Poseidia

by J. L. Imhoff

  I twirled in front of the mirror, checking out my disguise. The jeans fit well, but were too short. Who cares, it’ll do. While dressing, in the back of my mind I was taking inventory. They had an enormous assortment of clothing and human supplies—things I wished I could take back to Poseidia with me. Why can’t I? A few items in the back of my closet—no one would know. It’s not like it’s forbidden. Besides Roman doesn’t exactly subscribe to a Poseidian wardrobe.

  Hesitant, I went back to the closet and rummaged until I found several large oversized purses, ultimately picking a white one covered with large silver buckles. Digging through the drawers, I found a few bikinis, panties, and a bra close-enough to my size. Rolling my loot up tight, I stuffed it all in the bag. With the remaining square inches of space, I added some of the extra makeup: lipstick, lip-gloss, eyeliner, and mascara. There, that will be awesome to have back home. Jubilant, I zipped the purse shut and set it on the bed, ready to take home. It’s not like I’m stealing—Lily said I could have whatever I needed, right?

  Emerging from the room, I found my way down the hallway and an enormous set of stairs. Roman was sprawled across the couch in the living area. He wore a black turtleneck shirt, which hugged his muscles tightly, and ripped jeans with cowboy boots.

  Approvingly, I flushed. “So what, fancy weapons trainer now goes cowboy?” The first genuine smile I’d had in a long time escaped and spread across my face. It felt good to be back in human civilization and have some freedom. Of course, it didn’t hurt I had the company of a drop-dead gorgeous sword expert. I think he’s gorgeous? I do, don’t I.

  Temptation clawed at me to forget why I came here—to simply have a romantic dinner for two, a walk along the beach, or even try out the bed upstairs. But I knew I would have no other chance to find my locket.

  “Here, you will need these.” Roman stood and handed me a pair of sunglasses.

  “I guess you don’t.” I slid them on.

  “Nope.” He walked into the kitchen and I followed.

  Roman searched the cabinets and slammed the doors when he didn’t find what he was looking for.

  Temper, temper.

  Finally, he pulled out a long, locked metal box from a bottom drawer and placed it on the countertop.

  “What now?” I quizzed.

  Searching yet another drawer, he retrieved a set of keys, and opened the box. “We’ll drive. You can tell me how to get there.” He hauled out a huge stash of cash and several car keys from the box. There must have been tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

  “Where did all that come from? I didn’t think Poseidians used money?” They were crisp new hundred dollar bills.

  “Not in Poseidia, but we do on land. Take whatever you think we’ll need.” He handed me a wad of currency.

  I’d never held so much cash in my hands in my life. It felt uncomfortable, as if I’d robbed a bank. “Why would we need this much money?”

  “You never know who we might need to bribe.”

  “Bribe for what reason?” I handed him back the stack of hundreds.

  Roman looked at me as if he was confused. “I head the security teams who go on missions.” He carefully laid everything back in the box.

  “Missions? What missions?”

  “You don’t listen very well. They do a lot to protect humans, but now there are more complications.” He held up a set of car keys, jingling them.

  “What do they do to help humans? I’m confused.”

  Roman ground his jaw together, indecision weighing on his face. Obviously editing what he wanted to tell me, he leaned against the counter. “We intervene, during major global crises—the ones which may impact us.” He placed his hand over mine. “And with the humans who caused it,” he whispered, coming closer to my ear, “I’ve been known… to slit their throats.”

  He slits throats? I gasped and pulled my hand away.

  Roman leaned back and became quiet, observing me out of the corners of his eyes. Then, purposefully, he winked.

  Guess he got the reaction he wanted. My hands went to my own throat, touching the delicate skin there. He chuckled, replaced the box in the drawer, and then slammed it closed.

  I cleared my throat, unsure of what I’d gotten myself into. Who am I here with, really? Is he only joking? Would he slit my throat?

  Roman laughed again, louder. Then he tossed me a set of car keys.

  “So… they give out driver’s licenses back in Poseidia?” My hands slightly trembled as I caught them.

  “I don’t have a license for anything.”

  “What if we get pulled over and thrown in jail?”

  “Then I’ll charm my way out.”

  “Pfft… you have no charm,” I laughed, nervously.

  “Then let’s not get pulled over. Or we can use this.” He showed me the wad of cash as he put it into his back pocket, then gestured for me to follow him as he walked down the hallway connected to the kitchen.

  The neutral-toned walls were bare here. I’d noticed as I walked through the rest of the house, only the most basic of furnishings filled the place.

  At the end of the hallway was a door Roman unlocked and opened. As he held it ajar for me, I walked through, keeping my distance. We stepped out into a cold four-car garage. The scent of oil and gas reached my nose and I sneezed.

  “Where did you learn how to drive?” I asked as I looked around. They didn’t have cars centuries ago. That I do know.

  “I taught myself. It’s not hard. And I can pilot a few of the ships and flying machines they have,” he said.

  “The Mers have that kind of stuff?” I asked, surprised. Despite their obvious intelligence and advanced medicine, I had envisioned them as water-locked, avoiding all of man’s technology. Or at least, completely covert and off the human radar.

  Roman took my hand in his and pressed the unlock button on the keys. A black Prius beeped and the lights flickered. “Of course, we’re not animals.”

  I rolled my eyes and we both laughed. Maybe he was joking before.

  The tension eased as I shook off my paranoia. It was comfortable being with him. Maybe because we shared the former human thing or perhaps it was something else.

  “I can drive. It would be easier than giving you directions,” I deduced.

  “Have it your way,” he conceded as he led me to the Prius.

  “What else do I not know?” I glanced around at the four cars in here. All black. All fancy. New car scent heavy in the air. When did they have time to buy cars and take care of houses?

  “A lot,” he alluded, while walking to the passenger side. “I don’t think you can handle the big and fast stuff.”

  “I think you would be surprised by what I can handle, but fine—I had one of these.”

  It felt good to be behind the wheel of a car. I was in control again. Roman pushed the button, which opened the garage door, and I pulled out onto the driveway.

  The moonlight lit up the front yard. I stopped and my mouth hung open at the sight of the home’s exterior. “Who lives here?”

  “We all use it. It’s a Mer house,” he noted. Impatient, he motioned for me to move on.

  “Can you come here anytime?” I let my foot off the brake and eased out onto the street, while peeking back at the house. It wasn’t just a house—it was a mansion.

  “If I wanted to.”

  “Why wouldn’t you?”

  “Why would I?”

  “It’s beautiful. I could get lost there.” The house faded from the rear view mirror.

  “You’ll get over that in time. It all looks the same after a while.” He turned his head to gaze out over the ocean.

  “I couldn’t live long enough to get numb to that kind of beauty.” The Pacific Ocean came into view on the right. Beautiful waves of surf rolled in, the moonlight reflecting off the surface. I rolled the windows down to listen to the soothing sound. Home. The ocean was now my home.

  “You will. You’ll learn to find beauty in other th
ings—things less tangible.” He stared out the window as if he was lost in some distant memory, and then closed his eyes, his face wincing in pain.

  I shut up.

  As we drove down Highway 1, I reminisced. All the familiar sites caused a wave of nostalgia to wash over me. But now, I could finally breathe.

  Roman grabbed my hand and intertwined his fingers around mine. His warmth gave me comfort. “It’ll get easier,” he consoled.

  “Lily and Lucas keep saying that, but I’m not sure I believe them.”

  For me, the long drive was cathartic. The streetlights twinkled in the night skies, lighting the way into the old neighborhood where I had lived and struggled for so long with David.

  I drove onto my street, slowed, and came to a stop in front of my old rental house—a duplex with faded yellow siding. “This is it—where I used to live.” The grey roof needed replacing. Maroon shutters sat adjacent to windows whose paint was chipping. Sinking into the ground, the wooden front porch slanted to the right.

  Unprepared for the feeling of being shattered, I stared at the graveyard of my past.

  My car was gone. I paid a lot for that car, where is it? David’s car, a new silver BMW he purchased before we went on vacation, was parked on the street in front of the house. Another thing he’d said he needed for his image.

  A wave of rage rushed through me. I trembled, knowing he was so close. “He’s home. I can’t, I know… besides I don’t want a confrontation.” Or do I?

  “I thought you did.”

  “You said before that I can’t. Besides… what you imagine in your head and what you would actually do are two completely different things.” I pulled the car down the street unsure of what to do now that I was here. Reality and fantasy weren’t meshing. What I naïvely thought would be a simple retrieval of my locket, was turning out to be an uncomfortable confrontation of my past. Some things were probably better left there. I definitely hadn’t expected the raw surging emotions I now grappled with.

  “Are they?”

  “Yes, they are,” I reaffirmed, now regretting my foolish insistence on returning. But I couldn’t back down and change my mind—my inner stubborn demon wouldn’t let me. I could barely admit this moral weakness to myself, let alone Roman.

  “Perhaps you should put more of your fantasies to action. It would make life more interesting.”

  Ignoring his remark, I continued, “The lights are on in the bedroom. He’s awake. He’s… a doctor, a cardiac surgeon. They don’t keep regular hours. Let’s wait and see if he leaves.”

  A few houses down, I found a spot out of sight, but still providing a view of the sidewalk. I turned the car and the lights off. It was dark out and I slouched down in the seat.

  “What are you doing?” Roman asked, chuckling.

  “I don’t want anyone to see us sitting out here.”

  “I can’t hide in this car. It’s pointless,” he snickered.

  “You have a point.” But I stayed hunkered down while Roman watched. We sat in silence for so long I drifted off to sleep. I must have dozed for about twenty minutes when Roman nudged me awake. Jolting up in the car, I adjusted my sunglasses, thinking they would hide my identity if David happened by the car.

  David emerged with jogging shorts on. Unexpectedly, Roman leaned over and kissed me, pushing me down into the seat.

  “What was that for?” I asked as he pulled away, now flushed and wide-awake.

  “If he looked this way he’d simply think we were lovers in the night.”

  I didn’t buy his reasoning, but it didn’t matter. As I watched David disappear around the corner, seething emotions tried to push to the surface. What’s wrong with me? Why does this feel so horrid? I shook my head to keep my mind on track and silently yearned to be back in the comforting bliss of Poseidia. “He’s going for his usual hour run before his shift. But—he doesn’t come this way.” My heart fluttered as adrenaline coursed through my body at the sight of him. An impulse to strangle him right there on the street surged, and I had to fight to push it back down. I broke out in a cold sweat and as I wiped my forehead on my sleeve, some of the makeup came off with the movement. Don’t do that again.

  “Good, it will make this easy,” said Roman. We waited until he was out of sight and around the corner until we got out of the car. “Let’s get in there and out before he comes back.” Roman grabbed my hand, and dragged me across the street to my old house. “Focus, please. We don’t have time to mess around.”

  “Right,” I agreed, but secretly wanted to run after David and pound my fists into his chest until he broke, until he experienced the despair I had when I drowned in the sea, alone.

  We walked across the front lawn and it crunched beneath our feet, burnt from the summer’s heat. I was a zombie walking back into the landscape of my old life, dead now—yet living.

  A streetlight flickered in the moonlight, breaking my trance. Tree frogs chirped—a sure sign of summer. I’d lost track of time, of the seasons, down deep in the ocean.

  Carefully, I placed my foot on the first step of the old wooden porch. The petunias and impatiens I’d planted earlier this spring were dead, their pink and purple petals crisp and long forgotten.

  I walked the path of a ghost.

  The house and neighborhood seemed different to me now. I didn’t know if it was my new eyes, or the electroreceptors, but even the scent here was different. A strong mildew stench coming from under the porch, and the rustle of tree branches, overwhelmed my senses.

  Details in the wood planks, on the surface of the porch, stood out to me now. Splinters, rotten wood, and worn-off paint. I hadn’t noticed before.

  A place, which had been home before, now smelled of decay, as if a rotting corpse lay beneath the steps waiting discovery.

  My perception had changed. I’m such a different person now.

  Remembering I always kept a spare key in the planter on the second step, I bent down and reached in, as my hand brushed the dried up husks of my flowers. The key I tucked in there months ago was evidence I’d lived here. A validation I had existed.

  Maybe my luck would hold out and David hadn’t changed the locks.

  Sharp edges of the key bit into my palm as I wrapped my hand tightly around it. Mindfully, I brought my fist to my mouth and kissed it.

  A wave of nausea and homesickness came over me. My throat tightened as I choked back unwelcome tears. Painfully similar to a visiting a grave—I had to leave my old life behind. I feel so far from the Connective. It was as if the euphoria had vanished, leaving me alone, and lost in my old human emotions. Damn, this sucks.

  My heart raced, and I breathed hard and fast. Fear and rage mixed, causing my pulse to skyrocket. Slowly I walked up the rest of the steps.

  I closed the remaining distance to the front door and raised the key. My hand shook so badly, I took my other hand, to steady the first, pausing to take a few slow, deep breaths.

  With the key finally in the lock, it turned smoothly. Still works, whew.

  Roman put his hand on my arm and stilled me. I jumped, startled out of my zone.

  “What did this guy do to you?” he asked.

  I paused. “He killed me,” I said plainly, in an exhalation. Saying it brought up a new wave of emotions, ones I promptly choked back down. “You should wait out here. I’ll yell if I need you. I know the house so I can get in and out faster than two of us.”

  He studied me with squinted eyes and nodded. “I’ll agree if you promise to remember you can’t see him. And be quick. Your plan is to get the locket and go, right?”

  “That’s the plan. It’s just difficult being back here,” I sighed. “And I promise.”

  Roman pulled out a knife from the side of his pants, and pressed it into my hand. “You might need this. We don’t know when he’ll be back.”

  “Is it a toy?” Smiling to break the tension, I wrapped my hand around the hilt, feeling the texture of many bumps. Emeralds, rubies, and sapphires covered the carv
ed alabaster handle. “It’s beautiful. It must be worth a fortune.”

  Roman released that crooked smile of his. “More than you’ll ever know,” he mumbled. “Only use it, in self-defense, if you absolutely have to. The High Council will have both of our asses if I let you kill him without a good reason. All joking aside, remember you can’t see him. I’ll stand guard. If you hear him coming back, hide, and I’ll get you out.”

  I tucked the knife into the back of my pants and nodded my head in agreement. Pausing, I slipped my shoes off, and handed them to Roman. With a few calming breaths, I pushed the door open. It didn’t squeak as it used to—I’d expected it to make a noise announcing my entrance. A wave of relief washed over me as I closed the door behind me and glanced back as Roman disappeared into the shadows.

  Quieting my breathing, I tiptoed inside. It occurred to me David could have company still sleeping in his bed, so I closed my eyes and listened for any sign of life. I inhaled, trying to discern perfume from David’s cologne. Nothing. Good.

  David’s musky odor permeated the stagnant air and I breathed it in, the way a predator would scent its prey. The aroma of my old life filled my nostrils. My mind threatened to play tricks on me, taking me back to a time before all this happened, pretending it was a normal night. I shook my head, bit my lip, and brought myself back to reality, knowing I didn’t want that life anymore.

  The furniture was still here, but boxes were stacked all over the place. He’s moving. Run, David, you coward. I’m glad I didn’t wait much longer to return for my locket. The walls were bare and painted beige now, versus the bright yellow they used to be. Frozen, I stood in the foyer for a few moments, planning my next step.

  As I placed my foot on the first step of the staircase, leading to the second floor and leaned my weight onto it. At the resulting creak, I stopped, held my breath, and waited in case someone was in his bed. Nothing indicated anyone woke so I continued, slow and steady, focused on my objective.

  I reached the top of the stairs without another sound and listened. At the back of my mind, a little devil said I could go in his bedroom, wait, and kill him when he got back. No one would know what I had done. Except Roman. And I promised him I wouldn’t see David.