Derrolyn Anderson - [Marinas Tales #1] - Between The Land And The Sea (17 page)

That night Cruz and I went through the boxes. He was in designer heaven, exclaiming rapturously over each new garment he retrieved. He assigned himself the job of stylist and busied himself laying out my outfits for the week.

“You’re like the Barbie I never had!” he joked.

The next day Cruz drove me to school in the Porsche. Every head in the parking lot turned as we pulled in. Ethan walked over as if he had been waiting for us.

“Nice ride,” he said, walking around the car, “Lemme guess– the rich Aunt?” he smiled, shaking his head.

“Yes, but it’s just on loan,” I was on the defensive, “So I can learn to drive.” He chuckled, “Only you would learn to drive in a car like this.” The rest of the week went by quickly, with driving lessons every day after school. Cruz took me out to an empty lot and I practiced shifting gears, parallel parking and backing up straight. I think I scared him a few times, but I was getting the hang of it. I suspected Cruz was using the lessons to keep me away from the pier, because whenever I started to venture out he insisted it was driving time. I was still determined to meet with Lorelei and began to devise a plan.

Saturday morning finally came, and along with it my first surfing lesson. Ethan arrived early to do yard work and I went outside with him, insisting on helping him rake and pick up clippings. Everyone else thought I was a spoiled rich brat, but for some reason I couldn’t bear the thought of Ethan thinking badly of me. We looked at the surfboards leaning against the side of the house. Ethan explained that the short board was harder to surf, and I’d be better off starting out with a longer one.

“Take both of them and you can keep the short one,” I said.

“I’ll try it,” he said as we loaded them into his truck, “But it’s your board.” We drove out to the same beach as before and parked.

He turned to look at me with serious eyes.

“I’ve spent all week worrying about you getting yourself beaten up. Have you always had such a bad temper?” I laughed until I realized he was serious.

“I’ve never been in a fight in my life!” I protested.

“Then why did you get so fired up?” he asked. I thought about it for a moment, but there was no way to explain it that didn’t sound weird. I felt different, more ferocious somehow, especially where my loved ones were concerned.

“Have you heard the things they say... about Cruz, about Megan... and Abby?” I asked intensely. “I know I’m not... normal, and people think I’m a stupid freak, but I refuse to just sit and ignore it when they talk to my friends like that.”

“You should just let it slide and walk away,” he chided me.

“I
can’t
just walk away.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I love them,” I said simply.

He was quiet for a moment, then he looked down and away. I remembered what Abby had said about his mom and felt horrible.

I put my hand on his back. “Come on, teach me how to surf,” I said gently.

We hauled the surfboards down to the beach and laid them out on the sand. Ethan started out with a lecture about safety again, stressing that I must never go out alone. He was deadly serious, with none of the lighthearted joking I was used to with him. I agreed to be cautious and tried to be a good student.

I felt a twinge of guilt, because even as I promised to follow all of his safety rules my latest plan was to paddle my board out far enough out so that I could talk to Lorelei in privacy. I felt it would be safe enough on top of a surfboard in a wetsuit. I decided that I could contact her on the ship, change into my suit and swim out to meet with her. I smiled to myself, thinking I’d have some answers soon.

“Are you listening?” Ethan waved a hand in front of my face and I snapped to attention.

“Yes sir!” I said with mock seriousness, satisfied with my plan.

He explained how I needed to find the center of gravity on the board to avoid dipping either the nose or tail down in the water, and showed me how to attach a leash from the board to my ankle to keep it from getting away from me after a fall. He had me practice lying on the board, and showed me how to spring up to my feet in one swift movement.

“Don’t expect to stand up on a wave the first time,” he said, “but don’t get discouraged, if you pick it up like you did swimming, you’ll do just fine.” We slipped into our wetsuits and headed out into some small waves. Ethan showed me how to dive through the wave with a board, dipping the nose to keep it from being pushed back into me. He stressed that the most dangerous thing was getting hit by your own board, and that when I fell I must protect my head with my arms, and stay under just a little longer to let it clear away.

I was surprised at how much there was to know; Ethan always made it look so easy.

Once we got past the breaking waves we started to paddle out, lying on the boards and doing the crawl stroke. I was a little wobbly at first, but I watched Ethan carefully, and tried hard to mimic him. I got out past the wave break and learned how to sit up steadily on the board, laughing as I kept tipping over at first. I felt comfortable with the sensation of being in the water, and I was happier than I’d been all week. My joy must have been infectious, for Ethan finally loosened up and relaxed.

Once I mastered the art of sitting up, I turned to Ethan with a grin, “Let’s have a demonstration.”

He smiled back, and began to paddle hard for the shore. Tensing catlike on the board he easily sprang upright, surfing the small wave for a surprising distance before I lost sight of him.

He came swiftly back to my side, sitting up on the board and explaining how to catch a wave. I nodded, trying to remember everything he said. I was distracted by a flash of color out of the corner of my eye. Was that a glint of coppery hair? I scanned the water but saw nothing.

Gathering my courage, I chose a swell that looked promising and started paddling as fast as I could. I could feel the speed of the water pick up and start to carry the board. I managed to get to my feet and stand in a crouch for a few moments before I wobbled and fell. After a little bit of churning in the white water I surfaced and retrieved my board. Ethan came paddling up to check on me and I waved him off, ready to try again.

“Nice start,” he called over. “Next time try putting your arms out more.” I took his advice and each time I tried I got better and better. Finally I managed to actually stay on my feet, drop down onto a good sized wave and surf across it diagonally, staying just ahead of the breaking crest. I paddled back out, smiling triumphantly. It was as fun as it looked, and I was feeling so good I forgot about mermaids and school and everything but just being happy.

Ethan came over to me, “You’re doing great! You learn fast.” I sat up on my board next to him in the water with a big smile.

“I think I need a rest,” I said, panting to catch my breath. My legs were getting a little unsteady, and my arms felt like wet noodles. We sat quietly astride our surfboards, enjoying a moment of calm and the rhythmic rise and fall of the incoming swells. It had been another perfect day, just me, Ethan and the sea.

“We should head in,” he said.

I smiled at him affectionately, “Thanks so much…That was fun.” I looked down at my board and was surprised to see the water surrounding us filled with light reflecting from sleek, shining bodies. The sea churned and splashed. It was a pod of dolphins! They started leaping and diving in a tight circle around us, twisting in the air as if they were trying to make eye contact with me. I looked over at Ethan and saw his blue eyes filled with wonder. The dance continued for several minutes until I started to laugh out loud. All at once the dolphins leapt in unison and disappeared underwater in complete synchronization.

The sea became completely calm again. I thought about Lorelei, and how she had commanded the sea lions. That
was
her I had seen! I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I scanned the sea all around us, looking for her.

“Marina,” Ethan said, “Let’s go in.” He was looking at me strangely, and he seemed a little alarmed.

“OK!” I smiled broadly. I was thrilled. If she could find me here, at a different beach, I knew I could meet with her when I was ready. We definitely had a connection.

We gathered our gear and loaded it into his truck. I climbed in the cab and Ethan opened a small cooler and handed me an orange juice.

“Here, drink this. It’s easy to get dehydrated out there.”

“Thanks,” I smiled gratefully, surprised at how consistently thoughtful he was.

I was silent for a few minutes, thinking about Lorelei. It was warm from the sun and I was pleasantly tired and relaxed, sighing with contentment. I leaned back, stretching out my sore shoulders with my eyes closed. When I opened them back up I saw Ethan watching me.

“What?” I said sleepily.

“Marina, the dolphins... that wasn’t normal. I’ve never seen them act like that.” I looked out the window and smiled to myself.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” I said, thinking I wasn’t very normal either.

He cleared his throat, “Do you remember how I freaked out when I first saw you?” he asked.

I nodded, looking down. He continued, “It was your eyes. I’d seen your eyes before... I was starting to think I hallucinated the whole thing...”

My head snapped up, “What?” I said, looking over at him, “When?” His eyes locked onto mine and I could see him struggle with what he was about to say, “I was in a surfing contest out at the point. I was way out, sitting up on my board, waiting my turn when I saw a big shark heading for me.” He took a breath and went on, “It was a great white, maybe fifteen feet... coming at me fast. There was nothing I could do...” He glanced over at the ocean, remembering.

“What happened?” I asked quietly. I think I knew what he saw.

“A girl came from out of nowhere. Popped up right between me and the shark... She must of kicked it away or something, because it just took off.” He shook his handsome head.

“Wow,” I said softly.

“I was shocked... but I
know
I saw her. She looked me straight in the eyes and disappeared underwater. I looked all around, diving in the water, but I couldn’t find her...” he looked down,

“The whole thing only lasted a few seconds. I... I knew no one would believe me so I never told anyone.”

There was a moment of silence, “I believe you,” I said.

He turned to face me again and his eyes burned into mine, “I thought it might have been you when I first saw you...”

I shook my head, “No, It wasn’t me.”

“Then who was it?” his eyes were intense.

I wanted to tell him everything right then but something stopped me. What if he didn’t think I should look for Lorelei again? What if he was disgusted by my possible origins? Or worst of all, what if he didn’t want anything more to do with me?

“I…” I bit my lip, “I don’t know.”

I had to look away, unable to bear his gaze. There really was so much I didn’t know, and I was more determined than ever to find out. I remembered how I wanted to tell him what I’d seen the day he pulled me out of the sea. It was unbelievably ironic that just moments after I first saw Lorelei I would come in contact with the only other person in town who would have actually believed me.

He drove me home in silence, the unspoken truth hanging between us. He sighed as we pulled up in front of the house.

“You could be a really good surfer if you keep practicing,” he said.

“You sound like Cruz with my driving,” I replied, “Could we go surfing again?” I asked timidly, fearful he might say no. I had a feeling he knew I was being evasive.

“I was hoping that you’d want to,” he smiled at me and I relaxed.

We got out and started unloading my surfboards.

“I want you to have that board,” I said.

He thought about it for a second and shrugged, “I’ll borrow it when we surf together,” he glanced over at the Porsche. I had an idea.

“Do you want to drive it?” I asked.

He smiled, and again I noticed the way his eyes crinkled up at the corners, “I thought you’d never ask.”

“Be right back.”

I ran in the house with my bag, surprising Cruz and Megan as they sat on the couch watching television.

“Hi guys,” I said, rushing past their questioning eyes to my room. I grabbed my purse and keys and ran a brush through my hair. I hurried back past them towards the door.

“Ethan and I are going for a driving lesson,” I tossed out casually. Megan and Cruz exchanged smirks.

Abby came in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel, “Dinner’s almost ready...

do you want to invite Ethan?” she asked, looking out the window at his truck parked out front.

“They’re going driving,” Cruz said teasingly. I blushed, and flashed him a mock dirty look.

“Don’t wait for me, I can grab something later.” I made my escape, handing Ethan the keys as we climbed in.

“Where to?” he asked.

I looked up at Megan and Cruz in the window and said, “Let’s just get out of here.” He saw them and smiled.

“They’ve been worried about you all week too.”

He took the Porsche out on the freeway and headed down the coast. He gunned the engine, pressing me back into the seat.

“How come your old auntie has a sweet ride like this?” he asked.

I laughed at his characterization of Evie. He had no idea. “Her late husband collected cars.

This is just the tip of the iceberg,” I said, telling him about the underground garage full of cars. I described some of her Rolls Royces, Ferraris, and other cars I couldn’t name. He let out a low whistle.

“Tell her the old man had great taste. This thing’s in excellent shape.” We continued our drive along the coast, and he seemed to be enjoying the ride. We sped past rich farmland with artichokes and strawberry fields until he took an an exit and turned onto a country lane.

“Where are we?” I asked, as we wound down the remote road and parked.

“C’mon, I’ll show you.” He led me out to a large field, part of it planted with lettuce. It was windswept, with a few gnarled Cypress trees clinging to the edge of a bluff. The view of the coast was magnificent.