The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) (11 page)

I
drove to
a surf shop along a beach on the west side of the city, quickly choosing some new gear and paying cash to the talkative clerk. He asked me where I came from, and wanted to discuss the local wave breaks, but I just nodded politely and rushed out as soon as I could. I drove along the shore, savoring the pungent salty air
as
the sun burn
ed
its way through the hanging sea mist.

I found a
good
spot
to park
, in front of a cafe
near a short stretch of sandy beach
. I
sipp
ed
some coffee and
ate
breakfast while I kept an eye out for any suspicious people. When I was satisfied that this was as
safe
a spot as any, I
wiggled
into my wetsuit
a
nd grabbed my board. I’
d perfected the art of entering the water at various random points, but
never
this far north. I was much closer to Nerissa and Nixie’s territory here, and I hoped they
’
d be as easy to summon as Lorelei usually was.

I tuck
ed
my key away securely
,
strolling nonchalantly down the beach. I sat on my board at the waterline, waiting for a smiling couple to pass by. I nodded
in return
, watching them meander away, throwing driftwood into the surf for a pair of dripping wet Golden Retrievers. It made me wonder if Ethan and I would ever get to the place we saw in our dreams.

I looked around one last time, careful not to attract any attention on my entry.
The
se
cold waters were notoriously dangerous
, and
I could easily be mistaken for someone in trouble.
The last thing I needed was for some well-intentioned Good Samaritan to call out the coast guard to “rescue” me.

Satisfied
I was alone
, I took my board and raced for the water, duck diving into the waves with an overwhelming sense of relief
tinged with fear
. Every time I paddled out into the swells of the bay it required a leap of faith
, because
if my sisters failed to hear me,
treacherous
tides and
unpredictable
currents could conspire to sweep me out into the
merciless
sea.

I swam hard, only having to veer off course once to dodge some windsurfers that seemed to appear from out of nowhere. I turned back to fix the return spot in my memory, making sure to pick out a landmark that would be visible even if the fog rolled in.
When
the fog rolled in, I reminded myself. This was San Francisco, after all.

I focused on calling Nerissa and Nixie to me, squeezing my eyes shut and straining with the effort. The winds picked up and the sea grew rougher the further out I got, tossing and turning my surfboard. I had trouble staying upright, and I began to seriously doubt the wisdom of my choice to seek them out without Lorelei’s help.

“
Marina!
” A high pitched voice startled me,
and I spun around to see Nixie. She looked like she’d grown even more, and I smiled at her
beautiful little face bobb
ing
in the choppy water. Whew.

“
Hi Nixie
,” I smiled my relief
.
“
How
are you
? Have you been careful to avoid all the boats?
”

She giggled, and then nodded solemnly when she saw that I wasn’t joking, “
Yes sister. I know the rules
.”

“
Good
.
” I nodded, looking all around us, “
Where’s Nerissa?
”

“
I’ll show you
,”
she
squealed, grabbing my board.
N
ow about the size of a nine year old
child
,
Nixie
was already one of the most powerful creatures in the sea. I held onto my board and let her take me where she would.

We eventually stopped in the open ocean, and I scanned the water in vain. I could hear Nerissa’s voice coming from far, far below the surface; I was surprised to hear her thoughts as clearly as if I were eavesdropping on a telephone conversation
.
I strained to make sense of the one-sided conversation. She was giving directions to someone, or rather a group of someones
.
I had a hard time understanding what she wanted them to do.

“
Wait
,” Nixie said, her hand on my arm.

All around us the water started bubbling, and the air breaking the surface formed a large circle in the water.

“
What the
–”

Nixie pulled my board out of the bubble ring with delighted musical laughter.

I watched in wonder, unable to imagine what in the world was going on. Inside of the circle, the water started boiling with small fish coming to the surface. All at once, three enormous humpback whales thrust up out of the water, leaping high above us to come crashing down with colossal splashes. I could see into their mouths; open wide and lined with baleen that looked like the slats of window blinds. Massive jaws snapped shut, squirting out water, gulping entire schools of fish down their throats.

“Whoa!” I gasped.

I struggled to keep my balance in the giant wake created by their belly flops. Nerissa’s glossy black head broke the surface right in the middle of the trio, and she tried to smile when she saw me, despite the fish she held in her teeth.

It was as unexpected and surreal a thing as I’d ever seen, and I wondered what Professor Powell would think if he knew that mermaids and whales fed together. The whales rolled in the water, their throats working, ridged white underbellies visible.

Nerissa swam to my board, “
Sister! Are we going wave riding today?
”

I caught my breath and laughed. Why did anything I saw out here surprise me?

“
I wanted to see how you were doing
,” I told her.

“
Doing what?
”

I sighed, “
I worry about you
.”

She smiled at me indulgently, calling out to Nixie, “
You
r turn
!
”

As if on cue, Nixie and the whales dove simultaneously, leaving Nerissa and I alone. I watched the shadowy shapes disappear into deep water, looking down to see another ring of bubbles breaking the surface; this time I knew enough to paddle well out of the way. The huge leviathans breeched the surface, and it was truly amazing to see the
ir giant bodies
come
almost
completely out of the water. I spotted Nixie clinging to the biggest one, her fingers wedged into its deeply grooved skin. She let out a whoop and dove off her giant steed just before it came smashing down with an enormous
smack
of a splash
.

Water gushed from their baleen screens as they slowly sank back into the sea. I looked frantically around for the little mermaid, “
Nixie
?
”

Nerissa smiled serenely at me
.
“
You worry too much
,” she observed.

Lorelei suddenly appeared with a rush of golden hair. She didn’t seem at all surprised to see me so far north, and I realized that the mermaid’s telepathic range must extend far beyond my own.

“
We should go wave riding
,” she said.

Nixie burst out of the water just as the whales had, leaping over my surfboard with a little wave like a trained dolphin jumping through a hoop. A hauntingly beautiful song filled the air, and the whales rolled in the heaving sea, slapping their long flippers on the surface. It was as if they were signaling goodbye, and I watched as they slowly
swam away
. I remembered from my lecture that they were
leaving California
for the winter
, heading south to
breed and calve
in the warm tropical waters off the coast of Mexico.

“
I think we should go wave riding now
,” Nixie said.

I had to agree.

After several hours of spectacular surfing I was ready to head back in. The three of them towed me close to shore to see me off. I paused before
swimming
in to the beach, making them repeat the rules to me again.

“
Stop
,” said Nixie.

“
Think
,” chimed in Nerissa.

“
Go around the net
,” Lorelei said with uncharacteristic gravity. She was remembering how she was captured, and I felt bad for having to keep bringing it up.

I patted her hand reassuringly, “
If you stay away from boats,
you’ll be fine
…
And don’t let them trick you with otters!
”

I put my head down and paddled towards land. I touched ground on a foggy beach, coming ashore almost exactly where I had entered. I trudged to the Ro
lls
, unzipping and
retrieving
the key from inside of my suit
, pulling
my purse from the trunk and
climb
ing
in
.
I
had just finished
going
through the contortions of changing in
to my jeans
when I
s
at
up with a start.

There was someone watching me.

I could feel it, sensing eyes on me as if they were touching me physically. I caught a movement in my peripheral vision and froze, slowly, methodically reaching for my purse. Without looking up, I pulled out the Taser. I had a good grip on it when I turned the door handle, positioning myself to jump out.

I was finished running. It was my turn to do the chasing.

I lifted my eyes up to see a man’s hooded figure with dark glasses peeking from behind the building across the street. He ducked back in a flash, and I bolted out of the car, racing across the street to see him slip into the lobby of an office building.

I ran inside just moments after him, startling the receptionist, “Where did he go?” I demanded. She just pointed to the elevator. It was going up.

I ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time, pausing on each floor to find the elevator still on its way up to the top floor. Thank God it’s only five stories, I thought, struggling to keep up the pace. I entered the fifth floor from the stairwell just in time to see the door to a small closet-like room swing shut. With my Taser at the ready, I slowly opened it, finding another half-flight of stairs leading to the roof. I heard a door slam.

I bounded up the last few stairs and burst out from a utility room
onto a tar and gravel rooftop. I checked from side to side, but saw no one. My feet stung as I backed away from the door. There was only one place to hide, and it was on the opposite side of the doorway.

“Come out,” I called, “I know you’re there.”

Giving the little square structure a wide berth, I had my Taser at the ready as I started to slowly circle around it. With a sudden flurry of movement, the hooded figure bolted out and dove for the door, slamming it behind him. I lunged for the handle, but came up a split second too late.

I was locked onto the roof.

“Damn!” I pounded on the door, giving Abby a run for her money as I unleashed a string of profanities. I stopped to catch my breath with my hands on my knees, finally walking gingerly around the roof to look for another way down. On the side facing the ocean I found an expensive pair of binoculars, and leaned over to see
straight down into
Evie’s Rolls
. I picked them up and looked through them, realizing I’d been watched as I paddled out to sea.

A wave of dizziness forced me into a crouch. How could it be?

“Hey! What are you doing?”

I jumped up and spun around. A grizzled old man in a blue jumpsuit was standing in the doorway.

I stood up with a deep breath and walked over to him with
as much
dignity
as I could muster,
“I got locked out.”

He looked down at my bare feet, and up at my wet hair with his mouth agape.

“Are these yours?” I asked, showing him the binoculars.

He shook
his head no and stepped aside.

When I
finally
pulled into Evie’s building, Paul was manning the gate.