Deep Blue (The Mermaid Chronicles Book 1) (16 page)

“Wouldn’t you like to know, doctor.”

“Don’t you know she’s…”

“Suffered some horrible tragedy in her past?” he paused, “Of course I do, Doctor Carson. But, my dear doctor, haven’t we all?”

“You can’t mess with people’s lives like that!”

“Doc, we all manipulate those around us in one way or another. I just enjoy it.”

“What were you really here for?”

“To enjoy your delicious food, of course, and destroy your living room,” he said sarcastically. Adam was fully aware there was some truth to what Tommy said, only it was never the whole truth with Tommy, and his motives were a mystery. At least, his motives beyond the fact that Tommy obviously wanted to drive a wedge between him and Alice.

“Ugh. You really are a dick, Tommy. You really are.”

“Yep, but I’m a dick who signs your paychecks. You’d do well to remember that.” Tommy gave him a mock salute. “Cheerio, doctor.” With that, Tommy finally left. Adam let out a sigh of relief. He thought of his dad. Leaving this town didn’t sound like a very bad idea. Maybe his dad had it right, maybe dealing with the locals was a masochistic act akin to jumping off a boat with bricks attached to your feet. At least he knew Tommy would never do anything as blunt as that.

Alice stopped halfway to the beach, realizing it was the last place she truly wanted to be. For the past two days she had spent so much time with David, rekindling their sibling bond. She didn’t want that right now; she wanted to be alone. She went home and borrowed the car instead. Driving out of Brassila Cove, she tried not to think of the woman it was named after. She drove just to be alone, just to drive, but found herself on some cliffs nearby. She stopped the car and got out, dangling her legs over the edge. She felt the ocean spray on her face as it beat against the cliff face. She remembered the air in Portland, the chillier ocean. She remembered standing in the ocean in California, watching her grandmother on the shore. Her life had always been tied to the ocean, even before she became a mermaid. Maybe she should have known.

She heard rocks crunching and turned around.

“Tommy.” He smiled at her. “What are you doing here?”

“I followed you, of course.”

“How the…?” She turned around and saw a Jeep next to her family’s SUV.  “Great,” she said sarcastically, turning back to the water. Tommy nonchalantly joined her on the cliff. Briefly Alice thought about pushing him off, but it didn’t make much sense. He’d live and she knew it; he was mer. Oddly enough, Tommy said nothing. He stared out at the ocean, then stared at her, but didn’t deign to say anything, leaving Alice to her own thoughts. It almost reminded her of time with his brother. Ironically, Tommy wasn’t near as infuriating as his brother, despite what Tommy had just pulled that evening.

“I’m sorry ‘bout scaring you earlier.”

“No, you’re not.”

“No, not really. It was necessary.”

“Why do you manipulate people like that?”

“I think it’s fun.”

“Even when it hurts people?”

“People take things too seriously.” Alice thought about that for a moment, eyeing him sideways. “I don’t care what happened in your past,” he continued. “You have been given a gift and you just won’t accept it. I’m only trying to help.” He smiled the smile that turned her stomach. 

Tommy paused as Alice eyed him up and down. She couldn’t figure him out. Part of her believed him when he said that he was trying to help, but the way he said it nagged at her. It was the first time she had ever heard Tommy talk in a way that could be construed as sincere. Still, the expression on his face didn’t make sense with the tone of his voice.

“Alice, if you don’t like something, you have the whole of the ocean to escape to. You don’t need to put up with anything: apes, or the folk, or me, or my brother. The ocean is yours. You have the perfect escape route. You don’t need anything. What I don’t get is why you’re still here, pissing all manner of people off.” Alice looked back out at the ocean. It was truly beautiful. She smiled. Oddly enough, Tommy shared the smile with her. “Alice, you seem to keep forgetting that you’re not a human anymore.” Tommy let her mull that over as he got up and left as if he had never been there. He knew exactly where to nudge people, exactly when to be what kind of person. Exactly what buttons to push. He liked it that way.

Alice sat there a while longer. She couldn’t leave
the world she had known her entire life
, could she? Her parents would be devastated. Or would they? She looked out at the ocean, still thinking like a human. She couldn’t even begin to fathom the size of the ocean; she hadn’t grown up there. She was still partly human, whatever Tommy said. She belonged to a human mother, a human father, and a human life. Or did she? What was there left of her human life when she became one of the mer?
She felt almost as if her human life had ended the night she lie in the garage on the cold pavement, waiting for true death to take her; but it didn’t. Hadn’t she been a ghost since then?

She remembered that night in the ocean, the burn as her lungs filled with water, and the tug on her ankle. She remembered the feel of Finn’s tail sliding across her legs, remembered the electric shock that sent her body into convulsions, but what she remembered most was the way she had given up. She looked up at the moon in the sky, got up, and left. 

             
The waters shone sapphire in the fading sun, and the breeze that hit the five of them was refreshing, though the temperature was mild. New Year’s Eve. Alice invited David, Tommy was there because he was Tommy and would never renege on a promise or a chance to mess with people, and somehow Alice found herself sitting next to the redhead they called the Selkie. Alice wasn’t exactly sure why Kari was there, and the whole thing would have been highly awkward if she weren’t drinking just a little bit.

Alice was reclining on the booth with Kari while she tried to figure out what kind of game the boys were playing on the other side of the boat. She tried to ignore Kari, but it was hard. Truth was, Kari seemed sweet and innocent, despite Alice’s brush with her in the diner so long ago.

“I think they’re playing chess,” Kari said, breaking the long silence.

“What’s David doing, then?” Alice wondered. Kari instantly looked down.

“I think he’s watching,” Kari answered. Alice looked at her. She couldn’t get a proper read on Kari. She distrusted her, but she couldn’t really stop the girl from hanging out with them. She just didn’t understand why Kari would want to be with them when she had been party to the girl
who had gone out of her way to threaten Alice.

             
"So what's your deal with Ashley?" Alice asked Kari suspiciously.

             
"Oh, Ashley," Kari said nonchalantly, watching the boys. "Ashley’s just…well, she kinda adopted me when I came to live with this clan."

             
"Why do they call you Selkie?"

             
“I make my home in the waters off the coast of the U.K. We are called Selkies there because we wear the skins of seals to hide ourselves sometimes,” she said, with a hint of nostalgia that made Alice curious.

             
“Why would you come out here if you loved it there?” Kari looked up, startled, not realizing her affection for her home had been so obvious.

             
Kari looked down. “All the men of the Selkies are mated,” she said quietly. Alice looked away, feeling awkward for some reason. Kari fell silent. She didn’t really speak much, and she didn’t seem mean-spirited like Ashley, but she also didn’t seem like the type who would ever be alone. She was short and small, which hid her age well.

“You aren’t really after Finn?” Alice asked, the notion new to her.

Kari looked up startled. “Finn? Finn belongs to Ashley. She would never allow me to try to win Finn.” Alice smiled. It was hard not to like the little redhead; she just seemed so sweet. Kari looked at Alice, emboldened by her smile, “Are you after Finn?”

Alice choked on some of her beer, “Hell, no.”

“Tommy?”

Alice laughed. “I’m not after anyone.”

“But you’re…”

“I don’t want anything to do with them.” She looked at Tommy, wondered what it would be like, not for the first time, to just run off.

Kari put her hand gently on Alice’s arm. “Then why are you here? I chose to come here. My clan was sad, but they knew: alone we are nothing. Only together can we achieve greatness.”

Alice looked to the girl. She wasn’t so little, she was of an age with Tommy and David, but it was hard to think of her that way. She looked almost as young as little Aria. She didn’t want to break the girl’s illusions, but Alice found it better to be alone. Somehow Kari sensed that.

“In our world, even the Wanderlusts pair off eventually,” Kari said.

“Maybe I’m just not ready.” Alice said, hoping to get off this topic. “Won’t Ashley be unhappy you’re hanging with us now?”

“Ashley does not own me. I am the daughter of the Selkies. I followed her before because her group was the only group of folk that were of an age with me, but she is not a good person.” Alice was taken aback. There was more strength in her than she was wont to believe originally. It unnerved her.

             
"Is that why you’ve been hanging around? Or perhaps you’re after the other Caraway?" Kari blushed.

             
"No," she said defensively. She smiled up at Alice sheepishly.

             
"Don't worry, your secrets safe with me," Alice said simply. "Come on, let’s get the guys to dance." Alice got up and turned on the radio. She was pleasantly buzzed at that point and eager to get away from Kari.

             
"Come on guys! Let's celebrate." Alice said.

“Does there have to be dancing?” David asked.

“Oh, come on. Apparently it’s what fish do on land, right, Tommy?” Alice said.

“Well, we could all break into a musical number, but I’m not sure the doctor would enjoy that.” Tommy responded, “Checkmate.”

“Yes, we can’t forget the human can’t breathe water,” Adam laughed, knocking over the pieces. He moved to dance with Alice and Kari.

“What’s that about, anyway?” David wondered. It was Kari who answered him.

“When we sing, we sing of the joy of living in the water, of seeing wonders that they can’t imagine. A human becomes dazzled and disoriented and will often try to drown themselves seeking that beauty and peace.” Everyone looked at Kari. It was such a strange thing for her to say. For a moment, they all just stood there. Kari blushed openly.

“Well, now that that’s settled,” Alice took her brother by the hand and nearly spun him off the deck. Everyone laughed and the mood was lightened. They danced, all of them together, no partners, just fun, dancing, and drinking. It was peaceful; it was how life was supposed to go. Alice was genuinely enjoying the company as much as she could. It wasn't bad; Alice didn't feel her past weighing so strongly on her anymore. Still, she was much more comfortable when the festivities calmed.

             
It was after midnight. David and Kari were sleeping on opposite sides of the booth and Tommy had long ago receded back into the waters, to destinations unknown. Alice and Adam were sitting on the prow of the ship, their legs dangling over the side, passing the bottle of champagne back and forth as they watched fireworks in the distance.

             
"So, how do you like Brassila Cove now?" Adam asked slyly, passing her the bottle.

             
Alice looked back at her brother and the maid. "Not a shabby town you have here, doc. Strange, though. I think there's something in the water." She passed the bottle back. "Hey, how come you didn't visit your dad for the holiday?"

             
"Well, I'm going up to see him next week," he passed the bottle back.

             
"What happened to your mother?"

             
"Actually, my mom drowned, ironically."

             
"Ironic because you hang out with a bunch of fish?"

             
"Yeah, that would be it." They laughed quietly so as not to disturb the sleepers. Alice looked at him. She was seized with a sudden urge, part alcohol and part spontaneity. She leaned forward. He saw the gleam off her eyes and their lips connected. It was strange. Adam had hoped it would happen for some time now, but he was caught off guard. The strange buzz that numbed his lips tingled. She pulled away and he looked at her. She didn't look happy.

             
"What's wrong?"

             
"It's just, I..."

He touched her face. "It's okay Alice, I understand. You're not really ready for this."

             
"No, I'm not."

             
"It still cripples you, doesn't it?" Adam said, looking out at the sea, feeling about as awkward as he possibly could. "Your past."

             
"What do you know?" he heard an edge to her voice, the precursor to her closing off to him and everyone else around her.

             
"I know it hurts. More than you could express to any person on the planet, mer or human."

             
"Yes." The edge was gone. She relaxed, the tension released. It was odd, but he was glad she didn’t try running away again.

             
"You know I'm here for you," Adam said. She looked up at him with sad little eyes.

             
"You’re a really great friend," she said. His lips still tingled. He didn’t want to just be her friend. Alice wanted to not be afraid, to not be cold, but it hadn't happened. Kari’s story was getting to her; every mer needed a mate and she truly did care for Adam, but there was no spark. She enjoyed his company, enjoyed how he made her feel, and she could tell he wanted her, even if he was too honorable to pursue her. Part of her liked that about him. Maybe it was true, maybe she really wasn't ready. She couldn't get past the screams in her head. It hurt her that she couldn’t, that she could seem so normal to everyone around her now and still be so very entrapped by her past.

             
She wondered to herself if it had destroyed her ability to feel anything for anyone. She looked back at David. No, she felt love and tenderness, and a dull ache for things to go back to the way they were before in Portland. Things would never be the same, though. She had grown, he had grown, and they were both part of a new world they hadn’t even scratched the surface of, a secret that they had to keep from everyone else in their lives. Adam watched her mind spinning and spreading in all directions. It hurt him that she was cold, but he could understand it.

             
Alice turned back to him. “I just need more time,” she said, sounding much more sure of herself than she really was.

             
“Alice, you can have all the time in the world.” He put his arm around her in a friendly way, and she didn’t move away. She was okay.

             
Tommy swirled into Ashley’s company. She was stalking Finn again. She had a little cave that she liked to frequent where she could see Finn’s every approach to ‘his island.’ Finn was spending almost all his time there now, and so Ashley was spending almost all her time in the cave.

             
“What do you want?” she asked fiercely.

             
“My favorite mad mermaid.”

             
“If you weren’t…”

             
“Oh, yes, you would rip my tail off my body, I know, my dear. I just thought you should know.”

             
“Know what?”

             
“I spent the entire afternoon with the good doctor and your lovely rival.”

             
Ashley moved back in the water, her tail flipping back and forth in irritation the way a cat’s would. “She’s not competition. She’s falling for the doctor.”

             
“Okay.” He moved to swim away, a smile plastered to his face.

             
She spun around him, placing her knife to his chest. He pulled the short-sword at his waist and batted the knife away. It began to float downwards.

             
“What do you know, snake?” she hissed fiercely.

             
“Quite a bit, my dear,” he said, replacing the sword. She glanced at it with narrowed eyes. It was the sword that should belong to the clan leader. She was sure when Finn stopped mourning he would reclaim the sword.

             
“What do you know?” she shouted and shoved him, sending her fierce shock waves through the water. Tommy smiled. He was playing with fire here, a fire that was completely insane; he could tell by the way her electricity varied in wavelengths.

             
“The doctor will never be enough for her, you know. She’s in love with the ocean, dearie.” He loved the look of shock on Ashley’s face, the way the electricity streamed from her. He spun around, leaving the mer to her cave.

             
Tommy knew what he was doing, even if no one else did. Why should they? It was the way that Tommy played the game. Sooner or later he would have his checkmate and everything would turn out the way he had planned it. No one ever came to conclusions by themselves.