02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales Read online

  The Moon And The Tide

  Derrolyn Anderson

  Copyright © 2011 by Derrolyn Anderson

  Smashwords Edition

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions of it.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  PREFACE

  The room boasted an entire wall of windows, displaying panoramic views of a fiery sun setting over the expansive Hong Kong skyline. Many stories down, luxury yachts and ferries traversed the harbor, tiny white specks on a blanket of indigo velvet. Seabirds swooped and dove all around the pink and purple sky, enjoying a last burst of activity before the dark of night descended.

  More than a dozen women of various ages were gathered around an oblong table, all glowing with the unmistakable sheen of prosperity and success. Hailing from every sector of the globe, they displayed an authority that went far beyond the wealth and arresting beauty they all possessed. The room hummed with the tension of restraint; there was an aura of potent energy held in check.

  An eclectic group, they were patrons of the arts and consorts of the powerful, a diverse mix of style and substance. An exquisitely dressed blonde film star sat next to the wives of international businessmen and financiers. The author of a number of bestselling novels eagerly perched on the edge of her seat alongside a famed political analyst.

  The spectacular sunset view was wasted, for all eyes in the room were glued on a pile of tabloid newspapers that had just been unceremoniously dumped in the center of the table by a stunning raven haired beauty in a silk suit.

  She pointed to the headlines with a long crimson fingernail as she stood to address the group, “A situation has come to our attention,” she announced gravely as the others gaped in shock and surprise at the lurid headlines.

  “I’ll say,” gasped the film star, reeling back in her seat.

  “I don’t believe it...” said the analyst skeptically, pressing her fingertips together.

  “Impossible... surely it must be a hoax,” murmured a chic Spanish socialite. She perused a French tabloid with narrowed eyes.

  “That’s what I thought, until we conducted a background check.”

  “And?” an aristocratic looking silver haired woman raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m afraid the girl’s father is closely connected to one of our number,” she replied dourly.

  “Where is the girl from?” a russet haired woman with shrewd gray eyes asked, “Who is the guardian?”

  “San Francisco,” replied the standing woman, “And that means–”

  “Evelyn,” interrupted the redhead, lips tight with annoyance.

  “Has she been summoned?” asked another.

  She took a seat, nervously tapping her bright red nails on the table, “She should be at the helipad any moment now.”

  “This ought to be interesting,” said the novelist, eyes afire.

  The redhead walked over to the window and looked out, “She’s certainly mastered the art of marrying well... she’s no doubt skilled at subterfuge of all sorts.”

  “We should reserve judgment… give her the benefit of the doubt,” said the analyst.

  “I agree,” said the actress, “Evelyn has done more good than most of us combined.”

  There was a murmuring of assenting voices that rumbled throughout the room, for no one could argue with the plain truth.

  A security guard entered the room through two immense paneled doors, holding them open in anticipation of the tall elegant woman that followed him in.

  “It’s so good to see you all,” she said in a carefully modulated voice, her ice blue eyes flickering to the papers scattered on the table, “I trust that you don’t believe everything you read.”

  CHAPTER ONE

  The Surprise

  Aunt Abby’s glowing eyes met mine as my father’s name was called, and I returned her proud gaze with a happy smile. As our table stood to clap I looked around at our little group fondly. My cousin Cruz looked handsome in an immaculately tailored tuxedo and Aunt Evie was lovely as usual in an elegant gown that Cruz had designed and handmade. Even here in Oslo, fashion icon Evie was recognized by scores of admirers, and the full scope of her international fame had Cruz impressed beyond words.

  Dad had been awarded a Nobel Prize, and we’d all traveled to Norway to attend the ceremony. His work as an agricultural scientist had developed crops and farming techniques that had saved entire nations from famine, and among his peers his surprise recognition was universally agreed to be well deserved. He’d delivered a speech at the university, received his medal and was now being honored with a banquet at The Grand Hotel.

  Wealthy and sophisticated Evie had outdone herself on this trip, springing into action to make first-class travel arrangements for our little group. Though not technically related to us, Aunt Evie was as close as any family could be, and she was every bit as proud of my father as I was. I watched her and Cruz with their heads together, gossiping about some of the other guest’s formal attire.

  “Only a deaf man could wear a tie that loud,” Cruz whispered in Evie’s direction. She giggled like a schoolgirl, clearly enjoying his running commentary immensely.

  Evie and Cruz were like two peas in a pod, both completely obsessed by every nuance of style and design. The two of them could go on endlessly about the tiniest detail of a garment; sometimes it seemed as though they were speaking another language. Evie was helping Cruz launch his career as a fashion designer, and she couldn’t have chosen a more worthy or grateful candidate for her attentions.

  I wondered if my Aunt Abby was a bit intimidated by Evie, for she’d been unusually quiet and subdued the whole trip. Looking her way again, I noticed how her brow knit together with worry when she thought no one was paying attention.

  It was the middle of December, and it had been a little over a week since a series of strange events led to my undersea confrontation with a council of mermaids that had me bargaining for my life. The whole episode still seemed completely surreal to me, like a strange dream I’d suddenly woken up from, amused by the vagaries of the subconscious mind.

  But it was no dream, for shortly after I’d been sent to live with Abby and Cruz in the coastal town of Aptos, I discovered that the mother I’d never known was an actual mermaid. Not only did I learn this shocking fact, but I was introduced to a sisterhood of mermaids and forced to transform into one myself. When I renounced their offer of eternal life I was allowed to return to land, and granted fifty full moons to decide whether or not I would choose to exist forever as one of the supernatural creatures.

  All of these impossibly crazy events happened when my boyfriend’s father Dutch was lost at sea in a terrible storm. The mermaids had been summoning me, and I gave myself up to them in exchange for Dutch’s life. I’d gone with the mermaids expecting to die, not knowing that I had the ability to breathe underwater and actually change into one. I shuddered at the memory, for as seductive as the hours I’d spent as a mermaid had been, I had no desire to give up everyone I loved and all I’d ever known to live under the sea– even for immortality.

  It still felt a little strange calling Ethan my boyfriend, but we’d been inseparable for weeks now, and I was head over heels in love with him. If he hadn’t been there to help me through the whole ordeal I don’t know what would have happened. My feelings for him gave me the strength to resist the powerful spell my heritage had cast upon me; without Ethan I’d still be in the sea, swimming in blissful
ignorance like a wild thing, and he was the only one who knew about my transformation and the deadline given to me by the mermaids.

  I decided to keep it that way.

  So I was here in Oslo for the week, and I missed Ethan so much that my stomach ached when I thought of him. If it wasn’t for the chance to visit with my father again I would have been truly miserable. I’d been brought up traveling the world with Dad, but was sent to live with Aunt Abby because his latest research project was in remote and dangerous Afghanistan.

  At the time, I’d protested bitterly about being abandoned, so I had to smile when I thought about how glad I was that he’d sent me away, wisely ignoring my heartfelt pleas. Dad never imagined how my stay in Aptos would change my life forever, for he’d put the past behind him and saw no reason for me to know anything about my mother. When I discovered the truth on my own, he finally told me the real story, the story of how he’d found himself in love with and married to a mermaid. If I hadn’t heard it coming from his lips I never would have believed it.

  It all began when he was visiting Aptos to help Abby, who as a freshman in college had been abandoned, pregnant and heartbroken, in a Santa Cruz dorm room. He bought her a little house in the charming beach town of Aptos and was busy fixing it up for her, painting and repairing the roof. It was during this time that he’d started walking regularly along the beach and the pier leading out to the landmark cement ship. When he saw a woman’s face in the water he was enchanted, and when she washed up on the beach, naked, cold and in need of assistance he brought her back to the house. Before he knew it, he had fallen in love with the beautiful, naive girl.

  When the house was finished, he moved Adria to his place in the city, not wanting to explain the bizarre situation to an already overwhelmed Abby. Soon they were married and I was on the way. He wanted to tell Abby, but he thought he’d have time. Dad had a hard time finishing the story, overcome with emotion at the memory of how she had died giving birth to me.

  “Is that why we hardly ever went to see Aunt Abby in Aptos? Was it too… difficult for you to be there?” I asked gently.

  He paused for a minute, “When you were little we used to take you and Cruz to the beach. You would just sit and stare out at the water... it was unnerving. It was like you knew.”

  I wasn’t surprised, for the more time I spent in Aptos the more I realized that I’d always belonged there.

  He scratched the back of his head, wincing, “I guess it was simply easier to avoid it. I suppose I was being cowardly.”

  He had no idea that I’d be so powerfully affected by the move to Aptos. My entire life I’d never shown any desire to be in the water, and he confessed that he was relieved when I hated my swim lessons. I despised the stench of chlorine, and tried my best to avoid swimming pools at any cost. He’d assumed I was fully human, unaffected by my mother’s heritage, and was horrified to hear the story of my being lured to the sea by mermaids, sorry that he hadn’t been truthful from the beginning.

  I let him know I understood, and that it was over… finished. I told him a little about how Ethan had helped me, and he said he’d like to meet him someday to thank him. I couldn’t quite find the words to explain my feelings for Ethan, but said I was looking forward to introducing them when he got back.

  Dad was quiet when he heard what I’d learned about my mother from the mermaids, about how she had made her choice, aware of the possible consequences. It was a sad and painful part of both of our pasts. I tried to put his mind at ease, for now I understood wanting to keep such a strange fact about yourself private. I had my own secrets now.

  Cruz knew about my mother, along with Abby and Evie, but they all believed that everything had been resolved the night Ethan’s father was nearly lost at sea. Everyone thought I’d drowned that night, and I tried to explain as simply as possible that I had been returned to shore by a mermaid, trading immortality for a chance to come home. Only Ethan knew the whole truth about my nightmarish transformation and dreamlike night spent underwater.

  As the banquet wound down my father came over to join us. He’d been seated with assorted royalty and dignitaries as the guest of honor and I could tell that he’d had about enough of all the pomp and circumstance. He kissed my cheek as he sat down, pulling at the collar of his tuxedo shirt, loosening his bow tie.

  “How was the food?” he asked us, smiling at our little group.

  “Divine, simply divine!” Evie enthused, absolutely in her element.

  “How soon do you think I can make my escape?” he asked, looking around at the crowd that was starting to mill about.

  “Martin! You should stay and enjoy yourself until the last possible moment!” Evie exclaimed.

  “If I wanted to enjoy myself I would have ordered room service and eaten in with my family,” Dad grinned, “How about you all come up to my suite for a nightcap?”

  Abby smiled gratefully but insisted she was tired and ready to turn in. The rest of us agreed to meet, getting up from the elaborately appointed table. I insisted on walking Abby to her room, for I was eager to have a moment alone to phone Ethan. My father was staying at the hotel’s lavish Nobel suite, and Evie had managed to procure adjoining rooms on a lower floor for us– no mean feat considering how full to capacity the place was during the gala event.

  As we took the elevator up I couldn’t help but notice how melancholy Abby was looking. Her normally tranquil eyes were weary, and she hugged her arms into her chest protectively.

  “You miss Dutch, don’t you?” I asked with sympathetic eyes. She’d fallen in love with Ethan’s father just before the accident and they’d been inseparable since his return. I figured she was feeling about as lovesick as I was.

  “Yes,” she said, swallowing hard. She looked like she was about to cry.

  “Oh Abby,” I said as I gave her a big hug, “We’ll be home after two more days. We just have to humor Evie and Cruz with a little bit more shopping and sightseeing.”

  “I know,” she said with a forced smile.

  When we got to the room I scrambled to find my phone and went off by myself to talk to Ethan in privacy.

  “Hello?” he answered right away.

  “It’s me,” I said, glad to hear his voice. “I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

  “No, I’ve been wanting you to call. How’s everything going?”

  “OK, but I wish I was home.” I told him a little about the award ceremony but mostly asked about how things were back in Aptos. I wanted to hear about surfing; ever since we’d gotten to Norway I’d been having vivid dreams about happy times playing in the sea with Ethan. He’d taught me how to surf and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. He didn’t want to talk about it.

  “I bet your dad’s happy to see you,” he said, changing the subject.

  “Yeah, it’s good to see him after so long… We had a long talk the first night. I guess I can understand why he kept so much from me.”

  “Did you tell him everything?” he asked, his tone serious.

  “No,” I sighed, “I don’t want him to be stressing out about something that isn’t going to happen anyway.”

  “He should probably know.” Ethan was worried about the fact that I still had several years to make a final choice. He was afraid that I’d somehow change my mind and choose life as a mermaid, even though I had repeatedly tried to reassure him that I wouldn’t– that I couldn’t. I knew my own mind, and I don’t think he realized how stubborn I could be.

  “If I tell him, he’ll probably make me leave Aptos.” There was a moment of silence and I knew he was considering the truth of that statement. Then it was my turn to change the subject, “Abby is miserable here,” I added.

  “So’s Dad,” said Ethan, “And me too. I miss being your bodyguard.”

  I sighed, “I miss you too... I got used to having you around.”

  Ethan had spent many nights by my side, keeping me from sleepwalking into the ocean in answer to the mermaid’s psychic summons. Those nights
were both the most horrible and the sweetest times of my life. Just thinking about being near Ethan made my heart beat faster.

  “Dad found a new boat, and it’s a whole lot nicer,” he said, telling me about how they’d been hunting around for a replacement with the insurance money. I was glad he was getting back to his normal routine and told him I’d be home soon.

  “Do you know that the sun sets at three in the afternoon here?” I asked. “And it’s freezing cold all the time?”

  “So hurry back,” he said, “I can warm you up.”

  “I love you,” I said.

  “I love you too.”

  I changed out of my dress and took the elevator up to my father’s suite. Evie was entertaining Dad and Cruz with a tale of some wild night in New York in her younger years, gesturing expansively with a brandy snifter in her hand. The guys had removed their ties and were settled comfortably on the couch with their feet up, laughing at her story. Dad was right, this was a much better time than sitting at a formal banquet. I snuggled up on the couch between them and we talked and laughed until it got very late.

  The next day we went with Evie’s itinerary. After a light breakfast in our rooms Cruz and I were swept off to shop at some of the most fashionable boutiques in Oslo. Abby and my father both declined to come along, wanting to stay in and read by the huge fireplace in my father’s suite. We planned to meet up for dinner later at the hotel restaurant.

  Evie was the perfect tour guide, for she knew everything there was to know about international shopping. She directed the taxi to take us to the exclusive boutique district, where she had planned several stops.

  People in the know about fashion knew who Evie was, and the fashionistas of Oslo didn’t disappoint. We were fawned over at every stop, and several people begged to have a picture taken with Evie. I was used to a little of this, although people in San Francisco tended to be a bit more jaded when confronted with celebrity. I guess I had always taken it for granted, but Cruz was in heaven, so proud to be alongside Evie he veritably glowed.