The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) Read online

  “Dad, don’t worry about me. Everything will be fine.” I bent down to kiss his forehead, “Oh, I almost forgot.” I reached into my purse, pulling out the candy I’d picked up in Chinatown and pressing it into his hand. I nodded after the doctor with a smirk, “Better hide it from her.”

  He smiled wanly, “Marina…”

  I paused, “Yes?”

  “I only want what’s best for you.”

  “I know Dad… I know.” I squeezed his hand and turned to go.

  Standing in the shower with hot water running all around, I visualized what might have happened if I’d caught up with my shadow today. I would have zapped him mercilessly, and Paul and Boris would probably be interrogating him right now. I gritted my teeth with determination. I would not allow them to interfere with my sisters. Next time, I’d make sure whoever it was didn’t get away.

  I flopped down onto my bed, exhausted. My old bedroom seemed like it belonged to someone else, and it just pointed out how much I’d changed since I first moved to Aptos. I looked at the clothes in the closet and the pictures on the walls like I was seeing them for the first time.

  There was a quiet rapping on the door, and I rolled over, “Come in.”

  Doctor Permala slipped in, quietly closing the door behind her. I sat up, expecting to be scolded for bringing my father a treat.

  She cleared her throat nervously, and once again I couldn’t help but notice what a dark beauty she was. “Your father is in a very fragile state,” she said solemnly, “Both mentally and physically.”

  “Mentally?” I asked, swinging my feet off the bed.

  “He has terrible survivor’s guilt about the death of his assistant. Apparently, he had grown very fond of the young man.”

  “Yeah,” I nodded, remembering his face in the hospital when the memory came back.

  She went on, “Recovering function in his hand and arm will be very difficult.”

  I nodded again, “I understand.”

  “Good,” she said, smoothing her hair back nervously. Her sloe eyes peered at me solemnly through her thick rimmed glasses, “I’m most concerned that his Prana is very low.”

  “Prana?”

  “His life force… his vital energy. He will need to restore it before he can fully heal. Please don’t do anything to upset him needlessly.”

  I bristled, “I’m here to help him get better too!”

  “Then we are in agreement,” she said formally. “Will you join us for dinner?”

  “No thanks,” I said, “I’m going to see my cousin.”

  She inclined her head, “Thank you for your consideration.” She got up to slip out as silently as she had come in.

  I flopped back down on the bed, irritated. I could just see her cozying up to Evie with all her talk of “Prana”. That was probably how she got the job; Evie ate that stuff up. I got up and dressed, walking past the doctor as she set up a tray for my father. She had wheeled in a large cart from Evie’s kitchen, loaded with a variety of healthy looking food. I realized that I was ravenous.

  “I’m going to go visit Cruz,” I announced as I passed by.

  I knocked on the door of the apartment one floor down and Brad answered.

  “Oh,” I said, feeling awkward. “Is Cruz here?”

  Cruz’s familiar shaggy head popped up behind him, “Marina!” He slid past Brad to throw his arms around me, “I’m so sorry about your father! Evie told us about your time in Germany, and about the explosion and all that stuff! Mom’s absolutely beside herself! Come in and see our new place!”

  Our place? I thought. And everyone thought I was rushing into things.

  Cruz chattered on, gesturing grandly, “Allow me give you the grand tour– Brad’s been decorating… isn’t it exquisite?”

  I studied Cruz, noticing he had a new attitude to go along with a few new facial piercings. He took me around to show me all of the various pieces of furniture and art that were tastefully displayed in the spacious rooms, finishing off with a tour of his design studio. It was every bit as spectacular as his previous workroom, and it was filled to bursting with an amazing variety of new clothes.

  Cruz showed me his latest collection and I was seriously impressed. He had returned to his edgy, gothic-rocker roots, producing clothing that I could visualize being worn by the trendiest, most fashion-forward people around. I oohed and ahhed over each piece, listening as Cruz described the group show at design school he’d taken top honors in.

  “When it got around that I knew Evelyn Pond, everyone at school wanted to be my best friend.”

  “The famous Evie,” I laughed. “I remember the day you first met her.”

  “Did you hear? She’s taking me and Brad to Argentina next week to meet my sisters! In her private jet!”

  “That should be nice,” I smiled.

  “Nice?” he exclaimed, “You can’t even imagine! I went from being an only child to having two sisters– just like that!”

  “Oh… I can imagine,” I said with amusement.

  Brad cleared his throat from the doorway. “Marina… Will you stay for dinner?” he asked anxiously.

  I looked to Cruz, and nodded back at Brad, “I’d love to.” He smiled and headed back to the kitchen.

  “Can you believe how great my life has turned out?” Cruz bubbled, shaking his head in disbelief. “Isn’t it amazing what a difference a few months can make? I feel like an entirely new person!”

  “Amazing,” I agreed, “But don’t change too much.”

  Cruz was different… lighter and more flippant than ever. He trusted Brad completely, and was blindly traipsing through the minefield of first love. I couldn’t help but worry that he should watch his step.

  “Don’t you miss Aptos at all?” I asked, looking out the window at the twinkling cityscape.

  He followed my gaze, chortling, “Look at that gorgeous skyline. You can keep your foul sunshine and healthy ways– I’ll take the city any day!” Cruz had clearly embraced his life among the well-heeled sophisticates that called the towering metropolitan apartments home.

  When dinner was ready, Brad called us out to a beautifully set table, and we sat down to a delicious meal of Chicken Cacciatore. Brad was really sweet, I thought– not at all creepy like Yuri. I should probably try and give him the benefit of the doubt. Then I suddenly had the awful realization that he may have been the one that had slipped away from me on the rooftop.

  I watched him carefully over dinner. He lived in the building… He had a tall, athletic build. Like Yuri, he was under Evie’s protection. He could have seen me leave this morning and followed me to my mermaid meeting.

  “So, Brad, what did you do today?” I asked him.

  He looked startled, “I– I went to a client meeting.”

  “With who?” I asked.

  “Geeze! Aren’t you Little Miss Nosy?” scolded Cruz.

  “That’s okay,” said Brad, telling us both about a new account he was trying to land decorating a high-end realtor’s office. I wasn’t sure if I believed him or not.

  After dinner I begged off, skipping coffee and thanking them both for their kind hospitality. Cruz wanted to escort me to my Dad’s apartment, but I insisted I could find my way up one floor on my own.

  “Are you sure you’ll be able to make it in okay?”

  I nodded and hugged him, walking out. “Hey Cruz,” I paused.

  “What?”

  “That’s what she said.”

  I could hear him laughing as he closed the door.

  ~

  Chapter Eight

  ARMED

  ~

  I walked into the basement security center in the morning, finding myself alone with Yuri. He stood respectfully, but I averted my eyes and skirted around him. I’d decided the best way to deal with Yuri was to simply ignore him. Unlike Boris, I wasn’t entirely convinced that his bizarre obsession with me was a thing of the past. I still didn’t like the way he looked at me.

  I turned the corner to l
ook in the lounge for Paul, and found him sitting on the couch with a laptop. He snapped it shut and set it aside.

  “Hey there,” I waved. “Ready for my de-bugging lesson?”

  “Yes ma’am,” he replied, gesturing to the couch next to him. I set my purse down between us and looked at the gadget he produced from his breast pocket.

  “This,” he held up what appeared to be an old cell phone, “is an electronic detection device. This baby can detect GPS trackers, hidden cameras– even wireless phone taps.”

  He led me out into the parking garage, stopping at one of Evie’s sports cars and demonstrating how to sweep it both inside and out, showing me how to adjust it to test for different transmission frequencies. He pointed out some of the less obvious places that a bug or tracker might be hidden.

  He motioned to a row of cars and handed me the device, “Go to it.”

  I took it from him with a grin and started in on the first car in the row. Nothing. I looked at him with narrowed eyes, but he just grinned and looked away. I started in on the next car.

  “Aha!” I cried, when a few beeps led me to a little magnet stuck to the undercarriage of a bright red Ferrari. I continued on down the line of cars with no success. I looked up with frustration and he started whistling.

  “Are you finished?” he asked. Then it struck me.

  I went back to the Ferrari and scanned the dashboard, finding one more. There was a third one tucked into the side of the headlamps. When I finished, I handed him all three.

  “Well?”

  “Well done,” he nodded. “Rule number one: Never leave a job unfinished. Now let’s go try an interior room.”

  I swept the kitchen and lounge of the security center, learning how to adjust the device to compensate for the electronics in the television, refrigerator and microwave. I found one hidden in the cushions of the couch and another inside the coffeemaker.

  “You got them all,” he announced proudly.

  “So I get to keep this, right?” I asked, reaching for my purse. The thing started beeping like crazy.

  “Yes, but you’ll have to keep it turned off around the Taser,” he pointed out. “Interference.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled, “Now can I shoot some real guns?”

  I followed Paul through the soundproofed door and into the shooting range, watching as he punched a code into a lock that opened a large storage unit. I looked over his shoulder to see that it contained an arsenal, bristling with guns of every size and shape.

  He cocked an eyebrow at me, “Are you sure you’re ready for a .45?”

  After a few rounds of practice with a purse sized pistol, he graduated me to some higher caliber handguns, wearying me with more gun safety lectures. We went over loading and unloading procedures until I could do it without looking. I could tell he was impressed by my progress, but he wasn’t going to allow me the satisfaction of any praise.

  I didn’t care, I was on a mission.

  “Let’s see,” he held out his hand. I passed him a weapon with the barrel pointed down, watching as he checked and re-checked my loading skills. Once we started shooting them, I was glad for his thorough approach. The more powerful guns required a better stance, and a more focused approach to aiming. They kicked back harder, but I fully was prepared to handle the powerful jolt.

  Now we shot at paper targets shaped like men, that moved both sideways and directly towards us. He had me stow the gun in my purse, and practice retrieving it, removing the safety, and firing in a few seconds. We both took aim at a target that was coming at us, comparing the holes we made.

  I’d shot my man in the shoulder, lungs and belly, while Paul had put a bullet right between the eyes and directly into the heart. He looked at me smugly, pointing.

  “There’s your killshot.”

  I nodded to mine, “Wouldn’t that be enough to stop him?”

  “Rule number one…” Paul said meaningfully.

  “Never leave a job unfinished.” I said, looking at his target.

  He got a faraway look in his eyes, and I imagined he was remembering some terrible battle fought long ago, “Never forget the objective of the mission. The target must not be allowed to escape.”

  My hair stood on end, and I thought of Edwards and Olivia. “I won’t,” I whispered.

  He looked down at me with a wink.

  “Now, may I have a gun?” I asked.

  “Soon enough,” he smiled, “We’ll take care of you soon enough.”

  Our lesson ended with Paul denying me a weapon, ignoring my insistent pleas. I stormed back up to my dad’s apartment, frustrated that he was still putting me off despite the fact I’d proven myself capable. Doctor Permala was checking my father’s arm dressing, and I saw him wince with pain as she pulled some tape away.

  “Hey!” I rushed to his side, “Take it easy!”

  She startled, and looked up at me with surprise.

  “Marina, the doctor is doing a great job,” he nodded his encouragement at her, and I could see her regain her composure and relax, turning back determinedly to the task at hand. He cast me a reproachful look.

  “It looks painful,” I observed.

  He sighed, “Don’t you think it’s time you got back to school?” he asked gently. “There’s no reason for you to be missing out on so much.”

  I felt like I was being dismissed, and the doctor’s nervous eyes met mine. I looked at her with narrowed eyes. This was all her doing. She was the one Fatima warned me about, and here she was, trying to come between me and my father. I got up and stomped out of the room.

  When I came slinking out of my bedroom a few hours later I found him resting quietly, alone. He seemed distant, so I picked a book from the shelf and curled up in a chair alongside him. We sat silently together, until I looked up and caught him watching me.

  “You know, the older you get, the more you look like your mother.”

  I was surprised that he brought her up, and after a few minutes I couldn’t resist asking, “Dad… did you know that she… that she went back– back and forth between the land and the sea– when she was carrying me?”

  He looked paler than ever when he closed his eyes and answered, “Yes.”

  I sat up in the chair, shocked. There was no point in telling him my theory about my enhanced abilities being due to it. He didn’t know that Evie was a hybrid like me, nor was he aware of the fact that we possessed any special muse powers.

  “Did she know that you knew about it?”

  He nodded, drawing a ragged breath as he opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, eyes unfocused. I watched as he dragged the murky depths of his painful memories.

  I leaned forward, grasping for the smallest detail, “What did you do?”

  He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

  I pressed on, “What did she say about it?”

  He looked at me with fresh agony in his eyes, speaking quietly, “She didn’t want to stop… But when I found out, I made her promise…” His voice trailed off.

  “Promise what?” I asked intensely.

  He turned his head away from me as his voice grew thick with emotion, “I didn’t know… I didn’t realize...”

  This was the most he’d ever spoken about her, and I took his hand, “You couldn’t have known what would happen… It wasn’t your fault.”

  He shook his head, “You don’t understand… I could feel her slipping away, and… and, I begged her not to take you away from me…” A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye and splashed onto the pillow.

  “Dad–”

  “She swore she wouldn’t leave me alone.”

  I took a moment to let in sink in. Did she know what it would mean for her to stay when she made her fateful decision? I knew how difficult it was to tear yourself away from the carefree bliss of swimming free in the ocean, to give up the unimaginable strength and freedom. It was hard to conceive how she summoned the will to go back and forth between the two worlds.

  My eyes filled wit
h tears, and my throat tightened, “She loved you more than life itself.”

  Maybe I shouldn’t have said it out loud.

  His face twisted with pain, and he turned his head away from me.

  Just then, Doctor Permala walked in. She took one look at my father and her black eyes flashed with outrage.

  “Miss Vanderpool, may I have a word with you?” she asked in an icy tone.

  “Can you give us a minute?” I snapped at her. She cast me a warning glance and disappeared down the hallway.

  “Dad, listen to me,” I said, groping for the words to explain. “I know how much she loved you because I know how much it takes to come back after back after being one of them– it’s nearly impossible. Swimming in the sea makes you forget everything.” I paused to sigh with frustration, “I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but I do know that the only thing stronger than that feeling is love.”

  He turned back to face me, and our eyes locked. It was hard to tell whether he felt regret or gratitude, but for the first time in a long while, I felt like he really saw me.

  “You’ve been through a lot this past year.”

  I smiled through my tears, “I think we both have.”

  I bent to press my cheek against his, “Get some rest.”

  I straightened up and went to my room, sitting on the edge of my bed and dropping my head into my hands. So my mother came ashore to have me as a final selfless act, offering me up as a gift to him. I could understand why he never wanted to bring her up. I was starting to feel guilty simply for being born.

  I took a deep breath and stiffened my spine. I would pay her back. I was born with unique skills, and now I’d been presented with an opportunity to put them to use. I clenched my fists with determination.

  I would make my life worthy of my mother’s sacrifice. I would keep working to protect my sisters– her sisters. I would throw a monkey wrench into Edwards’s evil plans, and keep my sisters safe no matter what it took.

  Doctor Permala came barging in without knocking. Her eyes were fiery, but her voice was low and controlled, “You are interfering with your father’s recuperation.”