Merman's Forever

by Dee J. Stone

  Chapter Eighteen

  Once we’re done renting a car, we drive to the beach to squeeze in surfing before we need to head out to a small town in the middle of nowhere. We rent surfboards and wetsuits from one of the shops and waste no time riding the waves. It feels nice to let loose, to let go off all the stress and worry and just enjoy sailing on the water. It’s just the ocean and me now. And while of course I’m reminded of Damarian, I don’t feel a burning ache in my chest. Maybe because I loved surfing before I fell in love with Damarian. Surfing will always hold a special place in my heart, no matter what. And it doesn’t hurt that getting wiped out occasionally wipes out my thoughts for a few seconds.

  Leah paddles over as I climb back on my board. “You suck,” she jokes. “Me on the other hand? It’s like I was born to ride this ocean. The thought of moving out here appeals more to me every second.”

  She’s so excited and hopeful. I don’t want to down her mood with my selfishness. I force a smile and say, “I’ve never seen you surf any better. This is totally your place.”

  She beams before popping onto her board and riding a wave. I dive under and let it go, watching Leah have the time of her life. My cheeks hurt from smiling. I don’t know when was the last time I saw her this happy.

  I hate to pull her away, but time is ticking. When she wipes out, I wave my hand to catch her attention. She nods and motions toward the beach with her head. I ride one more wave before running back to the beach to return my board and suit.

  “You guys are awesome,” the guy at the store says. He looks around our age, maybe a year or two older. “Your friend totally owned those waves.”

  I turn my head and watch her sailing on the ocean. “Yeah, she’s amazing.” When I glance back at the guy, I see him looking at her with that look. Before my eyes, I see what future can lie here for Leah. Happiness. The possibility of a new relationship. Maybe with this guy, maybe with another, but all that matters is that she’ll finally be able to move on.

  “Why are you looking at me so funny?” Leah asks as she lowers her board to the sand. She gives the guy a what-are-you-staring-at? look, and then her cheeks grow pink. I haven’t seen her blush since…well, since Jace helped carry Damarian to my house when he passed out on the beach. It seems like a million years ago.

  Once we’ve returned everything and walk toward the exit of the beach, I poke Leah with my arm. “Someone caught the attention of a cute boy.”

  She pokes me back. “Shut up, Cassie.” She unlocks the car and gets in the passenger seat.

  “Ugh, I’m driving?” I ask.

  “Yeah, because I’ll get us lost trying to find your nearly non-existent town. And I seriously don’t want to be the cause of our severed limbs.”

  I shake my head as I laugh. “I never should have put that thought in your head.”

  She leans back, crossing her ankles on the dashboard and letting her hair fall lose. I can’t help but feel so proud and happy for her. A little hurt and betrayed, too, and abandoned, but mostly happy. If she does decide to move out here, I know she’ll make a good life for herself.

  “GPS won’t get us there,” I say as I buckle up. “How good are you at reading maps?”

  “You don’t want to know the answer to that.”

  I place my hands on the steering wheel. “Then get ready for another adventure.”

  The first three hours go by fast. We sing along with the music on the radio, make a stop for breakfast, and talk about childhood memories. Leah has been great at reading the map and giving me the right directions, but then we end up on a road that seems to lead to nowhere.

  Leah turns the map upside down, then back on the right side. “Well, I guess I ran out of brain cells.” She looks around. “Where the heck are we?”

  I scan around and see nothing but trees, grass and dirt, and a road that stretches as far as my eyes can see. “I guess I’ll follow this road and see where we’ll end up.”

  “As long as it’s not in some freak’s refrigerator, I’m good to go.”

  My heartrate speeds up the further we go. I was hoping we’d come across a house or gas station and ask for directions, but there doesn’t seem to be anything here. “Maybe we should just turn around and come back from where we came from.”

  Leah’s tapping on her phone. “GPS isn’t picking us up. It’s like we don’t exist.”

  “There must be no service out here. Wherever out here is.”

  All the fun I had with Leah over the past few hours vanishes. The only thing I see before my eyes is my merman. “I’ll find the answers we need, Damarian,” I whisper. “I haven’t given up on us. I promise.”

  Leah’s head snaps to mine. “Did you say something?”

  I shrug. “Just trying to send a message to Damarian. Not that it worked.”

  “Hey, you never know.”

  Something bangs on the car, causing Leah and me to yelp and nearly rocket out of our seats. A man stands at the hood of the car, dressed in an orange shirt and overalls. He has a dark cap on his graying hair and is glaring at us.

  “Oh my God!” Leah shrieks. “The serial killer!”

  I motion for her to keep her voice down and lower the window a tiny drop. “Um, hi?”

  “Go back to wherever you came from,” he snarls. “You are trespassing. We don’t want you types over here.”

  “You types?” Leah whispers. “And where the heck did he come from? I don’t see any cars or houses.”

  “Shh,” I hiss. Then I say to the guy, “Sorry. We didn’t mean to trespass. We’ll get out of here as soon as possible. Can you please direct us to Mushberry?”

  A strange look passes over his face. “What are you looking for in Mushberry?” he demands.

  I swallow. I was only kidding with the whole serial killer thing, but now I’m terrified.

  “I’m telling you we’re going to end up in that guy’s refrigerator.” Leah voice shakes as bad as an earthquake. “I admit there were times I was feeling so badly about Jace that I wanted to die, but I never actually wanted it to happen. I’m too young to die!”

  “Just relax. We’ll be safe as long as we stay in the car. Besides, I highly doubt the guy wants to kill us.”

  He bangs a fist on the car. “What business you got in Mushberry?” he demands again.

  “Don’t touch the car,” I mutter. “It’s a rental.”

  “Ain’t I gonna get an answer?”

  “We’re just tourists,” Leah squeaks.

  His eyes flash. “No tourists come to Mushberry. Not many people know it exists.” He moves closer. “Now tell me what business you got there.”

  I want to close the window, but I don’t want to piss this man off even more. “We’re looking for a healing plant,” I say. “We heard we might be able to find it there.”

  Gone is the hostility and suspicion. His entire face is taken over by surprise. “You’re looking for a healing plant?”

  I nod. “So if you’d be so kind and direct us to Mushberry, we’d very much appreci—”

  “There ain’t no Mushberry,” he says. “I’m Mushberry.”

  Leah and I just gape at him.

  “People can’t be cities,” Leah finally says.

  “It’s a code,” he says. “The only way to keep it a secret.”

  “Keep what a secret?” I ask.

  “The special items I have.”

  I’m getting a headache trying to make sense of his words. “Mr., can you please just explain what’s going on? Because I’m confused.”

  He folds his arms over his chest. “It ain’t your business who I am and what I carry. The only thing that matters is what you know.”

  “We don’t know anything!” Leah throws her hands up. “We just want the damn plant.”

  “What’s its name?” he asks.

  “The Orjalion White Heart,” I say.

  Leah grabs my arm. “Why did you tell him that?”

  I motion for her to keep quiet.

  Another
surprised look passes over his face. “You want the Orjalion White Heart? The rarest item I have. How did you learn about it?” He’s back with his glaring eyes.

  “Um…it’s kind of a long story…”

  He shrugs. “I got time.”

  Well, I don’t. “I can’t tell you everything, just that…” My eyes well up. “I might lose the love of my life. I can’t tell you how or why, but what I can tell you is that the Orjalion White Heart plant is my only hope. Please, sir. I really need it.”

  I expect him to tell us to screw off, but he looks intrigued. “Who does the plant reveal itself to?”

  “To someone who desperately needs it. And to someone who is pure of heart and won’t take advantage of it.”

  He nods. “If you meet those requirements, then the plant should reveal itself to you.” He motions to the open area around him. “The only one stopping you is yourself.”

  My eyes move around. “You mean…it’s here somewhere?”

  He shrugs. “If you are indeed pure of heart and in desperate need of it, then you should have no problems. But it might be smart for you to get out of the car.”

  “So he can chop us up into a million little pieces?” Leah mumbles. “No thank you.”

  “What if he’s telling the truth, Leah? I need to go out and see.”

  “He may look old, but I bet he’s stronger than an ox.”

  “We’ll be okay,” I say.

  “How? You don’t have powers anymore, do you?”

  “Yeah, of cou—no, I guess I don’t.”

  “Humph.”

  I look around for something, but there’s nothing here.

  “Are you gonna get out or what?” the guy asks.

  Leah and I don’t move.

  His eyebrows shoot up. “I’m not gonna hurt you. Geez, you girls have seen too many horror movies.”

  I give Leah a face and push the door open, getting out of the car. “My friend has an overactive imagination. Can I ask where you came from? We haven’t seen anyone since we started down this road.”

  “I live near here. Heard your car coming down the road. I don’t get many visitors.”

  “Oh.” I look back at Leah and motion for her to get out of the car. She shakes her head.

  “Probably best,” he says. “The plant only shows itself to those who really needed it.”

  Like the Orja plant in the ocean. Syren and I had to go alone or else the plant would have stayed hidden.

  The man follows me as I head toward an area filled with rows of bushes. “Your lover dying?” he asks.

  Why is everyone so nosy?

  “Not really,” I say. At least, not physically.

  “He cheatin’ on you? The plant won’t heal a broken heart, change the past, or turn into a love potion.”

  “No, he’s not cheating on me.”

  “What? He got twelve fingers instead of ten?”

  I spin around. “The plant won’t reveal itself to me if you’re breathing down my neck.”

  He holds out his hands and steps back. “Sorry. I don’t meet many folks. Was just trying to make conversation.”

  I turn back toward the bushes. The area goes on for what looks like miles. How am I supposed to find anything here?

  When I’m done with this area, I move onto another. There’s nothing here but dirt, though. I walk for a good few minutes, but I find no sign of the plant.

  This feels very familiar. It’s exactly what happened two years ago when Syren and I sought the Orja plant in the ocean. What did we do to get the plants to reveal themselves? It feels like it happened ages ago.

  Closing my eyes, I wrack my brain and remember Syren and I had to channel our thoughts to our loved ones. Since I’m the one who is desperate need of it, I’m not sure the same method would work. I focus my thoughts on Damarian and how much we mean to each other. I focus on all the good that has happened to us since the moment I first met him, how we fought so hard to be together and refused to give up. Due to our love, we eradicated a threat that would have destroyed the ocean. We need each other, just like I need air and Damarian needs sea water.

  Something shines against my closed eyes, forcing me to open them. I nearly get blinded by a strong light. I hold up my hand as a shield as my eyes tear. The man, who’s a good distance away, doesn’t seem to be affected by it. Could it be…?

  I hurry toward that direction. But there isn’t anything here.

  “Please,” I beg no one. “I love him so much. I can’t imagine my life without him. We’re perfect for each other. I don’t see a future with anyone else.”

  A pink plant appears before my eyes, floating toward me. It looks exactly like the Orja plant. It moves closer to me until it floats only a few inches away. I reach for it, but it leaps toward me. The plant splits into many more, and they each latch onto me, covering my body from head to toe. It feels like little needles pricking my skin. Just like I felt in the ocean.

  I’m thrown to the ground and sink in, as though a powerful force is shoving me into the earth. It’s just like in the ocean, when the plants were dragging me to the bottom of the sea.

  “No,” I croak, all my energy being sucked away. I hurt all over. “No, I’m not giving up. I…I’m not going to…let you do this. Damarian and I…we’ve been through so much. Our…love has gotten us through…everything. We’ve experienced a lot…but there is so much more…we need to discover. I’m…not going to lose him. I’ll be…damned if I let anyone….take him from me.” My head turns to the side, my lips scraping across the earth. “I love you, Damarian. Forever.”

  The pain stops. I’m no longer getting pushed into the earth. When I open my eyes, I see the plant floating before me.

  “My God, she’s done it!” the voice of the man says. “She’s actually gotten it to reveal itself! First time I’ve ever seen this.”

  I hold out my hand and the plant floats into my palm. Like the Orja, it doesn’t prick me but feels spongey.

  Leah gets out of the car. “Holy crap.”

  “I don’t have anywhere to put it,” I say, every part of me wound up. I can’t believe I finally have the plant. All the searching, all the hoping…there’s a chance for Damarian and me. We actually have a chance!

  “Here.” The man gives me a jar. “Just don’t put on the lid and the plant will be okay.”

  Leah dashes over and flings her arms around me. “I was so scared! I thought you were going to die.”

  “I’m…I’m okay.”

  “Yeah, scared shitless but okay.”

  I carefully put the plant in the jar. “I wonder how we’re going to get this past airport security.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  After five long, antagonizing hours, Leah and I make it back to Florida. The only problem is that it’s still too early to meet with Damarian. Fiske won’t be there until late at night, or else he’d scare all the people at the beach.

  We spend the time watching movies, ordering food, and talking, though I’m not sure how into them I am. Leah is very understanding and forgiving. She leaves for an hour to talk to her boss and see if she still has a job. Thankfully, her boss is so desperate for employees this time of the year that she looks past this.

  The clock moves slower than the slowest snail on the planet. Somehow, the hour finally arrives. I pack a bag of essentials, hoping I’ll actually need the towel and Damarian’s clothes. Part of me beats with anticipation. We might actually be able to restore our bond. I can’t wait to hold Damarian in my arms, to shower kisses over every inch of his skin, touch every part of him, feel his heartbeat against mine. But the other part of me holds nothing but dread. If the plants don’t work and Damarian and I can’t fix our bond, we’ll be lost to each other forever.

  Stay positive, I tell myself. Stay positive.

  Leah walks with me to the beach, even though it’s out of her way. She holds my hand, pumping me up with encouraging words. I hold onto each word, allowing them to fill every cell in my body, clinging to the hop
e each one promises.

  When we’re at the entrance to the beach, Leah hugs me “Good luck with everything.”

  I squeeze her. “Thanks so much for being there for me. Traveling with me all the way to California, putting up with my whining, never letting my hope die. You’re such an awesome friend.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  I lean back to look into her eyes. “You deserve to have nothing but the best.”

  She twists her mouth. “Tell that to the universe.”

  I raise my head to the sky and hold out my hands. “Universe? Bestow upon my best friend, Leah Arnold, only good things. Happiness, health, love. Specifically, an awesome guy who will appreciate the wonderful person she is and someone who will bring her joy and love and will never hurt or betray her.”

  When I focus back on Leah, she gives me a wry smile. “If only the universe gave a damn.”

  I hug her again. “I won’t let you give up, just like you’re not letting me give up.”

  “Thanks. I’ll try. Now go get your man.”

  We wave before parting. My legs practically sprint toward the large rocks on the beach. I fall to my knees and touch the water. “Fiske, are you out there?” I hope he hasn’t given up after waiting for me these past two days.

  “Fiske?” I call, a little louder.

  It’s hard to see due to the night, but I’m pretty sure there’s a shark fin heading my way. I jump to my feet and wave my hands. “Fiske!”

  A few seconds later, he breaks the surface and swims over to me.

  “Fiske, I found the plant! Did Damarian find the Orja?”

  He nods.

  A huge smile captures my lips. “Can you tell Damarian to meet with me? I’ll wait here.”

  He nods.

  “Thanks so much, Fiske.”

  He nods again before going under. I climb onto the rocks and stare at the beautiful dark waves, that huge smile never leaving my face. The only things I feel right now are happiness and hope. Every negative emotion has been snuffed out. In just a little bit, I might be in Damarian’s arms again. In just a little bit, I might have my merman back in my life.

  The minutes once again move slower than a snail. My eyes don’t leave the waves, looking for even the slightest hint of movement.