Between the Land and the Sea - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,60

looked pretty bad. He wrapped me in a beach towel as I explained what had happened.

“This is all because of your insane obsession with that mermaid. You’ve got to stop going out to see her,” he begged me.

“She had nothing to do with it!” I insisted, “She saved my life again, and I’m going to meet her tomorrow after school,” I looked at him sternly, “Either with or without you.” At that moment Abby walked in, singing to herself. She stopped in her tracks when she laid eyes on me, and rushed over to my side, her face filled with horror.

“You should see the other guy,” I joked. Even Cruz didn’t laugh at that one. I held an ice pack to the side of my face as I recounted the whole story of what happened, with just a little judicious editing. Abby was outraged and wanted to call the police, but I calmed her down.

“Karma is a powerful thing,” she fumed, “I suppose that girl will get what’s coming to her eventually.”

I thought about my role in goading her and felt a little ashamed.

“I’ll be fine Aunt Abby... All I want right now is a hot shower,” I took my towel and headed to the bathroom.

I took a good long look at my face in the mirror. My swollen lip had stopped bleeding and it looked like the cut would close up pretty well. It hurt when I ran my tongue along the inside my mouth where it had gotten mashed. I was going to have a good sized bruise along my cheekbone.

I would live, and I was going to get a chance to find out the truth. It hurt to smile but I did, for I was finally going to have a talk with Lorelei in privacy.

It was worth it.

As we pulled up to the school Friday morning, I took a deep breath and turned to Cruz,

“Here goes nothing.”

Abby wanted me to stay home but I refused. I wasn’t about to give anyone the satisfaction of thinking I was cowering at home, afraid to show my face. I parked the car and looked up to see Ethan’s blue truck pull into the space next to us. I got out, and when he saw me the pleasant look on his face dissolved.

He came close, horrified eyes inspecting my face. He groaned, “Tell me what happened.”

“It’s no big deal,” I said.

“Shayla jumped her at the pier,” Cruz piped up. Ethan’s face hardened and his eyes grew cold.

“It’s okay,” I said, “I’m fine.” I’d never seen him really angry before, and it was a little alarming. Looking around, he spotted the group of surfers that hung out near the parking lot. I could see that Shayla wasn’t among them, and I wondered if she had fully recovered. Ethan headed over towards them, fists clenched.

“Uh-oh...” Cruz said as we started walking to class. I looked over see Long and Ethan talking animatedly. Heather and Jamie were in the crowd and I saw Ethan turn their way. It looked like he was having words with them too, and I could hear his raised voice from across the parking lot.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said, mortified. As usual, I was the subject of whispered speculations and curious stares all day long. Heather and Jamie approached me between classes and apologized, handing me a paper sack. I looked in to see the shoes I’d discarded before I jumped in after Shayla and felt a little flush of guilt, remembering my attempts to provoke them.

They wanted to let me know that Shayla was sorry too, and that she’d be alright. I accepted their apology, telling them I just wanted to forget the whole thing.

I truly did, for all I could think of was what I had planned for after school.

Cruz spent most of the day trying to convince me not to meet Lorelei. He didn’t know that I wanted– no– needed to find out about my mother. I was adamant. By lunchtime he had given up and agreed to accompany me. Megan was shocked, both at my bruised face and my after school plans.

“Mermaids are clearly unpredictable,” she said, dismayed, “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I’ll be out of the water on my surfboard, and wearing a wetsuit,” I explained calmly, “What could possibly go wrong?”

“Um, she could accidentally kill you?”

We had to stop talking when Ethan approached and pulled up a chair next to mine.

“What,” he paused, looking at me seriously, “were you