Ocean Cove

When I next opened my eyes I felt so disoriented that I had no idea where I was at first, but soon enough I realized I was in the hospital. What made me aware of this wasn’t what I saw or heard, but what I smelled. There was that weird smell of medicine and it was strong in the air and it was horrible. I pushed myself into a sitting position, and felt instantly uncomfortable.

As soon as I did this, I saw someone peek into the room and upon seeing me awake, in rushed my mother, closely followed by a nurse. Mom hugged me tightly around from the left to avoid my bandaged hand which was in a sling, and forcing the disgruntled-looking nurse to go around my other side to tend to me.

“Mom, what are you doing here?” I said, just remembering she and Dad were supposed to be at sea.

Taking the opportunity to try to fix my hair now--I couldn’t stop her--she said, “We got a call Wednesday night from Karen; she said you got into an accident and was hurt. I was so scared on the way here. Chase, you have got to be more careful. I keep telling you, be careful when you are on that bike.”

I looked up at her, surprised, because as far as I knew my bike was at home or… well at least it was supposed to be. I decided it was best to just go along with the story as I didn’t know what the Morgans had told her about my accident.

“How much did they tell you about what happened?” I said slyly, trying to sound embarrassed. My mother sighed and dropped tiredly into the chair beside the bed.

“Lyla told us you were riding down the hill to the cove. Somehow, some rocks had gotten into the road, which you couldn’t avoid and crashed. You broke your arm and got a pretty bad cut on the lower right side of your back, but Karen says you’ll make a full recovery though the cut may leave a scar.”

A scar on my back wasn’t so bad as long as I was alive. I thought about this as the nurse finished examining me and left after taking some notes.

Thinking about my own life caused me to remember that of someone else’s: Nikolai.

“Mom, have you seen Nikolai since you got here? There’s something I need to ask him.”

I didn’t want my mother to really know what I was worried about. However, she still did regard me oddly. Maybe when you just woke up after having an ‘accident’ like mine, petty little questions weren’t really important. But I had to know if my best friend was dead.

“No, I haven’t seen him since I got back. Actually, I haven’t seen much of anyone for the past twenty-four hours. See, your father and I have only been to the house and back. We did see the Morgans a while ago, but I don’t remember seeing Nikolai with them.”

Panic began to rise inside me. Perhaps the reason Mom didn’t see him there was because he was... gone. If he really was dead, I had no idea how I was going to handle it, as he got into that situation to save my life. I had to know for sure.

Then, right on cue, Lyla drifted beautifully into the room, danced over to my mom, and gifted her with a cup of black coffee. As soon as she was in the room, that powerful scent of hers filled the room and did more for me than all the flowers there.

“I thought you might like that,” she said as Mom cravingly sipped the coffee. “Mr. Rowland asked me to tell you he’s downstairs sorting out some things for work, so the both of you will be able to spend time home with Chase.

“No!” I shouted, stunned, surprising even myself.

Both Lyla and Mom eyed me, startled, but I saw Lyla standing behind Mom, silently giggling and I was sure she knew what had shocked me from our bond. I loved my parents very much and would do anything for them, but I just couldn’t stand spending days with them trying to tend to me. They could get really annoying at times and it would drive me mad.

“No Mom, you guys don’t have to do that. I’m not even hurt that badly. Plus, I’ve got Lyla if… You know, I don’t need anything.”

“You don’t want your parents hanging around all the time. I understand. I’ll speak with Karen and if she says you are well enough, I will talk to your father.”

After one last kiss I couldn’t avoid, she said goodbye and left. As soon as she was out of the room, I had to ask Lyla about Nikolai.

“Lyla how is Nikolai? Is he alright?” I was now sitting up, supported by the back of the bed. My heart was pumping fast from anxiety, but Lyla actually answered the question matter-of-factly, as though she had something more important to address.

“Oh Nikolai’s fine. So fine in fact, that’s he’s joking, saying he wished he had a scar to show off,” Lyla said, gazing out the window. I finally started to relax. He was okay, and from what Lyla said, back to normal.

“Well that’s good. So where did you take him?” I remembered how he looked when he got stabbed and the memory sent shivers through my whole body. He was weak and so pale-looking (even for him).

“I thought you would have guessed,” Lyla said softly. “I took him to the ocean. Remember I told you we’re connected to the sea. Well it’s more than just a need to return to it. You see, if an Aquamun is ever mortally wounded by something we can’t heal from, if we can get to the sea in time, the connection we have with it becomes so strong, it heals us. But I have to admit. For a while I did think I was too late. Nikolai was barely breathing and he wasn’t moving. But luckily we did get there in time.”

“What about Andréus? What did you do with his body? Did you bury him?”

Lyla finally settled herself into the chair, and shook her head.

“No. We don’t bury our dead. We return them to the sea, if we can, and their bodies dissolve and become one with the sea.”

The way Lyla said that got me thinking. That sounded like something they would do for family or friends, maybe sometimes complete strangers. But were mermaids so above reproach that they would give someone like Andréus a proper sendoff? By the contempt in Lyla’s voice, I highly doubted it.

“Lyla, what did you do with him?” I asked, not accusing, but just purely interested.

She turned her gaze towards the ground. Her hair fell over her face like a long, sleek curtain, hiding pure beauty behind it. When she spoke, it was it with the voice of a kid who was admitting to what bad thing she had just done.

“I burned his body. Actually, we all did.”

“Is it a bad thing if you burn the body of a dead Aquamun?”

Lyla looked up. Her face was unreadable, but I still felt her emotions, which were mostly anger towards Andréus, but under that I felt two other conflicting emotions, which were fear and hope and they were both because of me. She was afraid I would be repulsed by what she did and hoped I would understand and forgive her.

“When we burn the body of an Aquamun, it is seen as a dishonorable cast away, as they can’t rejoin the sea. It’s something usually left for enemies. Chase I’m sorry. Please forgive me, but after all he did to us, I felt he deserved it.”

“Lyla, Lyla please don’t.” It was hurting me to see her like this. “I don’t think of you any differently. In fact, if I was in your place, I would have done the same thing, especially after everything he put you through.”

Lyla flew into my arms, and I just held onto her, because there was no need to move.

Then I suddenly remembered Hilda.

“She’s okay. Andréus just knocked her out and threw her into the shed. Let’s just say she wasn’t too upset to learn he was dead.”

As she was lying next to me in the bed, I felt her mood shift. It wasn’t through our bond I felt it, but from her body language. She had become tense, and she was now looking up gravely at me.

“Chase, I don’t know what to do, about your safety I mean.” Lyla sighed. “Whatever I do, whether I stay or remove myself from your life, someone just wants to kill you.”

“Well, maybe it has nothing to do with you. Maybe they just don’t like my good looks.”

I smiled, but Lyla wasn’t finding any humor in the situation.

“Well then, stay Lyla. If I’m going to be in danger whether you’re here or not, wouldn’t it make sense, wouldn’t it make us both happier if we were still together?”

Lyla was about to say something, but I interjected what I had to say first.

“No. I want you to listen to me. From the first time we met, you were adamant about protecting me from your world, and that’s a really sweet thing to want to do in theory, but in practice it’s kind of insulting because it makes it seem as if you don’t believe I can stay alive without your help. Look, even though you aren’t human, that doesn’t mean you’re invincible. You can’t protect me from everything. But I know you’ll still try, and believe it or not, I’m cool with that. What I’m not okay with is you deciding on your own if your being here with me puts me in danger or not. As I’m involved in this, don’t you think you should at least tell me what’s going on? Lyla the truth is, I know all about your world now, and because of that, I might always be in danger, if you are here or not. So don’t you think it’s better for us to be together if I’m still going to get hurt if you leave?”

Lyla moved up on the bed and rested her head on my chest.

“I just don’t want to lose you,” she said softly.

I put my good arm around her. “Don’t worry Lyla. I’m not going anywhere.”

* * *

“Mom, that’s enough. We’re going to be late,” I said, almost pouting.

It was a couple minutes after seven and Justin, Brandon and I were outside my house with my mom who’d ambushed us with her camera as we were about to leave. We were on our way to our school cruise and dressed quite sharply.

“It’s not like we’re going to a formal event, it’s just a couple of kids having a party on a

boat.”

But it was like my words reached deaf ears as she lined us up for another batch of photos.

“Well, we’ve been here seven months so far and this is the second time I’m getting pics of you and your friends. I’m not giving this chance up. I just can’t wait to see Lyla. She’s going to be stunning.”

Mom’s words about Lyla’s impending arrival excited me. She, after all, was the one who convinced me to go to this cruise because, as she put it, we were going to experience a normal teenage relationship even if it killed us. So she spent the day with her friends, getting ready, which meant I hadn’t seen her for the whole day, which is the longest we’ve been apart since I got out of the hospital (a full three weeks now). So I was very interested to see how she would look. To tell the truth, I was just anxious to see Lyla period. Whatever she wore would just be an extra treat.

“Mom, first, it’s not like this is the last time you will be getting pictures of me and two, please don’t say pics again. Ever.”

Mom began to laugh, but stopped abruptly and stared behind us. As we were facing the house, we had to turn around to see what she was looking at. My mouth fell open in awe.

I could have sworn I drooled a little when I saw her. As there were no street lights covering the distance between our house and the Morgans, Lyla and her brother were once again illuminated by the moonlight and I was, as always, stunned by her striking beauty. She was wearing designer black pants with a sparkling shirt and black heels. Ignoring the usual stunned looks from the others, Lyla walked up to me, kissed me lightly on the cheek and said:

“Hi everyone. Sorry we’re so late, but, well, you know how Nikolai can be.”

Nikolai merely shrugged and said: “Well to be as handsome as I am comes at the price of tardiness.”

He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, Levi jeans and a pair of really expensive Jordans.

“You two look amazing,” Mom said, standing there looking completely flabbergasted. And she wasn’t alone as Brandon, Justin and I couldn’t help but marvel at how great both of them looked---like perfectly carved ice sculptures, the way their bodies reflected the moonlight. As if on cue, as they got to us, a small gust of wind blew in our directions and Lyla and Nikolai’s individual scents reached our noses, which would explain the blank looks on the others’ faces.

“Well, I think it’s time we get going,” I said loudly, pulling Mom, Justin and Brandon back to us. Lyla, however, looked at me with fake surprise on her face.

“And deprive your mom of more pictures? You’ve got to be crazy.”

So without another word, we were pulled into various positions and poses for Mom, although I had to admit (to myself of course) that Lyla being here made the whole exercise a lot more bearable. When Michael arrived with the jeep, I wasn’t sorry to get going, though Lyla made sure to take her time going through the photos with my mother.

The boat was leaving the harbor in Ridgetown, but the way Michael drove, we got there within twenty minutes. I was actually surprised we got there without getting reported by the police. After Michael parked and we got out it was easy enough to spot our boat, as there were still a lot of people running on and off and teachers on duty stood watching, and it was the brightest lit and most lavishly decorated boat docked. As we walked up to the boat, everyone

we passed stopped and stared. I knew they were really staring at Lyla and Nikolai, who sometimes walked as though they were gliding on air.

Lyla simply ignored the looks, but Nikolai, on the other hand, basked in it.

“I’ll see you guys later,” was all we heard him say before he ran off towards a group of staring girls. I, on the other hand was just about to walk off with Lyla, but Justin caught hold of my arm and pulled me towards the left side of the ship.

“You’re gonna spend most of the cruise with Lyla, we all know that. But for now, you’re my wing man.”

At the same time some of Lyla’s friends took her off to another side of the boat, but not before she waved goodbye with a hearty smile. Then I felt her open our bond wider to keep us in contact with each other. I couldn’t help but notice Lyla’s friends taking her towards a group of drooling guys. I never really did like those girls. I felt her playful amusement at my reaction.

“What’s so funny?” Brandon asked as he heard my laugh.

“Nothing,” I replied hastily.

A while later, after the boat finally left dock at around 9:00 pm, the party really began. Even though it was our school cruise for students only, I saw a lot of people I was sure attended other schools.

As the first hour progressed, I spent a lot of the time walking around with Justin and Brandon, talking, laughing--they were a lot of people dressed funny--and I had a few dances with some of the other girls, but by 10:30 I was aching to be with Lyla.

I was finally able to get away from the guys. I was about to go look for her when I realised she was looking for me too. So I waited on the top deck for her.

It was the smallest of the five decks on the boat. It was very small and semi-circular. There were only four other people up here: a guy and a girl I recognized from school, who were sitting on the staircase with two guys by the rails.

It was more than chilly up here, but I really didn’t mind. I walked over to the railing and wondered if I should call Lyla, but knew instantly she’d already felt my burning desire to be with her. I leaned on the cold body of the rails and looked out to sea. It was a very starry night with no clouds in sight. It was just the impassive blackness of night and dozens of stars out shining. And then, as if to complete some romantic package, the full moon was out, shining a bright slivery white, its light reflected on the smooth, placid surface of the sea.

Just then I felt a smooth, warm hand rest over mine on the rails which startled me, because I hadn’t even felt Lyla approaching.

“I like that,” she murmured, standing next to me and staring up at the sky. I followed her gaze, perplexed. “The moon.”

Lyla chuckled. “Yes Chase, I do like the moon, but I was referring to your surprise. With our bond, you always know when I am coming or near you. I like that I can sometimes surprise you,” Lyla said as she kissed my cheek. I walked behind her and wrapped my hands around her waist, but this time no heat rushed to my body and I knew it was because I didn’t need it. This was one of our perfect moments and we were fine just the way we were.

Suddenly I felt a pang of pain through our connection. The feeling behind the pain felt like loss. And as we--or at least I--still couldn’t use our mental link at will, I wasn’t able to see what she was thinking that could cause her to feel this way.

“What’s wrong?” I asked softly, but I guess she heard the concern in my voice anyway.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she replied, reaching back and stroking my cheek. It was amazing how I never got used to Lyla and her capabilities, especially the way her body produced that sweet fragrance of hers. It made her smell like some scared flower of the sea, if there was such a thing.

“I was just thinking about all the times I almost lost you.”

“But you didn’t. I’m here. I will always be here.”

We stayed quiet for awhile, just enjoying each other’s company. That’s when I realized the music and sounds from the rest of the boat weren’t reaching us up here. I was grateful for this. It just felt like a quiet moment.

“We did have to go through a lot to get here, though, didn’t we?” I whispered.

Lyla nodded.

“We sure did. But we’re here and no one or nothing can change that,” she said, as if daring anyone to try. She then turned around and pressed her soft lips to mine. I could honestly say, it was a kiss like no other. A kiss to get lost in, a kiss to forget everything and everyone around us. It felt to me like this very boat didn’t even exist, and Lyla and I were just somehow supported on the surface of the water, under the moon and the stars. Our night sky.

When we pulled apart, there was no feeling of the world crashing down on me.

“That’s getting better,” Lyla said.

“I hope you mean those after-effects and not my kissing, cause you know, I’ve got a fragile ego.”

Lyla gave a laugh so beautiful it seemed to rebound right off the sea. This really was a perfect moment. There were no supernatural problems to worry about, no tense moments or feeling from either of us, and most of all, we were both looking forward to what tomorrow had to bring.

“Lyla?” I breathed with my head on her shoulder and she was once again stroking my

cheek.

“Hmm?” she answered.

“I will always love you,” I said a little nervously.

I knew she was smiling from the way she sounded when she said, “Chase, you are my true love, and with you is where I want to be forever.”