Between the Land and the Sea - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,74
Sunday, at the market. He was telling everyone about how you dove in to save Shayla. He thinks that there’s something... supernatural going on.” I looked at him with horror, “You didn’t say anything, did you?”
“Of course not!” he exclaimed, looking offended.
I looked down, “I’m sorry... I guess he figured out that I couldn’t have possibly saved Shayla on my own.”
“No, not at all,” he looked at me sincerely. His eyes were so blue I could have gone for a swim in them. “He was impressed by your bravery. Everyone is– it’s just that he’s been talking about all this stuff with his Grandfather.”
“Lue Khang?”
“Yes. You know how he was going on about the water spirits calling you?” I nodded, “I think he saw her. I think he knows about Lorelei.”
“I do too. What Lue was saying, what he thinks...” he paused, “The Hmong believe that there are spirits that live in the natural world. They can protect you or they can be angry. He thinks the water spirits are offended. He says that something has been taken from them.”
“What?” I asked.
“He thinks it’s you. He thinks they want something from you.”
“Me?”
“He said they call to you, and that’s why you’re always ending up... in trouble. I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t help but worry there may be, I don’t know– something to it.”
“He’s just superstitious,” I said.
“But Marina, I mean, you didn’t even know how to swim and now you can’t seem to stay out of the water. It’s like you’re drawn to it.”
I protested, “Hey! You’re in the water all the time!”
“You seem to see a mermaid every time you go near the ocean...”
“You saw her too, and so did Megan and Cruz... And maybe Lue.” I frowned, “So I’m not the only one.”
“You’re the only one who can understand them.”
“I know,” I conceded, “But that’s because of my mother.” He took a deep breath, “Exactly. What if it’s that– what if she’s what they’re missing?”
“My mother? I can’t do anything about that,” I said.
He was quiet for a moment, as though he was debating whether to tell me or not, “Marina, there’s something else. It’s what’s been bothering me.”
“What is it?” I asked, “What else?”
“Lue says, the Hmong believe, that in a situation like this… a sacrifice is required.” My blood ran cold. I had been worrying about Ethan, afraid they would hurt him. Now I was terrified. My eyes flew open wide.
“What if they do something to you?” I gasped.
He looked at me like I was crazy, “You’re worried about me?”
“Well, you’re always surfing, and–”
There was a scratching sound on the truck. We both looked up to see a seagull that had landed on the hood. The bird advanced on the windshield, coming straight towards me. It waved its beak slowly, like it was saying no, turning each eye to face me for a better look. I was reminded of the whale’s eye the night on the buoy. The bird flew away, and I turned back to look into Ethan’s alarmed eyes.
“Superstitious?” he asked with raised eyebrows.
“I don’t know,” I was spooked, but I tried not to show it, “Nothing makes sense to me anymore.”
“Promise me you won’t do anything reckless,” he looked serious.
“I promise if you do.”
He drove me home in silence, each of us holding in our thoughts. He got out to walk me to the door.
“Just be careful,” we both said at the same time, and laughed. I hugged him impulsively, and felt his body tense up. I pulled away, feeling awkward, when he gathered me back into him tightly, wrapping his arms around me like a cloak. He buried his face in my hair and drew in a deep breath. Our bodies fit together like two puzzle pieces, and we stood there for a minute, afraid to move, not wanting to part.
A dog walker jangled by, breaking the spell.
“Have a good time tomorrow,” he said in a husky voice, turning to leave. I went into the house in a daze, nearly running into Cruz as he came down the hall.
“So, what did Ethan have to say?” he asked me. I gathered my thoughts.
“He was just worried about me, he wants me to be careful.”
“Oh really, ” he said skeptically.
I smiled, “Yeah, he wants me to be careful when I drive you to Evie’s tomorrow!”
“Lord have mercy,” he said as he walked past me into the kitchen.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
EVIE
We drove to San Francisco with the convertible top down, music turned up loud,