Coral & Bone Page 2

  Halen had tried to forget her birthday was in a few days. Her mom had wanted a party, but who would she invite: the shrieking blond girl, Toby, Tage, or even better—Josh the boy she just broke up with? A party was a horrible idea.

  “Fifteen.” Her mom smiled, so the edges of her eyes crinkled like stars.

  Tage rolled her eyes.

  “I want to talk first,” Halen said. “I want to know what’s going on.”

  Her mom sat with her back straight on the edge of her chair, her hands clasped in her lap. “Fine. I might as well just tell you. Honey, we’re moving back to Chicago.”

  “What? We just got here. I thought we were on some healing journey.” Halen threw up air quotes with her fingers.

  “I don’t want to stay here.” Her mom wrung her hands together. “I was wrong about coming back. The ghost of your father walks the beaches. Every time I look out the window, I see him. I thought I could handle being here—but I can’t.” Her eyes wouldn’t quite meet Halen’s, and Halen knew there was something more. Her mom was a horrible liar.

  “I’m finally going to sell this house. You’ve been sick ever since we moved here, anyway. I know you don’t remember your dad, but obviously a part of you does. Maybe being back is too painful for you too?”

  Halen let her have this one. Being back in Rockaway had tapped her energy. She had been sick, but she partly knew why. She had succumbed to the tingly energy not only for sketching the boy, but also for something much worse. She hadn’t told her mom the whole truth either. She hadn’t told her about how she had started dating Josh, and how she broke up with him two weeks later because he had pinned her to the side of his car in the school parking lot. Or how he had called her frigid when she slapped his hand for trying to pry his way under her shirt, and how Josh had pulled her wrists back like wishbones; and how the sparks had ignited under her fingertips turning to flames, and when she thought she might explode it was the windshield of the car that reacted, not her. The entire window burst from the frame and the glass shattered in a million little pieces like an exploding star.

  When Josh let her go to shield his head, she slipped away. Halfway on the walk home, though, her body shut down. First her limbs grew numb, second her lungs wouldn’t hold air, and third a fever swept through her so she all but had to crawl through the front door. Her mom said she had the flu. Yeah, right. She knew it was something more—something to do with the sparks, but who was she to argue with a doctor. Her mom gave her a family remedy of syrupy amber liquid. Even Halen didn’t know what was in the stuff, but whatever was in the concoction usually made her feel better.

  “I’m not sure leaving is going to help. Maybe we should give it a little more time,” she said, though not believing she was actually trying to stay, when she had a way out.

  “This is not open for discussion,” Daspar said.

  So it was his idea. Halen knew it. Daspar was always behind their moving. Things would be fine and then he would show up and within the month her mom would accept a posting at a new hospital, and they would be gone. What right did he have? Pumping her fist at her side, Halen shook away the twitchy sparks that rose with her frustration. “I’m going to the beach.”

  “Wait.” Her mom caught her by the arm.

  “I don’t get you, Mom.” Halen pulled away. “Are you going to let him make all our decisions? He’s like a watch dog. You’re the one who said—no pets.”

  Tage snorted into her sleeve.

  Halen glared at her.

  “Halen!” Her mom’s cheeks flushed. “What is wrong with you? Apologize now.”

  Daspar spoke. “Corinne, this has been stressful for everyone. Coming back to the place where Huron drowned.” He glanced toward the window, and his head turned down as if taking a moment to pay respect.

  Okay, maybe she was being a little harsh—a lot harsh, but he really needed to back off. “I’m sorry,” Halen said. “I don’t know what’s happening to me. I really didn’t mean what I said. It’s been one of those days.”

  “Hey, kiddo. No worries. We’ve all had bad days.” He smiled. His forgiveness made her feel even guiltier for what she had said.

  “Still going to give her a gift?” Tage asked.

  Halen wasn’t in the mood for birthday gifts.

  “Of course.” Daspar pulled out two matching boxes from his jacket pockets. He set them side by side on the glass table. Each box was short and square like a compass or a pocket watch might fit inside. They were crafted from white stone. The lids were inlayed with two interconnected amethyst circles and secured with a leaf hinge cast in bronze.

  “Come on,” her mom said, and Halen reluctantly sat back down.

  Tage snatched the box closest to her from the table. “Having both our birthdays in January is lame enough, but you bought us matching gifts?”

  For once Halen was thinking the same thing as Tage. They had both been born in January, Tage on the first of the month and Halen at the end. Her mom was quick to point out their births were both on full moons. Technically, Halen was born on a blue moon, but really who cared? As if being born on full moons would make them friends. And now this? What did Daspar think—just because they were the same age they liked the same things? As if.

  “They are similar,” Daspar said. He handed the other box to Halen, and she took it from his grasp.

  She traced the two circles.

  “Well, open it,” her mom said.

  Halen thought the box was the gift. Then she saw Tage holding a silver bracelet between her two fingers up to the window. The remaining daylight caught on the silver band, casting a soft glow along the concrete.

  Halen opened hers, and when she did, a low hum resonated inside. She tilted her head, lifting the box to her ear. The hum tickled the back of her throat. Slipping one of her earplugs out, she shook the box. “Do you hear that?”

  Her mom’s gaze shifted toward Daspar.

  “Put your plug back in,” he said.

  Not wanting a repeat of algebra class, she replaced her earplug, but still the hum resonated in the room. When Halen held the bracelet between her fingers, her hand began to tremble.

  “Here.” Daspar steadied her hand. “Let me put it on for you.” Taking the bracelet, he twisted the clasp open and slid it on her wrist. The clasp sealed shut, and the hum died.

  She ran her finger along the rim of the bracelet. Delicate engravings of swirls and star bursts lined the band. She had seen these patterns many times before when she stood in front of her bedroom mirror. They were identical to her birthmark. “Did you have this made?”

  Daspar ignored her and instead stood with his palm pressed to the window. “A storm is coming,” he said.

  Classic Daspar, Halen thought. There was no point in pressing further. She clasped the cool metal as she gazed past his shoulder. Darla now fought the ocean waves crashing against her rock tail.

  “Do you like it?” her mom asked.

  “What?” Halen asked.

  “The bracelet?”

  Tage’s lip snarled up on one side as she spun her bracelet on her wrist. It didn’t suit her at all. Halen smiled. “I love it.”

  Her mom’s pager buzzed at her hip. “Looks like Mrs. Vasquez was admitted to Seaside. She must be ready to pop. I’ve got to run.”

  “I thought you were taking the night off?” Halen asked.

  “Tage can stay with Halen,” Daspar said.

  “What?” both Halen and Tage said in unison.

  “Halen shouldn’t be alone right now. I’ll drive you to the hospital. I want to talk to you anyway.” He made his way to the door.

  “You can drop Tage off on your way,” Halen said, her eyes pleading with her mom. “I’m just going to do some homework anyway.”

  “Then you won’t even notice she’s here,” her mom said, while checking her pockets and then her purse before finally locating her cell phone on the side table. “And it’s getting late enough that she can just stay the night.”

  Ha
len didn’t even need to look at Tage to know she was fuming; she could feel her energy thick like smoke. But before either of them could argue, Daspar escorted her mom out the door.

  When the door shut, Tage blurted out, “You stick to one side of the house, and I’ll take the other.”

  She must have read Halen’s mind. “Deal.”

  “You got any more of those strawberries?”

  “Yeah, on the counter.”

  Tage disappeared into the kitchen.

  This was going to be one long excruciating night. “I’m going up and having a bath!” Halen yelled. She had one foot on the stairs when there was a knock on the door. Her mom must have left something behind; she was always doing that. “What did you forget?” She opened the door, and was surprised to find a boy staring back at her.

  “I didn’t forget anything, but you did.” He held out an algebra textbook, stuffed with loose papers, and peeking from the corner, her test sheet.

  This was just perfect; passing out in class, another move, a sleepover with Tage and now an incomplete for a grade. Could this day get any worse?

  “Who are you?” Halen asked. “And how did you know where I live?”

  “Word gets around. This house sticks out you know.”

  She nodded in agreement. The architecture screamed city, not beach town. When her mom had it rebuilt after the fire she wanted no memories of the cottage, so she went with uber-industrial—fire and flood-proof too.

  “My name is Ezra.” He held out his hand, but she did not take it. “I’m in your algebra and English class.” His eyebrows lifted over his dark eyes, and he shook his head like he had just stated the obvious.

  But she really hadn’t seen him before. He was Asian, maybe Japanese, and his hair was dyed red like rhubarb. A net of tattoos wound down his neck and under his T-shirt collar, only to reappear at his wrist where the sleeve of his leather jacket ended. He would be hard to miss.

  When he took another step toward her, a million little pricks ignited along her flesh. She grabbed the textbook from his hand and when her fingers brushed his, an intense heat flushed her skin. She set the book down on the stairs.

  “Well, thanks for bringing it to me.” She placed her hand on the doorknob. “I have a lot of homework tonight.”

  He put his sneaker in the door frame so she couldn’t shut the door. “Nice place.” Peering around the corner, he asked, “Are you alone?”

  “What?” Her response caught in her throat, sounding more like a croak.

  “Alone.” He smiled, leaning forward ever so slightly, and as he did, she caught the glimmer of metal in his jacket pocket.

  As she looked closer, she noticed the handle of a knife. Her stomach flipped. “I think you should leave.”

  “I thought maybe we could talk.” Pulling the door knob from her grip, he stepped in, shut the door and locked it.

  Halen’s arms and legs charged with static energy.

  “I’ve seen you on the swim team,” he said, inching toward her. “You’re good in the water. Of course you would be.”

  Halen’s focus was on the knife. What kind of guy carried a knife is his jacket? She didn’t want to find out. She backed toward the living room. “You really need to go now.”

  “I just got here.” His lips pressed into a thin smile.

  Her back butted against the mantel of the fireplace. Through the thin cotton of her shirt, the rough edges of the rock scraped her shoulder. She caught her frightened reflection in the wall of windows. She thought of the car windshield as the sparks in her fingers flickered to flames. She had to calm down. Shaking her hand by her side, she tried to tame the energy.

  “That’s some bracelet.” He nodded toward her arm, and she tucked it behind her back.

  “Mind if I see it?” He stepped forward and as he did, he bumped the armchair hard. He tripped, stumbling forward. The knife slipped from his pocket and as the handle hit the floor a button released the steel blade.

  Together they stared at the knife and then together their eyes met. “Get out of here!” she shouted.

  He lunged for the blade, but before he reached it, Halen kicked. Her foot squared him in the jaw.

  Ezra cried out.

  “What the hell is going on?” Tage emerged from the kitchen. When she saw Ezra, the bowl of strawberries slipped from her hands, shattering on the concrete. She picked up a shard. “Run!” Tage shouted.

  As Halen bolted for the door, Ezra managed to grasp her arm, but Tage side-swept him, thrusting her weight against his side, and he collapsed. Halen unfastened the lock and shoved the door against the wind. A gust swept up from the beach slapping her in the face. The flames combusted under her skin and she couldn’t restrain them any longer. The concrete floor shook under her feet. She glanced back. Ezra was clutching the coffee table, his free hand clamped around the handle of the switchblade, when suddenly the floor cracked with a long fissure. Tage shoved Halen across the threshold. “We have to get out of here—run!”

  Halen’s bare feet hit the compact sand with a jarring thud. Winter rain had pushed the powdery grit to a flat surface, perfect for running. She often trained on the beach, running the long stretch of sand. To her surprise, Tage was faster. She had never seen her in a pair of sneakers, or involved in any kind of sport, but Tage’s long stride made it hard for her to keep up.

  Looking back over her shoulder Tage shouted, “He’s following us!”

  Ezra called out to them, his words getting lost in the crashing waves.

  Tage stopped suddenly. Placing her hands on her knees, she bent over. Her breath was ragged as she spoke. “We have to go in the water.”

  Halen froze. Diving into her father’s grave was not an option. “No. No way.” A wave licked her ankles and she jumped back. “Let’s keep going.” Scanning the row of beach houses lining the shore, she noticed a porch light glowing. “We can make it to the neighbors’”

  Tage grabbed her wrist, twisting her skin so it burned. Her determined stare locked with Halen’s. “Trust me. He won’t follow us in. There’s no way, but if we stay on the beach, he may catch up to us.”

  “This is a bad idea,” Halen said, feeling the warning flames lace through her bones. “Can you even swim?”

  Tage had already unfastened her studded belt and was sliding out of her black-washed jeans. “Try to keep up.” She tossed her jacket to the sand and peeled off her shirt. In the light of the moon her pale skin glowed. Halen could make out tattoos lining Tage’s skin, disappearing under the strap of her bra.

  “Hurry,” Tage said. “Get your clothes off.”

  “This is insane! We could drown.”

  “We’ll wade out, just a little way. Just until he’s gone.”

  “There’s a storm on top of us. We might not…”

  Tage ran into the ocean before Halen could finish her sentence. A wave beat Tage’s legs, knocking her off balance, but she righted herself and kept moving forward.

  Halen groaned. She couldn’t let Tage go in alone. She was the better swimmer. Against her better judgement, Halen slipped off her jeans and her shirt, so they wouldn’t weigh her down. In nothing but her tank and boy shorts, she went after Tage.

  Trying to distract her thoughts from her dad or the freezing water, Halen kept her focus on Darla. The rock serpent didn’t look that far away. Maybe they could swim there and hide in the curl of Darla’s tail until Ezra left.

  Tage was up to her neck, floating, when Ezra caught up to the spot where they had entered the water. “Stop!” he yelled, waving his blade in the air. “Get back here!” He slipped off his sneakers while yanking off his jacket. He stripped off his pants and kicked them away.

  “He’s coming in!” Halen shouted.

  “No way!” Tage shouted back. “He’d be stupid to follow.”

  “As stupid as us?” Halen said, swimming toward Tage. Salt water slipped down her throat, and she spewed it out. “We need to go back.”

  Already Ezra was waist deep, with the
waves beating against his bare chest.

  “Dive,” Tage said.

  “Are you nuts?”

  “Dive under. He won’t follow.”

  “No!”

  “You’re a fast swimmer. We can outswim him. He won’t be able to see us underwater. Go to the rocks.” Tage pointed to Darla. “If we get separated, meet me there. I’ll wait at the tail.” And she dove under.

  Inhaling a deep breath, Halen dove under too. It was impossible to see anything, but she felt Tage by her side. Someone brushed against her other side, fingers sliding along her arm. Ezra? How in the world did he catch up to them? She kicked hard, but she could not lose him. Tage tugged her by the arm, and they surfaced, gasping for air. Tage’s eyeliner dripped down her cheeks like black tears.

  Ezra popped up behind Tage, and she whipped around to face him. “You want go for it? You have to catch me first.” Grabbing him by the neck, she dove under, taking him with her.

  “Tage!” Halen screamed, but they had vanished, leaving her to tread through her father’s watery grave—alone.

  Two

  Halen kicked, working her way across the white crests. “Tage!” she called out as she searched the surface. The moon was now high in the sky, looming behind shifting clouds. How could Tage have done something so stupid? They should have stuck together. They never should have come in the ocean. When she glanced back at Darla, the rock formation was nowhere in sight. How far had she drifted? This was ridiculous. If she didn’t get back to shore, she would drown. She could still search for Tage from the beach. At least on land she could call for help. But swimming toward the faint lights lining the shore, she feared they may never find Tage. What if she had been swept out with the current? What if Ezra had cut her with his knife?

  Why had he come to her house in the first place? It sure as heck had nothing to do with returning her textbook. She thought of his keen eyes focused on the gift Daspar had given her. He was definitely interested in the silver bracelet. She should have just thrown it at him. He might have left, but then his knife fell out of his pocket and the sparks came…