The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) Read online

  Aptos girl Shayla had also spread her wings to fly, and was now dating the movie star that I’d pulled from the sea in Hawaii. A beautiful pair, they graced the tabloids weekly, their globetrotting adventures custom made for the glossy magazines. There were pictures of Shayla and Matt posing at movie premieres, surfing in South Africa, or covering their faces as they slipped out of chic nightclubs.

  Some long-lens photos of Shayla had recently surfaced– scandalous images of her frolicking topless on a billionaire’s private island. Instead of hurting her career, they only served to enhance her reputation as a free-spirited surfer girl, and made her even more popular. She had already attained legendary status in Aptos, and Ethan and I were amused to hear every local surfer proudly claiming to have been her boyfriend.

  The fashionable set had officially deemed Shayla a supermodel, and her face was popping up in more and more places. The press loved her, as she was always good for a provocative statement or a colorful observation about celebrity. She joked about her unsophisticated background without a hint of defensiveness, and was rapidly becoming famous for being famous. She had come so far, so fast, it was almost unbelievable.

  Almost.

  I was happy for my friend’s success, but for me, the summer had only brought more calamity. After another disastrous run-in with the Edwards family, I’d endured another kidnapping that had ended in death and destruction. I’d managed to escape them once again, but Nathan Edwards and his muse Olivia were still out there, and I sensed they still had evil plans in the works.

  I reached into my purse and felt for the Taser, checking my rear view mirror for any suspicious cars. The events of the past year had changed me forever; caution was now my second nature. There was no time to mourn for the carefree girl I once was– there could be no turning back the clock.

  I rounded the corner onto Abby’s familiar little street, disappointed to see that Ethan hadn’t arrived yet. I parked in the driveway, pulling out my keys and looking around before stepping out into the foggy twilight. Charlie the cat yowled at me from the bench on the porch. I patted his head, wrestling with the new locks and finally walking into the front door to find a heavily pregnant Abby sitting on the couch with a large cardboard box at her feet.

  “We got them!” she announced with a satisfied smile.

  I came closer and peeked in, seeing a cluster of five tiny black and white kittens huddled together, looking up at us with wide, fearful eyes.

  “The beach patrol has been checking the traps for me and just brought them by. Aren’t they sweet?”

  “Aww,” I reached in to pet one and they all hissed, baring their sharp teeth and arching their tiny backs in a pathetic attempt at ferocity. I pulled my hand back.

  Abby made little cooing sounds at them, absentmindedly rubbing her belly at the same time. “I’m afraid they need a lot of taming up. My friend Mary from over at the shelter will come to pick them up tomorrow. She has some foster homes lined up for them.” She looked over her shoulder at the darkening sky outside, “Charlie’s not too happy about it. He took one look at them and ran outside.”

  “He’ll get over it,” I laughed, “He’s just jealous.”

  “Dutch is on his way over to move in a load of his stuff, so it’s gonna be pizza for dinner… Do you mind keeping them in your room tonight? I don’t want to stress them out with too much hustle and bustle.”

  “Sure!” I smiled eagerly, “I’d love to.”

  I moved the box into my room, setting them out of the way on the other side of my bed. We lined the bottom of the box with an old towel, carefully lowering in some food, water and a tray of litter. A couple of the bolder ones sniffed around at everything, tentatively taking a few bites.

  “Oh good,” sighed Abby with relief, straightening up with a little groan. She looked tired. “We’ll have them fattened up into lazy housecats in no time.”

  We heard the scraping of a key in the door and Abby’s eyes lit up, “That must be Dutch!”

  By the time we came down the hall he had burst through the door with a couple of boxes stacked in his arms. Ethan stood behind him holding more boxes and wearing an enormous grin. I smiled back, wondering if his father could tell just how eager Ethan was to clear him out of the apartment.

  Abby kissed Dutch on the cheek, “Go ahead and put those down anywhere… I already cleaned out the closet and made some shelf space.” She led Dutch into her room while Ethan set his boxes down and came over to me.

  “How was your d–”

  His lips were on mine before I had a chance to speak, the clean, earthy smell of him making me familiarly lightheaded. I pulled him close, my hands circling around his back.

  Dutch made another trip out to the car for some boxes, clearing his throat pointedly as he passed us. I pulled back with a reddening face. When I kissed Ethan it was easy to forget that there were other people around, but we had just been apart for two whole days.

  “How was your day?” we both asked simultaneously, and laughed.

  “Fine, and you?” he asked, squeezing my biceps, “How are the workouts going?”

  “Ouch,” I winced. “He’s tough… but he did let me shoot some guns today,” I grinned up at him. “It was a blast!”

  He rolled his eyes at me, running his hands up and down my arms gently, leaning in to murmur in my ear, “I’ll have to give you a massage later.”

  I giggled and twisted around, “Come on, I have something to show you.” I crooked my finger at him and hustled down the hall to my room. He pounced on me as soon as I closed the door, making me laugh before kissing me dizzy again.

  “Not that!” I gasped when we finally came up for air. I nodded my head to the box on the opposite side of my bed, “Look.”

  We stretched across the bed and peered into the box. Three of the little cats were asleep in a pile, but a pair of them sat looking up at us with anxious eyes.

  “Aww,” he crooned, “Stella’s beach cats?”

  I nodded, describing how they had been trapped today, and explained Abby’s plan to find homes for them. He surprised me by reaching in and snatching one up by the scruff of its neck, bringing it onto the bed and stroking it around its ears and throat until it stopped struggling. I looked at him in wonder as it calmed down and started to purr.

  “Wow,” I gasped, “How did you do that? They almost bit my hand off!”

  He smiled wistfully. “They just miss their mother,” he said, looking down into the box. “They’ll forget all about her though… you just need to handle them a lot.”

  He returned the kitten to the box and leaned back on my pillow, reaching over to pull the paper targets out from under my purse on the nightstand. I wondered what he’d think about my new Taser. He let out a long low whistle and looked up at me.

  “These are from today?”

  I nodded with a grin.

  He shook his head, “You’re scary.”

  “Don’t you feel a little safer?” I asked.

  He glanced at my purse in alarm.

  “No… I don’t have one yet,” I told him. “Paul says maybe next week.”

  He sighed, “Whatever.” We’d already had this discussion. Ethan hated the idea of me carrying a gun around. He worried that it was dangerous as well as illegal. I didn’t care. If Edwards or some of his thugs came after me or my family there would be no time to call the police. I needed to be able to fight back.

  “So Dutch is officially moved out?” I asked.

  Ethan brightened up, “Yep… the place is all ours. I can bring my truck over to start moving your studio after classes tomorrow. Did you get your schedule?”

  I did, and it was truly pathetic compared to Ethan’s. I was taking it slow, easing into college while deciding exactly what I should be studying. I’d enrolled in a couple of art classes, and the one class I was most anxious to attend– marine biology. Ethan had a full course load, and with all the work he did afternoons and weekends, I was going to have to move in with him if I w
anted to see him at all.

  There was a knock on the door, and Abby announced that the pizza had arrived. After the four of us ate, Ethan and I snuggled on the couch while Abby got Dutch settled in.

  “Come home with me tonight,” Ethan whispered in my ear.

  I sighed heavily. I really wanted to, but we couldn’t keep going on like this. I had some urgent business to take care of.

  “I promised Abby I’d watch the kittens tonight.”

  Ethan looked a little worried, “You’re not having second thoughts… are you?”

  “Don’t be silly… It’s just that you need to get some rest. You have an earlier start than I do, and I really did promise Abby. I’ll be there tomorrow. I swear.”

  He turned to me seriously, “Marina… I don’t want you to think I’m being pushy. I mean–”

  I put my hand to his lips, “Shhh. Can we meet up on campus tomorrow?”

  “OK,” he sighed. Then his eyes narrowed playfully, “Did you just shush me?”

  “Yeah,” I smiled at him, “What are you gonna do about it?”

  “I wouldn’t talk like that,” his eyes sparkled with mischief, “If I were ticklish.”

  He caught me before I could get away.

  ~

  Chapter Two

  LESSONS

  ~

  The nurse burst into the room, brushing a stray strand of hair from her eyes and groping for the glasses that dangled from a chain on her neck. She glanced at the clipboard with clinical detachment, “So, how long have you been sexually active?”

  I sat there, rigid with embarrassment, “Well, I haven’t… I mean I don’t… I mean, we haven’t really done anything… yet. I just wanted to be prepared… you know, just in case.”

  She looked up over her glasses, surprise registering on her face, “Seriously?”

  Now I really felt like a freak. I had arrived on campus early to keep an appointment at the student health center. I thought it would be relatively easy, but sitting on the exam table, clad only in a paper gown, I wanted to disappear. I felt completely exposed, both literally and figuratively.

  I nodded, “Uhm… yes.”

  She beamed at me, “That’s terrific! I sure wish we had more like you.” She moved about efficiently, chatting away as she attached the blood pressure cuff to my arm. I tried to keep my heart from racing with nervousness. My palms were sweaty.

  “By the time some girls come in here it’s usually too late. We see all kinds of STDs and unplanned pregnancies. It’s a shame, really, because birth control is so much easier than it was in my day.”

  I was anxious, worried to see if she could tell anything about my hybrid status from her examination. My scientific curiosity took over, and I kept one eye on the gauge, at the same time watching her face for any sign of alarm. Nothing seemed to raise any red flags, and I slumped with relief. She wrapped up my examination with brisk efficiency.

  “Your mother should be very proud of you.”

  I took a deep breath, “I hope so.”

  I walked out of the clinic with relief, mission accomplished. I slipped my hand into my purse and felt for the Taser, reassuring myself. Somewhere on campus a clock sounded out the hour and I hurried to get to my first class.

  The university was known world-wide for its marine biology department. The nearby ocean boasted one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, protected by the nation’s largest marine wildlife sanctuary. The off-campus laboratory was state of the art, and I had some information about it that nobody else did. I was determined to get inside and snoop around.

  Yuri had tipped us off that the newest, restricted wing of the enormous research facility contained within it a secret laboratory. Before her untimely death, Congresswoman Watson had been able to install a handpicked director in charge of the operation, all the better to conceal something within the complex. I was burning with curiosity about what they were up to, and determined to find out what they already knew about my sisters.

  I entered the classroom with a couple dozen other lost looking freshmen, and took a seat right in the front. A short, sturdy looking man with a bushy head of red hair and a bearded face came in and perched himself on the edge of the desk at the head of the class. He introduced himself as Professor Powell, and I wondered if he could possibly be associated with the evil goings on that Yuri had described to Boris.

  He spoke to the class about the wonders of the Monterey bay, and seemed almost evangelical as he described the unique variety of species that made their home in its pristine, unspoiled waters. He described the deep ocean canyons that were right offshore, waxing poetic about the mysterious underwater caverns that were possibly teeming with as-yet undiscovered species.

  “There are secrets hiding in those depths… Unimaginable mysteries just waiting for you to discover.”

  “Oh, you have no idea,” I muttered under my breath. The professor impressed upon us how fortunate we were to have access to such amazing research opportunities. He explained that wealthy benefactors had made all kinds of state-of-the-art equipment available in the new marine lab.

  “Any questions?” he asked.

  I piped up, “Yes! When do we visit the lab?”

  He looked down at the class roster, “You must be Miss Vanderpool,” he smiled benevolently. “Unfortunately, freshman only go on field trips to gather specimens. If you stick with the program, you’ll have the opportunity to do some really exciting research in your junior year. Some sophomores can qualify for lab time if their field work is exceptional. Lab assistant positions are highly coveted.” He glanced around the room appraisingly, “And they must be earned.”

  I sat back in my seat, disappointed. I needed to change my approach, and I rifled through my bag for a class schedule.

  After an interesting lecture describing the many different species of whales that migrated through the bay, we received our book list and reading assignments. I was happy to see students of all ages that seemed serious about learning; there was none of the whispering and staring that had clouded my high school experience. I decided that I was going to like attending college.

  When class let out I hurried to find Ethan, rounding the corner to see him waiting under a big oak tree we had chosen as a good spot to meet. He was standing awkwardly, with his hands in his pockets. It was unusual for him to look so uncomfortable, but as I drew near I could see why. Amber was standing close to him, running her hands through her hair and cocking her head flirtatiously. I could see him looking around until his anxious eyes landed on me.

  I was prepared for this moment, so I put on a pleasant face and walked up confidently, “Hi,” I smiled at Ethan, then turned to face her, “Hello Amber.”

  I slowly slipped the tote bag from my shoulder, noticing Amber’s eyes zoom in on my sparkling engagement ring. I tossed my bag on the ground next to Ethan’s and walked over to him, slipping my arms around his lean waist and pressing myself into the length of his body.

  I stood on my tip toes, stretching up to kiss him, seeing the surprise in his eyes turn to relief. I could feel him relax into me as he returned my kiss, and I forgot all about Amber as his hands found the small of my back and pulled me in closer. By the time we looked up several minutes later she was gone.

  His eyes flashed happily at me, beautiful and blue, “That got rid of her,” he laughed.

  “I hadn’t noticed,” I said, looking around innocently.

  He pulled me close again, and started kissing my neck. “I was afraid you were going to get mad at me,” he whispered in my ear.

  I cringed a little, feeling guilty. After everything I’d been through in the last few weeks, my jealousy of Amber seemed like a childish thing from a long, long, time ago. I patted him on the back reassuringly, “Ethan?”

  “Yes?” he asked.

  “What do you know about auditing classes?”

  He laughed, shaking his head, “What for?”

  “Well, I understand that sometimes you can just sit in, and ge
t all the information without actually being enrolled in the class.”

  He groaned, “You’re still dead set on checking out that lab, aren’t you?”

  I grimaced, “It’s aggravating. You have to be a junior to get access to it. I just want to look around a little, you know… see if Yuri was telling the truth. I’m sure they’ve probably moved everything out of there by now.”

  “Marina, Edwards’ house burned to the ground! If he has any brains at all he’ll leave you alone!”

  “I need to make sure.”

  “Why not send Boris to check it out? Or that Paul guy?”

  I kissed his cheek, “Don’t worry. It’s probably nothing. It’s only that they have some pretty major security over there– supposedly some animal rights group threatened them. I was hoping I could slip in as a student and scope it out.”

  He sighed, “Let the professionals handle it, okay?”

  “We’ll see,” I said, “Let’s go get some lunch.”

  I was getting out early, but Ethan had more classes to attend, so I planned on meeting him at Abby’s later. The shelter volunteer was coming for the kittens, and I wanted to be there to see them off. I’d bonded with the little wild things over a late night bout of insomnia, and they had seen me through a particularly rough night. Successfully distracting me, they’d managed to keep me from running out to answer the call of the moonlit waves.

  I’d managed to pick up and handle each and every one of the little cats, discovering that there was a runt among them. It had a hard time moving, and it dragged its deformed hind legs along behind it. I made it a point to see that it got plenty to eat, finally sleeping with it tucked in the crook of my arm. Its legs may have been twisted, but it purred louder than all the other ones put together.