by S. K Munt
Ivyanne found herself once again longing to be a regular teenager out on the pier for the afternoon, flirting with a bunch of cute high school guys who would win her a stuffed animal and ask her to go in the tunnel of love. But she’d never get to do anything fun like that, never.
The only time she ever truly felt like a teenager was at The Seaview back in Australia for six blissful weeks a year that passed as though time sought to hurry her happiness along back to misery where she belonged.
Ivyanne risked another peek up at the cute guy again but to her horror, discovered that he was still staring at her. He cocked his head to the side and lifted an eyebrow, mouthing the word ‘Hi.’
Alarm bloomed inside her. She couldn’t risk catching attention of a boy like that, surrounded by so many. In packs, girls could be so mean, and boys could be downright dangerous. Pretending she hadn’t seen him address her, Ivyanne stood up quickly and began to retrace her footsteps the way she had come, back towards where the rides were.
Just don’t look back! She told herself. This is why mum and dad don’t want you down here!
Ivyanne stepped into a shadow and looked up, seeing the Ferris Wheel towering above her. She caught her breath, thinking of how cool it would be to see everything from above instead of below for once. Also, she’d be safely removed from everyone who might pose a threat.
‘Hey.’ The soft voice came from her right. ‘Do you need a ride partner?’
Ivyanne flinched and turned, seeing the gorgeous boy standing at her elbow. Up close, he was absolutely glorious-making the alarm bells sound louder. How could she handle herself, when his face robbed her of thought?‘Huh?’
He jerked his thumb upwards, towards the Ferris Wheel. ‘For that. You have to go two at a time, and I see you’re alone.’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill, handing into the concessionaire in the booth. ‘Two please bud.’
‘Sure.’ The man ripped two tickets off and handed them to the boy as Ivyanne stood, frozen to the spot, trying to work out if she should flee or just make up some excuse and back away politely.
But when she opened her mouth, a soft: ‘Okay,’ came out, stunning her.
The boy grinned and extended his hand. ‘Trent.’
‘Ivanna.’ Ivyanne swallowed, allowing Trent to take her hand and lead her up to the swinging booth. Her heart felt like it had developed an arrhythmia. Trent’s hand was warm, his grip on hers gentle.
What am I thinking, going on a ride with a strange older boy? She thought in panic as the cab jerked and swung away from the ground. Mum will kill me if she ever hears about this!
‘So... Ivanna…?’ Trent leaned forward and pushed his sunglasses up onto his head, rendering her brainless again as he studied her with warm, honey colored eyes ‘What is a sensational looking girl like yourself doing down at the pier all alone on a day like this?’ His mouth curved into an alluring smile. ‘And why haven’t I seen you here before?’
Ivyanne blushed.‘It wasn’t planned. I snuck out, just to see…’ She fiddled with her braid, noticing that Trent’s friends were below, staring up at them as they ascended. The brunette did not look happy.‘I have to leave in half an hour though. My parents will be home at two.’
Trent raised his eyebrows.‘You have an accent.’
‘Do I?’ Ivyanne twirled her cotton candy stick between her palms. ‘Well, I travel a lot, I suppose.’
‘Me too.’ Trent appraised her, making Ivyanne feel incredibly self-conscious. He reached out and pinched some of the cotton candy between his fingers before sliding it between his lips and closing his eyes briefly, as though savoring it. Ivyanne shivered for some reason, taken aback by how sensual everything he did was. He opened his eyes lazily.
‘Mmm...yummy.’ He rested his elbows on the thighs of his ripped jeans.‘You know, I had some plans for two as well, but I can get out of mine, if you can stay out a little longer.’
Ivyanne’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Why would I do that?’
He moved to the seat beside her and threw his arm across the back of the rail. Behind him, the Pacific ocean twinkled like the stars had fallen in the night and were trapped until sunset. He cupped her chin and stared deeply into her eyes.
‘Because since I saw you, I’ve lost interest in everything else. You look like the kind of girl I’d like to get to know.’
Ivyanne laughed nervously and pulled her face away, shaking her head. It was weird but this was the first time she’d spoken to a human boy who wasn’t Lincoln, and it felt like she was being disloyal to both him and Roan by being there, especially given how her heart was racing.
But there was also a chance that her racing heart had nothing to do with Trent. Her parents had been watching her for about six months by that point, convinced that her developing chest and growth spurt were signs that their sweet teenager was about to morph into the evil, hormonal variety. And maybe it was finally happening. After all, she’d gotten her first period the month before. In fact, she was still traumatized by it, and dreading the next, which was due any day. Was that why she’d been feeling so restless?
‘Sorry,’ she said, realizing she hadn’t responded for quite a few beats.‘But no. I really can’t. I possibly have the worlds strictest parents and we’re expecting a visitor soon, who I might have to be there to greet.’ She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye.‘Besides, I think you’re a little too old for me to uh, get to know.’
‘Oh? How old are you?’ He asked, cocking his head, looking genuinely intrigued. ‘Sixteen? Seventeen?’ He leaned forward and grinned. ‘Though eighteen would be preferable…’
Ivyanne was almost embarrassed to mumble: ‘Uh... fourteen in November.’
‘Thirteen?!’ Trent’s cocky demeanor slipped away entirely. In a heartbeat, he’d shifted to the other side of the car, so abruptly in fact, that the mental hinges groaned in protested, rocking once or twice for good measure, causing Ivyanne to grip the railing in fright.
‘Geez! You don’t look thirteen!’
Ivyanne knew that-mermaids developed earlier than most humans, and then stopped developing once they’d hit their ideal child-bearing physicality for decades. But she was relieved that he’d backed away, allowing her pulse to decelerate somewhat, a process aided by the fact that the car had ceased swinging. ‘Yeah I know...sorry if you thought otherwise.’
‘There’s no if!’ His face went from white to red. ‘Thirteen!’ He shook his head and rubbed his temples.‘Bloody hell I’m pretty sure just siting with you is breaking a law of some kind!’ He eyed her. ‘You need to wear a sign or something to keep predators like myself at bay.’
‘Well you don’t need a sign,’ she joked. ‘First word that came to my mind when I saw you was predator.’
‘And yet you got on the ride with me….’
‘Well...I don’t get out much. I was curious to see if predatory company was preferable to none.’
He laughed. ‘And your verdict?’
She shrugged, looking out at the ocean. ‘Eh..’
‘Ouch.’ He said. But then, he chuckled.‘Man, I’m so sorry. Promise you won’t think I’m a creep, okay kiddo?’
Kiddo. Ivyanne wrinkled her nose. ‘Nah. If you’d been excited to learn my age however, I may have leapt over the railing.’ She ducked her head. ‘But thanks... for the ride. I love it up here.’
‘Don’t mention it.’ Trent eyed her reproachfully. ‘You really are too young to be down here by yourself, though. Where do you live? I’ll walk you back-I’m going over to Ocean Avenue soon, which is close to every other place around here. I can show you an I.D or get someone to vouch for my non-creepiness first if you’d like.’
‘Ocean Avenue?’ Ivyanne repeated in surprise. ‘That’s where I’m going! I mean, that’s where I live.’
He frowned at first, as though confused, but slowly, his forehead smoothed out and his eyes widened. ‘Hang on…! You live on Ocean Avenue? With strict parents?’
Ivyanne pause
d, then nodded. ‘Yeah, why?’
He leaned forward. ‘And..you travel a lot... have to be home by two...insanely beautiful…’ he groaned, pushing his golden curls off his forehead and regarding her anxiously. ‘This might sound crazy little one-but you’re not Vana and Ash’s kid, are you?’
Ivyanne’s stomach hit the floor. ‘You know my parents?!’
He dropped his face into his hands and groaned more loudly than previous.‘Oh my god!’ He peeked at her between his fingers. ‘Please tell me I didn’t just hit on the god damned princess? The one I’m supposed to be officially meeting today?!’
The air whooshed out of Ivyanne’s lungs. ‘You’re the Loveridge boy?’
Trent turned his head and motioned to the tattoo on his neck. ‘The one and the same.’ He grinned, which was closer to a grimace, and extended his hand. ‘Tristan Loveridge.’
Ivyanne took his fingers, feeling dazed as she whispered. ‘Ivyanne Court.’
Tristan bowed his head. ‘Your majesty.’ He knelt on the floor, holding her hands, his eyes wide with earnest. ‘Please, princess-if your father knew that I actually tried to-’
Ivyanne held up her hand. ‘No-likewise. If they knew I was down here, I’d be deader than you.’
‘Oh how wrong you are!’
‘Okay, you might be right. I mean, they really need me alive so…’ Ivyanne suddenly saw how ridiculous the situation was, and a reflexive, half hysterical giggle bubbled out of her throat. ‘It’s funny, isn’t it?’
‘I’ll let you know when my heart starts beating again.’ Tristan got back onto his seat and shook his head woefully. ‘I’m mortified!’
‘Don’t be. It happens all the time.’ Ivyanne said quickly, blushing. The flush in his cheeks made him look even cuter, and knowing he was one of her own kind relaxed her to no end. ‘Which is precisely why I’m supposed to be at home bored, and not out here with predators lurking about.’
‘I can only imagine.’ Tristan rested his elbows on his knees again and stared at her, seemingly bewildered. ‘Unbelievable!’
‘That two mers just crossed paths and didn’t even realize?’
He laughed. ‘No. It’s just... well I heard you were pretty…. I just didn’t hear that you were…’ his cheeks colored. ‘Well!’ he cleared his throat. ‘This is awkward!’
Ivyanne was inclined to agree. She studied him with open curiosity, trying to recall everything she’d ever heard about Tristan Loveridge. She knew he was quite the girl-chaser, and very smart and sneaky about it, and was unpredictable-disappearing for years at a time, pursuing one ambition or another.
‘Why are you hanging out with a bunch of high school kids anyway?’ she asked. ‘I mean, aren’t you like, thirty?’
‘Twenty seven.’ Tristan said. ‘And the only high-schoolers I hang out with are the eighteen year olds, got it princess? Hence my shock a few minutes ago-I’m very careful who I, uh…’
‘Come onto?’ Ivyanne supplied, gleeful to have such a beautiful man stumbling all over himself without someone interrupting her fun.
‘You’re enjoying this!’ He accused her. The carriage swung as the wheel rotated.
‘A little.’ Ivyanne admitted. ‘I never get to have any fun.’
‘I can imagine that too.’ Tristan said. ‘And yes I graduated in the late eighties, but I’m doing my senior year over again, so I can brush up on computer knowledge and what-not. I want to do a course, overseas in a few years in engineering.’
Ivyanne frowned. ‘Can’t you just get the papers?’ she asked. ‘Mum does that all the time.’
Tristan smiled. ‘Yeah-but all I’d learn from that is how to get papers. I actually want to be good at this-and things have changed since my day.’ He shrugged. ‘Nothing’s worth getting if you don’t learn something along the way, is it?’
‘I wouldn’t know.’ Ivyanne stared out at the water, biting her lip, thinking of how it wonderful it would be to have the kind of freedom that led to the development of convictions, as he obviously enjoyed. ‘Thanks again for this. This view is stunning.’
‘I agree.’
Ivyanne felt his eyes on her. She glanced at him, thinking about her father’s warning, and blushed. ‘What?’
‘Enjoying the view. And thinking of how lucky Roan Fire is.’
Ivyanne’s heart began to pound once more. She knew she was playing with fire, but she was curious to see just what Tristan Loveridge had up his sleeve. ‘And why is that?’
‘Because I’m only a second son. He’d be in jeopardy if I were next in line-but alas, that’s my brother, Nigara.’
Ivyanne’s heart was flopping all over the place. Being up there, trapped with such a fantastic looking creature-it was hard to forget that she was just a kid and he a man, sixteen years her senior with a bad reputation. She had to hold herself together.
‘That’s... inappropriate.’ She said finally, parroting her father’s words.
‘Is it now?’ Tristan asked lightly. ‘How so?’
‘Roan Fire is a terrific boy, and my only match. I look forward to marrying him, and don’t need the mischievous branch of the Loveridge tree threatening him.’
‘Mischievous?’ Tristan cracked up. ‘You’re the one who snuck out, little girl! And I wouldn’t have come over at all if you hadn’t been looking at me like that!’
‘Like what?’ Ivyanne demanded sharply.
Tristan leaned forward. ‘Like you were the predator.’
Ivyanne blushed to the roots of her hair. ‘I wasn’t thinking that! I was thinking-’
‘What?’
She shrugged. ‘I was kind of thinking that you didn’t look... uh, human.’
Tristan grinned. ‘And why would that be?’
Because you’re as beautiful as people usually say I am, and no human looks like you do. She thought silently. But she couldn’t say that-by the look on his face, she could tell he already knew that. ‘You’re cocky.’ She said instead.
‘Yeah? Well you’re snotty.’ Tristan leaned back on the seat. ‘I’m starting to pity Roan now, so thanks for the perspective.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Ivyanne demanded, insulted.
Tristan sighed and looked out at the water. ‘Just that you’re going to be a handful for whatever man ends up stuck in your claws.’
Ivyanne scowled and looked away. They finished the rest of the ride in silence. When it was done-he walked her home, ten minutes before her parents came through the door. It was never spoken of again.
9.
If she doesn’t talk to me soon, I’m going to explode! Tristan thought, darting glances at Ivyanne. It was his first shift, a ‘trial weekend’ for the guard. He’d been up since midnight Friday and so far, Ivyanne hadn’t said a word to him.
It was late Saturday morning and he’d been posted in the living room downstairs while everyone but Camus, Ivyanne, Lachlan and Garridan went for a swim, a fact that made him incredibly jealous. He couldn’t remember the last time that his will hadn’t been his own, and it made him feel for Ivyanne and the life she’d been leading-always watched, always checking in with someone. Never free to just come and go or be.
But there was a bright side to being left out of the group splash-Tristan had been posted by Ivyanne’s side while she wrote e-mails to families who had sought her help in one way or another at the kitchen bench. Lachlan was on the roof, watching the perimeter and the swimming mermaids, and Garridan and Camus were moving from front to back, fine tweaking the new security system.
It was nice to be so near to Ivyanne, but the fact that she went out of her way to avoid him, busy typing away at her computer or on the phone, drove him crazy.
‘Psst,’ he eventually said, leaning against the doorjamb, keeping his back to her. ‘Ivyanne… psst.’
‘What is it Tristan?’ she asked, her tone weary.
He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Just checking to see if you were still mad... but it’s okay... I got it…’
She flipped her c
ascade of curls over her shoulder, obscuring her profile. ‘Oh. Okay, good.’
Tristan wanted to run the tips of his fingers down her cloud of hair, knowing it would feel like silk. ‘Naw come on babe-it was one silly kiss-I was just proving a point. I know you’re jealous but-’
Ivyanne’s head snapped up, curls bouncing with indignation. ‘I’m not jealous. I’m vindicated. You’ve never been one for going alone for long, have you?’
Tristan rolled his eyes. ‘I’m not attracted to her. I knew damn well that you were watching with those aptly destined green eyes.’
This response was met with silence and a hostile glare.
Tristan crossed his arms. ‘If you’re not jealous about the kiss-then why are you mad?’
Ivyanne exhaled through her nose and said nothing, dropping her gaze again.
He smiled. ‘There was no tongue-in case you were wondering.’
She still didn’t look at him. ‘Tristan, when I’m through being mad, I’ll talk to you, okay? Just don’t push your luck for now. I have a lot to do.’
Tristan smiled. ‘Okay. But first...can you tell me if you like the tattoo? You never actually said if you did or didn’t you know.’
Ivyanne went back to typing, her keystrokes louder than before. ‘I know.’
She loved it. How could she not? Of that, Tristan was certain. She probably saw it as a manipulative gesture, but it wasn’t about that for him. It symbolized the impact she’d had on his life, and served a purpose- covering the scar left by Ardhi in a way he knew would make his nemesis livid. Win or lose, Ivyanne had changed him-marked him in a way that was permanent, and had nothing to do with their bloodlines.