03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales

by Derrolyn Anderson

  “You two should go surfing together,” said Cruz, beaming. He elbowed me, “Marina has a bad habit of going out alone.”

  We talked about going surfing the following weekend, and Brad seemed eager to show me a favorite spot from his childhood. Cruz continued to question me about my dealings with the movie star but I glossed over the details, and was able to remain vague enough to avoid both lying and telling the entire truth.

  I remembered Cruz’s belated birthday gift and pulled it out, putting an end to the questioning. He gushed over each item Shayla and I had cobbled together while Brad translated the French paper.

  Cruz looked at me with starry eyes, “Can you believe he speaks French too?”

  “I went to boarding school,” Brad explained.

  I was eager to get going, gathering my things and asking Cruz if he would walk me out to the elevator. When the doors opened I paused for a moment, “Cruz, please don’t say anything to Brad about my mother… okay?”

  “I doubt he’d believe me if I did,” he said. He looked down, uncomfortable.

  “What?” I asked, alarmed.

  He looked guilty, “I know we promised, but I kind of let the story about the time I saw the mermaid slip.”

  “Cruz!” I cried in dismay, remembering the pact we’d made with Megan.

  “It’s okay, really! Brad laughed at me– he thought I was making it up so I dropped it! I realized I shouldn’t have brought it up.” He bit his lip and gave me the puppy dog eyes, “I’m sorry! Please forgive me?”

  I was horrified, “Swear to me that you won’t say anything else?”

  His big brown eyes looked earnest, “I will! I mean I won’t! I promise… please don’t be mad.”

  It bothered me, but I couldn’t stay irritated with Cruz for long. I hugged him with a sigh and got into the elevator.

  On the way down I shook my head. To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t see how he’d managed to keep quiet as long as he had. Cruz had always been the type of person who blurted out whatever he was thinking, and I wondered how long it would be before Brad knew everything Cruz did. I understood how easily one could drop their guard in a moment of intimacy.

  I remembered the pact we made with Megan to keep Lorelei’s existence secret. Someone once said that only way three people could keep a secret was if two of them were dead; I cringed at the thought, even as I acknowledged its truth.

  When the elevator door opened, the empty garage spooked me; it felt odd not to have Boris waiting to greet me. Peering around corners suspiciously, I quickly slipped into the Range Rover, flipping the doors locked immediately.

  I got to Aptos to find Abby setting up a nursery in Cruz’s old room. She smiled brightly when she saw me, tucking her hair behind her ears, more beautiful than ever. She wore her happiness like a glowing halo, and just being in her presence made me feel much better.

  For an instant I wondered if I could be enhancing her natural tendency to be joyful, and I stopped myself. The constant questioning of everyone around me was like a rock in the shoe. This whole muse thing was going to take some getting used to, and it stank.

  I needed to see Ethan.

  Abby told me how the little feral cat Freddy had delivered a litter, but she hadn’t been able to climb up into the bushes and count the kittens. She had plans to trap them when they were weaned and bring them here to tame them and find them comfortable homes.

  I nodded, “I think Stella would like that.”

  She was touched, and launched into the detailed plans she had made to trap the remaining cats, returning them to their beach home after having them vaccinated, spayed and neutered.

  “That way, they can live out their lives wild, and there won’t be any more poor little kittens to replace them,” she said, “There’s a vet clinic in Aptos that will do one a week for free. Dutch says he’ll help me trap them.”

  “That’s a great idea!” I enthused, wondering why it never occurred to me to try and be more proactive. Abby was really blossoming into quite the organizer, and it dawned on me that after single-handedly producing a rally that got a Congresswoman elected, there was very little that she couldn’t do.

  It turned out that Ethan had gone out on the boat with Dutch in the morning, so I had to wait all day to see him. I washed up and changed, stopping to tell Abby that I was off to pick up some cat food and run some errands.

  I was greeted warmly when I arrived at the art gallery, and Susan was excited to show me how many paintings she’d sold. She asked me to bring more to her as soon as possible, and I agreed, thinking about getting into my new studio. I strolled through the gallery while she went to write me a check, admiring some new art. I felt comfortable there, and wondered if maybe this was what I was supposed to do.

  Susan handed me a sizable check, “I’m so glad that Barbara sent me out to look at your pieces in the coffeeshop,” she beamed.

  “Barbara?” I asked, confused.

  “Why yes, our new Congresswoman… she was the one who told me about you.”

  Wow, I thought, this fate thing was really working in my favor. If Barbara Watson hadn’t told Susan about my paintings I never would have met her, and Cruz never would have met Bradley. Most importantly, she might not have gotten elected, and Lue’s farmland would still be in jeopardy.

  I was feeling satisfied with myself, and more positive about everything when I stopped at the little beach market for a big bag of cat food. I looked up to see a brightly colored tabloid by the checkout stand.

  “Swimsuit Model Gives Kiss Of Life To Matt Stone!” was the headline, and the picture of Shayla bending over Matt’s unconscious body was the same as the one I saw on the internet earlier. A movie star, a beautiful girl, and a tragic accident– the story was custom made to sensationalize. I picked it up, looking around guiltily, and flipped it open. The next picture I saw made me gasp in shock.

  It was a photo of the helicopter, and Matt’s stretcher was being hoisted onto it with Kimo right behind, obviously shaken and facing the camera as he climbed aboard. Standing in the crowd right behind Kimo, clear as day, was me. My heart sank.

  It wasn’t like I planned on keeping the events of the past few days from Ethan; I simply wanted to break it to him on my own terms. Now my hand was going to be forced, for someone would surely bring it to his attention, if only because of hometown heroine Shayla. I bought the cat food and left, feeling uneasy.

  I was upset again, and there was no Ethan around to pacify me. I wanted to go surfing, but I needed to stay focused, to be there when he got back. I fought to be patient, and decided to go home, grab a book and wait. When I heard Dutch get in I jumped up, hurrying to see if Ethan was with him.

  I almost ran headlong into Abby, who was rushing from the kitchen to throw her arms around Dutch. She was always relieved when he made it home safely.

  “Hi Marina, welcome back,” he smiled at me over Abby’s shoulder.

  “Hi Dutch,” I looked out front, “Where’s Ethan?”

  “I dropped him off at the apartment. He said he had some work to do.”

  “Oh,” my voice was small. He must know that I’d gotten back by now. I retreated to my room, pacing nervously. I’d been trying to call him at home, but there was no answer. I sat down to read some more, but it was pointless. Frustrated, I set out to find him.

  His truck wasn’t at his apartment or Lue’s farm, and I drove around aimlessly, looking in the neighborhoods where he did the bulk of his landscaping work. The longer I looked, the more my anxiety grew, and I found myself nervously chewing my nails. I finally went back to his apartment and sat in my car, fighting the urge to go surfing with all my might. Just when I was about to give up and give in, he pulled into the parking lot, and I jumped out to race towards him.

  He moved slowly when he stepped out of the truck, and he didn’t smile when he looked up to see me coming. I stopped in my tracks and then my heart followed suit. He wore the same cold, hard look on his face I’d seen before.

&nb
sp; “What do you want?” he asked angrily.

  There was only one explanation, and I could scarcely believe how unlucky I was.

  “You saw the stupid picture, didn’t you?”

  I could see the muscles in his jaw clench, and he turned away from me to walk towards the stairs.

  “Ethan?”

  He kept walking, and I trailed after him.

  “Wait!” I called out, “You’re being unfair!”

  He stopped in his tracks, turning slowly to face me, “You lied to me! You could have just told me that you wanted to see him again.”

  “No! I mean, I didn’t plan anything! I was there for Shayla! We just ran into him!”

  “And I’m supposed to believe that?” he spat out the last word.

  “Yes,” my voice cracked.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. Just leave me alone… alright?” He sounded serious, and I watched him trudge up the stairs, fatigue in every step.

  “Ethan, listen to me!”

  “No,” he said, “Go away.”

  I stood there, stunned, flinching at the sound of the the door slamming shut. Evie said that when he told me “no” I could be sure that his feelings for me were real. Isn’t that ironic, I thought, feeling anything but loved at the moment.

  I started up the stairs after him, but stopped, afraid. I remembered how angry I was when I caught Ethan in a lie, and I cringed. I really didn’t want to get yelled at right now, especially when I didn’t do anything wrong. The injustice of it was overwhelming.

  I turned to see the sunlight playfully dancing on the sea, and I had a clear image of Lorelei, her innocent smile beckoning me.

  “Coming,” I whispered.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ACCUSED

  I’d just shimmied into my swimsuit when my phone rang. I scrambled for it, nearly tripping over my bag.

  “Ethan?”

  “It’s me, Shayla! Did you see the pictures? Everybody’s going nutsoid over here!”

  “Yeah,” I said grimly, “Here too.”

  “This is insane! I keep trying to tell them that it was you, not me, but–”

  “NO!” I cried, “Please! DO NOT mention me! Keep my name out of this!”

  “But–”

  “Shayla, please. As far as you know I had nothing to do with it… okay?”

  “Okay, I guess… But they’re trying to make me out like some kinda hero! They all want to interview me! I mean, Matt would totally be dead if it wasn’t for you! I still don’t know how you did it…”

  “You got him breathing! That’s what saved his life!”

  “I can’t take all the credit!”

  “You’re going to have to,” I pleaded, my voice low and urgent. After my meeting with the council the last thing I wanted to do was attract any more attention to myself. “I really don’t want any more reporters after me… You know, after what happened,” I said morosely.

  “OK, I guess… Are you alright?” Shayla asked.

  I sighed, telling her about the tabloid photo that placed me and Kimo together at the scene. I told her how Ethan saw it and didn’t believe that I hadn’t planned the whole thing; it felt good to complain to someone who knew I was innocent. I almost cried when I told her how angry he was.

  “He’s a total idiot!” She commiserated with me, “How were we supposed to know Kimo was gonna show up?”

  “Yeah,” I grouched, grabbing my wetsuit and a towel. “I have to go,”

  “Marina… Don’t do anything dumb, okay?” she said perceptively.

  “Don’t worry about me. Good luck in the shows… I’ll talk to you later.”

  I was starting to feel self-righteously angry as I carried my board down to the beach. I never dated Kimo, and I didn’t lie to Ethan about meeting him in Hawaii. He was the one who had lied to me about being out with his ex-girlfriend. I wanted to scream out loud in frustration. It felt like fate was conspiring to make me as miserable as possible, plunging me right back into the violence of existing only to surf.

  It was only when I got myself a good distance from shore that I started to relax. The swaying rhythm of the rolling water was soothing, and I enjoyed a moment of solitude before Lorelei burst out of the water exuberantly. I was instantly reminded of the painting in the Louvre, looking at the face of our long distant relative.

  “Marina! Can we go wave riding?” she asked, as if it were the very first time.

  I smiled sadly, at least one thing would never change, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “I know…” she smiled, wild and fiercely joyful, “Let’s go see Nerissa and Nixie!”

  I held on tight, watching the distant shoreline speed by as I was towed once again out to the remote and isolated chain of tiny islands. The surf splashed wildly onto the rocky outcroppings, and dozens of pelicans swooped and dove headlong into the sea all around me. I watched them surface, expertly draining the water out of their pouches, and raising their heads to toss the fish down their gullets. Witnessing it up close for the first time, I was so engrossed in the spectacle that I failed to notice the two mermaids surfacing on either side of my board.

  “Oh!” I gasped, when I looked down to see Nerissa’s emerald eyes. Then I saw Nixie, and I nearly fell off my surfboard again.

  “Marina!” she squealed, her high pitched voice sweeter than a violin.

  I was speechless for a moment, for just as Nerissa’s pregnancy had been accelerated, so had Nixie’s growth. In just a few short weeks she looked considerably bigger. Her red hair was as shiny as a candied apple in the bright sunlight, and her dark green eyes sparkled with energy. She was roughly the size of your average two year old, and as cute as any toddler I’d ever seen.

  “She’s gotten so much bigger!” I gasped to Nerissa, “Is that normal?”

  “No,” she said, her beautiful face puzzled, “That’s Nixie!”

  I sighed, smiling with amusement, and turned my attention to the little mermaid, who greeted me as jubilantly as her sisters always did. Enthusiastically leaping out of the water, she frisked about me like an otter, popping up on one side of my board after another in an aquatic game of hide-and-seek.

  We surfed and played, and there was no need for conversation, as we all understood each other in a non-verbal way that was eerily familiar. I alone had to stop and rest, sitting up on my board while they patiently waited for the game to start up again. I got an amazing amount of surfing in, for not an ounce of my energy was wasted on paddling into position, and we all instinctively knew which waves weren’t worth trying to ride.

  “Look!” cried Nerissa, pointing out a flurry of activity off in the distance. A concentrated spot in the ocean was getting the full attention of hundreds of sooty shearwaters, the dark birds circling and screeching as they landed on the small patch of sea. Pelicans circling overhead dove in, making big splashes as they sliced through the crowd. I could see the fins of dolphins and the shiny black heads of sea lions pop up on the periphery.

  “Let’s go!” Lorelei cried with excitement, taking my board in hand and pulling me over to the edge of the feeding frenzy. Once I was closer, I could see the water bubbling with vast shoals of panicked sardines swimming in a dense cloud just beneath the surface. There were silvery striped mackerel nipping at the edges, and they in turn were being preyed upon by the excited dolphins and seals.

  The sound coming from the hundreds of birds circling in the air was deafening, and I perched on my board watching the primordial spectacle in awe. The creatures moved in the water like one giant organism in a choreographed dance, bloody and violent, driven by a fierce and terrible need. All three mermaids laughed and flung themselves right into the middle of the action, diving and surfacing with their mouths full of fish, munching away with enthusiasm.

  I watched them feeding, fascinated, and it occurred to me that they were a strange combination of child and animal. Their human side was curious and naive; the animal part, wild and wary. I remembered Evie once wistfully sayi
ng that the only thing more fleeting than summer was childhood, and I realized that even though their infancy was shortened, a mermaid’s childhood was eternal.

  Perpetual children, they were playful, irresponsible and free. Watching them, knowing that they’d be exactly the same centuries from now, was both comforting and humbling. It also made me a little sad in a way I couldn’t quite define.

  Nixie was even more excited than her sisters, building up speed to breach the water, leaping over my board like a dolphin. Lorelei and Nerissa laughed at her antics, and their combined voices were almost unbearably harmonic. I wished that someone else could hear it too… someone human, someone I could talk to.

  After a while the fish disappeared and the animals drifted away, leaving behind only a few feathers floating on the surface as a testament to what had just occurred. The four of us went back to surfing, and as the day wore on, I ignored my growing fatigue. I was thirsty and tired, but I didn’t want it to end. I was right on the verge of having to ask Lorelei to bring me home when a vision struck me like a bolt of lightning.

  I was running through a heavily wooded area, with someone crashing through the trees hot on my heels. I was desperate to escape, but I was dizzy, and the darkness slowed me down as I aimed for a break in the foliage. As soon as I entered the clearing I realized I’d made a terrible mistake, stopping just in time to keep from flying off the steep cliff and splattering on the rocks below. I turned to face my pursuer.

  I opened my eyes, and looked into Lorelei’s frightened face. She had seen it too.

  I sat up blinking, rubbing my throbbing temples as I came back to reality. The three mermaids were all around me, holding my board steady and looking at me with wide, confused eyes. They had all seen it, only they were unable to make sense of what it could mean. They were speechless– their thoughts confused and scattered. The pain in my head eased, and I tried to smile reassuringly at them.

  “Don’t worry,” I said, even though I knew they could feel the weight of my fear.

  I had the long tow home to try and imagine exactly what it meant. I was being chased, but by who? Maybe it was just one of those dreams where you can’t get away and you can’t scream; at least nothing really bad happened to anyone in it. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t visualize who my pursuer was.