insistent pleas. I sto rmed back up to my dad ’s apartment , frustrated that he was still putting me off despite the fact I’d proven myself capable . Doctor Permala was checking my father’s arm dressing, and I saw him wince with pain as she pulled some tape away.
“Hey!” I rushed to his side, “Take it easy!”
She startled, and looked up at me with surprise.
“Marina, the doctor is doing a great job,” he nodded his encouragement at her, and I could see her regain her composure and relax, turning back determinedly to the task at hand. He cast me a reproachful look.
“It looks painful,” I observed.
He sighed, “Don’t you think it’s time you got back to school?” he asked gently. “There’s no reason for you to be missing out on so much.”
I felt like I was being dismissed, and the doctor’s nervous eyes met mine. I looked at her with narrowed eyes. This was all her doing. She was the one Fatima warned me about, and here she was, trying to come between me and my father. I got up and sto mped out of the room.
When I came slinking out of my bed room a few hours later I found him resting quietly, alone. He seemed distant, so I picked a book from the shelf and curled up in a chair alongside him. We sat silently together, until I looked up and caught him watching me.
“You know, the older you get, the more you look like your mother.”
I was surprised that he brought her up, and after a few minutes I couldn’t resist asking, “Dad… did you know that she… that she went back– back and forth between the land and the sea– when she was carrying me?”
He looked paler than ever when he closed his eyes and answered, “Yes.”
I sat up in the chair, shocked. There was no point in telling him my theory about my enhanced abilities being due to it. He didn’t know that Evie was a hybrid like me, nor was he aware of the fact that we possessed any special muse powers.
“Did she know that you knew about it?”
He nodded, drawing a ragged breath as he opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, eyes unfocused. I watched as he dragged the murky depths of his painful memories.
I leaned forward, grasping for the smallest detail, “What did you do?”
He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
I pressed on, “What did she say about it?”
He looked at me with fresh agony in his eyes, speaking quietly, “She didn’t want to stop… But when I found out, I made her promise…” His voice trailed off.
“Promise what?” I asked intensely.
He turned his head away from me as his voice grew thick with emotion, “I didn’t know… I didn’t realize...”
This was the most he’d ever spoken about her, and I took his hand, “You couldn’t have known what would happen… It wasn’t your fault.”
He shook his head, “You don’t understand… I could feel her slipping away, and… and, I begged her not to take you away from me…” A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye and splashed onto the pillow.
“Dad–”
“She swore she wouldn’t leave me alone.”
I took a moment to let in sink in. Did she know what it would mean for her to stay when she made her fateful decision? I knew how difficult it was to tear yourself away from the carefree bliss of swimming free in the ocean , to give up the unimaginable strength and freedom. It was hard to conceive how she summoned the will to go back and forth between the two worlds.
My eyes filled with tears, and my throat tightened, “She loved you more than life itself.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have said it out loud.
His face twisted with pain, and he turned his head away from me.
Just then, Doctor Permala walked in. She took one look at my father and her black eyes flashed with outrage.
“Miss Vanderpool, may I have a word with you?” she asked in an icy tone.
“Can you give us a minute?” I snapped at her. She cast me a warning glance and disappeared down the hallway.
“Dad, listen to me,” I said, groping for the words to explain .
“Hey!” I rushed to his side, “Take it easy!”
She startled, and looked up at me with surprise.
“Marina, the doctor is doing a great job,” he nodded his encouragement at her, and I could see her regain her composure and relax, turning back determinedly to the task at hand. He cast me a reproachful look.
“It looks painful,” I observed.
He sighed, “Don’t you think it’s time you got back to school?” he asked gently. “There’s no reason for you to be missing out on so much.”
I felt like I was being dismissed, and the doctor’s nervous eyes met mine. I looked at her with narrowed eyes. This was all her doing. She was the one Fatima warned me about, and here she was, trying to come between me and my father. I got up and sto mped out of the room.
When I came slinking out of my bed room a few hours later I found him resting quietly, alone. He seemed distant, so I picked a book from the shelf and curled up in a chair alongside him. We sat silently together, until I looked up and caught him watching me.
“You know, the older you get, the more you look like your mother.”
I was surprised that he brought her up, and after a few minutes I couldn’t resist asking, “Dad… did you know that she… that she went back– back and forth between the land and the sea– when she was carrying me?”
He looked paler than ever when he closed his eyes and answered, “Yes.”
I sat up in the chair, shocked. There was no point in telling him my theory about my enhanced abilities being due to it. He didn’t know that Evie was a hybrid like me, nor was he aware of the fact that we possessed any special muse powers.
“Did she know that you knew about it?”
He nodded, drawing a ragged breath as he opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, eyes unfocused. I watched as he dragged the murky depths of his painful memories.
I leaned forward, grasping for the smallest detail, “What did you do?”
He squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
I pressed on, “What did she say about it?”
He looked at me with fresh agony in his eyes, speaking quietly, “She didn’t want to stop… But when I found out, I made her promise…” His voice trailed off.
“Promise what?” I asked intensely.
He turned his head away from me as his voice grew thick with emotion, “I didn’t know… I didn’t realize...”
This was the most he’d ever spoken about her, and I took his hand, “You couldn’t have known what would happen… It wasn’t your fault.”
He shook his head, “You don’t understand… I could feel her slipping away, and… and, I begged her not to take you away from me…” A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye and splashed onto the pillow.
“Dad–”
“She swore she wouldn’t leave me alone.”
I took a moment to let in sink in. Did she know what it would mean for her to stay when she made her fateful decision? I knew how difficult it was to tear yourself away from the carefree bliss of swimming free in the ocean , to give up the unimaginable strength and freedom. It was hard to conceive how she summoned the will to go back and forth between the two worlds.
My eyes filled with tears, and my throat tightened, “She loved you more than life itself.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have said it out loud.
His face twisted with pain, and he turned his head away from me.
Just then, Doctor Permala walked in. She took one look at my father and her black eyes flashed with outrage.
“Miss Vanderpool, may I have a word with you?” she asked in an icy tone.
“Can you give us a minute?” I snapped at her. She cast me a warning glance and disappeared down the hallway.
“Dad, listen to me,” I said, groping for the words to explain .
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