Plus, the draw I feel towards him is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I would definitely remember that if nothing else.
14
I unzip my suitcase and start to unpack, placing my clothes in my dresser. Flo, Casey and I fall into easy conversation and I learn a little more about my new friends — Casey’s glamorous life in New York City and Flo’s talent for the ukulele.
Finally, I have the chance to ask a question that’s been burning on my mind. “Flo, how did you know a siren was like, you know, a mermaid? Did you know what Deep Cove was about before you came here?”
She smiles thoughtfully. “My mom was acting so strange and I knew there was a reason behind it. She’d leave me mythology books everywhere she could — my room, my car, my backpack. The one thing the books had in common was that they all had references to “sirens” in them — you know, half-human, half-fish. She was leaving me clues.”
I stuff a stack of shirts in a rickety drawer and sigh. I wonder what my mom knew, what my dad told her — or didn’t tell her. I wish there was phone service on this island so I could reach her. The only way to contact the outside world is through the computer lab at the edge of campus. It’s like we’ve gone back in time or something.
The door slams open and three girls stroll in confidently. They’re fresh off the beach, wearing tiny bikinis and towels slung over their shoulders. The smell of coconut lotion fills the room.
I recognize the pretty blonde immediately. She looks at — or rather, through — Casey, Flo and I with an exquisitely bored expression on her face. Her startling violet eyes are cold, but not exactly unfriendly.
“Landwalkers.” She sniffs and gives us a small nod. “I’m Kendra Walton.”
The formal, icy greeting has the desired effect — she’s automatically distanced herself from us. Before we can introduce ourselves, she continues.
“This is Brooke Arbour, and Rayne Mizutani.” She gestures towards each of her friends. The beautiful redhead with cat-like eyes, Brooke, offers a half-smile. Rayne, a small, dark-haired girl with a feisty expression, does not.
“I’m Maya,” I say, not wanting to start off on the wrong foot with our siren-born roommates. “And this is Casey and Flo.”
Casey looks just as bored as Kendra and slightly more irritated. Flo, on the other hand, smiles cordially. I notice then that Kendra and the redhead have matching song notes — Harmony Destiny — same as TJ. The dark-haired girl has the same wave as Casey, also a Riptide.
Ignoring the introduction, Kendra glances from me to Flo. Her expression becomes vaguely surprised. “Two Constellations. Interesting.”
“Interesting?” My breath catches. “How so?”
Kendra shrugs and walks to her bed. “You’ll see.”
With that cryptic answer, Kendra grabs a change of clothes and strides into the bathroom. Brooke and Rayne bustle about the room, effectively ignoring us. We’ve apparently been dismissed. I look at Casey and she rolls her eyes.
Why was Kendra surprised to see that Flo and I are Constellations? I wish for the hundredth time that I knew more about what these Destinies are and what they mean. It’s frustrating that the siren-borns have all the knowledge, whereas I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact that I might be growing a tail in the near future.
Casey, Flo and I continue unpacking and sorting our clothes into drawers. I want to say something to break the ice with Rayne and Brooke, but I hold my tongue. Kendra Walton is intimidating and I don’t intend to get involved with a mean girl while I’m here.
I remember the beautiful mystery guy slinging Kendra over his shoulder on the beach. Are they together? It would make sense, they would be the best-looking couple out there. I guess I would never have a chance with him anyway, not with people like Kendra around.
I look up to offer Brooke and Rayne a smile, but they’re both already gone.
Casey pulls a face in the direction of the bathroom. “Nice girls!”
I grin. She’s right about that.
“Come on,” I say and grab my uniform. “If what happened earlier today is any indication, this Opening Ceremony should be wildly interesting.”
15
The auditorium is a stunning, oval building covered in shimmering lights. I look around for Dennis or James, but they’re nowhere in sight. They’re likely meeting their siren-born roommates. Let’s hope they have better luck than we did.
A crowd of bustling students files into the enormous structure and Casey, Flo and I fall into step behind them. The voices of the students are soft and musical, just like every other person we’ve encountered at Deep Cove. It must be a siren thing.
We follow them into a grand hall. Rows and rows of seats stretch out ahead of us, right up to the foot of a massive stage. The crowd disperses and we’re left alone in the middle of the chaos.
Luckily, Coralie spots us and waves. “Welcome to Opening Ceremony! Intakes at the front.”
She pushes us towards the stage with a pearly smile that matches her hair. We spot Dennis and James in the front row, and take seats next to them.
James looks hilariously awkward in his blue and white Deep Cove uniform, while Dennis looks like your typical all-American football star in his. Having never had a school uniform before, I’m loving mine.
“Looking good, boys!” I teasingly tug on James’s arm.
“How does it feel to go from expelled-bad-boy to mermaid-in-a-school-uniform?” Casey adds with a smirk.
James’s eyes crinkle with laughter. “It’s everything I ever wanted.”
His smile remains as he faces the stage and I wonder if he’s happy to be out of the box he was stuffed into at his last school — finally free of his “troublemaker” label. I can relate to that. I’ve always felt different and out of place in my life. Making friends has never come easily to me, like it does for Hali, and I could never shake the feeling that there was something more out there.
Now, it appears that I was right.
I look around for TJ and Marlowe and they’re in the row behind us. My eyes are drawn immediately to the beautiful guy, sitting in the seat next to TJ. He leans back in his chair with his face turned away and says something that has TJ and the others cracking up.
So, he’s funny too.
Ugh, don’t think about it. I don’t need this distraction right now.
TJ and Marlowe wave, and I grin back. I elbow Casey in the ribs to turn around too. The beautiful guy doesn’t look our way, but I can’t help but notice that he’s not sitting with Kendra.
As if on cue, Kendra swans in with Brooke and Rayne, and they take their seats near the guys. Kendra has donned a tiny mini-skirt with her uniform to show off her long, tanned legs. Casey pulls a face and I giggle quietly.
Then, the ceiling lights dim. The soft, ambient glow illuminates the waves carved on the walls, creating a surreal underwater effect.
“Welcome, students, faculty, staff and all beings to Deep Cove Academy.” Headmaster Muir’s voice booms throughout the auditorium as he strides towards his place at center stage. For a giant, he moves with surprising agility and grace.
The first notes of a beautiful melody fill the auditorium. I look around the room, wondering where this incredible sound is coming from, and notice that the older students and professors have their mouths open and eyes closed, lost in their own voices. They’re perfectly harmonized, creating a single, incredible thread of song.
My jaw unclenches and my heart swells as the song sweeps me away. I’m spellbound, and looking at the other Intake students, I’m not alone. Even the siren-borns are completely captivated. Eventually, the song winds down, and a vast emptiness echoes inside me. I miss the melody, as though it was a real, sentient being.
“Thank you all for being here today,” Headmaster Muir says. “We would like to begin by extending a warm welcome back to our wonderful professors!”
The professors line up on the stage and I spot Professor Nerida easily. She stands straight and tal
l, overly formal in her dark pants and matching blouse. Her silver-white hair is coiffed into a low bun and her milky eyes shine bright in the lights. She runs her eyes across the audience, looking the epitome of cool, calm and collected.
“Damnnnnn. Hot teacher alert!” I hear a whistle behind me. I glance back and see TJ cracking up. The beautiful guy beside him laughs hard, his eyes closed.
Headmaster Muir’s fishscale robes dazzle under the stage lights. “And now, it gives me great pleasure to introduce our Intake class for the Fall Semester!”
His hands wave animatedly as he calls up the Anchors first, and then the Riptides, followed by the Harmonies. As he introduces each student, the audience claps and cheers. A coil of dread forms in my stomach. I’m uneasy at the thought of standing in front of all of these people. I hate the spotlight.
I peer at the sea of faces in the auditorium. There’s something different about the returning students compared to us Intakes. They have the same uniform, and they’re only a few months, or a couple of years older than us, at most. I can’t place it, but there’s something different. It’s like they have an aura about them that’s not quite… human.
I involuntarily shudder. The difference between us and the other students is that they’re not quite human — they’re in the upper semesters, meaning that they have transformed. They’re sirens, not regular humans.
Being here at Deep Cove means that I’m working towards that exact goal in my own future. I’m excited and terrified by the prospect all at once. But, there’s an incessant nagging in my mind reminding me that I almost drowned, that I failed my trial, that I don’t belong here.
By the time Headmaster Muir gets to the Constellation Destiny, there are twenty-seven students on the stage standing in three groups.
Muir laughs merrily. “Finally, we have a few new Constellations this semester.”
The audience echoes his laughter. What’s so funny?
“Florence Abbott,” he cries, and I clap as little Flo makes her way to the stage.
Muir waves his hand towards the front row. “Reef Fenner.”
My heart stops as the drop-dead-gorgeous guy steps towards the stage. Reef Fenner. I repeat his name under my breath and watch him as he moves gracefully to take his place.
“And last, but certainly not least, Maya Murphy!”
I stand awkwardly. Of course, I’m the last one. Heat rises to my cheeks as I step on-stage and walk towards my fellow Intakes. As I reach the other Constellations, Reef Fenner turns to me.
I blink at him under the stage lights. And then my legs almost give way beneath me.
I’m staring into the bright, brilliant green eyes of my nightmares.
16
The emerald color throws me into the depths of the ocean. The memory of the ship’s mast crashing towards me is overpowering. Unable to escape, unable to breathe.
I stumble on the stage, my legs buckling. Reef Fenner reaches out and wraps his arm around my waist. His fingers touch the bare skin at the bottom of my shirt and a shock of energy runs through me. His touch burns like fire.
“Are you okay?” He whispers, steadying me.
My reflexes kick into gear and I jump out of his grasp.
“Fine.” My tone is sharper than intended.
I turn on my heel and continue walking, taking a stand next to Flo. Thankfully, my stumble didn’t interrupt Headmaster Muir, he’s proceeding as normal with his announcements.
My face burns bright red and I’m dizzy. Those eyes — his eyes — are the same ones from my nightmare, I’m sure of it. The clear, intense, inhumanly-bright emerald color is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. But how can that be? It simply isn’t possible that someone I’ve never seen is appearing nightly in my dreams.
I hold my breath and peek at his face. He’s staring straight ahead, his expression neutral. I see the green of his eyes and I feel unsettled. Exhaustion must be catching up to me.
Muir finishes the announcements and I follow the Intakes off the stage on auto-pilot as Opening Ceremony draws to a close.
“Saw you trip. You okay?” Casey places her hand on my arm and I jump. “Woah, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Sorry, Case,” I respond in an exhale. “It’s not you. I think I’m just tired.”
Then, goosebumps prickle over my skin and I glance around instinctively. My eyes meet Reef’s across the crowd. He’s staring directly at me, his gaze intense but not unfriendly.
I break eye contact and take a deep breath. As I turn to Casey, I catch sight of another pair of eyes, watching me from a corner of the room.
Kendra.
She looks angry. She glares in my direction and shakes her head infinitesimally. Then she spots Reef and her entire demeanor changes. She smiles brightly and flips her long blonde hair over her shoulder, batting her eyelashes at him. As he walks by, she grabs his arm and links hers through it.
She clearly didn’t like seeing Reef put his arm around me on-stage. I roll my eyes and follow Casey and Flo out of the auditorium. This should make the roommate situation even more pleasant.
“Earth to Maya,” Casey sings and I return to the conversation she’s having with Flo. “So? What did you think about Muir’s speech?”
“His speech?”
“Weren’t you listening? He was going on about how great it is to be a siren.”
In horror, I realize I didn’t hear anything Muir said. So much for getting my answers.
“I wasn’t really paying attention.”
“Don’t worry,” Flo says quietly and smiles at me warmly. “You didn’t miss much. A lot of what he said is in the mythology books. I can lend some to you, if you’d like.”
“Thanks, Flo.” I smile at her gratefully as we head towards our dorm.
It’s a beautiful evening and I look across the campus at the groups of laughing, chatting students. My eyes are immediately drawn to a gathering near the first-year dorms. In the center of the group, Reef is talking, his beautiful face looking entirely unaffected by what just happened.
I never knew Reef Fenner existed until today. So how is it possible that I see his eyes every night in my dreams?
17
I grab a California Roll and a fish taco before throwing a scoop of perfectly golden, deep fried shrimp onto my tray. I add a slice of chocolate cake to round out my not-so-balanced meal, but I’m not in the mood to think about nutrition — I’m starving.
Today was our first day of classes, and spending eight hours learning about siren history and societies around the world has proved hungry work. The first thing we were taught is the siren motto — Fatum est enim vestra. You find your Destiny from within.
So I guess I’m screwed.
I balance a Coke on my overflowing tray, needing the caffeine kick. I’ve been at Deep Cove for three days now, but I haven’t slept much since I got here. Not only am I plagued with daily anxiety about what I’m doing here, but my nightmare is more powerful than ever. Especially as the boy that haunts my dreams now has both a face and a name.
Reef Fenner.
Regardless of the nightmare, I find I’m constantly looking for him as I move around campus. It’s like I have a deep, automatic need to search for him, as natural as the air I breathe.
I scan for him as I walk across the grand Dining Hall, but he’s nowhere to be found. Both relief and disappointment wash over me as I head to my friends, who are sitting by a huge window in the corner.
“Hey guys!” I put down my tray and slide onto a bench next to Casey and Dennis. Flo and James are seated across the table.
“What’s up?” James mumbles through a mouthful of sandwich.
Casey hands him a napkin. “Gross.”
“You like it.” He takes the napkin, his eyes smiling. We all laugh.
Though we’ve only been at Deep Cove for a couple of days, we’ve formed a tight-knit group — bonded by our lives being turned upside down.
“I’m not looking forward to our first Transformation cl
ass tomorrow.” Flo shudders.
I nod in glum agreement. It’s been so busy over the last couple of days that I’ve barely had time to think, let alone visit Professor Nerida and get the answers that I’m looking for. I still haven’t told anyone, even Casey, about what happened during my trial. Transformation class feels like yet another confusing hurdle for me to address.
I bite into my sushi and consider, yet again, that Deep Cove could be an institution for the insane. But something nags at me. For some reason, I feel like Deep Cove holds the answers to questions I’ve had my whole life. Questions about who my biological dad really is — who I am. I’m desperate to find out more.
Suddenly, I can feel his eyes on me. His beautiful, emerald green eyes.
“Landwalkers!” TJ exclaims. “Mind if we sit with you?”
Casey’s posture straightens next to me and she smiles wryly. “Hello, fish boy.”
I barely hear their interaction. My senses are overpowered by the glare coming from those green eyes. Reef is a couple of paces behind TJ, his bronzed, muscular body tense. His knuckles are white where they clutch his tray.
I timidly bring my gaze to his face. His mouth is set in a thin line and his jaw is clenched. He looks me dead in the eye and I feel faint again, dizzy as my nightmare washes over me.
Only, in reality, it's almost worse. The eyes in the dream are pleading with me. Reef’s eyes, here on dry land, are a thunderstorm.
I recoil instinctively. His perfect face looks cold. I don’t understand — with everyone else, he’s so easygoing. Every time I see him, he’s laughing with his friends, constantly kidding around. But when I look at Reef, there’s no sign of a joke anywhere. It’s like he’s extremely bothered by my presence.
He sits across the table and his eyes shift away from me. His face relaxes into an easy smile as he strikes up a conversation with James.
The Destiny: A YA Paranormal Academy Romance (Deep Cove Academy Book 1) Page 5