Silver Tides (Silver Tides Series) (27 page)

dr. conneely

"Thank you, highness." Dr. Conneely smiled, making his face wrinkle like a Tasmanian tourist apple.

"Don't be too grateful," Mum replied mischievously. "I'm going to pump you like a resuscitation dummy."

Dr. Conneely boarded the boat, unperturbed by Mum’s teasing. The boat cut through the silver sea with surprising ease as Mum aimed it toward Queenscliff. Despite having a full view of Daniel, his eyes never met mine; he simply swam like a fish carried on the tide. I knew that staring at him like a lovesick puppy was creepy, but my eyes wouldn’t leave his golden locks illuminated by the moon. Charlie flicked some water at me, and shot me a reassuring look. But there was nothing that would fill the gapping wound in my affections.

Mum spoke too loudly, as much to grab my attention, as to be heard over the roar of the motor. "So, where is the Heart of the Sea?"

I forced myself to focus on the conversation; even if Daniel hated me, I still had to save his life. Knowing that he was happy and alive somewhere would be better, than if I’d failed, and he’d died on account of me. That knowledge alone helped me stow away my heartbreak to mourn at a better time.

"In Cornwall," replied Dr. Conneely, capturing my attention.

"Cornwall as in the United Kingdom, England, London, and all that? How is that possible if the Heart of the Sea was stolen from Atlantis?" Mum mused skeptically.

“Where is Atlantis?” I asked, trying to keep up with the conversation.

“It’s not far off the Great Ocean road,” Mum informed. “There’s a curve in the road, near a cliff face, I can show you one day. If you drove off that cliff into the water and kept driving for about twenty minutes you’d be right above Atlantis.”

“You’re car would never survive that,” Charlie joked from the water.

“Nerd humor alert,” I groaned, shaking my head. “So how do you know that the Heart of the Sea is in Cornwall?”

“That’s where everyone immigrated from; they simply went home,” Dr. Conneely shrugged.

“What do you mean?” Mum asked, confused. “Legend says that the Heart of the Sea was stolen over a thousand years ago.”

Dr. Conneely chuckled with a sound akin to a chest cough. “That’s the merfolk version. The fact is Atlantis was built around the eighteen hundreds, after the merfolk and selkies followed the first fleet to Australia in 1788. The Heart of the Sea left in the mid-eighteen hundreds, after everything had been built.”

“Over one hundred and sixty years ago,” I calculated, my tongue poking out with the strain of mathematics. “School left out the part of Australian history, where mythical creatures followed the first ships to Australia and built a city under the sea.”

“Nerd humor,” Charlie taunted.

I imagined that only siblings could be as annoying and likable as Charlie. Reflexively, I grabbed Charlie’s jocks and threw them at his head.

“Hey,” he protested, grabbing them in his teeth and flinging his wet underwear onto my shoulder.

“Gross,” I shuddered, pitching the jocks onto the boat bottom.

“You loved it.” Charlie chortled.

I considered throwing Charlie’s jocks out to sea, but I glanced at Daniel shooting me a death glare, and Mum and Dr. Conneely were giving me the
if you children are done playing
look. I focused my attention back on Dr. Conneely.

“The finfolk claim it was stolen; you said it left. What is the Heart of the Sea?” Mum fixed Dr. Conneely with a keen look. I hadn’t even noticed the difference, but Mum was weighing every word that the old man was saying.

“I don’t exactly know, but I know how to find it,” he admitted reluctantly.

“So you know it’s somewhere in the United Kingdom, and you have a vague idea of what it may be, but not really,” Charlie barked sarcastically. “Brilliant! This should be a cinch.”

I licked my salty lips, wondering if I had volunteered for a fool’s errand. No one knew what the Heart of the Sea was, or where to find it, and somehow I was supposed to locate it. I wasn’t even like the others in our group; I was human.

“We will find it,” Dr. Conneely said passionately. “I’ve seen it in the future.”

“A vision makes it so much more plausible,” Charlie barked.

“Mya will return it,” Dr. Conneely affirmed. “The mermaids have long prophesied that an alien would return light to Atlantis.”

I was about to object and insist that I was an earthling, but Daniel interrupted, “The mermaid’s are prone to delusions.”

“Mya is the alien, neither mermaid nor selkie, she will return the Heart of the Sea,” Dr. Conneely said confidently. “I have seen it,”

“Mya is most definitely a selkie,” Mum said in clipped tones.

“Then why didn’t she turn into a seal and dispatch her attacker on the island?” Dr. Conneely asked.

“She’s a late bloomer,” Mum concluded. She looked at me reassuringly, as though that were the full extent of my problem, not that I was a human throwback.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Mum accused, unimpressed by his assertion of the fact that I was not a selkie. Mum had a look in her eyes that said her mother sensor was tingling.

Dr. Conneely chose his words carefully. “Highness, in the mid-eighteen hundreds the world was a different place for both selkies and merfolk. They lived together in Atlantis as allies and friends.”

I felt a small rush of hope that if there had been peace in the past, perhaps we could cultivate peace in the future. Maybe Daniel and I had a chance. I glanced at Daniel, but he was unmoved. My heart sank again.

“Pfft,” Charlie disagreed, but Dr. Conneely ignored him and continued.

“The generations that remember it are all but dead here, but off the Cornish coast they still live together. Yet despite our close relations there was never intermarriage between the merfolk and selkies. It is impossible for tailed merfolk to intermarry with anyone but his or her own kind. The shape-shifting finfolk were obsessed with gaining a soul through marrying humans. Daniel’s kind are rare and generally come with a mate. So it was unheard of for merfolk and the selkies to intermarry,” Dr. Conneely continued. “The princess of the merfolk, Celeste, was very beautiful and kind; she and the selkie prince, Adrian, spent much time deliberating over the fate of their cities...”

“City—there is only one underwater city, Atlantis,” Daniel said tightly.

“Yes, there was only one underwater city, and the floating invisible city that the finfolk sunk after the lights went out,” Dr. Conneely informed.

“That’s heresy!” Daniel yelled.

“That makes it no less true.” Dr. Conneely sighed heavily.

The selkie’s hatred for the merfolk seemed a little more rational, in the face of having their home destroyed and being forced to live on Seal Rock.

“Be quiet and let him finish!” Charlie yelled across the boat.

“Celeste’s Other took a long time in arriving; the selkie prince set about stealing her heart, which was not hard since she loved him from the moment she saw him. When they told their parents, they were outraged and called their love an abomination. When Celeste’s Other arrived, they purposed to marry her to him.”

I interrupted Dr. Conneely. “Are you saying that this whole war is about a selkie and switcher falling in love with each other?” The irony of the situation wasn’t wasted on me, the rift between the selkies and merfolk was started by an illicit relationship, much like the one Daniel and I had shared.

“There was a little more to it than that,” Dr. Conneely continued patiently. “Celeste and Adrian ran away before the wedding, and when they left, the lights went out in Atlantis. Some say that Celeste stole a jewel from the throne room that powered the city; other’s say it was Adrian’s way of ensuring their escape. Either way Atlantis was cast into darkness by their departure. The finfolk ransacked Lamér, the selkie floating city, and sunk it to the bottom of the ocean trying to find the Heart of the Sea. Laws were written to limit relations between the people and no one was allowed to speak of it. Since the treaty, rumors of the merfolk being murderers and selkies wanting to re-inhabit the city have abounded. With all the secrecy and lies the truth has been lost, that selkies and merfolk are to work together for the good of all. Separately the merfolk become monsters and the selkies die before their time.”

“So it wasn’t about Celeste and Adrian, it was about the Heart of the Sea?” I asked slightly relieved.

“It was about both,” Dr. Conneely replied evenly, “it was the mid-eighteen hundreds and people lived and thought a certain way. The selkies and merfolk lived together but never intermarried. Celeste and Adrian challenged that custom, and the light being taken from the city was the last straw. The merfolk announced that Adrian had kidnapped the princess and taken the Heart of the Sea, and that every selkie would be questioned until they were returned. The selkie king disagreed, saying that Celeste had corrupted Adrian into betraying his people. The war unfolded from there.”

“Where did you read this? How do you know?” Mum challenged, her eyes ablaze.

“Celeste and Adrian were my parents,” Dr. Conneely said simply.

road to home

“That’s not possible; you’d be over a hundred years old,” I scoffed, feeling relief that maybe he was wrong.

“One-hundred and fifty-three this year,” he agreed, earnestly.

“Great, we’re in the hands of a crazy person,” Charlie yelled, exasperated, from the water beside me.

“I assure you, I’m not insane,” Dr. Conneely disagreed. “That’s why Cordulla calls me an abomination. I am a selkie-merfolk crossbreed, the best and worst of both. I’ve seen the world change and I’ve changed with it. As I grow older I’ve seen glimpses of the future.”

The conviction of his words filled me with renewed despair. If Dr. Conneely was insane then he was leading us on a fool’s errand, and if he was telling the truth there was no healing the rift between the selkies and merfolk.

“You understand that what you’re saying is hard to take in,” Mum said with apprehension.

“Let me show you,” Dr. Conneely replied, leaning forward and putting his palm to Mum’s forehead. To Mum’s credit she didn’t recoil from the rodent featured doctor.

Mum’s eyes flashed like she was in another place; her eyes followed the empty space, like she was watching someone cross a stage. Tears began to well in her eyes, and I got up to push him away from her, but Dr. Conneely broke away from Mum before I could do anything.

She looked at me and wiped tears from her eyes. “You will find the Heart of the Sea.”

My knees buckled returning me to a seated position, the fear in Mum’s eyes unnerved me.

“Show me,” I ordered Dr. Conneely.

“I wish I could, princess, but my visions are for specific people.” Dr. Conneely shook his head. “They are given by God for a purpose and I can only share them with those I’ve been told to.”

Mum continued to wipe tears from her eyes. “We can trust him,” she said. “I saw it.”

“Fine.” I sulked, crossing my arms across my wet clothes and shivering.

The shore crept up quickly as Dr. Conneely answered our questions. My body was numb from the cold as I stepped out of the boat. Charlie bounded out of the water, transforming mid-step to help me out of the boat before Daniel could.

I let him hold my hand in his warm palm to help me out of the boat. “You forgot my clothes.” He winked. “I know you prefer me like this; I saw you peek.” If Daniel had delivered the same line, it would have been charming, but from Charlie, it was merely comical. Soliciting a smile.

“I can smell wet dog,” Daniel said harshly, pushing Charlie away from me.

“Here’s your clothes,” Mum said, barely containing a grin, as Charlie bumped Daniel out of the way to help her onto the deck we had taken the boat from.

“You can help the good doctor,” Charlie instructed Daniel. “I have to get dressed.”

Daniel’s jaw clenched at Charlie’s insolence as much as the task.

We made our way to the carpark in tense silence. There was so much I wanted to say to Daniel, but I didn’t have the words. To save Daniel’s life I would uphold my end of the bargain and find the Heart of the Sea. I would carry myself like a princess and refrain from staring at Daniel doe-eyed or heartbroken. I pushed the mountain of pain that wanted to crush me out of my mind, as I held my head up regally.

Everyone dressed under the bridge, while I stood alone in the dark rubbing my freezing arms. Charlie stood beside me in companionable silence. He seemed to sense that I was hurting and he let me maintain my dignity, by not bringing it up.

The others emerged quickly, not wanting to waste time. We climbed up the embankment and onto the pier that led to the carpark. Charlie broke away from our group and disappeared into the shadows. A few moments later Charlie wheeled his motorcycle into the light, where Daniel gave him a look that should have killed him.

“Come on, babe,” Charlie teased goofily. “You wanna ride back with me.”

I shook my head, unable to keep from grinning; the boy had enough comedic timing to be on a sitcom. I was glad Charlie was coming; he was going to be good for laughs; a necessity when dealing with heartbreak.

“Everyone can ride with me,” Mum said tactfully. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Charlie.”

“Yes highness.” Charlie bowed gracefully, before mounting his green motorcycle. He waved at me like a scene from
Hot Shots
and rode away.

We entered the abandoned carpark where two lone cars were parked under the lights.

Mum paused and pushed her business card into Dr. Conneely’s hand.

“This is my number,” Mum told him. They exchanged details quickly, as my teeth began to chatter. “Call tomorrow; we all leave for the United Kingdom in the morning.”

The last few steps to Mum’s car were painful. My legs were filled with pins and needles from the cold, another piece of evidence that I wasn’t a selkie. Mum couldn’t open the door quickly enough for me. The minute the door clicked, I wrenched it open and bounded into passenger seat.

Mum gave me a towel to sit on before I relaxed into the seat of her white Corolla, one of the few luxuries we had bought with the reward money. I pumped the hot air heater the minute the engine purred into action. Daniel sullenly took a seat behind me so that I couldn’t see him; I felt burnt by his silence. It was obvious he hated me for what I was, but I wished he would say something. Give me some kind of closure instead of stoic silence.

Mum glanced between Daniel and me, before sighing heavily. “I know that the two of you have a lot to talk about and I’m sure you don’t want to do it in front of me. I think it should wait till tomorrow morning. It’s late; you’re both cold, tired and hungry. Any discussion you have will be tempered by those factors and the drama of the events of this evening. Daniel, you need to know that Mya didn’t know what we were until after you left. I didn’t know what you were till then either. Even if I knew, I wouldn’t have forbidden Mya from being with you; on land the two of you have made each other better people, and I hope that can continue, but ultimately you need to talk it out together.”  

Daniel shifted uncomfortably, but still said nothing. I looked out my window so that Mum wouldn’t see the tears rolling down my cheeks and plopping onto my already wet clothes.

“I’m going to drop Mya off at home to get warm. Then I’ll take you home tonight,” Mum informed us. “We’ll tell Sophia
everything.
She can decide if we take your personal jet to the United Kingdom or if we buy tickets on a commercial jet.”

I was ready to object, but Mum shot me a firm look, and the shaking of my limbs convinced me that Mum had a point. We were going to spend the next week together; there would be time to talk.

The dark scenery flashed by unnoticed. My thoughts were too full of Daniel and the Heart of the Sea. After Mum dropped me off, I walked through our house like I was seeing it for the first time. The family smiling on the walls didn’t feel like us anymore; there were so many half-truths and omissions of our lives that I felt hollow. Dad called out something about food, and I mumbled something in response before disappearing into our pink bathroom.

I ran the shower till it was perfect and stripped my clothes off before dropping them in the bath. I’d put them in the laundry later. I glanced at myself in the mirror, and noticed tear streaks through the thick layer of mud on my face and my hair resembled a bird’s nest, complete with twigs and seaweed. No wonder Daniel didn’t love me---I was a mess.

I stared into the mirror, the events of the evening playing through my head in fast forward. I felt dizzy and reeled over the toilet, dry retching. When the spasms in my abdomen subsided, I slunk into the shower, letting the hot water soak into my freezing skin and massage the stress of the parley from my body.

I had always suspected that Daniel and I would be over one day, but I’d never imagined it would be under such bizarre circumstances. I’d harbored hope that we could be the couple that made it against the odds, like Julie and Blake Andrews, one of the few Hollywood marriages that had been going strong since 1969.

If my heart weren’t tattered, the situation would have been laughable. Fighting factions of mythical creatures, keeping me, a mostly human girl from the boy she loved. The tears mingled with the warm water, making it difficult to decipher which was which; it was my favorite way to cry. Few people questioned a red puffy face straight after a shower.

After a long time Dad knocked on the bathroom door. Mum’s hippy ways had been rubbing off on him, and he was on a water-saving kick.

"Mya? You good?" he asked sounding grumpy; gruffness was Dad’s default worried setting.

"Yeah," I said, turning off the water and stepping into the cloud of steam that enveloped the bathroom. I wrapped my towel around myself; it was crisp from being washed. I loved the smell of sunshine that came with freshly laundered towels. I hugged it close to my body, sucking any little comfort I could from the moment.

"You waste water, and you have a visitor this late," he grumbled. Returning to school had made him more irritable than usual; he wouldn’t admit it, but studying was really hard for him.

A wave of hope washed over me at the thought that Daniel had come to talk things out. I brushed my hair briskly and pulled on my flannel pajamas and nightgown with incredible speed.

I swung the bathroom door open and collided with Charlie.

"What the hey?" I fumed, wrapping my bathrobe more tightly around myself. The disappointment was as bitter as bile, I wanted to cry but being angry was easier.

"I wanted to make sure you're OK," he said with a lopsided grin, making his cheeks dimple.

"I'm fine," I replied, giving him the cold shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, leaning against the rose-patterned wallpaper in our hallway. Despite technically being millionaires, our house was still in the same condition it had been before we got the money. The only difference was, that we owned it now, and not the bank. "I nearly got you killed; I get why you're angry at me."

I searched my motives, and I wasn't angry with Charlie. "No, I'm sorry; I'm upset by the situation and I'm taking it out on you."

"Two apologies make a right," he said playfully. "So let's eat."

My stomach gurgled in agreement as I followed Charlie down the hall to the kitchen. He navigated my house as though he knew it, avoiding the creaking floorboards under the ragged carpet. I hoped that after Mum finished renovating Daniel’s house, she would turn her attention to the creaky floors and pink bathroom.

Dad was sitting at the kitchen table with his books spread out in front of him; he all but ignored our entrance. Charlie and I set about reheating the Napolitano sauce, vegetarian meatballs and spaghetti, moving around each other like dancers. Charlie stirred the sauce, while I set the table. He tossed me the Parmesan to place on the table, and I threw him a sponge to sop up some spilled sauce. We worked quietly so as not to disturb Dad, and working together got the food ready in no time.

"It's eleven o'clock," Dad complained as we put dinner on the table. "You get fat."

"There'll just be more of me to love," Charlie retorted, his laughter filling the house. It felt strange to eat or sit down with Charlie when I knew Daniel hated me, but I had to be pragmatic.

“There’s a spot for you, Paul,” Charlie offered, as though he were the host. “It’d be nice if you could say the blessing.”

I couldn’t help but smile, clearly Charlie’s family and mine had a lot in common. Even though we weren’t big church attendees, our family was big on being grateful for all we had.

Dad moved from being surrounded by his books to a plate piled high with food. I smiled as I sprinkled Parmesan on his spaghetti.

Dad bowed his head and mumbled a few short sentences in Russian before tucking into his food.

“Amen,” Charlie and I said quietly. A mischievous grin spread across Charlie’s face. He was thinking that we had no idea what we had just agreed to. Dad could have prayed that we live long and prosper, or that we would bear a thousand children, neither of us would have any idea.

“What you do, Charlie?” Dad asked, around a big mouthful of food. Despite me having no memory of Charlie, Dad still did.

“I’m going to university,” Charlie replied, taking a sip of his juice. “I live on the colony the rest of the time. Leo has me guarding Mya for now.”