The Mermaid's Mirror

Chapter 5

After breakfast, Lena dragged her backpack over to the kitchen table and started pulling books and folders from it. She frowned down at the pile of homework. Something was missing. Spanish, Algebra II, History, English... Where was the—? Lena opened her backpack and peered inside at the empty space. She looked at her books again. Everything seemed to be on the table already. She'd left her Biology book at school, but that was because she didn't have any Bio homework. Hmm. She shrugged and tossed her backpack to the floor.

Lena's cell phone chimed with a text from Pem:

Want to go to the mall?

Lena hit Reply and texted: Yeah call u later.

She plodded through a half hour's worth of homework before Cole came into the family room—which adjoined the kitchen—and turned on the TV, locating a football game. The sound of cheering crowds and sports announcers filled the room.

I need a break, anyway, thought Lena, and she gathered up her books and papers to put in her backpack. Where's the—? She shuffled through her papers a few times, then shook her head. Where was what?! It was driving her crazy, the feeling that something was missing.

"Is it okay if I go to the mall with Pem?" she asked her mom.

"Did you finish your homework?"

"Mostly. I have some reading to do."

"Okay. Is Kai going to be there?"

Lena tried not to roll her eyes. "Mom, Kai isn't with me twenty-four/seven."

"I'm just asking."

"He's not going to be there. Can you take us, or should I ask Dad?"

"Ask your father. He's upstairs in his office."

Her dad was tapping away on his laptop at the big oak desk. Lena went to stand behind him. She admired the Chinese dragon tattoo on his left forearm, with its intricate green scales, and the yin-yang symbol on his right shoulder. Although she couldn't see them, she knew her name and Cole's name were inked above his heart.

"Hi, hon," he said.

"Hi. Could you take Pem and me to the mall?"

"Sure. I have to go out pretty soon to run some errands, anyway."

"Thanks." Lena went to stand by the window. She stared in the direction of the ocean, even though only a tiny slice of it was visible from here.

"You've been remarkably quiet about your birthday this year. I thought the Sweet Sixteen was supposed to be a big deal."

She didn't answer for a moment. Sweet sixteen and never been kissed, she thought. That was almost me. "We don't have to do a big deal," she said.

"I take it you'll be wanting sushi from Miso on Main for your birthday dinner, as usual."

"Yes, please." Lena loved sushi anytime, but especially on her birthday.

"How many people should we order for?"

"I don't know. Eight? Ten?"

"How about sixteen?"

She smiled at him. "No, I don't want a big crowd."

Her dad made an expansive gesture. "You only turn sixteen once. Now, what about presents? I know you said gift cards are fine, but I want to get you something special."

She gazed at the distant glimmer of the ocean. I couldn't ask for a better opening. "Actually, Dad—"

"Yes?"

"There is one thing."

"Great! Tell me."

She hesitated, looking into his beaming face. "I was hoping—"

He waited.

"That this year—" She swallowed and said, "That you would let me take surfing lessons."

Her dad's smile disappeared.

Lena's heart bumped. Oh, no. She moved closer to the desk, gripping its hard wooden edge. "Or if, you know, lessons are too expensive ... maybe you could teach me." She heard the tremor in her voice and winced.

Her dad stood up and crossed the room. He paced back and forth, finally coming to a stop in front of the same window where Lena had stood. She imagined him staring out at the sliver of ocean, just like she had.

"No," he said. "I'm sorry."

Her shoulders sagged. "But Dad—"

"You know I can't, Lena."

She took a deep breath and held it for a moment, to keep her response inside: No, I don't really know that. "Okay," she said. "What about lessons? Kai's sister said she—"

"No."

"What? Dad. Come on. It's not fair! Do you know how it feels to splash around in the water like a little kid while your friends are out surfing? Or worse ... to sit on the sand watching them? No, you don't, because you learned to surf when you were, like, Cole's age! Which, by the way, don't you think he's going to want to surf someday, too?"

Her father didn't answer.

"Dad. I know you had a bad experience—" She stopped and tried again. "I know you're worried that something might happen to me, but I'll be super-careful."

Still no answer.

Lena was breathing heavily. The longer her father stood at the window, the angrier she felt. "Aren't you even going to answer me?"

Her father turned to face her, and his eyes were chilly now. "Yes, Lena, I'll answer you. The truth is that I've been thinking."

She lifted her hands. "About?"

"I've been thinking that my new job in the city is going to mean I spend a lot of time commuting from now on. Forty-five minutes each way. Longer if the traffic is bad."

Lena blinked. What did this have to do with surfing?

"And I've been thinking. That's an awful lot of time away from my family."

Lena frowned. "Yeah, but you knew that."

"Too much time, I think." He sat down heavily behind his desk.

Lena looked at his slumped shoulders, and had a terrible understanding of what he was saying. She began to shake her head.

"Maybe it's time we moved closer to the city," said her father.

Lena couldn't answer, just kept shaking her head. An aching lump filled her throat. Finally she said, "Leave Diamond Bay?"

He nodded.

"Just because I want to learn to surf?!"

"Not because of that."

"Then why?" Tears slid down Lena's cheeks.

Her dad put his hand over his eyes. After a long moment, he said quietly, "I don't think I ... we ... can go on living here anymore."

"But this is our home. Why would you say that?"

"We could get a lot of money for this house. We could start over somewhere."

Lena stared at him. "I don't want to start over," she said, and headed for the door.

She stumbled down the stairs, hardly seeing where she was going.

I'll live with Pem, she thought. I don't care what he says, I am not leaving Diamond Bay.

"Is Dad going to take you to the mall, honey?" asked her mom.

Or I could live with Martha. Or maybe Leslie, thought Lena, walking past her mom and out the back door.

"Lena? What's wrong? Are you crying?"

As she headed toward the beach, Lena's mind raced. Even Kai, she thought. It might be weird, but his parents would probably let me stay there.

By the time she reached the narrow beach path, Lena's tears had slowed. At the sight of the sea, relief flooded her body. Lena walked across the sand and into the knee-deep surf, letting the waves wash away her fears.

After a time, she became aware that someone was saying her name.

Her mind felt curiously empty, except for a wordless little song that was playing over and over ... It was very soothing, combined with the sound of the ocean in her ears. The counterpoint of the foghorn added a note of longing to the melody.

The sound of her name grew more insistent. Someone touched her shoulder. Lena blinked and looked around.

She was seated on the dry sand, which was warm and gritty beneath her, although she didn't remember sitting down.

Her mom was squatting next to her, a look of fear on her face. As Lena's gaze focused, her mom said, "Oh, thank God." She put a hand to her chest. "Lena, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Sure. Why?"

Her mom continued to stare at her for a long moment before she answered. "I've been calling your name from all the way back there." She pointed back to the beach path. "Then I came right up to you, and you didn't seem to hear me. You—" The expression on her face was strained. "...were humming. Your eyes were open, but you acted like you were in a daze, or something."

I wish I could remember that song, thought Lena. It was gone from her mind.

"Lena." Her mom's grip on her shoulder tightened. "Honey!"

"What?"

"You're scaring me. You're not acting like yourself."

"I'm fine." There was that phrase again. Lena spread her hands out in the sand, running her fingers through the soft grains. It's weird that I don't remember coming over here and sitting down, she thought.

"Okay," said her mom. "Let's get you home. I'm going to call Mum." Grandma Kath was her mom's mother, and a nurse-midwife. Whenever there was a minor illness in the household, Mom always called her first. "What happened? You were crying when you left the house. Dad said the two of you had words."

Lena's gaze came back to rest on the sea. "I'm not leaving," she said. "Dad said he wants to sell the house. I don't really believe him, but if he does..." She looked steadily at her mom. "I'll move in with one of my friends. I'm not leaving Diamond Bay."

A series of emotions swept across her mom's face before she finally said, "Of course not, honey."

"Why would he say that?" cried Lena, tears threatening again.

Mom pulled her close and patted her back. "Shh, it's okay. I don't know. Your dad ... he gets overwhelmed, sometimes. He worries about ... us."

Lena relaxed under her mother's touch, but she heard the slight hesitation in her words. It sounded like she'd been about to say, "He worries about you."