The Sea Taketh (Alex Singer) (38 page)

             
“They do seem to have all the answers, don’t they?” I say.

             
“Yeah, except they need us to remind them that they’re not as cool as they think they are.”

             
“We’re the coolest mermen in the world because it’s freezing out here!” Sven lumbers through the snow wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks. Christian follows, still in his uniform.

             
“What are you doing walking around in the snow, half-naked?” Jen asks Sven.

             
“Oh, the snow doesn’t bother me, but look at you.” He frowns. “You’re going to get hypothermia if we don’t get you back to the house.”

             
Sven throws Jen over his shoulder and starts for the cottage. Christian wraps the blanket tightly around me and easily picks me up. He follows Sven through the snow.

             
We are both silent as he carries me into the cottage.

             
“I’ll have them pour a bath for Alexandra and Jen,” Sonia meets us in the corridor.

             
“It’ll be faster if I heat the pool for them,” he says.

             
After a quick change of clothes, I am in the steaming hot pool.

“How is Gramps?” I ask Christian.

              “Peacefully sleeping it off in his room,” he responds.

             
“And how much does your mother hate me?”

             
“Her opinion doesn’t matter. She is a typical mother, thinking she knows what’s best.”

             
“And I’m not?”

             
“Oh, you are very much what’s best for me. She just doesn’t realize it, yet.”

             
“Christian, we need to rethink this whole …”

             
“Alexandra, I will not letting you off the hook, not now, not ever. I’m going to marry you the first chance I get.”

             
“But no one else wants me here,” I try to object.

             
“Father finds you very charming and would like to put you on the committee for human relations, and you’re all Kerstin has talked about since she met you.”

             
“But your mother would love it if I were struck by lightning,” I mutter.

             
“That’s not true. She would just like to commit me for my lapse of sanity.” He kisses my shoulder. “I won’t dispute that I’m not the same since I met you.”

             
Jen, Sven, Henrik, and Sonia laugh in the background as they play a game of water volleyball.

             
“Do you realize that being with you is like climbing a mountain? Each time I think I’m about there, I find another peak, and then another. It’s a never ending climb,” I say.

             
“Ah, but when you get to the top, you will clearly see that it was worth the climb.” He puts his arms around me and kisses the back of my neck. He turns me around in his arms and moves up my neck to my lips. We kiss for several minutes until I have the uncanny feeling that we’re being watched. I pull away and look up, finding High Queen Miriam glaring down at us from the side of the swimming pool.

             
“Hello, Mother,” Christian says, completely unfazed. “Are you and Father leaving so soon?”

             
The High Queen blows through her lips.

Christian doesn’t skip a beat, “Mother, Alexandra is my fiancée. I will kiss her when and how I wish.”

              More air is propelled through her lips.

             
“A few months will fix that problem.  Alexandra will be eighteen in June,” he says, glaring at her. “This is precisely the reason I refused to bring Alexandra to court. You need to come to terms with the fact that she and I will be married. Remember, she will replace you as High Queen.”

Theory #
10 upgraded to Fact #17 – Christian’s mother wants to feed me to a great white shark.

Proof – Christian sided with me against her.

14

Stalking

Home looks the same and different
, all at once. The house is as welcoming as ever, reminding me of the joyful years spent there. But things had changed so much since I last saw my home. I am no longer the little girl rocking on the porch and the world doesn’t seem so innocent. The newly installed security system reminds me of this. A tall fence surrounds the property, and security cameras shoot every angle of the house.

             
“I think the fence adds some costal charm,” Gramps says cheerfully as he carries my suitcase. “Christian insisted on the best. A small fortune was spent to make this place safe.”

             
He puts a code into the lock on the door before opening it.

             
The inside of the house has changed, also. A new TV and sofa set are in the living room. The kitchen is completely remodeled with modern appliances and a larger table.

             
“He wanted to update everything when they put in the security measures,” Gramps explains.

             
I drop the bag in my hand and run down the hall.
Not my room!
I frantically think of the bed spread and carefully painted walls. I couldn’t bear it if my mother’s handiwork was replaced. I open the door and breathe a sigh of relief. Not a thing is out of place.

             
“You should give him a little more credit than that,” Gramps laughs from the living room. “He is over five hundred years old.”

             
I nod, marveling about how much I miss Christian.  After his parents’ dreadful visit, he put me and Gramps on the private plane with Marjory, Sonia, and Jen. Apparently he had to return to Atlantis to deal with family politics. Our relationship has caused him more than a few problems at home.

             
I look out of my bedroom window and see a marvelous feat of engineering. The fence behind the house was constructed to keep people out, and still make it possible for me to see the ocean. I watch the waves in the distance.

             
“I need to go to the store for some groceries,” Gramps calls from the kitchen. “Do you want to come with me?”

             
The village is a bustle with activity as everyone prepares for their New Year’s Eve parties that night. The grocery store is no exception. It’s packed with half of the village.

             
“Gramps, maybe I’ll wait in the truck,” I say, thinking of all the people I might see in the store.

             
“No, you’ll stay with me. This is our first night in town, and I worry about that lunatic who is still out there. Besides, it’s good for everyone to see that you’re okay. The whole village has been asking about you.”

Begrudgingly, I get out of the car and walk into the grocery store with him.

              Grabbing a shopping cart, I follow behind Gramps. He is correct about the village’s concern for me. Every two seconds someone asks how I am or tells me that it’s good to see me up and about. In between the greetings, we fill the cart with food.

             
The lines waiting to be checked out, snake around the magazine stands. My face stares out from many of the covers with headlines like,
Alex Shot by Stalker
and
The Price of Fame
.

             
“Alex, how are you feeling?” Jackson Powers asks with real concern as he gets in line behind us while the cashier begins scanning our food.

             
“I’m completely healed,” I answer. “How was your holiday?”

             
“Short, I’ve been filling out college applications. With your grades, I’m sure you’ve had all kinds of scholarship offers.”

             
“Yes, she has,” Gramps answers with his arms crossed.

             
Jackson sees his body language and nods, introspectively. “Alex, about Homecoming, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean for any of that to happen. I hope that you’ll forgive me.”

             
“I already have,” I answer. My experience with Philip helped put things into prospective. Jackson went too far, but I know he didn’t mean to hurt me.             

             
“Thanks, Alex,” he says. The look on his face lets me know a large burden has been removed from his shoulders.

             
“There you are,” Christian says, flanked by Henrik and Sven. He kisses me then says, “Hello, Jackson. I hope you have had an enjoyable holiday.”

             
“Yes, and I hope we can let bygones be bygones?” He offers his hand to Christian, but a faux smile masks his real emotions. I can tell he’s not happy to see him.

             
“Of course,” Christian answers as he shakes his hand.

             
“My family is throwing a New Year’s Eve party, tonight. You are more than welcome to join us,” Jackson says.

             
“That’s very kind of you, but we already have plans with the Marshes,” Sven interjects as he loads the bagged groceries into the cart. “We’ll see you at school on Monday.”

             
Sven pushes the cart out the doors, and we follow behind him.

             
“How did you know where we were?” I ask.

             
“I always know where you are.” He gently touches the pearl pendant at my neck.

             
“There’s a tracking device in it?”

             
“Of sorts,” he answers. “It’s how we found you during the kidnapping. I hope you don’t mind, but it brings me peace of mind.” He smiles sheepishly, waiting for me to tell him off.

             
I shake my head, knowing his caution saved my life. “I wasn’t expecting you for a couple days.”

             
“And miss spending New Year’s Eve with my fiancée?”

             
“How is your family?” I ask, hoping to pry into his family’s politics.

             
“My grandparents are overjoyed at the news of our engagement.” He takes my hand. “They would be here at the moment; however, I have insisted we need both space and privacy. They have assured me our engagement will remain hidden from the Realm until we deem otherwise.”

             
I nod, agreeing with his desire for privacy.

             
“Sven, would you mind taking the groceries home?” Gramps asks. “I was going to make a stop at the liquor store for some wine. Do you have any requests?”

             
“We’re not picky. We like all good wine,” Henrik answers.

             
“Where’s the convertible?” I look around the parking lot.

             
“At Marjory’s, we had to get something a little bigger,” Sven presses a button on his keychain. The lights on an enormous, black Hummer flash.

             
Gramps laughs to himself. “I’ll meet you at home,” he says, shaking his head as he gets into his truck.

             
“Ladies first,” Christian opens the door.

             
I climb into the car.

“Why do you need something this big?” I ask, gazing around the enormous vehicle.

              “Because Sonia is here now,” Henrik answers. “We will all be traveling to and from school together.”

             
“Why does Sonia need to go to school?” I am confused.

             
Sven and Henrik look at Christian, willing to let him take charge. He takes my hand as he sits next to me.

             
“Sonia is your bodyguard,” he says.

             
“I didn’t think you were serious about me having bodyguards. I don’t want Sonia to give up her life to babysit me.”

             
“This is her life,” Henrik answers. “We protect Christian and our wives protect his wife. It has been this way for millennia. This makes it so we spend more time together than if our wives waited for us at home.”

             
“No!” I shake my head.

             
“Alexandra, this is not a frivolous arrangement. You must be protected, or I would never be able to get my work done because I would spend all my time worrying about you,” Christian says.

             
I gasp at a sudden epiphany.

“Does Jen know?” I ask.

              “Yes, Jen knows,” Sven answers. “And she was ecstatic about the news.”

             
“It is rather convenient that you and Jen are best friends because you will be spending a lot of time together.” Christian smiles.

             
“But Jen should be going off to college, not protecting me,” I argue.

             
“Alex, even if you and Christian weren’t engaged, Jen and I would have ended up together,” Sven says. “She will follow me to Realm, regardless. Moreover, she was born to be a bodyguard. Not even you can dispute this.”

             
I cross my arms, thinking of all the hard work that I had put in to make sure that Jen could go to college.

             
“It’s not as bad as you think it is.” Christian kisses my lips. I ignore him. “You and I will be happy together, Jen and Sven will be happy together, and Henrik and Sonia will be happy together. We will spend our time working and playing together.”

             
I furrow my brows.

             
“Alexandra, my fiancée, everything will work out.” He kisses my neck. I pull away. He merely laughs and kisses my neck again, working his way to my lips. I can’t help myself. I return the kiss.

             
Christian chuckles.

“On that note, I have a request,” he says.

              “Aren’t you full of requests?” I mutter.

             
He pulls a cell phone out of his pocket and hands it to me.

             
“I prefer face to face conversations,” I say, pushing the phone away.

             
“It’s for emergencies,” he explains, putting it in my pocket.

“Don’t expect me to call you,” I say before changing the subject. “What time’s the party at the Marshes?”

*     *     *

Eight o’clock that evening we stand outside the Marshes’ house. It is a clear night and very cold. I shiver, watching my breath swirl in the air. We are bathed in moonlight. Sven eagerly knocks on the door.

              “Sven!” a chorus of voices cries.

             
A little boy with a wide smile throws the door open.

“You’re two minutes late!” he scolds him.

              “What are you going to do about it?” Sven says with a smirk.

             
“Attack!” the boy screams the war cry.

             
Boys jump out of every imaginable hiding place, throwing themselves on him. They hit him with pillows and foam bats.

             
“You little ruffians!” Sven laughs, pulling them off him. He puts a couple under his arms as two more wrap themselves around his legs.  Austin and James continue to pelt him with their pillows. Using the little boys under his arms as weapons, Sven confiscates the pillows. The unarmed boys cry with delight as they jump on his back.

             
“Boys, please!” Maggie Marsh walks into the room.

             
“Ah, Mom!” the boys whine.

             
“Where do you want me to tie them up?” Sven asks, and I’m not so sure he’s teasing.

             
“I’m sorry, Sven,” Maggie says. “Thanks for being a good sport.”

             
“Off him! Off him, now!” Jen walks into the room and begins ripping her brothers off Sven’s back.

             
“Ah, Jen, we were just playing,” Austin says.

             
“Do you want me to start having fun with you?” she asks.

             
The boys immediately let go of Sven and run to the other room.

             
After the initial hugs, we go to the kitchen for pizza. Following dinner, the mermen start a violent ping-pong tournament. I beat one of Jen’s little brothers only to be massacred by Sonia in my second game.  In the end, Jen triumphs over Sven for all the glory.  He proudly lifts her hand above her head and cheers the loudest.

             
Frank and Maggie let their youngest boys stay up until eleven and have a mock countdown, before putting them to bed. The house is a lot quieter without the little rascals running all over the place. The only sound comes from the movie James and Austin begin watching in the other room.