“Different how?” She frowned up at me, shading her eyes from the sun.
“All this…kissing and—”
“Well, we’re in love each other. Just like you said people should be. Shouldn’t we show it?”
“Of course you should,” I said. “It’s just…”
“You’re jealous,” Chloe said.
I looked at Chloe then at Ethan. My mouth opened and for a moment I stood there hanging on the edge of a yet to be determined sentence. Then I said: “Yeah, I guess I am.”
Maybe Chloe expected me to say otherwise because she covered her mouth in surprise. But I was as shocked as her. Suddenly I felt sorry for telling the truth. Especially since I hadn’t realized it myself until I said it out loud. Ethan looked at the rocks. He hated confrontation.
“You’d prefer it be you and Ethan?”
“Chloe…” Ethan said.
“No! That’s not what I meant at all.” I crouched and grabbed Chloe’s hand. She shook me off and stood, pulling Ethan with her.
“C’mon.” Chloe headed up the path that led away from the beach. Ethan resisted.
“Well?” she said. “Me or her?”
Ethan looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“Just go! Both of you. You know that’s not what I meant!” I turned toward the ocean, eyes burning with anger.
When I looked back at them, they were walking up the path together. I shouted after them. “How could you say that? He’s like my brother!”
I was so angry, I followed them but then stopped and let them go. If that’s how they wanted to be, fine. To hell with both of them. I walked closer to the water’s edge and stood on the rock. Gentle, blue waves lapped against the golden shore. I wished I could jump into the ocean and swim away from the island and its troubles. But there was no escape from myself. My thoughts turned to Daniel.
I’d replayed that day in my head many times. But on certain days, when the air temperature was just right, when a warm breeze blew from the East as it did today, and when I missed him acutely, the memory poked at the soft places in my heart, struggling to tear itself free.
CHAPTER SIX
I was fourteen. And on that day, just as the four of us surfaced from our dive, a beautiful, delicate tern swooped overhead. He carried a small silver fish in his long beak. We paused for a moment to watch, treading water in the hot, late afternoon sun. The fish ceased its flapping, and the tern flew across the water and landed on a rock near shore to consume its feast.
We’d been diving all day. As usual, I went deeper than anyone, even Daniel. But it wasn’t only about depth; a keen eye and instinct beneath the surface were needed. That day, Danny won.
Daniel held up his hand. “Look at this!” he cried. In his hand he held an incredible rainbow conch shell. What amazed me was its surface, an iridescent shifting rainbow of colors. It looked like a living jewel.
“That’s amazing! Like a crown jewel,” I said.
Daniel held the shell above him and took on a mock, regal bearing. The hues undulated in the sun, competing with the shimmering sea and his blue eyes to become the most iridescent thing around. Even compared with the rainbow shell and deep blue ocean, Daniel’s eyes won, at least for me. I could look in Daniel’s eyes forever. Pools of turquoise blue flecked with specks of amber.
“King of Lemuria!” Chloe shouted.
“Emperor of Atlantis,” I teased.
“Was there an emperor?” Daniel asked. He was always a pragmatist. But none of us knew the answer to his question. Maybe we slept through that during Assembly. Certainly a possibility. The history of the ancient lands, which we realized were important, seemed abstract to us. Our world was Alabaster Island along with its shores and hidden depths. Ethan shrugged and rolled over onto his back.
“Listen,” Daniel held the shell to his ear and then offered it to me. It was difficult to hear over the ocean, but I made out soft whispers in another tongue.
“What are they saying?” I recognized it as Lemurian but the language was complex.
“Something like…listen people, here is my story…but I can’t make out the rest,” Daniel said. We took turns trying to understand the shell’s words, but they grew softer and softer the more we listened until they faded away. Soon there was only the ocean. Meanwhile, Ethan hung back, looking jealous over Daniel’s find. Being a year older, Daniel’s muscles had developed faster than Ethan’s and I’d noticed tension building between the two friends.
“One more dive and then we head home?” Ethan said, his eyes flickered with intensity. But I doubted he’d surpass Daniel today.
We were immersed in a game we called Treasure Hunt. Our goal was to collect the largest number of cool and wonderful sea objects before the sun hit a predetermined position. Topaz shells, pieces of smoothed coral, stones that were blindingly white. Today we'd play until the sun hit Pelican Rock. Then we’d compare our finds and whoever had the best trove of booty became the winner that day.
Being declared winner wasn’t as subjective as it sounded. You might think we’d each be biased toward choosing objects from our own pile as the best, but none of us were like that. One of the special things that bonded us together was the similar way we viewed the world. More than that, and I only realized it later, it was our appreciation for the aesthetic and tactile beauty of our island.
We had no money, on Alabaster Island, remember. Everything on the island happened through exchange and barter. The items we found became our currency. Not the island’s, but Chloe, Daniel, Ethan’s and mine. Any object that could be traded became fair game. Favors given for fortune, unwanted chores agreed to in exchange for new and wonderful finds and of course the objects got traded themselves. Chloe’s sand dollar for Daniel’s three tiny conch shells, Ethan’s lovely piece of golden coral for my smooth, round blue stone with a hole in its precise center. Ethan still wore that stone as a necklace the last time I saw him, even though I tried to trade for it several times.
We swam along the reef and found another spot to dive. This last spot had become our favorite though that shifted from day-to-day. The currents were strong in this area and we never knew what objects we might find buried in the sand or trapped in a web of coral.
But today we found nothing to beat the jewel-like shell. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Nor could anyone else. After, we sat in a circle in the shadow of Pelican Rock enjoying the shade and sharing a big jug of lemon water I’d brought to share. We tried trading various combinations for Daniel’s shell. “Nope, not interested,” he repeated.
We traded amongst ourselves for smaller things. A blue sand dollar for three shark’s teeth, a whalebone for a piece of alabaster. We were nearly finished when Daniel leaned in and whispered, “I’d trade you my shell for something. If you’d be willing.” His breath lingered warm against my ear.
A kiss. That was the first thing that came to mind. My face grew hot, and I knew I must be blushing even beneath my brown skin tanned from the wind and sun.
“For what?” I whispered back, wishing we were alone. But instead of a kiss he said: “I’d trade you my shell, for the song.”
The song? That was unexpected. I opened my mouth to say no, but the rainbow conch caught my eye again. It was one of the most extraordinary objects we’d ever pulled from the sea. But Mom had been adamant: I was not allowed to sing this song.
“We won’t tell,” Daniel said, answering my unspoken question. I’d sung this song once before, just briefly, and by accident. It had obsessed Daniel and Ethan ever since. It was the only time I’d received serious punishment from my mother. She made me promise I’d never sing it again. “It’s your heartsong,” she said. “Best kept safe inside.” When I’d asked her why, she’d become flustered, unusual for her. “Mom doesn’t like things she doesn’t understand,” Dad explained later.
“Okay, deal,” I said after a short pause. “But let's go somewhere where no one can hear.”
“Pelican Cave?” Chloe suggested.
“I’m trading the song for Daniel’s shell,” I reminded her. “That doesn't mean I want an audience.” Ethan’s brows knit together, and he folded his arms. Chloe shrugged as if to say “Okay, if you want to be that way.” But she had never heard me sing.
“Everything I have,” Ethan offered all his treasure. I looked at him and swallowed.
“Are you serious? Just for a song?” Chloe asked Ethan, mouth agape.
This felt wrong. Besides, it was too easy. We spent hours bartering and arguing over our various trades. One day Dad walked past and said we were worse than Moroccan carpet dealers, whatever they were.
I waved Ethan’s offer away. “Fine everyone can come, it doesn’t matter,” I said. “As long as Daniel trades me his shell.” Maybe I’ll trade it back for a kiss another time, I thought.
We climbed single file to Pelican Cave. While it wasn’t a large cave, it was our favorite hideaway of many hidden spots on the island. Once inside we were sheltered from the elements by a vast overhang of rock. The cave itself extended six by ten feet before it narrowed to a narrow crawl space that diminished in height until you had to wriggle along on your stomach like a snake. We’d each explored as far as we dared and never got stuck, but it became overwhelming. For the first few feet it was fun adventure. Knee, elbow, knee, elbow but it became darker and darker as the narrow crevasse descended. Chloe made it the farthest. She explored for over half an hour with Ethan and had crawled on far ahead of him.
“No end that I saw,” she’d said when she returned, grimy and out of breath. “The cave goes on and on forever.” Maybe the passage led to the sea. If it did, I’m not sure when we’d ever find out.
Today we sat in a circle. A narrow beam of sunlight illuminated the cave. For me, my song expressed pure emotion. Raw emotion that frightened me. In fact, since my mom's warning, I'd come to link all emotion with its forbidden expression.
I sang. My chest trembled with the melody that escaped from my lips. Eyes closed, I lost myself for several minutes. Pure sound thrummed and vibrated and I forgot my surroundings. When I opened my eyes, Chloe cried softly. Ethan and Daniel sat with rapt smiles on their faces.
“Was it okay?” I asked, voice hoarse and body shaking. They looked at me, eyes wide.
Daniel handed me the shell. “Here,” he said. I hesitated. Suddenly I wished I’d never agreed to sing. A deep sense of shame washed over me. He put his hand on my shoulder and pressed the shell into the palm of my hand. “You deserve it.” For a minute, we held hands, but then he pulled away, awkward.
We walked home in silence. Ethan and Daniel began to argue in low voices. I heard Daniel mention “his song”. Perhaps he regretted allowing the others to listen. I wasn’t sure. The sun was setting, and I rushed onward, sorry for an awkward end to a lovely day.
Singing had drained me. It had tired me right to my core. And I felt guilty. My throat felt raw and my soul too. Now I understood why mom hadn’t wanted me to sing this song. Wherever it came from, it was magic. Maybe even more powerful than magic. I walked with Chloe. Behind us, Ethan and Daniel continued to argue. When we reached the village square I paused. Ethan and Daniel hung further back, speaking even more heatedly.
“What’s going on with them?” Chloe asked.
“I shouldn’t have sung,” I said.
Chloe shook her head. “No, it was amazing. How did you learn how to create those colors…and the images?”
“I'm not sure…” I said. “I didn’t even know I was.”
“I saw Lemuria. Just like we learned in Assembly. But even more magnificent than I imagined.”
“Really?”
“It makes our island appear…colorless.” She held her hands out to our surroundings. And we both smiled at the same instant. A flock of blue and green parakeets whizzed past and landed in a palm tree. The sun set, falling like a giant golden disk that ignited the ocean purple. One thing Alabaster Island didn’t lack was color. And yet…even though I hadn’t seen the images she mentioned, I understood. The song had opened a hole in my heart. An inexpressible longing. Even more painful because although I knew I missed something I couldn’t put into words what it was. Maybe it was Lemuria. Perhaps that’s what we longed for? To return to our ancient motherland.
Chloe turned to walk to her house, and I headed toward the path that led home. Ethan and Daniel left. They walked off on their own while Chloe and I spoke. Back home mom’s eyes grew wide when she saw the rainbow shell in my hand.
“A story shell,” she said, taking it from me. She put the shell to her ear for a moment and listened. “The story’s used up. Where did you find this?” she asked, handing it back.
“Daniel found it. He gave it to me.” My voice still burned raw from the song. And I hurried to my room where I put the shell in a box and slid it beneath my bed.
The next day Assembly got canceled. There had been a terrible accident. After me and Chloe left, Daniel and Ethan had traded dumb dares between them. They agreed on a diving competition at dusk. Daniel never resurfaced.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I made my way around the eastern section of the island. Lost in memory and wanting to be alone, I climbed up between two giant boulders and sat and looked out at the ocean. I still had the melody in my head and it undulated with the waves.
For the first time I felt at peace with my choice, or more accurately lack of choice. There was no boy I loved the way Mom and Dad loved each other. Kassandra lived alone as did Mayor Marlow. I would also live alone. As I walked, my mood improved, and I became hopeful. Not everyone needed to be paired. At least I hoped.
From the boulders, I headed to the right, along a narrow, winding path. It led behind the Assembly house and avoided the main buildings. Midway, I rounded a turn and stopped short. Ben crouched behind a rock with his buddy Carlson, Chloe’s younger brother. Ben had his arm drawn back and with a thrum the arrow released from his bow. It shot toward a rock barely missing two seagulls. They escaped to the sky, crying with fear while Ben reeled the arrow back on a slender, transparent thread.
“Almost!” Carlson said.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted. Ben stood looking guilty and surprised to see me in this out-of-the-way location. But he recovered, and his usual scowl returned.
“What does it look like? Target practice.”
“You can’t kill seagulls!”
“Why?”
“You killed Maxie, didn't you?” I stormed toward him. Ben raised his hand in warning.
“Watch it, I have no clue what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Have you come to confess your love for us?” Carlson asked. Then he frowned and looked constipated pretending to be me holding a pen.
“Ben or Carlson…they’re both so handsome…I can’t decide!” Carlson said in falsetto as he swooned against Ben, holding his hand to his forehead. “Which one! Someone help me chooooose!”
Ben roared with laughter. If there were any two people I had no problem not choosing, it was them. Most kids on the island were sixteen except for Carlson who was fifteen. Shorter than Ben by a foot, they made a comical team.
Ben was sweating hard, and it left his brown hair plastered to his head like a helmet. I grabbed for his bow, but Ben moved it out of reach with a snarl.
“You’re pathetic,” I grumbled and walked past them. “We’ll see what Mayor Marlow says when I tell him.” But I doubted I’d get much sympathy. Mayor Marlow disliked me, Ethan and Chloe ever since Daniel died. And Ben brought in most of the fish we depended on during this time of food shortage. Marlow wouldn't deny him what he wanted, even if that meant killing a few seagulls.
“I bet you even knew,” I spat over my shoulder.
“Knew what?” Ben asked as they followed behind.
“Maxie. That I fed her. My seagull.”
“I don’t know nothing about it. But someone’s in a nasty mood today,” Ben teased.
“Go shoot yourself in the eye,” I responded. “I ho
pe you do.”
I continued walking. “Are you following me?”
“We’re helping my Dad at the dock. If you don’t want us walking with you, then you can find another path.” Ben said.
But no other path existed. It might have been possible to take a different way if I didn’t mind getting scratched up by a thousand thorns and a million thistles. But not only were we walking in the same direction, Ben walked as close behind me as possible. One thousand three hundred and thirty two, one thousand three hundred and thirty-three. I counted my steps, hoping I’d end on a lucky step and they’d go away.
One of his feet snagged my left foot, and I nearly fell on step one thousand three hundred and thirty-nine. Rage welled up inside of me. Without thinking I turned and pushed Ben back as hard as I could. Ben was one of the biggest boys on the island. He worked with his father, Cunningham, fishing and repairing their old boat and ancient dock that looked ready to fall into the ocean any moment. Maybe I caught him off-guard, or maybe it was because Carlson stood right behind him, but Ben tripped over Carlson and fell right on his ass, one of his arrows embedding itself in his buttocks.
He let out a strangled scream and tears welled up in his eyes. Carlson leaned to help him. Ben staggered up and Carlson pulled out the now broken arrow. A blood stain appeared on Ben’s shorts. He gasped in pain and turned his gray-green eyes dark with a rage that replaced the usual dull anger. Time to leave. I ran home so fast I lost track of the steps and didn’t remember if it ended lucky or unlucky.
Dad wasn’t in his bedroom. Climbing the metal stairs to the lighthouse, I expected to find him with Mom, but he wasn’t there either. I wanted to tell them about Ben and Maxie. And what happened when I pushed Ben; an accident and not my fault. Out-of-breath, I rounded the eighty-ninth stair, but they weren’t there either.
The lighthouse was tall, but felt taller because it stood on the highest point of the island. Wind whistled against the windows and the structure swayed. I looked through the telescope.
Alabaster Island_The Mermaid Curse Page 3