by D Wills
If Allana is right and there is no reason to doubt her then I need to stay away for the sake of Josh’s life, not just my own.
The weekend is here, so I won’t have to deal with him at school, but Monday mornings always come around so fast.
Allana pats my shoulder, throwing me a sympathetic look as she leaves. I honestly don’t want to be mad at her, but with the ultimatums all coming from her, it’s hard not to be.
Deathly Depths
~6~
Saturday - finally! No school, no Josh and no more fighting against ultimatums that are crushing me! The late summer sun beams into my room, diminishing all hope of a lie in. The summer's nearly over and as much as I hate the early dark nights of winter I'm grateful for the darker mornings when the weekend arrives.
I'd better make the most of the last few weeks of sunshine. The wet weather is only going to fuel my annoyance at living here, and desperation to live in Olympus will only get worse. Seasons don’t exist there, only permanent sunshine and warmth - literally heaven. Winter shouldn’t bother me because I can’t sense the cold, but I can experience the sun, so I miss the warm rays when they’re gone.
Forcing my body up in bed a gasp escapes as a sharp knife springs up inside of me and rips my chest open. How did I forget the pain that has been running through my veins since Allana told me that I had to keep away from Josh? I fell asleep last night still hugging myself, trying to get the aching to stop. This must get easier as I get over Josh one day at a time. But can you ever actually get over your true love, especially when you never got a chance to experience the full depths of a relationship?
Maybe I should risk being together and ignore Allana’s warning, but am I prepared to be banished to the Underworld, or worse die for him? Not only that, am I prepared to tear the bond between Allana and me apart? Can I really be that selfish to break her heart so mine can be ignited? Not to mention what would happen to Josh.
I need some space and the best place to get that here is the ocean.
Wandering over to my walk-in closet, I gradually wake up and pull my beach bag off of the top shelf causing the entire contents to spill out and attack me.
As I bend down to pick up the sunglasses, towel hat etc., there’s a light knock at my door.
“Cas? You up?” Allana’s voice is sliced with concern. Oh she can’t see me in here. She’s probably worried I’ve run off after she told me to leave Josh alone yesterday.
“I'm in here,” I mumble as I stuff the sun lotion back into my bag. The lotion is purely for show; I’d never burn in the sun but slathering the oil on looks good and makes me think I’m more normal.
“What’s up, Lana?” I give her my best I'm fine and totally coping with your instructions that have destroyed my life' voice. She’s sitting at the end of my bed, chewing on one of her nails, which she quickly stops, when she notices me staring at her. She’d never want me to know she was worried about something.
“Nothing honey. Just wanted to check you were ok after our talk yesterday.”
Talk? I guess she’s referring to her soul destroying instructions for me to stay away from the one thing that for the first time has stopped me thinking I’m alone in this world.
I flop down onto the bed next to her. “I'm fine. I'm going to go to the beach today, make the most of the end of summer and try to clear my head of all Josh and Josh-related things.”
My mind whispers 'liar' as the words come out and I say a silent prayer that Allana doesn’t possess the gift of being able to pick up on lies as some Gods can. Deep down I know I’ll be lying on the sand all day, daydreaming about what could’ve been. I can’t let Allana worry about that, though.
I sit up and throw her my most convincing smile, which is not going to be enough for Allana to believe I'm alright. “Thanks for your help yesterday” I give her a hug, and she slowly pats my back, seemingly unsure of what’s going on.
Allana laughs as I squeeze her tighter. I'm pretty sure she’s now convinced I'm alright. “Enjoy the beach and call me if you need anything.” She gives me a squeeze back and gets up to leave. My face instantly drops when she’s out of the door. I'm glad I’ll be alone today. I don’t think I could keep up the façade of happiness much longer.
I pull into the beach car park and take my ticket. The lot is only about half full, so I'm hoping I’ll still get a prime sunbathing spot. As I get out of the car and grab my bag off the back seat, the sound of waves crashes into my body and I'm finally soothed. The refreshing sea breeze hits my face like a welcoming caress that weaves through my hair, instantly grabbing at my stress and blowing the tensions away behind me.
I make my way down the side of the car park to the path which leads to the beach heading towards the strip of sand which stays just out of reach from the tide. That way, if I want to go for a swim, my stuff won’t be too far from the water. As I lay my towel out I do a quick scan; I'm certainly not on duty today, so even if this beach is full of matches, I won’t be making any.
The sand is full of families with their kids making sandcastles and running into the water, then running even faster out of the cool water while they let out shrill squeals. I guess the water’s chillier today, not that the temperature matters to me. I smile at their innocence and suffer a pull inside of me, a sort of longing pull. I continue to look around and find a group of teenagers at the other end of the beach, some playing Frisbee while two of them play together in the water.
I watch the two in the water. The guy is clearly besotted with the girl. He’s throwing her up in the water, and he loves making her giggle as he threatens to drop her. A stronger pang erupts in my chest, but I’m not confused over what this one means; I want to be relaxing and having that sort of fun with Josh. I’d give anything for him to look at me the way he’s looking at her. She doesn’t look that into him, though. Every time he lifts her into the air she’s too busy looking, at the rest of the group on the beach, to notice his attentions.
I'm pretty sure she’s looking at one boy in particular. I get the impression she’s using the one holding her on display, and he doesn’t even realize the enormous favour he’s doing her. Every time he hoists her out of the water her tanned skin glistens with droplets of fresh sea water perfectly displayed for all to see. She knows this; this was her plan all along, to get the guy on the beach to notice her.
I check out all three of their auras. The guy lifting her up isn’t a match for her anyway. She’d unquestionably break his heart. I see her throw a wink at the boy on the beach. She won’t care whom she hurts to get what she wants. I notice one of the other girls in the group’s aura; she would be a perfect match for the guy in the sea. I know I said I wasn’t making any matches today, but I hate to see somebody being used for nothing; I’ll quickly match those two up.
I grab her aura first. The girl's sitting with the group on the beach, so I stretch the shimmering band around the back of the guy in the sea. I need to make sure his aura goes to the opposite side of the girl in the seas, so I knit the right two together. I grab the guy’s aura and stretch it the tiniest bit allowing enough of both aura’s to bring them together.
Done! Now there won’t be much of a wait until this guy finds a bit of happiness, and the girl he’s throwing around in the sea can go chase that guy on the beach, and when he breaks her heart, maybe she’ll understand the pain, and she won't cause anyone else to suffer.
Calm down, Acacia.
I lower myself to the sand taking them out of my vision. I guess not being able to enjoy love myself is making me angry to see others so casually throwing the emotion around. Seeing this behaviour must have been what wound Eros up! Guess I'm beginning to understand him more and more every day.
Relaxing into the sand, I try to clear my mind and shut my thinking off. The sun warms every inch of me like a personal massage from the heavens, but I can’t relax. My weight pushes the sand underneath me, moulding around me, holding my every curve in the same way Josh might. This isn’t working. How
am I meant to get my mind off of him when everything makes me think of him?
I push myself up, and my eyes are blinded with the brightness of the sun. I blink for a few seconds until my sight adjusts. I stare out at the deep blue water, tempted to dive in and never come back up. Would the cool water wash all the thoughts of Josh from my mind? The small bursts of foam that caress the beach do look inviting. I slip off my denim hot pants and walk slowly towards the water, hoping that as my feet disappear into the sand and the water reaches around my ankles, I will get the solace I so urgently need.
I wade out past the younger kids splashing about in the shallows till the water is about shoulder height. I lift my feet from the sand and allow them to rise until my toes barely break the surface. I lean my body back and stretch my arms out above me. The water quickly rolls over my shoulders, stomach and legs, leaving only my face exposed to the air. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes.
I sense myself floating further out, I can breathe underwater, so depth is no issue to me. That ability is one of the gifts of being a God in case I ever have to visit Atlantis to see Poseidon or any of the other merfolk. As my ears dip in and out of the waves, the sounds of the children, I passed earlier become quieter until I'm left with silence. I make small circles in the water with my arms, enjoying the sensation of the water trickling through my fingers.
The water works and all the angst I felt over whether loving Josh is right melts away. Allana’s warning has to fight even harder to break through. At the moment, I'm convinced Josh is the one, and loving him is what I should do. I hope he felt the electricity between us; because I know I sure as heck did! The sensations were magical and something as beautiful as that can’t be denied.
What was that? I right myself in the water and look around sure someone has just called my name. I can’t see anyone around. I’ve drifted out pretty far, so I don’t think I’ll be running into anyone here, not unless they are on a boat!
There’s nothing but the dark blue water with the gently rolling tide surrounding me. I flip my legs back up and focus on the sky. The water gently rolls under my back and over my chest enveloping me.
The soothing liquid stills my body, and I'm grateful for the relief, at least physically. My brain is going to take longer to recover. My mind is probably a bit fried from the grilling I keep giving it, which is why I'm now hearing things.
“Acacia!”
I flip myself upright and spring my eyes open, expecting to come face to face with my tormentor. I'm still alone. My heart starts to thump, that sickening thump of dread is waking up inside of me. I spin myself around in the water, checking all sides of me, half desperate to and half dreading to find someone, but I don’t.
I duck down under the surface in case the person keeps disappearing from my sight. My vision is perfect in the water, and I’m surrounded by nothing but the deep indigo liquid. The water pulses around me, it's darkness seemingly moving closer to where I'm floating. The seas deathly beauty never fails to amaze me. The water holds itself so calmly below the surface, so peaceful and tranquil, a never-ending expanse of soothing liquid that welcomes all and never questions why you seek solace.
I break back through the surface as something grazes my leg. My once warm blood now becomes ice. Three sets of glinting eyes stare back at me, accompanied by three cruelly smiling mouths displaying three glittering sets of teeth.
stop breathing. They are wildly beautiful, but they are dangerous. They float under the surface, level with my ankles, staring up at me. Their eyes narrow as I look down at them. My instincts tell me to get away from these creatures which must be merfolk.
No one’s provided me with much information about merfolk; only to stay away is always the best option. Poseidon is fiercely protective of his race, and each one of them has permission to kill in defence. Judging by the look on their faces, I don’t think they’d need provoking. I turn to swim back to shore, desperate to escape. I know they are not here to make friends. The devilish gleam in their eyes told me everything I need to know about their intentions.
The water turns to sludge as I try to power my arms and legs through it. Their laughter invades my mind as my head dips in the water. Terrified, I throw one last look at them in time to see their eyes turn to slits. I scream until my throat goes hoarse as all three simultaneously reach for my legs.
“No!” I frantically cry, but screaming is no use. No one out here can hear me.
Their heads roll back as their hysterical shrieks of pleasure fill the waves. I fight like a maniac to push my arms out in front of me and swim away, but I get nowhere. They’re too strong, they pull me back, and then they release me but quickly grab me and pull me under. They’re playing with me. The water slips down my throat as they dip me between the surface and the depths. I choke from the unexpected flood forced into my body. I close my mouth and try to steady my breathing as they continue to toy with me.
When they pull me under the water, their cackles pierce my mind as I try to focus on a way out of this. This is a game to them, but I'm not about to give in. Every time they release me, I push myself as hard as I can away from them. I push forward to try and get some distance from them, but they’re creatures of the sea, they slice through the water with ease. Their movements may be graceful, and they may look like aquatic angels but when they grip me the pressure is like being trapped in an iron vice.
“You’re coming with us,” the male one hisses at me. He grabs my leg higher, near the top of my thigh. I pull frantically at his fingers, trying to tear them from my leg. I watch the other two grinning at each other as the one holding my leg loosens his grip slightly. I shoot out of his grasp, but as I do so, my flesh runs along his nails, tearing my body open. My screams of pain bubble gently at the surface masking my true anguish as I watch powerlessly as the blood pours from the wounds created by this beast.
My skin isn’t impenetrable to them. My blood pounds in my ears. Now I know they can hurt me, I need to escape, fast. But swimming from them isn’t going to work. I need to try and fight my way out. I gulp. If that’s my only option, I may as well give up now.
My leg starts to throb as I'm encased in a swarm of my own crimson blood. I turn towards them and take all three of my attackers in, hoping I’ll see a weakness or a way out. They’re all watching me intently. They know I'm no match for them so they can take their time in their persecution.
Two of them are female, both with dark hair that’s so long I can’t see where it ends. Their hair flows behind them, blending into the water of which they are truly a part. Their eyes don’t seem to be one colour. Instead they change, depending on how the light catches them; one minute they’re green, and then they are the lightest shade of purple. Both are showing off their porcelain skin as they are naked to their navels. At that point, their skin becomes a deep 'v' of scales that mould into shimmering tails. The way their tails bounce the light around is mesmerising. Each of them must be over ten feet long. They all start to flick them like a cat getting ready to attack. I push my body backwards through the water.
The male merman begins to shriek instructions to the other two in a language I don’t understand while he floats effortlessly in between them.
His hair is cropped short, and his eyes are a solid orange shade. His thick arms and strongly formed body disappear into scales which are a dark purple colour, and his tail is longer than the girls' tails combined.
Terrified I look between both girls, waiting to see what they do under his instructions, but he lunges forward and grabs my waist. The air leaves my body as the two girls wrap their arms around each one of my legs. I kick with every ounce of strength I contain to get them off, but with each movement, all I receive is a fresh wave of pain that threatens to suffocate me.
I scream and watch helplessly as the bubbles escape my mouth. I claw wildly at his arms, his shoulders, his face, at every part of him my fingers hit, but my nails don’t even cause a scratch. Their skin is like marble! Any hope of me escapi
ng fades. I arch my back screaming as the tips of his fingers pierce the skin above my hips.
I’ve never felt pain like this. I close my eyes and desperately try to regain control, so I don't give up.
As I struggle, the merman reaches behind my neck, pulling me upright.
I’m forced to stare into his eyes as his grip on my waist deepens. He grins, at my feeble attempts, to hurt him. Each one of his fingers crushes into my side. I'm close to passing out from the pain, but I seriously don’t want the last image in my mind to be his terrifying grin. My eyelids become heavy, they sink shut, and I don’t encompass the energy to lift them. My leg is no longer throbbing. Perhaps all the blood has left me. Josh’s face appears before me, and I tell him that I love him.
The merman’s fingers loosen. I drag my eyes open as I see his shoot up above my head to a dark shadow creeping over all of us. The pressure has vanished from my ankles; the girls have already disappeared. What’s happening?
I follow the merman as he races away. In seconds, he’s faded into the black of the deep water. As vicious as they are, I'm still entranced by their graceful movements. I'm too engrossed in their exodus to notice the arms reaching down to me until two strong hands latch under my arms and start to pull me up. Terrified the body belongs to another one of the merfolk - one even more malicious than any of them if they are afraid of them- I begin to fight the hands off, finding strength from what must be the tips of my toes as I'm all but worn out.
Again I'm powerless. The fingers don’t loosen, and I can’t pry them off, but they’re pulling me up out of the water. This can’t be one of them if they’re taking me out of the water. They can’t breathe above the surface. I relax in relief but become rigid seconds later. How am I going to explain the blood pouring out of me when they pull me out? I look down at my shredded body and see blood seeping from the wounds at my ankles, ribs and legs. I guess I hadn’t stopped bleeding; instead I’d become numb. I can’t do anything about it now, the sun becomes brighter, I'm only seconds from breaking the surface.