A Love So Deep

Chapter Two

-Three Years Later-

   "Erika!"
   My eyes flew open to the sounds of my grandmother's voice, calling me down to breakfast. I sighed for reasons unknown and sat up in bed, not at all ready for the start of the day. Something I'd never had a problem with until now.
   My life has changed dramatically three years ago. Just a year after attempting to go on a cruise that didn't go as I'd intended, my parents went on a boating trip with a friend-and never returned. I stayed out every night by the shoreline, waiting for their reappearance to come back to me that Stoney night even after the authorities had called it a "fatal accident" and pronounced them "dead" with no evidence of the boat or it's passengers.
   To keep me from going to a foster care or the state, my grandparents took me in as guardian to their one-story house with two bedrooms and an attic. I resided in the attic part of the house, my mother's old room. It consisted of the usual-a bed, lamp and nightstand, dresser and a full length mirror. No pictures hung on the walls, all bare, easily responding with my feelings of bleakness. The only pic I held was a photo of my parents and I in a frame on my nightstand. A time when I was happy, a past I couldn't forget.
   Nova, my mother's ten-year-old German Shepherd-stretched and walked over to the side of my bed, putting her head on my comforter as she sat, her almond brown eyes looking at me. I reached out and stroked her silky brown head. Ever since my mother's passing, she had searched for her, always longing at the door, waiting for her to come in cheerfully. Now she followed me and watched, as if she'd made it her preoccupation and duty for the rest of her life, to guard me and protect me as my mother's last dying wish. Like she took it upon herself that I was her responsibility.
   With a usual dread that had become my now unnoticeable constant companion, I got up and went to the door of my room, opening it to call out "Be down in a minute!" and got myself dressed.
   After the loss of my parents, I'd pretty much shut everyone out, except my grandmother. I no longer touched the water as I'd done in happier times and my "artistic talent" had died with my parents. I used to draw and sketch for hours when I couldn't go swimming, filling up a notepad within a week for so. Now-like all of my past-it was locked away in my memory.
   Not wanting to keep my grandmother waiting a moment longer, I pulled on a quick pair of jeans and a shirt with a light jacket, putting my hair back in a messy ponytail. "C'mon, Nova," I encouraged and she trotted out of the room ahead of me as I grabbed my backpack before closing the door.
   "I thought I was going to have to come and get you," Grandma Tia said as I plopped down in my seat at the small table. She came over and placed a plate of flapjacks in front of me, the warm syrup put to the side to allow the amount I wanted. Nova's food and water was set right beside me, as she had become to where she wouldn't eat unless I was present.
   I patted her back as I said, "I'm sorry. I would've helped make breakfast," I intoned as she sat down by me with her own plate.
   "Oh, you know little ol' me," she said. "Gotta keep my mind as busy as a bee."
   Ever since Grandpa passed away last year, she and I both had felt a longing loss. Sometimes I'd catch her staring out the window or watching something and I'd see her gaze grow distant as a memory would come over her. My grandpa had been what some called "crazy" because he'd had an obsession with anything related to merpeople. I never could understand what all the fuss was about, like being obsessed with diamonds or tv shows was any different. But I always enjoyed listening to his tales and the fun he showed me on the books he owned-shelved all neatly in the living room and dusted frequently still. He's even shared stories of my mother as a child-and although he liked my dad, he always called him a "land-lover" when his back was turned.
   All memories of joy destroyed by a deadly twist of fate to darken a person's life and change them forever.
   Sometimes I'd catch Grandma Tia watching and I couldn't decide if it was from just curiosity and caring to see how I was doing or remembering my mother as a child, as I was always told by both my grandparents that I was  a close likeness to her. They always called me "Little Erika" as a nickname and I'd always called her Granny Tia since I could talk. But Grandma and I could hold on through the mess as long as we had each other.
   "Erika."
   I snapped my head up to look at her, not realizing that I'd cut my pancakes into pieces and was sliding them across my stripes plate, uneaten.
   "Please don't play with your food," Grandma scolded, looking at me.
   "Sorry," I muttered quickly and stuffed a stack into my mouth, trying to chew it all without choking on it.
   She looked at me with a small smile, her look saying that I shouldn't have done such a big bite without the words.
   I grabbed my glass of milk and took a gulp, clearing my mouth of its contents. The next bite I took was smaller.
   "How'd you sleep?"
   I glanced up at her without comment, taking another bite. Sleep was slim, as it had been for three years now. I guess that happened when you truly loved or missed someone.
   "That bad, huh? Me, too." She took a delicate bite of her breakfast before speaking again. "So, are you going to prom?"
   I stopped chewing, staring at her.
   "Well?"
   I swallowed. "Grandma, you know I don't go to anything like that. No one would take me anyway." Not including the fact that is shut everyone out to not get hurt-but they'd done it to me in the first place after my parents died.
   She seemed to shrug nonchalantly. "That doesn't matter. It's a new age and I've known plenty of girls who have went to such parties alone."
   "I don't even have a dress," I tried. I suddenly wanted out of this growing discussion.
   "Perhaps we could go shopping," she said, brightening at the idea. "Just you and I on a girls day out. That would be nice. When is it again?"
   I had to get out of this-and I couldn't be rude to her doing it. So, I took another bite and glanced at my watch, drawing my eye wide. "I gotta get going! I'll miss the bus!"
   She seemed confused at my exclamation, as she knew I already dreaded school every five days a week. Personally, I couldn't wait until my senior year was complete, including everything from the yearbook and prom itself. Once I was done, I'd stay home with Tia until I'd have to get a job to help out-or I'd live somewhere no longer near the ocean. I'd sort of lost my care for it.
"Well, then, don't forget your lunch," she said.
"Got it." I grabbed the brown bag off the countertop, swooped in and got my backpack and came back, kissing her on the cheek. "Thanks for breakfast. See you later, Granny Tia." I ruffled Nova's neck fur with a "See you soon, Nova" and exited the house.
   We lived in La Jolla, a hilly seaside within the city of of San Diego, California, twelve miles north of Downtown and surrounded nearly on all sides by ocean bluffs and beaches. There about seven miles of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean with a mild climate. So, you won't expect snow much unless the Global Warming took a turn on us. While we lived in La Jolla Heights, a line of houses on hills, frees of business, it overlooked our beach, La Jolla Shores. Along with a coastal beach, it was a residential area, with small shops and restaurants, and having Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus. It was a place I had enjoyed, but I'd changed in three years and all the ocean brought me was heartache and grief.
   The bus finally began its approach and I waited, dreading the load of rowdy kids that might be on it today. If I'd had a car, it could be avoided, but that wasn't in the cards right now. Granny Tia had a silver Pacifica and Grandpa's mid-size pickup she encouraged me to take, but I couldn't bear it if she needed it in my absence or I wrecked it.
   The yellow bus gave a loud hiss as it stopped in front of me, and a second later the double doors squeaked open. I have the driver a nod, to which he returned-though he looked sort of grimmer than usual, possibly due to a wild card on the bus. I moved directly down the aisle, finding myself in the backseat and ignoring any who stared or acknowledged me.
   The ride seemed to last forever, but we soon arrived at La Jolla High School. It wasn't like most schools with just a long strip of a one- or two-story building. It had several buildings, one the main being a two-story, each being depressed into separate areas like a college campus. It was all sandstone concrete with a red Mexican-style roofing with sidewalks and trees lining areas within the small areas of green yard-except in a drought. Palm trees were the most noted of trees in So Cali-at least when I really looked. About the biggest of the buildings was the large pool across from the road and the parking lot. It was gated, but it was a pool you could use year round as long as you got permission from the school. I did at my  other schools.
   We passed the sign with "Home of the Vikings", standing just above the iron fence and I glanced back to see the coastline becoming foggy as we drew farther away from it. Now I had to prepare for my departure off of the bus, entirely dodging everyone the rest of the day until I returned home.
   Once we stopped, I waited until everyone shuffled off of the bus, the hull shaking slightly with the hustle and bustle. Once they cleared out, I made my move and glanced around before I got off the stairs.
    I didn't wish to see anyone, especially one in particular. My arch nemesis-Zachary Williams. Perhaps it was too strong a word, as he was just a bully and enemy to me, but somehow along the way, he'd come to disliking me for reasons unbeknownst to me. I'm sure he'd tainted any others that attempted to be my fiends, but at least he couldn't fool my granny-or Nova, who would take a chew out of him I didn't quite doubt.
  Just as I imagined such in my head and wishing something that would give me slight pleasure, I heard a taunting voice say, "Well, well, well. Taking the rickety ol bus again."
   My pace automatically ceased and I caught sight of him just off to my right by several feet. He was lanky-one you couldn't think of being a bully, but they ran in all shapes and sizes-with black hair that was curly. His eye color wasn't something I really wished to find out, but they were always aflame in loathing when he caught onto me. But his voice was an odd one to me; sometimes it has a sort of note to it, like the quacking of a duck. And he was far from any puberty on that subject to his voice change.
    My swallow was loud to my ears as I tried to not meet him at eye level. My hopes at avoiding had been slim, but every once in a while, I didn't have to see him. But today wasn't one of those days.
    "What? Can you still not afford that car, Eeekie?" He put emphasis on the nasty nickname he's bestowed on me. I just remained mute. "Or is it just the gas that's not cheap enough for you?"
   Laughter erupted and the one loudest in the set was Amber Mullians. She was captain of the cheerleading squad and Zach's girlfriend. More on-and-off in most cases, but I really didn't care. Her hair was long and a luscious brown, her eyes green emerald; with flawless complexion that a queen would envy. Although Zach was my main enemy, she wasn't left out of my list, always laughing at what he did to me and trying her own kicks when she got the chance. Her eyes were as ferocious as a panther and her nails were like claws to match-including her mouth.
   "Ha-ha!" she shrieked with a high-pitched squeal. "You are sooo funny, Zach!"
   At the moment, I felt like I could barf and turned, moving quickly toward the school entrance to my locker as their heckling continued on. I struggled to hold back the oncoming of tears, as I didn't want him to see the success he'd gotten out of it. I used to be able to handle him with everything he did to me, but after all the pain I'd gone through, my strength had been lost with it and now . . . I was numb, but still human. And I couldn't fight anymore. I was completely broken.
   Once my locker was open-holding onto the door in the event someone hit it and shut it and smack me with it-I grabbed everything I needed for my first class and glancing at my watch to find that I had five minutes before the first bell, I shut the locker and hurried to the girls' restroom. I locked myself into a stall and let out a breath, shaking my, leaning my head against the cool metal door.
   "You can do this, Erika," I whispered aloud to myself. "You can do this."
   But I was so tired of this. Everyone thought me poor because I lived alone with my grandmother. Which was completely untrue! Constant jeering and laughing at me as I tried to keep everyone away from me, some looking at me and whispering as I passed; the avert of a gaze or body as if I had y plague. I wondered if I should've stayed home today.
   "No!" I slammed my hand against the door, rattling the lock. "Don't give him the satisfaction! Do not let him think he's won! He's only using my weakness against me! You can do this!" I gripped the top of the door frame tightly, my knuckles turning white. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to regain my composure that was barely there to begin with. I had to put up my wall, my void. "I can do this."
   After one more deep breath with my eyes closed, I opened the stall and exited just as the bell rang loudly for the beginning of my first class.