03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales (3 page)

“That reminds me,” said Evie, turning towards
Shayla, “An agent friend of mine saw your pictures and would like
some more test shots and an interview… How about we schedule a
meeting for directly after we get Cruz settled in?”

“OK,” said Shayla, looking a little nervous,
“An interview?”

“He’s booking runway girls for the Paris
shows and he’ll need to see your walk,” said Evie.

Shayla swallowed hard, “My walk?”

“Yes silly,” Cruz interjected, “Like I showed
you!” Cruz had been trying to teach Shayla the classic runway strut
but she was still having trouble with the heels. If she could only
wear flip-flops on the catwalk she’d be fine.

Shayla looked across the table at me, fear in
her eyes.

“Will you go with me?” she pleaded.

“Sure,” I nodded.

Ethan sat quietly, and when we finally got up
to leave he couldn’t get out the door fast enough. Evie kept us
waiting a few minutes while she spoke with Omar, giggling
coquettishly and touching her hair. He pressed his card into her
hand and kissed it again, clearly enraptured with her. When she met
our group out by the limousine I was surprised to see Evie looking
a little flushed.

As we drove away she regained her composure,
finalizing plans with Cruz and pumping Megan for details about Mr.
Samadi. We pulled up to the high school parking lot and
stopped.

Evie turned to address Ethan, “It was lovely
seeing you again, and if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to take Marina
home myself. We have some important business to discuss.”

She cast me a meaningful look. I’d known this
day was coming, and it was what I’d been dreading– it was the thing
that kept waking me up at night. It was time for my first meeting
with the hybrid council.

“I’m sure it can wait,” Ethan said, his dark
blue eyes blazing at her.

“No, I’m afraid it’s
very
urgent,”
Evie returned his gaze, a challenge in her icy blue ones.

I looked at the two of them locked in combat
and wanted to scream. I knew that they both had my best interests
at heart, but I couldn’t help and wonder if each of them simply
wanted to control me for their own reasons. Cruz and Megan
exchanged a nervous glance and said their goodbyes, taking Shayla
and beating a hasty retreat.

Evie turned to me, “I’m leaving town for a
week tomorrow morning… I’m afraid we can’t do this over the
phone.”

I nodded, taking Ethan’s hand and climbing
out of the limo, “Come on, let’s talk.” I walked him over to his
truck and took him in my arms, “I think I should hear what she has
to say. I need to find out what’s going on.”

He looked glumly across the lot at Boris
standing by the giant limo, watching us.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “I know.”

“I’ll come see you first thing tomorrow at
the farmer’s market… okay?”

He nodded and looked down at me. I stretched
up to kiss him.

“It’ll all be over soon,” I said, even though
I didn’t really believe it.

I walked slowly back towards Evie, feeling
the laces of my mental corset cinching back in, constricting more
tightly with each exhale, once again, making it almost impossible
to breathe.

CHAPTER TWO

SUMMONED

“I suppose I should have been ready for
this,” I said, trying unsuccessfully to keep the shake out of my
voice.

Evie outlined the plans that had already been
made for me, and the reality of the situation came crashing down
upon me all at once. I was scheduled to be in Paris in two weeks,
and it wouldn’t be a pleasure trip. A council meeting had been
arranged, and I’d been summoned to meet with the association of
half-mermaid hybrids. I was always going to have to join this
exclusive little group once I came of age, but because of my
exposure and the kidnapping that followed, my indoctrination had
been scheduled a little early.

“I’m sorry sweetheart,” Evie said, scooting
closer and putting her arm around my shoulders. “They wouldn’t
agree to wait any longer. We’ll tell Abby and your father that
we’ll be attending the Paris shows together.”

“Good cover story,” I said numbly, for
everyone knew that Evie was a fixture at Paris fashion week.

“Yes, well… Thank heavens I was able to
choose the location, so at least I know we’ll have some decent
accommodations. I’ve booked a suite at the Ritz. ”

I sighed, “What do you think they’ll want to
know?”

Evie pursed her lips, “I’ve denied everything
Peter said before his… accident, but I don’t think they’re buying
it. I’m afraid the rumors are flying.” She heaved a sigh, “They
are
all women, after all… and we girls do love our
gossip.”

“What exactly did Peter say?” I asked,
alarmed.

“I don’t know everything,” Evie said grimly,
“He was allowed to place some calls to plead his case before…uh, as
we were waiting for the association to arrive. I
do
know
what he told one member, and we can start by refuting that.” Her
eyes met mine as she added, “I don’t know who else he might have
contacted.”

My heart sank, for there was a possibility
that he had verified some shocking tabloid rumors. Evie’s security
team had taken Peter into custody in order to bring him before the
council, for as the son of a recently deceased hybrid, Peter was
one of theirs. The association policed itself, but before they
could pass judgment and punish him, the people that he was working
for beat them to it. A false suicide had been staged to eliminate
him, along with all of the incriminating evidence.

Everything, that is, except for me.

So, I grappled with the looming possibility
of Peter’s murderers coming back for me, combined with the grilling
I was scheduled to receive from a council of fellow hybrid muses.
It was almost too much to take all at once. I dropped my head into
my hands as Evie rubbed my back soothingly.

“Everything will be alright,” she said, “We
simply need to come up with a story and stick to it. I have many
dear friends on the council, and I’m certain they’ll side with
us.”

The council suspected that I was different
from the rest of them, and they were right. Peter had watched me,
finding out about my ability to communicate with mermaids in the
hopes of using it to capture more of them. I wondered how much he’d
said; for as far as I knew, I was the only one capable of speaking
the mermaid’s strange language.

Evie straightened her spine and smoothed her
skirt, “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary in the past
few weeks? Anything suspicious at all?” I shook my head no.

She went on, a model of efficiency as usual,
“I had Boris sweep your house and car for bugs while we were at
dinner. He found nothing.” I sighed, feeling a strange mixture of
annoyance and relief.

“Evie?” I raised my head, casting a
suspicious eye at her “Why did you choose
that
restaurant?”

She smiled placidly, “Oh honey, I really did
want to see Megan sing again… And isn’t everything else all water
under the bridge by now?”

I sighed, “For me it is… So, what was all
that with Omar?” I asked, cocking a brow at her.

“Marina,” She tossed her head and smoothed
her platinum blonde hair, “I may not be immortal… but I’m not dead
yet!”

Evie and I talked for a while, going over
some of the possible questions and coming up with a story. When the
car finally dropped me off at Abby’s cozy little house I was
surprised to see the lights still on and Megan’s car in the
driveway next to my Range Rover. I kissed Evie goodbye, waved to
Boris, and headed for the door, feeling like Cinderella staggering
home after the ball.

“What was that all about?” Cruz asked
anxiously, jumping up to greet me at the door. Megan sat up with a
worried look.

“Nothing,” I flopped down on the couch,
unstrapping my shoes, “My feet are killing me.”

“What did Evie want?” Cruz persisted.

I paused for a moment, “She’s taking me to
Paris for the collections.”

“Paris!” Cruz cried, stricken, “But that’s in
two weeks!”

“Yeah, “I said, “And?”

“I can’t go!” he whined, plunking down next
to Megan, “That’s the week I present my portfolio to design school.
And you’ll miss my birthday too.”

“Sorry,” I replied, too wrung out to bother
trying to soothe him.

“I thought you couldn’t leave Ethan,” Cruz
said petulantly.

“She made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” I
replied. Unfortunately, it was the truth.

“We’re sorry about springing the restaurant
on you guys,” Megan added, elbowing Cruz in the ribs, “He feels bad
too.”

“Yeah,” Cruz said grudgingly, “But it’s
really kind of Megan’s place now that she works there… I don’t see
why Ethan should be all upset.”

“Just drop it,” I said wearily. I couldn’t
take any more conflict.

Cruz couldn’t stop defending her, “I’m sure
Evie didn’t mean anything by it,”

Megan started to mediate, “Surely, she must
have known that it would be uncomfortable for them,” she said,
tilting her head at Cruz.

“I don’t believe it for a minute,” he
sniffed, “And stop calling me Shirley!”

I smiled tiredly and stood up to stretch, “I
need to get some sleep, I’ll see you guys later.”

“Me too,” said Megan, rising to leave. “Oh,
and Bill wanted me to tell you he wants some more paintings for the
coffee shop.”

“OK,” I said, walking her to the door. “I’ll
take care of it.”

I slumped down the hall to my room and
changed, falling boneless and weak onto my bed. I looked around at
all the paintings strewn about the tiny space, thinking about which
ones I should take to Bill. They reminded me of the sea, and how
wild and powerful I felt when I was immersed in it. Whatever
happened to that side of me? I was feeling defeated, and realized
that by giving into my fear I was letting Peter and his shadowy
masters win.

Muse. Music. Museum. The words kept running
through my mind along with their greater meaning. My natural
tendency to be aloof was enhanced– I was more unwilling to be
around people than ever before, watching everyone around me
anxiously for signs that I was somehow affecting their behavior.
Evie always said that information leaves a film, and now I knew
what she meant by it. Knowing about my abilities became like a veil
that colored everything I saw; I could never look at anybody the
same way again, and it felt like a curse to me.

I thought about how Evie reveled in her
power, actively seeking out worthy people to champion. She savored
their success, and it satisfied her, for she had faith that it was
the right thing to do. She was at peace with herself, and with the
skills she wielded so deftly. Shamelessly using her formidable
abilities to amass wealth, she’d married progressively richer men
until she was insulated from the unpleasantness of the everyday
world, and powerful enough to make dreams come true.

I could never be like Evie– who could? I
struggled with the reasons for my existence, looking for some kind
of sign as to what my greater purpose could be. Why was I so
different from all the others? None of the other muses had the
ability to transform into a mermaid, or even understand their
language. I could talk to them and sea creatures as well; it had to
mean something. Sometimes the situation seemed comically surreal,
and I had to laugh at myself, realizing that seventeen was a weird
age for an existential crisis.

Ethan’s constant presence was like a hand on
my back, guiding me toward the routines of day to day life, and I’d
be lost without him. He calmed me down, and kept me from my
obsessive worrying. When we could be together every day and every
night I knew that my life would start to make sense, and I’d
eventually find all the answers I was looking for. Being around
Ethan made everything seem so clear and simple that I knew we were
meant to be together forever.

He was impatient, ready to get on with our
married life, but we quickly discovered that it would be impossible
without the consent of my guardian, who for now was my Aunt Abby.
Despite the fact that she’d surprised us all by suddenly eloping
with Ethan’s dad, I knew she’d be shocked at our plans. Abby and
Dutch had obvious reasons to rush into things, for there was a baby
on the way. No one could see or know why I needed to marry Ethan so
soon.

Then there was my dad to consider. Abby would
never give her permission without informing my father, and he’d be
even more shocked than her about it. He’d say I was being
impulsive, and that I was too young to know what I wanted. Dad
hadn’t even met Ethan, and he would never understand what the big
rush was. I wanted to move in with him– to find a place to rent and
start college together, side by side, but Ethan was resistant,
afraid to get off on the wrong foot with my father. After the way
him and Evie clashed, I suppose I could understand his
hesitance.

So for now, we kept our plans to ourselves,
and tried to be patient. We had finals week to get through, and
college to think about in the fall. I’d signed up for just a few
classes, uncertain as to what exactly I should study. Ethan would
be attending on a full-ride scholarship, and he knew exactly what
courses he needed and how long it would take to graduate. Ethan
worked so hard for everything he got that I was embarrassed when my
father called on his connections in order to get me enrolled after
the deadline.

I wouldn’t be eighteen until January, and
once I was, no one had any say in our plans but us. Those eight
months stretched out before us like an eternity.

The next morning I woke at dawn, eager to get
to Ethan. I wanted to tell him about the meeting with the council,
and what we planned to say. I needed reassurance that everything
was going to be okay. I dressed in a hurry and found Abby in the
kitchen, reading the paper.