Beyond the Sea (36 page)

She pushed a button and ice shot out. Nerina shrieked and jumped back; Melia laughed. Nerina was an excellent example of an Oceanid. She was beautiful, with long, light brown hair. Her skin was a shade paler than Melia’s but, like all Oceanids, she had the same sparkling green eyes. She loved music, singing, men, and brushing her hair. She was intrigued by humans but preferred the water. She was sensible, never thought more than what was necessary and was easily entertained.

Unlike a merrow, Nerina wasn’t a fast swimmer. She tired quickly in the water and wouldn’t fare well with a kappa. Unknowingly selfish, Oceanids like instant gratification and being happy. Melia watched as Nerina skipped around the kitchen, opening cabinets and turning on lights. When she accidentally turned on the garbage disposal, she screamed, covered her ears and dropped to the floor. Again laughing, Melia turned it off.

“Nerina,” she said, serious. “I need to know what is going on in the ocean.”

Nerina’s face fell. “Right. It’s…it’s bad, Melia.” She shook her head. “Everyone panicked. I heard what was happening and escaped. I needed to find you, to make sure it wasn’t true.”

“To make sure what wasn’t true?”

“That Vaianu made you his bride. I didn’t believe him. You would never agree to marry him.”

“He wants me to. I-I spoke with him yesterday.”

Nerina’s green eyes widened when she realized how close she came to him. “What did he say?”

“He told me about the arrangement.” Melia closed her eyes. “My father and Waisea made the arrangement shortly before my father died. I didn’t know about it until Vaianu told me.”

“Oh, Melia, I’m so sorry. What are you going to do?”

As Melia told Nerina the conclusion she had come to earlier, she saw the tiredness grow in the Oceanid’s eyes. She led the way to her room. Nerina sank down on the bed, stating it was the most comfortable one she’d been on. Melia bandaged the cut on Nerina’s arm, brushed out and towel-dried her hair, and then braided it into two thick braids. She pulled the sheet over Nerina and herself. Nerina’s eyes were already closed, leaving Melia to suspect she was already asleep. Wolfy, drawn to the girls’ supernatural aura, settled at the foot of the bed.

“Who’s the boy in the pictures?” Nerina whispered.

“Peter,” Melia whispered back.

“Do you love him?”

“Very much.”

Nerina took Melia’s hand. “Then we have to break this deal.”

“We do,” Melia agreed. She waited until Nerina was asleep to call Peter. She snuck into the bathroom and closed the door. Peter answered on the first ring, but all Melia could hear was music and loud voices. She hung up and texted Peter instead, saying, “Can’t come, another friend showed up. Don’t worry; she is an Oceanid. I love you.” She waited a minute for a response, and when none came, she climbed back into bed.

When Melia’s phone rang around two thirty in the morning, Nerina screamed and fell out of bed. Melia assured her it was ok and answered when she saw it was Peter.

“Lorem?” she answered in Mermish, having recently spoke it.

“Melia?” a voice that wasn’t Peter’s spoke through the phone.

“Yea?” she said, speaking in English again.

“Hey, it’s Connor. Can you, uh, come get Peter? He’s had way too much to drink and is kinda freaking out.”

“Is he ok?” she asked, sitting straight up.

“Yea, he’s fine. He won’t shut up about you. He’s not making sense. I think he needs you right now.”

“I’ll be right there. Tell him I’m coming.”

“Sure will. See ya.”

“Bye.” Melia hung up and looked at Nerina. “I have to go.” She swung her legs out of bed. “I’ll be back soon.”

“No! I don’t want to stay here, alone!” Nerina pleaded.

Though Melia had yet to know all the details, she knew Nerina had been through a lot to find her. And staying alone in a house that’s along the shore probably wasn’t the safest thing to do right now.

“Ok, but you have to put on clothes,” Melia told her.

Nerina’s face lit up. “Where are we going?”

“I have to get Peter. He’s at a party.”

Nerina excitedly gasped. “A party! I saw a human party once. I took two men back with me that night.” She smiled fondly at the memory.

Melia shook her head and suppressed a giggle. “You’re not taking anyone home with you tonight.”

Nerina looked slightly disappointed. “You’re right. We have important things to do.”

“We do. Follow me; I’ll get you a dress.”

Nerina insisted that both girls wear green dresses to match their eyes. She put on a pair of tall stilettos, saying she had seen human women wear them before. She took one step and fell. Both girls burst into laughter. She adorned herself with jewelry and instructed Melia to sit still while she braided a small section of her hair. Then she shook out her braids, her golden hair falling in waves down her back, and fashioned the same miniature French braid in her hair.

Melia grabbed the keys to her R8 without realizing that only two people could fit in it. She dropped her keys in her purse and hesitated, pressing her lips together. Leaving Nerina to drool over the cars (she had never touched one before), she ran back into the house to get the keys to the Range Rover. She buckled Nerina into the front seat, telling her to leave the seatbelt on even though it was constricting.

Nerina loved music. She bounced in her seat with excitement when Melia plugged in her IPod, cranking it to
Like a Prayer
.
 
Melia sang along. Somehow, despite everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours, Melia smiled a genuine smile. There was something about Nerina that made her remember everything she loved about being who she really was. She just swam across two oceans to find an old friend. She had to be exhausted, but she was bright eyed and excited, dancing in the car to Madonna.

Nerina asked Melia to replay the song. Melia’s ability to imitate humans came from her Oceanid side, and by the third time Nerina heard the song, she knew all the lyrics (though she didn’t know what they meant).
 
The party was still going strong when the girls walked in. They received collective stares. Melia held tightly to Nerina’s hand, feeling particularly protective of her childhood friend.

“This is amazing!” Nerina said loudly over the music. “Can we stay a while?”

“Let me find Peter first,” Melia replied, not caring if anyone heard her speaking Mermish. Nerina squealed with excitement and ran her hands seductively over her hair, eyeing Brandon Hartman. Unable to resist her call, Brandon broke away from the little group he was standing with and strutted over to Melia and Nerina. He said something that was lost in the music. He waved, signaling them to follow. Melia obliged only because she hoped he would know where Peter was.

“Hey, Melia,” he slurred. “You look pretty.”

“Thanks,” Melia replied flatly, an accent apparent. “Have you seen Peter?”

“Yea.” He eyed Nerina up and down. She batted her eyelashes and smiled coyly. “Who is this?”

“Nerina. She’s my-my cousin.”

“Well, hello Nerina. I’m Brandon.”

“Lorem,” Nerina breathed.

Melia tugged her along. “She doesn’t speak English, sorry.”

“Oh,” Brandon chuckled. “That doesn’t matter. Do you want a drink?” he asked Nerina slowly, holding up his cup to show what he was talking about. Nerina nodded.

“Facere non trwydded tama aelwyd,” Melia instructed. Nerina agreed and trotted off with Brandon. Melia made her way through another crowd, looking for a familiar face. Connor’s cousin Jason waved hello. The girl his arm was around sized Melia up and down, glaring.

“Melia!” someone called. Melia whirled around to see Amanda. “Thank God. Peter is wigging out.”

“Where is he?”

“Upstairs. I’ll show you.”

“Thanks. What’s he doing?”

“Ranting about you and marriage and sea monsters. He says he didn’t smoke anything but he’s not making any sense.”

“Oh. Yes. None of that is real.”

Amanda looked at her sideways. “Well, of course not. But lemme tell you,” she tripped on the stairs, “that boy is
crazy
about you.”

Melia’s heart swelled. “Good.”

“Oh, you should know. Connor didn’t want to tell you because he thought you’d get mad at Pete, but he got in a fight.”

“Peter did?”

“Yea. I guess some guys from another school—you wouldn’t know them—were saying something about you. Not bad things, but something along the lines to what they wanted to do to you, which I guess is bad but not like bad in a trash talking way.”

“And?”

“Oh, Peter got mad and punched one of them.” She turned to face Melia. “Don’t worry, Pete’s fine. His knuckles are kinda bloody, though.”

“How do people from other schools know me?”

“Melia, you are Edward VanBurren’s daughter. Everyone knows you,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh.”

Amanda only shrugged and opened Connor’s bedroom door. Connor and Nate were trying to calm Peter down without success. He was yelling about wanting to finish the fight. Connor repeated again and again that the guys were already gone. Peter softened once he saw Melia. Nate moved out of the way and let Peter go to her. He picked her up, twirled her around and kissed her.

Melia held him tight. He wobbled a bit, his breath smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot. “You have had too much,” she told him, when they broke apart.

“Are you ok?” he asked her.

“Fine. Tired, but fine. Come home with me?”

“Yes.” Peter took her hand and tripped over his own feet. Connor caught him, and Nate rolled his eyes.

“I am so glad you are here,” Nate told Melia. It was obvious he was drunk too. “You have no idea how annoying he’s been.” He put his hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Go home, do your girl and get some rest.”

“You’re a pig, Nate,” Amanda said as she crossed her arms and leaned against the dresser.

“Sorry I called you so late,” Connor said as he helped Peter down the stairs. “I’d let him stay but Janet is here somewhere. I didn’t want Pete to get himself in any trouble.”

“It’s no problem.” Melia looked around for Nerina. Peter put his arm around Melia and nuzzled her neck. His lips on her skin felt good and Melia had to force herself not to enjoy it. She needed to get Peter in the car and find Nerina.

“Where’s your car?” Connor asked when they got outside.

“I took that one,” Melia said, pointing to the silver Range Rover.

“Really? When did you get that?”

“For my birthday.” It felt like a lie. Merrows didn’t keep track of dates or celebrate birthdays. Melia didn’t know when her real day of birth was. Since she knew she was born sometime in the fall and Halloween was her favorite human holiday, it was decided that October thirty-first would also be her ‘birthday’.

“That’s an awesome present.”

“Yea, I guess.” She fished the keys from her pocket. “It’s big. I don’t like driving it. But my dog doesn’t fit in my other car.” When Connor looked confused, Peter drunkenly explained Wolfy’s gargantuan size. Melia reached in Peter’s pocket to get his keys; Peter thought she was trying to get something else.

He pressed his mouth to hers; one hand went around her waist, drawing her in while the other felt her up. It felt so good. The desperation in Peter’s kiss. The way he pressed her body to his. As if he needed her. As if he couldn’t stand not having her for any longer. Her arms flew around him and she shut everything around her out.

That is until she heard Connor laugh and start to walk away. Regretfully, she pulled back. “Connor!” she shouted. He half turned, confused. She tossed him the keys. “Do you think you could bring Peter’s car to my house tomorrow? My cousin’s visiting and we have a lot planned.”

“Sure,” Connor eagerly agreed. “I’ve always wanted to go inside your house, you know. I’m jealous Peter gets to.”

Thinking it was the polite thing to do, Melia smiled sweetly. She would never understand why humans were fascinated with large, ostentatious houses. “Do you know how to get there?”

“Of course. See you tomorrow then.”

“Actually,” Melia started. Peter kissed her again. She allowed herself to enjoy it before pushing him away. “My cousin came with me. She’s inside.”

“Want me to find her and tell her you’re ready?”

“She doesn’t speak English.”

“Interesting. What does she look like?”

“Kinda like me but with lighter hair and skin.” She looked more like Lana in all actuality. Not all Oceanids look alike, but they all have the exact same startling green eyes. She could easily pass as a relative. “Her name is Nerina. She has on a green dress too.”

“Uh, I’ll do my best.”

Peter kissed her neck, his teeth nipping her skin. Melia shivered. She knew she had important topics to discuss. Her life hung precariously over the ocean and she needed to plan her next move carefully. But she didn’t have to do anything
right now
.

“Can you tell her something?” she asked, tilting her head away from Peter. Connor nodded. “Tell her ‘Melia est alo e puer.’ She’ll know what it means. I’ll come in and find her in, uh, a few minutes.” Melia gave her attention back to Peter.