Surfacing - Book One in the Swans Landing Series

Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of the wind rushing through my hair and the spray of the water caressing my skin. Under me, Lake’s boat rumbled through the water while the sun began its climb into the purple morning sky and the steady flash of the lighthouse swept toward us.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Dylan called to me over the sound of the motor.

I nodded and opened my eyes to stare into the pale orange sunrise. All around us was water and my body thrilled in being surrounded by it. I had not been too happy about getting up before the sun had risen, but the invigorating feel as the salt seeped deep into my lungs made up for it.

Sailor sat on the other side of the boat, glaring at me whenever Dylan looked my way. He sat close, despite the fact that I kept edging away from him. Every now and then, he would brush his hand against mine and give me a smile, like we shared a secret between the two of us.

I knew I needed to tell him about Josh. Kissing Dylan had been a mistake. I’d been too confused and upset to even think about what I was doing that night.

But I wouldn’t do it in front of Sailor. I’d save that for the first moment we got some privacy.

When we reached the blue buoys in the water, Lake cut the motor, let the anchor drop, and then the boat glided gently to a stop nearby. His boat was as ragged and decrepit as his Jeep, with rails covered in rust and paint that had long ago faded and peeled off. It was small, and we sat crowded together on the old wooden seats. Three big plastic tubs filled the rest of the boat, empty for now. The boat was Lake’s pride and joy, judging from the affectionate way he had patted it when he first showed it to me that morning.

Apparently, I needed lessons on how to be finfolk. At least, that was the excuse Dylan had given me when he’d woken me up an hour ago. I suspected that maybe it was really his ploy to get me to spend some time with Lake. Why Sailor had come along, I didn’t know, except that maybe being tormented was part of being finfolk too. We were out here to swim and gather Lake’s crab pots before the three of us had to go to school.

“Ready to swim?” Lake asked. We had not spoken to each other since our talk the day before. I didn’t know if his sending Dylan in to wake me that morning was an act of giving me space or cowardice.

Sailor peeled off her jacket and pants, revealing a bikini underneath. She stripped down bare on her bottom half, obviously not shy at all in the presence of onlookers. Lake, thankfully, jumped into the water first before removing his pants and tossing them back onto the boat. I wasn’t exactly a prude, but I would need to be eased into this part of finfolk life gradually.

“Can you control when you change?” I asked, watching Sailor dive into the water.

“Somewhat, once you get the hang of it,” Dylan told me. “You can never fully control it, you will always change once you’re submerged in saltwater, but you can learn how to delay the change for a few minutes to allow yourself time to take off your clothes.”

I shivered when I looked over the side of the boat, remembering the excruciating pain I’d felt when my body had metamorphosed into finfolk form. The thought of going through that again wasn’t very appealing.

Dylan had taken his jacket and shirt off. His hands were on the waistband of his pants when I sat back down, gripping the railing tight in one fist. “What’s wrong?” he asked, moving to sit next to me.

My teeth chattered, though not entirely from the cold breeze. He slipped his arm around me, pulling me into his side. His embrace felt so comforting, like I could be protected from anything bad as long as he was around.