The Turning Tides

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 get 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.

When I got to the Rover, I checked all around me before slipping out of the school lot and into traffic. I drove a circuitous route down to the shore, taking pains to ensure that I wasn’t being followed. I pulled into an unfamiliar lot cautiously, noting with satisfaction that there were only a couple of people on the beach despite the sunny late summer day.

I had taken to entering the water from a different random beach every time, and I kept my wetsuit and board under lock and key. I climbed into the back seat of the Rover and changed, popping out the back with my board under my arm. I scurried down to the beach with a few backwards glances.

School was back in session.

~

“Repeat after me!” I demanded, “Stop. Think. Take a breath. I must find a way to go around the net.”

The three mermaids clung to the edge of my board, but I could tell that their minds were already elsewhere. Lorelei was fiddling with her golden hair and Nixie was giggling like someone was tickling her under the water. Nerissa looked like she was stifling a laugh.

“This is serious! Are you listening?” I barked at them.

The trio froze and nodded solemnly, and I realized that I’d probably reached the end of their attention span. Most of our lessons consisted of repetition, and I could never be quite sure how much information they retained.

“Please!” I begged, “Promise me you’ll remember the rules.”

“Yes Marina,” they warbled, sounding almost unbearably sweet.

I sighed, “Alright… we can go surfing now.”

I lay down on my board and experienced the unique sensation of being towed across the sea by three mermaids. They propelled my board through the water faster than the fastest speedboat, and we cleared miles of ocean in minutes. I narrowed my eyes against the sea spray, racking my mind for any other useful information I could impart to them.

I’d brought them samples of nets for show and tell, trying to describe in the most basic terms how to find a way out of one should they ever become trapped. I made them promise to take this information to the next council meeting, and spread the word about the mermaid hunters that were stalking every single one of them.

After some prodding, Nerissa had haltingly told me about how she was captured, and it was a chilling tale. They had used the mermaid’s favorite animal, an otter, as bait. She heard it squealing in pain and rushed in to find them torturing the poor creature. Disregarding her own safety, Nerissa drew closer and closer until they threw a net over her.

I warned them repeatedly about staying away from all boats, with a mind to to re-enforcing their ancient rules about avoiding people. I tried to describe scuba divers and submarines to Nixie, who had never encountered them before, and explain how even people who swam underwater could pose a serious threat.

I found myself losing sleep, envisioning one nightmare scenario after another.

Nixie had grown even bigger in the past few weeks, losing most of her roly-poly baby fat. Still a child, she was already showing signs of the rare beauty she was rapidly growing into. She was expanding her range, and even foraying out on her own to feed, a thought that made me nervous in a strangely maternal way.

I still had a hard time imagining that she was actually Nathan Edwards’ child. Fortunately, she took after Nerissa, but sometimes I thought I could see a slight resemblance to Bradley, and the thought was disturbing. I had no idea whether or not I could trust her brother.

We pulled up to a stretch of coastline with a wild rocky shore and I sat on my board, looking up at the eroding bluffs. I could see fossils embedded high in the cliff wall, giant bones from an ancient whale that had washed ashore millennia ago. Could my mother have known that primordial creature? The passage of time weighed heavily on me, and I started to wonder what the childlike mermaids would see in their eternal futures.

The enchanting sounds of my sisters at play brought me back to reality. Like the perfect Zen masters, the mermaids lived nearly every moment of their lives in the present; thoughts of the past and the future were rarely entertained. I could take a lesson from them.

I sat up on my board and waited for a swell to form, savoring the familiar delicious thrill. The waves were crashing like cymbals and the mermaid’s laughter was as sweet as any symphony. I gave myself over to the present, to the sea, and surfed the afternoon away.

When I managed to come to my senses, it was later than I had planned. I rushed to beat Ethan back to Abby’s house, coming in to find her lying on the couch, distraught.

“Abby– what’s wrong?”

She sat up and wiped her eyes, “Mary came and picked up the kittens, but then she said that the one that can’t walk would have to be put down.”

“No!” I cried, “That’s not right! Where did they take it?”

She sniffed, “I wouldn’t let her have it. It’s still here.” She gestured to my room. “But I don’t know what to do about it… It’s all alone and Charlie won’t have anything to do with it and it just hisses at me whenever I come near it.” She looked like she was going to cry again.

I was relieved, and I patted her shoulder, “Don’t worry Abby, I’ll take care of it… okay?”

She yawned, and lay back down, “Thanks honey, I’m just so tired. I’ve had a backache all day and I can’t get any rest.”

I tucked a blanket around her and kissed her cheek, “Kick back and relax. Don’t worry about a thing.” I went to the kitchen and made her a cup of tea, returning to find that she’d dozed off. I left the tea on the coffee table and hurried to my room, finding the one lonely little kitten curled up in the box, also fast asleep. I checked its food and water and grabbed a change of clothes, heading down the hallway for a quick shower.

When I finally stepped out of the bathroom along with a cloud of steam, Abby was standing just outside the door. She was holding her overnight bag with a frightened look on her face.

“Can you drive me to the hospital?” she asked in a tight voice, “I tried to get a hold of Dutch, but they don’t expect him back for at least an hour.”

“Oh my God… of course… are you alright?”

“My water just broke,” she said. Her voice was shaking.

I took her arm and led her to the front door, “Wait one second!”

I raced to my room and snatched my purse, digging for my keys. I slipped on a pair of shoes and hurried back to Abby, who was grimacing in agony, her hands clenched in fists.

“Abby?”

She looked up at me with pain in her eyes, and clamped onto my arm, her grip loosening a little as she panted out a few breaths. “That was a major one,” she gasped.

We stepped onto the porch, and I turned to lock the door. I was just helping her down the steps as Ethan came up the walkway. He took one look at us and his eyes flew open wide.

“Uh oh,” he said.

I handed him my keys, “You drive.”

I helped Abby into the back seat of the Rover, climbing in alongside of her. Ethan’s freaked out eyes met mine in the rearview mirror, and he started the car, turning to back out, “Are you okay Abby?”

She gasped again, gripping my arm even harder as another contraction tore through her body.

“They’re really close together,” she managed to choke out.

The drive seemed to last forever, and with each contraction Abby started spitting out strings of obscenities through gritted teeth, cursing out every other driver and traffic light, words spilling out of her mouth like I’d never heard before. I understood. I had a very good idea of the pain she must be experiencing and it made me feel completely helpless.

“Hang in there,” was the only advice I could offer.

We pulled up to the emergency entrance and Ethan jumped out to get help. Before I knew it, Abby was being wheeled into a delivery room, her hand still clamped down on my arm.

“Go get Dutch!” I called to Ethan as the door swung shut between us.

The minutes dragged on like hours as nurses bustled around us, helping Abby onto a table and positioning her feet in the stirrups. The way she was writhing in pain made my examination earlier in the day seem like a walk in the park.

“You’d best tell the doctor to hurry.” I heard one nurse mutter to another after she checked Abby’s condition between contractions. Within a few minutes the obstetrician arrived, cheerfully greeting Abby and taking a seat between her feet. I kept a hold of her hand and brushed the hair from her sweating brow, meeting her eyes.

“Where’s Dutch?” she wailed.

The doctor looked up at us, her face calm but serious, “Everything’s going to be just fine. It’s time for you to start pushing,” she told Abby. Just then Dutch burst through the door, and I was as relieved to see him as Abby was. He took my place at her side and I backed away, forgotten.

“You’ll have to wait outside,” a nurse told me. I slipped out of the room to find Ethan just outside the door.

I slumped into his arms with a sigh.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“I think she’s having a baby,” I said, without a hint of sarcasm.

Our eyes met and we laughed. We fell into some cushioned chairs in the hallway holding hands. It didn’t take long for Dutch to pop his head out the door like a crazy cuckoo clock. “It’s a girl!” he hollered, disappearing back into the room.

After what seemed like a very long time the doctor bustled out and Dutch re-appeared to invite us in. Abby was propped up in bed, magically transformed back into her normal peaceful self. She held a squirming little red faced baby, bundled in a pink blanket.

“We’re going to name her Adria,” she announced. “Do you think your father will mind?”

I shook my head no as I fought back tears.

~

When Ethan and I got back to Abby’s, I showed him the last kitten. We played with it a little, trying to get it to stand up on its weak hind legs. It was a spunky little fellow, and pulled itself back and forth between us until it was exhausted, its crooked little tail dragging along behind it.

“Come here, little stumpy,” Ethan called.

I looked at him sideways, “Did you just name that cat?”

“I guess I did,” his eyes met mine with a smile. “So, are you coming home with me tonight?”

“I’d better stay here with Stumpy,” I yawned. “I should get the house cleaned up for Abby when she brings your sister home tomorrow.”

He sighed, “I have some studying to do anyway... Is it just me, or is this taking forever?”

“I’ll be there tomorrow, I promise,” I whispered, kissing his ear.

Ethan smiled, squeezing me closer, “What a day. I can’t believe I officially have a little sister.”

I snuggled into him, resting my head on his shoulder and stifling another yawn. Me too, I thought, and a new little cousin.

“Dutch and Abby sure looked happy,” I mused.

“Yeah,” said Ethan, “And now I know that they’re perfect for each other.”

“How’s that?” I asked sleepily.

He chuckled, “Because my dad’s a sailor… and Abby can sure curse like one.”





~