Chasing Atlantis (8 page)

7.

Details

“It’s her, isn’t it?” Despite the scorching heat I was freezing. My body trembled with the cold tremors of dread that I tried to suppress

“What? No, Amy, I told you I won’t let her near you.” He still wouldn’t look at me.

“Then why are your brothers evacuating the beach?” I asked, fear distorting the heavy sarcasm in my voice.

“There have been recent reports of… sharks in the area. We just got word. We’re just doing this as a safety precaution. I promise.” He finally broke his trance and towed me towards the beach, following the long line of groans and sighs, as the unhappy people were herded towards the shore. “Just think of this as a safety precaution.”

I wanted to shout that I knew it was her out there but his already mesmerizing eyes actually sparkled. I knew I lost the argument before it began.

“Dude, what ya do to Amy?” The trembling had become noticeable. It was Henry that greeted us, while Patrick pleaded with a group of stubborn swimmers. He wasn’t having much trouble convincing the girls to leave though. I had a feeling the boys were staying in the water because they felt they had something to prove in Patrick’s presence.

I only caught some of what Patrick was saying, I kept getting interrupted by grumpy tourists complaining. “… well you can stay in. I can’t force you to leave that is completely your choice…. The sharks are becoming a bit of nuisance lately, not anything to worry about… okay. You do have every right to be here, I was only worried about your life. However, if you feel that it means little I’m all too happy to agree with…. Your life really.”

Eventually the group left, muttering under their breath the whole way. Patrick’s face set back in the stone scowl, the hypnotic eyes darkening to unleash their furry as he walked towards us.

“She won’t listen to me. I told her that Mina—that the woman, who attacked her last night, isn’t coming back, but she doesn’t believe me. She’s still afraid.” Ty wrapped my towel around my shoulders. He moved his hands up and down my arms, trying to warm me up. I relaxed slightly.

“Oh. Is that all? I thought you tried to drown her out there. I was worried I’d have to go in and save her. Then of course turn you in to jail. Unless you’d like to negotiate funds if I keep my mouth shut.” Henry’s relaxed attitude was working wonders on me. I loosened my muscles, enjoying Ty’s hands on my shoulders.

Henry was genuinely worried about me. It made me happy. “Seriously Amy, you need to chill.” To my surprise Patrick nodded his head in agreement.

“Yes. Mina’s the least of your worries right now.” Patrick’s harsh voice cut in to me like a knife. The other two turned to give him a dirty look.

“Why is it that you all seem to know what
her
name is?!” I emphasized “her” to sound like a curse word. “And, that Ty can seemingly communicate with bizarre people that suddenly just slink down back into the ocean? And none of you are worried that a shark will come and eat everyone up? Don’t give me those looks! I’m sick of ya’ll calmly discussing some magical ‘choice’ I’ve got to make. Why won’t you just tell me what the heck is really going on?!” My voice balanced on the edge of hysteria.

Henry and Patrick looked down. Ty wouldn’t look at me at first. A few lingerers had overheard the shriek in my voice. They stayed longer than they should to make sure I was safe. Ty looked bac
k at them, then at my face, making some internal decision that I didn’t understand.

“I’ll tell you what you want to know. Please let’s just…” He looked quickly at the lingerers, and then suddenly his face brightened. “You know I’ve been incredibly rude, lately. Amy, would you like to get some ice cream with me? My treat.” He beamed at me, wiping my head clear of my former argument. I was going to have to get better at remembering things around him, my name and age included.

His question caught me off guard. I didn’t want to agree too eagerly, but I didn’t want it to look like it would be annoying either. I’d never felt so confused in all my life, as I had in the last few days with Ty. Not just the imminent death experience, but also just the small conversations I had with him, and his two brothers. They never failed to leave me baffled.

I looked down at my hands as I spoke, trying to calm myself. “Okay. Can I get whatever I want?”

“Yeah. Anything you want, I promise.” He fought the smile that threatened to break loose.

“Should we invite your brothers?” I stared at the two immobile features of his fascinating brothers, both heads turned towards the sea, blocking out everything else.

“No. They have work to do.” I had a feeling I didn’t understand what he meant. From his tone I knew he wouldn’t explain it, at least not yet.

I followed him in the direction of the boardwalk. “Good, then. I’ve worked up a big appetite, and I don’t want Henry trying to steal my ice cream the whole time. Oh, and Ty?” The edge in my voice made him stop.

“Yes, Amy?” His hypnotic eyes bored into mine.

“I want details. Don’t leave anything out.” Then I skipped ahead to the boardwalk trying to ignore the groan that Ty let out. I couldn’t
hide the stupid smile on my face, just being with him made me ecstatic.

I followed Ty to one of the many quaint ice cream parlors that lined the beach. The one he picked was tiny. It had a cramped yet somehow homey feeling about it. There were only two rows of booths that were brightly colored with low hanging stained glass light fixtures. The small knick-knacks lined the stores counters, covering all the extra space with an odd assortment of cooking apparel. It was the cutest place I could ask for to have a first date.

He held the door open for me like a true southern gentleman. The girl behind the counter nearly tripped over herself to help us, well, Ty anyway.

I felt smug as Ty ignored her to ask me what I wanted to order. My face flushed red as Ty leaned down close to my ear.

“Hm. I think I’m going to get chocolate with hot fudge. What about you?”

“Strawberry sounds good right now.”

“Ew! Who in their right mind gets strawberry? Chocolate is so much better.” I cringed, pretending to be mortified.

“Well, chocolate may be delicious I’ll give you that.” He took his free hand, grabbing a stray lock of my hair. He smoothed it back in place with the side of his hand. “But strawberry is the closest thing I can get to your hair color in an ice cream. That’s all I can ask for.”

I nearly dropped my ice cream in embarrassment. Stupid Ty. Why does he have to be so dang smooth? As we neared the cash register I reached for my spare cash in my pocket. Ty’s hand instantly caught mine.

“No, really Ty, you don’t have to do it. I was just kidding when I said I would make you pay.” I tried to untangle my hand from his. He didn’t budge.

“Amy, don’
t be ludicrous. I said I would treat. It would insult my pride if you paid. Please just follow
this
one request.” I rolled my eyes, but I did drop my hand. He just wasn’t going to let it go that I came back, or that I’d done some other thing to him. Ugh. It really gets annoying trying to imagine all the horrible things I could have done to make him keep repeating
that
phrase.

I found a nice booth and slid in it. I was glad it took Ty a while to pay, it gave me time to figure out what exactly I was going to ask him. At last he strode over to the table, eyes wide with anxiety as he took in my thoughtful expression. My nervous hair twirling habit resurfaced, I had to do something to relieve my nerves.

He sighed before sitting down. Clearly this was not a conversation he wanted to have. It was a conversation I needed to have, to put my nerves at rest. Unfortunately, he is just as stubborn as I am. He worked on thoroughly enjoying his ice cream, ignoring my intense stare. I had hoped that he would make this somewhat easier on me. I didn’t have the vaguest clue how to begin with the questions I was yearning to ask.

I sighed. Nope. He was going to make this as difficult as humanly possible.

“So…”

“So…” he repeated. Ugh. He wasn’t giving me any breaks.

I decided to go with the easiest of my questions. “So… about last night. How did you—well you know… What brought you to the beach at…” His eyes never left his ice cream. I griped the edge of the table in my determination to ask. “How did you communicate with whatever that thing was?” There I said it.

He swirled the last bite of ice cream in his mouth. I doubt he tasted it. He was just buying time to think of a correct response. Finally he swallowed, releasing the full power of his hypnotic eyes on mine. I was hopeless.

“Generally species communicate with other species because they are one of them, and to answer the fragments of your previous questions, I was doing a bit of fishing. I find that fish have a bit more of a fight in them at night.” He smiled grimly. I leaned in towards the table trying to hear his low voice.

“Yes. Generally that is how it happens.” I’m not sure why I was getting the biology lesson. “Are you saying that you are… of the same species as her? Is she different from me?” He fidgeted around nervously in his chair. I looked up in time to see the ice cream girl giving me a dirty look for making him fidget like that. Didn’t anyone mind their own business anymore?

“I’m partly related to her. I’m not full blooded though, so you don’t need to worry. No you aren’t even remotely related to her.” My thoughts spiraled out of control. I couldn’t follow what he was saying. His words didn’t make any sense to me. I thought talking to him would relieve my fears, not make them worse.

“Okay. Well that’s good, I guess. I don’t mean to pry, but what exactly is
she
? What should I worry about?” He returned to biting his lip nervously. Then his eyes flashed into mine, trying to decide whether it was safe or not.

His voice was so low I almost missed it. “I don’t know if I can tell you. I don’t know if you’re ready to hear it yet. I’m scared that I’m going to scare you off, that maybe that is why you can’t remember me, because it was too hard on you and you don’t want to remember. Then I’ll have no one to blame but myself.”

I felt terrible. I never wanted to put him through this mental torture. It is one thing for me to do it to myself, quite another for him to do it for my sake. Suddenly it didn’t really matter. I just wanted him to be near me, always.

“Ty, it’s okay. I’ll be here for you, as long as I can. You don’t need to worry about me. I just wondered that’s all.” I smiled at him.

He shocked me by chuckling. “That smile is so fake it should be illegal. Is this what it’s come down to now? You attempting to comfort me as I explain my world to you?” He put his head in his hands, the smile gone now. He took a deep breath, before continuin
g.

“Amy, the woman you encountered last night was a Merwoman.” It took me a minute to understand. I let it sink in thoroughly. This time it was his turn to be surprised as I laughed.

I froze, unsure really if this was a joke or if this was real. It couldn’t be possible; there was just absolutely no proof. If this is true, why hadn’t humans heard of it yet?

“Does that make you a… A…. A MERMAID too?” I couldn’t stop giggling. They just kept overflowing from my mouth. His face was incredibly serious.

“Oh yes. Hollywood has done a wonderful job glamorizing it. They always show us as cute little creatures that only want to be accepted and loved by humans. If only they knew what we really wanted from humans. What would happen if any one of the true Merpeople saw any humans your kind would stay away from the beaches, from the unknown.” His bitter tone clashed harshly with my giggles. I just couldn’t seem to stop them. I even covered my mouth with both hands, so that I just shook with silent laughter.

“Amy be serious. I’m not joking. Humans should take more precautions to Merpeople than they do to arming countries with automatic rifles. They are no laughing matter. And no, I’m not a ‘mermaid’ I’m half merman. There’s a distinct difference.” He snorted. I didn’t want to stop laughing. I just couldn’t take him seriously, it is too hard.

Finally I couldn’t ignore his glare any longer, my giggles stopped entirely. “Okay fine. Let’s say I do take this seriously. Why is it that you think they are so
dangerous
to humans?”

“We,” he emphasized the word for my sake, “are dangerous to humans because the main part of our diet consists of eating animal flesh.” He paused to take a look at my face. I composed it well enough to hide my fear, but not well enough for me to stop the blood drain from my face.  His voice was nothing but harsh whispers as he spat out the words, hating himself for saying every word of it. “A delicacy of ours happens to be human flesh. More humans die from our attacks than sharks. Human doctors can’t even tell the difference between our poison and bacteria. The attacks are similar in style, of course, but we are much more deadly to our prey than sharks ever could be. “

My ice cream trembled slightly in my hands with the effort not to get up and run. “Why is that?”

“Well, Hollywood did get a couple of things right.” He smiled grimly to himself. “Humans are attracted to us on a much deeper level than you ever could be to your own kind. We fascinate you, draw you in, you actually want to be with us. It makes things so easy.” He paused afraid he’d said too much. I took another bite of my ice cream, making a show that I was waiting for him to continue.

“It’s the eyes combined with our voices. It’s a deadly combination. Our voices can force you to hear and believe things that aren’t there. Our eyes captivate your attention, so that you will follow us on whatever path we may choose. I suppose the closest comparison I can give you are the Sirens in the
Odyssey
.” He swirled what was left of his ice cream with his spoon. His hypnotic eyes never left the table. He wouldn’t look at my face.

I felt dizzy as I gripped the table harshly, forcing my mind to stay awake in the turmoil. Instead of the warm feeling of relief I expected, I had hundreds more questions to ask, I felt cold, even distant from Ty, but not enough to leave him, never enough to leave him. There were things about his life I had to know, secrets that must be untangled from the confusing history he’d woven.