Voices of the Sea (9 page)

Chapter Eleven

T
he telephone woke Lora. She had slept, burrowed under her yellow comforter, like a sea snail hiding in its shell. Hidden from the world, she only awoke to the shrill sound of the phone. Disoriented, she pushed her arm out of the covers and grasped the receiver, putting it to her ear to murmur, “Hello?”

“Loralei?” Devin’s voice forced Lora awake. She sat up in bed and glanced at the clock. Six in the morning.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Why are you calling so early?” Nineteen days had passed since the deaths of the Barbas couple, which had begun to lull her into a false sense of security, but she sensed now, deep inside, that another Siren had died during the night. Part of her could feel the loss, as Devin said she could during their last meeting, a hollow emptiness deep within her breast.

Lora’s father appeared in the doorway, bare-chested with blue pajama bottoms, staring at her with tired eyes; she met his gaze with equal exhaustion.

“Victoria’s parents have disappeared,” Devin said, sinking Lora’s heart. Her head fell onto the pillow, grieving for the couple who had so recently lost their only daughter; now they were probably together, spirits joined forever with the song of the ocean. Ten of her Clan members were gone, only memories in the minds of their loved ones.

“What can we do?” Lora asked, glancing at her father. He reached for the phone, hoping to take control of the conversation.

“Nothing,” Devin replied with a sigh. “The police are looking for them. Just be careful, and come to the Clan meeting tomorrow at the marina. I’ve considered the best course of action and need to make sure everyone understands the plan. We’ll do the memorial service at that time, too. You’ll tell your father?” she asked.

“He’s here, listening.” Lora passed the phone to him. She didn’t want to repeat the conversation; it would be better coming from Devin.

Lora sank back underneath the covers, her father’s conversation becoming muffled background noise. She hugged her legs to her chest like she used to when she was a child. Another Siren family had died. Their deaths terrified her, and gave her another reason to grieve. The Sons of Orpheus were working swiftly to eradicate the Sirens from Pacific Grove, tearing apart her fragile world in the process, probably rejoicing in the heartache they caused her clan.

Violet’s disappearance, the death of Victoria and her parents, and the extermination of the Haynesworth family loomed large in her mind. But despite all of the horrible occurrences, before now, life had actually begun to return to normal. Even the drama at school had subsided, not counting the presence of Ryan. He filled her imagination almost every day with lustful ideas she’d be embarrassed to share with anyone. Even Fiona. Although she did her best to avoid him, he always managed to find her, his dark eyes making her body shiver. She repeated the mantra she’d created to ward him off, over and over again:
Ryan isn’t a Siren.
Their relationship could never evolve past casual friendship.

Every time she caught a glimpse of him in the hall, or his dark eyes met hers, her stomach jumped, her face flushed and her body temperature leaped. She repeated the mantra in her head; without it, Lora would have succumbed to his charms weeks ago. He never blatantly came on to her, but she couldn’t ignore the extra attention he gave to her. Neither could she ignore how much she dreamed about him every time her mind wandered.

Ryan was unique. He possessed a magnetism that drew her in, body and mind, which she found dangerous. He would be susceptible to her singing. Lora would be able to make him do anything she wanted, and although she would never admit it to anyone, she’d had multiple fantasies of wooing him with her song, luring him to her with a melody of seduction, making him hers. Yes, Ryan remained a danger who she wanted very badly.

They ate breakfast in somber silence. She and her father barely spoke before leaving for the day, too wrapped up in themselves to converse with one another. He reminded her to be careful when she left, as if she needed reminding.

It still felt cold outside. Thick clouds sheeted the sky, making the day even gloomier. Lora glanced around, checking behind cars and trees to make sure no one stalked her, but she found nothing. Will picked her up and they, too, drove to school in silence. Devin had notified everyone of the disappearance, but Will did not appear inclined to discuss the loss with her.

She sat through English thinking of Violet and Victoria’s parents, wondering where they might be, imagining horrible scenarios which only served to frighten her more. If the Sons of Orpheus took them, as she strongly suspected they had, Victoria’s parents would no longer be alive. Lora hoped they died a quick death.

Though she joined her friends at lunch, they sat in silence. No one even noticed the young man’s arrival.

“Can I sit with you?”

Ryan’s voice jarred her from her day-dream, startling her into reality. He wore jeans and a green shirt, his golden brown hair blown from the windy day outside. He stood so close. Lora caught the faint scent of the ocean on his clothes, which must have clung to him when he stepped outside. The familiar smell made him even more attractive.

“Sure,” she said, voice hesitant. Inviting a human to sit at a table of Sirens couldn’t be a good idea, but the thought of him leaving now was unthinkable. How often had she wanted to spend more time with him over the past four weeks, to be around him as much as possible? Why did he have to be human?

Ryan and Will managed a cordial greeting, though both eyed one another from across the table. Everyone tried to be welcoming, but their sorrow could not be completely disguised. They couldn’t even explain why they acted so somber because Ryan was not a Siren and could not discover their secrets. Ryan didn’t seem to notice, however, and talked about his classes and the different people he’d met since he’d come to the school.

In an effort not to stare at him with dreamy eyes, which would only further embarrass herself, Lora allowed her gaze to wander around the cafeteria. They settled on Jason’s table. She glared at them in contempt, recalling how they’d bullied Nicholas a few weeks before, fantasizing how she would like to erase them from her memory.

In her black mini-skirt and bright yellow top, Betsy Song looked like a bumble-bee. She had been arguing with Douglas, who now sat with his back to her. It appeared they were no longer speaking.
Serves them right
, Lora decided. Neither of them deserved much happiness.

Someone tapped her on the back and Lora turned around. Nicholas, who appeared quite frazzled, pushed his glasses closer to his face and glanced around with nervous eyes.

“Is it okay if I sit here?” he asked, gesturing nervously at Douglas’ table.

Fiona glanced up from her sandwich and smiled at Nicholas. “Sure,” she said in a friendly voice, pulling out the chair next to her.

Lora looked up at her in surprise, but Fiona ignored her. They couldn’t date humans, but there was no law about being friendly to them. She would just have to hope that Nicholas didn’t ask her out on another date.

Eric patted the hard plastic. “Have a seat.” Nicholas brightened and scurried over to sit down, throwing a glance again toward the table of football players.

“Are you okay, Nicholas?” Will asked.

Nicholas shoved his hands in his pockets, staring at the table. “Douglas has it out for me. Betsy lied and told him I stroked her hair.” Nicholas trembled with frightened, innocent eyes. “But it was an accident! I would never touch her on purpose.”

Ryan frowned as he leaned toward Nicholas from across the table. “We’ve got your back, man. Don’t worry.” Nicholas grimaced and nodded.

“Thanks,” he said leaning back in his chair and making himself practically invisible. Lora stole another glance at Douglas’ table, surprised to find Betsy glaring in her direction.

“What’s her problem?” she whispered to Will before taking a bite of her pizza.

“Hm?” he said, not paying attention. His eyes focused on the window, staring outside at the dark day.

Lora gestured toward the other table. “Betsy. She’s staring at us.”

Will still didn’t look. “I dunno. Why don’t you go ask her?”

Stewing, Lora ate another bite of pizza. Will’s idea oozed absurdity, for although she didn’t like the girl, she was hardly in the mood to pick a fight. Lora kept an eye on Nicholas, who slumped in his chair, still trying to be invisible.
What a shame
. Someone so vulnerable had no way of defending himself against those who were bigger than he, doomed to be prey simply because of his size. He might be annoying at times, but he didn’t deserve to be picked on. She focused on the door to the cafeteria, longing to be outside alone, or maybe with Ryan, away from the ridiculous conformity of high school students. Will had buried himself in his books as Ryan charmed Fiona and Eric. Nicholas continued to slouch lower in his seat. She might be able to slip out without anyone even noticing.

Still holding the slice of pizza, her eyes widened in surprise as she caught sight of Betsy striding across the cafeteria toward her table. Betsy resembled a hornet now, a particularly angry hornet, in fact, as she flew across the room, her high heels clacking loudly on the linoleum. Nicholas let out a pathetic whimper. Feeling protective of the small boy, Lora raised her eyebrows and gave Betsy a once-over as they came face-to-face.

“Do you need something?” Lora asked, her voice cool, eyebrows raised.

Betsy took a step closer. “You should think about who you choose as your friends,” she hissed. “Some of them are trash.” Her eyes were narrowed, small slits on her face radiating hatred. Lora clenched her teeth as she faced the angry girl.

“I could say the same thing to you,” she replied, so riled with anger she didn’t care that her pizza slipped out of her fingers and fell to the floor. She stood to face Betsy. The cafeteria grew quieter and Lora felt her cheeks flush pink. Betsy didn’t seem to pick-up on the insult.

“I don’t like him,” Betsy said, pointing at Nicholas. Nicholas had slumped so low he was practically under the table, his eyes barely visible over the edge, wide with alarm and fear.

“And he probably doesn’t like you either,” Lora said, for once grateful she couldn’t hear the ocean from the enclosed building. It would only fuel her growing anger. Lora shook her head, shocked at Betsy’s callousness. She glanced at her half-eaten pizza on the floor as she took a deep breath. Her instincts told her to back away; Betsy was nothing but a bully.

“You’re not worth it,” Lora said, turning away from her. A hand grasped her hair and yanked it back. “Ow!” Lora screamed, whirling around, but Betsy didn’t let go of her hair. She struggled to free herself from Betsy’s grasp, aghast another girl was pulling her hair in the middle of the cafeteria. Betsy’s grip tightened and pain seared Lora’s scalp. Without thinking, she wound back with her hand and hit Betsy as hard as she could in the face. She felt immediate relief. Betsy let go of Lora’s hair as she fell down from the force of the blow.

A pair of arms wound around Lora’s torso and pulled her backwards. They were strong and warm. A familiar longing rose within her, and she didn’t resist Ryan’s interference. Instead, she let him drag her away. Lora didn’t really want to continue the fight, no matter how much she had wanted to punch Betsy, and Ryan’s arms around her were an added bonus.

But Betsy wasn’t finished.

Kicking off her high heels, she launched her body off the floor and ran toward Lora, arms extended, hands formed into claws. Lora felt her eyes widen and opened her mouth to cry out when Ryan, who still held her, whirled around to serve as a shield. Betsy slammed into his back and all three of them stumbled forward.

Betsy had reached lunatic status. Lora did her best to remain calm, and wished, for the first time, that her Siren song worked on females. Lora scrambled forward and turned to find Betsy hitting Ryan’s back, completely unaware Lora had crawled away from them, and oblivious to the pizza smeared all over her bare foot. She frantically searched the cafeteria. No teachers were in sight. A solid wall of students encircled them, cheering them on.

Ryan didn’t fight back. He tried to protect his head from Betsy’s blows. “Get off him!” Lora screamed, trying her best to push Betsy off her friend. Eric appeared and sprinted toward the jumble of bodies on the floor. With a yell, he grabbed Betsy and hauled her off Ryan, leaning close and whispering in her ear a melody for her alone. Instantly, Betsy’s face became calm and focused. She stared at Eric with possessed eyes that indicated she was no longer in control of her own body.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Douglas yelled. Lora whirled around to face him.

“Keep your crazy girlfriend away from me,” she said in a low, dangerous voice. Just because she couldn’t entrance Betsy didn’t mean she wouldn’t use her magic on Douglas.

Douglas laughed. “She only hates you because you’re friends with him,” he said, pointing to Nicholas, who stood in his baggy blue jeans behind the table, as if seeking shelter.

To Lora’s relief, a security officer and assistant principal appeared then. They led Betsy out of the cafeteria and Douglas followed behind. The students were still crowded around them, eager spectators cheering on a cockfight: two roosters fighting for the kill. Realizing the drama had ended, they scattered.

Ryan’s groan caught her attention. He lay on the floor, rubbing his head, a pained expression on his face.

“You all right, Ryan?” she asked, bending down to examine his head. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through his thick, tousled hair.

“Yeah,” he murmured, rubbing his back and wincing in pain. “But let’s stay away from them from now on.”

“Agreed,” she said, wiping off her jeans before offering her hand to help him off the floor. “Thanks for coming to my defense.”

Ryan nodded, but his face stayed dark. “Don’t worry about it.” He glared at the mob of students who were still talking in excited tones over the fight. “Why do they keep picking on Nicholas?” he asked, glancing at the door through which Nicholas had already disappeared. Will, conspicuously, wasn’t present, which made her wonder if he’d gone after Nicholas or if he had avoided the fight altogether. “He hasn’t done anything to them.”