Beyond the Sea (13 page)

“All the details?” she asked, raising her eye brows.

“Yes! Start from the beginning.”

Melia inhaled, enjoying the scent of the ocean. Though her body was tired, her mind raced, remembering her perfect date and feeling the energy of the sea that surrounded them. A smile broke out on her face as she began to recant last night.

It made Jamie happy to see Melia like this. Even though her best friend was always cheerful and never let anything get her down, Jamie could sense the sadness Melia carried with her. Literally a fish out of water, Jamie knew Melia didn’t belong in this world. Melia missed her sister and missed the ocean.
 
And even though Jamie spent many sleepless nights wishing she was as interesting and special as Melia, she felt sorry for her being forced to live in a world that wasn’t her own.

Charles’ voice came over the PA system. “Are we there yet?”

“No,” she sighed, looking at the passing waves.

“How can you tell?” Jamie asked, raising an eyebrow. “It all looks the same to me.”

“It would, to you.” Melia stood. “I’m a merrow; I see things you don’t. Plus, I can sense things under water. I can tell where we are exactly.”

“That still amazes me.” Jamie lazily rose as well and followed Melia into what Melia incorrectly called the ‘pilot’s room’. Jamie couldn’t help but smile when she saw Charles’ dark hair tucked under the silly captain’s hat. His dark eyes sparkled when he smiled at the girls. He sat casually in the captain’s chair, with one hand resting on the wheel.

“We’re getting close,” Melia informed Charles, sitting on the couch behind him. Jamie stood next to him, inspecting all the buttons and screens, impressed Charles had learned to drive the yacht on his own.

“How in the world can you tell?” he asked.

“I wondered the same thing,” Jamie admitted, shaking her head. Charles glanced at her and smiled.

“I don’t understand how you can’t tell where we are,” Melia said with a yawn. She stretched out on the couch.

“And why are you so tired, missy?” Charles asked, fatherly judgment heavy in his tone.

“I was up late with Peter,” she responded curtly.

“And what were you up late doing?” Charles turned to narrow his eyes at Melia.

“All sorts of naughty things,” she said deviously. Charles held her gaze until Melia burst into giggles. “Nothing! We talked and watched movies and cuddled.”

“Aww, how sweet!” Charles teased.

“It was!” Melia insisted and folded her arms over her head. “Keep going west for about fifteen more minutes. Wake me up in ten.”

Jamie turned to her best friend. “Maybe you shouldn’t go down that far if you’re this tired.”

“Yea,” Charles agreed. “It doesn’t seem safe.”

“What, are you afraid I might drown?” Melia asked, opening one eye.

“Yea—” Jamie and Charles said in unison before everyone laughed.

“I’ll be fine. I feel better being a merrow anyway. Staying human is tiring on its own.”

“You sure don’t act like it’s tiring,” Jamie commented. Melia never seemed to run out of energy. She sat on the couch next to Melia. “Hey, I just thought of something.” She turned to Melia. “You’re from the ocean. The ocean is salt water. How can you breathe in salt water
and
fresh water?”

Melia just shrugged. “I just do. Though, I like salt water more. It feels…better I guess. Probably because I’m used to it.”

“But how?” Jamie pressed on. “Fish that live in the ocean can’t breathe in a pond.”

“I never thought about it. That’s another thing I don’t get about you humans: You overanalyze everything. You always want answers and explanations. Just accept something and enjoy that it simply is.”

“Wise words, Miss Melia,” Charles said over his shoulder. “Though I have to agree with Jamie on this one; it boggles my mind as well.”

Melia suddenly sat up. “I’m hungry,” she said. And then she strode off to the gallery.

“Should I tell her to wait a full twenty minutes after eating to swim?” Jamie asked Charles, making him laugh.

“She’s something else, that’s for sure.”

“That’s an understatement.”

Charles let his hands fall from the wheel. He swiveled around to face Jamie. “Do you know this guy, Peter?”

“Sort of. I mean, I’ve known
of him
since grade school. But I’ve really never spoken to him before.”

“What’s he like?”

Jamie tried to detect jealousy but failed to. She had always wondered if Charles had a crush on Melia.
I wouldn’t blame him
, she thought. “He’s actually a lot nicer than I expected. He’s in with the ‘popular’ crowd, so I had always assumed him to be an arrogant asshole. But he’s nice and smart and a really good brother from what Melia says. He’s really sweet to her too, and I can tell he likes her. He’s respectful, not pushy, and a good tipper.”

“You speak very highly of someone you barely know.”

Jamie’s cheeks flushed. Crap; she did.

“If I didn’t know better,” Charles continued. “I’d think you like him.”

Jamie shook her head. “‘Used to’ is correct. And he’s the blonde haired, blue eyed quarterback. Trust me; every girl has had a crush on Peter at one point.”

“Does Melia know?”

“No, and she doesn’t need to. You know as well as I do that if she found out I ever had feelings for him she’d break up with him right away. Besides, I learned a long time ago that guys like him don’t date girls like me. I’ve been over him since the eighth grade.”

“Girls like you?”

“Yea. Shy, weird girls.”

“Weird? Says the girl whose best friend is a mermaid.”

Jamie blushed again. “You know what I mean.”

“You’re a good friend,” Charles said sincerely, his dark eyes locked into Jamie’s.

“Thanks,” Jamie said shyly. Charles turned back to the vast ocean, leaving Jamie standing and feeling awkward.

“So he’s a good guy then?”

“I’d say so. But I’m not one hundred percent sold yet.”

“Why not?”

“Peter
is
in that popular crowd. And we both know that Melia is beyond gorgeous…”

“Ah, gotcha. You don’t think Melia would know if she was being used?”

Jamie shook her head. “I’m not sure. Melia definitely wouldn’t let anyone use her, but she’s so trusting and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Charles nodded and looked straight ahead.

Jamie stood a minute, waiting to see if he would say anything else. When he didn’t she mumbled, “I’m, uh, I’m gonna go find Melia.” She passed a mirror on her way to the deck. She paused, shaking her head at her reflection. She was paler than she’d like; unlike her sisters she just didn’t seem to tan. Her long, dark hair was uncharacteristically pulled up and out of her face. She had a dark blue sundress over her black and yellow bikini. She pulled at the hems, unhappy with the way it hung on her body. She wished her hips were smaller and her breasts larger. Her stomach was flat, but so was her butt. With a sigh, Jamie continued forward in search of Melia.

Jamie gasped when she stepped onto the deck. Melia sat precariously on the railing, kicking her bare feet in the air, eyes closed, face turned up to the sun. Jamie was afraid of startling her and making her fall.

“Melia,” she said softly.

“Yea?” her best friend responded, not moving.

“It’s probably not safe to sit like that.”

“Probably not.” She leaned back and grinned. “Not for a human at least.”

“Ok, so you can’t drown, but what if you get sucked into the engine?”

“That won’t happen.”

“You sound so sure.”

“I’ve done this before, remember?” She grabbed the rail and flipped over backwards onto the deck. “We’re almost there.” She stood and pulled her dress over her head.

“How long do you think you’ll be down there?”

“I’ll try not to stay long. I just need to ask a few questions and say ‘hi’ to everyone.” Melia beamed. She was so excited to see her old friends; she hadn’t seen them since she moved to San Morado and pretended to be normal. She clasped her hands together.

“How will you find us?” Jamie settled on a lounge chair.

“Boats are easy to find.”

“They are?”

“Oh yea. When looking up, they block out the sun. It’s a big dark spot on the surface. Plus, I can sense your human auras.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Why didn’t I know that before?”

Melia shrugged again. “You never asked.”

“You can tell Charles to slow down and turn soon. I’ll see you guys in a while.” She untied her bikini bottom, stepped out of it and swan dove off the yacht. Jamie rushed to the railing.
 
She peered over, seeing nothing but rushing water. A small lump involuntarily formed in her throat. Even though she knew Melia was a merrow, it was still weird seeing your half naked best friend leap merrily into the quickly passing sea.

She wasn’t sure if she saw it at first; the blur of purple and gold. Maybe it was a reflection of the sun off the boat? Or nothing at all. Suddenly, Melia jumped out of the water, much like a dolphin. She flicked her tail and smiled at Jamie. And then she was gone. Jamie stared out at the ocean for a while longer before heading back to the wheel house.

Melia hadn’t been out this deep in a long time. It was way overdue. She felt so comfortable, so happy, so free. She swam fast. She missed the feeling of being in something so grand. And she missed home. The colors, the tranquility, the simple way of a merrow’s life…they had become a distant memory. She twirled around, laughing, swimming deeper and deeper.

Something swam behind her. She stopped, somersaulted around and waited for the school of hammerhead sharks to draw near. One by one they approached her, bumping her with their noses. A young female roughly nudged her, enticing her to partake in a quick game of tag. With a smile Melia ducked behind her, starting the game.
If only Jamie could see this!
she thought, laughing. With a swish of her tail Melia was off again. She turned to wave goodbye to the sharks once more. She happily sighed, remembering how much she enjoyed playing tag with them.

Something was wrong. Melia could feel it. Faster she swam, eager to get to her old dwelling. The water was too quiet; the current too still. Yes, something was definitely wrong. Melia swallowed. Her blood felt cold as it coursed through her veins. She dove into a deep crevice. Heart pounding, she pushed opened the gate that lead to her underwater neighborhood.

Merrows lived in cave-like dwellings. The castle style living arrangement in
The Little Mermaid
made Melia laugh. What could be more obvious than the clinquant walls of a palace?
 
Caves were inconspicuous. No one assumed anyone lived in them. They blended into the natural surroundings. They were safe and sturdy.

And they had been home.

But now they sat empty. Melia pushed open the heavy door, entering her childhood home. She knew that it wasn’t ‘hers’ anymore by any means, and she knew another merrow family must have moved in soon after they had moved out. She swam to the back where her old room was. The bed had been overturned and the shelves had been cleared.

The rest of the caves held similar stories; everything was gone. It appeared to Melia that everything had been packed in haste; little trinkets had been left behind in more than one cave. Dishes, jewelry, smooth stones, precious shells…it was as if there was too little time to grab them.

Melia bit her lip. It was common for merrows to change dwelling places every seven years or so. It helped them stay hidden from humans and merrows simply liked new areas; it was exciting. And she had lived here since she was three and left when she was fifteen, making her village way past due for a scenery change. She swam through the dwelling once more. There were no signs of struggle or danger.

And as for leaving stuff behind…well, maybe a human had come too close. Maybe they had to leave quickly so they wouldn’t get discovered. Melia decided that was more than believable. She picked up a figurine of a horse and slowly ascended toward the surface.

Peter crossed her mind more than once during the swim back to the yacht. She wondered what he was doing, what he was wearing and if he had thought about her too. He had told her that he was hanging out with Connor today and that he would most likely end up staying the night there, too. It took her by surprise how much she missed him.

She longed to gaze into his beautiful eyes, to hear his voice, to press her lips to his and feel his strong arms wrapped around her. Melia closed her eyes, recalling their last kiss. It was after four in the morning. Melia had never felt as comfortable as she did snuggled in Peter’s embrace, buried under blankets in her bed. The TV had been left on but neither had been watching. Melia’s head rested on Peter’s chest. He ran his fingers up and down her arms. They both dozed on and off, neither wanting to move, until Peter begrudgingly forced himself to go home.

Water dripped from Melia’s hair in a steady stream. She stood on the yacht deck, unmoving, and looked for her bikini bottoms. She picked them up and put them on; the fabric was hot from being left in the sun. Not even thinking to dry off, she padded her way across the deck and into the wheel house.