House Of Gold

Chapter 40 - Mermaid Blood

Olivia thought about everything else except for what she was doing.

She could hear screams above, crashing and clinking. She wondered if she was saved. If James was up there, killing the people who had done this too her. If Fergie and Bones and Andy were fighting their ways through the ship, looking for her.

She thought about Peter and Aiden, wondered if they were asleep. Did they think about her too, sometimes? Did they miss her? She wondered if Bailey had noticed she was gone. If she was freaking out. Did Brett know? Had Baily called him?

Keeping up a steady stream of thoughts and questions, she managed to keep her panic at bay. Denial was a powerful thing -- if she simply decided this wasn't happening, then suddenly, it was not.

She wondered about her classmates, and what they would say if they found out she was a pirate now. If senior prom had already passed. She almost smiled, thinking about bringing James to the dance in full pirate getup.

But it wasn't enough. Reality kept getting back in. In quick flashes, she could feel his hands on her, the muggy air on her exposed skin.

Keep thinking . . . She thought about Robin, about how kind he had been to them. How lucky she was that he had been there.

Reality, again. Araya's hot breath on her shoulder, tears clawing at her eyes.

She could not believe this was happening to her. None of it. Pirates, ships, treasure, sex, blood. This was not her life. Olivia wanted to scream and push the captain away from her, jump off the Encantador and swim ashore where she belonged. Thinking of sinking under the waves, she grimaced and dove back into her own mind. She couldn't think about how far in over her head she was, or she would drown.

"Olivia!"

She squeezed her eyes closed. Shut up, shut up, shut up. If Olivia could hear the voice, that would mean she could hear him breathing, too. Hear the screams above them, the creaks of the bed springs. So she sealed her eyelids shut and emptied her mind of this place, this time.

Instead, she was on the beach back in Galveston, looking over the ocean with ten year old eyes. Watching her older brother dive beneath the waves. The afternoon sun glinted off the glittering water as she wondered if Brett was telling the truth; could he really breathe underwater? Did she have mermaid blood in her?

Her hands brushed over the sheets. Olivia wretched herself back into the memory.

Her hands brushed over the soft sand, grains fine as flour sifting through her fingers. Olivia called to Bailey, asking if she would help her build a sandcastle. Bailey said no, but Brett said he would.

An involuntary moan pushed out of her throat, intruding on that beach afternoon so many years before. Olivia squeezed her eyes closed tighter.

A scream of delight jumped out of her mouth, joining the cries of the seagulls as her brother scooped her up, tossing her high into the air. The water broke around her, slapping her back, her arms, her legs, pulling her under, wrapping her in a silky blanket of salt.

Tears poked at her eyes. Olivia felt one spill over. Her hands weren't available to wipe them. Oh no, oh no, she thought. Stop thinking about it. Stop.

Salt burned in her eyes, persisting no matter how many times she blinked. Tears of laughter and ocean water painted her face as she tackled Brett, crushing their sandcastle beneath them. He pushed her away, yelling that he'd race her to the water.

"Olivia!"

She was treading water, slowly running out of energy, sinking out of memories, back into reality...

"Olivia, please--"

And then the pain, worse than anything she'd felt before, invaded every corner of her mind, filled her with a silent scream that felt as if it would burst inside of her and leave her scattered in pieces across the sea. It was worse, so much worse than anything her father had ever done to her, anything she had ever inflicted on herself. She could not breath, could not scream, could not move.

"No!" She heard the voice scream. Olivia recognized it, but her mind wouldn't function to tell her who it was. "Olivia, no . . ."

Suddenly, she felt cold. Then quiet, and empty. It was over. The voice, she recognized the voice now.

"James," she croaked, and began to cry.