~
I woke with a start. I was standing on the street in front of the house. It was still dark outside, but the pink tinge on the horizon told me that it was nearly dawn. I looked down at my bare feet and legs in confusion. As I came fully awake, I realized with a shock that I had been sleepwalking!
The last thing I remembered was wearily putting on an old T-shirt to sleep in, and here I stood out in the street. I sped up the driveway to discover that I had left the front door ajar. I scurried inside and locked it behind me, creeping to my room, strange dream forgotten. Thank goodness I woke up before anyone saw me.
I threw on some jeans and a pretty silk blouse over a lacy camisole. I was planning to see Ethan today, but first there was someone I had to talk to. I decided to get going early. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and grabbed the car keys, slipping out of the house before anyone could stop me. I wasn’t supposed to drive without a licensed driver, but with everything that had been going on, I decided this was no time to get hung up on technicalities.
I found the Jaguar was easier to drive than the Porsche, and I got the hang of it quickly. I pulled up to the farmer’s market early, and sat in the parking lot watching the vendors arriving. People were busily setting up tents and tables, and the coffee stand was already doing a brisk business catering to the other market workers. I got out of the car and stood in line for a cappuccino and a breakfast roll.
I ate, sipping my coffee as I watched for Lue Khang. I saw his grandson Long bustling around in the stand that Ethan usually worked. When Lue finally shuffled around the corner, I gathered my thoughts and approached him. I was a little taken aback when he looked up and smiled like he had been expecting me all along.
“Come and sit down,” he said, gesturing for me to follow him to the tables he had set up behind his stand. I sat, watching as he left for a moment to return with a teapot and two small ceramic cups.
“No, thanks, I had coffee,” I said.
“Have tea also,” he insisted, pouring two cups.
“OK, thank you.” I politely took a sip. “Lue, I was wondering–”
“You want to know about the water spirits,” he said.
I nodded, relieved. “Why do you think they’re unhappy?”
“They call to you. They want something from you.”
“I don’t understand. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to make them happy?”
“You want to know how to appease them.”
“Yes!” I smiled, encouraged. “What do they want from me?”
“I don’t know,” he said. My spirits fell in disappointment. He poured more tea into our cups and continued, “You must sacrifice something of great value. You must bring honor to your ancestors. These things are impossible for anyone but you to know.”
My ancestors? Did he know about me? I was confused and dismayed. This was not going at all how I had hoped. I had one more question. “Lue?” I bit my lip. “These water spirits: can they–would they–take something from me, something I value?” I could see an image of Ethan lying in the hospital bed.
Lue studied me as if he was seeing me for the first time. “It is not a sacrifice unless it is given freely.”
An enormous wave of relief washed over me. This was going to be between me and them. That was all I needed to know. I jumped up and gave him a hug. I looked up into the shocked face of Long as I turned to go.
“Thanks for the tea!” I grinned as I bowed deeply to Lue. I practically danced all the way to the car. I got to the hospital and took the stairs two at a time. When I arrived at Ethan’s room, he was sitting on the edge of the bed with his street clothes on.
“Good morning!” I bounded in. “Checkout time?”
He laughed, “You look … happier.”
I grinned. “I am. How are you feeling?”
“Better now.” He regarded me with amusement. “I’m taking the day off work. Wanna hang out?”
“Sure,” I said. “Can I give you a ride home?” Ethan’s dad came in. “Good morning!” I smiled cheerfully. He was followed by a hospital orderly pushing a wheelchair. My grin grew wider. I remembered this.
“Time for the roll of shame,” I said to Ethan with a smirk.
“Hospital rules.” The orderly looked at him and gestured to the chair. Ethan rolled his eyes at me and took a seat. We rode the elevator down to the lobby. When we reached the exit he turned to his father.
“Do you mind if I get a ride with Marina?”
Dutch looked tired. “Go ahead. I’m going home to bed.” I realized he had been there all night.
“I promise I’ll get him home in one piece,” I said with a smile. “I’ll go get the car.”
I went to fetch the Jaguar and pulled it up to the curb. Dutch looked taken aback, but Ethan just laughed and shook his head. He rose from the chair with a smile when I stepped out.
“I see you have a new ride,” he said with a raised eyebrow. “So when did you get your driver’s license?” He knew I hadn’t taken the test yet.
“At least you can supervise me now,” I said with a smile, opening the passenger door.
“Why did you switch cars?” he asked, looking around the plush interior.
“Cruz liked the Jaguar,” I explained. “And Evie insisted we take it.” I went around to the driver’s side and took the wheel.
“You,” he rolled his eyes, “are spoiled.”
I looked down for a moment. “I really didn’t ask for any of this … I hope you don’t think that I’m not grateful for all this stuff.”
He glanced over at me with a worried look. “I didn’t mean it,” he said softly. “I’m glad you came.”
I raised my head. “Me too.”
We headed out on the road towards Ethan’s house.
“You know, you look like a mummy with that bandage on your head,” I teased him.
“Very funny. They shaved a big patch from one side–I think I’ll go to the barber and have him take it all off.”
“Do you have any clippers?” I asked. “I happen to be an expert.”
He just raised his eyebrows and looked over at me.
We got to Ethan’s and Dutch pulled up right next to us. I looked out across the harbor to see the sunlight sparkling on the dark blue water; it was going to be a beautiful day. We all walked in together, Ethan taking my arm as we climbed the stairs. He asked his dad if they still had clippers, reminiscing about all his childhood buzz cuts while Dutch went looking for them.
Ethan excused himself to take a quick shower, asking me to have a seat on the couch.
“Take your time,” I said. I remembered how it felt to want to rinse the feeling of hospital off your body.
After a few minutes Dutch came in brandishing the clippers. “They still work.” He eyed me skeptically. “You’re not going to take an ear off or anything, are you?” he asked, tongue in cheek.
“I’ll have you know I have many hours of experience with these,” I replied officiously, taking the clippers.
He looked at me with narrowed eyes, puzzled.
“On my Aunt Evie’s poodles,” I added with a wicked smile, making him roar with laughter. Ethan came in and looked back and forth at the two of us with surprise.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“Oh, nothing,” his dad replied with a wink at me. “I’m gonna hit the sack.” He yawned and stretched, lingering for a moment before turning to leave. “Marina?”
“Yes?”
“Tell Abby it was really nice talking to her,” he said.
“Sure,” I replied with a smile, turning my attention to Ethan. “Ready?”
He took a seat at the kitchen table and I stood behind him. I gingerly started to unwrap the gauze around his head to reveal the wound.
“Do you have a first aid kit?” I asked.
“Do you plan on an accident or are you going to perform surgery now?” Ethan asked.
“Very amusing,” I said reproachfully. “You got your ban
dage wet and I need to change it.” He left, returning with a large box packed full of gauze, tape and bandages. “Wow,” I commented as I rummaged around in the container, “you certainly come prepared.”
“My dad’s,” he explained. “Fishermen get banged up a lot.”
“So do surfers, apparently.” I peeled back the pad that covered the large gash on his left temple. I bit my lip when I saw the row of black stitches that held the wound closed, touching the skin around them gently, my heart aching at the sight. I didn’t feel like joking around anymore. “Does it hurt?” I asked.
“Not really,” he said. I had a feeling he was downplaying it.
“It sure looks painful.” I carefully clipped the remaining hair around the stitches.
“The doctor said it would be more itchy than anything,” he said. I picked out a good-sized sterile pad and bandage tape, redressing it as carefully as possible. I felt better once I got it covered up again.
I shaved down the side of his head to match what had already been taken off, and evened up the other side, circling around the chair. I was so focused on getting it symmetrical that I wasn’t nearly as nervous as being close to him usually made me. His eyes were closed and he had the same blissed-out look on his face that Charlie got when you scratched him under the chin.
“Last chance for a Mohawk,” I teased him as I started in on the top. “Or I could carve my initials in the back of your head.”
“You might as well,” he murmured.
I sheared the back evenly, thinking what a shame it was to see his sun-streaked hair fall to the floor. I left the top just a bit longer and blended it all in evenly, stepping back to admire my work. Not bad at all, I thought. It was a pretty good version of a military style crew cut, and I thought it suited him. He rubbed the top of his head and looked up at me.
“Well?” he asked.
“You look like a soldier,” I said, and he did. A really handsome one, I thought. He got up and brushed some hair off his shoulders. He went out the front door and peeled off his shirt to shake the hair out. I didn’t want to get caught staring, so I busied myself kneeling down to gather up the hair from the floor.
“I’ll get that,” he said, heading to the bathroom to take a look at himself.
He came out with a smile, satisfied. “Thanks, it looks good. Do you cut your dad’s hair or something?” he asked as he swept up the remaining hair clippings. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.
“No, I’ve only ever cut Pierre and Fifi’s before.”
“Who?” he asked, looking suspicious.
“Evie’s toy poodles,” I confessed. “They like me better than the groomer.” I was relieved when he chuckled.
“I’m honored to be your first human,” he said with a wry smile. “And I like you better than the groomer too.”
“You were a whole lot easier than a squirmy little dog,” I laughed. “Plus, a nice round head beats teeny little poodle paws.”
He started laughing. “So, do you want to go somewhere?”
“How are you feeling?” I asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking it easy?”
“I’m fine; I feel better than ever.” He looked thoughtful. “Let me take you for a drive.”
“You just wanna get your hands on my Jaguar,” I said teasingly.
“Among other things,” he replied, making me blush.
We went out to the car and I handed him the keys. He got on the freeway heading north of town and took the college exit. We climbed up a steep winding road and parked in a lot at the top of a hill. Ethan took my hand and led me down a series of gravel paths that wound through a beautiful terraced garden.
He explained that this was the university’s botanical collection and that he would be attending here next fall. The garden was divided into sections featuring specimens from different continents, and as we walked along he pointed out some of his favorite plants, noting which kinds he was thinking about trying out in Abby’s garden.
I liked Ethan like this, full of enthusiasm and plans. I felt like he was showing me a side of himself that no one else saw, and it made me feel special. We hiked around the hill, taking in the spectacular views of the ocean in the distance. He led me to a bench that looked out over the whole campus, and he pointed out some of the different buildings and told me what schools they housed.
“I hear they have a really good art department here,” he said casually. “Are you sure you want to go to school in the city?”
“I don’t know,” I said, scuffing my shoes in the gravel. “I don’t know what I should do. It’s funny, I see you and my dad, Cruz and Megan, and you all know what you’re supposed to do. I mean, I like art, but I’m not really sure what I’m good at.”
“You don’t see yourself at all, do you? It seems to me that you’re good at everything you try,” said Ethan sincerely.
“I had a dream I could breathe underwater,” I replied flippantly. “Maybe I’ll go swim with the mermaids.”
Ethan turned to look at me with shock in his eyes.
“Just kidding,” I said, alarmed at his reaction.
He sighed. “That’s not funny Marina. Don’t even joke about it.”
He suddenly looked pale and tired. I felt like I had spoiled a perfect day, and worried that he wasn’t feeling well.
“I talked to Lue Khang this morning,” I said, trying to change the subject. “I think everything’s going to be fine.”
He looked surprised. “Is that why you were in such a good mood this morning?”
I smiled encouragingly. “Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
“Really?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes,” I nodded. “It’s all up to me.”
His eyes narrowed. “What exactly did he say?”
“He thinks they want something from me, but I get to decide what to do about it.”
“What do you mean?” He looked too serious.
I took his hand, wanting him to relax. “They won’t just take something. I mean, it has to be something I give up.”
“Give up?” His eyes widened.
I set my jaw. “Sacrifice, trade–whatever! I can handle it. I’m not afraid of them.”
“Marina,” Ethan said solemnly, “I’m afraid for you.”
“It’s okay. I just need to make some sort of … deal … with them. Even the fortune teller said that.”
“Fortune teller?”
“Evie took us to her psychic yesterday for a reading. I thought it was a bunch of–Well, I didn’t expect anything to come of it. Evie always has a spiritualist of one kind or another lurking around. But she repeated pretty much everything Lue told you.” I tried to read his expression, but he leaned back on the bench with his eyes closed. “That’s why I decided to go see Lue–just in case there was something to it.”
He sighed, and turned to look at me with a weary attempt at a smile. “What am I going to do with you?”
“How about you get something to eat with me?” I said, pulling him off the bench by both hands. “I’ll drive and you can critique me.”
I drove us back into town, watching him out of the corner of my eye. I came upon a little restaurant that looked good and parked. His face was averted, his eyes remote. He looked a little sad.
“Do you like Chinese?” I asked hopefully.
We discovered that we both liked spicy food, and ordered Szechuan style. The food was good, and we stayed a long time drinking tea and talking. I asked more questions about the university and his mood improved.
“I guess your dad probably wants you to go to school in the city,” he said morosely.
“I have no idea. It depends where his next project takes him.” I suddenly realized that I probably wouldn’t be traveling with him anymore when I started college.
“Why not stay here?” he asked.
“I used to live here,” I said. “I found out that I lived in that house with Abby for the first nine months of my life. Maybe t
hat’s why I feel so at home there.”
I told him about the day Cruz found out about his father, and my conversation with Abby. He was surprised to hear the story of Cruz’s father, and sorry to hear what had happened to my mother. Talking about it made me uncomfortable, so I didn’t go into much detail.
“Poor Abby,” said Ethan. “She’s always been so nice to everybody.”
“I think your dad likes her.”
“You noticed,” he said with a smile.
“Abby said she thought he was cute,” I grinned. I probably shouldn’t have betrayed her confidence but I had a feeling Dutch might like hearing that.
“Really,” Ethan said. “I don’t think Dad’s even gone on a date since my mom took off.” It was the first time he had mentioned his mom to me and I didn’t know what to say. He didn’t elaborate.
“Um, excuse me.” I headed towards the ladies room and paid the bill on the way to keep Ethan from trying to get it. He could have the next one. I hoped there would be a next one. When we got up to leave Ethan protested that he owed me for my haircutting services, and we both found that equally funny. He looked drawn and tired, so I drove him home.
“Are you going to take some time off school?” I asked.
“I probably shouldn’t. I need to keep my grades up for my scholarship. Besides, I always enjoy seeing what you come up with in art class.”
I snorted, casting a cynical look at him.
“My turn to walk you to your door,” I said. I got out with him and when we got to the top of the stairs he hugged me first, pulling me close.
“Marina,” he whispered in my ear. “Promise me you’ll stay away from them.”
I reached up and stroked the back of his fuzzy head. “If I can.”
“No!” he said hoarsely. “Promise me!” He gripped me a little too tightly.
“Look,” I said soothingly. “I’ll tell you before I do anything, okay?” I owed him that much after everything he’d done for me.
“Swear to me,” he insisted.
“I swear,” I said.
The door opened and I think Dutch was surprised to see us there.
“You’re back,” he said, and we awkwardly parted.
“Hello,” I said to Dutch.
“Nice haircut” He looked at Ethan with a smile.
“Bye, guys, get some sleep.” I hurried down the stairs to the Jag.
I drove home slowly, thinking about what I should do. Nobody wanted me to have any contact with the mermaids. I could understand their point of view, but no one could see mine. I needed resolution; I was compelled by forces I couldn’t explain. I knew in my heart that Lue and Fatima were right, and that I needed to settle some unknown issue.
Evie always said that we possess the power to decide whether to simply be victims of fate or masters of our own destiny. I wondered how much control I really had, since I sensed that it was inevitable–I was going to be forced to make a choice. I could feel a confrontation coming, looming just offshore like a tempest blowing in from the sea. It was steadily advancing, and I knew it would be visited upon me whether I liked it or not.
I sighed, putting the negative thoughts out of my mind. I was happy after spending the day with Ethan, hopeful that things would work out okay–one way or the other. I pulled up to Abby’s cozy little house and a whisper of tranquility passed through me.
I smiled, even though I pretty much knew it was only the calm before the storm.
~
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SLEEPWALKING
~
No sunlight could penetrate this deep. There was only a black void surrounding a circle of glowing mermaids. The eerie light they cast illuminated the grotesquely formed deep sea fish that occasionally swam lazily past us. My feet were tingling and I looked down, relieved to see they were still there.