Between the Land and the Sea - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,91
sure I wanted to deal with what he had to say, “I guess.” He took me to a park in the woods, far away from the seashore. We drove down a rutted gravel road, deeper and deeper into the trees. It was cool and dark under the towering redwoods and I thought about the depths of the ocean. The air was scented with bay leaves, moss and plants growing in moist soil. The damp woodsy smell brought me back to reality, and my head began to clear a little bit.
He parked the truck and turned to me, “Can we go for a walk?” he asked.
I followed him down a narrow path that led to a small stream, wondering what he was up to.
There were some boulders along the water’s edge and Ethan sat down on one, looking up at me frankly.
“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely, “I’ve been a jerk. I’m sorry I got so upset. Would you please sit down?” he gestured to a spot next to him. I pointedly sat on a rock further away from him, looking down into the clear flowing water.
“Marina, I just can’t handle dishonesty. I probably... overreact.” I squeezed my eyes shut, “I didn’t mean to... you don’t understand how much... how hard it’s been,” I swallowed the lump in my throat and looked over at him with tired eyes, fighting back tears.
“Why?” he asked, “Why don’t you trust me?”
“I do trust you. I didn’t intend to lie.” I looked down, “Things changed...”
“How?” he asked.
I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He was just going to tell me what to do. He would tell me to stay away from them, when I knew that was no longer an option.
I stood up, “Can you please take me home now?” I asked, too weary to argue about it.
He looked upset, “What’s happening?”
I heaved an exhausted sigh, “I can’t sleep anymore. I’ve been... having weird dreams. I think I’m being forced to... I just don’t know!” A tear escaped from my eye and I wiped it away angrily. It was easier to be angry.
He got up and came over to stand next to me, “I want to help,” he said.
I shook my head no, “There’s nothing you can do. I can’t help it. I can’t stop it. I feel like I’m going crazy.”
He moved closer, and then gingerly put his arms around me, “I feel exactly the same way about you,” he said.
I tensed, holding my breath for a few seconds, and finally exhaled, letting go, leaning onto him and giving in to the sensation. He pulled me close into him and we stood like that for a few long minutes. I closed my eyes and sighed with relief, letting him hold me up against his warm chest. I hadn’t relaxed for so long it was a strange feeling, but touching him soothed me like nothing I’d ever known.
His voice rumbled in my ear, “I talked with Lue Khang at the market on Sunday. He said I was lucky to know you. He said you had the heart of a lion– that all you wanted to do was protect me.”
“They’re not after you,” I mumbled.
“But they’re after you?” he asked.
“No,” I said automatically, “I mean... I don’t know.”
I realized Megan was right. My first impulse was always to keep things to myself. I never wanted to trouble my father with problems, so I just dealt with anything that came up on my own. With Evie I had no problems, for she possessed the preternatural ability to anticipate my every need and heal every hurt. I suddenly missed her acutely.
He paused for a moment, “It’s stupid really, I’ve been trying to stay away from you because I’m afraid of getting too... involved. I can’t stop thinking about how you’re just gonna move away next summer anyway. I’ve been feeling terrible all week.”
“Me too,” I said quietly.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice vibrating along my spine. He pulled back my hair and laid his cheek against mine, “I just need to be as brave as you are.”
“I’m so tired. I don’t think I can take much more.” I was thinking about the sleepwalking.
“I’m sorry...” He pressed his lips against my neck. My heart started racing and I was having a hard time catching my breath. I pulled away abruptly, afraid to look him in the eye, afraid of losing control. “I better get you home,” he said.
We arrived at the house to find Cruz and Megan sitting on