Siren (31 page)

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"She was lucky to have you, Caleb."

"I don't know ... but I was trying to be better. I didn't want to lose her, so I did everything I could to make your mom happy. I left Monty's for the Lighthouse," he said, glancing at Simon, "so that I could make more money and keep company with CEOs instead of fishermen. That was probably one of the hardest things I'd ever done--it was so hard I couldn't even tell Monty in person. I knew he'd try to talk me out of it, and I didn't want him to." He paused before continuing. "Eventually, when school started again, I started studying more and even took the SATs, which I never intended to do."

"What about lunch with the Lighthouse people?" Simon asked. "Mark said you met with them to try to talk them out of invading town."

"That was before I started working there, when I still thought Justine and I might be able to live here together one day. You know I love this place. I was fighting to keep things the way they were." He sighed. "Anyway, as graduation got closer, she started looking into other options."

"Options?" I repeated.

"For September. She had to go somewhere, and she obviously wasn't going to school. She looked into California, Washington, Oregon, Vancouver. She thought we needed to go far away so that she couldn't just drive back to Boston whenever she felt guilty."

"So putting thousands of miles between us was easier than just telling the truth about you and college?" I asked.

He looked at me like I should get it. "She was afraid."

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I
should
get it. I was used to being that scared. I knew there probably weren't monsters hiding in the shadows when I went to sleep, but that hadn't kept me from worrying they'd attack as soon as the lights went out. And running away supported Justine's belief that the best way to deal with your fear of something was to pretend it wasn't happening. She couldn't be afraid of disappointing us if she pretended like we no longer existed.

"She made me promise not to tell anyone," he said. "She thought people would think we were crazy, or doing the wrong thing, and she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want anything to change our minds."

"But if she had a plan," I said, fast-forwarding to a few weeks ago, "why'd she jump off Chione Cliffs in the middle of the night?"

"I didn't know at first," Caleb said. "She was pretty fired up after that dinner, when your mom was talking about school and responsibility, and she found out that other people knew about me."

I was glad rain still fell when my face started to burn. No wonder she'd been so mad--after she'd spent so many years trying to protect me, I'd revealed her biggest secret.

"We went back to Boston first. She thought we could just hang out there for a while, until we decided where to go next."

That explained the beach towel I'd found stuffed behind her bedroom door the day of the funeral.

"But as soon as we got there, she wanted to turn around and go back to Winter Harbor. She wouldn't--or couldn't--explain

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why, but she was obsessed. It was already late, and I suggested we leave the next morning, but she insisted on going that night." He watched the water lapping against the bottoms of the boats. "So we did. And once we got back, she wanted to go right to Chione Cliffs." He looked at me. "I didn't understand it then. I thought she was just trying to prove a point, or wanted to get out some built-up anger. But I understand it now."

I followed his eyes to Simon. "What?"

Simon shifted slightly so that he faced me. "Do you remember that day, when Justine and Caleb did their backflips? And Justine cut her leg?"

I nodded.

"According to Zara's journal, the water at the base of Chione Cliffs is basically the lion's den. It isn't like this water, or even the water in the ocean. It's filled with them--it's where they meet, swim, give birth, and live, in some cases. It's where they lure their victims. It's where they control the weather. And when Justine's leg was cut--whether they did it on purpose or she accidentally hit it on a rock--once that water entered her bloodstream ..."

"It was already too late," I finished.

"They called her back," Simon said. "Somehow, once that water was under her skin, they had her."

"That's why she jumped," Caleb said gently. "Not because she wanted to get back at you, or your family. But because she had no choice."

And there was my answer. It was everything I'd wanted to know.

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I looked away, toward our house. All of the windows facing the lake were dark. It looked so empty, so lonely.

"We do have some good news," Caleb said tentatively, after a minute.

I turned back just as Caleb pulled a small metal vial from Simon's backpack. He unscrewed the top and a thin cloud of steam swirled toward the sky. He exchanged looks with Simon before holding the vial over the edge of the boat, tilting it, and releasing a thin stream of clear liquid.

I grabbed Simon as the rowboat rocked sharply, then stopped. The rain continued to pound the lake, sending small waves rippling toward shore. But our boat didn't move. Neither did Caleb's. My feet, resting on the thin wooden floor, grew colder. Holding my breath and keeping Simon's arms around me, I leaned forward and peered over the boat's edge.

"Ice," I exhaled, my breath forming a small white cloud. Seconds before, our boats had knocked together as they bobbed in the water. Now, they were locked in place by a solid white patch.

"We have to beat them at their own game," Simon said, his voice level. "We have to do what even Mother Nature can't do in the middle of winter."

I turned to him, already knowing what was coming.

"We have to freeze Winter Harbor."

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CHAPTER 23

"'THE BODIES OF Jonathan Marsh, seventeen, and Mark Hamilton, sixteen, were found on the southern jetty of Beacon Beach. So far, twelve people have died since a series of sudden, erratic storms struck Winter Harbor four weeks ago.'" Caleb lowered the paper and looked out the window.

"I'm sorry, Cal," Simon said after a pause. "You did everything you could."

"Think of all the lives you saved," I said, my eyes watering for both boys--and for Paige. "Zara's targeting you kept her from focusing on anyone else for weeks."

Caleb didn't say anything. I looked at the clock, then at Simon. The sun still shone overhead, but it was only a matter of time before the clouds rolled in.

"You don't have to do this," Simon said. "We can figure out another way."

"There isn't another way," Caleb said. After a minute, he tossed the
Herald
on the seat and climbed out of the car.

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"Hey," Simon said as I reached for the door handle. "You okay?"

I looked at his hand on my arm. What was one more lie now? "I will be."

We ran after Caleb, who was already jogging up the Marchands' porch steps. My chest tightened even though I knew Raina and Zara were gone; we'd waited across the street from Betty's until they'd arrived, then flew to their house.

Inside, the curtains were still pulled across the windows. The sconces lining the stairwell were dark. The only light came from the beam shining through the front door. I was encouraged by the air; it was still thick with moisture but smelled only of salt--not decay.

I led them through the living room. Simon reached for my hand as we started upstairs, but I pretended not to notice and quickened my pace. Today would likely be the last day we spent together. I didn't want to make things harder than they were.

"This way," I said, heading toward Paige's room at the end of the hall. I paused outside her door and listened.

Silence.

I shook my head against the sudden image of her shaking in the bathtub and opened the door.

"Wow," Caleb said.

"Are you sure this is the right room?" Simon asked.

I turned slowly as I stepped inside. Paige's stuff--her bed, clothes, books, and picture frames--was gone. Her walls had

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been painted pink. The white curtains had been replaced with pink shades.

In the middle of the room, under a mobile of stuffed starfish, was a small crib.

This time, I let Simon take my hand. I wouldn't have moved otherwise.

"She probably just switched rooms," Caleb said back in the hallway. "Remember, she wasn't part of tonight's plan."

That was according to Zara's journal. But her last entry was three days ago--the day I'd stolen the journal at the Chamber of Commerce meeting. What if the plan had changed? There was someone who might know.

Standing before Betty's bedroom door, I held my breath and raised my fist.

"Come in, Vanessa."

I glanced at Simon, then opened the door.

The last time I saw Betty she'd been lying in bed, gasping for life. I hadn't known what to expect now and was relieved to find her not only alive but dressed and sitting up.

"I've been waiting," she said, standing from the chaise lounge. She walked across the room, stepping easily around tables and chairs.

"You know what's happening?" I asked gently.

"I didn't," Betty said, standing before us. "I do now. Raina tried to keep it from me for a while. She was very careful with her thoughts when I was stronger and made sure I stayed in the

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dark. But she relaxed as I weakened, trusting that I couldn't hear. Fortunately, with your help, I regained enough strength to listen."

"What did you hear?" Simon asked.

"A lot of what you already know. That they're going to kill tonight, that they won't stop unless stopped ... and that you need me."

"How did you ...?" Caleb's voice trailed off.

"I'll do whatever you need me to do," Betty said.

"Are you sure you're strong enough?" I asked. "The last time I saw you--"

"I'm stronger now. I'll be even stronger in the water."

I looked at Simon. He looked at me, concerned. Clearly, Betty's physical condition was worse than he'd imagined.

"I don't need to see," she said suddenly, her cloudy eyes aimed at Caleb. "My other senses make sight unnecessary."

"I didn't say anything," he said quickly. His face reddened as he looked to us for confirmation.

"Betty," I said as she started for the door. "Do you know where Paige is? We wanted to take her with us, but she's not in her room."

She stopped in the doorway, her back to us. "She's very ill. This pregnancy may kill her if we don't take care of her."

"L'épuration du sang,"
Betty said as we drove back to town.

"What's that?" I asked.

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"Purification of blood," Caleb translated, looking to Betty, who sat next to him in the backseat, for explanation.

"A siren's ability exists at birth, but lies dormant for the first part of her life. As she matures, and is able to have children, she's taken below the surface for purification. During this process, the water in every human cell is replaced with ocean water, which then makes swimming in, bathing in, and drinking salt water necessary. Raina, Zara, and I would dry to death if we didn't constantly replenish."

"That's what was happening to you a few days ago?" I asked.

"Yes. For two years Raina's given me just enough to survive one day to the next. I was physically weak, which limited and sometimes confused my sensory capabilities. It worked so well I didn't even realize I was severely dehydrated until you helped me. I've been listening to their thoughts ever since."

I felt Simon's eyes on me. I'd told him about my trip to the Marchands' to check on Paige, and my accidental run-in with Betty ... but I hadn't told him everything I'd learned.

"Why would Raina do that?" Caleb asked.

"My daughter has always been intrigued by her potential power. She knew I changed my life to protect the lives of others, but she was still curious. I thought it was because she'd never witnessed the resulting devastation firsthand ... but now that she has, I don't know what to think." She paused. "In any case, when I had my accident, Raina took advantage of my changed physical state and kept me weak so that she could explore her powers without interference."

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"What about Paige?" I asked. "She doesn't swim every day, and she's fine."

"Sirens don't need constant replenishment until after purification. Zara's happened shortly after my accident. Raina wanted to focus on her--to teach her how to use her beauty, which is enhanced postpurification, and to help build her power before moving on to Paige. Paige's would have happened this summer ... but unfortunately, she became pregnant first. That's why she's suffering. Her body isn't fully equipped to give her baby what it needs. That's why she's been so sick."

"We're getting close," Caleb said suddenly, sliding down the seat and plugging his ears.

I felt Zara's presence but didn't show it. "Zara had a thing for Caleb," I explained to Betty as we turned onto a narrow road that ran parallel to Main Street. "She went after him, but he--"

"Loved Justine," Betty finished, her voice soft. "I know."

We parked behind a row of trees at the far end of the chowder house parking lot. Several yards away, Louis and other employees served soup to a large crowd gathered around their booth.

"Paige is inside," Betty said, her head tilted toward the restaurant. "She's alone. She doesn't know what they plan to do. She'll have questions, but show her your proof. Tell her what I just told you. And if you must, tell her about Jonathan."

"Maybe Betty should come," Caleb said. "Paige would believe her grandmother, wouldn't she?"

"I can't," Betty said. "They don't know I'm here because