Beyond the Sea (44 page)

“Actually, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure,” Charles agreed, nervously looking at the pool.

“Can you go to the store and get as much ground beef as possible?”

“Yes. Why?”

“For the kelpies to eat.”

“They eat meat!?”

“Yes,” Melia said, keeping the laughter out of her voice. “They look like horses, but really, they are not.”

Charles nodded, still rooted in the spot. He blinked several times to release himself from the dazed fog he was in.

“Where’s Wolfy?” Melia felt a flicker of concern.

“At the park. He wouldn’t stop barking.”

“Good thinking. Thanks, Charles.”

 
“Sure. Uh, what do you want for dinner?”

“Don’t worry about making anything. You can bring home something.”

“Ok. What do you want?”

“That stuff with the eggs and vegetables and rice.”

“Fried rice?”

Melia nodded. “Yea. Thanks, again.”

“Uh, no problem.” After another lingering stare at the kelpies, Charles left.

“Melia,” Jamie started. “What are you going to do with them?” She didn’t want Melia venturing out into the ocean.

“They can stay here for a while,” she said rather calmly. “Until we can take them back.”

“You’re not going anytime soon, though, right?” Jamie’s brown eyes filled with worry.

“Of course not.” Melia smiled at her best friend. “Want to meet them?”

Peter shuffled his feet. “Didn’t you just say they don’t like humans?”

“I did, but they shouldn’t hurt you with Nerina and me here.”

“If you’re sure,” Peter didn’t sound convinced. “Maybe later.”

“Ok.” Melia shrugged and went up to her room. Jamie caught Peter’s gaze and slightly shook her head in question. Peter pressed his lips together and nodded once, agreeing with her on her unspoken thought. She sat on the bed, startled when something hard was under the covers. It was only a notebook, and the page was filled with words she didn’t recognize.

“What language is this?” she asked Melia.

“Mermish,” Melia responded.

“You have written words?” Jamie wondered what tools merrows used to write with.

“Not really. I write what it sounds like using your human alphabet. It doesn’t make sense to Nerina, since she doesn’t know any sort of human language.”

“Oh, interesting.” She inspected Melia’s beautiful handwriting. “What does it say?”

Melia stiffened and turned around. “I translated a song into Mermish.”

“Hmm,” Jamie said. The words were randomly written over the page with little order. ‘Novus lleuad’ was sprawled in the middle in bolded letters. Maybe it was the name of the song. Thinking it would be cool to learn Mermish one day, Jamie silently muttered a few of the words. Nerina, who had just trailed into the room, shot her a concerned glance.

“Do you remember,” Melia said suddenly, wanting to distract Jamie from the notes. “When you told me that people expect sex after prom?”

“Uh, yea.” Jamie tossed the notebook back on the bed.

“Do you think Jeff expects it?”

Jamie’s cheeks automatically turned bright red. Ears burning, she glimpsed at Peter. “I-I don’t know. I really don’t t-think so,” she stammered.

“Do you expect it?”

“No!”

“I expect it,” Melia stated, looking at Peter.

Peter shrugged. “Meh. I’ll see what I can do.” Melia glared at him before laughing. He put his hands around her waist and kissed her. Knowing that acting intimate with Peter made Jamie uncomfortable, she pulled away. “So, Jamie, what are you doing after the prom?”

“I’m not sure. Jeff wants me to go to Rosemary’s house. They’re watching movies and hanging out the next day.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to go?”

“I don’t feel like I fit in very well,” she admitted, staring at the ground.

“Why?” Peter asked, surprising everyone.

“I-I just don’t like crowds.” Jamie’s face flushed again.

Melia said, “We are going to Belmont Park, right?”

“Yea,” Peter answered. “Are we coming here or going to Connor’s? I’d rather come here,” he said, raising his eyebrows, causing Melia to giggle.

“Melia!” a female voice called from the hall. “Are you home, darling?”

“Yes, Mom.” Melia rose and strode to her door, waving Nerina to hide in the closet. “What are you doing home early?”

“We were able to catch an earlier flight,” Nyneve said. She smiled warmly. “Hello Peter and Jamie. Are you two excited for the dance?”

“I am,” Jamie told her, and, for the first time, felt a flutter of excitement for Saturday night. “It should be fun.”

“Is Edward home?” Melia asked.

“Of course. He wouldn’t miss your first dance!”

“Oh, well I better tell him about the kelpies in the pool.”

Nyneve’s mouth fell open. “Why are there kelpies in the pool?”

Melia worked on keeping her face calm. The lie seemed so foolproof in her head. Now that she was about to say it out loud, she had her doubts. “Vaianu sent them. He thought it would help persuade me. Obviously, it didn’t, since I didn’t take them back into the water. They can stay in the pool for a while. To prove a point.”

Nyneve blinked. “Well, I suppose. For a while.” She shook her head and let it go. Melia mentally sighed, relieved her mother was more concerned with keeping her out of the ocean than keeping the kelpies in it.

*

“Now I really am excited,” Jamie told Melia Saturday afternoon. They were at a fancy salon, getting their nails, hair, and makeup done for the dance.
 

“Me too,” Melia said with a smile, not allowing herself to think about what needed to be done. She was determined to have fun tonight. And she hoped to still be alive tomorrow. Once the girls were primped and pretty, they returned to Melia’s to get dressed. Nyneve took a million pictures, gushing and tearful the entire time.

Edward answered the door, ushering Peter inside. He told Peter to wait in the foyer so he could get Melia. Nyneve raced down the stairs first, camera in hand, wanting to capture every moment.
 
Peter’s heart fluttered when Melia gracefully descended the stairs, looking so beautiful it was as if she stepped out of the pages of a fairytale.

“You look like a Greek Goddess,” he told her, taking hold of her hands.
 

“Thanks.” Melia leaned in, careful not to mess up her makeup, for a kiss. “You look very handsome.”

Peter shrugged off the compliment. Nyneve made Peter take the corsage off Melia’s wrist twice, wanting a good action shot. She ushered them outside to pose for pictures in the garden. Jamie waited upstairs for Jeff. Peter had arrived early and she opted to stay out of the way and avoid feeling like a third wheel. She was glaring at her reflection, trying to be happy with the way it looked. Her hair curled perfectly, her makeup was incredible and her dress was flattering. She couldn’t particularly pick out one thing she didn’t like, but rather wasn’t happy with her whole image.
 

“Oh well,” she said to Gwen. “I’m sure Jeff will at least be surprised to see my hair out of my face.” She crouched down and called the cat over. Gwen ignored her, jumping up on the nightstand. Her tail twitched in anticipation, knocking something to the ground. A small glass bottle rolled to a stop in the middle of the floor. Curiously, Jamie picked it up.

There was a message inside, and with much difficulty, Jamie extracted it. “Novus lleuad dan en luola,” she read aloud. “Novus lleuad. I wish I knew what that meant,” she told the cat. It was a pretty phrase; it sounded old and magical. Jamie crammed the crinkled paper back in the bottle, raising her eyebrows. “I will never fully understand her,” she sighed. She paced around the large upstairs, eager for Jeff to arrive and a little nervous about the kelpies in the swimming pool. Melia assured her that they wouldn’t get out or transform into kelpie form, but how the hell would she explain horses in a pool to Jeff?

Nyneve filled up her memory card taking pictures of Melia. She ventured inside to exchange it for another, needing to enlist Jamie’s help.

“Melia’s been teaching me some words in Mermish,” Jamie blurted without really realizing what she was saying. She clicked the memory card in place.

“Oh, that’s lovely! It’s a beautiful language but can be tricky to learn.”

“Yes. There are a few words I just can’t remember and it’s bugging me.”

“What words, dear?”

“Novus lleuad.”

“New moon,” Nyneve informed her. “That’s an important one to remember. I’m sure Melia explained the importance of moon phases.”

“Yep. She has.” Jamie lied and handed the camera back to Mrs. VanBurren. “Thanks for reminding me. I remembered it as soon as you said it.” She smiled broadly and accompanied Nyneve back outside so she could resume her picture taking. Melia’s head flicked to the street, having heard the car before her human friends.

“He’s coming!” she said excitedly to Jamie. Jamie smiled, feeling a bit of nerves well up inside her.

“Are you sure I look ok?” Jamie asked Melia, suddenly self-conscious about her appearance.

“Yes! I promise. You look amazing, Jamie!”

“You do,” Peter agreed, giving Jamie a half smile.

Jamie blushed. “Thanks.” She moved close to Melia, resisting the urge to hide behind her as Jeff parked his car. He got out, carrying a little box.

“Hi,” he said to everyone. “Wow, Jamie…you look beautiful!”

Jamie’s cheeks reddened even more. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Melia beaming. “Thanks,” she told Jeff. Nyneve took a boatload of pictures of Jeff and Jamie, saying that she knew Jamie’s mother would definitely want to see this moment on film since she missed it by having to work. Melia had to remind her mother several times that they would see her again in only a short hour and a half and that they had to leave for dinner.

“I wish we could all eat together,” she told Jamie, hugging her bye.

“Me too. I’ll see you at the Grand March soon, though. Have fun! Try not to spill anything on your dress,” Jamie joked and then worried she jinxed herself.

“You too.”

Peter opened the door for Melia, nervously starting the engine of the Gallardo. It roared to life, a wonderful sound to his ears. Connor and Nate ogled enviously, trying to convince Peter to let them take it for a ride. The girls gushed over Melia, telling her how beautiful she looked and how much they loved her dress. Soon enough, everyone lined up in the hall outside of the school gym for the Grand March.

“Peter,” Melia whispered. “I don’t know what a ‘grand march’ is. Why are we marching?”

Peter laughed. “We’re not really marching. We just walk around so our parents can take pictures and you girls can show off your dresses. It’s lame, really.”

“Oh, that makes more sense now.”

They were bombarded with more flashing cameras after the March. Peter was a bit surprised his parents showed up. Adam and Ava wanted pictures with him and Melia. His heart hammered when his mother approached Nyneve. His mother could come off as decent if she wanted to. And, she could make a scene if she wanted to. He watched Nyneve greet her, introduce Edward VanBurren, as if no one knew who he was, and make small talk. His nerves subsided when Jamie’s mother joined their group. After another round of pictures, Peter and Melia were able to finally escape to the prom.

The theme of this year’s prom was ‘under the sea’, something that was too close for comfort for Melia, Jamie, and Peter. Nonetheless, they got past the cheesy fish decorations and had a blast, dancing and laughing. Time flew by; Melia stepped away from Peter every few songs to find Jamie, making sure she was having fun with Jeff.

Melia preferred dancing to the fast songs, but when the DJ played the first slow song that night, she quickly returned to Peter, encasing him in her arms.

“You are so beautiful,” he told her again.

“I’m glad you think so,” she said with a smile. “This is fun. I’m glad I got to experience this with you, Peter.”

The comment didn’t sit well with Peter. For a moment, he had forgotten the truth. He was having such a wonderful time, the fact of who Melia really was and what was at stake wasn’t salient. “Me too,” he agreed, feeling an unwelcome stab of abhorrence in the pit of his stomach. He pressed his lips to Melia’s and twirled her around the dance floor.

Jamie excused herself to go to the bathroom during the first slow song. She couldn’t cop out of the second; Jeff took her hand and led her to the dance floor. She didn’t want to meet his eyes with his face so close. He was cute and nice and funny and sweet. And she was terrified.

Melia smiled encouragingly from across the room. Jamie put her hands around Jeff’s neck and moved awkwardly to the music. As soon as the song ended, Melia let go of Peter and grabbed Jamie’s hand.

“You need to dance with me!” she shouted above the music. Giving in, Jamie followed Melia to the middle of the dance floor. Three songs later, she was hot and ready for a break. Her feet hurt and she wanted to take off the heels she had on. How Melia wore shoes like that every day was beyond Jamie. Jeff accompanied her outside, agreeing that the night air was refreshing. There was only a small courtyard where students were allowed to go, but it was enough to get away from all the people and the noise.