Alabaster Island

Chapter 7

I made my way around the eastern section of the island. Lost in memory and wanting to be alone, I climbed up between two giant boulders and sat and looked out at the ocean. I still had the melody in my head and it undulated with the waves. 

For the first time I felt at peace with my choice, or more accurately lack of choice. There was no boy I loved the way Mom and Dad loved each other. Kassandra lived alone as did Mayor Marlow. Perhaps I would also. As I walked, my mood improved, and I became somewhat hopeful. It might not be necessary to pair everyone. Perhaps some of us would be left single. 

From the boulders, I headed to the right, along a narrow, winding path. It led behind the Assembly house and avoided the main buildings. Midway, I rounded a turn and stopped short. Ben crouched behind a rock with his buddy Carlson, Chloe's younger brother. Ben had his arm drawn back and with a thrum the arrow released from his bow. It shot toward a rock barely missing two seagulls. They escaped to the sky, crying with fear while Ben reeled the arrow back on a slender, transparent thread. 

"Almost!" Carlson said.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted. Ben stood looking guilty and surprised to see me in this out-of-the-way location. But he recovered, and his usual scowl returned.

"What does it look like? Target practice."

"You can't kill seagulls!"

"Why?"

"You killed Maxie, didn't you?" I stormed toward him. Ben raised his hand in a warning.

"Watch it, I have no clue what the hell you're talking about."

"Have you come to confess your love for us?" Carlson asked. Then he frowned and looked constipated pretending to be me holding a pen. 

"Ben or Carlson...they're both so handsome...I can't decide!" Carlson said in falsetto as he swooned against Ben, holding his hand to his forehead. "Which one! Someone help me chooooose!"

Ben roared with laughter. If there were any two people I had no problem not choosing, it was them. Most kids on the island were sixteen except for Carlson who was fifteen. Shorter than Ben by a foot, they made a comical team.

Ben was sweating hard, and it left his brown hair plastered to his head like a helmet. I grabbed for his bow, but Ben moved it out of reach with a snarl.

"You're pathetic," I grumbled and walked past them. "We'll see what Mayor Marlow says when I tell him." But I doubted I'd get much sympathy. Mayor Marlow disliked me, Ethan and Chloe ever since Daniel died. And Ben brought in most of the fish we depended on during this time of food shortage. Marlow wouldn't deny him what he wanted, even if that meant killing a few seagulls. 

"I bet you even knew," I spat over my shoulder. 

"Knew what?" Ben asked as they followed behind.

"Maxie. That I fed her. My seagull."

"I don't know nothing about it. But someone's in a nasty mood today," Ben teased.

"Go shoot yourself in the eye," I responded. "I hope you do."

I continued walking. 

"Are you following me?" I shot over my shoulder. 

"We're helping my Dad at the dock. If you don't want us walking with you, then you can find another path." Ben said. 

But no other path existed. It might have been possible to take a different way if I didn't mind getting scratched up by a thousand thorns and a million thistles. But not only were we walking in the same direction, Ben walked as close behind me as possible. One thousand three hundred and thirty two, one thousand three hundred and thirty-three. I counted my steps, hoping I'd end on a lucky step and they'd go away. 

One of his feet snagged my left foot, and I nearly fell on step one thousand three hundred and thirty-nine. Rage welled up inside of me. Without thinking I turned and pushed Ben back as hard as I could. Ben was one of the biggest boys on the island. He worked with his father, Cunningham, fishing and repairing their old boat and ancient dock that looked ready to fall into the ocean any moment. Maybe I caught him off-guard, or maybe it was because Carlson stood right behind him, but Ben tripped over Carlson and fell right on his ass, one of his arrows embedding itself in his buttocks.

He let out a strangled scream and tears welled up in his eyes. Carlson leaned to help him. Ben staggered up and Carlson pulled out the now broken arrow. A blood stain appeared on Ben's shorts. He gasped in pain and turned his grey-green eyes dark with a rage that replaced the usual dull anger. Time to leave. I ran home so fast I lost track of the steps and didn't remember if it ended lucky or unlucky. 

Dad wasn't in his bedroom. Climbing the metal stairs to the lighthouse, I expected to find him with Mom, but he wasn't there either. I wanted to tell them about Ben and Maxie. And what happened when I pushed Ben; an accident and not my fault. Out-of-breath, I rounded the eighty-ninth stair, but they weren't there either. 

The lighthouse was tall, but felt taller because it stood on the highest point of the island. Wind whistled against the windows and the structure swayed. I looked through the telescope. 

In the town square, Arav helped his father mend their roof. He stood up, and I watched him trip and almost tumble off. Poor, clumsy Arav. Dad stood in the town square with Mom talking to Marlow. Probably trading sticky buns for mangoes. Then my heart thudded. Marlow pointed up toward the lighthouse and I swore I read my name on his lips. For the thousandth time I thought of the blank slip I'd submitted. Now feeling like a spy and crossing a line, I moved the telescope away from Mayor Marlow and over to the docks. 

Ben and Carlson had just arrived to help Cunningham. Ben had changed his shorts, and I noticed him limp. Further along the shore, Mrs. Davidson sheared one of her lambs with her daughter Jamie. The lamb had its mouth open wide and I could imagine the sounds of her complaining. I scanned past the field into the rockier regions of the island near the ocean. My breath caught in my throat and I paused. A girl I'd never seen before lay in the rocks near the water. 

She had her head angled so I couldn't make out her face. Her hair lay dark, matted and tangled. Look up. I commanded. Often while watching the goings on I'd make mental requests of my fellow islanders: Walk faster or scratch your nose. Naturally they went unheard. But today the girl obeyed my command and looked up. Her eyes were dark, piercing and filled with anger. And I swore she looked right at me. 

There was something odd about her. I rubbed my eyes. Maybe it was a trick of the light? I adjusted the telescopes focus and zoomed in closer. Half of her body was female, she wore a torn t-shirt with unreadable lettering. But the lower half of her body caused my breath to catch. Fins. Scales. Fish. Mermaid. A mermaid? But weren't those creatures gone centuries ago? The Mermaid Curse. I wracked my brain trying to remember what we'd learned in Assembly, wishing I'd paid more attention. Meanwhile, she continued to stare. I drew back from the telescope, heart pounding.

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