Current Impressions (20 page)

“Sounds awful.”

“I imagine it is. Thankfully, I’ve never
encountered one. I understand they have hypnotic powers. Never look
in their eyes. As humans, their eyes are all black, so you can
easily spot them.”

“I thought I’m not supposed to look at their
eyes?” I asked.

“I didn’t say this was easy.” Kieran looked
down at me. “Are you beginning to understand?”

“Yes.” My voice sounded small. We had so
many enemies. “The last one is a water demon?”

“Right. Water demon.” Kieran’s lip curled at
the monster. It had deep red skin and green hair, gills, and fins.
“Nasty creatures. Ruthless and tough. Their human disguise is
strong, but they cannot purge their stench. If you encounter a
human who smells of dead fish, you’ve met a water demon. If you’re
alone, run.”

I sat back and stared at him. He put his arm
around my shoulder and pulled me against him. “I know I scared you.
I’m not going to apologize. David should’ve showed you this a long
time ago. Now you understand why he wants you to stay here.”

I slid out from under Kieran’s arm and stood
up, gesturing around the room. “Why didn’t he take me here or at
least tell me about our enemies? When I asked him what killed those
Selkies, he told me not to worry about it. How could he say that?
Now that I’ve seen them, I have a lot to worry about.”

Kieran walked over and placed his hands on
my shoulders. “I’m not arguing with you, Meara. I don’t know what
David’s motives are, besides keeping you safe. Maybe he thinks he
needs to shelter you to do that. He underestimates you. You’re
strong.”

“Do you think so?” I searched his face to
see if he was joking, but his eyes were serious.

“I know so. What you’ve already accomplished
is amazing. You taught me something new, something powerful. You’re
a force, and you’re only getting stronger.”

A flush heated my face. I lowered my head
and hoped that Kieran didn’t see. “Thank you,” I said. “For showing
me this.”

“No need to thank me,” he said. “Keep
yourself safe.”

He placed the book back on its shelf and
snuffed the torches. His eyes glowed a soft bronze in the darkness.
I wondered if mine were luminous, too. “Your eyes are glowing,” I
said.

“Yours, too.” His voice was quiet as he
moved closer. “Selkie trait.”

He stopped in front of me—close enough to
touch but not touching. When he clasped my hands in his, my breath
caught.

“We’re the same, Meara,” he whispered in my
ear. “You and I.”

His warm breath tickled my ear and made my
pulse pound. Could he hear it? He was so close. It would be easy to
turn my head and meet his lips.

I stepped back and broke the connection. “We
better leave. It must be close to dawn now.” I betrayed Evan once;
I wouldn’t do it again.

He walked around me and led the way to the
door. “Follow close. I’ll get you back to your room safely.”

I heard the disappointment in his voice and
allowed myself to imagine what it would’ve been like to kiss him.
It didn’t take much imagination since I’d done it before. I was
moving into dangerous territory, and it wasn’t just the monsters
that scared me.

“He’s having a reaction. Bring us up now,
damn it!”

Evan heard the professor talking, but he
couldn’t focus on the words. His head was splitting. A knife in his
skull, the pain’s sharp edge slicing his reason. He longed to pass
out; the blackness would be a relief.

“Hold on, Evan. Ken’s bringing us up.”
Professor Nolan clipped something around his waist, and then they
were slowly rising toward the surface.

He blacked out.

****

“Evan! Evan, can you hear me, son?” Ken
sounded far away.

Blinking his eyes, Evan croaked, “The light.
Too bright.”

“We’re outside, Evan.” Professor Nolan’s
voice now. “Ken, can we get him inside?”

“Grab his legs,” Ken’s voice commanded.
“I’ll lift his shoulders.”

The sudden movement shot pain through his
head. With a cry, he lost consciousness again.

****

The room was quiet, the air cool and damp.
He tasted salt and smelled coffee. Slowly, Evan opened his eyes.
The only light came from a small lamp. He was in the cabin below
deck. Ken and Ted were not there. His temples thrummed with his
pulse, each wave of pain making him want to clench his teeth. What
was happening to him? Maybe Meara was right. Maybe if he waited to
see a doctor, it would be too late.

“You’re awake.” Ken stood in the doorway
with a glass of water. “I don’t have much onboard, but I have some
aspirin.” He handed Evan the pills and glass.

“Thanks.” Evan swallowed them and drained
the water. After handing the cup back to Ken, he lay down and
closed his eyes.

“Do you have episodes like this often?” Ken
asked. “Are you epileptic or something? Is there anything we need
to know?”

“I dunno,” Evan muttered. It hurt to talk.
“I never had them before this summer. Now I have them almost
daily.”

“I’m going to call for a doctor when we get
back,” Ken said. “Right now, rest up. We’ll wake you when we get to
the pier.”

“Thanks,” Evan mumbled. The click of the
door was the last thing he heard.

****

Evan fluttered his eyelids and willed them
to open. When they did, he wished he could close them again. A row
of sharp, white teeth filled his vision before a bright light
blinded him.

“You’re awake?” the soft voice murmured.
“Good, good.”

The light brightened slightly and blocked
everything out. When it receded, Evan blinked the black shadows
away. A man with a round face peered down at him. Thick, heavily
framed glasses magnified the man’s pale blue eyes. He smiled kindly
and, to Evan’s relief, his teeth were perfectly straight and
decidedly not pointy. Must have been the leftover remnants of a
nightmare.

“I’m Dr. Martin Tenuis,” the man said. “Ken
mentioned that you’re having headaches?”

Evan nodded, and then winced. Apparently, he
still had one.

Dr. Tenuis frowned in concern. “When did
these headaches first start?”

Evan remembered that when he was young, his
head hurt during severe storms. His mom gave him a Tylenol and
called it, “sinus headaches.” He stopped having those around age
twelve. He didn’t think the doctor would care about that.

“Beginning of summer,” Evan said. “Before
that, I rarely got headaches.”

“How frequently do you get them?” The doctor
took notes on a small notepad he pulled from his pocket.

“In the beginning, about once a week. Once I
arrived here, I started waking with headaches daily, but I take
Advil.” Evan’s voice trailed off. “Uh, I took the last of my pills
this morning…”

“Don’t worry about that,” the doctor said.
“Once we figure out what’s going on, we’ll get you more
medication.” He looked down at his notes. “The ibuprofen works
then?”

“No,” Evan said. “The pills dull the pain,
but the headache doesn’t always go away.”

“I see.” Dr. Tenuis set his notepad aside
and sifted through his medical bag on the bed near Evan’s feet. “Do
you mind if I conduct a physical examination?”

“Not at all.” Evan winced as he sat up. “I
want to know what’s going on, Dr. Tenuis.”

“Please, call me Marty.” The doctor smiled
at him, his blue eyes crinkling behind the thick lenses. “Sounds
strange to hear myself addressed so formally in this house. Ken and
I have known each other forever.”

Marty checked his vitals and shined the
bright light in his eyes again. He scribbled notes on his pad and
muttered to himself. Whenever he caught Evan watching him, he gave
him an encouraging smile.

“Your vitals are all excellent,” Marty said.
“You are in great shape. My preliminary analysis has not turned up
anything that could cause those headaches. Would you be willing to
come to the lab for further study?”

“Lab?” The word struck him as strange.
Doctors didn’t usually refer to their offices at laboratories. It
was a term used by scientists.

“Of course.” Marty straightened. “I’m a
medical doctor by trade, but I currently head the disease research
department at MMB Industries in Aberdeen. We have all the equipment
I need there. I’d like to start with a brain scan and x-rays.”

Evan smiled. It was a relief knowing he
could get help. “Whatever it takes, Doc.”

The doctor laughed. “Not comfortable calling
me Marty, are you?”

“No,” Evan admitted.

“Doc is fine.” He grinned. “In fact, I kind
of like it.”

Evan watched Dr. Tenuis meticulously repack
his bag and asked, “When will we start?”

“As soon as possible,” Dr. Tenuis said.
“I’ll ask Ken or Ted to bring you by around eight am. Don’t eat
beforehand; we’ll need to put you under for some of the
procedures.”

Evan’s heart sped up. He’d never been
anesthetized. He split his lip during a hockey game senior year,
and they just numbed the area when they stitched him. What kind of
procedures was the doctor going to do?

Dr. Tenuis squeezed Evan’s shoulder and gave
him a reassuring pat on his arm. “Don’t worry, Evan. The tests are
painless. We just require you to be absolutely still, and
anesthesia is the best way to ensure that. You’ll wake feeling
quite rested.”

Evan relaxed and nodded. He was about to ask
what procedures would be done when a sharp pain pierced his upper
arm. His eyes narrowed on Dr. Tenuis and the needle in his
hand.

“Painkiller,” Dr. Tenuis explained. “And a
little something extra to help you sleep.”

The doctor continued to talk, but his words
were now a low hum. The room started to spin, so Evan closed his
eyes.

****

The bitter smell of antiseptic seared his
sinuses, waking Evan up. His eyes adjusted to the darkened room. He
wasn’t in his bedroom at the house. This was in a hospital bed.
Sensors were taped to the backs of his hands. He felt them on his
chest and forehead, too. Not counting the machine beeping next to
his bed, he was alone.

He heard footsteps in the hallway, some
light and hurried, others heavy and slow. A thin band of light
seeped under the door, flickering whenever somebody passed his
room. A dull pain thrummed in the back of his head, and his muscles
ached. He tried to swallow and grimaced at the metallic taste in
his mouth. He noticed the table next to him and sighed in relief.
At least someone had the foresight to leave water. He picked up the
Styrofoam cup and sipped greedily. The water was ice cold. Whoever
brought it must have come into his room recently. Maybe that was
what woke him.

Heavy curtains blocked the one window in the
room. Enough light seeped around the edges to show that the walls
were light and bare, and the room sparsely furnished. Besides the
bed, table, and machine next to him, there were two small,
uncomfortable-looking chairs.

The door opened, and Evan blinked when the
bright light from the hall hit his eyes.

“Ah, good. You’re awake.” Dr. Tenuis stepped
into the room, flicking the light switch. He carried a tray of
food, which he set on the table next to Evan. “I’m sure you’re also
hungry.”

The doctor busied himself adjusting the bed
so Evan could sit up. He handed him the tray. “Here you go. I’ll
update you while you eat.”

Evan lifted the cover off the plate to find
meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans almandine. He lifted a
forkful of the meat and tasted. It was good.

“Not your typical hospital food.” Dr. Tenuis
winked at him. “We’re not your typical hospital.”

“Do you have many patients here?” Evan asked
before taking another forkful, this time of potatoes. When Dr.
Tenuis entered, he left the door ajar. Although Evan could see
people who looked like medical staff in the hallway, he hadn’t seen
anyone else in a hospital gown or even street clothes.

“Not on a daily basis, though we’re
obviously equipped to do so.” The doctor pulled over one of the
guest chairs and took a seat. “When we have patients, they’re
usually volunteering for research.”

As Evan ate, the headache receded. He felt
remarkably better. Better than he had in the last week, maybe
longer. “When do we start my tests?”

Dr. Tenuis’ eyebrows rose above his glasses.
“Why, my boy, we’re already done!” He chuckled and shook his head.
“I thought you knew that. I told Ted you seemed groggy when he
brought you in this morning.”

“I’m done?” Evan didn’t remember this
morning. He didn’t remember anything except the shot that the
doctor gave him the night before. “I was talking to you when
Professor Nolan brought me in?”

“Of course.” The doctor’s voice softened.
“We needed standard medical information, insurance and all that.
You don’t remember?”

“Not at all.” There were no clocks in the
room. How much time had passed? “What time is it?”