by Sarra Cannon
Confused, I followed him back to the anchored boat. He pulled me up on the back steps, and I watched as he dug into the pocket of his swimsuit and retrieved two vials of bright blue-green liquid.
“You trusted me before. Do you think you can trust me again?” he asked.
I swallowed nervously and stared at the vials. I could feel the magical energy radiating from them, but how was that possible?
I shivered and wrapped my arms around my body. The water was warm, but the air outside the water was still really cold.
“What is that?” I asked. “Just so you know, I don’t do drugs. Ever.”
“It’s not a drug,” he said. “Not exactly. I’m taking a chance even showing these to you, but I have a feeling there’s more to you than meets the eye. And if I’m right, you’ve probably spent a good deal of your life hiding the truth of what you are from other people.”
I nearly stopped breathing and looked up into his eyes. Was he saying what I think he was saying? But how could he know?
“Nik—”
“Wait, just give me a chance to explain something first,” he said. “Then you can make your judgment or decide if you want to tell me the truth.”
I considered what he said and then nodded, but my entire body was shivering. No one had ever called me out on my magic before. Not like this. How could he have possibly figured it out? Most humans had no idea magic even existed.
Was it really possible I had met one of the few who did?
“Out there in the regular world, almost everyone is human, just going about their day, never imagining that there is something more to the world than they could ever dream,” he said. “But there are those of us who know the truth. We know that there’s so much more. There’s magic that lives inside of us. There are demons and witches, vampires, werewolves, all those things humans make up stories about are real, and I have a feeling you already know that, don’t you?”
My body erupted in goosebumps, and it wasn’t from the cool air. This day had just taken a sharp left-turn, and I had no idea whether I wanted to run away or cry from relief.
Considering the fact that I was on a boat in the middle of the ocean, I had no choice but to just stand there, totally dumbstruck.
“I don’t know your past, and I’m not going to push you to tell me, but I don’t think it was an accident that you found this place. This town,” he said. “It’s hard to explain, but this town has a way of drawing people in when they’re meant to find it. And most of the people who live here are connected to the supernatural world in some way.”
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. I suddenly felt very disoriented. Like I’d landed in an alternate universe.
“You’re telling me Willow Harbor is a town full of supernaturals?” I asked.
Nik nodded.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” he said. “And I think you’re one, too, though I’m not sure what kind. I’m guessing you’re a witch.”
My heart beat hard against my ribs. How could he tell that just from being around me a couple days? I’d been so careful not to cast in front of him, so how did he know?
And what would he want from me now that he did? Everyone who found out about my abilities ended up wanting to use them for their own purposes, and I was done being a slave to those kinds of men.
Still, part of me hoped Nik wasn’t like that.
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said. “But if I’m right, you might believe me when I tell you a friend of mine made these for me so that I could breathe under water.”
He held one of the blue potions out to me, and I took it. The moment my fingers closed around it, I could feel the power pulsing inside. Holy crap, he was telling the truth.
I had read about witches who were talented in potion creation and elixirs, but I had never actually seen one of these types of potions. Until now.
“How does it work?” I asked.
“You just drink it,” he said. “A few seconds later, you can breath under water.”
“Like a mermaid,” I said, smiling.
His eyes gleamed, but the same sad smile from earlier crossed his lips. “Yes, exactly like a mermaid. Or a triton,” he said.
“A triton?” That wasn’t a term I was familiar with.
“Mermaids are all women,” he said. “The men are called tritons.”
“Oh,” I said. “And you’ve done this before? Taken one of these potions?”
“Occasionally,” he said. “The ingredients for this particular potion are kind of rare, so my friend can only make a few at a time. I try to use them sparingly, when I’m really longing for a day in the ocean to get away from it all.”
“How long does it last?” I asked. I glanced up at the sun that was already getting too low in the sky to give us much time.
“Several hours, usually,” he said. “We should have plenty of time to explore the cave before it runs out.”
I laughed, hardly believing this was real.
I had escaped the demon who had held me captive for thirteen years and miraculously ended up in a safe haven for people like me. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.
But if I was, I wanted the dream to last a little while longer.
“Well, I said I wanted an adventure.” I removed the cork from the small bottle and drank it down. “Let’s go explore that cave.”
Twelve
Eva
I drank the strange potion, and my eyes widened as the cool liquid slid down my throat. It tasted salty, like the ocean, but also sweet like a berry.
I could feel the coolness flow all the way down to my stomach, but I wasn’t prepared for the way my lungs suddenly seemed to expand and change. It was a sensation like nothing I’d ever experienced. For a moment, fear gripped my heart. What if this potion changed me forever? What if it didn’t work? Or what if it stopped working before we could get back to the surface?
But the moment I looked up into Nik’s clear blue eyes, I knew that he would never do anything that would put me in danger.
He held his hand out to me.
“You ready?” he asked.
I laughed, nerves bubbling up inside me. I didn’t think I was ready for this, but when would I ever get another chance like this again? All my life, I’d longed to see the ocean, and this man was handing me the opportunity to see it in a way most people could only dream about.
I took a deep breath and put my hand in his.
“I’m ready,” I said.
“On three?” he asked, and I nodded. “One. Two. Three.”
We slid together off the steps on the back of the boat, our bodies splashing into the warm water near the cave.
“Okay, so now we’re going to dive just a little beneath the water like we did earlier, so you can get used to the sensation of breathing the water,” he said. “It might feel a little bit strange at first, but just like the swim fins, it will start to feel like second nature. Just try to relax and breathe normally.”
Easy for him to say. He’d done this before. I was terrified.
Every instinct in my body told me not to breathe the water, so as we went under the surface, I had to try to fight against my own instincts. It was a strange sensation.
Nik held tight to my hands as we swam deeper underwater, and once we got far enough down, he held still and opened his mouth, taking in a deep breath. Water rushed into his mouth, but he didn’t panic at all. He simply started to breathe normally.
I, on the other hand, was starting to completely freak out. My lungs burned, and I wanted to kick free of him and swim toward the surface, but Nik held my hands and shook his head. His eyes stayed on mine the entire time, silently encouraging me.
My heart raced, and I knew if I didn’t take a breath soon, I would be in real trouble. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been under the water, but it was long enough that I was starting to feel lightheaded. Still, I couldn’t force myself to take a breath. Even if my mind knew that it would be okay
, I couldn’t get my body to relax.
In a panic, I yanked my hands free and kicked toward the surface, gulping for air the moment my head broke free. Nik joined me a second later, and I expected him to look annoyed, but instead, he was patient and kind.
“I’m sorry,” I said, swimming over to hold onto the edge of the boat while I caught my breath.
“It’s a strange thing to get used to,” he said. “Are you okay?”
“I think so,” I said. “I’m just not sure I can do this.”
“You can do it, Eva,” he said. “Look, earlier by the tree, you were talking about freedom and wanting to try new things. I don’t know your past or what you’ve been through, but I can promise you nothing you’ve ever felt could compare to the freedom of swimming deep below the surface of the sea. If you want to taste true freedom, you should give this a real shot. I promise, you won’t regret it.”
He was right. I longed for freedom and adventure. I’d been held captive for so long, I’d never even had the opportunity to face down my fears or make decisions for myself. I’d never been allowed to have adventures and try new things without someone else telling me when I could or where I could go.
I knew that somewhere, right now, Dominic was looking for me. And when he found me, he would lock me away in a tower somewhere and throw away the key. This was my chance, and I was going to make the most of whatever time I had.
“I’m going to try again,” I said. “I want to do this.”
Nik smiled and reached for my hand again. “I’m with you the whole way,” he said. “If you need to come back up, just do it, but if you can, relax and breathe. Trust.”
Trust. Something I’d never had with anyone or anything since my mother died.
Maybe it was time I started trusting someone other than myself.
I placed my hand in Nik’s and dove under the water with him a second time. The same familiar panic rose inside me, telling me to run, to get away, but I resisted it. I kept my eyes on Nik’s and opened my mouth.
I finally breathed in, letting the saltwater flow into my mouth and lungs. There was a brief moment of panic and fear, but then, miraculously, there was air.
The sensation brought tears to my eyes, and I realized he was right. There was a sense of freedom to breathing underwater I never would have known if I hadn’t taken a chance.
I took several more breaths, keeping my eyes locked on Nik’s the whole time.
And there, in the quiet solitude of that place, I found the first real connection I’d had to another person in more than a decade.
Thirteen
Nik
I loved watching Eva’s eyes light up as she finally relaxed and allowed herself to look around. She took a few more deep breaths and then finally settled into the rhythm of breathing underwater.
She kept her eyes on mine the entire time, and I breathed with her, encouraging her to just relax and let the water flow through her lungs. When her shoulders finally relaxed and her breathing became more normal, she smiled.
Unfortunately, the potion didn’t allow us to speak underwater the way most tritons and mermaids can, but I was grateful for any chance to be here where I belonged.
I would have to find my friend Anna later at the festival to thank her again. She always acted like it was no big deal, but I knew what it took for her to create this and sneak them to me. As an earth witch, she was pushing beyond her normal talents to deal with a special water potion. It had taken her years to perfect it.
She took a real risk with Selena, too, who would no doubt be furious if she found out about this. But Anna never seemed to mind. She was a good friend.
When Eva was more comfortable, I let go of one of her hands and motioned deeper, toward the cave. She nodded and followed me down, but she still held tightly to my hand, as if she wasn’t quite sure of the depth.
But once we got closer, even her grip on my hand started to relax.
I pointed out the different species of colorful fish here, and Eva watched in wonder as they swam all around us. Because of Willow Harbor’s special magic, it drew all kinds of paranormal beings here, but the water also held its own kind of magic. The fish here were more colorful and more diverse. There were species here you wouldn’t find anywhere else in the world.
Many of them came out of hiding once they sensed we were close. They seemed to be just as curious about us as we were about them.
Slowly, we made our way toward the underwater cave I loved so much. I couldn’t wait to show her what waited for us inside, and I hoped she wouldn’t be too scared to go deeper.
After about half an hour swimming near the cave, I finally pointed to the entrance and raised an eyebrow.
Eva glanced at me and nodded, but she bit her lower lip. I could tell she was scared, so I took her hand again, hoping she knew everything would be okay.
Carefully and slowly, I led her through the cave’s opening. As we swam inside, it grew deeper and darker very quickly. Eva clutched my hand tighter, and I urged her forward. I just needed her to follow me through the first few feet before she would understand why this place was so incredible.
A little ways in, it got so dark it was difficult to see anything beyond our own hands in front of us. Eva trembled and moved her body closer in the darkness. I slid my arm around her back, holding her as close as I could as we swam.
But the darkness lasted only a few meters before the lights ahead caught her attention. She looked at me, her eyes questioning, but all I could do was smile and keep moving forward.
I kicked a little harder, anxious for her to see what lay ahead.
The cave went a little deeper and grew narrower as we swam, but then it suddenly opened up again, and we were finally there. My private little sanctuary away from the world.
I swam inside, leaving Eva hovering near the entrance to the room, her eyes wide with wonder.
I could tell she wanted to say something, but there were no words to describe the magic of this place. You had to see it to believe it.
Deep below the surface, through the special cave, this room was fully protected and fully private from the rest of the world. The room was large and circular, carved out somehow by the waves over the course of centuries, and the shells and animals that lived here had all evolved to give off their own light so that the entire room glowed with bright, neon colors. Pink, green, blue, purple, yellow. Every color you could imagine glowed around us.
The room was large enough for us both to swim freely here, and I took advantage of it, swimming the length of the secret room. Eva watched, smiling as she clutched her hands near her heart.
I looped around and motioned for her to join me. Slowly, she ventured out into the center of the room and looked around, her eyes sparkling. The look on her face filled me with a joy so bright, it flowed straight to my heart.
It had been a very long time since I’d allowed myself to feel this happy. How was it possible someone I had just met could affect me so deeply?
Eva swam around the room, studying the different sea animals and their brightly colored shells. I swam beside her, introducing her to new things as we looked around. There were starfish and crabs, sea anemone and clown fish, even stingrays, all of them glowing with their own range of neon colors.
I still wasn’t exactly sure how this cave had come to be, but I knew in Willow Harbor and the surrounding waters, nothing was impossible. Somehow the magic of this place had seeped into the water and become a part of all the life here.
I wanted to stay for hours, but I knew Anna’s potions would only last so long. And it was never long enough.
After more than an hour swimming around and exploring the room, I motioned to the exit and Eva frowned. I pointed to my wrist, indicating we were running out of time, and she nodded, understanding.
Together, we swam back through the dark cave and out into the open ocean once again.
By the time we reached the surface, I could already feel the effects of the potion starting to w
ear off.
Usually, this part left me feeling deeply depressed and longing for home, but with Eva here by my side, it felt tolerable. Like I wasn’t quite as alone as I felt most of the time.
I helped her remove her swim fins and get back into the waiting boat. She coughed a few times, getting used to breathing normal air again, but when she was able to speak, she took my hand.
“Thank you,” she said. “I never would have even imagined something like that existed if it hadn’t been for you.”
Her eyes glistened, and I couldn’t tell if it was from the water or if she was crying.
“Thank you for coming with me,” I said. “I know something like that takes a lot of trust, but I just really wanted you to see it.”
“Are there lots of places like that?” she asked.
“Not many,” I said. “But there are other things you probably wouldn’t believe, even if I told you all about it.”
She smiled, dropping my hand as I prepared to pull up the anchor and head back home.
“How is it you know so much about the ocean?” she asked. “You seem so at home here. Have you lived by the water all your life?”
I cleared my throat and avoided her gaze. When we were inside the cave, I was feeling daring and brave and closer to her than anyone in a very long time, but back out here in the open, I felt foolish and exposed.
I really didn’t know that much about her. Was I really ready to trust her with my darkest secrets?
“I guess you could say I’ve lived by the water for as long as I can remember,” I said.
I left it at that, and Eva seemed to sense I didn’t want to talk about it, because she huddled back under her blanket and didn’t press me for more of an answer.
We rode in silence all the way back to the docks, and I wondered if there would be more for us, or if this one day was all we were going to get.
As I steered the boat toward shore and secured it tightly to the wooden dock, I realized just how deeply I hoped there would be more. I didn’t want to let her go.