Chapter 2: The Offer

Noah

Around 30 minutes later, I walked into my uncle’s seafood diner, and slumped into the nearest booth by a large window overlooking the boardwalk. Throwing my gym bag to the floor I peeked outside the window and I saw a sliver of the cove down below. The outdated 50s style diner had few customers, because the citizens of Harmonia Cove were at the boardwalk enjoying the end of summer festivities. I saw Maya’s Father, my uncle, talking to a customer sitting on the red bar stools at the counter. He looked in my direction for a few seconds to acknowledge that he knew I had arrived safely. I heard the sound of Maya’s platform-heeled boots walking across the linoleum-tiled floor and set a glass down on the table. She slid into the booth across from me, her freshly straightened pink hair falling gracefully to her collarbone. When I saw her face, I knew what she wanted to ask, but I spoke first to delay the inevitable. “You look nice tonight. Must be some cute girls at the cove.” 

“First, I know I look nice,” she effortlessly tossed her hair behind her shoulders. “Second, don’t try to pretend I don’t know what is going on.” Maya said as she took a sip from the glass on the table that I thought was for me. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, reaching for the glass to drink it. While I was talking, Maya started searching through her bag. After swallowing the contents in the glass, she pushed a mirror close to my face. I stared into it. The whites of my eyes were pitch black. I looked away. 

“When was the last time you slept a full night?” She asked. I saw her staring at me from my peripherals. 

“You know, that shirt clashes with your hair. Have you tried wearing—”

“When was  the last time you ‘ate’, Noah?” 

That shut me up right away. I expected Maya to notice but I didn’t think she would ask in a public setting. When I looked at Maya, I must have been wearing the answer on my face because her eyes softened. 

“I know it's not something you enjoy doing, but you know you have to, right? I don’t want to see you lose control again.” Maya said the last part so quietly I almost didn’t hear her. 

“Fuck, Maya, I know. It’s…it's just…” I trailed off because I knew what I had to do. Being half-human didn’t exempt me from having to do what sirens do naturally. It wasn’t that I haven’t felt the urge to eat something bloody. Eating live fish made me sick. I usually fought the thoughts long enough to forget the feeling of ripping through the fish skin and scales, but not long enough where I started to lose control. Never that long. The first time Maya saw me lose control, I promised her she would never see me like that again. 

My thoughts came to a halt when I felt the twist of the bones in my legs. Leaning against the booth, I clenched my fists and felt my claws scratch the palms of my hands. My head found the smooth surface of the table. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Breathe Noah. You will not shift in this diner. I closed my eyes and swallowed hard. “Maya,” I whispered,  struggling to control my breathing,  “I’m shifting.”

 Maya swiftly jumped into action and proceeded to drag me into the back room of our family diner. I heard my uncle say something, but I had to concentrate on not shifting. The pain from the sudden shift was all I could feel. When I heard the door swing shut, I lunged toward the freezer where the diner’s fish was stored. My legs started to lose their feeling, as if I was floating. My body begged to be surrounded by water. My thoughts were consumed with hunting prey. Eating. Killing. Frozen fish wasn’t as helpful as fresh fish, but it will have to do. I grabbed the closest tray of fish and started to rip into them. I felt the cold blood smear on my hands and face. The bones and scales of the fish felt like jagged rocks in my mouth. I swallowed and continued to the next. I didn’t stop until I felt the pain of shifting ease away. 

I looked down at my hands and saw a massacre. Fish scales and bones laid on the cold blood around me. I was glad my hands were numb from holding the frozen fish, so I wouldn’t have to feel the stickiness of the blood on my hands. I looked around and saw blood splattered on the freezer doors. I shut my eyes to avoid seeing it. Breathe Noah. With my eyes closed, I became more aware of the blood dripping from my face. I started to tear up from frustration, still not believing I partially shifted twice tonight. I wrapped my arms tight around myself and focused on my breathing, hoping that my tears would help wash away the blood. 

————————————

I blinked once. Twice. Where was I? My legs were sore. They always were after shifting. It was colder than I remembered. The freezer. I stared into a void, pretending none of this was real. That seemed to be the only way I could mentally deal with this situation. The blood on my hands, face, and clothes were dried. My vision was still blurred when I attempted to look around the back room and freezer. The floating feeling was slowly disappearing. I should begin to feel human again. Human? That was funny. Do humans sit in an opening of a freezer for hours covered in the blood of the animals they had just eaten? I don’t think so. Maybe alive is a better word, but was this living? I had been trying to figure that out for the past year. The smell of my situation motivated me to wash away the caked blood on my face. 

Once I cleaned myself, I closed the freezer door and headed out to the diner. Sitting by the entrance was my uncle, Samuel. I must have inconvenienced him having to wait for me to get my shit together. “Sorry unc,” I said while fixing my damp bangs, trying to avoid eye contact. He walked over and placed a kind hand on my shoulder. 

“You don’t have to apologize.”  He squeezed a little then let go of my shoulder and grabbed his keys from his pocket. “People are still partying outside. Try and have a little fun. Maya said there are lots of attractive people down at the cove.” He said with a slight laugh.

“Thanks, Uncle Samuel,” I said. “I’ll try my best.” His face was a little relieved when I looked at him. 

Taking a deep breath, I summoned whatever bit of confidence I had at the moment and walked out the door. The boardwalk always looked pretty this time of year. The shops lining the boardwalk were decorated with typical summer accessories. Some sea shells here, some dolphins there. Very typical, but the tourists loved them. 

While walking down toward the cove, hearing the loud music awakened the extrovert in me. I started craving human touch to confirm that I existed in this world, that I was alive. When I reached the rocky shore, the party was dying down. Most people were pairing up to spend the night with someone. I scanned the crowd to see who looked the most fun. Then I saw him, the strange Underwood from the pool locker room. He was standing with an Underwood I recognized from social media, Robyn, he was a few years ahead of me in school. The family appearance was striking. Robyn and the unknown Underwood looked so similar they could have passed as twins. Where had this other guy been hiding? Was he a secret Underwood? Interesting.

 I began to walk toward him with my newfound confidence. We made eye contact. I was about to call for him when I was interrupted by someone grabbing my arm. When I turned around, I saw my current summer hook-up, Aiden. His short,  golden curly hair  was sticking to his forehead from being out in the water. When I looked at him, I realized that he was shirtless. Suddenly, Aiden was a lot more interesting than the strange Underwood. I reached up and pushed his hair back so I could appreciate his face. If I was looking for someone to hold me tonight, he would be more than willing. 

He grinned at me when I wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands found my waist and lifted me to walk to a more private location, behind a pillar under the boardwalk. He wasted no time kissing me while lifting my shirt. I felt his soft touch on my body as his hands slid up my back. With his arms wrapped around my body, and his lips on mine, I was human. I opened my mouth to enjoy more of the sensations. When I tasted his tongue, I realized the situation I was in and pulled away. 

“You’re drunk,” I said against his lips. “You know I don’t like doing this with drunk people.”

“And what about what I like?” Aiden said, trying to pull me closer.

I pushed him away. “This is not  up for discussion,” I said. “I’m leaving.” 

“Everything has to be on your terms, right? It’s always what you like. What about me? You never asked me what I want.” 

“What are you talking about, Aiden? We were just doing something you wanted.” I said, getting annoyed. 

“No. You wrapped your arms around me first.” Aiden said, his words starting to slur. “Have you ever thought that I want to keep you company without doing anything sexual? Sometimes I want to be friends without the benefits attached.” 

“Friends?” I chuckled. “Just because we went to the same schools throughout our life doesn’t make us friends.” I saw the hurt and anger in his face when I said the last part, and I almost wished I hadn’t. 

“I’ve been trying all summer to get to know you, Noah!” He stepped away from me. “Every time I ask questions to learn more about you, you brush them off. I’ve been around you long enough to know you’re not yourself around me. It’s almost  like you don’t want anyone other than your cousin and her weird friends to see who you are.”

“Calling them weird is a little mean, don’t you think?”

“That is not the point! I want to be friends! I want to be more than friends, but you’re not letting me.” 

“Well, I can’t be friends with someone who thinks my friends are weird,” I said, now upset that he could say something like that to my face. He was way too drunk. “You’re drunk, Aiden. Maybe this arrangement was a mistake on my part. I assumed we both knew what type of relationship this was, what kind of relationship this was always going to be. Some people are my friends, and some people can have sex with me. You have to choose because you cannot be both.” 

“Have you never thought about wanting more? Are you going to spend the rest of your life having casual sex?” Aiden asked, now sounding sadder than previously.

“Why not?” I answered casually, thinking about how to get out of this situation. 

“You’re going to end up alone.”

“Oh no, that would be the worst,” I scoffed.  

We stared at each other for a while before Aiden walked away without saying another word. Leaning against the pillar, I closed my eyes to keep from crying, but I cried anyway. 

Rain

I followed him. What if he thought I was creepy? Or a stalker? He was arguing with his boyfriend. I think? The conversation looked tense. Should I wait? Maybe I should try again on a different day. No. It wasn’t easy sneaking away from Robyn. My family has been treating me like a live bomb for the few weeks since I returned home. It was impossible to be alone for more than a few hours before someone in my family checked up on me. 

His boyfriend was leaving now, but he looked drained. It must have been an intense conversation. Now was my chance. If I didn’t try asking now, I was going to regret it later. Noah was still behind the pillar, so I nervously walked over with my phone in my hand. He was leaning against the boardwalk pillar with his arms hanging at his sides. A mumble came from his direction. I assumed he was saying something, but being outside at night was not the best scenario for reading lips. The wind, the music, and people were not helping either. My hearing aids amplified all the sounds in my immediate area, so I took them off when I arrived at the cove. Unlocking my phone, I showed him the pre-typed message: 

Hi. My name is Rain. I know this is weird, but do you mind going scuba diving with me? I believe that there is something I need to find somewhere near one of the islands. Will you be willing to help me? You don’t have to answer now. You can think about it. Just let me know. And can you use the phone to reply? Or do you want my phone number? 

Another low mumble came out of his mouth, but I recognized no words. His face was dimly lit by the light from my smartphone. I saw that his eyes were wet. Was he crying? Did I interrupt a personal moment? What am I doing? I pushed my phone in his direction to urge a reply. He looked at the device and then back at me and took it from my hands. Noah’s hands were cold and dry, which seemed unusual since it was a warm summer night. Weird. He typed a short message and gave me my phone back:

Hi Rain. Can you leave me the fuck alone?

I stared at the message without knowing how to respond. I needed to think of something that would get Noah to at least consider the offer. I typed quickly and showed him the screen:

I can pay you. Please, I need your help.

Lots of mumbling this time. Getting embarrassed, I pulled my phone away. I typed another message:

Can you please respond using the phone? I don’t have my hearing aids on.

I shoved the phone in Noah’s direction and turned my head to calm my nerves. Feeling a tap on my shoulder, I turned and saw Noah looking at me. His facial expression looked apologetic. He placed my phone in my hands then he walked away. Why would I think this would work? 

I promised myself that I would try. What more can I do? A light flashed near me, I looked in the direction it came from; it was my older brother Robyn. He reached out and hugged me hard and pulled me out from under the boardwalk and into the moonlight. He signed to me. 

“Where were you? I thought—” 

I grabbed his hands so I could stop the sentence before he finished whatever paranoid thought he had. The worry on his face started to disappear when he realized I was okay. He smiled weakly while wrapping his arm around my shoulders. We walked back into the direction of our car together. I looked down at my phone and saw an extra message written by Noah: 

I’ll think about it.