Derrolyn Anderson - [Marinas Tales #1] - Between The Land And The Sea by Derrolyn Anderson Page B

down to the ship several times but had no luck spotting her again. The three of us drew closer, bound by the knowledge of our shocking secret. I fretted about the fact that I alone could hear her and it piqued my curiosity; now I had to find out more about her.
    We usually spotted the surfers on our mermaid hunting expeditions, and I couldn’t help searching for Ethan among them. I was more curious about him than ever, but now I had mortifying memories of being plucked from the sea like a drowned rat to dwell on. He and Megan had lots of classes in common over the years, and I coaxed some information out of her, trying not to be too obvious. I knew she was aware of my interest, but she mercifully stopped teasing me about it so much.
    Like me, Ethan had been raised by a single father, and I knew it was foolish, but somehow I felt like I knew something about him, something personal. He lived down by the harbor in a row of apartment houses that looked out over the sea. His father ran a charter boat, taking tourists out fishing, whale watching and on sunset cruises. Ethan was an expert surfer who competed in local surfing competitions and had won several. I gathered that he was a hard worker, for in addition to running the market stand on Sundays he managed our landscaping as well as the yards of a few of our neighbors.
    Megan said he had seriously dated a popular senior girl last year who had broken up with him when she was accepted into an east coast college. She theorized that this had broken his heart, since he hadn’t dated anyone since. I kept thinking about the tall mean blonde. She certainly seemed very interested in him.
    The more time I spent in Aptos, the more elaborate my oceanic dreams grew. I didn’t tell Megan and Cruz about them because they almost always included Ethan. I began to have dreams we were surfing together, which was about the least likely thing I could imagine myself doing. I was surprised at how quickly thoughts and images of him had wormed their way into my subconscious mind.
    I sent my dad a few e-mails informing him I was fine and telling him how much I liked Aptos. I wanted to put his mind at ease while he was working so hard. He had written back, describing village life and his living situation. It sounded pretty primitive, and I had to admit I was glad that he’d sent me to live with Abby and Cruz. The now familiar smells and sounds of the ocean agreed with me, and my morning beachcombing had become a pleasant routine; I was starting to feel like I had lived here forever– like I belonged.
    I slept in on the last day of freedom before school was scheduled to begin, rising late to a bright sunny Sunday morning. I peered out my window to see Abby practicing yoga in the garden. It looked like a nice day to be outside. I dressed and went to the kitchen for some breakfast.
    “Hey sunshine, wanna go to the farmers market this morning?” Abby said cheerfully as she came in through the back door.
    “No thanks,” I said, shy about the prospect of coming face to face with Ethan. The last time I had seen him I was puking my guts out and fainting. I flushed with shame when I thought about it.
    “You could thank Ethan for saving your life,” she said slyly. She did have a point about gratitude.
    “Would you do it for me? I mean, just tell him I really appreciated his help,” I pleaded, looking up from my cereal, “He must think I’m such an idiot.”
    “Marina, you didn’t see how worried he was when he brought you home,” she said chidingly, but when she looked into my stricken eyes she softened, “Don’t worry honey, I’ll let him know.”
    When Abby left I cleaned up the kitchen and wandered out to the beach. Cruz was working and Megan was back-to-school shopping with her mom. I was on my own.
    The beach was always crowded on Sundays, and since this was the last day before school started it was particularly busy. I picked my way through the umbrellas and beach towels crowding the dry