03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales Read online

“They’re going viral, getting tons of hits,” she said incredulously, “And I met with a record producer! He’s going to record me… in a real professional studio and everything! Can you believe it?”

  “Yes I can,” I smiled, once again flooded with contentment. It occurred to me that it was addicting, this feeling I got when someone I liked succeeded. I had a tremendous sense of relief, like everything was right in the world. It was very similar to the feeling I got while surfing. I leaned back in my chair. Maybe this muse thing would be okay after all, if I could just keep the dark side of it contained. No anger allowed.

  And that’s when it happened again.

  I struggled to open my eyes, unable to move or cry out, and could feel my body being lifted as though it were weightless. The sharp smell of smoke filled my nostrils, underlined by the pungent stench of dirt and sweat. I could feel myself being carried, bouncing along at a rapid clip. I coughed, fighting to catch my breath, overcome with nausea.

  “Marina! Marina!” Megan’s voice was shrill, and I raised my throbbing head to see her panicked face. From the look of the mess I’d made, I’d just keeled over onto the table, and as I sat up I could feel all the eyes in the room on me.

  Bill rushed over with a bar towel, “Are you okay?” he cried, “Did you burn yourself?”

  I looked down to see the coffee I’d knocked over spattered onto the front of my dress.

  “No… no, no,” I said numbly. My tongue felt thick.

  “Should we call an ambulance?” Shayla cried, “She just face planted!”

  I took a deep breath, and the familiar pain in my head began to subside, “I’m fine… I’ll be fine… I just need to go home and get some rest.”

  Great. Another weird vision– why did this always have to happen around other people? I stood on shaky legs and apologized to Bill for the spill. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what this one meant. I couldn’t even really call it a vision, for it was mostly just sounds and smells. Strange.

  Megan offered to drive us home, but once I got out into the cool night air I was nearly back to normal. I managed to convince everyone that I was fully recovered, but the look in Megan’s eyes told me she knew what had happened, and I had some explaining to do.

  “Call me,” she said as I pulled away.

  Shayla and I drove along in silence, and I could feel her speculative eyes on me.

  “What?” I snapped, “Spit it out!”

  “Marina?” she asked solemnly, “Are you knocked up?”

  I laughed for a while, stopping when I realized that she didn’t believe me.

  “Shayla, it’s not possible… I mean we haven’t… we don’t…” I could feel my face burning.

  “Really?” she said incredulously.

  I bit my lip, embarrassed, “Well, I never have, so we’ve been kinda taking it slow… and with everything that’s happened, the timings never been quite right… and now we’re thinking about–” I stopped myself, wondering if I should tell her about our engagement.

  “Whoa,” she said quietly, “Ethan’s a really good guy.”

  “I know.”

  “Man,” she said, looking out the window, “All the dudes I’ve ever dated would dump you if you didn’t put out.”

  “You just haven’t met the right one yet.”

  She sighed, “That’s for sure.”

  I wanted to tell her not to worry, that soon she’d have more suitors to choose from than she could handle, but instead I dropped her off at her mothers, arranging to pick her up Monday to get started on the studio clean-up. When I pulled up at Abby’s, Ethan was waiting for me on the porch, and I could swear my heart skipped a beat when he stood and smiled at me.

  “Hey,” he said softly, as I climbed the stairs, “How did it go at Evie’s?”

  “Great,” I said, slipping into his open arms, “Shayla got an agent, and she’s coming to Paris for fashion week with us.”

  “What happened to you?” he asked, looking down at my stained dress.

  “We stopped for coffee,” I said sheepishly, “I had a little accident.”

  “Are you okay?” he asked, brushing the hair from my eyes.

  I kissed him, and I think he got the answer he wanted.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  RIVAL

  I woke up late that beautiful Sunday morning, my strange vision from the night before slipping away as if it were simply a bad dream. Pulling the curtains aside, I let the bright sunlight stream cheerfully into the room. School was finally out, and summer stretched out before me like a long, lazy cat.

  I thought about my plans for a summer spent on the waves, just me and Ethan, and frowned. It didn’t look like it was going to work out that way. I wished I could go surfing with him every day, but as usual, he was already hard at work, so I decided I’d visit him at the farmer’s market. If I wanted to spend time with him, it was going to have to be while he was working.

  I put on a white eyelet sundress that looked like summertime itself, fluffing up my hair in the mirror. The aquamarine on my neck sparkled in the morning light, and I automatically reached up to touch it, thinking about Ethan. When I rounded the corner into the kitchen Abby looked up with a big smile. She had a pen tucked behind her ear and a telephone in her hand.

  “You look pretty this morning. Are you off to see Ethan?” she asked.

  I returned her smile, nodding yes, “What’s all this stuff?”

  She was sitting at the kitchen table with papers and notepads spread out before her. A stack of boxes was piled high in the corner, nearly blocking the back door. I could see cases of local wine, cellophane wrapped gift baskets and framed prints. The place looked like the inside of someone’s storage locker.

  “I decided to add a silent auction,” she was excited, “I’ve been collecting donations from neighborhood businesses… Can you believe all the great stuff I’ve gotten so far? We’re on track to raise a lot of money!”

  “Wow… that’s a really great idea!”

  I was impressed. Abby was a loving mom and a compassionate yoga instructor, but I’d never known her to be so organized and efficient. It seemed as though Ethan and Lue’s misfortune was revealing some hidden talents.

  “Should I sign you up to donate a painting?” she smiled slyly.

  “Of course!” I replied, “I’ll add one to the pile. Can I pick you up anything from the market?”

  “No thanks, Dutch is coming by to make us dinner later–”

  Her phone rang, and I waved goodbye to her while she took yet another call. It was really gratifying to see how the community had rallied around the cause. Once people heard about the government’s plans, most of them were outraged. Soon, Lue would have enough money and support to defend himself. I had a very good feeling about the outcome.

  I pulled up to the farmers market, heading over to the espresso cart and picking up a couple of mochas. When Ethan looked up to see me heading towards him, his face broke into a wide grin, and he stopped what he was doing to watch me. The way his eyes squinted melted my heart, and when I came around the back of his stand he took the coffees from my hands and set them down, reaching around my back to pull me in close.

  “I was just thinking about you,” he bent down to press his forehead into mine.

  “I hope it was a good thought,” I said.

  He kissed my breath away, “It’s always good.”

  We sat down together, sipping our coffees and talking about plans for the rally. It was still a week away but everything was coming together nicely, falling into place like clockwork. Even the weather was shaping up to be in our favor.

  “I can’t believe how much everybody’s helping us,” he said, “Megan hooked us up with a sound system from some musican guy she just met, and she agreed to announce the bands and the speakers. Abby’s been calling all over town for donations. This is gonna be great.”

  I smiled, happy for him, happy for us… just plain happy. I moved my chair to the back of his stand and watched him w
ork. The market picked up, and Ethan had to hustle to keep up with all the customers. He refused my offers to help, and I was feeling kind of useless, so I pulled a book out of my tote bag and kicked back to read.

  “Hey Ethan,” a girl’s voice called out familiarly.

  I looked up to recognize his ex-girlfriend with a jolt of shock. She was standing there with a smile, a canvas market bag slung over her shoulder with a bouquet of flowers sticking out of it. She was even prettier than I remembered. I could have sworn I’d gotten over it, but my body betrayed me, and I tensed up, my heart pounding in my throat.

  “Hey,” Ethan replied. He looked nervous, and his eyes darted back to meet mine. Why did I have to pick today to forget my sunglasses?

  “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Her voice sounded sweet, but her eyes were hard and appraising. They told me everything I needed to know. She still wanted him, and she knew I stood in her way.

  “I’m Amber,” she said, holding out her hand with a false smile.

  I got up and came over to shake it, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m Marina,” I replied. My voice sounded funny to me.

  She gestured to a girl standing alongside her, “This is my friend Brittany.” The two of them exchanged a glance before Brittany looked at me the same way she did, sizing me up.

  “How’s business going?” Amber asked Ethan, gesturing to one of my posters hanging from the awning. “Is what I heard true? That’s for the land that you’re buying from that Chinese guy?”

  The way she talked about Lue annoyed me, and when she turned to face Ethan I got a better look at her. She was really beautiful; a blonde, tanned golden girl– the perfect counterpart to him. My heart sank, and my stomach tightened with dread.

  “Yeah,” he said, coming over to slip his arm around my waist, “It was Marina’s idea.”

  “Me and Abby,” I mumbled.

  Amber turned to her friend, “We should go to it! I mean, we should support our local farmers.” She smiled at Ethan, flashing perfect white teeth. I cringed a little, and Ethan’s arm tightened on my waist.

  She focused on me, “I hear you’re best friends with… Shayla.” Her voice had the faintest undertone of contempt, and I remembered that there was no love lost between the two of them. Then I realized there was only one way she could have known that. I looked up at Ethan incredulously. They had been talking… and they had been talking about me.

  This just kept getting better and better.

  I pulled away from him abruptly, feeling betrayed. Then came the first flush of the anger I’d been trying so hard to learn how to suppress, “Yes,” I said firmly, “I am.”

  She looked triumphant, clearly pleased that she had pressed my buttons, “Maybe we’ll see you and Shayla there.” She and her friend turned to leave, “Bye Ethan.”

  I was stunned. A few minutes ago I’d been happy, feeling optimistic about the future. Now I stood there, hollowed out, all the empty spots inside of me filling in with hot boiling anger. An image of the two women crying at the congressman’s office flashed into my mind. I had to stop this… I had to stop this feeling before something bad happened… to her… or to Ethan.

  “I’ve gotta go,” I said, rushing to grab my tote.

  “Marina,” he grabbed my arm, “Listen–”

  “I’ve gotta go,” I repeated, breathing hard.

  “She came by last week… just before you did. I– I told her you were friends with Shayla…”

  “Why?”

  He looked chagrinned, “I dunno, she was asking a lot of questions about you… like what you were like and who you hung out with…”

  I imagined them talking about me and felt sick to my stomach.

  “What is she doing here?” I fought to steady my voice.

  He swallowed, “She moved back home… she’s transferring to the University here next fall.”

  Great. She was back for him, they’d been talking, and now I was going to be forced to see her cozy up to him at college too. I hated her, and I was angry at him for putting me through the humiliating exchange.

  A surge of jealous rage gripped me; ugly ferocious anger I hadn’t felt since I nearly shot Peter in cold blood. I’d truly wanted him dead, and thanks to my muse powers, the universe found a way to get that done. I thought about the congressman’s car going off the cliff ; I started shaking like a leaf, trying to push it away. Now I knew for sure that my anger was threatening me and everyone around me. I needed to try to calm down, I had to get to the water. Moving slowly, I pulled my arm back from him.

  “I’m okay,” I said, trying to sound calm, “I just need to go now.”

  “Marina…”

  I bolted, running as fast as I could to the parking lot. Ethan chased after me, catching me easily and getting between me and the Rover.

  “Marina… Don’t go.”

  I couldn’t even look at him. He caught my arm again as I reached for the door handle.

  “Please don’t go,’ he said, and I could hear the anguish in his voice.

  “I’m fine,” I said, looking down, “But I have to get out of here.”

  “Please?”

  I looked at his worried face, “Don’t you see?” I said, struggling to maintain my composure, “I can’t feel this way anymore… Something bad will happen…”

  “Nothing is going to happen,” he said firmly.

  “You don’t know that,” I cried, twisting my arm as his grip tightened.

  “Marina–”

  I struggled to pull away from him, “Let me go!” I yelled. People around us stopped what they were doing to watch, and Ethan let go, standing back as I jumped into the Rover and sped away.

  Get to the water. Get to the water, the little voice in my mind urged me on. It was the only way I could jolt myself out of the spiral of jealousy and anger I was descending into. Slipping in and out of the house stealthily, I grabbed my things and flew down to the beach, throwing myself into the surf, swimming out as hard and fast as I could. When I finally stopped to catch my breath, I lay down with my cheek pressed onto my board, rocking in the soothing cradle of the sea.

  “Marina!” Lorelei popped up inches from my face. Puzzled, she turned her head sideways to mirror mine, “Can we go see Nerissa now?”

  I sat up, relieved to have something else to think about, “Yeah, I’d really like that.”

  Lorelei grabbed hold of my board with enthusiasm, swiftly towing me north, further than we’d ever gone before. I lifted my head to see us sail past Golden Gate Bridge through a blur of white water.

  After traversing a windy stretch of open ocean we approached the jagged silhouettes of a knot of small islands. Rocky and barren, they rose abruptly from the sea like an apparition, engulfed in fog, lonely and forbidding. I shivered, goosebumps rising inside of my wetsuit.

  Lorelei called out for Nerissa, and I wasn’t surprised at all to realize that she hadn’t made a sound. Her thoughts were as clear to me as if she’d spoken them aloud. Another voice echoed in my ears and I sat up on my surfboard, looking around for Nerissa. When a third, tiny squeaky voice joined in the mix I began to think I was hallucinating. Then a head broke the surface of the dark blue waters.

  “Nerissa!” I gasped. She looked happy, beautiful and wild, a far cry from the pale weak creature I’d first seen imprisoned by Peter.

  “Marina, have you come to swim with us?” her voice rang out, clear and sweet. She swam up close, reaching out to inspect my surfboard. Her green eyes sparkled with curiosity, and her jet black hair was as shiny as polished onyx. It was a relief to find her as unaffected by her ordeal as Lorelei, for she had been held hostage far longer, and suffered a great deal more at Peter’s hands.

  I looked down to her flat abdomen, wondering what had become of the baby she’d been carrying when she returned to the sea. Evie had ventured a guess that the baby might have simply disappeared as a result of her transformation back into a mermaid. It would be for the best, because as
far as I knew, pregnancy was a terminal condition for mermaids. Then I heard the little voice again.

  “Who else is here?” I asked them, but before they could answer a third head broke the surface.

  “Sisters!” she squeaked, and I nearly fell off my surfboard.

  She was small, about the size of a human toddler, but she swam around my board gracefully, agile as a sea lion. Her brick red hair fanned out in the water behind her. She dove under the surfboard, and as I scrambled frantically to see her, she surfaced behind me, shyly peeping up from the edge of the board with huge green eyes.

  “Nixie!” Lorelei squealed, taking the baby mermaid in her arms and kissing her plump cheeks.

  She giggled and ducked underwater, surfacing to peek around Lorelei. Her eyes grew round, and she stared me again. “What is it?” she asked Lorelei, dipping down to hide behind her shoulder.

  Lorelei and Nerissa burst into peals of laughter, and the sound they made together was almost unbearably sweet. For a second I thought I might be dreaming the whole thing.

  “Do not be afraid, she is a sister too… just like us.” Lorelei explained to the little mermaid.

  “Only she lives on land,” added Nerissa.

  “But you weren’t… I mean, it can’t possibly…” I sputtered, completely flabbergasted. It had only been a few weeks since Ethan and I had returned a pregnant Nerissa to the sea, and then she was nowhere near ready to deliver. This child looked to be at least a full year old.

  “What?” Lorelei looked at me oddly, no doubt confused by the time calculations she could hear me rapidly doing in my mind.

  “Where did she come from?” I asked.

  Lorelei sighed dreamily, “Nerissa brought her forth… she’s so lucky…”

  “Lucky?” I was aghast.

  “Of course! None have been blessed with a little one for many, many moons.” I could see images in her mind of mermaid babies she’d seen in the past, realizing with a start that these memories could go back hundreds or even thousands of years.

  “Blessed?” I repeated, “How’s that?”