When, at last, he found me.

by Adrianna Stepiano

  It wasn’t long before Joseph consumed my thoughts. If I had the notion I would be able to lead a normal life after the John F. Kennedy, I was sorely mistaken. The questions in my head began to nag. I wondered if Joseph had the answer. We didn’t have a chance to talk much before he dove into the Gulf of Taranto, frenzied with Nasani’s safety. Days passed and I wondered if I would see him again. I watched the evening news and after a while, new stories replaced the ‘MERMAID GIRL’ headlines. For this, I was grateful. However, it also meant that hope was running thin. The CORE employees were positive he would be found after they welcomed me home but they grew somber quickly as there was still no sign of their top researcher, Jay Mason. Often I passed by his office and grew sad.

  One evening after work, I went to Keyes Market and wandered for almost an hour. Mr. Keyes finally approached with unease. “Can I help you find something, Seraphin?”

  “No thank you. I’m not sure what I’m looking for.” I kept my head down, an empty shopping basket hung over my forearm. I’m certain I looked miserable, because I was.

  Instead of pushing with more questions he made small talk.

  “Mrs. Keyes tells me that since your return you’ve been doing remarkably well. At first she was worried but she says you’re tough.”

  It was amusing because I didn’t feel tough. I felt lost. Shrugging my shoulders, I gave a half-smile in response.

  “So, did you decide who you are bringing to the anniversary celebration?”

  The event had slipped my mind. “Nothing has changed Mr. Keyes; I am not bringing a date.”

  “Oh, I see. There are no young men you’d like to bring?”

  “No.”

  “What a shame.” He turned and began straightening the candy display.

  I turned with the intent on wandering a while longer.

  “Before you leave, I’ve been saving some things for you.” Stepping behind the cashier’s desk he bent down and came up with a stack of at least 10 tabloids. “I have been keeping these for you. I know how much you enjoy reading this nonsense.”

  “Thank you so much. These often keep me smiling.”

  “You’re in a few of them.”

  “Oh. In that case, please don’t be offended but I’d rather not read about myself. Thank you so much for saving them but I’m worn out with all the media coverage.”

  “Sure dear. You don’t have to explain.” He took them from the counter and placed them below. You should know though, they’re calling you a mermaid.”

  A fake laugh escaped. “I know. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

  “Sure.”

  Again, I turned away.

  “You should also know that in one, a lady claims to have seen you and that boy who is missing. She claims that the two of you were near the cliff in Taranto, Italy. Can you believe it?”

  “Barely,” my stomach twisted. “Is that all she said?”

  “No. That crazy woman says she saw him dive into the ocean after he clubbed you over the head with a baseball bat.” Mr. Keyes gave a curious chuckle.

  Someone saw us? I tried desperately to hide my thoughts. “That is—how could we have—well, that’s just outrageous.” I fidgeted, unsure of what to say next.

  Mr. Keyes spoke so casually that I almost didn’t catch it. “Right, why would Joseph hit you over the head with a baseball bat?”

  All the air in the room seemed to enter my lungs as I gasped with shock. “MR. KEYES?”

  “We have been here for you Seraphin. This neighborhood, these people, they’re all for you.”

  “I don’t understand what’s happening. How do you know Joseph?” It was surreal.

  “I don’t know him, per say. I know of him. I saw you with the boy, running through the storm. He’s Merrick’s son, looks just like his mother, has her eyes. This photo doesn’t do them justice.” He laid one of the tabloids on the counter. Joseph’s CORE employee photo was on the front page.

  “You know Joseph’s mother?” I questioned, still not believing.

  “I’ve only met her once. Well, it wasn’t that I met her but more like walked past her. Mrs. Keyes and I were on our honeymoon in Venice. We love the brackish water in Venice—the Venetian people are so welcoming too. Did you know that Venice is sinking? Saw it with my own eyes.”

  “Mr. Keyes—I, uh, didn’t know…can you explain more about how you know the Merrick family? Are you—is Mrs. Keyes—different?”

  “Oh yes. Sorry. We are—uh, water-dwellers, if you will.”

  Speechless, I watched as he casually straightened a few packs of gum that were slightly misaligned. This was unbelievable. First Gianni and now Mr. Keyes—was everyone leading a double life?

  “If you don’t mind explaining something, how’d you figure it out? The neighbors and I were all under the impression that you still didn’t know. That’s why your grandma sent you to live with the Cottington family. She didn’t trust that we’d keep the secret.”

  My head grew light as I tried to process what Mr. Keyes was saying. I was overwhelmingly confused. NO, I didn’t want to blackout, I wanted to know more. What did Mr. Keyes know about my life that I didn’t? It was a surprise to hear that he knew Joseph’s mother. I wondered if he knew mine too? “No. Stay here, stay here.” I whispered, clutching onto Mr. Keyes’ arm as I felt my conscious slipping.

  “No Seraphin. Don’t fight it.” I heard him whisper.

  I blacked out.

  I saw the same scene play out, like always. The monster was sickening; my father was alarmed when he became aware of what I was doing. There was something unusual; someone was in the water, not far from me. I could hear a voice other than my father’s speaking and laughing. The voice was evil. I’ve found you.

  When I woke, I laid still for a moment trying to comprehend what my memories had revealed. My father wasn’t scared of the ocean—he was frightened of what was in the ocean. Or should I say whom? I opened my eyes to see Mrs. Keyes reading a book and Mr. Keyes sitting at his desk working on invoices. They glanced up as worry filled their faces.

  “What do you see when you black-out?” Mr. Keyes asked.

  “I see the day he died.” As I sat up, Mrs. Keyes moved onto the couch beside me. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders, comforting me. I welcomed it. Terror remained when I thought of the voice.

  “Seraphin no one should have to endure this much emotional pain in their life, especially someone so young.” She turned to Mr. Keyes. “Alexander, that’s enough questioning. She’s been through so much this summer. The poor girl just graduated high school and should be enjoying herself; instead she’s battling a vision of her father’s death. And besides that, she was lost at sea for over a month. Thank goodness Merrick’s boy was there to help her get home.”

  Weakly, I spoke. “Joseph didn’t help me get home. I don’t think he was planning on letting me come home. He kept telling me how dangerous it was for me to leave.”

  That surprised Mr. Keyes and his brow furrowed but Mrs. Keyes shook her head at him. He looked at his invoices and continued to work.

  “Mrs. Keyes, you work with Joseph. Did you know all along that his name wasn’t Jay Mason?” I asked.

  “I suspected he wasn’t who he claimed to be. I assumed he was one of us, he knew too much about the ocean to be an ordinary human. It wasn’t until Alexander pointed out how similar he looked to Lady Marietta that I thought him to be a Merrick. It’s been years since they have appeared with Joseph, not since the death of his brother, Joshua. God rest his soul.”

  “God rest his soul.” Mr. Keyes repeated without taking his focus off the stack of paperwork awaiting his attention.

  “Joshua?”

  “The poor boy,” she shook her head and closed her eyes, “such a tragedy.”

  “Joseph had a brother? Will you tell me about him?”

  They met each other’s stare. Mr. Keyes gave a nod. She spoke gently.

  “Nearly 8 years ago he died. Joseph was just a young boy at 14; Joshua, was 4 year
s his elder. We don’t know the details but it was an accident. Some blame Joseph for his death. What a horrible burden to bear. No wonder he disappeared and has been hiding under an assumed name.”

  Joseph was hiding from his past. I wondered if he was responsible for his brother’s death. I quickly erased that thought from my mind and spoke to his defense. “Surely Joseph wouldn’t have killed his own brother. What reason would he have?”

  “Jealousy, if Joshua lived he would have been the next Guardian. Rumor is he was born with the Rune of the Sea. Remember that photo of his neck, Alexander?”

  “That was unfortunate. Those silly tabloids at it again, messing with people’s lives. After that the poor boy couldn’t escape the media attention.” Mr. Keyes shook his head in disgust.

  There was that word again, rune. I thought back to the tattoo on the nape of his neck. “Joseph has a mark on his neck too, is it the same one?”

  “Oh yes, it’s the same, though his is a tattoo, not the rune. It’s a tribute to Joshua. The skeptics feel he secretly wanted to be a Guardian—they say he was covetous of his brother’s fame. I don’t believe a bit of that.” Mrs. Keyes said with a tad of distaste.

  I thought for a moment. “Why couldn’t they both have been Guardians?”

  They laughed. “We’re sorry darling. It’s just that we forget you don’t know all the legends yet. There must be only a male and a female Guardian. And, besides, never has a second born son had the Rune.”

  “If that’s the case and Joshua was the male Guardian, who is the female?” It was just a question though the response I received was shocking.

  Mrs. Keyes came to her feet. “Well that’s useless information now that there is no longer a male Guardian. You can’t have one without the other.”

  Mr. Keyes shuffled his papers. “Nope, it doesn’t really matter who she is. We should head home Tabitha, it’s getting late.”

  “Seraphin, you’ve got to work in the morning. I need you rested—it’s a big day we have to clean the George Washington. They’re heading out this Monday for whale tagging week.”

  They led me out of their office, practically shoving. “Wait! I have more questions.”

  “Questions can be answered anytime but sleep, sleep is very important. You must get your rest now Seraphin.” They sounded crazy and I wondered what had gotten into them.

  I sat in my car for almost 30 minutes, digesting what the Keyes had told me about Joseph. Trying to process the things they told me about myself. Mr. Keyes said the neighborhood was there for me. I longed to know more and for once hated having to go home.

  At 4am I was still awake. I couldn’t take it any longer. There would be little sleep that night. After everything the Keyes had presented it was impossible for my brain to rest—it was spinning with confusion. There had never been a time that I longed to hear my father’s voice as much as I did that very moment. I carried my broken self from my bedroom to his; climbing into his bed and surrounding my body with his pillows and blankets.

  I felt my head grow light and I knew I was heading for another blackout. That time I fought it. With every ounce of mental ability, I pushed away the blackness. Instead of blacking out, I cried. It had been so long since my emotions were out of control. It was more like sobbing—inconsolable and uncontrollable sobbing; immersed for the fist time in sorrow. I hadn’t allowed myself to cry immediately following his death. I had to protect Grandma so I tried to control my emotions and when I couldn’t; my body controlled them for me. For 8 years, whenever I was upset, the world went black. Not that time though.

  Thunder cracked outside the window—lightning lit up the sky. Rain poured down and the hale storm soon followed—the pings against the glass window were steady and hard. The wind howled through the creeks in the attic. The loss of my father, grandmother and, possibly Ms. Z came together in my mind like a typhoon—destroying memories and blending thoughts until all I could do was collapse—exhausted. In a strange way, I felt free. It was the first time I controlled my own thoughts. I didn’t want to see my father’s death again—and so I didn’t.

  The thunder sounded further away and the flashes of lightning dimmed. The rain slowed to a drizzle. I calmed myself.

  TWELVE

  The back door flew open with a bang.

  I jumped out of my father’s bed, throwing pillows and blankets onto the floor. I stood, frozen with fear.

  “Seraphin, I know you’re here.” A voice whispered. “Are you alright? The storm.”

  It was Joseph. A wave of relief washed through me. I shouted his name and ran the rest of the way down the stairs and into the living room.

  I’d be lying if I said I was upset with him for breaking into my house in the middle of the night. Every inch of my body tingled with excitement. I thanked God that the power was out due to the storm as he was unable to see the silly grin on my face. The moonlight from the window highlighted the drops of water on his skin. He was barefoot and shirtless, which didn’t come as a surprise and he smelled like the ocean.

  He let out a deep sigh when he saw me and as I stepped closer his expression softened. “Seraphin, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am for leaving you.”

  My eyes shifted away from his. To be honest, I was still a little angry, however, there was no use being dramatic about the whole thing. He had come back and I was grateful to see him again. “Joseph, it’s not worth dwelling over. I’m safe; you’re safe—Nasani is she safe?”

  Relief crossed his face. “Nasani is a strong woman; I should have trusted that she would take care of herself.”

  While it was nice to hear his concern, it bothered me when he said Nasani could take care of herself. Did this mean that I couldn’t? “You would not believe the last few days, it’s a media circus. They’re calling me the mermaid girl. Oh and—” I was going to tell him about the Keyes when he stopped me.

  “Seraphin, something is going on and you’re part of it. Nasani took this from a merman she knocked out at the cavern. She’s outside and can’t get in—actually, she can’t even see your house.”

  He held up a small metal key on a chain with the number 504 etched in it. I took the key and walked into the living room, by the front door my house key hung on a hook. The same 504 was etched in it. I knew both of the keys as well as the chain connected to the one Joseph found. My heart sank. I said nothing as he continued to explain.

  “When I got back to the cavern, Nasani was hiding in the Cosa Identica, she was able to lure the man there and tricked him into diving head first into the mirage on the stone wall. It knocked him out cold. He showed up right after you and I left, I thought he was looking for me but—well, I’m not so sure I was the target this time. When I saw the key, I thought it was the one I used the day I brought you home. I was so worried something horrible had happened to you.” He moved closer and wrapped his arms around me, any other time that gesture would have made me overjoyed but my body was numb and I could not feel his arms. He stepped back, holding my shoulders.

  I was frozen. My face void of all color; I could barely speak. “Was the man bald with a tattoo across his face?”

  “Yes. Do you know him?”

  “This chain hung around the man’s neck I saw drive Ms. Z’s car from the high school parking lot. Why would my father’s key be on a chain around a strange man’s neck?”

  “That was your father’s key?” He was just as confused.

  “Yes.” I was without sensation as I sat on my couch.

  When I was 5 years old I wanted a house key so my father and I went to the hardware store where he made me a copy of his key. I had a hard time remembering what number our house was on Briarwood Court and just like any parent; he used to quiz me on things like our phone number and address. He asked the man in the hardware store to etch 504 into the key for me. I was upset that our keys were no longer identical so he had his etched as well.

  Joseph moved beside me, placing his hand over my hand and the two keys. “I don’t know wh
at’s going on Seraphin but I think that perhaps you’re more than just a misplaced mermaid. What do you know about your parents, other than their names?”

  “I know my father’s dead and my mother loved me so little that she left two days after giving birth.” Letting out a huge sigh; it was difficult to talk about my parents.

  “Seraphin, I‘m so sorry and I know this has to be really tough but the more details you can give, the better. Both of your parents had to have been merpeople, otherwise, you wouldn’t be so faultless when you transform. Your tail is ideal, your gills function perfectly and your senses are remarkable—all the signs of a full-blooded mermaid.” He was so sure of himself.

  I struggled to make sense of it all. “Do you think this merman was the man who killed my father? There was someone behind his death. I see it when I black-out.”

  “What do you mean you see it?” Suddenly, he was very interested.

  I told Joseph everything from the moment my foot touched the water that dreadful day, explaining how I also blacked out earlier that night at Keyes Market and heard the evil voice of a stranger. He listened close; I could tell certain details excited him. When I talked about the sea creature that dragged my father to his death, his face turned.

  “Leviathan,” he whispered. “The sea creature is Leviathan. If he faced it, he didn’t stand a chance—merman or not.”

  “You mean my crazy visions are true? There really is a sea monster?” Such a thing seemed outrageous, until I remembered that I was a mermaid.

  The color of his eyes darkened. “Yes, I’m afraid so. It only comes out to do horrible deeds. If you want someone to die bad enough you can make a trade with Leviathan. It’s not a trade most would make, his price is very high.”