Sea of Secrets Anthology

by J E Feldman

  Even the house had been a surprise. It was in disrepair. Probably needing several thousands of dollars to bring it back up to where it had been. She’d have to make a list and see about getting started on that. She planned to stay out here and not with her aunt. Not that Marilee would really notice.

  She closed her eyes with a sigh. When she opened them, there was a flash of pink light to her right. She blinked because she could have sworn there was wings.

  “Just a dragonfly,” she muttered to herself with a chuckle.

  “Like hell I’m a dragonfly,” came a sharp feminine voice.

  Ruelle gasped, stepping back too quick, tripping and falling to her butt in the sand. The pink light zipped close and landed on her knee. There stood a gorgeous little pixie in a silk sumMer dress.

  “Have you truly forgotten us, Ruelle? Did we mean so little to you?” The pixie asked, her hands on her hips as she stared down at Ruelle.

  Ruelle didn’t dare move. It couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t be.

  “Ryn?” Ruelle sputtered.

  “So you do remember me?” Ryn flew close to her face and Rue’s eyes nearly crossed.

  “Not as well as I should. I am sorry.”

  “Your aunt’s fault. She took you from us. I tried to follow, but she had you on a plane to a boarding school so fast that I couldn’t go with you,” Ryn stomped her foot frowning as she landed back on Rue’s knee.

  “Ya, she got rid of me pretty damn quick. But since I’m eighteen, she can’t anymore. I’ve got control of the trust now,” Rue smiled at Ryn. “You’ll have to catch me up on everything that is going on.”

  “There is so much. But Orin would be the one to talk to about the water and what’s gone on since you left,” Ryn smirked and zipped away.

  Rue shook her head as she stood, brushing sand off herself.

  “This is going to take some getting used to,” she muttered. “Might as well dive right in.”

  She stripped off her shirt and jean shorts to reveal a tankini suit underneath.

  She looked out over the water in the afternoon light and wondered if she could bring herself to get in. She had been scared of the water right after the accident, but had forced herself to get into pools and swim. She didn’t like to do open waters much, preferring to lounge on the shore or only go to her knees instead. But she refused to let her fears overcome her today. This would be the day she would overcome it all.

  Sucking in a deep breath, she waded in. Slow steps.

  “That’s my girl,” Ryn zipped up to her and Rue nearly fell back into the water in frigh, which only had the little pixie bursting into laughter. “Jumpy much?”

  Rue blew the bangs out of her face and forced herself to take shallow breaths to get her heart to slow.

  “Considering I haven’t seen you in eleven years, nor have I been in open water for just as long. Yes, I’m jumpy,” Rue snapped, letting her anger get her deeper into the water.

  “Really? Why? Nothing is going to hurt you. You have the power to keep harm at bay,” Ryn said nonchalantly.

  Rue stopped mid stride, turning to look at the pixie with fire in her eyes as she spoke. “Not harm me? Really? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure something came out of this lake eleven years ago to attack us and it killed my father.”

  Ryn bowed her head. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

  Rue nodded. She was to her waist now and could feel her heart beating faster. Refusing to have a panic attack, she kept going.

  “You’re back!” A deep voice exclaimed and Rue screamed, stumbling and falling into the water, only to come up sputtering.

  She felt arms help her stand and she shrieked again, shoving away. There hadn’t been anyone in the water when she got in. There was no one around the lake at all.

  “Ruelle, it’s me. Orin,” the deep voice sounded almost sad as the hand tried to catch her again.

  “Stop touching me!” she shouted, shoving her wet hair out of her face. This was not how her experience back into the lake was supposed to be.

  “Sorry.”

  Rue could hear Ryn snickering. What did she expect? She had gotten into the lake and this was a normal thing here. She had forgotten all about the young Merman that had saved her when the boat had gone down. Well, not really. She had dreamt of him for the past eleven years, but couldn’t remember why. How could she have forgotten?

  She was stunned while looking over Orin. He was tall, broad, and handsome. This man could have given the actor who played Aquaman a run for his money. Ruelle was stunned as she stared at him. Orin quirked a smile at her.

  “Hi, Ruelle,” he spoke softly. “So glad to have you home.”

  “Is it really home?” she said more to herself than to him.

  He picked up her hand from the water and held it in his own. She felt small in comparison.

  “It is if you want it to be,” he answered. “We need you here, Ruelle of the Candra descendants. We need you to help us save the lake before we are overrun and everything dies.”

  She gripped his hand tight, shock clear on her face.

  “Nice way to break things to her, champ. Just drop it all. Dumbass. Scare her away again, why don’t you?” Ryn griped fluttering between the two of them.

  Ruelle spent the afternoon in the water talking with Orin and agreed to meet with his father Assan at dusk. Ryn had left her and Orin to talk hours ago. But as she walked up the path to the house, she saw lights fluttering everywhere. She could only grin, shaking her head thinking that once again her world was being turned upside down.

  The pixies of the area had started to fix everything they could. There wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere and the windows were spotless in the two story beach house.

  “Where were you all when I needed help keeping my dorm room clean all these years?” Rue chuckled.

  “Stuck here without you,” Ryn said matter of factly. “Besides, you can clean your own damn messes.”

  Rue laughed. “Of course.” She looked at the grocery bag on the counter, trying to decide what she was going to have for supper. Quickly changing, she took her veggie sushi to the deck, settling into the patio chair.

  She could see the mountain range across the lake. Listening to the sound of wind through the trees and the fluttering of pixie wings, she finally felt at ease for the first time in ages. Ryn was standing on the table beside her munching on a grain of rice when Assan and Orin walked up from the beach. Her breath caught looking at them. Gorgeous as the gods had to be, she almost choked on her ice tea.

  Ryn snickered. “Grew up pretty handsome, didn’t he?”

  Rue nodded and waved at them while trying to get her heart rate back to normal.

  “May we join you, Ruelle?” Assan asked politely as they approached.

  Ruelle smiled brightly. “Of course.” She gestured to the other chairs.

  Clad in jeans with flipflops and simple tshirts, it made her wonder where they had come from because the clothes would have been soaked if they had climbed out of the water.

  Assan saw her questioning gaze and chuckled. A rich deep sound that made her blush.

  “Krill still has his cottage down the way. We came in there and walked over. Do you remember Krill?” Assan asked.

  Ruelle paused before reaching for the pitcher of iced tea she had brought out.

  “Barely. I am so sorry, but it has been too long. I was sent away and sent to therapy where they told me I was making it all up. But it was real wasn’t it? A leviathan came out of the lake and took my father?” She spoke in a rush, fearing if she didn’t get it all out that she wouldn’t at all.

  “Straight to the point, just like your father,” Assan smiled at her, reaching for her hand to hold it.

  “I wouldn't know. It’s not as though my aunt told me anything. I’ve been in England these past years.”

  Assan frowned. “Didn’t she look after you? Marilee said she would care for you.”

  Rue scoffed. “If packing up my few th
ings, setting me on a plane, and sending me to boarding school where I didn’t know a soul was taking care of me. Then yes.”

  Assan and Orin both looked stunned. “We did not mean for that to happen, Ruelle. I am sorry.”

  Tears pricked in her eyes as she took her hand back, shrugging at him. “It’s done. It happened. Can’t be changed.”

  “But to have been all alone…” Assan started, but she waved him off and picked up a glass to pour ice tea for them.

  “All over now. Can’t be changed. I’m here now.” She made it sound final. She wasn’t going to go into detail about how she had been a traumatized little girl, just losing her father and all she knew. She had reinvented herself and refused to rehash it all. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  They gradually discussed what was going on. Why the waters were down so much. Why the lake wasn’t as clear anymore. How the fishing grounds around the coast were depleting and becoming unsafe.

  “It’s a sea witch. That was what had sent the leviathan to the lake so long ago. She decided to attack, hoping to get rid of me and the guardian all in one fell swoop so she could take control of the waters here,” Assan explained.

  “But why? What is so appealing about this lake and surrounding waters?” Rue asked.

  “What wouldn't she want?” Orin asked, shaking his head.

  Rue and Assan frowned at him.

  “The feeding grounds are so much better here. Being near the Bay of Fundy and the Grand Banks, which are all extremely sought after for fishing, there is access to fish, lobster, and crab. This coastline from Maine to Nova Scotia are the prime ports for such things. It has always been the guardians’ duty to help keep the balance. The Merfolk and other population of species are taken care of, but there have been more disruptions in the water. More boat accidents, more darkness flowing in since you left. After the leviathan,” Assan paused as he watched Rue tighten her grip on her glass. “We didn’t know who had caused it at first, but we figured it out. We couldn’t find her though. She had gone back to the deeps to lick her wounds. You dealt her a great blow with your magic that day.” Assan smiled at her.

  Rue shook her head. “Like I knew what I was doing that day. I just wanted my father to come take me to shore and keep me safe. I lost him instead.”

  Both men sighed heavily. “Yes, we all did. Your father was a great guardian of this area and will never be forgotten. But we unfortunately have to ask you for your help again as the new guardian.”

  “How can you ask me...” Rue sat up tall in her chair, slamming the glass onto the table.

  Ryn had to quickly move out of the way so ice tea didn’t splash her wings. She had remained quiet this entire time, listening to Rue and the water folk talk.

  This time it was Assan who stopped her with a hand and she clamped her jaw tight.

  “You have the power to help us fight against her. She has vowed to come back and take it all. We have been fighting her off these past years, but she grows stronger with each passing day. I don’t know if we will be able to stop her next time she strikes,” Assan explained.

  “A sea witch? Like Ursula from the Little Mermaid sea witch?” Rue had a look of dismay on her face.

  Orin chuckled and Assan grinned. “This isn’t a Disney movie. Don’t be ridiculous.”

  Rue scowled at him. “Well, considering I still thought anything to do with this lake was a delusion until about six hours ago, it really isn’t that farfetched! And haven’t I given enough to this lake?”

  Rue started shaking her head, biting her bottom lip. She finally lifted her head to look at them at after a few minutes of silence, knowing her father would want her to help them. It was what he would have done. It was what he had done. Laying down his life to help keep the waters safe. Now it was her turn to do the same.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  Assan beamed at her.

  Over the next few weeks, Ruelle worked in the water with the Merfolk, getting used to things again. Learning how to use her magic as a guardian. Being a fast learner, she soaked up any book they placed in her hands. She went through them very quickly. Having a photographic memory had its advantages. She was brought to tears when she came to a well-worn leather journal she recognized. It had been her father’s.

  In the back of the journal was a note about her and tears started sliding down her face as she read.

  “My Dearest Ruelle, my petite poisson. You are loved. Never doubt that. Your mother was a Mermaid from this very lake and she wanted you more than life itself. I don’t know why exactly I’m leaving this note, but I know I have to. Things on the waters have been such that I begin to worry if even my own power will be able to help keep these waters safe. I have great hopes of teaching you everything it is to be a guardian here on our lake. You will be the strongest of us, I know it. Read this journal, learn. Suck it in like a little sponge that I know you can be when it comes to learning things. I love you, never forget that.

  It may be nothing and I’m actually not sure why I’m even writing it down...just in case I guess. Your Aunt Marilee, as you know she has never enjoyed the lake and has always been distant from us all. She has always been angry for not being the guardian and being able to carry the Candra name. Fate just did not cast it’s grace on her and she has been angry about it ever since it was declared I would be the one to take on that role. As a child she always said she would find some way, whatever that may be, to get her hands on everything. She was a kid so the family never took it seriously. But in recent years, she has been making more trips further down the coast when she has always hated going near the water. It makes no sense. I’m rambling, sorry, love. Just my thoughts running into overdrive, but I felt the need to let you be aware. Be cautious of your aunt. She may be up to something. I just don’t know what it might be.

  Enough of this. Hopefully this is something you will never have to read and I can talk to you about it when you’re older. So again, my little one, I love you to infinity and beyond. Till the skies fall and the waters run dry.

  You have my eternal love, Dad”

  Ruelle softly shut the book, tears streaming down her face. She looked up to see Orin looking at her with pity in his eyes, making her angry. She wiped at her face.

  “I wish I had this eleven years ago. It would have meant so much. I wouldn’t have felt so alone. Maybe I wouldn’t have forgotten everything I need to know now. Maybe...” she sucked in a breath, trying not to sob in front of Orin. Having this journal that was her father’s meant so much to her. The little seven-year-old girl inside her cried silently, but also rejoiced in knowing her parents loved her so much.

  “You still have time. You don’t have to do this if you’re not ready,” Orin spoke softly, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

  “Nice of you to say, but even I can feel there isn’t much time left.”

  “I really am sorry this has happened and you’ve had to come back to handle it all.”

  “I was always coming home to be here, Orin. It would have happened sooner or later,” she smiled sadly at him. “How long do you think we have before the sea witch is back?”

  He looked away. “I don’t think it will be long now. The waters keep feeling darker.”

  “That was my thought too. Any ‘positive’ vibes I tried to add didn’t have much effect. It was like clearing a small area for a short period. I’m not sure I’m going to be ready for this,” Ruelle said.

  “We’ll figure it all out together. I promise you won’t be alone anymore,” Orin stated, sitting down beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She felt safe for the first time in eleven years.

  Ruelle had been home less than a month, still not completely comfortable with everything yet, but Orin and the pixies were helping her along. Her Aunt Marilee had arrived at the beach house unexpectedly and Ruelle had met her at the bottom of the deck steps.

  “What are you doing here, Marilee?” she demanded.

  “Is that any way to address yo
ur aunt?” Marilee sniffed as she shut the door of her latest expensive crossover Jaguar.

  Rue shrugged. “I rarely see you. Seems fitting.”

  “Insolent child. After I took you in,” Marilee growled.

  “Really? You took me in. You had me in your house for what? Three days with a nanny and I never saw you. Then you shipped me off to a boarding school in England. It was all for show and looked good on paper for you. So don’t feel superior. You have never really cared for my well-being,” Ruelle snapped at her, anger racing through her.

  Marilee’s face flushed red with anger and without warning, she slapped Rue across the face. Rue stepped back in shock as she heard the pixies screech in shock and dismay. Then saw Ryn zip quickly away.

  “You will not speak to me like that. You are still a child! I demand your respect!” Marilee yelled at her.

  “Get respect when it’s earned and not before. Scaring people doesn’t work. It’s not respect. That’s just terror and being a bully.”

  Marilee’s eyes scrunched up in anger again. It looked like she was about to let lose another crack to Rue’s cheek.

  “I wouldn’t do that again, Dr. Stanford. It would not be in your best interest,” ae male voice came from behind her.

  Marilee whipped around to see Orin standing there with Ryn sitting on his shoulder.

  “Like I care about anything you have to say,” Marilee answered and spun back to face Rue.

  “Well, you should care. We protect our own here,” Orin quipped, walking by her to stand beside Ruelle.

  It was then that Rue noticed the sky was starting to darken with a storm coming in. One that didn’t feel right. It made her uneasy and she shifted a little toward Orin without touching him.