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After Switzerland, we went to Ireland, where we spent two nights with Claire. A few red curls had escaped her voluminous ponytail, and her pale face was covered in freckles. Kind wrinkles hugged her eyes. The loose skin on her neck probably meant that she was a lot older than Melissa and Roisin. She was a genuinely nice person and the corners of her mouth pointed upward the whole time.
Roisin and Claire spoke in Gaelic while Melissa and I took a walk with the two dogs. They were huge dogs! Jacky and Pixie, two Great Danes who liked to smell every pebble and root along the way. What a nice countryside! Green hills, wherever you looked and old-fashioned looking farming houses here and there.
Once we returned to the house, we made ourselves comfortable in the living room.
“I love being back in Ireland. It will always feel like returning home.” Roisin held her hands over her heart.
“Who knows, maybe you will move back one day too.” Claire smiled.
“It will be different, though, when everybody I once knew will be dead. It has been eleven years. I’m not the same either. Plus, I like my life the way it is at the moment. Then again, no landscape will ever manage to make my heart melt as the Irish Hills do.”
Jacky barked a few times in a low baritone, as if to confirm that. Pixie had her head on Claire’s lap enjoying the head rub she was getting.
“True, this sight never gets boring, and I can surely sing a song about that, having been here all my long life. I would never want to leave.” Claire’s eyes sparkled. Sometimes, it was a bit hard for me to decipher her heavy accent. Therefore, I was a bit startled when she suddenly addressed me. “How do you feel about leaving Switzerland, Nathalie?”
“I can’t imagine how it will be to live anywhere else,” I answered truthfully. “I don’t want to give up my friends and my family.”
“This hasn’t been easy for any of us. But I know that you will be fine. Roisin was young too, when she was changed, and look how she manages. You are even younger, and it seems like at that age, girls find it easier to come to terms with the new abilities they have. They are even excited to start a new life.”
As fascinating as all this was, the real excitement had to reach me yet.
“You have really done a great job so far.” Roisin gave me a punch in my upper right arm.
“Thanks.” I shrugged.
We visited a pub and listened to the fiddlers and singers. The Cliffs of Moher were our next stop. It would have been a three-hour drive away, but we did it all on foot. I could see that this fast walking could bring quite the advantages.
Two days later, we took off. There was only the blue of the Atlantic Ocean ahead of us. I was a bit nervous. If there was one thing I absolutely hated and was lousy at before I was transformed, it was jogging. It wasn’t that I didn’t do any sport; I was in the swim club. But floating on water is very different from jogging a mile.
“Did a Siren ever drown while crossing an ocean?” I called over to Roisin. The waves were quite loud. The reason we didn’t sink on the waves was that we were moving so fast we were barely touching the water.
I heard her laughing. “No, why, it’s not that long for us. Easy as peas.”
“This is incredible!” I exclaimed. “As far as I look there is water. No ship, no nothing. And I can be here thanks to my own body power.”
“Get used to it. You can go anywhere in this world as long as there is nobody there from your old life, who might recognize you.” Melissa called.
We reached North America at Nova Scotia four hours later and then continued to the US. I still couldn’t get over the fact that I had run across the Atlantic Ocean.
Roisin then left us to go to her own flat and Melissa and I slowed down outside a small town on Cape Cod.
The house that became my new home was beautiful. It was one of these typical American houses with a brick walk leading to the white wooden porch. There was a hammock on the porch in which you could enjoy lazy afternoons on hot days. The siding was painted white as well, finished by a cute bluish-gray roof. It looked perfect against the background colors. A savory green from the grass, sandy brown from the beach and a glistening blue from the ocean. Behind the house, facing the ocean was a small terrace with a table and some chairs — a heavenly place for a BBQ evening.
The house wasn’t big, more of a beach cottage than an actual family home. But I had my own room, with a simple single bed, a desk and a few pictures of shells and beaches on the wall. There only was one bathroom, but I was used to sharing a bathroom anyway. In addition, from now on, I only needed the bathroom to brush my teeth, shower and look into the mirror. I hadn’t used the toilet since my transformation.
Inside, the walls were also white, except for the kitchen which was painted in a soft yellow, giving the illusion that the kitchen always seemed to be flooded with sunlight. In the living room, almost a whole wall was covered by a bookshelf. I would finally have the time to catch up on some classics, which I’ve been meaning to read but never found the time for.
The rest of the cottage, Melissa had nicely decorated with more pictures of shells, cozy chairs, and a big couch. The house created a daily vacation feeling.
“So, where is your husband?” I wondered since we were alone in the house for the first two days.
“In the Library, I assume,” Melissa answered.
“You assume?”
“There’s no cell reception. It’s a special part of the New York Public Library. You wouldn’t find it if you didn’t know that it was there.” Explained Melissa.
Sounded like an interesting place.
“Luke spends a lot of time there researching. He wants to find a way to make it possible for other men too, or at least, find out why it works for him.”
When Luke returned, Melissa fell around his neck. they hugged and kissed for what seemed an eternity. Then, they whispered to each other. When I already thought that they had forgotten about me, they finally turned toward the house and walked up the rest of the driveway hand in hand.
My first impression of him was that he was strikingly handsome. Without batting an eyelid, I studied his broad shoulders, light brown hair, and strong chin. There was nothing odd about him except that it wasn't bright enough for the need to wear sunglasses on this dull morning. He walked straight up to me and shook my hand.
“Hello Nathalie, I’m Luke.”
I smiled politely.
“I hope you like it here. The two of us have been isolated long enough; it will be a nice change to have a new addition to our household. Did you settle here ok?”
“I think so. Or, I’m probably still settling. At the moment, it still feels like a vacation.”
“It’s a nice spot here, right?” He showed another broad smile. “I often have that feeling too.”
Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to enjoy this holiday for long. Melissa and Luke had something different in mind for me. We were sitting outside on the deck chairs on my fifth day in Cape Cod when they announced their plan to me.
“Nathalie, since your new birth certificate states that you are only sixteen, you couldn’t have possibly finished high school yet. Thus, it’s time for you to join the 11th grade here,” Melissa said.
“What, come on? I know I have to do something.” I breathed for air. “But couldn’t I get a fake diploma and go study psychology somewhere anyway? I’m through with high school.”
“It’s important to finish High School. It gives you time to find some perspective and that has never harmed anybody.” Luke said.
“But the year has already begun! I don’t know anybody and will automatically be the freak. We could at least wait until next year, and I attend 12th grade like I would have in Switzerland,” I reasoned.
“We think that school would do you good. A daily routine will make things easier for you.” Melissa underlined.
“But these kids are younger than me. That’s as if I had to go to school with my sister.” As much as I loved my sister, I took a certain pride in doing everything before her.
“Younger by one year. You won’t even feel the difference and fit right in.” Melissa said again, and Luke nodded in agreement. He could at least have been on my side in the beginning.
I became exasperated with Melissa. “I won’t make friends with anybody.” It was one thing to make me move here but to make every major decision about my life for me wasn’t fair. I missed my mom more than ever at this moment.
“That would be a pity. Everybody needs friends. Or do you want to end up being as bitter as Cathy?” Melissa hit the nail on the head.
So, under a few more words of protest, I accompanied Melissa into town to go shopping for folders and pens. We went by bicycle and I liked it because it demanded some effort. Walking somewhere, even if it was half around the world, came very natural to me. To get anywhere on Cape Cod was over so quickly that I had too many hours to my days, plus, I didn’t use up any of my energy. I felt like an overcharged phone that needed some relief – to be used. On free afternoons during my first month at the Cape, I rode up and down the bike paths. I visited the closest towns and waved to passing cars and neighbors who walked their dogs. Sometimes, I caught myself thinking that all this was a language exchange and in a couple of months, I’d fly back home. But then, my family and I would have been in contact regularly. Needless to say, now any path of communication was as dead as they thought I was.
As Melissa and I rode into Orleans, a new wave of vacation feeling washed over me. It was as if we visited some cute town that didn’t pay any attention to the fast-changing and big cities around it. There was one beautiful house after the other. All of them had hand-painted signs on which you could read what you could find inside the shop. No big chain store was to be seen. We parked our bicycles in front of ‘The Paper Factory’ and left them there without locking up. When we entered through the door, a bell announced our arrival. At the entrance, there were several stands with handmade cards. The counter was full of little knick-knacks you could place on your desk. Throughout the shop, several shelves were stacked with pens and books.
“Oh, hello Mrs. Belkin, how wonderful to see you back in town,” An elderly lady addressed Melissa.
“Hello, Mrs. Flynn. I know, I don’t make it here often enough, but work is always so busy.”
“Yes, I guess people always get sick, don’t they?”
Melissa smiled politely.
Mrs. Flynn’s glance wandered from here to me, and she eyed me curiously.
“This is my daughter, Nathalie. She spent the last few years in a boarding school in Germany.”
“Oh, I see,” Mrs. Flynn’s eye brows narrowed in confusion. “You must be glad to have her back then.”
“Yes, we are, very much.” Melissa put an arm around my shoulders. “She will attend the rest of high school here because we want her to have an American diploma.”
“This makes sense, you never really know what you get so far away, I assume.” She pressed her hands together and started kneading her fingers. “I’m trying to recall, where I must have seen you before,” She said more to herself than to us.
“Could we have some school supplies?” Melissa asked quickly.
“Oh, of course.” The lady brushed her hands over her apron. “We have binders and folders in all colors, and over here you can see all the writing utensils we have.”
We walked to the shelf and Melissa started to pick out a few things and handed them to me.
“I think that should be enough for starters. Any color preferences?” She asked me.
I decided to take everything in an elegant black. Maybe, I would paint some ornaments on it with whiteout. I used to do that on all my school material at home. Might as well start again.
After we had paid for the supplies, we returned to the bicycles and Melissa leaned toward me.
“Everything that happens in this town gets discussed by everybody. So, the latest by tonight, everyone will know that my daughter has returned and that there will be a new girl at school tomorrow,” She said, only for me to hear.
“And that is a good thing? I don’t like to be discussed before anybody has even met me,” I said.
“If many people repeat that Luke and I have a daughter who has spent a few years abroad, they will believe that it’s actually true.”
I became aware of two quickening heartbeats in close proximity to us. They belonged to two construction workers on the other side of the road. They were about my real age and just gawking at us. When they realized that I had seen them, they quickly exchanged a few words and then one of them whistled at us. I was too perplexed to show any kind of reaction. Melissa noticed my petrification and then followed my glance to the guys.
“Ah, yes, you will find out that guys start to look at you differently. You should take it as a compliment.”
I shook my head in bewilderment. They kept looking at us as if we were animals behind bars. Suddenly, the street seemed too exposed of a place to be standing. I swung my leg over the saddle to get ready for taking off.
“I haven’t thought of that in regard to school. This might actually become kind of a problem with all these boys in puberty,” Melissa laughed.
I growled. “I don’t find that so funny.” The pure thought of it made my legs feel shaky. I wasn’t used to people staring at me or even noticing me.
“You might have to get used to that now. On the other hand, I am sure that you will find friends quickly.”
“Don’t worry; I’m not planning on integrating myself too much.” I missed my friends at home.
“I hope you will change your mind. Otherwise, you will perhaps get bored if you are only always in our company,” Melissa said.
As we biked off, I made a point in turning my glance as far away from these guys as I possibly could. Nevertheless, I could still feel their eyes burning on my back.