The Calling

by Ashley Lynn Willis

  “The closer we get to the end of the Calling, the stronger they get. It’s Triton’s way of making sure everyone gets to the water.”

  She squirmed in her seat, trying to find a comfortable position. “Will it get worse?”

  “A little.” The lines on his forehead deepened, but he patted her knee reassuringly. “Just think of it as preparation for childbirth.”

  She elbowed him in the ribs. “Not funny.”

  He chuckled. “We’re only an hour away from Miami. We’ll never feel the most painful pulses.”

  She glanced at her watch. Fifteen ‘til eleven. She couldn’t wait to dip her toes in the water, find a hotel room, and sleep until noon the next day. And the best part of it all was that she would get to fall asleep in Justin’s arms.

  As she imagined their bodies intertwined beneath sheets, she ran her finger across the sea serpent tattoo peeking out of his sleeve. The familiar corals and sharks outlined in its scales made her smile. Her grin widened when she noticed a mother dolphin with a calf by her side. “In less than nine months, I’m going to have a baby.”

  Justin leaned over and kissed her cheek. “We’re going to have a baby.” His eyes sparkled.

  With her finger tracing the serpent’s tail, she said, “I was scared I couldn’t get pregnant.”

  “I knew that.”

  “How?” She couldn’t remember ever telling anyone.

  “After your Say Ta Ta to the Tata party, we were walking on the beach, collecting shells, and you told me you were scared about the surgery and about never being able to have kids.”

  She shook her head in wonder. Even knowing she might be infertile, he’d still wanted her. In her eyes, the man was worthy of sainthood. “I love you.”

  He smiled sweetly at her. She was always amazed at how someone as masculine as he, with his strong jaw and deep-set eyes, could seem so soft when he grinned.

  She nestled closer, closed her eyes, and with thoughts of nurseries and mobiles dancing in her head, she finally fell asleep.

  A little boy with pudgy arms and legs and a round belly sat between her legs on a warm sand beach. The toddler had Justin’s dark hair and her blue eyes. Waves washed over their legs, the child giggling with each flow of the water and cooing his disappointment when the ocean ebbed.

  A pulse of energy shook the child, and he gazed up at her with confusion and worry in his innocent eyes. Mandy pulled the boy to her chest, hugging him tightly until the vibrations disappeared. The toddler regained his confidence once the pulses had eased, and he squirmed out of her hold. With a wet plop, he sat back down in the surf, giggling as a wave washed over his chubby thighs.

  Justin kneeled beside them, wrapping one arm around Mandy’s shoulder. With his free hand, he raised the water like an incoming tide into a shallow pool that surrounded them. The toddler lifted his blue eyes to his father and babbled his appreciation. Then, the child lifted his hand in the air. The ocean refused to release him, lifting, touching his tiny fingers though they were a foot above the water’s surface. Justin let go of Mandy and, with both hands, he mimicked the baby’s power. Together, they formed a wall of ocean that surrounded Mandy on all sides until she could no longer see them through the rippling water.

  A vibration racked her body, the pulse clenching her gut, wringing her stomach. The wall of water crashed to the beach in a rush that startled her. She jumped to her feet. The water receded, the shallow pool Justin had created disappearing.

  She was completely alone.

  Her eyes darted along the shore and into the surf, but both her loves were gone, no trace of them left. She cupped her face in her hands and wept, sure she’d never see them again.

  With a start, she awoke.

  Justin nudged her arm. “Mandy? Wake up, honey.”

  She cracked an eye, then thrust her hand to her side and grabbed Justin’s arm. Here. Justin was here. It was just a dream. The strain drained from her body, puddling at her feet where she flexed her toes, banishing the last remnants of the nightmare.

  As she stretched and yawned, her ears popped. “We’re in Miami?” The noise of the cabin sounded muffled, and she knew the plane was descending.

  “No.” His voice cracked.

  Her eyes opened wide. She glanced up and saw the lit seatbelt light. “Why are we landing if we’re not in Miami?” Mandy looked at Justin and froze. The worry etching his face sent a jolt of terror through her heart. “What’s going on?”

  “The communications system malfunctioned. We’re being diverted to Little Rock.”

  “That’s nowhere near the ocean!”

  “Let’s just stay calm. We have three or four hours until the Calling ends. When we land, we can see what we’re dealing with.”

  She nodded, but her stomach flopped around like a fish out of water. A plane malfunction could kill her baby. Oh, God! The baby wouldn’t be the only lost soul. She grabbed Justin’s forearm and squeezed so hard she could feel the veins beneath his skin.

  He grimaced. “Mandy, you’re hurting me.”

  She had to stop squeezing him, but the panic gave her hand a mind of its own, rendering her incapable of loosening its grip.

  One by one, Justin pried her fingers from his arm, his grimace easing. “We might be able to get another flight. Relax.”

  Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.

  “This is bullshit,” a man on the other side of the aisle grumbled.

  To hell with staying calm. She was about to lose the man she loved and her baby in one go. The angry passenger across from her had it right—this was complete bullshit!

  Justin took both of her trembling hands in his. “Breathe.” She sucked in a deep breath, not realizing she’d been holding it. “Again,” he said.

  She obeyed, taking steadying breath after breath as she concentrated on his chocolate eyes. They were going to be okay. They had to be. Fate wouldn’t give her everything she’d ever wanted, then take it away in the same day.

  By the time the plane landed, she was practically in tears. Every pulse that racked her body made her want to scream, but she followed Justin, her fingernails digging into his waist as they exited the plane. She was sure if she let go, he’d disappear into a puddle of water at her feet.

  When they walked into the terminal, a Delta employee handed them each a hotel voucher. Mandy stared at the paper in her hand, horrified. “Can’t they fix the plane or put us on another one?”

  “Not tonight,” the employee said with a smile. “I’m sorry for your inconvenience but, tomorrow morning, we’ll put you on the first flight we can.”

  Hot tears streamed down her face. No. No. No. This was not happening. For a moment, she was paralyzed, too lost in her future to move. Dead baby. Dead boyfriend. Alone. Inconsolable. No one to mourn with her but Justin’s dad, an old salty sea dog who’d rather chew his own arm off than talk about his feelings.

  She vaguely became aware that a line was forming behind her since she blocked the exit, but she still couldn’t move.

  Justin pulled her aside and pushed her gently into a seat. “You okay?”

  She stared straight ahead, her bleak glimpse of the future terrorizing the words from her mouth.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said.

  She shook her head and jumped to her feet, swiping at her tears. Sitting on a bench waiting for Justin to fix things wasn’t going to help their situation. She grabbed his hand, squared her shoulders, and together they headed to the service counter.

  “What flights leave tonight?” Justin asked the young brunette behind the counter.

  “I’m sorry, sir. The next flight departs at five A.M.”

  “Charter flights?” Mandy asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

  The woman’s blue eyes widened. “This late?”

  “We’re desperate,” Justin said.

  “I wish there was some way I could help.” She looked down at her computer and typed in ‘Miami.’ After sifting through a few screens, she said, “Th
e next flight to Miami leaves at six-twenty a.m.”

  “Not soon enough,” Justin said, rubbing his hands down his face. His shoulders bunched when a pulse of energy coursed through their bodies.

  Mandy clutched her stomach. “There has to be a way.”

  “Hertz is open until midnight,” the brunette said. “You could rent a car, but I’m not sure that would put you there any faster.”

  Justin nodded, the defeat on his face as vivid as the fear. “Thanks for your time.” The woman stepped away from the counter, leaving them alone.

  Tears trailed down Mandy’s cheeks again. “What now?”

  “We get a rental car,” he said, in a voice so tight, she could have strummed it with a guitar pick.

  She scrubbed at her tears. “But we’re nowhere near the ocean.”

  “It’s our only chance.”

  The desperation in his eyes made every nerve in her body twinge at exactly the same time. She could barely breathe through the pain. When he turned to leave, she followed him, without a doubt in her mind that, in three hours, she was going to lose everything.

  Chapter 31

  Justin’s headlights pierced the inky darkness ahead, leaving only the black shadows of trees in his peripheral vision. He concentrated on the yellow dashes dividing the road, passing in perfectly timed intervals as he sped down I-530.

  Mandy hummed a haunted tune in the passenger seat the way she always did when she was nervous or afraid. With her palm, she rubbed circles over her stomach, her face pallid. In two hours, she was going to be completely alone, a wet seat the only trace that he’d ever existed.

  He wanted to beat the shit out of himself for not being counted when he had the chance. He’d been sitting on the beach, inches away from the shore, but too selfish to stick his little toe in the water. As he peered over at her, he worried for her safety. What if he and the baby didn’t make it, and she wanted to end her life, the same as his mother had two decades ago?

  A frigid cold settled over his heart, freezing him from the inside out. “Hand me my phone.” He held out his hand. Mandy stopped humming and placed her cell phone into his palm. He realized in the silence how much her voice had soothed him. “You know I love you, right?”

  “Of course, I do.”

  In the dim glow from the dash, Justin could see her eyes were moist with unshed tears. He brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “I just wanted to make sure.” He reluctantly pulled his hand back from the warmth of her skin and dialed. When his dad picked up, he said, “Hi, Pops.”

  “Where the hell are you?” Mitch grumbled. “I’ve been worried sick about you all day.”

  “We’re in trouble.”

  “Who’s we?” his dad asked.

  “Mandy’s pregnant. She hasn’t been counted, and we’re seven hours from the ocean.”

  “Oh, hell. She’s going to lose the baby.”

  “How long until the Calling is over?” Justin asked.

  “Probably two, maybe three in the morning.”

  Justin glanced at the car clock. Midnight. They weren’t going to be anywhere near the sea by two o’clock.

  “Is Mandy with you?” Mitch asked.

  “We’re together, traveling south from Little Rock.”

  “How the hell did you get there?”

  “Long story. We’re heading toward New Orleans.”

  “You ain’t gonna make it.”

  A surge of energy, more powerful than the others, vibrated his body, curling his shoulders forward. Mandy rocked in her seat. She squeezed her eyes shut, and a tear escaped, trailing down her cheek.

  Justin lowered his voice. “There’s another problem.”

  “You haven’t been counted either?”

  “No.”

  “Christ!” His dad took a raspy breath, and the line went quiet. After a moment of aching silence, he heard his father breathe again. “Okay, here’s what you’re gonna do. There was a family, the Murrors, who lived in Monroe when I was growin’ up. My dad used to say they didn’t bother goin’ to the ocean during the Calling.”

  The determination in his dad’s voice melted away a small piece of Justin’s strain. “Where’d they go?”

  “The Mississippi.”

  His limbs tingled with a flicker of hope. “You’re serious?”

  “Serious as a shark bite.”

  It was as if he were nine again, sitting in the dugout with his dad psyching him up for a home run. He’d never failed to deliver when Pops had coached him, but the stakes this time were suffocating.

  He was about to speak when his gut clenched with another surge.

  Mandy wrung her hands as she groaned and bent over. He wanted to reach out and touch her, calm her, but he was too lost in the grip of energy vibrating his spine. Christ, the situation was getting desperate.

  The wave passed, and he caught his breath before speaking. “A river works?”

  “Sometimes.”

  The flame of hope extinguished like a fire in a monsoon. “What do you mean, sometimes?”

  “I mean the weather conditions had to be right. If somethin’ was blocking the waves, sonar, whatever Triton’s sending out… well, then they didn’t get counted, and they took a road trip to the bay.”

  With only one hope of getting out of this alive, he gazed at Mandy. “You have your phone?”

  She nodded.

  “Find the closest route to the Mississippi. We need to be as far south as possible, and we have to be there by two.”

  Her eyes widened. “A river?”

  “Yep.”

  A smile touched her face. “Why don’t all descendants just go to a river if the ocean isn’t nearby?”

  “Because it doesn’t always work,” he told her.

  Her face fell and, with a solemn expression, she pulled out her cell and began searching maps.

  “I need to talk to her,” his dad said.

  “Why?”

  “Just concentrate on drivin’ fast without getting stopped and hand her the phone.”

  Justin pushed the cell to her ear, wondering what his dad wanted to say to her. She clutched the phone, at first surprised, but then her brow furrowed with concentration as she listened. She nodded twice, then went still, not even her chest rising with breaths.

  A muffled whimper escaped her lips. “I promise,” she whispered into the receiver. A lone tear streaked down her face, then another… and another. She nodded again, while rubbing wider circles on her stomach with her palm. “Okay.”

  Her voice sounded utterly miserable. He reached out a hand and squeezed her leg, wishing he had more reassurance to offer.

  When she held out the phone for him, he pressed it to his ear, and growled, “What’d you say to her?”

  “Nothing you need to worry about.”

  “She doesn’t need—”

  “I love you, son.” A lump rose in Justin’s throat, and his anger subsided. His dad didn’t think he was going to make it and, for sure, he’d been preparing Mandy. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you after Cecelia died,” Mitch continued.

  This was what it took to get an apology? Impending death? His anger should have risen again, but it didn’t. As much as he hated that his dad had abandoned him, he didn’t want to leave this world with a rift still between them.

  He chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to force out the words that would mend their relationship for good. “Love you, too, Dad,” he finally said. “If I get out of this mess, we’ll make up for lost time.”

  “You bet your ass we will.”

  Justin glanced at Mandy. “Take care of her.”

  “I’ve got it covered.”

  He knew his dad would do everything in his power to bring her home safely. With one last thing to worry about, Justin hung up, refusing to say goodbye.

  * * *

  Mandy mashed her lips together, not allowing her sobs to steal her last minutes with Justin. But with Mitch’s words bouncing around her brain, the task was nearly
impossible. “If Justin doesn’t make it, call me,” Mitch had said. “I have a cousin who lives in Baton Rouge. She’ll come get you.” His words lay heavy on her chest, making breathing impossible.

  Justin rubbed her knee. “Did you find the fastest route?”

  She nodded, glancing at her phone. “We’ll exit on Highway 65 heading south. That’ll take us to the Greenville, Mississippi bridge.”

  “Perfect.”

  There was nothing perfect about their destination. If his plan didn’t work, both her child and Justin were going to die in the frigid waters of the Mississippi.

  She glanced at the clock. One-fifteen. The minutes passed like seasons and, though it was agonizing, she was thankful for every precious moment with Justin. She gazed at him, the soft glow of the green dashboard casting shadows across his high cheekbones and angular jaw. She followed the curve of his lips, remembering how it felt to kiss him, to feel those lips on her skin.

  “One last time,” she whispered.

  “What?” he asked.

  “You have to kiss me one last time before we get to the bridge.”

  The car began to slow, and she gasped as he swerved to the shoulder. The tires shuddered against the grates before stopping.

  “You’re wasting precious time,” she said. “We can kiss on the bridge.”

  He didn’t reply. With his eyes intent on her face, he unbuckled his seat belt, leaned across the divider, and landed an urgent kiss on her mouth. His touch made her senses come alive. After being numbed by so much worry and despair, the sensation was overwhelming.

  She threaded her fingers through his hair and melded her lips to his, unable to get close enough. Their kiss was sweet and gentle, his lips longingly moving against hers. Before she could really feel him, memorize his taste, his touch, he pulled away. With her fingers still in his hair, she urged his lips back to hers, but he shook his head.

  “You have to drive,” he said.

  “Why?”

  He threw her a meaningful look, his eyes full of sorrow, and she understood what he meant. They were close to the end. The strengthening of the pulses was proof, and if Justin were driving at that last moment, no one would be behind the wheel when it was over.