He paused for a moment. I got the feeling a violent rage was brewing inside his perfect body. “My mother said it was because she had a nervous breakdown. I really never understood it. But that time when they booted me out of their palace, I didn’t have anywhere to go. They didn’t pay for anything that time.”
A sickened feeling came over me. “What did you do?” My throat tightened.
“For a while, I lived at different friends’ houses, but when there was threat of being sent to foster care, I sought out my real father.” He scoffed.
I was curious about that. “Did he let you move in with him?”
He paused like he was remembering. “Yes, he did.”
“What happened with that?”
“He was an alcoholic and kept beating me up.” He chuckled. “But when my mother found out that he was housing me, she got jealous. She was angry that my dad took me in. It wasn’t that she was upset about him knocking me around. She just didn’t want him to have me, so she took me back. Though, she didn’t really want me obviously. She just yearned to stick it to him. You know, really show him who was in control.” I sensed his resentment.
“That sucks.” I was surprised how upset I felt—a part of me wanted to hurt them for what they had done. It was foreign to me how connected I felt to him already.
“No big deal. Everybody’s got their story, right?”
“I don’t know.” My voice lifted.
“What’s yours?”
I heard the wolf bark. “My what?” I was still thinking about his life.
“Your story?”
The gruff man was in his camper now. Inside lights illuminated the campsite, so I could see Spike tied to the tree. “Hold on a sec.”
We stopped as I pulled the slab of meat out of my purse and tossed it over to my new friend. The furry guy gulped up the piece in no time.
Dylan laughed. “Making friends with the wildlife?”
“Yeah, I guess so.” My cheeks reddened as we proceeded onward. “So my story is nothing too dramatic,” I said, clearing my throat. “My parents are really cool. We love each other. I’m on the swim team at my high school in Laguna Beach.”
“Are you a good swimmer?” He sounded genuinely interested.
“I swim pretty fast, but it’s hard for me to follow rules. I usually lose the meets for cheating.”
He laughed out loud. “What?” His voice was perplexed like I had thrown him off guard.
“I just usually get too anxious and start swimming before they blow the whistle. And sometimes when an opponent harasses me before a meet, I get livid and swim into her lane during the race to cut her off.”
He laughed again. “You are something. I would have never expected that from you.”
“My mom is upset about it too. But my dad thinks it’s funny just like you do.”
He was still chuckling when he stopped walking. I felt a strong breeze on my face and in my hair coming off the ocean. My toes curled in my sandals as I sensed we were at the edge of the rocky hill. I inhaled suddenly.
“Our camp is down there,” he said. “You should probably turn on your flashlight for this part.”
I exhaled. But then, he let go of my hand and the blood rushed out of my head.
CHAPTER SIX
Better to flee from death than feel its grip. –Homer, The Iliad
“Do you climb down these rocks in the dark?” I asked as I pressed the button on my flashlight. The side of the craggy hill lit up.
“I do.” His musical voice was tinged with mischief. “Makes the game all the more fun.”
I shook my head in feigned bewilderment. “Is that your campsite?” I shined the flashlight at a makeshift cabana at the bottom of the hill.
“Yup.” He had a contemptuous smile on his stunning face. “Home sweet home.”
I laughed. “That’s original.”
“Damn right.” He looked at me. And I wasn’t sure, but it appeared as if he winked. “Ladies first.” He held out his hand, motioning me downward. His expression was polite, but his eyes were sardonic.
“Since you’re so talented, why don’t you hold the flashlight?”
He raised a dark eyebrow. “Good idea.” He took the apparatus from me and I made my way down slowly, holding carefully to each jagged rock, while I placed my sandaled feet one step at a time. Several instances I almost lost my grip and nearly rolled down the hill, but he caught me by the arm, helping me to steady myself before proceeding.
“That wasn’t too difficult,” I said once we reached the bottom.
“Piece of cake.” His lips lifted into a crooked grin like he was tickled with my clumsiness.
When he looked at me like that I grew faint all over again and I was standing on a level surface now.
He lit torches on the outside which created a tempting atmosphere, something other than Dylan to distract me from my inebriated state. I liked the luxurious look of white fabric draped across the top and over the four sides of tied bamboo that supported the open structure.
“Did you make this yourself?” I asked.
“Yeah, along with my friends.” His expression was blank as he lifted the curtain for me to enter.
The entire floor was covered in soft feathers sewn together like a comfortable, billowy rug with thin, flexible earthen materials. He lit a lantern on a makeshift table that sat only a couple feet above the ground. It brought a nice glow to the neatly arranged chessboard that sat beside it.
I could picture Dylan and his friends playing games and eating at the table while relaxing on the soft feathers. Off to the side of the cabana was a spilt bag of jewels, shells, and gold trinkets of mythological creatures of the ocean—mermaids, sea monsters, selkies, and sirens.
“This is intense.” I held up a tiny golden medallion of a mermaid with a ring around it. It was a profile view and was attached to the ring by a sapphire dagger which was in the mermaid’s hand.
“It’s yours,” he said, his expression was unreadable.
“You’re giving this to me?” I asked with surprise.
“Yeah.”
“I can’t take this. It looks expensive.”
“It reminds me of you—the sassy swimmer.” He raised an eyebrow.
I smiled, embarrassed. I couldn’t help but remember how Dad called Mom sassy too.
“I found that in the ocean…”
“Really?” I interrupted.
“If you don’t take it, I’ll throw it back,” he snickered.
My cheeks grew hot again. “Thank you.” I grasped the shiny treasure in my hand.
His green eyes sparkled in the lantern light as he looked at me. “I’m interested in the legends of the sea. Locals say they’ve seen some of these creatures in the coves and not too far out into the ocean. There are a few small craggy rock islands just yonder. One guy told me he saw mermaids sunbathing on the obsidian rocks. And some people swear the islands aren’t islands at all, but actually Zartans…”
“What are Zartans?” I asked as I looked more closely at one of the silver sea creatures.
“Giant sea turtles that sleep for many years and are mistaken for floating islands.”
“Oh my! Has anyone surfaced one?” I looked at him with wonder in my eyes.
“I don’t really believe it’s true, but some sailors who come into the docks say they’ve walked them. Supposedly, they are very far out. Sometimes they wake up and swallow up the people who dock their ships at them.” He walked over to his bag and pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.
“Darn.”
“What?” he asked as he pulled the shirt over his head.
“I wanted to see the reaction of the people at the party when you showed up in your underwear.”
He half-smiled, a spark of mystery in his eyes. “They’re bored of my nudity already.”
My jaw dropped slightly, wondering if he ran around naked all the time.
“Not really.” He pulled on his shorts. “You ready for the beach.”
“Sure.” I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to straighten out the windblown tangles. Looking at Dylan, I couldn’t help but feel inadequate.
I picked up a book on the edge of the table. It was the Odyssey. “Have you read this?”
He took the novel into his hands and flipped through the pages. “I’m reading it right now. Some of the local fishermen recommended I read it.”
I scrunched my eyes together slightly. “Since when are fishermen into classic literature?”
He snickered lightly. “They’re obsessed with some of the bizarre sightings lately. Funny enough, they seem to be into in all this Greek mythology and because I’m their friend and enjoy reading and that kind of thing, they asked me to look over the book. They’re a little crazy.”
“How funny—a band of insane fisherman.”
That made him laugh.
“Do you like the story?”
“Yeah.” His eyes widened. “Pretty exciting stuff actually.” He ran his fingers through his hair.
“We read both the Illiad and the Odyssey in English class, but I just rushed through them. Maybe I should give the books another try.
“Maybe…” He lifted an eyebrow. And then, to my surprise he looked at me carefully. Something about his stare confused me.
I wondered what he was thinking, but before I could ask, he said, “Maybe we shouldn’t go to the bonfire.” He looked at his watch.
“Why not?” I asked disappointed.
“It’s almost curfew.” He looked uncomfortable.
“I doubt if the police will enforce it.”
His mind seemed to be reeling with enigmatic thoughts. “Okay.” He paused in further contemplation. “Let’s get out of here.”
After throwing the bag of food from the market over his shoulder, he took my hand for the second time. “Come on.”
Again, electricity shot through my body at his touch. I wanted to kick myself for that. I feared I was the only one feeling something. When I glanced at his face, I couldn’t tell what was going through his mind.
Once we were outside with the orange light of the torches on his beautiful face, he cautioned, “Now be warned—my friends are going to hit on you, so just ignore them.”
“What do you mean?” I wasn’t used to that many boys taking an interest in me. At school, most guys never even seemed to notice me.
“Look at you,” he sighed.
I looked perplexed. “What about me?”
“You’re every dude’s dream.”
I burst out laughing. “Are you making fun of me?”
“No!” his voice lifted. He actually looked surprised by my reaction.
I shook my head and didn’t say anything else about it. If he saw me as a dream girl, I certainly wasn’t going to ruin that fantasy for him as ludicrous as it was. Maybe he was really blind and that was why he led me around in the dark. Whatever he saw in me, nobody else saw it.
When we got to the beach, I spotted a bonfire ahead. As we got closer, I noticed a bunch of teenagers relaxing on blankets and some people dancing. The music was not too loud. Led Zeppelin was playing in its entrancing intensity; it was the same CD Mom always played in the car. The sounds were almost hypnotic.
“Hot dogs here,” Dylan called out as we approached.
A lot of people looked over at us and several kids waved or nodded at Dylan. “Rock on, Dyl,” one guy yelled out.
Dylan set down the bag on one of the Mexican blankets covering a large portion of sand. I noticed some people glancing over at us. I got the feeling people were wondering if he was interested in me.
We sat near the food and he took the heart chocolate out of the bag and handed it to me.
“Better take this now before they devour it.”
“Thanks.” I smiled at his thoughtfulness.
He pulled out some of the bottles from the bag and started mixing them together. “I have a special drink for you—alcohol free.” After the concoction became a bit mysterious, he handed it to me.
Hesitantly, I tasted the grey drink. As the cool liquid washed through my mouth, my surprise escalated. “This is delicious!” My eyes lit up. “What’s in it?”
He smiled teasingly. “It’s my little secret.”
“Come on,” I begged as I reached for the bag to look at the labels on the bottles he had used for the mix.
But before I had a chance to figure it out, some of his friends walked over and sat down beside us. “What’s up, bro? What’s going on?” the three guys asked as they slapped his hand and involved themselves in some secret boy handshakes. These weren’t the same guys I saw him with at the mini-market the first day. But they may have been the same bunch he surfed with.
“Hailey, this is Logan, Jeff, and DJ,” Dylan mumbled. I got the feeling he didn’t want to introduce me because the introduction was only one sided.
From what Dylan had said earlier, I expected his friends to be lecherous or something, maybe like the blond at the mini-market who said he wanted to suck face with me, but these boys hardly noticed me at all. They were polite, but mostly they just seemed distracted.
“We met some girls,” DJ whispered. He ran his fingers through his curly mop of golden hair. I could tell he lived at the beach because he had a surfer tan and his hair was very sun bleached.
Logan leaned his massive, tall body closer to us. “They’re smoking, dude.”
“Really?” Dylan laughed skeptically. “And they’re on the endangered species lists?”
Jeff laughed. He was the shortest one and the most agile with a sleek, thin build. His light hair was shaved short. “It’s true, buddy.” He pointed with his chin at the three young women dancing by the fire.
I looked along with Dylan at the teenagers. I was shocked by the girls they were referring to. Even in the shadows, they were stunning. They looked familiar somehow.
They wore long flowing skirts that billowed in the wind showing their long legs through the sheer fabric. Their bodies reminded me of Victoria’s Secret models. I could envision them with huge angel wings and thong underwear with pushup bras decorated in jewels. But the more I studied them, the more ethereal they became, like angelic depictions painted on the ceilings of ancient churches.
Their hair was excessively long. It gave them a beautiful, exotic air. In the shadows with only flickers of light from the fire, I couldn’t get a clear focus on their faces, but I imagined they were gorgeous.
“They’re alright,” Dylan mumbled as he looked out at the ocean. He was seemingly lost in thought. I could only wonder what was on his mind. From his serene expression, I doubted if it had anything to do with the visions dancing before the fire.
“Alright?!” DJ pulled at a strand of his blond surfer curls. “They’re on fire.”
Some other people Dylan knew came over with greetings while they took hot dogs from the bag. They threaded them on old wires they scavenged on the beach and roasted them in the bonfire.
Once the Led Zeppelin song ended, the otherworldly girls walked over to DJ, Jeff, and Logan and draped their rapturous bodies over them. Their faces were even more stunning than I expected. Their skin was absolutely flawless, a bronze tan, and their hair shined like polished gold, obsidian rock, and ruby red.
And then it came to me; I recognized them. They were the same girls I saw on the dock through the big window that overlooked the wharf at the fish and chips restaurant.
“Hi, love,” the golden blond said to me. Her voice was as soft as silk. She was staring at me with intense blue eyes. I got the feeling she was giving me special attention, but I couldn’t figure out why. “I’m Wren and this is Lyra and Gia.”
Lyra brushed her long nails through her jet black hair. It looked so soft that I almost reached out to touch it, but knew better. “Greetings, scrumptious girl,” she whispered as she looked at me curiously with her ocean blue eyes. Her voice was also as lovely as a song, but her nick name for me sent chills up my spine.
“Nice to meet
you,” Gia sang as she looked away out at the water. She was the red head of the clique. Her voice was huskier and in a sense I could picture her in black leather with a whip. But her eyes seemed a contradiction, dreamy like golden sunlight shining on a tropical blue sea.
Wren, Lyra, and Gia. I felt like I had stepped onto a movie set or maybe even into the clouds. They almost didn’t seem real. And though I could reach out and touch them if I tried, something about their presence seemed almost wraithlike.
The three of them chatted with me for a while. I was surprised how friendly they actually were, except for Gia. She seemed distant, always looking away.
Wren and Lyra told me all about alluring trips the three of them had taken to exotic countries. I was surprised to learn that they were fraternal triplets and orphaned from their parents at the age of sixteen. Now they were eighteen and had spent the last two years traveling the world with their trust fund money. Their aunt had been awarded legal guardianship, but she let them run free.
I liked them a lot and wanted to know more about their lives, but Logan, Jeff, and DJ pulled them away. It was for the best though because more than anything I wanted to spend time with Dylan.
“You should be careful around those girls,” Dylan whispered to me after they pulled Dylan’s friends over to the other side of the bonfire to slow dance.
“They seemed nice.” I shook my head, surprised at his warning. “What are you afraid of?”
His expression looked cautious. “There’s something not quite right about them.”
“They seemed normal enough. Nothing like crazy Ranger Mike.” I frowned slightly because I really wanted to get to know them better.
He stood up and held out his hand to me. “Come. Let me take you back to your parents.”
My heart fell. Was he trying to get rid of me? I shouldn’t have been surprised after his hesitancy earlier. I felt stupid for not taking the hint back at his cabana. He didn’t want to be with me.
“Okay,” I said trying to sound unaffected. “I am tired.”
Our walk home was quick and melancholy. No more walking in the dark. He made me use the flashlight the entire time. His eyes kept darting to the woods and even up in the trees.
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