Promises (Book One of The Syrenka Series)

by Amber Garr

  My swim home seemed too quick. I stayed lost in the elation of Brendan’s promise and thinking about what I could take with me when I left my home. Maybe one suitcase and my iPod, we could always replace what we couldn’t carry. Would we fly or drive? Where would we go? Brendan promised to make all of the necessary arrangements soon, but I didn’t know if I could wait to hear his plan.

  Night was nearly here and the silhouette of my house looked bleak and menacing. When I reached our backyard stretch of beach, I noticed someone waiting for me. Sighing, I picked up my scattered clothing without acknowledging my guest.

  “You’re in so much trouble this time,” a whiney, nasally voice taunted.

  “Shut up, Marisol, and mind your own business.” I walked briskly back to the stairs, trying to ignore my sister, but she followed closely at my heels.

  “I don’t understand what’s wrong with you. This is what we were born to do and Kain is super rich and totally gorgeous.” She tripped on one of the steps and stumbled into me. I turned with a glare so evil that she cowered and stepped away. “He doesn’t deserve you,” she whispered.

  I knew the sharp words rang true. Kain didn’t deserve someone who couldn’t love him. He was too good and too nice. My sister was right, but that didn’t mean I had to let her know it.

  “You don’t even know what you’re talking about Mars,” I snapped at her, using the childhood nickname she loathed. “Just mind your own business for once and leave me alone!”

  Stomping up the stairs was probably a mistake. Although I managed to lose one nagging voice, two more waited at the top. The dark wood deck wrapped entirely around the raised first floor of our house, and was large enough to hold a hundred people. But only two stood there now. I looked into my parents eyes and saw their growing disappointment. They leaned against the railing on the far side with my father holding my mother in front of him in a show of support and unity. I rolled my eyes.

  “Told you,” chirped Marisol as she dodged out of the way of my swinging hand.

  “Eviana Anne Dumahl. Do not strike your sister.” My father’s harsh command sent chills through my body. I really hated it when he got this mad at me. “And put some clothes on.”

  I stood before them completely naked and soaking wet. Succumbing to the grueling glares, I reluctantly pulled on my blouse using my arms to secure it to my body rather than button it up.

  “Where did you go?” my father asked in a lighter tone.

  Before I could answer, my mother cut in, “You were with him weren’t you?”

  She pulled away from my father’s arms and walked toward me with determination. Her long dark hair flowed around her perfectly smooth face. The grace and confidence with which she moved still astounded me. Without looking into her eyes, I threw back my shoulders and stood my ground. Anything to defy her.

  She literally sniffed me. Her nose moved around my neck, my hair, and even my hands. There was no way I could deny who I’d spent the last few hours with, and I wouldn’t try to anyway.

  “I want to be with him. Not Kain.”

  My mother tsked at me in disgust and grabbed my face with her hands. Although slightly shorter, her domineering personality still intimidated me. Plus she squeezed my cheeks pretty hard.

  “You will not see that boy again, do you understand? The Matthews have finally agreed to conduct this marriage and you will respect your duties and your family. This is very important to our survival. Can you even begin to comprehend what type of message your behavior is sending them?”

  I saw the frustration building in her eyes, and before I even realized what happened, my tears spilled over. I pushed her hands away and turned to my father.

  “Please, dad. Please! Don’t make me do this!” I waved my arm back toward the house. “Marisol would kill to have the chance to marry Kain and provide him children. Why can’t she just do it?”

  “Oh Eviana, please don’t upset yourself like this.” He glided over and wrapped me in an embrace. His warm body and soothing voice kept offering me false hope.

  “Stop babying her, Charles,” my mother snapped. “She’s almost eighteen now. It’s about time she started acting like it.”

  Marguerite, my mother and the Dumahl Clan leader, didn’t stop there. “You and I had to endure our arranged marriage when we were younger than this.” Turning to me, she continued, “I became a leader when I was your age. I survived. Charles and I survived. And so will you. Stop acting like a spoiled brat and accept your responsibility!”

  My mother walked away to the deck’s edge to regain her composure and my father sighed. I knew what was coming next.

  “Eviana, you must do as you are told. Kain is a nice young man with a good family. And from what I can see, he is already quite taken with you.”

  My uncontrolled sobbing couldn’t be stopped. I really did hate disappointing my father and even my mother sometimes. But this was not the life I wanted. To be forced to marry and have kids with someone I didn’t love? No, I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t.

  I suddenly realized I wasn’t crying because I’d have to marry Kain, I was crying because I knew I had to run away. There was no other choice at this point.

  Feigning total defeat, I pulled away and looked up at him. His middle-aged face could pass for someone ten years younger, but the wrinkles around his eyes did little to hide his distress. I’d probably been the cause of most of those lines.

  “When is it?” I asked.

  Both of my parents looked at me in shock. They shared a glance between them, no doubt trying to figure out if this was a trick. My mother replied hesitantly, “The first of the month.”

  “What? But that’s less than two weeks! I won’t even be eighteen yet.” And Brendan and I wouldn’t have a chance to leave.

  “You don’t have to be eighteen. We’re giving our permission,” my father said with a questioning tone.

  “But…can’t we postpone it until after my birthday? That’s only another couple of days. I’m sure Kain wouldn’t mind.”

  “It’s already been arranged, Eviana. Stop being so difficult,” my mother said while wrapping her arms around my father’s waist.

  He looked down at her. “Marguerite, I’m sure we could wait a few more days. The Matthews would be amenable.”

  “You spoil her, Charles. This is why she acts the way she does.” She sighed dramatically and thought about his request. Her lips pursed together and she stared intensely at me for a full minute. “Fine. I’ll talk to them. But you will be married the weekend after your birthday. That gives you plenty of time to say goodbye to that selkie boy.”

  My gut twitched with a mixture of relief, anger, and anticipation. I’d just bought myself a few extra days, and although I hated my mother’s attitude toward him, I knew Brendan and I would be gone by that time.

  “Thank you,” I said somberly. “I won’t disappoint you.” My mother huffed and my dad smiled. I turned to walk into the house when she called my attention back to them.

  “There’s something else.” Her clipped voice held the business tone and I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever she planned to say. “We’re sending you to The Cotillion this year. You leave tomorrow.”

  “What? Why?” The Cotillion was an annual gathering of the merfolk syrenka, or the apprentice adults. Once we reached marriage age, which was anywhere from sixteen to twenty, the guardians would prep and train us for our future in clan politics. Likewise, if someone wasn’t already promised in marriage, The Cotillion served as a sort of matchmaking ball.

  My mother continued, “Since you’ll be marrying Kain, you’ll both be attending this year. His father is not aging well, and Kain is the next in line for leadership. You’ll present yourself as a couple and Harlan will serve as your guardian.”

  Harlan Matthew was Kain’s father and leader of their clan. I’d only met him a couple of times, so I didn’t know if the next few days would be horrible or not. Kain and I got along well enough, but it was never a compl
etely comfortable situation.

  In all fairness, Kain wouldn’t have been a bad choice for someone. He was attractive, funny, and had been in love with me since we were five. He came from a line of leaders and always presented himself as such. Despite my subtle and palpable attempts to encourage him to find someone else, he never seemed interested in other girls. And my heart had always belonged to someone else.

  “But what about school?”

  “The arrangements have been made.” My mother’s favorite phrase.

  “When do I leave?”

  “Tomorrow evening,” my father said calmly and then smiled. “I think you’ll like the location.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re going to Florida. Well, the Florida Keys to be more specific. The Donnellys are hosting this year.”

  Florida didn’t sound like that bad of an idea, although I really wished Brendan could go with me instead. I’d never been there and the Donnellys were one of the wealthiest clans next to the Matthews and the Dumahls. Rumor had it they owned their own island.

  “Enough for now,” my mother cut in. “Go inside, shower, and pack for tomorrow. I’ll get your travel documents ready.” She stepped closer to me, put her hands on my shoulders, and stared up into my eyes. “I expect you to be on your best behavior, Eviana Dumahl. If I so much as hear one negative comment from anyone, and I mean anyone, you’ll be locked in this house until I can marry you off to the Matthews. Do you understand me?”

  I swallowed hard, fighting my urge to respond. My father caught my glance, pleading with his eyes until I reluctantly nodded to my mother.

  “Good,” she breathed. “Now get inside.”

  I turned to cross the rest of the deck, but not before stripping off my blouse and sashaying away in all of my naked glory. There was always a way to get the last word.

  Once inside, I immediately went upstairs to my third floor bedroom. Our house was ridiculously large with eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms plus a guest cottage over the garage. The beach location was prime and many years ago, our ancestors purchased multiple tracks of land to allow for the privacy our kind desires. All merfolk went to elite private schools, all had new cars as soon as they could drive, and wanted for nothing. I guess that was part of the tradeoff for being forced to marry and mate once you became an adult. They stole your freedom later in life and therefore spoiled you rotten early on.

  “So, did they rip you a new one?” Marisol’s high-pitched, annoying voice yanked me from my thoughts. “Are you permanently grounded for the next two weeks?” She stood in the hall, blocking the path to my door.

  “Get out of my way,” I threatened.

  Ignoring me, she stepped closer and stood on her tip toes to get right in my face. “You’re a disgrace to this family. I can’t wait until you leave with the Matthews.”

  I envisioned how good it would feel to punch her and watch the bloody nose clogged her piercing voice, but I took a deep breath instead. The best way to handle Marisol was to ignore the bait. So I stood and waited for her to give up.

  “Not going to fight me, huh? My, my…they must have really punished you this time.” She swayed from side to side, trying to encourage a reaction. Believe me, it was hard to restrain myself. Finally, she sighed and blew a cloud of hot air in my face. “Whatever,” she huffed and walked away.

  I stood there for another moment wondering if I would miss her when Brendan and I left. My father, yes. My mother…probably. But Marisol, I didn’t think so. She had a mean streak in her ten times worse than my mother’s. In all honestly, she would make for a much better leader than me. Her cold, detached personality should serve her well in that capacity. And when I left, she’d be next in line. Although only fourteen, perhaps they would send her to Cotillion next year and marry her off to Kain. It would be her dream come true.

  For the next hour, I packed all of the cute sundresses, wedges, and jewelry I could fit into my suitcase. I did manage to squeeze in my one ball gown that we purchased last year at my mother’s insistence. It had never been worn, and I was secretly excited to finally try it out, although I would never let my mother know.

  After my shower, I tried to call Brendan. He didn’t answer, but then I realized what time it was and knew why. He’d just turned twenty-one and was now a full-time bartender at one of the beach bars in the next town over. It was a little dive, but during the peak season, it was packed with tourists and an eclectic group of locals. At least that’s what he told me. I’d never been there.

  I envied Brendan for his work ethic and drive. Even though he’d been forced to leave home at sixteen, as most selkies are, he managed to graduate from college last year with a biology degree while working every night at one job or another. His maturity far topped mine, and I often wondered why he’d even want to put up with me. I was spoiled and pampered and never really had a goal other than to not marry Kain and not have his children.

  Opening my journal, I jotted down three words: Find a purpose. Since I had a long flight and even longer weekend ahead of me, I vowed to make Brendan proud of me by maturing. As I smiled to myself in pride, my phone beeped with a text message from Brendan.

  Sorry. Busy tonight. Everything OK?

  I replied instantly. Yes. No. They’re sending me to Cotillion tomorrow night. In Florida! Meet after school?

  Another minute passed before he responded. Absolutely. See you at the point. That was our second favorite private spot, and it wasn’t as far away as our island.

  OK. Be there by 4. Miss you. Love you.

  Love you too Evs. Sweet dreams.

  I wanted to run to the bar and wrap my arms around him now. The only thing keeping me in bed were my visions of what our life was going to be like together. No one telling us that we can’t date. No one telling us what to eat or drink. No one making plans about our future. It was going to be wonderful.

  I fell asleep with a smile on my face dreaming about our first apartment together and counting down the days until my escape.