Underwater
Page 12
Caleb inhales sharply, his lips parting. My own tongue darts out, wetting my suddenly dry lips.
“I guess.”
Most guys would try and play it cool. Not Caleb.
How would it feel to kiss him? Would I feel the cool piercing against my lips? Would it feel weird? Or maybe… just maybe…
A soft growl wakes me up from my daze. He throws my backpack, long forgotten, over his shoulder and grabs my hand, pulling me after him in a hurry.
“Come on. I’m taking you home.”
With those words, he starts dragging me behind him, and all I can do is follow.
Marissa
I look out the window of my bedroom. The sun is slowly but surely setting. Reds and oranges color the sky and the surface of the ocean.
Gripping the curtain harder, I gulp down my nerves.
Soon, it’ll be time.
Soon, I’ll have to return to the ocean.
Since my last conversation with the nymph, I spent some time investigating the moon cycle. The last thing I needed was to get stranded somewhere inland. Like on the floor of my room. I can totally see my mom coming in to tell me something and finding me in my mermaid state. She’d totally freak out.
Everything else aside, I’m not even sure I can survive like that. Maybe my mermaid form requires being in the ocean or at least close to it to survive.
The itchiness I feel when I’m closing in on twenty-four hours without taking a dip into the ocean? It’s nothing compared to what I feel now. The pain is almost agonizing. My skin is burning, and I want to peel if off my body so badly. That’s how strong the sensation is. And it’s not just skin; my whole body, inside and out, hurts.
The whole day I’ve been rubbing and scratching my exposed skin, so much that it became red and raw. Noel even asked me during our lunch break if I had some kind of allergy or something.
As the day went on, it became harder to breathe and I could feel my heart speed up in my chest. Even now, it’s beating frantically, my breathing hurried, but shallow.
Sighing, I loosen my grip on the curtain.
It’s time to go.
The house is quiet when I get downstairs. My parents went to have dinner with some friends of theirs, and I told them I’m sleeping over at Noel’s house.
I close and lock the door behind me, stashing the key in my hiding place so I don’t lose it somewhere. Then I hurry down to the beach.
There isn’t much time left for me before the moon rises, and if I got it right, I have to be in the ocean before that happens if I don’t want the whole town, the whole world, finding out about my secret.
Finally getting to the cove, I look around just to double check I’m alone before taking off my clothes and hiding them. By now I’ve learned my lesson and always take off my clothes before diving in, so when I get back, I have something to put on.
Slowly, I walk to the ocean. The tingling beneath my skin intensifies as I get closer, almost like it’s reaching a crescendo. I tilt my head back and look at the sky.
It’s growing darker by the second, and the moon will soon be out.
I take a step forward, my toes touching the ocean water.
The feel of the ocean? Pure perfection.
Like a cool shower to my heated skin. I can feel my whole body breathe in relief, and I want to cry from happiness, so I run forward and dive in.
The ocean closes around me, like a mother hugging her child after they’ve spent time apart. I can feel my whole body sigh. My muscles loosen as my heart slows down and my lungs open to breathe.
The water that surrounds me turns into a mix of bubbles and spume while magic happens beneath the surface touched by the soft moonlight.
Cutting through the waves, I get closer to the surface. Throwing my head back, I let the cool night breeze and brilliant moonlight touch my face as I take one deep breath in.
Salty air fills my nostrils, and I can finally breathe.
Excited squeaking draws my attention just in time to see a small, silky body crash into mine.
“Hey, you!” A smile spreads over my lips.
Instantly, I start petting the beautiful creature in front of me. I haven’t seen the small dolphin or his friends in a while, but it appears they’re back.
He’s just as beautiful as ever, and by the looks of it, he knows exactly who I am.
“I missed you, too!”
The dolphin comes so close to me his snout brushes against my nose, making me giggle.
Soon, his friends join us. Every one of them wants his fair share of attention. I give in; after all, there is nothing better I have to do for the next few hours.
After I pet all of them, one of the dolphins shoves me lightly in the back, urging me forward as the rest of his friends start swimming toward the open ocean.
I start to look around, my eyes scanning the beach and the ocean for people. Just as I’m about to give in, I see it.
Her.
Standing at the edge of a small cliff, the wind is playing with her long dark hair, making it float around her as a white dress swirls around her legs.
The ocean nymph, standing on her own two feet as she looks over her kingdom.
The nudging continues so I turn around, pushing the nymph out of my mind for the moment.
Chuckling at their impatience, I shake my head. “Okay, okay… I’m coming!”
Together, we swim. I don’t know how long or how far. I don’t turn around to look over my shoulder to confirm if I can see the dim lights of my town shine in the night or not. I’ll find my way back when I need to.
I know I will.
It’s like I have some inner GPS or something that shows me the way. I know the ocean and all the paths that are underneath the water.
The sky is now completely dark and showered in tiny, brilliant stars. Moonlight casts its light on the smooth surface, leading the way through the darkness.
We follow it together.
The dolphins swim around me, diving deep before they jump back in the air. They flip forward and backward, trying to impress me with their tricks. One even lets me hold on to his flipper as we swim together through the dark ocean.
Finally, we get to rocky land. It looks like a mountain rising from the water. I’m not really sure if it’s one of Hawaii’s islands or if we’ve wandered somewhere further.
I stop just a few feet from it, but most of the dolphins dive in and disappear from my eyes, leaving only me and Flipper, that’s what I decided to call the smallest dolphin, outside.
Flipper starts going after his family, but when he realizes I’m still floating in my place, he turns around to look at me.
“What’s inside?” I ask him, although I know he can’t answer me. “Is it a volcano or something?”
Flipper squeals, and I’m telling you, his little head is tilting in the direction where the rest of his friends disappeared, urging me to move on. Sighing, I follow behind. When we’re almost touching the rocky surface, he dips inside and I follow his lead.
The pathway is narrow, but enough for me to slip through it.
I notice it instantly, the way the water is different inside this place. It’s a light aqua-green color. And although I still haven’t reached the surface, I can hear the sound of water slowly falling. Waterfalls. Inside of this… cave.
Closing my eyes, I slowly swim to the surface.
Once I can feel the air on my cheeks, I let my eyes open.
Everything is still for a few seconds, my mind dazed with the beauty that surrounds me. It feels like I stepped through a painting and found this little piece of heaven on Earth.
We’re inside of the mountain cave. Stones surround us, and although it should be dark inside, barely visible since it’s night, there’s an opening in the roof. The water falls just off the edges of the roof, and the moon, at its highest, is standing in the center of it, shining brightly and giving the space a special kind of magic.
It’s beautiful.
Stunning.
Marissa
We stay in the cave for hours. I guess it’s some kind of safe haven for them, and I can’t blame them for it. This place is beautiful.
Magical.
For most of the night, I stay floating on my back in the center of the small pool that’s hidden within the cave. Looking at the night sky, the full moon shines brightly. So brightly, you’d have thought it was daytime if it weren’t for the darkness surrounding it and the stars trying to cast their own, weaker light onto the earth.
But when the moon started to fall down and darkness dispersed, I knew it was time to get back. Reluctantly, I let the dolphins accompany me back to the beach.
Once again, Flipper followed me as close to the beach as he could, and then I waved him goodbye before I started the hard task of dragging my body out of the ocean to dry.
Squeezing the excess water out of my hair, I grab a towel and start patting my wet body. The sky is already illuminated in different shades of blue, yellow and gold.
Sunrise.
I’d never seen one before I became a mermaid. Usually, I was too busy sleeping in to get up so early. Maybe that’s why I was never really interested in surfing. Most of the surfers are up at the crack of dawn, catching the waves with the first rays of the sun.
“I see you’re doing well…”
Looking over my shoulder, my eyes take her in, starting at the tips of her toes and slowly rising until I meet aqua-green eyes waiting for me.
“If this is your definition of well,” I deadpan, continuing with tapping the towel over my skin and tail. I’m mostly dry, but it’ll take the help of the sun to turn back to normal.
“I see you’ve made friends.”
A shrug is my only answer.
Nymph sighs, sitting down next to me. She pulls her legs to her chest, her arms wrapping around them and holding them close.
“You don’t have to be like that, you know.” Her chin touches her knees. She looks so young. “I just want to talk.”
She looks young and almost vulnerable, but I don’t let her fool me. Not this time.
I roll my eyes. “Talk? You could have talked to me when I needed your help! Instead you tricked me into this scheme.”
Nymph opens her mouth to say something, but when she sees the hard look on my face, she closes it shut.
“You better go. The sun is up, and once I get my legs back…”
The rest of the sentence hangs in the air, but we both know how it ends.
Nymph gets on her feet and slowly walks toward the ocean. Waves start coming stronger to the beach, ruffling around her feet.
It’s like they’re welcoming her home.
Once again, she turns around. We stare at each other from the distance, not saying a word. There is nothing to say, not really. We both know it.
Giving me one swift nod, she dives in, leaving me alone at the beach.
“Where were you last night?”
I frown, looking at Caleb. He slides into the chair next to mine casually.
What is this all about?
Today, when I got my human body back and returned home, I texted Noel to pick me up for school, so I didn’t get a chance to see him until now. “Why?”
Did he see me yesterday? Panic starts rising inside of me, but I try to push it down, acting as casual as possible.
His insightful eyes look at me with curiosity. “I stopped by last night, hoping we could go have ice cream or something. But your house was completely dark.”
My heart flutters in my chest. “Oh…” I nibble at my lower lip. “I was at Noel’s. We had a girls’ night.”
The lie leaves a sour taste in my mouth. But I decide to keep to a simple story, the same one I gave my mom, too.
I don’t like lying, and I’m a shit liar at best. I’m starting to worry I’ll get lost in all the secrets and lies and somebody will figure it out. Call me out on all the things I’ve been fabricating these last few weeks.
Green eyes narrow at me. There is a frown between his brows, and if I weren’t so preoccupied with trying to figure Caleb out, I’d probably try to reach out and smooth it because he looks so damn cute all serious like that. But my brain is in overdrive trying to figure out if he saw me, and if so, where.
“I thought…” I tilt my head to the side, waiting for him to continue. His eyes zero in on my lips, before he shakes his head. “Nah, forget it…”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” Caleb scratches the nape of his neck. His biceps bulge with the motion, and his white T-shirt lifts, revealing a bit of tanned skin. “I probably have it wrong.”
My mouth suddenly gets dry when I get a peek of the V leading to his shorts. “Rain check?”
Caleb gives me one of his smug smirks that makes me narrow my eyes at him. “Actually…”
I lift my finger in the air in warning. “Don’t forget about the rules.”
He chuckles lightly at me. “Baby, when you’re ready, you’ll come to me begging for me to kiss you.”
With every word, he leans closer to me. So close I can feel his warm breath touching my skin. I shiver under his watchful stare, and he sees it.
When he’s so close, I forget how to breathe.
How to think.
My eyes roam freely over his face. Trying to see every line, every twitch…
One side of his lips pulls upward in a half smile. His piercing flashes under the light of the school cafeteria.
Taunting me.
Gulping down the lump in my throat, I make myself lift my gaze to his. “In your dreams.”
A Cheshire cat smile flashes across his face. “We’re way past that.”
My cheeks blush bright red, making him laugh hard.
“But seriously… Rob’s parents are going out of town this weekend. There will be a party at his place.”
“I’m not su…”
“Ty will be there.”
The mention of Taylor’s name is like a bucket of cold water thrown over my head. Getting Ty to notice me is the ultimate goal. I can’t let myself forget about it. “Okay, count me in.”
CALEB
“Hey, Noel!” I run after her, trying to catch up to her hurried stride. “Wait up!”
She turns around, slowing down to stop when she sees me hurrying after her. Noel didn’t join us for lunch today. Marissa said she was working on some project or something, but now that I see her I had to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind about Marissa.
Yesterday after I got to Marissa’s house only to find it all dark, I decided to take a stroll on the beach and try later before going home. Only I didn’t get too far when I saw Noelani and Rob at the beach.
They were both wearing their wetsuits and their surfboards were standing next to them, long forgotten. Sitting close to each other, they were laughing and flirting. I didn’t stay long because things were starting to get heated, shocker really, and I didn’t want to be a creep. I turned around and went to my car that was parked in front of Marissa’s house, which was still dark, so I gave up and returned home.
“Caleb, hi.” She smiles at me once I finally get to her.
“I know this will seem strange…” One of her pale blond brows rises in question. “But, where were you last night?”
I can see my question surprises her. “I know it’s none of my business, but I’m actually trying to figure out where Marissa was.”
“Marissa?” She frowns. “She said she had some homework to do, so she stayed home.”
Homework, my ass. Nobody does homework in a dark house.
“Why? Is something wrong?”
I shake my head. “Nah, I’m just trying to figure her out.”
“She’s been acting strange lately.” Noel nods her head in agreement.
“You think? I thought I was the only one who noticed it.”
“No, she’s been acting funn
y for weeks now.” Noel looks over my shoulder, humming. “Actually, since the night of the storm.”
“The storm?”
“Yeah, the one that pulled Taylor underwater. He still swears there was somebody out there with him that night.”
I let her words sink in, my mind going back a few weeks. I don’t remember anything strange, but Noel is right. Ty still mentions it sometimes, but not as much as those first days. I was surprised when he came to school the next day claiming he was pulled underwater by the storm only to be saved by something mysterious. Someone. Although people love him, they had a hard time accepting his explanation. Hell, I had a hard time accepting it. Nobody in their right mind would dare get out during a storm like that.
“Anyway, after that, she started to act strange. She’s avoiding the beach and swimming all together, and she’s obsessed with getting Ty to…”
Noel stops mid-sentence, like she just realized who she’s talking to.
“You can say it.”
Her big, brown eyes fill with sadness that makes my insides clench. That’s the reason I’ve been trying to hide my feelings for Marissa for so long. To avoid these kinds of looks. I don’t need anyone’s pity, sympathy or understanding. Am I really that transparent? Can Noelani see what I’ve been hiding for so long?
“I’m sorry…”
“No, don’t be.” I stop her from continuing. It’s not her fault Marissa only sees one guy and that guy isn’t me. “Marissa wants Ty. Nothing new about that.”
“Maybe, once upon a time, but now I’m not so sure…” Noel draws out.
“You don’t have to try and make me feel better, Noel. I know how Marissa feels. Who she wants.”
“You can’t see it, because you’re looking too subjectively on the whole situation. But I can see her when she’s with you, Caleb.” Noel shakes her head stubbornly. “I thought she wanted Ty, too. She did want to be with him, but since you two started…” She waves her hand in the air, which is quite fitting to describe our relationship.
Scam.
Pretense.
Lie.
Take your pick.
“She’s changed. I think she sees you, Caleb.” She smiles softly at me. “I think she finally sees you.”