Between the Land and the Sea - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,47
your makeover,” he said with a shrug.
Megan sang us a song and was every bit as good as I remembered. I looked at Ethan to see his reaction and found him staring at me intently again. I nervously broke eye contact and focused on Megan, encouraging her to sing a few more before she lost her nerve. Abby poked her head around the corner and smiled with delight to see us all getting along so well.
Cruz told Ethan about how they coaxed me onto the roller coaster at the boardwalk.
“She thought it looked like a death-trap,” he laughed, “She said it looked as bad as some of the trains in India!”
“You should see them,” I said defensively, remembering the rickety overcrowded cars.
Megan joined in, “Yeah, but when we finally convinced her to go she had to do it again and again! My hips were bruised for days!”
“She said it reminded her of bad turbulence!” Cruz laughed, “Can you believe it was her first roller coaster ride ever?”
“You’re lucky,” Ethan smiled at me, charming me with the way his eyes crinkled up at the corners, “It’s a great one for your first time.”
Abby poked her head around the corner, “Soup’s on!”
We all sat down to a spaghetti dinner that wasn’t awful. I wondered why Ethan had agreed to come in to eat. Abby chatted away with everyone, asking about school and talking with Ethan about his work in the garden. I listened carefully, impressed by his knowledge of plants, but startled a little every time I looked up and met his eyes.
We finished eating and Abby cleared off the table as Cruz walked Megan out to her car. I got up to start doing the dishes and Ethan insisted on helping me. He stood by my side, drying and stacking the plates I handed him.
“So, how do you like Aptos?” he asked me, his fingertips brushing mine.
“I like it here... it feels like home,” I said, “but I could live without the high school part.” He laughed a little, “What was your last school like?”
“I never went to school before,” I said, realizing how weird I must seem.
“Really?” he asked, looking surprised.
“I mean, you know, I had tutors…”
“Wow,” he said, “So everything’s new to you.”
“Um, yeah,” I didn’t elaborate. There was an awkward pause.
“Megan was really good,” he said, moving a step closer, “and I didn’t realize Cruz could make clothes like that.”
“Yeah,” I agreed with a nod, “They’re both pretty amazing.”
“You bring out the best in them,” Ethan observed, watching me closely again.
“Me? I don’t deserve any credit for their talent,” I said, looking at him suspiciously.
“I just mean, well... you’re just kinda, I dunno... inspirational.” I didn’t know what to say about that, so I said nothing at all. We finished the dishes, and Ethan reminded me that he’d pick us up in the morning. I walked him to the door where he thanked Abby and said goodbye.
Collapsing into bed, my mind started racing. I had to find out the truth as soon as possible.
The image I’d seen of Cruz in the future shook me to the core. I don’t know how I knew, but I was absolutely certain that it was real– as sure as I was about anything. The fact that my vision of Cruz was blurted out in mermaid was another piece of the puzzle I knew I must solve.
I had to find Lorelei, for now I was truly desperate to know more about my mother. Tossing and turning in bed, every time I’d ever questioned my father and been put off kept crashing into my consciousness. Clearly, a lifetime of pretending it didn’t matter had taken up more energy than I realized. Baggage handcuffed to my wrist, unanswered questions I’d been dragging around my whole life tortured me, refusing to be ignored any longer.
I fought to sleep, and when I finally drifted off my dreams were filled with violent visions of two mermaids fighting. Their horrendous shrieks filled my ears, and the water was churned to foam with the thrashing of their tails.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHALLENGE
The next morning Ethan arrived exactly on time, waiting on the porch as I stood in the doorway calling for Cruz to hurry. We piled into the truck with our book bags, Cruz yawning and looking around inside the cab. I sat in the middle, acutely aware of the way my leg brushed up against Ethan’s with every bump and jolt. He could have left me a little more room.