The Fate of the Muse

chapter THIRTEEN

BLUE HAWAII





I was nervous as we sat down to breakfast the next morning, for I still hadn’t mustered up the courage to tell Evie about the warning I’d received. It was possible that Marissa was lying, but why? The fact that Olivia was advising Evie on dealing with the council was creepy. It also confirmed to me that there was more going on with her than met the eye.

“Aunt Evie, what happened to Peter’s mother? How did she die?”

“Oh, it was a terrible tragedy!” She shook her head sadly, “She was driving late at night and her car went off a cliff. She must have fallen asleep at the wheel. All they found was a burned out shell.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I tried to remember where it was that I’d heard there were no coincidences in the universe. I thought about Marissa’s allegation that Olivia had been behind Peter’s evil scheme to breed hybrids and a cold chill passed through me. I remembered her warm smile and looked down at the goosebumps rising on my arm. What if it was the truth and Evie didn’t believe me? I decided to break it to her after we were both safely back home in San Francisco.

Evie had just poured me some coffee from an elaborate silver service when the front desk called to announce Shayla’s arrival.

“Send her right up!” Evie said with delight, hanging up the receiver with a pleasant smile, “She must be on the way to catch her flight.”

I bit my lip, “Uhm… Aunt Evie, I’m sorry I didn’t mention it last night, but I agreed to go with Shayla to Hawaii… she really wants me there…”

“Of course she does!” Evie smiled understandingly, “Jacques told me he’d have her back by the weekend, so I suppose we can finish up our little vacation then.”

She chattered on, rattling off lists of all the shops, restaurants and runway shows that Shayla was scheduled to be in.

I interrupted her, “I’m sorry, but I decided to go straight home from Hawaii.”

She sighed theatrically, looking at me with disapproval. Her brow knit together, “Marina, dear… surely that boy can wait a few more days.”

Her tone irritated me, “His name is Ethan, and I can’t wait… I want to go home.”

“What about shopping?” she asked in dismay.

“I don’t need anything.”

She scoffed, “You don’t have one au courant look from this season! You’re in serious danger of falling out of fashion. Honestly!”

She was deadly serious, I realized with amusement. The time I spent in Aptos had given me a whole new perspective on Evie.

She pursed her lips and looked at me skeptically, “Darling, don’t you think you’re getting a little too involved? Seventeen is much too young to settle down.”

“I love him,” I said defiantly.

“Sweetheart,” she took on a condescending tone, “The odds that you’ll end up with your first love are slim to none… astronomical really.”

“I don’t think so,” I dropped the bomb, “We’re going to get married.”

Her eyes widened in shock, and she steadied herself, “Marina, is there something you need to tell me? Are you… in trouble?”

I shook my head and rolled my eyes, “What is wrong with all of you people? Ethan has always been a perfect gentleman!”

Evie arched an eyebrow at me, “A gentleman is simply a patient wolf.”

“Why are you so cynical?” I asked in frustration.

She let out a little exasperated gasp, “It’s all my fault. Your father and I overprotected you. We should never have sent you to Aptos– I had no idea you would turn out to be so impetuous!”

I smiled sarcastically, “It was your idea for me to start dating.”

“I certainly didn’t think you’d want to marry the first one that came along!”

“What if the first one is the right one?”

Before she had a chance to respond Shayla arrived at the room. Evie got up to let her in, offering her some coffee.

“No thanks, the cab driver’s waiting out front,” Shayla said breathlessly. She sounded like she’d been running.

“Don’t worry,” Evie said reassuringly, taking Shayla firmly by the arm and leading her to the table, “They get paid to wait.”

“I’ll go get my bag,” I said, rushing to retrieve the things I’d packed the night before. When I returned, Shayla looked up at me nervously from the table.

Evie gestured to my cup, “Marina, sit down and finish your coffee before you go.”

It was more of a command than an invitation. I sat, looking across the table at her with an attitude of calm defiance. I knew I was in for a talking to.

Evie sighed theatrically, rubbing her temples, “Girls,” she said, looking at each of us in turn, “Take my advice. It’s still a man’s world, and this world is full of men of real consequence. Men that have the wealth and power to protect you… to provide you with everything you’ll need to live a life of luxury… a life free from worry.”

Shayla’s wide-set blue eyes met mine, her eyebrows raised.

“Trust me, you will regret it if you settle for anything less,” Evie looked at me meaningfully.

There was an uncomfortable silence as we stared each other down across the table. Shayla squirmed uneasily in her seat, looking back and forth between the two of us. She finally set her coffee cup down and pushed back from the table.

“Geez Evie! The olden days called– and they want their attitude back!” Shayla blurted out.

I smiled broadly, surprised to see Shayla contradict Evie.

“We better get going,” I jumped up, coming around the table to kiss both of Evie’s cheeks before she could say anything else, “I’ll come to see you in San Francisco.”

We hastily made our exit, running down the hallway to the elevator like we were breaking out of jail. When we got to the cab our eyes met and we burst into excited laughter. We were young, free, and on our way to go surfing in Hawaii!

I felt a little rush of carefree joy I hadn’t experienced in a while. My watery dream had me craving the ocean, and I knew it wouldn’t be long now. Surfing would be the best medicine for my troubled mind; I could breathe easier knowing that relief was on the way.

“So what’s up with Evie?” Shayla asked.

“Oh, just the usual,” I sighed, “I suppose I’d better get used to it.”

We boarded a small jet that was comfortable inside, but nowhere near as luxuriously appointed as Evie’s. After takeoff we each settled into reclining seats by the windows and tried to relax. The flight to Hawaii was over fifteen hours long, and we both knew we should get as much rest as possible.

“I’m still not used to Paris time!” Shayla complained, too keyed up to sleep.

“Pretty soon, you’ll be an expert on jet-lag,” I said prophetically.

Shayla jumped up, “Check out all the swag I got backstage! Let’s pick some stuff out for Cruz!”

She dumped out a giant tote bag packed with clothes and accessories on one of the empty seats and we picked through the booty, looking for things we thought he might like. I chose a fawn colored Pashmina scarf, and Shayla held up a brass studded belt.

“I know!” She dug in her giant purse and pulled out a bottle of spicy cologne.

I held up a red beret, “What about this? Cruz could go commando on us.”

Shayla burst into raucous laughter, snorting and slapping her knee.

“What’s so funny?” I asked, sending her further into hysterics.





We ended up wrapping everything in a French newspaper and packing it into the leather bag I’d picked out for Cruz on our shopping day. We cracked jokes about silly people we had seen at the fashion shows, laughing until we were gasping for breath, finally settling down to try and sleep.

“Marina?” Shayla said drowsily, snuggling under a blanket. She tipped up the sleeping mask that she had pulled out of her bag and donned like a seasoned traveler, “Thanks… I mean, really thanks, ya know what I mean?”

“I know,” I said, “Go to sleep.”

I looked out the window at the endless expanse of ocean as we flew over the Atlantic, uneasy thoughts circling like vultures in the back of my mind. I had taken Marissa’s warning about the tapped phone lines seriously, and decided to wait until we got to Hawaii to call Ethan. I closed my eyes, reclining in my seat and trying desperately to get some rest; sleep alone could ease my troubled mind.

I dozed on and off, thinking about Ethan, wondering if Amber had come snooping around to see him while I was away. I couldn’t stop tormenting myself, wondering just how serious she and Ethan were before they broke up. Thinking of them together aggravated me all over again. Of course they were serious, I thought. Ethan was serious about everything. It was one of the things I loved about him.

As much as I resented her, I didn’t want to see anyone else get hurt. Ethan said they were friends; would he even be able to look at me if something happened to her? I grimaced, imagining how I’d feel the next time I saw her. How could I risk running into her at college when my jealous anger could turn deadly at any moment? I was scared, and I had to wonder; was I afraid that I was going to hurt her, or was I afraid that Ethan was going to hurt me?

I looked over at Shayla, her head lolled back, vulnerable only in sleep. She’d come so far so fast it was almost scary. She was a good argument for the doubling effect; two muses must amplify each other’s power. She was getting it from both me and Evie. It occurred to me that I’d never seen Evie really angry.

I took some deep yogic breaths, and focused on visualizing Abby and the baby. It was a happy thought, for Ethan’s little sister would be born soon, and like Nixie, I saw her as a harbinger of better times to come. A new baby was as inspirational as a blank canvas– fresh possibilities and a new beginning for all of us. I held tight onto that notion as I tried unsuccessfully to sleep.

When we started descending I nudged Shayla awake, knowing she’d want to witness the landing. After flying over thousands of miles of open ocean, the island of Maui rose up from the sea like a faceted stone, cloaked in velvety green. Deep blue water lightened to a turquoise ring around the gemlike island. Towering volcanic peaks flanked with verdant rainforests dropped down to meet clean sandy beaches. It was everything Kimo had told me and more; from the air, Hawaii looked like paradise on earth.

We stepped out of the plane and into the bright sunshine of a late Hawaiian afternoon. The soft warm air felt like a caress, and smelled as fresh as the sea.

“Look!” Shayla cried, pointing at the remarkable sight of not just one, but two rainbows shimmering in the distance. We stood on the steps of the plane, transfixed; that had to be a good sign.

“You must be Shayla?” A man came trotting up to the plane, taking our bags and motioning for us to follow him. “They sent me to take you to the hotel in Hana,” he said. We followed him to another small terminal. We were led out to a small helicopter, and Shayla looked at me nervously.

“It’ll be okay,” I said, remembering the last time I’d flown one of these contraptions. What were the odds anything would go wrong twice?

The pilot went on to explain that the road to Hana was long and treacherous, and that his job was to get Shayla to the hotel in time for her to get a good night’s sleep and be ready for a long day of shooting tomorrow. We took our seats and slipped on the earphones that he handed us. The flight lasted about half an hour, during which we were treated to some of the most spectacular rainforest scenery on earth.

Every time our eyes met Shayla and I broke into an “I can’t believe this is really happening” grin. After the helicopter set down lightly, we both laughed with joy.

“Thank you so much for bringing me along,” I said solemnly, “You have no idea how much I needed to get away.”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you… Hell, I wouldn’t even be alive if it wasn’t for you!”

We both burst into hysterical laughter again, for although it was true, it seemed like something from out of a movie. Once more, were overcome with a giddy feeling of freedom and an exciting sense of adventure. Our guide looked at us oddly, and we dissolved into another giggly laughing fit at the look on his face. He seemed relieved to deposit us at our hotel.

Once we got settled in and had our dinner I slipped away to call Ethan. It was late at night in California, but he picked up right away.

“Marina! Are you okay? Why didn’t you call?”

I knew I’d kept him waiting, but things had been happening so fast I wasn’t even sure what day it was.

“It’s okay, I’m fine,” I said soothingly.

“What happened?” he asked anxiously, “What did they say?”

“They believed me– they didn’t even ask about the mermaids.”

“Really?” he sounded relieved, “Good! When are you getting home?”

“Uhm, something happened and I’m… Hey– Shayla did really great! She was in a bunch of French newspapers, and all the designers are fighting to have her in their shows!”

“Of course they are,” he chuckled.

“Yeah… well, she got this big job. The swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated. They’re shooting it in Maui with a surfer theme, and they wanted a model who could surf.”

“Wow! Shayla?” he sounded bemused, “Who would have believed it? But then again… she’s got you.”

“Stop that,” I said, irritated. He knew I didn’t like it when he brought it up.

“I’m sorry,” his voice softened, “I miss you. When are you coming home?”

“I miss you too,” I said, and it was suddenly so true I ached, “I just got to Hawaii with Shayla.”

“WHAT?”

“It all happened so fast… They chartered her a jet, and she really wanted me to go and–”

“You couldn’t take five minutes to call me?” he sounded upset.

I thought about telling him about Marissa and Olivia, but decided not to get into it over the phone.

“Something kinda bad happened, and I needed to get out of Paris, and then I never got the chance…”

“I thought you said it went okay! How long are you gonna be there?” his voice was tight.

“They’re going to shoot the pictures tomorrow, and we were thinking about trying to surf a little the next day before I–”

“I suppose you’re gonna meet up with Kimo.” I was taken aback, surprised that he would bring him up, startled at the bitter edge to his voice.

“No! Not at all! I’m flying to San Francisco the day after tomorrow.”

He was quiet, and I could tell his feelings were hurt.

“Look, I’ll be home soon. Hey– Evie was upset that I wouldn’t come straight back to Paris along with Shayla!”

“That I believe,” he said unhappily.

“What’s going on with the eminent domain case?” I asked, not wanting to even think about Evie, “Did Lue get himself a good lawyer?”

“He doesn’t need one,” he said, “She won the special election. We have a new Congresswoman. She’s putting a stop to the whole deal.”

“Already? That’s great news!” I said happily.

“Yeah.” He didn’t sound as excited about it as he should have.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing.” I could feel the weight of the whole ocean between us.

“Ethan?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s so pretty here, I wish you were with me.”

He sighed into the phone, and he sounded tired, “Maybe someday.”

“I love you.”

“Me too.”

“I’ll call you when I get back to Aptos.”

“Alright.”

I snapped the phone shut, disturbed that he would bring up Kimo, surprised by the tone of his voice when he did. It’s not like I came to Hawaii for anything other than Shayla’s photo shoot… and to be honest, the surfing. Ethan sounded about as irrational concerning Kimo as I was about Amber. The big difference was, I never dated Kimo, and I was certainly never in love with him. When I slipped the phone back into my purse the aquamarine caught my eye.

I held it up to the light, admiring the sparkling blue green stone. Why did love have to make everyone so crazy? I always thought that being in love would be smooth sailing on tranquil seas. Instead, I felt like I was being tossed around in a violent storm with only a few fleeting moments of calm. Ethan and I tried to chart a path, but we kept getting blown off track by unforeseen winds.

I put the necklace back on with determination.

I remembered some character in a Shakespeare play saying, “The course of true love never did run smooth”. At the time it meant nothing to me, but now I could see the truth of it. I guess we all sailed in perilous waters, and the best we could hope for was to stay afloat.

I for one, planned on keeping my head above the water.