The Fate of the Muse - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,73
I remembered how angry I was when I caught Ethan in a lie, and I cringed. I really didn’t want to get yelled at right now, especially when I didn’t do anything wrong. The injustice of it was overwhelming.
I turned to see the sunlight playfully dancing on the sea, and I had a clear image of Lorelei, her innocent smile beckoning me.
“Coming,” I whispered.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ACCUSED
I’d just shimmied into my swimsuit when my phone rang. I scrambled for it, nearly tripping over my bag.
“Ethan?”
“It’s me, Shayla! Did you see the pictures? Everybody’s going nutsoid over here!”
“Yeah,” I said grimly, “Here too.”
“This is insane! I keep trying to tell them that it was you, not me, but–”
“NO!” I cried, “Please! DO NOT mention me! Keep my name out of this!”
“But–”
“Shayla, please. As far as you know I had nothing to do with it… okay?”
“Okay, I guess… But they’re trying to make me out like some kinda hero! They all want to interview me! I mean, Matt would totally be dead if it wasn’t for you! I still don’t know how you did it…”
“You got him breathing! That’s what saved his life!”
“I can’t take all the credit!”
“You’re going to have to,” I pleaded, my voice low and urgent. After my meeting with the council the last thing I wanted to do was attract any more attention to myself. “I really don’t want any more reporters after me… You know, after what happened,” I said morosely.
“OK, I guess… Are you alright?” Shayla asked.
I sighed, telling her about the tabloid photo that placed me and Kimo together at the scene. I told her how Ethan saw it and didn’t believe that I hadn’t planned the whole thing; it felt good to complain to someone who knew I was innocent. I almost cried when I told her how angry he was.
“He’s a total idiot!” She commiserated with me, “How were we supposed to know Kimo was gonna show up?”
“Yeah,” I grouched, grabbing my wetsuit and a towel. “I have to go,”
“Marina… Don’t do anything dumb, okay?” she said perceptively.
“Don’t worry about me. Good luck in the shows… I’ll talk to you later.”
I was starting to feel self-righteously angry as I carried my board down to the beach. I never dated Kimo, and I didn’t lie to Ethan about meeting him in Hawaii. He was the one who had lied to me about being out with his ex-girlfriend. I wanted to scream out loud in frustration. It felt like fate was conspiring to make me as miserable as possible, plunging me right back into the violence of existing only to surf.
It was only when I got myself a good distance from shore that I started to relax. The swaying rhythm of the rolling water was soothing, and I enjoyed a moment of solitude before Lorelei burst out of the water exuberantly. I was instantly reminded of the painting in the Louvre, looking at the face of our long distant relative.
“Marina! Can we go wave riding?” she asked, as if it were the very first time.
I smiled sadly, at least one thing would never change, “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“I know…” she smiled, wild and fiercely joyful, “Let’s go see Nerissa and Nixie!”
I held on tight, watching the distant shoreline speed by as I was towed once again out to the remote and isolated chain of tiny islands. The surf splashed wildly onto the rocky outcroppings, and dozens of pelicans swooped and dove headlong into the sea all around me. I watched them surface, expertly draining the water out of their pouches, and raising their heads to toss the fish down their gullets. Witnessing it up close for the first time, I was so engrossed in the spectacle that I failed to notice the two mermaids surfacing on either side of my board.
“Oh!” I gasped, when I looked down to see Nerissa’s emerald eyes. Then I saw Nixie, and I nearly fell off my surfboard again.
“Marina!” she squealed, her high pitched voice sweeter than a violin.
I was speechless for a moment, for just as Nerissa’s pregnancy had been accelerated, so had Nixie’s growth. In just a few short weeks she looked considerably bigger. Her red hair was as shiny as a candied apple in the bright sunlight, and her dark green eyes sparkled with energy. She was roughly the size of your average two year old, and as cute as any toddler I’d ever seen.
“She’s gotten so much bigger!” I gasped to Nerissa, “Is that normal?”