Ex Nihilo Academy

by Jennifer Watts

  “Why are you coming home so late?”

  “Ach, what are you his ma?” Tom snorts.

  “Shut up.” Rowan gives him a shove then slams the van door in his face before turning toward me. “Go inside, Lily.”

  Even though I’m sure there’s something more going on I reluctantly head back into the house and after a few minutes Rowan follows. Once inside I get a better look at the state of him. He is covered from head to toe in mud. His shoes are caked with dirt and it is smeared up both arms. His shirt is ripped and there is an angry red streak across his cheek.

  “You’re bleeding!” I shout, standing on my tiptoes to reach his face. He catches my hand and returns it to my side, then swipes at his cheek to remove the stain revealing his smooth, unmarked skin below.

  “See? No cut. It’s not my blood.”

  “What happened?”

  “What always happens when our gigs get rowdy; one big brawl in the car park. But we got out of there before the peelers came so everything’s grand.”

  “Then why are you all muddy?” I give him my sternest look, hoping that it will force the truth out of him but he just laughs.

  “When I say car park I mean a big dirt area where degenerates park their motorcycles. It rained a lot last night.” He shrugs as if this explains everything.

  “I don’t think you should do shows at those kinds of places anymore.”

  His eyes sweep over my face and down my body and he smiles. “I’m going to go and take a shower now. Care to join me?” He wiggles his eyebrows and I smack his chest in response. “Good night, Rowan. Or good morning. Whatever.” I huff. He walks away then stops and looks over his shoulder. “Is it wrong that I love that you’re worried about me?” He doesn’t wait for my answer and keeps on walking down the hall.

  Is it wrong? I silently ask myself. Yeah, it probably is. I don’t know what’s wrong with me or why I’m sticking my nose in his business. I tell myself that it’s only because he’s a friend and I care about him and by the time I make it back to my bedroom I almost have myself convinced.

  Chapter 12: Making Waves

  We make the trip Port Rush with the windows rolled down the whole way and Rowan says it’s the warmest of any Irish fall he can remember. I push my ray bans up my nose and shake my head. It doesn’t feel that warm to me but I guess I’ll have to take his word for it. We arrive early and park by the harbor so we can walk around the small seaside resort town. We start along the boardwalk where the waves roll up and crash against the black rocks. Up ahead in the distance I see at rollercoaster paralleling the beach and it reminds me of the Santa Monica Pier. I bounce on my heels in excitement and Rowan laughs and leads me into the indoor-outdoor amusement park.

  “This is Barry’s and it’s been here since the 1920’s. Whenever there would be a big stretch of rain, and it is Ireland so it happened a lot, Niall would bring me here so I wouldn’t go stir crazy in the house. I have fond memories of the place.” Inside it smells like popcorn and cotton candy and Rowan takes my hand and drags me out back. We ride the coaster until I’m sure I’ve left my stomach somewhere by my feet then head back inside to the games, where he wins me a prize. The small stuffed whale he hands me tugs at a memory in the back of my head but I shake it off and smile, clutching it to my chest.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’ve always wanted to win one of these for a girl.”

  “Have you brought Jenny here before?”

  “No, you’re the only one.” He says gruffly and turns away from me and I wonder why it is that whenever I mention her name he clams up. I want him to open up to me even if I’m not sure that I’m ready to hear all about their relationship yet. I want him to trust me. His dismissal gets me thinking about Jenny. What must she think of me hanging out all day with her boyfriend alone?

  As we leave the theme park Rowan walks ahead of me, presumably still brooding over my earlier question. I didn’t mean to offend him or make him feel guilty. I was just curious if this is something he had shared with Jenny. What’s more alarming to me and something I’m not quite ready to examine is the tiny surge of pleasure I felt when he said he hadn’t taken anyone else there before.

  We walk along the narrow one-way streets flanked with cars and past the mock-Victorian row homes painted pastel shades of yellow, white, pink and blue. I follow Rowan as he zigzags through the streets which are brimming with tourists, all presumably drawn by the same picturesque little village. We pass a surf shop, a gallery, a bakery and a handful of high end home stores until he finally stops in front of a restaurant.

  “It’s a little early for lunch.” I say, thinking that it has to still be before noon.

  “It’s never too early for fish and chips.”

  I grab a table by the window while Rowan goes up to the counter to order. He comes back with my green salad and a massive amount of fish wrapped in newspaper. I stare at the heavily battered cod which is resting on a mountain of thick cut fries, the oil from it seeping through and staining the newsprint.

  “Ugh.” Is all I can manage to say as I lift my fork to my salad. Unfortunately, I have to eat it dry as the only dressing the restaurant has is something called ‘salad cream’ that just looks like a big jar of mayo in disguise.

  You know you want some.” He sighs happily as he squeezes on some lemon and forks a mouthful of the fish.

  “No, thank you. It looks like a heart attack wrapped in the want ads.” I crinkle my nose and he explodes with laughter.

  “It tastes like heaven, love, and you are missing out. So tell me about school, have you met anyone interesting?” He asks as he attacks a handful of fries.

  “Well there’s Nissa and Cai. Nissa is funny, beautiful and very French and totally not what I expected at all. She’s kind of taken me under her wing so I’m indebted to her. Cai is her friend though I’m pretty sure he wants to be more. And of course there’s Kennedy, who hates me with a passion and is determined to make my life at Ex Nihilo a living hell. She is so stereotypically that ‘mean girl’ in high school that I wouldn’t even believe it were true if it weren’t happening to me.”

  “What’s she done?” Rowan has stopped eating and his mouth is set in a grim line.

  “Other than dump food in my hair and spray-paint my locker nothing major, but the looks she gives me I swear could freeze the whole loch.”

  “She spray-painted your locker?” He gawks at me, his food all but forgotten.

  “Yes, she did, but Luca was there to help out and the janitor removed it so it’s not a big deal.”

  “Luca Morello? Isn’t that convenient.” He doesn’t even try to hide the sourness in his voice.

  “I don’t really see that much of Kennedy or Luca since they’re seniors and we only have the one split level class together.” I say hurriedly, trying to get the conversation back on track.

  “What class is that?”

  “Uh… history.” I blurt out the first thing I can think of.

  “They combine grades for history? That seems strange.”

  Not when it’s the history of demons but I wisely keep that thought to myself.

  “I don’t know maybe it has to do with the class sizes or something.” I am desperate to change the subject. “I guess the fish and chips aren’t living up to your expectations?” I point at his meal which is only half-eaten. He picks up his fork and tries to feed me but I pinch my lips shut.

  “You know, normally I wouldn’t date a girl that did the whole ‘salad only’ thing but you’re not being cute about it - you really prefer it don’t you?” I must look shocked at the mention of a date because he seems to catch himself and backtrack. “Not that we are dating. I just meant that girls usually order salad for show then end up stealing all of the guy’s fries.” The words rush out of his mouth as an embarrassed flush stains the back of his neck.

  “Don’t stress, Rowan, I know what you mean and it’s not like I haven’t had fries before. But come on, there’s fries and then there’s ‘f
ries’.” I say eyeing the grease soaked basket in an effort to lighten the mood. My words seem to have the desired effect and he carries on eating. A date? What is he thinking? Better yet - what am I thinking spending the day at a romantic seaside resort with a taken man? This can’t happen anymore, I think to myself, steeling my resolve. We will finish up lunch and head to the beach to focus on surfing. The only reason we are here is because he wants to learn and I am dying to hit the waves. That’s all it is. I pop a radish into my mouth and slowly chew it. Of course that’s all it is.

  * *

  Whiterocks beach looks like it jumped straight off a postcard with its stretch of fine beige sand, sheltered by a ridge of chalky white cliffs and topped with grassy green knolls. The water is cobalt blue and the swell looks nice and clean from the off-shore wind. We park in the lot and make our way down to the beach, which is totally deserted except for a lone figure dressed all in black that is heading our way. He crosses in front of us as I’m laying down a towel and I notice that his sweatshirt is pulled up tight over his head hiding his face. It is especially odd given the unseasonably warm weather.

  “Hey!” I shout as he walks over my towel. He glances at me briefly and from the sliver of his face that is visible I see that his eyes are like two black pits. He doesn’t respond and keeps on walking down the beach and that’s when I notice his strange gait, almost as if he is limping. “Well, that was weird.” I say and I look over my shoulder to find Rowan staring intently at the retreating figure.

  “Maybe he’s drunk, or out of his mind on drugs.” The way he says it, without any real conviction, makes me think he doesn’t believe it either.

  “Maybe. Who cares? Let’s forget about him and get our surf on.” I stretch out my arms and tilt my face up to the sun which has finally broken through the clouds. The board that I shipped when I left California is still with customs so Rowan has rented us two along with wetsuits.

  “What do you think of the beach?” He asks as he pulls his shirt over his head, revealing his bare chest.

  “It’s incredible.” I mumble distractedly, taking in his broad shoulders that taper down to his narrow waist. My eyes trace the definition is his muscular arms, which are dusted with freckles, and no joke, he has an actual six-pack. Like out of a magazine type six-pack. You could grate cheese on his abs. I force my eyes back up to examine the tattoo on his shoulder. There is an angel with one wing spread and the other tucked around a crouched woman and under it are the numbers 6:4 in scrawling black ink.

  “What does that tattoo mean?” I ask.

  “A lot of different things, but mostly it is about the fight between good and evil.”

  “And what side are you on?” I grin at him teasingly.

  “Good, always good.” He grins back and I nod in agreement because it all looks pretty good from where I’m standing. His other shoulder is inked with a symbol I am familiar with; an eye inside a triangle surrounded by light. The eye of Providence. And the rest of that arm is decorated with a full sleeve of black ink.

  “Lily?” He notices me staring so I tear my eyes away, embarrassed, and look out at the water.

  “Looks like sick break to me.” I wiggle my hot pink toes in the sand and he tilts his head curiously.

  “Whatever you say, love.” He hands me one of the wetsuits and starts pulling on the other. Suddenly I feel self-conscious as I wriggle out of my jeans and t-shirt. I’m wearing my favorite bikini underneath. It’s tiny and turquoise, with ruffles on the butt and a string that ties around the neck. I ball up my clothes and stuff them into my bag and when I look up Rowan is watching me with his mouth open. His eyes skim my body as I stand and I quickly cross my arms over my chest.

  “Nice swimsuit.” He swallows, flexing his jaw.

  “Thanks.” I quickly pull on the wetsuit, noting the awkwardness between us that wasn’t there a few minutes ago. I need to keep my hands busy so I grab a board and start waxing and after a beat Rowan takes the other and copies me.

  “It’s not very busy.” I look around in surprise at the nearly abandoned beach.

  “It gets really busy in the summer but mostly kids come here in the evenings for bonfires. I hope you don’t mind that we’re meeting up with my friends later.”

  “I don’t mind at all. I was planning on staying out there until dark anyway.” I tilt my head toward the ocean.

  “Good thing I brought provisions.” He laughs and taps the cooler beside him.

  “Are you really going to try surfing?” I try and keep the skepticism from my voice. “What makes you think I haven’t before?” He frowns.

  “Well, for starters your wetsuit is on backwards.”

  “You’re taking the piss.” His eyes widen when he looks at me and I can’t help but laugh. “No, I’m not ‘taking the piss’ as you put it. The zipper goes at the back. Here, look at mine.” I shift around so he can see but I can’t stop the fit of giggles that comes on. “You may not be able to surf Rowan but at least your eye candy for the beach.” I’m laughing so hard that I snort and he tosses a handful of sand at me, and then pounces, knocking me backwards.

  “I’m a lot more than eye candy I can assure you of that.” He is on top of me now, his auburn hair falling into his eyes. His breathing is unsteady and his gaze is so intense that I have to look away.

  “We should get out there.” I say nervously but he just keeps staring at me. After a pause he finally rolls to the side and lets me up.

  “I like my suit like this. I’m leaving it.” He smiles widely and all of the awkwardness from before is gone. After going through some of the basics with him on dry land I sling my board under my arm and race down the beach to the water, leaving him trailing behind. Once I paddle out that familiar feeling takes over: the waves lapping at my feet, the saltwater in my mouth. It makes me feel like I’m home. I ride a few smaller sets, waving to Rowan who’s practicing his paddling in the shallow tides. I ride and ride and I’m so in my element that I don’t notice when the sun starts fading in the sky. Dusk is setting in and I have no idea how long I’ve been out here so I tell myself that I’ll just take one more wave then head in to see Rowan. A bigger one comes my way so I take the drop and suddenly the wave gets choppy and changes direction. Water is all around me now and swirling in like a funnel. It is like nothing I have ever seen before and I have to bail. I jump off my board and I’m free-falling down the center of the funnel and water is rushing all around me like a tornado. I’m screaming and flailing my arms, not knowing how far or how deep I’ve fallen. I close my eyes and try to remember what Lucinda said about summoning. I steady my hands and spread them wide while chanting the word ‘Aqua’ as I picture the water flattening and smoothing out below me. When I open my eyes the walls of water around me are collapsing in. I hold my breath as they crash over me to fill up the hole beneath, the force of them tossing me back and forth like a rag doll. Within minutes the rushing has stopped and I’m treading water under a calm sea. I pull up my leg to release the ankle strap then kick my way to the surface, gasping for air when I finally break through. Rowan is swimming toward me and I see that he’s abandoned his board. When he reaches me he slings an arm around my waist as if I weigh nothing and tows me back to the shore. He pulls me up on the sand and props an arm under my head before shouting at me.

  “What the hell happened?” He looks frantically from me to the water and back.

  “I wiped out.” I croak, spitting out a mouthful of water.

  “I can see that. But what happened? I saw it - it was like the wave was chasing you or something.” Damn. He noticed it too. That wasn’t a normal wave, it was much more likely that it was something supernatural, not that I could explain it to him even if I was allowed.

  “Nah, it was just a messy one that I shouldn’t have got on. It was totally my fault.” I say and he shakes his head.

  “I’ve been watching you all afternoon, Lily. You know what you are doing.”

  “Look, Rowan I just want to forget about i
t. It scared me but I’m fine.” He opens his mouth like me wants to say more, then wisely shuts it.

  “I think my board got dinged pretty badly but I can paddle out and get it. I don’t want them to charge you for it.” I sit up slowly.

  “Lily, I don’t give a damn about the board. You are not going back into that water today.”

  “No arguments here. I’ll pay you for it though.” I stand and test out my legs and arms which I can already tell are going to be stiff tomorrow.

  “Lily.” There’s a warming in his voice so I decide not to press the issue with the board right now and instead change the subject.

  “When are your friends coming?”

  “They should be here soon. I told them half-five. Come on then, there are outdoor showers by the parking lot that we can use to rinse off.”

  After a freezing cold shower we get back to the beach to find that a large group has gathered around the makings of a fire.

  “I thought you said it was a few friends?” I ask and Rowan grimaces.

  “It was. They probably picked up some townies and tourists along the way.”

  It turns out that Nissa and Cai are among the group and I’m so happy to see them. A few others in the group are Rowan’s friends and there are another half dozen students from Ex Nihilo, including Luca. Rowan openly glares but Luca ignores him, his eyes raking over me instead.

  “I like the beachy look, Lily. It suits you.” Luca says smoothly. Rowan looks from me to him and I blush. My hair has dried in loose waves from the salt water and I’m wearing a printed maxi dress with a short sleeved cardigan over top.

  “Quite a lot of people you’ve brought!” Rowan shouts over the noise of the crowd to one of his friends who just shrugs. I introduce Nissa and Cai to Rowan who is polite but I notice that he’s a little short with them. Cai stares at him curiously like he’s trying to solve a puzzle but Nissa doesn’t seem to care that he’s acting weird. When Rowan smiles tightly and excuses himself to get a drink, Nissa pounces.