behind
me. I turned to see Boris standing back a little ways, his arms
folded across his chest. I lunged for Ethan’s lips again in
desperation, as if I could somehow stave off the inevitable.

“Marina,” A deep voice called out, “It’s
time.”

I sighed, and we pressed our heads together
through the fence before I pulled away to reluctantly return to the
plane. I trailed along behind Boris, looking back a couple of times
to see Ethan standing still, watching me leave again.

Boris climbed in the plane after me and
secured the door, taking a seat in the front as I looked around.
There was a long couch with pillows and throws on one side, with a
table separating a couple of comfortable looking recliner chairs
covered in soft white leather. A bar sat at one end, backed up by a
wall paneled in richly grained wood. It looked more like a fancy
cocktail lounge than a plane. I could hear Evie’s voice in the
cockpit, discussing some detail about our itinerary with the
pilots.

I took a seat next to Shayla, and she
swiveled to face me, grinning like she’d just won the lottery, “It
still has that new plane smell,” she said.

I smiled wanly, craning my neck to see if
Ethan’s truck was still there.

“Man, he must have really hauled ass to get
here in time,” Shayla nodded.

“I suppose,” I said quietly.

“C’mon, don’t be bummed! We’re going to
Paris! Ethan will be fine without you for a week!”

I nodded, thinking that wasn’t really the
problem. I knew that he’d be busy with work. The election was
coming up, and Abby was planning a massive get-out-the-vote drive.
She was turning into a real task-master, and Dutch and Ethan would
definitely be put to work.

I imagined Amber showing up to see him at the
farmer’s market; I pictured how she would stalk him when I wasn’t
around and squeezed my eyes shut tight. I was so tired of fighting
it. My leaving right now was probably the safest thing for everyone
involved. The way I was feeling, I knew he would be better off
alone.

The problem was, I was afraid, and he wasn’t
going to be around to calm me down.

The problem was, I wasn’t sure I could get by
without him.

CHAPTER TEN

PARIS

We were moving, crashing through some
bushes. I could hear the sound of twigs snapping underfoot and the
heavy breathing of the man who was carrying me. Leaves brushed
against my arms, and I struggled to lift my eyelids, but all I
could see was a blur of green. I felt a flood of relief, followed
by confusion. I fought to regain consciousness, recoiling inwardly
at the heat and stench. Where was he taking me?

I woke up, disoriented.

“It’s about time!” Shayla laughed, “You’ve
been sleeping almost the whole way!”

I propped myself up on my elbows to find I
was sprawled out on the couch with a cashmere throw covering
me.

“What time is it?” I croaked.

“California time… or Paris time?” Evie asked,
and I sat up to see her reclining majestically in a dressing gown,
a cup of tea in her hand, a French Vogue magazine on her lap.

“We’re landing in fifteen minutes!” Shayla
squeaked excitedly, “Get up and come see it with me!”

I stood and stretched, strange dream put
aside, feeling much better after my long rest. I took the seat next
to Shayla, watching as she pressed her face against the window.
There was nothing but a blanket of white clouds to see, but the
slight angle of the plane and the pressure in my ears told me that
we were descending.

“Buckle up, girls,” Evie said, just as we
entered into the bright white lightness.

“We’re like, in a cloud,” Shayla said,
awestruck.

We cleared the overcast, and the landscape
below was unveiled. Waterways rambled across the countryside,
contrasting with the geometric shapes of farm fields painted in
different shades of brown on a palette of green. As we drew closer,
roads, buildings, and finally cars began to reveal themselves.

Shayla turned to me with bright eyes, “It
looks like a bunch of dollhouses and toy cars!”