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1
Sea Glass
Katrina
“What’s that?” I squinted, focusing in on the glimmering fragment drifting ashore on the waves. I didn’t wait for Bellamy’s answer before I took off running, my bare feet treading the dense sand into the roiling surf.
I nearly stumbled over grasping at the shiny object as seawater swept through my fingers. A piece of glass. It was just a piece of sea glass. I walked back to Bellamy, straining to hide the crushing disappointment on my face.
“Not a clue then?” He asked, probably out of pity. I knew I was being absurdly hopeful. He had to be tired of it by now.
“No,” I croaked, swallowing. “Just broken glass. But I know I saw that albatross yesterday. He’s telling me he’s out there.” I knew I was delusional. But was I, really? After everything that had happened to me, could it really be so ludicrous to hope a message or letter, or something might drift in from the far reaches of wherever Milo was?
Captive to this hopeless optimism, I roamed the shores each morning, looking for whatever remnants the tide had washed in overnight, hoping for anything I could convince myself came from him. When I saw the bird, it only fueled my fantasy.
The semester had begun without me, like a whirlwind whisking past. Isabel’s campus resumed its usual bustle, and students had returned to their dorms, readying themselves for classes to start in a few days. But I had withdrawn to give my heart some time to grieve losing Milo. And more importantly because I couldn’t afford school getting in the way of rescuing him.
“Are you ready for this voyage?” Bellamy asked, likely trying to pull my attention from this useless piece of glass in my hand.
“Of course, I am. Tomorrow can’t come soon enough,” I tossed the piece of glass back into the water with all my strength. We’d be setting sail to find the pirate lord who had the Crown of the sea goddess who could hopefully bring Milo back, and I’d been counting down the hours. “And you’re sure you're going to be able to pull off sailing Cordelia’s yacht across the Atlantic?”
“Love, did you already forget what you saw me do back in 1720? I think I can handle a ship that doesn’t even have sails to manage.” Bellamy smirked.
“Just saying, you might be a little rusty,” I teased as Bellamy rolled his eyes. I secretly wished we could just fly there. It would be faster. But that wasn’t an option for Bellamy. He had no ID, no passport, nothing that would allow him access to board a plane. So, sailing there was the only option. And luckily my deceased mermaid great-grandmother’s unused private harbor was the perfect place to snag a ship seaworthy enough for us to do it.
“It’ll be fine, Katrina. Clearly, it’s not that easy to kill us.” He patted me on the back and walked toward the surf with his hands in his pockets. It was strange to finally see him in some fully normal clothes, but he still refused to lose the black jacket.
I took a filling breath of the salty air around me as I watched Bellamy’s focus lock onto the seawater. How I wished he would let me know what he was thinking under that aloof exterior. He seemed to keep his thoughts under lock and key ever since the morning at the pier, except for whenever we discussed our plans to get to Cuba and find this Pirate Lord Bastian Drake. But I figured I probably wouldn’t be the same after everything he’d been through either. I couldn’t say I was doing much better.
“I’m going back to the dorm to get an early start on packing things.” I used the silence as an opportunity to excuse myself, leaving out the part about how I wished I could stop by Milo’s old loft just to sleep in his bed. But Bellamy was staying there now, so I couldn’t.
Bellamy sent a nod my way and then resumed his pensive stare into the ocean. I walked back to my car, thinking about it all over again. I touched my face to feel the scar along my jaw and twisted the silver-blue scale I now wore on a string bracelet I’d made so that if I needed my song, I wouldn’t have to be in my siren form to use it. It matched the ring on my finger. My souvenirs from the past, each reminding me of the moment I lost Milo. I wondered where he was, and what he was doing now, and I lived each day in anguish wishing I could know he was safe. I knew we’d do anything to get him back, and morning couldn’t come soon enough. But a small part of me—maybe some sinister remnant of my siren side—wouldn’t stop asking myself if we could really turn back time and save him.
2
Part of the Crew
Katrina
Istared at the green call icon on my screen. I just had to bring myself to tap the button…to call my parents like I told them I would last week. I needed to tell them everything was fine and I was ready for my classes to start tomorrow. I couldn’t tell them I was headed to the Caribbean tomorrow evening. They’d flip and ask too many questions I couldn’t answer. I didn’t need them to worry and complicate things even more. If something happened, I’d figure out how to deal with it. I pressed the button and waited while my stomach sank further with each ring.
“Hija, hi!” My dad’s voice came through excitedly through the phone, as he always sounded when I called.
“Hi, Dad,” I said, forcing a smile that I hoped made me sound more alive than I felt. “I just wanted to call before the semester starts tomorrow and check in.”
“Claro, Trina. We know you’re busy. So it means a lot when you find time for us,” he teased. “How is Milo and your roommate friend…McKinley?”
“McKenzie.” I corrected with a weak chuckle. “She’s great. She’s really hyped for a new year. And Milo he’s…” I swallowed the burning lump that suddenly appeared in my throat, “he’s better than ever.”
“That’s so great to hear, Trina. I’m so proud of you. And your artwork is still selling like crazy in the store downtown, yeah?”
“For sure,” I shrugged, knowing that part was a lie. I hadn’t even checked on those few paintings since before we’d ended up setting sail for Nassau. “Money hasn’t been an issue for a while, trust me.” That part was true at least. Cordelia’s money had been more than enough to keep me afloat, though I wondered what would happen to her resort and the rest of her assets once her death was discovered. But for now, I had more than enough to tie me over for the near future. I’m sure she wouldn’t have minded her great-granddaughter borrowing a little extra from the bedroom drawer in her yacht.
“I knew you’d settle in eventually. You’re doing it, hija, and I never doubted you would.” I could hear the pride welling up in my father’s voice. He might be even more proud if he knew I’d saved us all from a global disaster of oceanic proportion, but I was content to let him go on thinking my biggest accomplishment yet was my college scholarship. Even if I was about to risk losing it.
“Your mom wants to say goodnight while I have you,” My dad’s voice was suddenly cut short by the rustling sound of the phone being passed off. Before I could respond, Mom’s voice chimed through like a bell. She sounded healthy, and I still couldn’t get over how glad I was for that.
“Hey Trina, sweetie,” she greeted. “I hear things are going well. You’re all the rage in Ozark. You’re all Scott ever talks about around here.”
