by Jeny Heckman
“Really? ’Cause I think it’s a perfect idea,” he replied, moving closer.
“No, I just mean… I don’t really do this.”
“Do what,” he murmured, just inches from her face, holding her gaze.
“I…”
“You…”
****
He lowered his mouth to hers, softly. Hesitantly, her lips parted, then she deepened the kiss, moving in closer to him. She could smell the campfire and sea on him. He hummed low in his throat as she pressed in. Slowly he lowered his hands to the small of her back, and she felt them ball into fists in her dress. In turn, her arms moved up his back and along his spine. Their bodies pressed closer together, complementing each other perfectly. Opening her mouth more with his, Finn invited their tongues to dance. He moved his hands from her throat, down her shoulders and sides until lightly brushing a thumb over a taut nipple, causing her to gasp and move away.
“Ah, okay, um, thank you…for…that.”
“Thank you? For what?” he asked, with a breathless laugh. “Kissing you or…?”
She looked mortified and merely nodded, unable to speak. He raised his eyebrows.
“I’m not sure that’s ever happened before, but you’re welcome…Believe me, anytime.”
“No, I’ve, ah, I’ve gotta go.”
“Raven.”
“It was a great night…really great night.”
She withdrew her keys, fumbling to get the right one out. Finn calmly plucked them from her fingers, selected the right one, unlocked, then opened the door for her. Handing them back, he leaned in and grinned before raising a finger to touch her cheek. She blushed and retreated, quickly shutting the door.
She leaned back against the door, reached over, and flicked on the porch light. She stayed there until she heard the roar of his bike sound and disappear into the night.
Chapter 12
Dee scrolled through the pages of text, pictures, and symbols, read columns and graphs, tried to comprehend all the information and connections of the unfamiliar words spoken by the deities. She knew if she could only see the names Themis had said, she’d remember them.
Tonight, however, only one name caught her interest. The goddess called her the daughter of Demeter, and she wanted to understand that, to understand her. She learned Demeter wasn’t as well-known as many of the other gods and goddesses. She was the middle daughter of the Titans, Cronus and Rhea, and known as the goddess of agriculture and harvest.
“Guess the mystery’s over, how come I can grow shit,” she mumbled to herself and smiled weakly, then used her finger to follow the line of text, as she read out loud.
“‘The virgin daughter of Zeus and Demeter, Persephone, was desired by many but it was Hades that coveted her from first sight. He abducted her to the Underworld and fed her pomegranate seeds, thus forever connecting her to the dark lord and his domain.’”
“What an asshole.” Dee had a righteous sense of indignation on the part of both Persephone and her mother.
“‘Demeter, consumed with worry, searched frantically for her daughter, halting the seasons, causing all living things to discontinue growing. Zeus, understanding that extinction was inevitable, instructed Hades to release Demeter’s daughter. Hades told the great king that Persephone was bound to him for eating the seeds of the pomegranate, nourishment from the Underworld.’”
“So, he roofied her. How rude.” She leaned back, disgusted, sipped her tea, then leaned back in, reading to herself.
Zeus told Hades that the seeds only bound her for four months. She was to return to her mother, also for four months. For the remainder of her time, she would be allowed free choice. Eventually, Persephone grew to love Hades and spent most of her time with him. Demeter mourned her daughter when she was away. It was then she created autumn and winter when nature slowly dies. As she anticipated her daughter's return, life would begin again and grow abundant, creating spring and summer.
“That’s right,” she said aloud, then read on another screen, about Themis.
Her sister, Rhea, gave Themis to her son Zeus. Themis became his first wife and high counselor, even after they parted. Often credited with fathering the Moirai, in actuality, Zeus was only their protector and were birthed by Themis alone. She bore six children in all, three Moirai that brought death and three Horai that brought the seasons or life.
Themis said she shared a bond with Demeter. She understood it now because they both bore children that dealt with life and death. She looked up Themis and was startled to see a stone depiction of the woman that had floated in her bedroom.
“Life and death.” She frowned. “Maybe because they lost their children to something evil.”
She glanced up onto the wall where a picture of Matthew sat on the grass playing with Finn, in brief, happier days. She blinked and realized she lost someone she loved to evil too. Dee looked back at the computer screen, vision growing fuzzy with fatigue and tears. She saw a section labeled Demeter and Poseidon, so she quickly scanned the text.
The god of the sea desired Demeter and sought advantage, as she mourned the loss of her daughter. Evading his advances, she took the form of a horse to hide amongst his spirit animals. Discovering her, he took the form of a stallion and mounted her, giving her two children.
Dee sat back, disgusted again. What was it with these gods? Sex, rape, abduction, to say nothing of incest? Maybe the lot deserved some fiery hell. At the very least she knew some of the connections and surprised herself by yawning profoundly. Looking one more time at the website, she noticed a word that was becoming repetitive. It was also a word that Themis had used. Dee’s finger hovered over the mouse to continue but then heard Finn’s bike and didn’t want him worrying over her light. She switched it off and watched darkness close in on the word Moirai.
Chapter 13
Finn knocked on Raven’s door at five to ten on Saturday morning. She opened the door, then ran back toward her kitchen.
“Hi, sorry,” she yelled. “My phone. Come in.” She grabbed her cell off the counter. “Hello?” she answered breathlessly. “Jason—how’s your father?”
Finn glanced over noncommittally. Her long golden hair was secure in a ponytail and cascaded through the back of a baseball cap. She wore a white tank top under a blue and white striped sweater and khaki shorts. She was packing something into a red and white cooler, her well-toned legs moving purposefully, as she cradled a cell phone to her ears.
He walked around her space, noting the décor and other items that made up her temporary life. The only thing he saw that seemed well lived at was the piano. There was a multitude of staff sheets and scratch pads containing music and lyrics scribbled all over their surfaces. A half-filled coffee cup sat on one side of the bench, while a half-filled glass of wine sat on the other. Her voice wafted back into his thoughts.
“Oh, that’s at least good, right?”
He caught her watching him wander around the living room, and she quickly turned back to the cooler. Smiling, he walked to the patio where a hot breeze blew his board shorts and warm, buttery-yellow tee shirt, against his body. He continued to look out over the vista, anticipating the day, as Raven’s call ended. Walking out to meet him, she explained the medical emergency and update that the man had graduated from ICU to the med-surge floor.
“That sucks but good he’s doing better.”
“Yeah, it is.” She looked around. “So, I made sandwiches. I didn’t know if we were stopping anywhere.”
She looked at the cooler and then at him, as he approached. Her eyes seem to battle for what she wanted. Finn took her face in his hands and kissed her gently. Christ, he could get lost in her all day. He moved back and encircled her waist with his arms.
“So, hi.”
“Hi.” She breathed out a laugh and smile.
He leaned in to meet her lips again with his own. Her fragrance permeated his senses, and the softness of her lips caused him to want more. He ran his tongue seductively across the
inside of her bottom lip, and she shivered. Raven placed a hand on the back of his neck and applied more pressure. The kiss became harder to control, and his body responded. He knew the instant she felt him hard against her because she tensed and pulled away, breathless.
“Why are you constantly moving away from me?” he asked her, exasperated, and hooked a hand on the back of his neck.
“’Cause you’re confusing me.”
“Well, that’s a mutual thing, darlin’.”
“Can’t we just, you know, be like friends?”
“I’m feeling pretty friendly right now.” She laughed before she could stop herself.
“I mean can we just take a step back.”
“Yeah, well, ya got that down real well.” He started toward her, but her next words stopped him.
“I just…please, I’m not ready.”
Furrowing his brow, he took a deep breath and wondered if he'd just been reading her wrong the whole time. If she’d been hurt or scared, he didn’t want to push her, so decided a day on the water would have to be enough, for now.
“Okay then,” he said, quickly collecting the cooler and her beach bag. “Let’s pack this up.”
****
Relieved that Finn had taken a step back, she took a deep breath and followed, as he walked to the door. The truth was she didn't trust herself. It always felt like her choices and ideas were bad ones. Donovan had taken her virginity yet criticized her inexperience in bed. Often he would call her dull or lacking invention if he couldn’t achieve orgasm. When she did try to take the initiative, he would make fun of her. To Raven, her public persona always felt like a lie. She could never understand how Donovan told her one thing in the bedroom but played up her sexuality to the public. In fact, almost being naked onstage in front of thousands of people had become easy. It was the one-on-one that was terrifying. She worried that the celebrity was what Finn thought he was getting. After the initial chemistry wore off and they faced each other in the bedroom, he would discover she had no seductive secrets at all, and she would be humiliated all over again.
They drove the twenty minutes to Nawiliwili Harbor to board Finn’s twenty-nine foot Sunracer and were soon motoring slowly out of the harbor. She handed him one of the coffees she’d bought from a local stand, then gazed out upon the open water, beyond the levee.
“This is a pretty amazing research vessel.”
“No.” He chuckled. “This is mine. Our boat for SeaHunt is bigger and less aesthetically pleasing.” He looked behind him for boat traffic and smiled at her look of serenity.
“Where are we going?”
“Over to Honopū Beach,” he replied, setting the temple tip of his glasses in his teeth as he maneuvered the boat, making a few adjustments. “Have you heard of it?”
“No, is it famous? It seems like every famous tropical movie ever made was done here.”
“Well, that’s true,” he confirmed, chuckling. “And this one won’t disappoint either. Did you ever watch the king of all apes movie?”
“Of course.”
“You know where they first get to the island and the girl runs up the beach, through the archway?”
“Yeah.”
That’s the beach we’re going to. I thought we could move faster to get over there, have some lunch and stuff, then take it easy on the way home. Sound good?”
“Sure, that sounds great.”
“You did bring a swimsuit, right?”
“Yeah, underneath.”
“Okay, hold on,” he advised as they cleared the harbor.
Sitting down on a bench seat, she held on tightly to her coffee as they sped across the water. While he drove, Raven watched him sitting on top of the backrest of his seat, his sunglasses shielding his eyes and the wind whipping his hair around audaciously. His tee shirt lay flat against his body, and his smile was boyish. He loved it, she decided, and looked back to the water, grinning herself.
As they approached Port Allen, Finn slowed the boat and pointed out the SeaHunt research facility, their vessel, and Nate’s cabin from the water.
“Is there a reason the facility and boat aren’t in the other harbor?” Raven asked.
“There isn’t a real reason except for both Nate and I live on the south side and the seals really like Po’ipū Beach.”
“When was the facility built?”
“We’ve been running for about seven years. Nate was on Oahu working as a biologist for the main operation when I first met him. Then he and I actively sought out funding, grants, donations, basically anything we could get to build a facility out here.”
“If you didn’t have it, would you have been able to live here?”
“No, I’d probably live primarily on Oahu. It would’ve sucked because Dee needs me here.”
He picked up speed again, and they progressed around the beach line, talking about their home cities and how remarkably different each was from the other. He pointed out the PMRF, where the Navy did their missile testing. As they rounded the corner and approached the beach, Finn slowed the boat and cut the engine.
“Whew, a little fast but not a bad view.”
Raven looked up at the profoundly corrugated cliffs and valleys of the awe-inspiring Nā Pali coastline. It looked surreal and majestic, stealing her breath away at its sheer beauty and magnitude. Mouth open, she looked over at Finn and felt like she had the first moment that she saw him—overwhelmed.
“So, if you look over there,” he said, seemingly oblivious to nature and pointing to a small beach before the larger one, “you’ll see my favorite girl.”
Smiling eagerly, Raven stood up and tried to see where he was pointing, not being able to mark the partially hidden seal. Finn grabbed her hand and pulled her in front of him, so she was in the same line of sight. He rested his chin on her shoulder and pointed straight out.
“Alaula.”
“So, I’m assuming Ala …Alaloo is a seal?”
“A-low-la.” Finn chuckled. “And yes.”
“Oh God,” she exclaimed, finally seeing the pair. “Look at her little baby. How sweet!” She looked back at Finn, who was grinning proudly. “Okay, so Alaula, what does that mean?”
“It means ‘light of early dawn.’ She was born about six years ago at sunrise.”
“Were you there?”
“I was. I named her.”
“Aw.” Raven melted a little. “And she had a baby?”
“A pup, yep, about a month ago. I named him too. Kaimi, the seeker.”
“The seeker? Why that?”
“When he came out he just started looking around. He was trying to find his mom to nurse and couldn’t.” Finn laughed as if remembering. “He must have tried everything until he found the right thing to suck on.”
“So it’s not instinctive?”
“No, it is, it just took him a little while.”
They remained as they were, except he had wrapped his arms around her waist and she instinctively leaned back against him.
“Can we go closer?” Raven asked.
“I’d rather not. Moms are protective of their pups and can get easily stressed out if they feel threatened. They also tend to get weaker as the weeks go on.”
“Why?”
“Sorry, I’m used to researchers. When the mom has a pup, she doesn’t feed again for anywhere between five and seven weeks. Everything is about her offspring and getting them strong and healthy. Only about twenty percent survive to reproductive age.”
“Because they starve?”
“No, mostly people messing with them, but also fishing nets and equipment, waste runoff into the water and eating stuff they’re not supposed to.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like when they see a plastic grocery bag floating in the water, they think it’s a jellyfish and try to eat it. So, basically man-made dangers.”
“Like on the beach that day.”
Raven turned her face back toward him, but he buried his face in her shoulder more
and breathed in, causing her to become aware of their closeness
“Yeah.”
She turned back to watch Kaimi nurse.
“It’s because they’re cute, right?” She stepped away and walked to the bow, sitting down on the forward cushions. Finn followed suit and put his hands behind his head, leaning back against the windshield. “Why people want to touch them, I mean.”
“Probably, but moms don’t like their babies to be touched, not unlike birds. Some will leave them behind if they’re messed with too much. They want them to smell like they’re supposed to.” She looked over and watched his jaw clench.
“You love them.”
“Probably,” he divulged without looking at her but smiling with tenderness.
“So, you guys only help them out when they’re distressed?”
“It depends. Most anything that’s natural, we let happen. So, if they struggle with birth or something, we tend to leave them to it. But let’s say they have a hook in their mouth or they need to be tagged, or medical care, then we’ll help them with that.” He looked out into the water. “We’re pretty limited on what we can do here because we don’t have a refuge or rehab place for them. We’re primarily research.”
“So what’s happened with your work that they’re being threatened more?”
Finn got up angrily and moved to the cooler for a beer. He popped the top and offered one to Raven first, who took it.
“See, the world’s changing and everyone’s looking for alternative ways to save money, create new energy, and try new things. Don’t get me wrong that’s a good thing, real good.” He sat back down, facing her.
“But?”
“But we had this meeting the other day, and they want to put in these underwater tidal turbines, in an effort to provide more natural energy to the islands. Which is all great, but they can’t say how it’ll affect sea life around here. My point is, maybe we put a little more time into researching possible harm to the animals and ecosystem in the islands before putting a lot of them in. But my boss feels he has enough information.”
“Nate?” she asked, surprised.
“No. Technically he’s my direct boss, but it’s our boss, Alan Sunderland.”