Ocean's Fire

by Stacey Tucker

  “Merlot,” Skylar said, digging through the kit.

  “When did wine become so popular they named nail polish after it?” Beatrice asked.

  Skylar shrugged. “Nana, going back to Mom for a second, do you know much about her biology? You know, as I get older, it would be good to know if I have a propensity for . . . diseases and things. I mean, besides the cancer.”

  “Oh, right. That’s understandable. And you’re probably curious about a family you’ve never met,” Beatrice said, relaxing as Skylar began to paint her fingernails a dark maroon. “We only knew them from church, ironically. And this was her stepfather, mind you. Her biological father died soon after she was born; she never knew him.”

  Skylar’s hope for answers fell to the floor. Beatrice had never met Cassie’s father.

  “Her mother remarried for the security of a roof over her head,” Beatrice said. “Cassie used to call him ‘Slugs.’ Unfortunately, they did have a son together, but I don’t know what happened to him.” Beatrice paused in deep thought, then sprang up with the vigor of someone half her age. “Follow me!” She hobbled up the stairs using only her heels, not wanting to disturb the wet polish on her toes.

  Skylar feared she would topple over halfway up the stairs. “Nana, be careful! You shouldn’t be climbing stairs like that.”

  Beatrice waved her off. “Beauty is pain, my dear.”

  Skylar laughed. “There’s my Nana.”

  They made their way to the bedroom. This room, too, hadn’t changed in decades. Skylar couldn’t understand why her grandmother wouldn’t have wanted to update it.

  “Because I never saw anything I liked better,” Beatrice answered, as if reading her mind.

  Skylar went red in the face, caught judging her.

  Beatrice fumbled around the bottom of her closet, casting shoes and small boxes aside as she searched.

  “Aaaaha!” She pulled out a faded photo album Skylar guessed used to be hunter green. It still held the color in its middle, but its perimeter, having been handled for fifty years, had long since lost its formerly brilliant hue. “This was your mother’s,” Beatrice said, handing the book to Skylar. “It’s only fitting for you to have it now.”

  They sat on the bed and opened the album.

  “Let’s see what we’ve got,” Beatrice said.

  They looked through the pages together. Beatrice pointed out a wedding picture of Cassie’s biological grandparents. Skylar stared at the man in the picture for signs of something out of the ordinary. There were none. Another picture showed a boy in knickers. He was an uncle Skylar never knew she had.

  “There are people out there that share my blood, and I have no idea who they are,” she said.

  “I’m sorry about that, Sky. That was where your mother and I disagreed. I told her it was important for you to know about them, even if you never met them. She was adamant that you have no contact, not even see a picture. I never understood, but knowing what I did about her childhood, I couldn’t get too upset with her.”

  They spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and yelling out answers in the form of a question at Alex Trebek. As the sun started to set, Skylar said her good-byes to her grandmother. It was a bittersweet farewell; Skylar didn’t know if this was the last time she would see her grandmother, given her age.

  “I love you, Nana. I really did get the best of you,” Skylar called out as she made her way to the car.

  “I love you, too,” Beatrice said, waving her off in the fading evening light.

  Devlin Grayer was rapidly gaining ground in the political race due to his popularity with the millennials; his national tour of colleges had proved to be a marketing home run. He had been in the Western states during winter break but was back home for a few days before doing the Southeast leg.

  Joshua was easy to keep tabs on, constantly in the press. Milicent had a twenty-four-hour continuous feed of concert footage on the big screen in the Quine’s executive offices, so Skylar couldn’t get away from him. His performance at UC Berkeley was particularly riveting. He was dripping sweat from the heat and shook it off like a wet dog. He was animalistic and raw. Skylar had to admit she was still attracted to him. After all he had done and all she knew he was, she still felt his pull.

  “I think I’m going to pay him a visit,” she said to Suki as they stood in front of the screen watching the set.

  “You can’t be serious,” Suki said, chuckling.

  “I need closure,” Skylar said. “I’ll never be able to move forward with Argan with Joshua still having this power over me.”

  Suki lost her smile. “You are serious. Going to see him will hardly give you closure,” she said. “What are you going to say? Gee, Joshua, your little plan failed; I’m just as much of a freak as you are, so move on to someone else. That’ll be a disaster.”

  Before either of them knew it, Milicent was at their side. “Suki, I need you to finish that report on the construction costs for the dean by lunch,” she said.

  “Right away, ma’am,” Suki said. She gave Skylar a look that said don’t go as she walked away.

  Skylar had tried to avoid Milicent as much as possible since learning about her involvement with Joshua. She was still frightened of the formidable woman, but now she hated her for trying to ruin her life. Ocean and Ronnie had told her to stick it out and learn more, but all she wanted to do was leave. She had three months left until graduation.

  “If there’s nothing you need, ma’am, I would like to run an errand and will be back after lunch,” Skylar said.

  Milicent studied her for a moment. “All right,” she said suspiciously. She turned on her heels and walked out the door.

  Skylar walked across the parking lot in a daze. Suki was right; this was crazy, but she didn’t care. She wanted to see Joshua. She hopped into her car and stared at the ceiling. Her hands shook as she turned the key. She moved her head from side to side, trying to loosen her tight neck muscles. She shut her eyes tight, said a small prayer to the God she used to know, and backed out of her parking space.

  Before Skylar could knock, Joshua came bounding out of his brownstone, still buttoning a tight dress shirt. A tie was draped over his shoulder.

  “I wouldn’t have guessed I’d see you so soon,” he said dryly. His stare hit her like the familiar drug it was. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. He was massive, as intimidating as the hell he was born from. And yet her desire for him remained palpable. She stared at him, scrambling for something to say. She had no rehearsed lines.

  “I . . . I . . . I wanted you to know your plan failed,” she stammered.

  “My plans don’t fail.” He was confident, shutting his front door behind him.

  “Well, this one did,” she said. She wagged her finger in his face like a twelve-year-old with a chip on her shoulder. “Your evil seed wouldn’t stick. It turns out we are too similar, you and I.” She would have to thank Suki for the idea.

  He leaned in toward her. She steeled herself by closing her eyes. He gave her a slow, lingering sniff. Skylar held her breath. She didn’t want his scent to get in her nose.

  “You lie,” he growled. “You killed it.”

  “Nature did,” she said. Her eyes flung open, and she backed away until her hands grasped the railing behind her. He crept toward her on the steps of the brownstone. His mood shifted. His stare reminded her of the first night they met. The monster in his eyes turned lascivious. Hate and anger she could handle; his desire for her, she could not. She inhaled the scent of him and closed her eyes. She heard his breath come out in short bursts like on the night in the alley. All desire vanished, and the memory brought back all of the fear. She opened her eyes, and he was inches from her face.

  “Stay away from me,” she growled at him.

  “Why did you come here, then?” he asked in a low voice. He grabbed her arm, nearly breaking it with his brute strength.

  “Let . . . go!” she screamed, loud enough for passersby to hear.

  �
��Is there a problem?” a cyclist slowed to ask.

  Joshua dropped her arm. “This isn’t over,” he whispered in her ear. His hot breath tingled on her neck. She bolted down the steps.

  “I promise!” he yelled after her.

  “Thanks,” Skylar said quickly to the concerned biker. She ran to her car and sped away to Ocean’s.

  “You sought him out by yourself?” Ocean asked in a scolding tone. “Why?”

  “I wanted him to know he didn’t win.” Skylar’s explanation was only part of the truth. She couldn’t tell Ocean that her desire for Joshua was a maddening force.

  “That was immature and stupid,” Ocean said. “He could have strangled you on the spot.” She poured herself a large whiskey.

  “Even when he was angry, I didn’t get the sense that he would hurt me,” Skylar said. “I had hoped to get a clue about what Milicent needs from me, but I got scared off.”

  Ocean had a skeptical look on her face. “You aren’t that brave.”

  “Thanks,” Skylar said.

  “I’m sorry, that was harsh. You are brave. You’ve been through so much the past few months. I forget you are so young,” Ocean said. “But between Joshua and Milicent, your better bet is to stick with Milicent.”

  “That woman scares me more than Joshua ever could,” Skylar said. She followed Ocean onto the expansive deck. She was glad to be back at her house. The last time she had been there, she had been in agony. Now, she was able to enjoy the view more. Ocean’s gardens were already bursting with life. Tulip beds and peony stalks had risen to their full stature. Rose bushes were already dotted in red. “Don’t you think it’s extremely odd that things are blooming . . . in February?” she asked.

  “Actually, no,” Ocean said. “Everyone repeats that stale story about global warming, but that’s bunk. It has more to do with planetary shifting than anything else.”

  “Our planet is shifting?”

  “Yup.” Ocean’s tone was disinterested. “It’s about time we get back on track. We’ve only been off center for three millennia.”

  “You do know most of what you say goes over my head, right?” Skylar asked.

  “I know. It’s impossible to comprehend such nonsense. That’s how I feel about most of what you say,” Ocean said with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Why did I come here?” Skylar said, her ears burning. “All you’ve done since I got here is insult me.”

  “Sorry . . . again. I just say it like it is. And I don’t mean most of what you say, specifically. I mean most humans.”

  Skylar laughed. “Okay.” She stared down at the leafless tree in the backyard. “What’s the deal with that tree?” she asked. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  Before Ocean had a chance to respond, her flip phone began to buzz. She showed Skylar the message from Ronnie: Come Now. SOS. JVRHIA.

  “Shit!” Ocean ran out of the room in a flash.

  “What is it?” Skylar raced behind as Ocean continued her sprint to the garage. Skylar was disoriented as they descended two sets of spiral staircases. They dumped out into a room fit for Batman.

  “Five cars?” Skylar scoped out the room as she ran to keep up with Ocean. The vintage Firebird sat next to three other vintage sports cars and one pickup truck, all American made.

  “You aren’t coming with me!” Ocean yelled over the roar of a motorcycle.

  “What’s going on?” Skylar said, ignoring her orders and grabbing a helmet off of a shelf lined with dozens in every color and size.

  “Ugh! Fine! But I’m not responsible for you!” Ocean said as she snapped her helmet shut. Skylar barely made it on the back of the bike before Ocean peeled out of the garage and up the hill to the main house. Skylar was able to get her bearings in the sunlight. They had been underground—possibly near the Grotto, Skylar thought. The bike was too loud to ask questions.

  Ocean was hurtling down the familiar route to the college. She veered off in the direction of the old barn, then screeched the bike to a halt a hundred yards from the barn entrance.

  “I don’t want to announce our arrival,” she said as she threw her helmet on the ground and sprinted for the barn. Skylar dashed after her.

  Only the grey barn-board shell of the stall building remained. Everything else had been dismantled. The Round Room and Argan’s apartment had been stripped to the studs. The indoor ring was completely gone. The structure was scheduled for demolition in a week’s time.

  They rounded the corner where the stalls once stood, and when Skylar looked down the widened aisle she saw Ronnie prone on the barn floor. Skylar started to scream, but Ocean clasped her hand on her mouth. “He’s still here,” she whispered.

  Skylar freed herself from Ocean’s grip, ran to Ronnie’s limp body, and dropped to her knees. “She’s breathing!”

  Ocean swept the barn at a ferocious speed. “He’s got to be here. He didn’t come for Ronnie.”

  Skylar cradled Ronnie in her arms as Ocean bobbed in and out of skeletal rooms.

  “Looking for this?” Joshua’s voice slashed the air like a blade. He walked out into view, a lifeless Rhia cradled in his arms.

  “You son of a bitch!” Skylar rose from Ronnie’s body and came at Joshua, fearless and determined to make him hurt for all of the pain he had inflicted on those she cared about.

  He rebuffed her easily, laughing. “What are you mad at me for?” he said, still holding Rhia’s body. “You only have yourself to blame.”

  Skylar stared at him.

  “Your little visit this morning. I had to regroup, move to Plan B.” He let Rhia’s body fall to the floor with a thud. Skylar lunged to support her head. He leaned over them both. “I could never hurt you,” he said. He took her head in his hands and caressed her face with the tenderness of a lover. “But this one . . .” He motioned to Rhia. “I’ve had my eye on her for a long time.”

  “You’ll never get it,” Ocean hissed, kneeling over Ronnie, surveying her injuries.

  “Any minute now,” Joshua replied sweetly.

  Skylar scooped Rhia up off the floor and cradled her in her lap. “Rhia, wake up. Rhia!” she screamed in the little girl’s face as she lay motionless in her arms. She started rocking her, patting her matted hair back into place. Her body still had life in it; Skylar could feel it. “Say something, Rhia.” Her voice turned to a whisper. She kept repeating her name, hoping for some sign it would all turn around. She started singing softly the song she’d heard Rhia sing around the barn.

  Leelee girl, up so high,

  near the sky.

  Kiss the clouds raining down,

  all feel the sound,

  of the starlight singing,

  angel bells ringing,

  Metatron welcomes me home.

  She continued to rock as she sang. Skylar quieted when she felt a slight hum coming from Rhia. “Oh, thank god, thank god!” she said. The hum got stronger, and she looked up at Ocean. “It’s all right. She’s coming to. I hear her. She’s humming her song.”

  “No. She’s not,” Ocean said.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Skylar saw Joshua hovering, as if waiting to pounce. Ocean put herself between him and Skylar, shielding her and Rhia.

  “I’ll fight you for her, Ocean,” Joshua said, spitting out her name in disgust.

  Ocean lunged at him. He outstretched one arm, and she fell to the ground—but immediately got up, unharmed, and sprang with unnatural force onto his back. She twisted his neck, but it gave only a slight crack.

  “Thanks, I needed that,” he said. He reached down and grabbed Skylar’s shoulder, trying to separate her from Rhia, but she didn’t budge. Her body remained rigid as stone, cradling the little girl. He tried harder to pry them apart, but they remained joined as one; his attempts were futile. His face contorted with rage, and his breathing became quick angry bursts through his nose. Skylar didn’t look at him. She had to focus on Rhia. The child needed her.

  Skylar felt a slight tremble in the earth beneat
h her. She stared down at Rhia and saw a dim light begin to emanate from the center of her chest. Skylar stared as it grew brighter. This light was hope, she was sure of it. “Come on, Rhia. Come on!” She leaned over the small girl, hugging her tightly.

  As she held Rhia, Skylar realized the rumble wasn’t the earth. It was the girl herself. The sound closed in on Skylar like a spiraling cone. She could hear Joshua’s screams of anger, but they were off in the distance, far away from this perfect moment. All of her fears vanished. She closed her eyes and hummed Rhia’s song.

  The vibration grew louder, engulfing Skylar’s body. The power made her hands tremble. Her eyelids fluttered. They wanted to open, to stop the intensity, but she kept them shut. She knew if she opened them, it would stop the roaring train she was riding.

  Just when she thought the vibration would split her in two, Skylar heard her mother’s voice whisper, Open your eyes. Skylar’s eyes flew open. It took her a moment to get her bearings. She was still kneeling, as she had been on the barn floor, but under her was a celestial carpet of grass. Rhia was no longer there.

  Skylar slowly got to her feet and looked around. All descriptions of heaven failed the beauty of her surroundings. Someone had painted the afternoon sky in hues deeper than those of the Caribbean Sea. It was dotted with white marshmallow clouds floating lazily by. A sparkling river flowed next to her, flanked by a garden similar to Ocean’s. It teemed with life. Skylar could feel it calling to her. The life force running through the flowers was the same as the one running through her veins.

  She looked into the river. A blinding sparkle was coming from the rocks on the riverbed. They glistened brighter than diamonds. She reached into the water and pulled one out. It was quartz, the stone that kept appearing in her life time and time again. She scooped up the water with both hands. The glory of life ran through it. She could feel her connection to the earth and to every soul that graced it. The Book of Akasha came to mind.