“Here,” I said, balling the towel up and giving it to him to press against the wound.
“Thank you.” He groaned as he held the towel against the bullet wound. “I promise it’s not as bad as it looks.”
“We’re almost there,” said Walter from the driver’s seat. We drove down a dark street running along Mission Bay. Shadowy ships of all sizes crowded the various docks along the shore like vast floating skeletons with blank eyes. Their rippling reflections in the black water made their numbers seem larger than they would during daylight. Everything from small sailing skiffs to military barges made the moon-lit Mission Bay resemble a graveyard.
“What about Seidon and Cordelia?” I asked, trying to wiggle some feeling into my frozen toes.
“They’ll be here,” said Eamon. “Natasha’s bringing them.”
Walter turned into the underground parking garage of an apartment complex. The yellowish lights overhead cast sharply etched shadows and made me paranoid of an ambush around every corner. At last, third level down, we parked.
“Here,” said Calder, looking at my bare feet. “I’ll carry you.”
“No, I’m fine,” I said, grateful for the darkness to hide my reddening face.
“We should have brought her some clothes,” said Eamon. “I’m sorry, Olivia.”
“It’s okay. I ran from the hotel to the car, I’ll be fine. Everything else went smoothly, didn’t it?” I was speaking, of course, of the fact that everyone was alive. Seeing Eamon’s blood and remembering the echo of gunfire and breaking glass were proof that carrying out the plan was less “smooth” and more “by the seat of our pants.”
“You’re cold and barefoot, don’t be difficult.” Calder sounded so much like his old self, I allowed him to scoop me up again. I felt ridiculous because Eamon was hurt a lot worse than I was. I smiled to myself for a minute, picturing what it would look like if Calder tried to carry him instead of me.
“Sorry I’m still wet,” I said when the familiar elation arose in my chest as I sat nestled in Calder’s arms.
“It’s all right,” he replied in a forgiving tone I had never heard him use before. My heart hummed inside me. Can hearts hum? Mine could.
We came out of the parking garage and crossed the street, hurrying between the shadows until we came to a lit boardwalk at the vast marina, its wharfs extending like long fingers into the water. We passed numerous boats bobbing lazily at their docks until Walter turned and led the way down one long gangplank where at the end, I saw several people standing.
At first, I didn’t recognize them and my grip around Calder’s neck tightened. But then I saw Samantha hurrying toward us. I let go of Calder and jumped down. I started crying long before Sam and I met and embraced.
“I’m so sorry!” she cried over and over again, hugging me tight. “It’s all my fault!”
“We’re okay now. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“I can’t believe you did that for me.”
“I can’t either!”
She pulled away and looked at me. Her face was bruised and she had a cut on her cheek.
“You’re all right?” she asked.
“Yeah. You?”
She nodded and hugged me again.
“I was so scared. When they said you were bringing a mermaid, I thought at first Cordelia was going to come or something. I had no idea…”
“Come on now, girls, we need to get moving,” said Walter. Sam and I followed him to where Cordelia and Seidon waited beside the hull of a large deep-sea fishing boat labeled Imbali de Mer. Seidon reached out and pulled me into an embrace as well.
“Thank you,” he said into my ear. “You cannot comprehend what it is you’ve done for us. I owe you everything.”
I didn’t know how to respond. When Seidon released me, I only smiled and nodded, then was taken by complete shock when Cordelia also came forward. She didn’t hug me but gripped my shoulders with both hands.
“You are brave,” she said. Admiration shone from her eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Captain,” I said in bewilderment. She nodded.
“Where’s Natasha?” I asked, noticing her absence for the first time and hoping she was already on the boat.
“She dropped us off,” said Cordelia. “She said she needed to return the vehicle and finish up other business.”
Worry wrinkled Walter’s brow. “She was supposed to be here by now.”
“I’m sure she’s just held up somewhere,” said Eamon, but he looked a little anxious too. “She’s a smart lass. She’ll be alright.”
“Should I call her?” asked Calder, taking out the cell phone.
“Give it a try, but she may have turned her phone off to avoid a trace.”
Calder dialed, waited for a moment, then shook his head. “You’re right. Phone’s off.”
“Well, we can’t wait here much longer,” said Eamon.
“Just a few minutes longer,” said Walter. “Everyone get on board. I’ll wait out here.”
He ushered us to the side of the Imbali and helped us to climb onto the deck. The boat bobbed and tilted under my unsteady feet.
My experience with boats was limited to the small ski-boats I had ridden in back home. The Imbali was a lot bigger. Well-kept and clean, she had textured flooring, two decks, shining chrome railing, and a high-windowed tower housing the helm where the driver sat.
“We have all your things below,” said Uther. “You can go and get changed. Calder, help me with Eamon.”
Samantha and I made our way to where a short set of ladder-like steps led to a cramped cabin. It looked sort of like a motorhome with portholes instead of windows. There were benches on either side, a small sink, a two-burner stove, a table, and two open doors with one leading to a tiny bathroom and the other leading to a bedroom of sorts with bunk beds built onto the sides of the walls.
The boat pitched again and I clutched my stomach.
“Still no sign of Natasha,” said Walter from outside. “I don’t like just leaving her.”
“She knows we can’t wait here forever,” said Uther. “She also knows where to go if we get separated and she has money to get there.”
Calder appeared on the ladder to the cabin.
“Is Natasha going to be okay?” I asked.
“We’ve been separated before. Uther’s right.” He came around us, opened a cupboard in the galley, and pulled out a large plastic case with a red cross on it. He passed me to go back out on deck, touching my shoulder as he went. “Go get changed and try not to worry.”
I looked at Sam, still worried despite Calder’s reassurance. She, however, stared at me, half surprised and half…proud?
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she said, but with a lingering smile in her eyes. She turned and headed through the galley and toward the sleeping area. I followed her so I could finally change.
The motor of the Imbali purred underneath me. The roll of the sea made my stomach turn. I lay on one of the lower bunks, clutching my middle and holding my mouth with my other hand. I curled into a ball, dressed warm in a pair of jeans, thick socks, and a sweatshirt—clothing more suited for a winter afternoon than a boat cruise in the Pacific, but at least I wasn’t cold anymore.
The door to the cabin opened and Calder poked his head in.
“Are you sick?”
I groaned. “Going to be, I think.”
“I’m sorry. You should have had some meds hours ago.” He stepped into the cabin, holding a bottle of water, a white plastic bottle of pills, and a small cellophane bag. He set the bag and the water on the bed, then popped open the pill bottle and palmed two white tablets. He knelt down beside me. “Take these. They should help.”
“What are they?” I looked at the bottle.
“Meclizine. For motion sickness.” He gave me the pills, then reached for the bottle of water. I sat up.
“Thanks, Mr. Pharmacist.”
He gave a low chuckle. I swallow
ed the pills down with the water, then lay back down, trying not to wince at the nausea.
“How long do they take to work?”
“A while,” he replied with a sympathetic air. “In the meantime, try some mango.” He grabbed the cellophane bag, opened it up, and held it out to me. I looked at the shriveled orange things. They smelled amazing, but I wasn’t sure.
“I don’t think I should.” I hiccupped. “It might end up all over the floor.”
“Give it a try. It’ll help.”
Skeptical, I humored him and reached into the bag. Almost the second I tasted the fruit, my queasiness began to subside. I chewed, swallowed, and reached for another, and continued to feel better.
“Huh…that’s amazing.”
“Yeah. I figured it out on my first boat ride. I was sick as a dog until I saw the package of mangoes on the table. It was the only thing I felt like eating. It took the sickness away, sharpish. If you’re still feeling sick in another hour, we can try something else.”
“Thanks.”
He smiled a little. I sat up, bending my head because of the cramped space between the top and bottom bunks.
“Is Eamon all right?” I asked.
“All patched up.”
I reached for another piece of mango and he handed me the bag.
“You can have the lot. I’ve got more.”
“Thanks. Now that I don’t feel like I’m going to spew everywhere, at least I can put something on these welts.” I got up from the bed and moved over to a mirror bolted to the door of a closet. “Do you have anything I could put on this?” I asked, but Calder had already walked out. I lifted my sweatshirt to examine the damage. Spots of blood stained my tee shirt from the worst of it. I turned around to look at the stripe of missing skin on my back and sucked in a hissing breath through my teeth.
“Can I help?” Calder asked from the door. Startled at his reappearance, I pulled my sweatshirt down into place. He came toward me, holding the same first aid kit he’d gotten out of the galley cupboard. He knelt and put the case on the floor, then took out rubbing alcohol, a tube of ointment, and a roll of medical gauze. He turned his face up at me. “If you don’t mind, of course.”
“N-no, not at all.” I lifted my sweatshirt again and held it around my waist. He examined the strip of irritated skin and bleeding welts. I looked down at his hair and had a sudden longing to run my fingers through it. I pressed my lips into a hard line and took a slow breath.
“This is going to sting a little,” he said, looking up at me again. I nodded. He cut off a piece of gauze, tipped some rubbing alcohol on it, and dabbed it onto my wounds. I gasped as the alcohol seared my skin.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Biochemist and all. I can’t bring myself to dress a dirty wound.”
“I didn’t roll in the dirt after ripping the costume off,” I said, gasping again.
“I know it hurts. I’m almost done.” His gentle touch sent goose bumps prickling all over my stomach. A sudden tilt in the boat made me stumble backward, but he caught me around the waist as I grabbed his shoulders for balance.
“Whoops,” I said, not at all sorry for almost falling.
“Haven’t found your sea legs yet.”
“I guess not.”
I swallowed, took my hands off his shoulders, and held my sweatshirt away from my hips again. He took out the ointment and daubed it onto the welts. Then he took the roll of gauze and wound it around the skin. He soothingly ran his fingers over the bandages and looked up at me again.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
Don’t let go.
He stood. His hands lingered on my waist.
Please don’t let go.
“Thank you,” I said. A corner of his mouth lifted.
The door to the cabin opened. Calder let go.
“Liv? Oh…” Sam looked from me to Calder and back, her eyes widening and a grin forming on her face. “Um…they’re eating dinner soon. Are you feeling up to it?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Calder brought me some mango.” After I said it, I realized how weird that sounded. I cleared my throat. “For the seasickness.” I turned to him. “Thanks again.”
He gathered his medical supplies.
“No problem.” He passed Samantha and left the cabin. Sam looked at me with eyes the size of dinner plates.
“I should have left you two alone.”
“He was just helping me put bandages on my waist,” I said. I could still feel Calder’s firm hands on my waist as he steadied me when I almost fell. “Have you called your mom at all?” I asked.
“Yeah. Just got off the phone with her. Had to lie my pants off.” She sat on one of the beds with a scowl. I knew the feeling.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Eamon told me everything. Looks like my costume came in handy,” she replied without smiling.
“Yeah, it did.”
She looked down and her scowl deepened.
“Seidon and I should never have gone outside. If we hadn’t done that, none of this would have happened.”
“It wasn’t your fault. We don’t know how they found us.”
“Yeah, we do. I found out while I was…” She trailed off with a ragged sigh. “One of the neighbors reported us to the police because we were staying at that house without rent. Linnaeus found out where we were because the detective guy told him.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t Linnaeus just come after us? We were all there together.”
Samantha shrugged. “Maybe he couldn’t get the police to come. All I know is he waited until one of us got careless.” She looked back at the floor, her lip trembling. “Of course, it was me.”
“Quit blaming yourself. We got out okay.”
“Yeah, with Eamon getting shot and you ripping off half the skin on your waist.”
“It just grazed him. He’s fine.”
But Samantha sat back on her elbows and looked at the bunk above her with a tortured frown.
“Sam…think about it and tell me honestly,” I said. “Do you think there’s anywhere else you’d rather be right now?”
She looked at me in surprise, apparently not expecting me to say something like that. She closed her eyes, then shook her head.
“I’d rather not be in mortal danger right now. I’d rather be at home in my own bed with a huge bowl of strawberry ice cream or at the mall with a big roll of twenties in my pocket…but you’re right. I’d rather know Seidon.” She sighed. “I’m going to miss him so much. I’ve never known anyone like him.”
“I know what you mean.”
She looked at me with an odd expression. Was it surprise? Disbelief? No, I knew what it was—the I told you so look. I stood and nearly stumbled in the boat’s motion.
“Come on, we’d better go up. Seidon and Cordelia might be diving in to go back home soon.” I took my bag of mango with me and followed Samantha up the ladder to the main deck.
Eamon sat in one of the bolted down lounge chairs, while Uther sat in another, carefully examining his gun. Calder sat up in the tower with Walter. Seidon and Cordelia stood in silence at the railing, both drinking from quart-sized water bottles.
We were well out of the bay now. The misty wind tasted salty on my lips. The ocean swells glinted with the reflection of the moon. All else was eerie darkness. I felt small standing on the deck of a boat cruising on open water, unable to see where the sea ended and the sky began. I had never been this far away from land before. What kinds of things swam beneath me? I looked over at Seidon and Cordelia and a new wave of awe swept over me. They lived among the creatures belonging to this great expanse of ocean. They were as familiar with all the things stirring beneath the surface as I was with my own front yard.
Samantha went to join Seidon at the railing. I couldn’t hear what they said to each other, but Seidon soon put one arm around her shoulders and hugged her
close to him. Cordelia ignored them, staring off into the darkness on the other side of the boat.
“They’re going to accompany us to make sure you and Samantha get away safely,” said Eamon, seeing my gaze. I turned to him, gave him a small, gracious smile, and nodded.
“Are you okay?” I asked. He waved a hand.
“Ah, I’m fine. Graze wasn’t deep. Well”—he slapped his knee with one hand—“guess I’d better see about supper. Do you think they’ll eat clam chowder?” He pointed a thumb to where the merpeople stood.
Cordelia turned her head, her hair tossing in the wind.
“We’ll tolerate clams.”
Eamon chuckled and went below. He favored his left side.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go home?” Uther asked Cordelia. She came to sit down in the chair Eamon had vacated. She placed her water bottle between her knees.
“It would be a dishonor to abandon you humans at present, though the sight of our home is inviting.”
“In the meantime,” said Uther, standing and following Eamon, “try to enjoy yourself.”
I took his seat and ate another piece of mango, looking at the ship around me. Calder came down from the tower.
“What does Imbali mean?” I asked Calder as I chewed. I offered him the bag. He reached in and took a piece out.
“It’s Zulu,” he replied. “An African language. It means flower.”
“But de Mer is French, isn’t it?”
“Yep. Walter’s mum was French.”
It surprised me how much I didn’t know about these people who had been so kind and protective of me. I regretted not using my time with them more wisely. Would I ever see any of them again? The thought made me feel a brush of sadness and a desire to cling to the boat like a barnacle.
I dreamed about sitting on a swaying, rocking park bench before I awoke with a start. The galley was dark, the sea and sky black as ink through the portholes. On the other bench across from me, Samantha slept on. Behind me, Walter’s snores came from one of the bunks in the cabin. I frowned and rubbed my stomach. The swaying and rocking hadn’t been a dream. I got up from my bench-bed to look for more medicine. The clock on the microwave showed almost four in the morning.
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