| |
When the paramedics and Tyler’s parents (who I’d been able to call from his cell phone) arrived and left for the hospital, I went to Angelica’s house. The door was opened a few moments after I rang the doorbell, and all four of them stared back at me.
“Coming to apologize?” Jasmine asked sarcastically, and I rolled my eyes at her.
“Whatever, I’m sorry,” I shot back at her. “Something just happened.”
“What is it, Felly?” Scarlett asked, genuine worry filling her bright green eyes.
“I was at the lighthouse meeting Tyler, and . . .” My voice broke as tears began to fill my eyes again. “I lured him.”
“You killed him?” Gabby asked solemnly. “I’m so sorry, Felicia. I know how it feels to kill someone you care about. Just the other night, I lured a guy from high school . . .”
I shook my head. “No. I didn’t kill him. I lured him. He didn’t die.”
“Oh, no,” Scarlett whispered, turning to Angelica. “What’s going to happen to her?”
Angelica shook her head, her face unchanged by the news. “I’ve never heard of it happening before. The legends don’t say much about how a siren would die if this were to happen, just that they will die.”
“So, she might be okay?” Jasmine asked. At first, I mistook her question as concern for me, but then she said, “But maybe she’ll die later.” She turned to me. “Maybe Phorcys won’t have to find out that I changed you after all.”
I gaped at her, just as Gabby scolded her. “Jas, that’s not nice. We don’t want Felicia to die.” Gabby wrapped her arm around me, trying to soothe me.
“Yeah, seriously, Jasmine. You’re going way too far. Stop being such a nasty bitch to my sister,” Scarlett snapped at her.
Jasmine glanced over at Angelica, seeking her approval.
“It’s uncalled for,” Angelica confirmed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You need to accept her.”
“You’re such a hypocrite. If it had been up to you, she wouldn’t even be here.” With that, Jasmine scurried off in the other direction. Moments later, I heard the sound of a door being slammed loudly.
“What is she talking about?” I asked.
“Angelica didn’t want us to change you,” Scarlett replied, looking down at the ground. “Jasmine only did it because I asked her to. And, even though she’s being a bitch right now, I think she knew it was the right thing to do.”
I glanced over at Angelica, to see if what Scarlett was saying was true, but her silvery eyes didn’t reveal anything. Finally, with a sigh, she explained, “It’s not that I didn’t want you here, Felicia. And now that you are here, I love you as though you were one of my own. It’s just that there were so many risks. I didn’t want us to have to go to war with the Phorcydes. But now that it’s happened, we’ll deal with it.”
Scarlett sighed. “Isn’t there someone who can tell us if she’s going to die or not?”
“Well, there is one person.” Angelica hesitated. “I don’t want to call Phorcys, but I guess I’ll have to. He’s the only one who would know. He is God of the sea, after all.” She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number.
After a few rings, she said, “Phorcys?” She paused. “Yes, it’s me, Angelica.”
“Obviously,” Gabby muttered. “You’d think he’d recognize her voice, since he hates her so much.”
“We have an issue that we’re dealing with here, and I need your help.” She paused again, listening to Phorcys talking on the other line. “It’s not about me. It’s about one of my daughters.”
She hit a button and held her cell phone out. I saw that she had turned speakerphone on. “So, what is this issue that you speak of?” a male’s voice bellowed from the phone. It sounded exactly like what I imagined the voice of a sea God to sound like; I just wouldn’t have imagined him to have a phone at all.
“One of my daughters lured someone tonight, but the boy in question survived. He didn’t die,” Angelica said.
Phorcys laughed into the phone. “You want me to believe that a mortal crossed one of your daughter’s paths and survived?”
“That’s correct,” Angelica replied, staring at me. “My daughter is standing right in front of me now. She doesn’t look ill.”
“She should be dead,” Phorcys roared into the phone. “How long ago did this so-called incident take place?”
“About twenty minutes ago,” I spoke up.
“Is that your daughter speaking now?” Phorcys asked Angelica.
“That was Felicia who just spoke, yes.”
“She has a most lovely voice. I do not understand how a young man could cross her path without giving in to death. Nevertheless, she should be dead.” He paused. “Tell me about this guy. Was he old, young?”
“Young,” I replied. “He’s an ex-boyfriend of mine.”
“I expect you to drop dead any time now. So long, sweetness, for there is another world just waiting for you. And Angelica?” Phorcys asked.
“Yes?” Angelica’s voice sounded as sweet as could be.
“I will be seeing you soon so that we can settle our differences,” Phorcys replied. There was a click on the other line as he hung up the phone.
“Oh, Felly,” Scarlett cried. “If you die, I just want you to know that I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I turned to go out the door, but then I realized that I couldn’t go home to Gram. I couldn’t let her find me dead. “I want you,” I said, turning to Gabby, “to tell my grandmother that you were hanging out with me when I died. Tell her that I was happy and full of life.” I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. “And I want you to look after her. Go check on her every day until she dies, too.”
“I will,” Gabby promised.
I sat down on the couch and crossed my legs. Scarlett sat next to me, and Gabby sat on the floor. Angelica paced around the room. I knew that we were all waiting for the same thing—for me to die.
When the sun rose the next morning, I opened my eyes. I had fallen asleep on the couch, with Scarlett’s head on my shoulder. I was still alive.
“Maybe you should call Tyler,” Angelica said when she saw that I was awake. “Find out exactly what happened.”
“I will, just not right now,” I replied. “His parents are probably with him. I should give them some time. I’ll call him tomorrow. I just don’t want them to think that I’m somehow responsible for what happened to him.” Assuming that they didn’t already think I was. His mom had just stared at me like I was an alien, probably surprised because she’d never seen me before.
Angelica nodded. “You should probably go home now before your grandmother begins to worry. I need you to come back over here around three, though, if that’s okay?”
I nodded my agreement and went home.
*
After I ate lunch with Gram, I began walking back to Angelica’s house. It was hot out—brutally hot, in fact. I was tempted to jump into the ocean and go for a swim, but I felt a little nervous about being around water without supervision right now, in case I drowned. No one had specified how I was supposed to die.
When I arrived at Angelica’s house, there was a limo parked in the driveway. I wondered if she and George had decided to get married sooner than they had originally planned. That reminded me that I needed to confirm that I’d have a date for the wedding. I’d already asked Nora for the day off, but I hadn’t asked Jackson if he’d go with me yet.
I texted Jackson and said, I need a date for a wedding Saturday. Are you in?
Sounds good. I love weddings, Jackson texted back right away.
I smiled as I walked up the porch steps. Before I had the chance to knock or ring the doorbell, Gabby swung it open. Under her breath, she told me, “Be on your best behavior. Watch what you say because it could be used against you.”
I wondered if Angelica was going to lecture me for something, but that didn’t make very much sense. If she was really mad at me, she would have said something when I was over earlier.
That’s when I saw the woman who was standing in the kitchen. Her hair was a shade of auburn, and it looked lively with curls that fell just below her neck. When she turned her head to speak, I could see that she was very young and very beautiful.
“I know it’s not really your fault, Jasmine,” the woman was saying. “I respect you. I’ve even suggested to Phorcys that we get together with you more often.”
“She’s telling the truth,” a familiar voice bellowed. “Don’t worry, sweetness. We don’t hold this against you at all. Only Angelica is to blame.”
It took me a moment to understand what was going on, but when I did, I wished that I could turn around and leave. Phorcys and his wife, Ceto, were standing in Angelica’s kitchen. But where was Angelica? And how had she known that they’d be here around this time? Had Phorcys warned her after their phone call last night? Why hadn’t she warned me?
“Phorcys, this is Felicia,” Gabby said, stepping into the kitchen. “She was not expecting your visit, so please forgive her attire.” Since when had Gabby started talking so formally? And what was wrong with my outfit? I glanced down at my denim shorts and skimpy tank top and then at Gabby and Jasmine, who were both wearing formal dresses.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the miracle daughter,” Phorcys cooed, and I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or if he was genuinely amused by me. He took a step closer to me and I saw him; he stood about six feet tall, and he was made entirely of muscle. His hair was a shade of light, silvery blue. He strolled over to me and shook my hand. “How ever do you do?”
“Okay,” I replied nervously. “And how are you?”
I was so confused. I thought we were supposed to be at war with these people and, yet, we were being so nice to them. I realized that probably was why. If we weren’t nice to them, they would probably have their monster children kill us right now. I glanced around to see if there were any monster children (which I pictured to look like big dogs, for some reason) in the house, but I didn’t see any.
“I’m quite confused, to be honest,” Phorcys answered. “My wife, Ceto, and I need to decide what we should do with you.”
I gulped.
“She is a pretty one, isn’t she, Phorcys? She just might be Angelica’s prettiest creation yet.”
“I quite prefer Jasmine myself. But she is pretty.” Phorcys nodded in agreement, and I shuddered at the way they were talking about me. Did they want to get rid of me, or were they planning to kidnap me?
“Let’s wait to see what Angelica has to say,” Ceto said. “That wretched woman’s probably already figured out some sort of deal she wants to negotiate with us.”
“Why, actually, I have no such deal, Ceto,” Angelica replied, gracefully making her way into the kitchen. I nearly gasped at the sight of her. She was wearing the lowest-cut flowing red dress I had ever seen, along with red velvet heels. Angelica even made Ceto, a sea goddess, look ugly.
“Why, there you are, Angelica,” Ceto said, glaring at her. “We must talk.”
“Ah, we must,” Angelica agreed. “Why don’t we let Jasmine lead this discussion? She is, after all, the one who got us into this mess.” It was the first time I had actually heard Angelica blame Jasmine for what had happened. I wondered if she really thought it was her fault, or if it was all just an act to make herself look less guilty in front of Ceto and Phorcys. Either way, it seemed like she was throwing her ‘daughter’ under the bus.
“Well, Phorcys, you know I’m not a bad person,” Jasmine began. “So, when I saw poor Felicia struggling to breathe under the water, I couldn’t just watch her die. You would have done the same thing, wouldn’t you?”
Phorcys stared at her for a moment, debating the situation. “The only problem I have with your argument is that I have asked this family not to create any more sirens. You disobeyed my wishes. You understand that, correct?”
Jasmine nodded, bowing her head slightly. “I understand, yes. I am so very sorry.”
“Oh, Phorcys, don’t be angry with Jasmine. She’s so young and inexperienced. It’s hardly her fault,” Ceto insisted.
“I suppose,” Phorcys said offhandedly. I glanced up at him and noticed that he was barely paying attention to what Ceto had to say; his eyes were locked on Angelica, who was waving a paper fan in front of her exposed cleavage.
“Really, we should talk about the greater issue here, which is why this one,” Ceto motioned to me, “is still alive. It hardly makes sense.”
“Felicia is very talented,” Jasmine said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if she has some sort of super powers or something.”
“You don’t say?” Ceto asked before turning to me. “What sorts of talents do you possess?”
“She’s a good swimmer,” Jasmine spoke for me. “I think with a few years of training, we could really sharpen her abilities. As it is, she draws more people—but she doesn’t even kill but half of all of the people she lures. That has to count for something.”
“Why, yes, I do suppose it does,” Ceto replied, studying my face. She turned to Jasmine. “Let’s talk more about this. Show me to the powder room.”
Jasmine nodded and linked arms with the woman before leading her away.
Gabby whispered in my ear, “Don’t think that Jasmine likes you now, she’s just trying to talk you up so that they might let you live . . . and her, too. Ceto was talking about killing you earlier.”
“Just lovely,” I muttered under my breath before turning back to talk to Phorcys and Angelica, who had both disappeared from the room while I was talking to Gabby.
“I have to go find Scarlett,” Gabby said. “I’ll be back.” She strolled into the foyer, leaving me all alone in the kitchen. I paced back and forth for a few moments before I decided that I wanted to look for my sister myself. I climbed up the stairs that led to the bedroom.
Once I was upstairs, I heard voices coming from the room across the hall and two doors down from Scarlett’s room. Leaning my head against the door, I found that the voices were hushed, but I could hear them loud and perfectly clear.
“I need you, Phorcys,” Angelica said softly. “I miss the time we used to spend together. And I miss your body.”
Phorcys’ voice, which was normally booming loud, was at a hushed tone. “Why don’t you remind me of all the things we used to do together?”
I peeked into the room through a crack in the door and, as I suspected, I saw that Phorcys was lying on the bed and Angelica was wearing nothing more than red, lacy lingerie. I quickly glanced away, partly because I didn’t want to get caught eavesdropping, but mostly because I was afraid of what I was going to see next.
I didn’t need to see anything next, though. I heard it all loud and clear—the bed hitting against the wall and Angelica moaning loudly.
I thought about George. I really believed that he loved Angelica, somewhere deep down, but here she was, with her former lover. It made me feel sorry for him.
I was about to run away when someone grabbed me by the wrist. I turned to find Ceto glaring at me, her eyes a shade of algae green. “Where do you think you are going?” she hissed at me.
“I—I don’t know,” I stammered, trying to think of something to say, but no words came out.
“That’s what I thought. I want you to witness this, and witness it fully because it is going to affect you, too,” Ceto snapped at me before knocking loudly on the door to the room that Angelica and Phorcys were fooling around in.
“Ceto, I can explain,” Phorcys began. “I couldn’t control myself. She just came on to me.”
“Save it for later, Phorcys,” Ceto snapped at him. She pointed at Angelica. “You trashy little whore. I only agreed to come to your house today because I thought that we could make a bargain with you. I thought that maybe, for once in your life, you would act like a mature adult. But now, I can see that you were only planning to seduce my husband.”
Angelica sat up on the bed, glaring at Ceto. I could tell that she wasn’t happy that she had been caught in action; there was no way for her to deny that she was guilty.
“The bargains are over. The deals are over!” Ceto screamed, and I was pretty sure that I could see her auburn hair standing on edge, as though it were just as angry as she was. “We are going to war with you. We will make sure that none of you—not even Jasmine—lives.”
“Ceto, I think you’re overreacting,” Phorcys said, and the look in his eyes told me that he was still under Angelica’s spell. It was selfish of me, but I hoped that the spell lasted at least a little while longer . . . just so that there was enough time for us to figure out what to do.
“No, I am not overreacting,” Ceto shot back at him. “That woman seduced you! She was planning to use her body to get her way.” She shook her head, her hair standing on edge again. “I won’t have it, Phorcys. I am going to call the Phorcydes to action.”
“Now, Ceto, remember that you can’t do that on your own,” Phorcys said calmly. “Our children need to seek approval from both of us before they can do any harm to anyone. As of this moment, you do not have my approval. I think we should consider other options.”
“Of course you do, asshole. Maybe once you’re no longer around her, your attitude will change,” Ceto snapped at him before storming down the hallway and down the flight of stairs.
I watched as Phorcys sat up and pressed his lips against Angelica one last time, kissing her more lustfully and passionately than I had ever seen someone kiss a person, before he pulled his shirt back on and followed after Ceto.
“Well, that was interesting,” Angelica said, her red-stained lips twisting into a devilish smile.
I gaped at her. “You’re joking, right? You’re probably going to have us all killed.”
“I doubt it,” Angelica shook her head. “Ceto has wanted to have us killed off for years, but Phorcys never allows it. He’ll start to agree with her in another five years or so, maybe. It takes him a while to get over me after he sees me. I just charm him so much.” She seemed pleased with herself.
“I don’t know how you can feel so calm after that. It feels like a death sentence to me.” I shook my head.
Angelica just stared at me. “I’m sorry, but don’t worry, Felicia. I have this all under control.”
As she stood up and began pulling her clothes back on, I asked hesitantly, “Are all kisses between humans and sirens like that?”
“Like what?” Angelica asked, glancing over her shoulder at me.
“Like, amazing?”
“Remember that Phorcys isn’t human, he’s a God.” Angelica smiled. “But, yes, I guess you can say that kisses between humans and sirens are very similar to what you just witnessed. Men are more attracted to us, so of course there is a better physical connection than there is with human women. It’s also partly because of our saliva.”
“Our saliva?” I asked.
Angelica nodded. “Our saliva tastes good to them. Once they’ve kissed us once, they can’t go without kissing us again. Well, they can, but it drives them sort of crazy.” She laughed. “We drive men crazy in so many ways, it seems, doesn’t it?”
I nodded politely before excusing myself from the room. I had to tell Scarlett about what had happened. Maybe she would agree with me that Angelica wasn’t taking this seriously enough—or she would know from past experiences if she was telling the truth and that Phorcys was, in fact, so charmed by her that he wouldn’t let Ceto and the Phorcydes do anything to us.
When I was almost downstairs, my cell phone rang and I pulled it out of my pocket. The caller ID told me that Tyler was calling.
I quickly answered it. “Tyler? I need to know what happened last night.”
A woman cleared her throat on the other end of the line. “This is Tyler’s mom, Molly. I just wanted to let you know that Tyler is in a coma right now. He hit his head on the rocks pretty hard, and they think there’s been some brain damage.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I replied quietly.
“Felicia, I need you to tell me again what happened last night. Did you see Tyler fall? We think that’s what happened—he had a seizure, and he hit head on the rocks.”
“No, I didn’t see anything. That’s why I needed to talk to him about what happened,” I lied. “I was just worried about him and wondering what happened to him.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and I got the sense that Molly didn’t believe me. “Well, we’re just grateful that he didn’t have the seizure while he was in the water,” she said. “He probably wouldn’t have lived through that.”
“Do the doctors know if he’s going to be okay? Is he going to come out of his coma?” I asked. And then it dawned on me; maybe the reason I hadn’t died yet was because Tyler was still going to die. The idea made me feel sick to my stomach knowing what I was capable of, but it would make perfect sense.
I didn’t even want to think about it in that way. It’s not like I hoped that he would die so that I could live. And, more importantly, I wasn’t the one to decide which of our lives was more important than the other. If anything, it’d probably be better if he was the one to live—that way, I wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else again.
“They don’t really know at this point,” Tyler’s mom answered in a shaky voice, snapping me back to reality. “It was very unexpected. The doctors aren’t even sure how it happened.”
I put my head in my hands, trying not to feel too guilty. I could only imagine how upsetting it would be for his mom to know that I was the one who had caused all of this.
I told his mom that I would be hoping for the best and asked her to keep me updated about Tyler’s condition. When I hung up the phone, I found Scarlett and Gabby sitting outside on the patio, whispering to each other.
When I went outside, closing the back door behind me, I asked, “Did you hear what happened?”
“All we saw was Ceto storming out of the house,” Gabby replied, twisting a dark curl around her finger.
“And Phorcys running after her,” Scarlett added. “Let me guess. Angelica had sex with Phorcys, and Ceto caught them.”
My eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“She’s been talking about seducing him for forever,” Scarlett replied, rolling her eyes. “I always had a feeling she’d get caught when she finally did it. Phorcys might always be attracted to Angelica, but he and Ceto are very connected to each other. They’re both people of the sea.”
“Do you think they’ll both just let this go that easily?” I asked.
Gabby shrugged. “Probably. Them wanting to go to war with us is all Ceto’s doing, mostly to get back at Angelica. Phorcys just goes along with whatever she wants . . . sometimes.”
“And Phorcys has major pull over Ceto,” Scarlett added. “She might act like she’s all big and tough, but . . . let’s face it. He’s a sea God. He’s like a calming wave—he’s very convincing.”
I hoped that Scarlett was right—otherwise, I had a feeling that this was a nightmare just waiting to happen.