Chapter Five

We meet Jack ^^

“Are you going to tell the boss man about today?” Chelsea asked after I dropped her off at her apartment. My window was rolled down and carried the weight of Chelsea’s elbows on top of it. Her face was incredibly close to mine, and I could smell the liquor on her. A dark, spicy, strong whiskey scent lingered on each breath she took.

Chelsea was still a good friend to me, even though she didn’t act like it today. I didn’t want to choose work over a friendship. I sighed.

“I swear Chelsea, I will tell him next time it happens again. Don’t make me do that.” My voice was hard, and I hoped she got the point. I probably wouldn’t tell David if she did it again, but she just looked so pathetic back there. I didn’t want to see her like that again.

“All right.” She mumbled briefly. And just like that, she nodded and headed off toward her apartment.

No “Thank you so much Lylie, you are a great friend”, or “I owe you big for this, lying to the boss could cost you your job, and I appreciate the risk you are taking”. Aggravated, I backed out of the parking space and drove out of the apartment complex.

“This goes without saying that you shouldn’t ever act like that at SeaPark.” I commented to Meredith.

“I kind of figured that one.” She replied, smiling.

We rode in silence after that. It wasn’t until I heard a strange gurgling noise that I spoke again. “Was that your stomach?” I chuckled.

“Yeah,” Meredith said, blushing. “Forgot to eat breakfast today. I was … in a hurry.”

I was curious to why she stumbled over her words, but I figured if she wanted to tell me why she was late, she would have already done it.

I checked the clock on the dashboard. “It’s way past lunch. Do you want to get something to eat before we go back to work?”

“Sure.” She said. “I’m kind of low on cash, hence trying to get the job, do you want to eat at my house?”

“What?” I asked, surprised. Was she going to cook for me or something? I laughed at the thought. Meredith didn’t seem like the cooking type.

“My brother Jack is home from culinary school. He’s a great cook. I swear he can make you anything you want. You name it, he can do it.” She spoke with fondness and pride. With the sound of her voice, I could tell that they must be close.

I raised my eyebrows at the absurdity of going to this girl’s house and have her brother cook a meal for me. But, we were already out and I didn’t want to make Meredith spend any money that she didn’t have. I could have paid for her meal, but she probably wouldn’t have liked that.

“Okay. This is definitely a first.” I laughed. “Where do you live?”

The entire trip took about forty-five minutes. Garret was going to kill me. By the time we ate and drove back, our shift would probably be over. Meredith had quite the drive to do to get to SeaPark; surely she could have found some job openings that were closer to her home.

I pulled to a stop in front of three very large and very expensive looking garage doors. My eyes widened at the house in front of me. “I thought you said you were low on money?” I asked as I let out a breath.

“I am.” She said as she opened the passenger door to slide out. The house was huge. Like, three stories high huge. It could probably fit five of my houses inside comfortably. The house was painted gold with a light brown roof that looked like the same ones only Californians seem to have.

Meredith took me on a paved sidewalk that led towards the front of the house. Tall, crystal blue windows framed the entire front of the home every foot or so. A vibrant green lawn stretched out an acre in front of the house, gradually sloping into a lake. A shiny black jet ski drifted slowly against their dock.

I followed her as she walked up the three steps to get to the porch. Two giant white columns supported the roof of the porch, but otherwise there wasn’t really anything else on the stone floor. Not even chairs.

We walked inside the home, and I was suddenly assaulted with the smell of freshly cut flowers and feminine perfume. The walls were pale pink like the inside of a sea shell, and the floor was made up of bronze colored wood. Large, abstract paintings filled the hallway. They had to have cost a fortune. I felt like I should be sipping champagne in an art museum rather than walking in someone’s home.

“This is really … something.” I said in awe.

Meredith smirked, but otherwise didn’t say anything. She led me down another hallway and entered the kitchen.

“Make yourself comfortable. Jack is probably upstairs. I’ll be right back.” She told me before slipping out a different door.

I leaned against the counter top, taking in the beautiful kitchen. It was either a housewife’s ultimate dream in here, or a sexy bachelor pad, I couldn’t decide which. I didn’t really know anything about cooking, but this kitchen seemed like it had every utensil and appliance ever made. Juicers, grinders, blenders, knifes of all different sizes, and small little oven things were all decked out in chrome silver that seemed to be the dominate color in the kitchen. The gleaming silver dishwasher, refrigerator, and oven matched everything else in the room. The counter tops were black and smooth with white tile against the walls. Several LED lights were underneath the cabinets, making the whole place look edgy and modern.

Curiosity got the best of me as I headed towards the cabinets. There wasn’t any kind of handle on them; how did they open? I slipped my hand underneath the smooth white surface and lightly pulled. When that didn’t work, I decided to push it. Ah hah! It opened. I can’t believe Meredith has such cool cabinets.

“May I help you Ms. …?” I quickly spun around, embarrassed at being caught playing with cabinet doors in a stranger’s home.

“Thorne. I’m Lylie Thorne.” I said quickly. She has a maid too?

The petite women looked like she was in her early sixties and wore a long black dress with a simple white apron. Her hair was graying and was pulled back into a tight bun. “I’m a friend of Meredith’s.” I clarified when she still gave me a wary expression.

“I’m happy to see Meredith bring home some friends. May I get you anything Ms. Thorne?” She smiled kindly, gesturing towards the refrigerator.

“Oh, no thank you. Her brother is going to make us lunch.” God, could that have sounded any more weird?

A knowing smile crossed the maid’s face as she nodded. She then left the room, leaving me alone in the grand kitchen.

Moments later, I heard Meredith make her way towards the kitchen. My mood instantly perked up, and I felt much more relaxed as I watched her enter the room.

Following her was a tall man with boyish dark hair. Deep blue eyes met mine and a sense of calm washed over me, which was strange because Meredith’s brother was very attractive. If anything, I should have been nervous and giddy like a little girl with a crush. He smiled politely at me. His dark eyes flashed against his pale skin.

“Jack, this is Lylie Thorne. She works at SeaPark.” Meredith said, gesturing towards me. “Lylie, this is my brother"”

It suddenly hit me so fast, I almost didn’t have time to react. There was a reason I was suddenly feeling calm and comfortable around her so called brother.

Before Meredith finished her introduction, I flung myself in front of her, shoving her hard out of the way. Too many years of training instantly kicked in as I faced this new threat. “Run, Meredith!” I yelled.

Jack was a Crave. A deadly combination of human and Nymph created only for one simple purpose: killing Sirens.

“What the hell?” Jack asked warily, holding his hands up in the air and taking several steps away from me.

“What are you doing, Lylie?” Meredith demanded. Why wouldn’t she leave? I didn’t want her to stick around being caught in the middle of an ancient immortal feud.

I tensed my body, waiting for Jack’s first move. He seemed to be on the defensive side. Probably acting ignorant just for the sake of Meredith. Once she left, I knew he’d attack me. No Crave could resist a Siren’s call. He’d fight me to the death. It’s what Nymphs created them for.

There were twelve of us in the beginning. The fierce Protectors of Lumina. Slowly, one by one the Nymphs picked us off using their most deadly weapon: Craves.

There are only three Sirens left on this planet, and I wasn’t about to make that number drop to two. I’ve never lost a fight before, and I wasn’t planning on it now.

“What’s the matter with you? That’s my brother!” Meredith said angrily.

“He most certainly is not your brother, Meredith.” I said through my teeth, never taking my eyes off of Jack.

“Well, yeah … he’s adopted. But, what does that have … just stop, okay? I’m going to call the police.” She threatened.

I sighed heavily. Of course, human law enforcement would complicate things. I missed the simple days where we took care of our own problems and didn’t involve the police. I reluctantly relaxed my stance and stood up straight, watching Jack. He had a wary expression on his face as he stared me down. Why wasn’t he attacking me? It didn’t make any sense.

Just to be sure, I decided to brush his mind. ...the hell? Are these the type of people Meredith works with? She’s kind of hot, but a complete psychopath. I guess I should call the cops…

I stood there completely dumbfounded with my mouth hanging open. “So you’re not … I mean you don’t even know…” I couldn’t even begin to finish my sentences.

Jack was a Crave all right. The fact that I could read his thoughts proved so. I can’t enter a human’s mind or any other land animal.

But, Jack didn’t have any murderous, raging desires to tear my limbs from my body, like a Crave’s normally would. He has absolutely no idea what I am. I don’t even think he knows what he is. How is that possible?

“I am so sorry.” I said sincerely as I held my hands up in a truce. I felt incredibly stupid as I took in both of their disturbed expressions. “I thought you were someone I knew… someone who is supposed to be in prison.” I lied through my teeth. Hopefully my genuine embarrassment was enough to make them believe me.

Incredulous stares met mine, and the elderly maid suddenly walked into the room. She was wearing a stern expression and frowned at me. I wasn’t about to get this sixty year old women all worked up. I didn’t want to be responsible for a sudden stress-induced heart attack.

“I should probably go.” I said sheepishly. Once again, I held my hands up in a sign of peace.

“Yeah, you probably should.” Meredith agreed, imitating my voice with a snarky attitude. She had a disgusted WTF look on her face as she watched me retreat. I nodded awkwardly and spun around to head out the door.

“It was nice to meet you too, Lylie Thorne.” Jack called after me. I turned to see him smirking after me. He propped himself up against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. Was he challenging me? Smug because I backed down from a fight? I frowned and tuned in to his thoughts again. ...too bad she’s bat s**t crazy. That blue hair… sexy. Why is she looking at me like that?...

I blinked and focused my attention elsewhere. Without words, I headed back towards my car. I was proud of myself; I only got turned around once on my way back. When I was in the safety of my Wrangler, I let out a huge breath.

Meredith’s adopted brother was a Crave. Which means, he has a Nymph parent. One that apparently abandoned him when he was younger, or maybe they just didn’t explain the rules to him.

I’ve never left a Crave alive before. It’s not that I particularly enjoyed doing that, but usually they were all so determined to kill me, I didn’t have any choice. Everything I did was in self-defense.

Nymphs and Mermaids have been at war for as long as I could remember. Nymphs were very strange creatures. They were mystifying with varying powers, immortal, and had the ability to shapeshift to a certain degree. Nymphs are deeply bonded to certain locations like rivers, forests, lakes, and deserts. They are forever bound to that particular biome when they commit to one. Once they are bound, it’s nearly impossible for them to leave. They physically become one with their environment, and their surroundings become a literal part of their essence. Because the ocean is the largest aquatic environment, it has always been the most coveted location for Nymphs. Mers of course already claim the sea and are extremely territorial. They don’t take too kindly to sharing.

As for Sirens, we were the illegitimate offspring of Nymph and Mermaid. Mermaids and Nymphs hooking up is practically unheard of, but it happens, obviously. A complicated infusion from our Mermaid side gives us the cruel desire to absorb human energy, have increased strength and speed, and a long scaled fin in the water. And then there’s our Nymph side, one that allows us to shapeshift, have immortality and a few select magical properties.

Every Siren has a different distinct magical ability as well as Craves. I can communicate telepathically with sea creatures and Nymphs. I can also hypnotize humans. It’s harder than mind reading, and screwing up can leave the recipient brain-dead if I’m not careful. I don’t really practice hypnosis anymore. I only do it in emergencies.

My sister, Chloe, can physically manipulate water. Using a telekinetic force, she can twist and bend any kind of liquid containing water to her will. It can range anywhere from diverting rain drops from hitting her, or creating angry waves that crash towards the shore. Riptides are her favorite way to drown mortals.

Tiresias’ gift is impressive. She specializes in weather. She can create electrifying lightning storms out of thin air. She can manipulate and create rain, snow, hail, sleet, lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, and cold fronts; this woman is supremely powerful. Unlike Chloe and me, Tiresias’ magic uses an extreme amount of energy for her to use. Summoning a simple rain storm can take her several hours to recover. Something as big as a hurricane will take her a few days.

I guess the magic evens itself out. However, I definitely feel like I got the short end of the stick when it comes to having deadly powers. Mind reading isn’t all that helpful in a fight. But it does have its uses, even though I’m limited to a certain audience under the sea and apparently magical beings.

My mortal life has been very calm for several decades. I know I’m talking about this heated, ancient rivalry between Nymphs and Mermaids, but in reality, there hasn’t been a Nymph sighting in over a hundred years. We thought they had simply gone extinct. They didn’t really bother us anymore, and the Crave numbers were declining tremendously back in the eighteen hundreds. Craves were not bound to any one location and could walk freely wherever they chose. That freedom along with unparalleled magic was what made them so deadly to Sirens and Mers. Nymphs mainly wanted Sirens to be eliminated because we were considered to be an abomination and an embarrassing reminder that one of their own betrayed them to be with a Mer. Kind of petty, really.

I had to side with the Mermaids, unfortunately. I was raised by one. My Nymph father was never in the picture.

A sudden vibrating noise pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced down at my cellphone in the cup holder and read the text from Meredith: Why r u still here?

I tilted my head and saw an angry girl glaring at me from a second story window. “Sorry.” I mouthed to her as I backed out of her driveway and headed home.

Meredith’s brother has thrown a wrench in my otherwise happy mortal life. A Crave roaming around meant that there was a Nymph somewhere. This news was big. It was my duty to protect the Mers and Queen Atargatis at all costs. I definitely couldn’t keep this information to myself. Tomorrow, I’d have no choice but to go to Lumina. A clueless Crave wasn’t something that I knew how to deal with, but the Queen of the Sea would.

Reviews

[Daydreamer54]

Talk about an akward encounter! i was feeling so bad for Lylie wnem Mredith's brother was oblivious to what she was talking about. i hope she an smooth tings over with Meredith. XP. I look forward to reading more.

[Strigoikillerr]

haha yeah, Meredith and Jack were like WTF?!

Thanks so much for reading all of my chapters ^^

[Daydreamer54]

ur welcome. I enjoy reading them!