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“Caitlin? It’s me, Levka.”
She knew that. Everyone’s telepathic voice was like the human voice, distinctive. Just like handwriting, though she hadn’t known this about telepathic communication until she’d met Levka and his friends, having only had communicated with Vlad and her parents before that.
“Caitlin, if you’re in there, I want you to know I’m sorry for upsetting you. Will you join us for dinner? It won’t be the same without you.”
She wanted him to go away. She was going to try to swim, but she didn’t want anyone watching her.
When he didn’t say anything more, she waited another twenty minutes, not trusting that he wouldn’t still be standing outside of her door. Finally, she held her breath and opened the door.
She was almost disappointed to see the hallway empty. Yet, she truly wanted to try to overcome her fear of the water alone. With a hurried step, she headed for the stairs before she changed her mind.
When she reached the upper deck, she found the pool still filled with swimmers. Why weren’t they all eating? She threw her towel on a chaise lounge, then sat down and took off her flip-flops. She couldn’t stand the idea of getting into the turbulent water. The ship’s rolling created waves in the pool even on the calmest of seas, but she couldn’t handle the kids splashing and acting like wild terrors.
Maybe they’d clear out after a while.
She lay down on the chaise lounge. The sun was already setting, leaving a wash of pink sky behind. For a while, she enjoyed the sunset and forgot everything else. Then the day turned to night, and though the lights hanging around the deck should have looked festive or romantic, the atmosphere felt oppressive and dark. Swimmers gave way to a Caribbean dance and food on the deck. She frowned when passengers began to snake around the pool and deck, dancing to the steel drums, guitars, and maracas.
Feeling like a freak still dressed in her bathing suit, lying on a lounge chair, not swimming, and 'sunning' under swinging paper lanterns in the dark, she climbed off the lounger and headed back to her room. When the noise died down from the Caribbean dance, she’d try to go swimming again.
As soon as she reached her room, she stuck the key in the door, but then she heard laughing inside. She paused and listened. “Dylan and Alicia.” She closed her eyes and shook her head.
If she disturbed them again, Dylan was sure to toss her off the balcony this time.
The air conditioned hall felt cold. Letting out her breath in exasperation, she left the hallway and found another deck where there was no music, just a great view of—the ocean. She continued to search for a place to stay until she could safely return to her room. Chairs were situated all along the upper deck so passengers could view the ocean. The bow had the most wind and the ship rose into the waves and crashed the hardest here. She couldn’t wear a bathing suit in the lounges, and even if she wanted to try and sneak by with it, they were air conditioned and too cold.
Luckily, she hadn’t run into Levka or his friends who would probably think she was an idiot, wandering around looking for a safe, quiet place to while away the hours. Her stomach tightened with concern. If Levka found out she couldn’t return to her room because Dylan was there…
She didn’t want to even think of what he might do.
***
“Now where is she?” Arman asked from the Blue Lounge.
"Sitting across from a lifeboat." Levka watched Caitlin, wondering what she was up to. First, he’d found her lying by the pool. She never went in, and the sun was already setting so she wasn’t sunning. She looked beautiful though, a raven-haired, blue-eyed mermaid in a silvery blue bikini.
He thought the pool was too crowded for her, and that she intended to try and swim. But then the band started up, and she left. Thinking she would return to her room and change, he was surprised to see her wandering the decks, back and forth, all around and back again. Just watching her strange antics made him dizzy.
“Why don’t you ask her to play cards with us?” Stasio asked.
“She’s not properly dressed.”
“Fine with me,” Ruric said.
“I thought you’d said she returned to her room to change,” Arman said.
“Apparently, she changed her mind.”
“We have business to take care of a little later,” Ruric said, “but call us if you need our help.”
For now, Levka didn’t mind watching her in this way. Not finding her earlier, had been antagonizing and maddening. But knowing she was safe, settled his mind some. Though he still couldn’t fathom what she was up to.
In nine hundred years, he still hadn’t figured women out one bit.
Well after midnight, Caitlin moved again. She walked around the running track ten times, and following her, Levka felt he’d gotten enough exercise for the night, even if she hadn’t. He’d kept his distance at times, drew close when he wanted to feel her warmth and smell her jasmine fragrance, but always remained invisible.
Then she headed down the stairs, and he assumed she was finally returning to her room. Instead, she stalked toward the pool. She couldn’t have planned on swimming. The Caribbean band had closed up for the night, the dancers gone. Many of the lights had been extinguished. The place looked dark and eerie like the factory warehouse district where he’d been shot.
Caitlin stood by one of the lounge chairs and jerked off her shirt and shoes, then stepped over to the pool.
