The Mermaid's Mirror

Chapter 19

"See you later, Dad," said Lena, climbing out of his car.

"Thanks, Mr. Whittaker," said Martha, who smelled unusually floral and who seemed to take a long time exiting the car.

Leslie got out of the car and joined Lena, rolling her eyes.

"You're welcome, Martha," said Lena's dad. "Leslie's mom is picking you girls up after the movie, right?"

"Yes," said Leslie.

When Martha took too long to close the door, Lena called, "Have fun on your date." Her parents were going to a winetasting event and art show in Santa Cruz—they would be gone for hours, which played a big part in Lena's scheme.

"I will. Call if you need anything. Bye, honey."

"Bye." Lena waved to him as he drove away.

The three girls walked into the mall and headed for the movie theaters. Lena stood in line with them, paid for her ticket, and sat down. She tried to participate in the conversation, but her mind was on her alternate plan. As the lights went out and the coming attractions blared onto the screen, Lena gripped the handrests of her seat. Any minute now.

The coming attractions seemed to go on and on. At last, the opening credits appeared for the feature presentation. Lena waited until the first scene was under way, then took a deep breath, leaned over to Leslie, and whispered, "My stomach is kind of bothering me."

Leslie looked over at her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"You okay?"

"I think so."

"Okay."

She counted to two hundred in her head, then leaned over and whispered, "I'll be right back. I'm going to the bathroom."

"Okay."

Lena walked out of the theater and headed for the bathroom. She stood in a locked stall in the bathroom for several minutes. To pass the time, she went through the names of famous surf spots around the world: Phantoms, Himalayas, Alligators, Outer Logs, Pipeline, Lance's Right, Blacks, Haleiwa, Thunders, Pit Stops, Telescopes, Avalanche, Bowls, Gas Chambers, Dungeons...

Magic's sounds almost safe, compared to some of those places, she thought.

Finally she stepped out of the stall, washed her hands, and returned to the theater, making her way past rows of people in the dark.

As she sat down, Leslie whispered, "I thought you were never coming back!"

"I know ... it's my stomach."

"What's the matter?"

"It must be something I ate." Lena felt her face heat up with the lie. Good thing it was dark in the theater.

"Oh, no," said Leslie.

"Yeah. I think I'd better go home."

"Want me to call my mom?"

"No. I'll just call my dad."

Martha leaned over. "I thought your parents were going somewhere."

"Shhh!" hissed someone behind them.

Lena leaned across Leslie so Martha could hear her, too. "They'll still be home. It's no big deal. I'll talk to you later."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Want us to go with you?"

"No!" she said. "No. You guys stay and watch the movie. I'll talk to you later."

***

Lena zipped herself snugly into her wetsuit and slid on her shoes, then risked a glance out the door of the garden shed. She could see Cole and his babysitter, Janni, in the family room. They were playing on his Mindbender.

It was now or never. Lena took a deep breath, then grabbed her duffel bag and Max's surfboard. Crouching low, she hurried around the side of the house, in the opposite direction of the family room. When she reached the sidewalk, she hitched up the heavy surfboard under her arm, adjusted the strap of her duffel bag, and headed down the street.

She was sweating before she even reached the parking area. I'm going to be exhausted before I ever get there, she thought. But beggars can't be choosers ... I need to do this while I have Max's board.

By the time Lena reached Magic Crescent Cove, the sun was no longer high in the sky. She checked her watch. 4:15. She sank down onto the sand, tired and frustrated. After all this planning and lying, she wouldn't even have much time in the water, now that she was finally here. But it couldn't be helped. Sneaking around was harder than it looked.

Lena's heartbeat slowed as she gazed out at the sea. Her breathing calmed. She didn't try to study the conditions; she just drank in the soothing ocean breeze and the hypnotic sound of the surf. When she felt at peace, she turned her attention to waxing Max's board and reading the waves.

They were coming in regular sets, but they were huge—fifteen-foot rolling pins of heavy water. Lena had seen the waves at Magic's bigger than this ... but not often.

Just my luck, she thought with a sigh. The one day I manage to snag a board and get away for some stealth surfing, the waves are almostun- surf-able.

No one was in the lineup, but there were four guys in wetsuits hanging around onshore. The size of the waves must have discouraged them.

Not me, thought Lena. She stood up. "Okay, mermaid," she whispered. "Here I come."