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Ethan parked outside the ancient second-hand bookstore in one of the quiet back streets of Bannimor. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been here. Books weren’t his thing, although Amber had been, once; big time. Her grandfather, who ran the place, had sometimes given him the creeps. Not that he’d ever admit it to Amber. She’d mentioned something about him having dementia now, and going into a Home. Creepy or not, Ethan wouldn’t wish that on anyone; he couldn't think of a worse way to go, losing your memory.
His own slick, black gaps in that stormy day just two days ago slithered into his consciousness and he grimaced. Someone had stolen those memories. Not okay. ‘Someone’ had to pay for that. Once he found out who.
Amber’s mum’s florist was closed. No one was home at Amber’s either, and he didn’t want to try Jasmine’s. Jasmine’s mother always tried to flirt with him. This was the only other place he could think of trying before... His heart pattered as he imagined Ciarlan Cove, the outcrop of rock, and a beautiful, vulnerable, magical woman waiting for him at the end.
He pushed the glass door of the bookshop open, then flinched as women reached to him from water. Just a picture. Angry at himself, he jerked the glass door away from the image and stared at an old print. He squinted at the women, reaching from rippling water, beseeching. Begging for help, or making trouble? His heart beat a little faster; this was exactly the question he was trying to answer. He tried to scoff at his nerves, but it was just a little too close to his bizarre reality right now. He’d give himself a pass on this one; his nerves were bang on.
“Can I help you?” a short, middle-aged woman rose from her seat behind a small table. There were a few neat stacks of books in front of her, and she held a small book in her hands.
“Er...is Amber here?”
The woman came out from behind the table, beaming at him. “You must be Ethan.”
“Um...yes.” He felt stupid.
“I’m Amber’s aunt, Maureen. I’ve heard so much about you. It feels like we’ve met.” She gazed at him mistily, and Ethan felt suddenly guilty that he wasn’t here as the suitor she seemed to think he was.
“Amber isn’t here, but I think you’ll find her at the pub one street over.”
“She’s at the pub?” he asked, surprised.
“Working.” Maureen chuckled when Ethan’s eyebrows rose even higher. “Surprised me too. She’s all fired up to earn, suddenly.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll look for her there. Is it the Captain’s Arms?”
“No, it’s the other one, the small one next to the corner this end,” she pointed the book she was holding in the direction she meant, and its cover caught his eye. Sea monsters?
“That looks interesting,” he said casually, restraining himself from grabbing it. To his surprise, she flushed with pleasure and held it out to him.
“Thank you!” she beamed again. “Please, take it. I’d love you to have a copy.”
“Uh, thanks.” He hid his confusion, accepting the gift, and saw it was a booklet, rather than a book. It looked familiar. The Legends of Bascath Bay, with an olde worlde type sea on it, with sea monsters and mermaids and other creatures. Where had he seen this before?
“I hope you enjoy it,” she said bashfully.
“I’m sure I will,” he smiled, at last registering that she’d had a hand in the booklet, and she looked delighted.
*
Ethan stopped outside the small old-fashioned pub and noted the name on the sign swinging overhead: The Mermaid’s Fate. Seemed appropriate. Beneath the obligatory hanging flower baskets, there were a few empty bar stools gathered around beer barrels. The inside of the pub was dim, and busier, and smelled of spirits and fried food.
Amber looked surprised to see him, and not altogether pleased.
“Hey,” he greeted her. “Got a break soon?”
She hesitated, then called to one of the other servers, “I’ll take my lunch break now. Is that okay?”
The other server looked Ethan over appraisingly and smirked. “Sure thing. Bring you a drink?” he offered.
“Thanks, Carlos.” She led Ethan back outside.
“Are you old enough to...” he began. She rewarded him with a glare of exasperation and parked herself at the barrel table furthest from the door. Almost at once, Carlos came out with soft drinks and ice-filled glasses for them both. Amber ordered hot wedges for them to share, and he left with a wink at either Amber, or Ethan, or them both.
“Legal enough for you?” she asked tartly, holding up the soft drink before pouring some into her glass and taking a sip. “Why are you here?”
He was used to Amber being prickly, but behind her sulky expression he caught fear, and his irritation softened. “I know you’re probably freaking out.” Amber’s eyes seemed to bulge at the understatement. “I am too. But I feel like we might be the only people who actually know something weird happened with those collapses.”
“News flash,” said Amber, “Everybody knows it.”
“I know that. I mean, someone who knows it was more than the story about what happened. Like, all that talk of a cult on a boat - who thinks up that stuff, right?”
“Skye’s boyfriend,” she muttered tightly.
“He started that story?”
“Not literally,” she tsked, “But if he’s involved, that kind of story would be exactly what he would want, don’t you think?”
Ethan mulled that over. Hunter. He remembered watching him and Skye disappear under the water at Ciarlan Cove and not come up, and shuddered. He had to be like Thea. And Thea had been way too interested in him for just a human. He jolted, shocked at himself for differentiating between humans and...not humans. But if he was...one, how could he leave the water? Was Thea lying about what would happen if she did? He smoothed his frown as Carlos set a bowl of hot wedges and smaller bowls of sour cream and ketchup down for them.
“Thanks.”
“Welcome, my friend,” Carlos grinned.
When he had gone, Ethan said, “What I really want to know is what you remember about that day. And if the answer is still ‘nothing’, then we need to figure out why.”
“Why what?”
“Why no one remembers anything. It’s... It’s freakin’ weird. All the collapses. And the people that turned up in the storm -” he broke off and leaned closer, “Some of them went missing from this village. Drowned, everyone thought. And here they are, back?”
“I know,” she whispered.
“I have the feeling we’re in serious trouble. Danger-type trouble. What exactly do you remember, if anything?”
Amber looked beyond him as if seeing right through the building and the streets to the beach. She swallowed. “I remember fear.”
“Go on.”
“I remember visiting Liam, giving him my grandad's booklet about the legends of Bannimor. You know, the one with Skye’s boyfriend in it.”
Of course. “This booklet?” he tugged the gift from Amber’s aunt out of his back pocket and held it up.
“Yes!”
Ethan frowned. He didn’t know there was a picture of Hunter in it. How did that figure?
“And I remember trying to find Jasmine.” She looked sick. “I don’t think I ever did. I didn’t see her again until she and Harvey turned up on the beach with...with the others.” She blanched.
“Did she say what happened?”
“No,” Amber shook her head. “I think she really has no memory. And I think she prefers it that way.” Amber took a sip of her drink, and stirred the straws around, watching the surface of the liquid. “I feel like something awful happened out there in the water.” She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “I see a picture of people walking out of the sea, but I don’t know if it’s real. I woke up on the floor of Bliss café along with Rowena and Skye’s dad. I felt revolting the whole time at Skye’s lame birthday. So, yeah, never going there again. The sooner I get out of this place, the better.”
“What do you mean?”
“Sun and sand are one thing, but sea and surf?” she shook her head, “Uh-uh, not for me anymore. I’m saving up to get out of here. I’m going somewhere Nice. And. Dry, thank you very much.” She raised her eyebrows at him like a dare. Probably waiting for him to persuade her to stay, maybe to convince her he was a reason she should. But as he looked at her face, the face of someone else, with liquid chocolate-brown eyes and white skin, the loveliest face he’d ever seen, passed in front of it. He caught his breath. She was...incredible.
“Hey!” Amber snapped her fingers in front of his face.
“Sorry.” He blinked back into the present. “Think I checked out for a minute.”
“No kidding! Sorry to bore you with my terror and planned escape from Bannimor” she said acidly, and he grinned. Reluctantly, Amber smiled back, and the face swimming through his mind was easier to ignore.
She leaned forward and took the biggest wedge off the plate. “Look, Queen chip.”
“Do you mean King chip?”
“Okay, Monarch chip,” she dunked it in sour cream and ate it.
He grabbed a handful of wedges and had a sip of his drink.
“So, what do you remember?” she asked.
“Same as you. Nothing. I know I was out on the IRB. I saw you on the rocks. But if you were with me out there, then why weren’t you with me when I woke up?” He felt his hands shake and clasped them together.
“Where did you wake up?” she whispered.
“In the frickin’ water, Amber. Out at Lithus Rock, under water! How could I be unconscious in the water and not be dead?” His eyes stung, and he stared over her head, trying to get his emotions in check. Once again, the beautiful face swam before his eyes and he felt sick for just a moment. But Thea wouldn’t have had anything to do with that. She’d been trying to keep herself alive. He’d seen her bruises.
He felt Amber’s hand on his and looked into her earnest face, and saw with relief that she was on board at last. Two heads were better than his thick one.
“You need to let this go.” Her voice was low but vehement. He felt stunned. “I’ve got a terrible feeling about this. I lost one of my gold earrings somewhere, so I called at Liam’s apartment this morning just in case I dropped it there, and his housekeeper answered. She said he hasn’t been there for two days.”
“He’s a free agent. And why would your earring be in his apartment?” He frowned.
“Missing the point, Ethan! After I saw that drawing of Hunter in Grandad’s booklet, I gave Liam a copy. I thought he’d be interested. Like, it might be a lead. He was obsessed with finding Gina, remember? He really seemed to believe she was out there somewhere. And now I wonder if she was. Or is. What if he’s with her...out there?”
Was she serious? He opened his mouth to argue, but remembered Thea, his own impossible obsession, and closed it again.
Amber shook her head. “Stay away from it, Ethan. Forget everything you can about that day. Nothing good can come from this. Nothing.”
