Olivia took both my hands and beamed at me warmly, the very picture of sincerity, “It’s so good to finally meet you.”
My eyes darted across the room to the seated women. All beautiful, there were women of every different age and nationality represented. Besides their unparralled good looks, there was nothing obvious– nothing on the surface that would tie them all together. However, the more I looked at them, the more I could see that each one vibrated with the unmistakable force of charm combined with power.
They were unusual, a formidable group. I was surrounded by my own kind, and the more I looked, the easier it became for me to recognize the magic each one possessed in varying degrees. I realized that it really did take one to know one.
Some smiled welcomingly, some stared intensely, but most of them wore an expression of eager expectation. I saw Marissa seated in the group; her face was smooth and impassive, but her eyes darted away from mine nervously.
“Please, have a seat,” said an elegant looking grey haired woman, standing and gesturing to an empty space at the head of the table. She took a place next to me as I sat down numbly, still scanning all the faces. It felt like the first day of high school all over again, but they were curious about far more than just where I had come from.
“We’d like to welcome you to our little group of friends,” she said, her hair reflecting silver in the overhead lighting. She patted my shoulder soothingly, “I know it’s a difficult adjustment to make. Each one of us here remembers our first council.” The room filled with murmurs and nods of sympathy.
I turned to Evie for reassurance, but Olivia had her by the arm, and was leading her out of the room, “I’m sorry darling,” Olivia purred, “But I was out-voted on this one. You’ll simply have to wait in the next room while they ask her a few questions.”
So that was the plan. They would question me independently to try and trip me up. I was happy that Evie and I had gone over the details so carefully. When Olivia returned she took a seat at the head of the table opposite me. She nodded and smiled reassuringly.
Then the questions started. The first thing they did was thrust a stack of tabloids in my face.
“They seem to think that you’re a shape shifter,” a gorgeous blonde said, point blank. She looked familiar, and I realized that I recognized her from a spy film I once saw.
“They’re wrong,” I stared her down, “I’m not.”
“Then how do you explain these?” another woman asked.
“They’re tabloids,” I replied, “They make up stuff.”
A stunning brunette sporting a priceless emerald necklace narrowed her eyes at me, pointing a squared off nail to a blurry image on one cover that showed a flash of tail, “Explain that!”
“Haven’t you ever heard of Photoshop?” I said dryly, “Apparently there’s an alien bat baby out there too.”
There were a few snickers around the table and the brunette looked annoyed, “That’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it? You being an actual hybrid...”
“Stranger things have happened,” I said with a shrug.
“It defies logic,” said an exotically turbaned woman, craning her graceful neck to get a better look at me.
“I lost my top in the helicopter crash,” I said, rolling my eyes, “I think that sort of made mermaid the obvious choice… I suppose they could have given me shark teeth too.”
Now some of them openly laughed, and I started to relax a little bit.
“What about Peter?” A petite Asian woman asked, her shiny black hair gleaming like Nerissa’s in the overhead lights, “What were your dealings with him?”
My heart began to race at the mention of his name and I took a deep shaky breath. “He believed the stories they printed, and he kidnapped me. It was terrible… he was completely obsessed...”
She leaned forward in her seat, “It makes no sense. He knew better than anyone that a muse cannot be forced to perform.”
I met her luminous grey eyes soberly, “Surely,” I said, “You’ve had to contend with an unwanted admirer at one time or another?”
There was another murmuring of agreement that rumbled through the room, and I knew that I had done it. They all understood how their powers could be unpredictable at times, inspiring the wrong kind of passion in the wrong kind of person.
The first blonde shook her head angrily, accusing me in a loud voice, “He claimed that you were working with him. I think you had him killed to silence him.”
“Now, now, there’s no call for that kind of nastiness,” said Olivia from the end of the table. She beamed at me maternally, and Marissa’s warnings flashed into my mind. Snake in the grass, I thought.
I met the blonde woman’s gaze directly, “The wealthy family he convinced to help him did it. They wanted a muse, and he promised to deliver me. They supplied the location, and when it didn’t work out they got rid of him to cover it up.”
She nodded slowly, keeping eye contact, “She’s telling the truth.”
“How did you escape?” a wide eyed young woman with white blonde hair asked from the seat next to Marissa. She seemed excited by the prospect of a kidnapping, almost as if it was a fun thing that should have happened to her.
“I got lucky,” I replied with grim finality. It was the truth, and I could see them exchange little meaningful glances amongst themselves. I knew that no further explanation was necessary; they were all lucky women. They relaxed in their chairs and I realized that it was over. I felt a little foolish for getting so worked up about it. That had been easy.
There were no questions about the mermaids kidnapped along with me, so clearly no one knew about them. Either that, or someone was keeping it a secret. I glanced at Marissa and then Olivia, uncertain as to which one I should trust. I wondered who Peter had spoken to on his last fateful call.
Olivia beamed at me, standing up, “If there are no more questions, I’ll go get Evelyn now.”
When we were safely in the elevator, relaxing under Boris’ watchful eyes, I asked her, “Aunt Evie, do you know which of them Peter called?”
“Olivia,” she said, “Luckily for us.”
“Why?” I asked.
“She’s been wonderful,” Evie beamed, “And she told me you did a spectacular job defending yourself.”
I paused, dying to tell her everything, but curiously unable to, “Olivia … how well do you know her?”
“She’s one of my dearest friends,” Evie smiled, “We’ve been in close contact for weeks now, and she’s been advising me as to what to have you say. It’s been a great comfort to me throughout this whole ordeal.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BLUE HAWAII
I was nervous as we sat down to breakfast the next morning, for I still hadn’t mustered up the courage to tell Evie about the warning I’d received. It was possible that Marissa was lying, but why? The fact that Olivia was advising Evie on dealing with the council was creepy. It also confirmed to me that there was more going on with her than met the eye.
“Aunt Evie, what happened to Peter’s mother? How did she die?”
“Oh, it was a terrible tragedy!” She shook her head sadly, “She was driving late at night and her car went off a cliff. She must have fallen asleep at the wheel. All they found was a burned out shell.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I tried to remember where it was that I’d heard there were no coincidences in the universe. I thought about Marissa’s allegation that Olivia had been behind Peter’s evil scheme to breed hybrids and a cold chill passed through me. I remembered her warm smile and looked down at the goosebumps rising on my arm. What if it was the truth and Evie didn’t believe me? I decided to break it to her after we were both safely back home in San Francisco.
Evie had just poured me some coffee from an elaborate silver service when the front desk called to announce Shayla’s arrival.
“Send her right up!” Evie said with delight, hanging up the receiver with a pleasant smile, “She must be on the
way to catch her flight.”
I bit my lip, “Uhm… Aunt Evie, I’m sorry I didn’t mention it last night, but I agreed to go with Shayla to Hawaii… she really wants me there…”
“Of course she does!” Evie smiled understandingly, “Jacques told me he’d have her back by the weekend, so I suppose we can finish up our little vacation then.”
She chattered on, rattling off lists of all the shops, restaurants and runway shows that Shayla was scheduled to be in.
I interrupted her, “I’m sorry, but I decided to go straight home from Hawaii.”
She sighed theatrically, looking at me with disapproval. Her brow knit together, “Marina, dear… surely that boy can wait a few more days.”
Her tone irritated me, “His name is Ethan, and I can’t wait… I want to go home.”
“What about shopping?” she asked in dismay.
“I don’t need anything.”
She scoffed, “You don’t have one au courant look from this season! You’re in serious danger of falling out of fashion. Honestly!”
She was deadly serious, I realized with amusement. The time I spent in Aptos had given me a whole new perspective on Evie.
She pursed her lips and looked at me skeptically, “Darling, don’t you think you’re getting a little too involved? Seventeen is much too young to settle down.”
“I love him,” I said defiantly.
“Sweetheart,” she took on a condescending tone, “The odds that you’ll end up with your first love are slim to none… astronomical really.”
“I don’t think so,” I dropped the bomb, “We’re going to get married.”
Her eyes widened in shock, and she steadied herself, “Marina, is there something you need to tell me? Are you… in trouble?”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes, “What is wrong with all of you people? Ethan has always been a perfect gentleman!”
Evie arched an eyebrow at me, “A gentleman is simply a patient wolf.”
“Why are you so cynical?” I asked in frustration.
She let out a little exasperated gasp, “It’s all my fault. Your father and I overprotected you. We should never have sent you to Aptos– I had no idea you would turn out to be so impetuous!”
I smiled sarcastically, “It was your idea for me to start dating.”
“I certainly didn’t think you’d want to marry the first one that came along!”
“What if the first one is the right one?”
Before she had a chance to respond Shayla arrived at the room. Evie got up to let her in, offering her some coffee.
“No thanks, the cab driver’s waiting out front,” Shayla said breathlessly. She sounded like she’d been running.
“Don’t worry,” Evie said reassuringly, taking Shayla firmly by the arm and leading her to the table, “They get paid to wait.”
“I’ll go get my bag,” I said, rushing to retrieve the things I’d packed the night before. When I returned, Shayla looked up at me nervously from the table.
Evie gestured to my cup, “Marina, sit down and finish your coffee before you go.”
It was more of a command than an invitation. I sat, looking across the table at her with an attitude of calm defiance. I knew I was in for a talking to.
Evie sighed theatrically, rubbing her temples, “Girls,” she said, looking at each of us in turn, “Take my advice. It’s still a man’s world, and this world is full of men of real consequence. Men that have the wealth and power to protect you… to provide you with everything you’ll need to live a life of luxury… a life free from worry.”
Shayla’s wide-set blue eyes met mine, her eyebrows raised.
“Trust me, you will regret it if you settle for anything less,” Evie looked at me meaningfully.
There was an uncomfortable silence as we stared each other down across the table. Shayla squirmed uneasily in her seat, looking back and forth between the two of us. She finally set her coffee cup down and pushed back from the table.
“Geez Evie! The olden days called– and they want their attitude back!” Shayla blurted out.
I smiled broadly, surprised to see Shayla contradict Evie.
“We better get going,” I jumped up, coming around the table to kiss both of Evie’s cheeks before she could say anything else, “I’ll come to see you in San Francisco.”
We hastily made our exit, running down the hallway to the elevator like we were breaking out of jail. When we got to the cab our eyes met and we burst into excited laughter. We were young, free, and on our way to go surfing in Hawaii!
I felt a little rush of carefree joy I hadn’t experienced in a while. My watery dream had me craving the ocean, and I knew it wouldn’t be long now. Surfing would be the best medicine for my troubled mind; I could breathe easier knowing that relief was on the way.
“So what’s up with Evie?” Shayla asked.
“Oh, just the usual,” I sighed, “I suppose I’d better get used to it.”
We boarded a small jet that was comfortable inside, but nowhere near as luxuriously appointed as Evie’s. After takeoff we each settled into reclining seats by the windows and tried to relax. The flight to Hawaii was over fifteen hours long, and we both knew we should get as much rest as possible.
“I’m still not used to Paris time!” Shayla complained, too keyed up to sleep.
“Pretty soon, you’ll be an expert on jet-lag,” I said prophetically.
Shayla jumped up, “Check out all the swag I got backstage! Let’s pick some stuff out for Cruz!”
She dumped out a giant tote bag packed with clothes and accessories on one of the empty seats and we picked through the booty, looking for things we thought he might like. I chose a fawn colored Pashmina scarf, and Shayla held up a brass studded belt.
“I know!” She dug in her giant purse and pulled out a bottle of spicy cologne.
I held up a red beret, “What about this? Cruz could go commando on us.”
Shayla burst into raucous laughter, snorting and slapping her knee.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, sending her further into hysterics.
We ended up wrapping everything in a French newspaper and packing it into the leather bag I’d picked out for Cruz on our shopping day. We cracked jokes about silly people we had seen at the fashion shows, laughing until we were gasping for breath, finally settling down to try and sleep.
“Marina?” Shayla said drowsily, snuggling under a blanket. She tipped up the sleeping mask that she had pulled out of her bag and donned like a seasoned traveler, “Thanks… I mean, really thanks, ya know what I mean?”
“I know,” I said, “Go to sleep.”
I looked out the window at the endless expanse of ocean as we flew over the Atlantic, uneasy thoughts circling like vultures in the back of my mind. I had taken Marissa’s warning about the tapped phone lines seriously, and decided to wait until we got to Hawaii to call Ethan. I closed my eyes, reclining in my seat and trying desperately to get some rest; sleep alone could ease my troubled mind.
I dozed on and off, thinking about Ethan, wondering if Amber had come snooping around to see him while I was away. I couldn’t stop tormenting myself, wondering just how serious she and Ethan were before they broke up. Thinking of them together aggravated me all over again. Of course they were serious, I thought. Ethan was serious about everything. It was one of the things I loved about him.
As much as I resented her, I didn’t want to see anyone else get hurt. Ethan said they were friends; would he even be able to look at me if something happened to her? I grimaced, imagining how I’d feel the next time I saw her. How could I risk running into her at college when my jealous anger could turn deadly at any moment? I was scared, and I had to wonder; was I afraid that I was going to hurt her, or was I afraid that Ethan was going to hurt me?
I looked over at Shayla, her head lolled back, vulnerable only in sleep. She’d come so far so fast it was almost scary. She was a good argument for the doubling effect; two muses must amplify
each other’s power. She was getting it from both me and Evie. It occurred to me that I’d never seen Evie really angry.
I took some deep yogic breaths, and focused on visualizing Abby and the baby. It was a happy thought, for Ethan’s little sister would be born soon, and like Nixie, I saw her as a harbinger of better times to come. A new baby was as inspirational as a blank canvas– fresh possibilities and a new beginning for all of us. I held tight onto that notion as I tried unsuccessfully to sleep.
When we started descending I nudged Shayla awake, knowing she’d want to witness the landing. After flying over thousands of miles of open ocean, the island of Maui rose up from the sea like a faceted stone, cloaked in velvety green. Deep blue water lightened to a turquoise ring around the gemlike island. Towering volcanic peaks flanked with verdant rainforests dropped down to meet clean sandy beaches. It was everything Kimo had told me and more; from the air, Hawaii looked like paradise on earth.
We stepped out of the plane and into the bright sunshine of a late Hawaiian afternoon. The soft warm air felt like a caress, and smelled as fresh as the sea.
“Look!” Shayla cried, pointing at the remarkable sight of not just one, but two rainbows shimmering in the distance. We stood on the steps of the plane, transfixed; that had to be a good sign.
“You must be Shayla?” A man came trotting up to the plane, taking our bags and motioning for us to follow him. “They sent me to take you to the hotel in Hana,” he said. We followed him to another small terminal. We were led out to a small helicopter, and Shayla looked at me nervously.
“It’ll be okay,” I said, remembering the last time I’d flown one of these contraptions. What were the odds anything would go wrong twice?
The pilot went on to explain that the road to Hana was long and treacherous, and that his job was to get Shayla to the hotel in time for her to get a good night’s sleep and be ready for a long day of shooting tomorrow. We took our seats and slipped on the earphones that he handed us. The flight lasted about half an hour, during which we were treated to some of the most spectacular rainforest scenery on earth.
03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales Page 14