The Mermaid's Mirror

Chapter 7

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" said Lena.

Kai jumped. "Like what?"

"Like I'm dying!"

They were eating lunch in the middle of a noisy bunch of drama people—Kai's friends, mostly—who kept bursting into songs from Grease and doing the hand jive.

"I'm sorry! I can't help it. Are you sure you're okay?" Kai put his arm around Lena, even though they had resolved not to force Pem to witness public displays of affection.

"Of course. Don't I look okay?"

"You look fine," said Pem. "But what if—" There was a tightness to her voice that Lena had never heard before.

She's scared for me, thought Lena. She's scared I'm really sick.

And what if there was something seriously wrong with her? Would Pem be able to handle it? Pem hated sad movies and sad songs and sad news in general. She still talked about the time her parents had let her watch E.T when she was eight years old. "He was dead," she always said. "The bag was zipped up. It was horrible. I had nightmares for weeks."

In the cheerful light of day, Lena's sleepwalking seemed less ominous. But coupled with her fainting episode, she could see why her friends were worried.

"Pem," she said, making her voice as reassuring as she could, "I'm sure it's nothing. But ... well, I wanted to tell you guys. I thought maybe one of you would say, 'Yeah, I sleepwalk all the time.'"

"No, I'm glad you told us," said Pem. "But you really have to tell your parents."

"What? No." Lena shook her head. "No way."

"Lena, I've never heard of anyone doing that before. It doesn't sound like normal sleepwalking. What if you have—?" But she wouldn't finish the sentence.

Lena finished the sentence inside her own mind: a brain tumor.

"Fine," said Pem impatiently. "If you won't tell them, I will."

Outraged, Lena burst out, "NO! Do not tell my parents."

"Lena, we're talking about your life—"

Kai waved his hands between them. "Wait a minute, wait a minute. It's so obvious what's going on. Don't you see it?"

"See what?" asked Pem. Her arms were crossed, and she was glaring.

"The reason she's sleepwalking."

"The reason?" repeated Lena.

"It's so obvious," said Kai again. "I can't believe you didn't figure it out. It's the surfing."

"The ... what?"

"Okay, listen: Lena has been obsessed with learning to surf, right?"

"So?"

"So she talked to her dad about surfing lessons again, and he said no, like he always does, and she's been upset about it. So her subconscious has been fixated on that, right? And even though she's asleep, her subconscious is trying to figure out how to ... to make her dad change his mind. And for some reason, her subconscious makes her leave the house and go to the beach. Where the surfing is."

Both girls stared at him.

"That's crazy," said Lena finally.

"No, it actually makes sense," said Pem.

"It does not!"

"Right," said Kai. "I'm crazy. Meanwhile, you're not the one zombie-ing around at midnight." He stood up and staggered around, arms outstretched, groaning, "Brainz!" Then he pretended to be a zombie doing the hand jive.

Pem cracked up, and even Lena smiled. She got up and tossed her apple core into the trash. She opened a bottle of iridescent white nail polish and began to apply it to her fingernails, signaling the end of the discussion. "Pem, if it happens again, I'll tell my parents. But not right now."

Pem frowned. "You're making a mistake."

"I'm starting to think it was a mistake to tell you," said Lena.

Kai froze, mid-jive.

"That's harsh," said Pem.

"Can I trust you?" Lena looked up from her nail polish, all hint of humor gone from her expression.

After a moment, Pem nodded.

There was an uncomfortable minute while Lena continued to paint her nails, Kai focused on his pizza, and Pem sat in wounded silence.

Finally, with an attempt at lightening the mood, Pem said, "Guess who I saw on my way in this morning?"

Lena and Kai exchanged looks.

"No idea," said Lena, smirking.

"Do tell," said Kai, propping his chin on his hand and making wide eyes, as if hanging on her every word.

"You know who," said Pem. "Max." She beamed.

"Mad Max?" said Kai.

"Quit calling him that!"

"I'll quit calling him that when he quits gunning his motor like a poser."

"Kai, he drives a 1971 Mach One. Of course the motor is loud. That's why they call them muscle cars."

"Pemberley, there's a difference between merely driving your muscle car, and revving the engine like it's an extension of your manhood," said Kai.

Lena hid her smile with her hand.

Pem narrowed her eyes. She hated to be called Pemberley. "You don't even have your driver's license yet. I think you're just jealous."

"What does having a license have to do with your boyfriend's overcompensating?" said Kai. "I have ears. He revs his engine. Loudly."

"He's not my boyfriend," muttered Pem.

Max had been a senior at their school last year, and he went to San Francisco State now, so he still lived at home. He drove his brother to school sometimes, which allowed Pem to maintain her crush on him.

"He was looking at me, though," added Pem, glancing at Lena.

Of course he was, thought Lena. Who wouldn't? Pem was all big chocolate eyes, clear tanned skin, and bright white teeth. Her black hair hung almost to her waist. She was like a tall drink of gorgeous. Lena pondered her own boringly pale face, with its freckled nose and cheeks, and the scattering of zits that showed up like clockwork once a month. Next to beautiful Pem, Lena knew she was a single shot of nondescript. More than once, Lena had wondered what made Kai choose her.

"He's got the poutiest lips," continued Pem, staring off into space. She opened her vintage I Dream of Jeannie lunchbox—which she used as a purse—and extracted a tube of lip gloss.

"Hmm." Lena thought Max's pouty lips made him look spoiled.

"Hey, Leen," said Kai.

"Yeah?"

He folded his second slice of pizza in half. "Why don't you ask my sister to teach you to surf?" He took another massive bite.

Lena hesitated. "Did she tell you about that?"

"Abou' wha'?" he asked, mouth full.

"She offered to teach me."

"When?"

"The other day at Back Yard."

He swallowed. "Oh, cool. I didn't know. She's a really good teacher. She taught me and Jamie."

"That's a great idea!" said Pem.

"I don't think so," said Lena. "She's too intimidating."

"Nah," said Kai. "It's true she's a big old Amazon, but don't let that scare you. She just looks fierce. She actually cries every time she has to go back to school and leave her cat."

"What about a board?" said Lena.

Kai swallowed, then scratched the dozen scraggly whiskers on his chin. "There's a soft-top board in our garage. It's the one we all learned on."

A thrill of rebelliousness fluttered in Lena's belly. She could almost feel the waves lifting her on the board, could almost taste the salt of the sea on her lips.

"Want me to ask her?" said Kai.

"Yay!" said Pem. "Finally!"

Lena opened her mouth to say yes. "I better not," she answered. She was almost as surprised as Pem and Kai to hear those words.