Despite the slightly manic look in his eyes, Doctor Tenly defined handsome. How I could recognize this factoid at this moment befuddled me.
“B-brown.”
“Well, they’re actually chocolate brown with a sprinkling of gold flecks, but I’ll give you brown,” he said airily.
Clearly, he was either insane or a big time Rhett. “H-how can you look so y-young? You’re ancient. Got a portrait in the attic?”
“Eh, let’s save the story of good genes and my minor tweaking of genetic molecules for another day, shall we? Right now, I need to know what caused this really disgusting slash,” said Doctor Tenly, gently brushing his fingers over my wound; I unleashed a God-awful scream when he did.
“What do you think, Doc?” asked Manakel.
“I’m not sure,” he said, tasting my blood on his fingers.
Definitely insane. If I hadn’t been in so much pain, I would have hurled. “It’s like Close Encounters of the Cuckoo Kind.”
“I do have a thing for mashed potatoes,” said Doctor Tenly, knocking on my head.
“I’m not a knock-knock joke!” I screamed.
“Doctor! What’s wrong with her?” Troy rushed in, kneeling by my side.
“Well, for starters, she’s been stabbed,” said Manakel.
“David, is it our Massive Fear?” Treeva asked, touching his arm.
“Can’t be sure just yet. It’s not a typical wound…that much is certain. No trident or shark caused this. By the way, what color would you say my eyes are, Tree?”
“Chocolate brown with a sprinkling of gold flecks,” said Treeva, biting her lip.
“See, that’s what I thought, but she just called them plain old brown. I don’t want boring brown eyes.”
“Can we focus on Marina, here?” Troy asked testily.
“Ah, yes, of course. Marina, I need you to focus for a moment. This is very important, now. Can you tell me…the color of my hair?”
“Are you sure you’re a doctor?” Troy asked.
“Uh, Ravenflame…black with r-red streaks,” I croaked.
“Look again, Marina,” said Treeva.
Looking again, I saw an odd shift in his hair. “It’s brown, uh, chocolate brown?”
“Well, I prefer mud brown…little earthier, you know,” he said, running a hand through his plentiful head of hair before slapping my forehead.
“Is he normal?” Troy asked, peeved.
“Am I a Normal? Nah, but I love Normals. They do the craziest things. What was it I saw one of the relatives do recently…hmm…anyway, uh, where was I?”
“You-were-going-to-help-Marina,” Troy said through gritted teeth.
“Quite like him,” said Manakel, pointing to Doctor Tenly.
“Ah, yes! Marina! Now, can you tell me who did this to you?”
“Katrina Zale.” I could feel Troy’s body stiffen like a robot. “She s-stabbed me.”
“That much is obvious. Let’s not go for the pink manatee in the room, and try to solve something a little less apparent. Did you see what she stabbed you with?” asked Doctor Tenly, removing from his green jacket what looked like a curly flashlight. He shined it on my abdomen, moving the light around in tight circles.
“A necklace with a red stone. She always wears it.”
“Stone as in a gem?” he asked.
“Yes,” I groaned.
“I see. Now, are we talking Dorothy’s ruby-red-shoes red or fiery-orange-eyeball red?” he asked, taking a piece of gum from his mouth and sticking it to the wall.
“You are so strange,” I wheezed. “For all I know, I could be in some parallel universe to Oz or on the brink of having my finger bitten off by some deranged former hobbit. Who the hell cares about the shade of red?”
Doctor Tenly, pausing to remove another piece of gum from his mouth, whispered, “She’s getting testy.”
“Do you blame her?” yelled Troy. “And could you stop putting barely chewed gum on the wall!”
“Oh, not to worry. I have plenty. NOW! Color, Marina! What is the color?”
“I don’t have to answer you! Who the hell are you? I’m a reader! Three shuffles and your life is mine,” I said in a vicious, non-me tone. “I’m the Siren Savior, you sick son-of-a—”
“Yes, yes, but you won’t be much of a savior if dead, will you? Now, WHAT IS THE COLOR?!” Doctor Tenly roared, barely an inch from my face.
“DON’T YELL AT HER!” Troy shouted.
“I have to yell at her, Troy.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re losing her. I’m trying to keep her here. MARINA! THE COLOR!”
“RUBY R-RED!” A ripping sound came from somewhere inside of me and I started sobbing.
“Can’t you give her something for the pain?” Troy begged.
“N-not pain,” I said, gasping through sobs. “P-pulling…empty.”
A look of horror washed over Treeva’s face as Doctor Tenly stood above me, running his hands through his hair.
“Marina, what do your insides feel like?” Doctor Tenly quietly asked.
On any other day, this would have been a bizarre question. Today, however, it made perfect sense. “Loose. Disconnected.”
“David?” asked Treeva.
“Yes, it is.”
“What? WHAT IS?” asked Troy.
“They’re trying to rip out her soul,” said Manakel.
“Katrina, indeed, tried to tear Marina’s soul from her body tonight. She either wanted to kill her soul…or capture it,” said Doctor Tenly, swiftly moving across the room to dig in a large purple case.
“You mean Katrina tried to kill her,” said Troy.
“The soul is what moves to the afterlife. Kill the soul, kill the true being. Killing the body is like destroying a shell. The real life is what’s housed within. Now, capturing is a whole other thing. Capture the soul, control the body,” said Manakel.
“Her soul must be very strong. She should have lost it by now,” said Doctor Tenly. “Out, all of you. I need to heal her wounds and give her soul a chance to reconnect. Treeva, will you assist me?”
“Of course,” she said, taking my hand. “You won’t feel anything, sweetheart. You won’t remember any of what the doctor does tonight.”
“I-I can hardly feel anything now,” I said.
“We must work fast. Marina, you will feel a slight tingle, and then you will be asleep,” said Doctor Tenly.
I didn’t feel a tingle. I didn’t feel anything.
*****
“I cannot believe you’re dating him, Tree. When you said you liked older men, I didn’t think you meant the walking decrepit.”
“Stay out of it, baby brother. My life, not yours. Besides, dating a much older man has its benefits. He’s a great—”
“Stop! Really, Tree?! That’s disgusting! I don’t want to hear that!”
“I was going to say a great gentleman, but now that you mention it…”
“Ugh, Tree, shut it!”
“Then keep your mind out of the gutter and out of my business!”
“Like that’ll happen,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
“There’s our gal! How are you feeling?” Treeva asked, hugging my shoulders.
“Super, hold the duper. How long have I been asleep?”
“Almost twenty-four hours,” said Troy, sitting beside me on the couch.
“Ah, how’s the patient?” Doctor Tenly sauntered in carrying a small bottle of bright pink liquid.
“I feel better. I feel, anyway.”
“You have a very strong soul, Marina,” he said, handing me the bottle. “To ward off infection. Take one sip daily for the next week. It might give you gas or the burps. You’ll be sore for a bit, but there’s no scarring or any other visible injury. You can leave today, but only on the condition that you return here next month. There are some things we need to talk about.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Oh, and could you bring me some chocolate peanut butter bars and peanut but
ter cookies?”
“Uh, sure, yeah.”
“Fintastic!”
“You must be happy to get home!” said Treeva.
I could barely muster a smile. Although I felt many different emotions, my mind and heart couldn’t seem to settle on one, and happiness was certainly the least likely candidate. I felt lost inside myself.
Later that afternoon, Troy drove me home and walked me to the front door. I didn’t say a word to him the entire trip.
“Marina?” he said. “Are we okay?”
I just nodded and went inside.
“Sweetheart! Oh, I’m so glad you’re home! How was your trip?”
The mom hug felt good, apart from the whole squeezing-my-stab-wound thing.
Wincing, I said, “Lots of bubbly fun…not the alcohol kind. Glad to be back.” With that, I went into my room and sat on my bed, not bothering to unpack.
As afternoon moved to evening, I still hadn’t budged since arriving home. I just sat on my bed and watched the sea. The sea—so beautiful, so full of life, yet so full of hate…and humans have no idea.
“Marina, did something happen between you and Troy? Did he hurt you?” asked my mom. Her voice didn’t startle me; I knew she had been watching me for a while.
I shook my head.
“You would tell me, wouldn’t you?”
I nodded.
She left my room, probably more bewildered than before. I wished I could better reassure her, but the sea had me hypnotized; I couldn’t force my eyes away from the black mass that overshadowed moonlight’s glow. The sound of waves crashing along the shoreline sent shivers down my spine as maddening images of murderous sharks, crafty eels, vile Katrina, evil Kyle, marvelous mermobiles, spunky Treeva, flirty Tank, powerful tridents, Mist’s Toy Emporium, and Troy…especially Troy…blended and swirled in my mind; the wondrous mixed seamlessly with the horrifying as though they were one and the same.
I could hear the sea calling to me with each ripple.
Marina Valentine will belong to me.
Be quiet! Please. STOP!
Insignificant one—The Scrawny Savior—you shall not defeat me. Come to me…surrender to me…drown beneath me.
“NO!”
Running away from my window, I stormed into the bathroom, sat in the shower, and let cold water crash down on me. I hugged my knees, silently hoping the freezing water would shatter those visions out of my memory.
“Marina! Marina! Let me in!” My mom shouted through the door, but I couldn’t answer.
Everything became quiet, too quiet. Soon, though, there was a soft knock on the bathroom door.
“Your mom called me. I’m coming in,” said Troy. With hardly a push, Troy had forced the door open. I must have been quite a pathetic sight. “She’s fine, Mrs. Valentine…just shaken, I would imagine,” he said quietly.
“Oh My God, Marina. Troy told me all about the near accident. What on earth were you thinking, trying to hike a path that narrow? You know you inherited my idiot gene with outdoorsy adventures.”
“It’s okay, Mrs. V. I’ll talk to her,” said Troy.
“Take your time,” said my mom.
Troy sat with me under the icy water.
“You’re shivering,” he said, turning the hot water on a bit. “There, that should feel better.” I flinched when he tried to put his arm around me. “I deserve that. I should never have exposed you to my world. It was foolish. I just didn’t want to hide anything from you. I needed you to see me, the real me, in my world. You saw, and now you suffer. Never again.”
“Is she able to move, do you think?” asked my mom, peeking around the door.
“I think so. She just needs a change of clothes and some sleep. The memories will fade eventually.”
Troy and my mom guided me to my room.
“Thank you, Troy. You are an exceptional young man.”
“Goodnight, Mrs. V. Goodbye, Marina.” He walked out of my room…and possibly out of my life.
My heart started pounding, anxious heat flooded my body, and a desperate feeling filled my mind. For the next twenty minutes, I forced myself to act normal around my mom. I changed into my pajamas, talked about the faux hiking mishap, and downed a mug of milk before feigning exhaustion.
Once my mom was asleep, I crawled out my window and headed for Troy’s bedroom. The path to his window seemed unusually long. Would he be in his room? What if he has left for good? How would I ever see him again? I can’t lose him. I can’t.
I took one great breath before approaching his window, my temples pounding in unison with my heart. Feeling like I was on the verge of fainting, I peered into his room. He was there on the floor, dangling his extraordinary fin deep within the water hole in his room. My chest blissfully rose and fell as my breath returned to me. Watching him, I finally knew what I had been avoiding for months: I needed him.
“May I come in?” I called from his window. He started to get up. “No, please. Stay.” I crawled through the window as eloquently as possible and moved to sit next to him. I stared at his fin, soaking up every single layer of him.
Again, he started to pull out of the water. “Please, stay,” I whispered. “I want to see you.”
I gently touched his face, but couldn’t stop there. I traced his strong jaw, worked my way down his chest, and barely grazed the top of his fin with my fingertips. He moaned approvingly while I moved my hand slowly, deliberately over every inch of his soft, shiny fin.
“I see you,” I said, searching his eyes.
His hungry, adoring eyes engulfed me as he tenderly cupped my face in his hands. He pulled me into him and lowered his mouth upon mine.
Chapter Twenty
Prehendo Animus
May: Almost out of school month
Monthly Life Caption: Soul or Sole?
Mood: Anxious
Eating: Pink tonic, which causes an obscene amount of farting
Music: Really nothing
Well, I capped off April by getting stabbed in the stomach by a soul-stealing merbitch, had a slight breakdown that Mom was blowing way out of proportion, and, um, I slept with Troy—minus the sex. We just had an all-night cuddle-fest. Okay, okay, there might have been some serious making out mixed in there somewhere.
Since spring break, the school has been buzzing with news of my underwater visit. Ravenflames have taken on an entirely new I want to kill Marina look, while Fairhairs were both appalled and alarmed, some hissing their disapproval whenever I passed them. Troy has even been taking heat from his fellow Fairhairs for daring to bring me to their home.
For weeks, I’ve been avoiding the meeting I promised Doctor Tenly. I have no real reason for putting it off. Maybe my mind just didn’t want any more complicated crap shoved in its already limited space. Today, however, my brain will have to suck it up because Doctor Tenly, undoubtedly ticked, has sent a car for me. How embarrassing.
“Miss Marina Valentine, I presume?” the chauffeur inquired.
“Unfortunately, you presume correctly,” I said, totally mortified. “I take it you’re here to haul me to Doctor Tenly?”
“Indeed. He’s less than thrilled with you,” said the chauffeur, opening the car door.
“Great,” I groaned, crawling inside the lush limo. “Reckon he knew Mom had a meeting today?”
“Indeed. He knows all.”
I’m just glad Troy had racer practice today and couldn’t witness my limo-scolding—he would have laughed his fin off.
After a quick drive, we roared up to Hambury House. The car had barely stopped when Doctor Tenly flew out of the doors, ran to the car, opened my door, and shoved a piece of gum in my hand.
“Chew! Chew! C’mon!” he said, dragging me by the arm into the house.
Once we were in the study, I pointed to the gum-covered wall. “Okay, what’s with the gum? I mean, that is so many shades of unsanitary.”
“Spit, spit!” he said, placing his hand under my mouth.
“I’m not sure you compre
hend the level of grossness,” I said, spitting the gum in his bare hand, which he promptly stuck to the wall. “So, are you going to tell me about this gum sticking obsession?”
“It’s good to finally see you. Any other adult might have grown insulted by your delay in keeping our appointment. I, however, am an intelligent being, who surmised that you, young Marina Valentine, have been avoiding any further revelations, which, in your mind, may cause you sleeplessness, overactive thinking processes, and otherwise damage your youthful perspective on the world in which we live,” he wheezed, moving jerkily about the room.
“Uh, I’m not sure what you just said, but I’m pretty sure my perspective of the world has already been significantly altered by these past months. And kudos to you for evading the gum question.”
“Kudos accepted. You forgot my chocolate peanut butter bars, didn’t you?”
“And the peanut butter cookies. Sorry. Rain check?”
“Yeah, sure, but add some iced sugar cookies with sprinkles to the list. Now, what color is my hair?”
“This again? Earthy mud-brown.”
“Excellent. It seems your vision has improved.”
“In my defense, you are a Ravenflame. That much I know from my research—”
“—in the library. I know all about it. Ask yourself this, Marina, why did you see my hair as brown when you first saw me the night of the fair, but saw it as a Ravenflame the night you were stabbed?”
“Hadn’t thought about it. Maybe because I was hurt?”
“Yes, in part. The type of injury you endured distorted your vision and your attitude. When a soul is forcibly ripped from the body, the conscious mind loses faith and becomes susceptible to false images.”
“So, when Katrina tried the demented soul-sucking thing, my mind saw you as the wizard I shall not name because it was scared and refused to see that you’re really a wise, old headmaster?” I said airily.
“Sorry, I don’t speak blockbuster. Better stated, as Katrina attempted to own your soul, the wound she left tried to trick your mind into not trusting me. More gum, if you please,” he said, handing me another piece of gum.
FINNED (The Merworld Water Wars) Page 22