Beyond the Sea (33 page)

“And her parents are ok with you staying that late? Typical uppity New York behavior! That does not fly in my house, mister!”

“Well, I was at
her
house, not yours.”

Peter’s father trudged up the basement stairs. “Peter,” he bellowed.

“Hello to you, too,” Peter said sarcastically.

“You kept your mother and me up.” Roger flicked on the kitchen light and glared at his son.

“You could have gone to bed.”

Sue drained her glass. “What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t worry?”

“Why would you worry? I was at Melia’s, where I’ve been almost every night for the last three months. It’s a fifteen minute drive- tops. And you don’t care. You just like yelling at me.”

“Is that any way to talk to your mother?” Roger questioned. “This is our house and we have rules. You missed your curfew.”

“I know. Sorry. I fell asleep,” Peter said with a sigh, wanting the lecture to be over.

Sue carried her glass to the sink. “And just what were you doing over there at this hour?”

“I told you, three times now, that I fell asleep.”

“So you were in bed with Melia,” she accused.

“What does it matter?” Peter spat.

“It matters that it is immoral! Being in bed with a girl at this hour can only mean one thing!”

Peter laughed. “So if I was in bed with her at three in the afternoon, it would be fine?”

Roger said, “That is not the point, Peter.”

“Then what is?” Peter asked, throwing up his hands. His parents talked in circles and never made sense.

“You have a curfew. You need to be home by or before then. Do you understand?” As a principal, Roger put on an air of intimidation daily. It stopped working on Peter when he was twelve.

“And,” Sue said, her voice full of superiority. “It’s just not acceptable to be at a girl’s house past nine. Nothing good happens past nine. I know what you two were—have been—doing and it disgusts me. I pray for you. ”

Peter laughed. “Really, mom? You think we’re only going to have sex after nine?” Sue gasped at the word, as if Peter swore. “What if I told you I banged her in the parking lot before school? And after. And sometimes in the janitor’s closet during lunch.” He laughed again, enjoying the horror on his parents’ faces.
Is this what reaching the breaking point feels like?
he wondered. “You are so pathetic. You want to know what we did tonight? Homework. Ate dinner. Hung out with her cook. Picked up her dog from the dog park. Watched the waves and talked and then I fell asleep.” And it was the truth. He kicked off his shoes. “But I better get some sleep since I have a wild orgy planned for tomorrow during study hall.”

Roger blocked Peter’s way as he tried to push past them. “You better start showing some respect or I’ll—”

“What? Kick me out? Go ahead. I’ll stay with the VanBurren’s. Think of all the premarital sex I’ll have then!”

Sue yelled, “You’re grounded! For a month. That means no prom!”

“That’s not fair,” Peter snapped.

“You didn’t follow my rules. I say what’s fair and what’s not!” Sue smiled triumphantly.

“I come home an hour and a half late and you want to take away my senior prom. You’re punishing Melia too.”

“If she would keep her legs closed, then this wouldn’t be an issue, would it?”

Peter’s body tensed. “Do not talk about her like that.”

“You’ve been awfully infatuated with her, don’t you agree, Roger?”Sue inclined her head toward her husband, wanting backup. Roger just nodded, thinking Sue had, once again, gone too far. “Peter, you are my son and I want what’s best for you. Spending time with the VanBurren girl has caused nothing but trouble. Maybe it’s time you reevaluate your relationship with her. You are going to be graduating soon. You wouldn’t want her holding you back in getting an education, would you?”

“That’s bullshit! Melia’s the best thing that’s even happened to me. And she wouldn’t hold me back, she’s—” Peter cut off, reinterpreting his mother’s words. “Are-are you,” he looked from his mom to his dad, “are you trying to blackmail me?”

Sue’s hand flew to her heart. “How could you even say that?” She sobbed, fake, of course. “Peter, I want what’s best for you. People are starting to talk. Why aren’t that girl’s parents ever home? There has to be something wrong with her.”

Peter took a practiced deep breath. “I’m going to bed,” he said calmly. His parents must have seen the rage in his eyes because neither tried to stop him. Peter was furious. First Janet and now his parents…he clenched his fists, shaking.

His parents had no right to take away prom. They had no right to talk about Melia like that! She had been nothing but nice, well, except when she scolded his mom. He paced around his room, at a loss for what to do, so angry he could punch a hole in the wall. His door slowly opened. He spun, ready to yell at his parents. He let out the breath he took when he saw Ava’s innocent face.

“What are you still doing up?” he asked, straining to keep the anger in check.

“I had a bad dream.” She ran into the room to hug her brother.

“You’re safe now.”

“I know,” she said, her face pressed into Peter’s side. “But it was really scary.”

“What was it about?”

“There was a monster in the bathtub. It looked like a turtle with claws.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s not. Want me to go check?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, I will. But how about I tuck you in first? It’s late.”

“You’re not leaving, are you?” she asked, looking up at Peter.

“Not until next year when I go to college.”

“Can I visit you?”

“Of course.” Peter stood, picking up Ava with him. He turned on a nightlight and ruffled her hair. “Night, Ava.”

“Goodnight, Peter. I love you.”

“You too.” Peter smiled and closed the door. A turtle with claws…that didn’t sound familiar at all.

*

“It’s all connected somehow,” Melia whispered to Jamie at lunch on Friday. “The gwyrrd, the kappas and Lana’s death. I know it is. I just don’t know how.”

Jamie looked up from her tuna salad into Melia’s green eyes, wide with hope. “What should we do?”

“I don’t really know. But we need to figure something out. Why would the kappas want Peter?”

Jamie took a bite, chewed and swallowed. “Maybe they didn’t
want
him as much as they wanted him out of the way.”

“To get to me?”

“Yes.”

“But why?”

“That, I have no idea. Maybe the same reason they wanted Lana.”

Melia pushed her salad around on her plate. “The gwyrrd said something before I killed her.”

“What did she say?”

“That I was part of ‘his plan’. I didn’t believe a word she said. Now I wished I would have asked before I stuck that knife in her heart.” Melia stabbed an olive. Jamie felt her cheeks redden as Peter’s friends looked curiously at Melia.

“Shh!” she reminded her best friend. “People will think you’re crazier than you already are.”

Melia shrugged and picked the olive off her fork. “I wish I had killed that kappa too, after what he did to Peter and Wolfy. If we ever cross paths again,” her voice slowly rose, “he will be the one begging for mercy. I will hang him upside down until he’s dry, crack his shell and then slit his throat!”

“You ok, sweetie?” Peter asked, sitting down just in time.

Jamie nervously laughed. “She’s just making murder plans.”

“Oh. For who?”

“The kappas,” Melia said loudly, taking her anger out on a tomato. Peter and Jamie winced at the volume of the word. “I just feel like something’s about to happen and I don’t like not knowing what it is. And nothing makes sense. I don’t like being confused.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Jamie promised, though she had no idea how.

“We will,” Melia said definitely.

*

Nyneve had flown to California earlier that week. She had Melia’s prom dress and was more excited for the dance in two weeks than Melia was. The visit was short and superficial, Melia felt as if her mother came home to get the details for prom more than she came home to see her daughter. They were supposed to have dinner together tonight. Melia was looking forward to spending time with her mom, plus, since Peter was grounded, she didn’t have any other plans.

The note on the counter left Melia feeling more than dejected. Her mother had caught an earlier flight, stating that she needed to be in New York for Edward, whose CNN interview got pushed up a day. Melia crumpled the note and threw it as hard as she could across the room. It didn’t go very far, and Wolfy leapt after it thinking it was a toy.

At nine o’clock, Melia shut off the TV. Feeling restless, she found herself on her balcony. The stars were out in full force tonight. She laid on the cool, wooden floor, and stared above her. She crossed her eyes until the stars blurred together. When stormy clouds rolled in and blocked the stars from sight, she sighed, and considered going to bed already.

Then she felt it. The familiar aura of something non-human. She sat up, eyes on the ocean. Two figures slowly rose from the water. “I knew it!” she whispered to herself. With lightning speed, Melia ran through the house and onto the shore.

“Vaianu!” she called. He wasn’t the first ocean dweller she’d choose to be reunited with, but he was familiar and could answer some questions. “Vaianu!”

“Melia?” a deep voice called back.

“Vaianu, it’s good to see you,” Melia said in English, smiling at him. Vaianu looked nothing like a merrow. He was an adaro, a human like creature with fins, gills and razor sharp teeth.

“You too, Melia. It has been too long.” He let her go and gazed upon her face. “I didn’t think it possible but you are more beautiful.”

“You were never shy with the flattery.” Behind Vaianu, Melia saw a second adaro lurking in the water. “Is that Mako?”

“Yes. He’s still leery of land.”

Melia laughed. “I can’t blame him for that.”

“Not you. You seem at home here.” He waved at the house.

Melia shrugged. “I have to make do.”

Vaianu took Melia’s hand. “Want to go for a swim and catch up? It’s been too long.”

“Yes.” Melia spoke without hesitation, knowing that denying the offer would raise a red flag.

“Good. I can’t stand to walk another minute.” They walked into the water. “You’re wearing clothes?” he asked incredulously.

“Oh, habit,” Melia mumbled and pulled her dress over her head.
I’m sorry, Peter,
she thought. Merrows don’t wear clothes. Wet cloth is heavy and gets in the way. Thunder rumbled in the distance. She leapt into the moving water, disappearing from human sight.

“Melia, what are you doing?” Vaianu asked Melia once they were about a hundred yards out.

“Swimming,” Melia responded with a laugh. In truth, it felt good. She missed the power in the water during storms. Electricity danced with the waves. It was terrifying and intoxicating.

Vaianu laughed as well. “That’s not what I meant. I meant, what are you doing living on land?”

Melia shrugged, somersaulting in the current. “Helping my mom. She’s not dealing very well after...”

“That was almost a year ago.”

Melia was surprised Vaianu remembered. He wasn’t that close and merrows didn’t keep track of time. “ It takes a long time after you lose someone.”

“Will you ever come home?”

“I want to. I miss this.” She darted forward. “I miss the freedom.”

“And your friends miss you.”

She spun around. “They do?”

“Oh yea. A lot.”

“I miss them too.” She circled Vaianu. “You know, I looked for them.”

“And?”

“I don’t know where they are.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Vaianu smiled. “Everyone moved.”

“I figured. I mustn’t have gone out far enough.”

“Why not?”

Melia shrugged. “Takes time. I have to pretend to be human, you know. I can’t disappear for days anymore.”

“Say you’re on a vacation,” he suggested.

“I didn’t think of that.”

“How about now? Go back and make arrangements. Then come spend some time with me. I’ll take you to your merrows.” He extended a hand. The current pushed Melia forward. She shied away from Vaianu.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I-I have responsibilities on land.”

“Like what?”

“A dog,” she said quickly.

“Oh. I thought you were going to say a boy,” he said with a smile.

Melia smiled in return. “Maybe.”

“Really?” Vaianu asked, sounding immediately disgusted. “A
human
boy?”

“And what would be wrong with that?”

“Humans? Do you remember what they’ve done to us? It would be a waste! Melia, you are beautiful. Amazing. You are half merrow and half Oceanid. But you don’t have half the qualities. You have all the qualities of a merrow and all the qualities of an Oceanid. You are strong and smart. You could advance.”