The Necklace: Part II
Found
"Can you believe this place? It's amazing!" Nelle stared out over the clear water, squinting her eyes against the bright sun reflecting off the surface. "It's like paradise."
"It's like Florida," Kerry reminded her bitterly, spreading her towel over the warming sand. She settled down, unhappily slamming her sunglasses over her nose and began to rummage through her beach tote for the novel she had brought to read.
"I took it out at the Inn." Nelle quickly removed the tiny sundress she had been wearing to cover an even smaller bikini. "No reading at the beach. It'll ruin your eyes."
Kerry sighed in exasperation. First, she had been offered a chance to stay in an Inn which boasted to be an exact replica of a Victorian mansion, only in Florida. What kind of authentic Victorian mansion was in Florida, the home of Disney, Tampa, and run-away moms? She had only taken the offer because it was mostly paid for, and she could feel an unexplainable draw. She wondered if everyone who came to Florida could feel the pull or if her family was special. Second, it was in Florida. She half expected to run into her mom at every corner despite the reality of the sheer amount of people in the state, including tourists and illegal immigrants. If that happened, Kerry wasn't sure if she would pop mommy-dearest in the nose, walk away, or squeal in delight and try to hug her. Out of all the options, the last was the one which frightened her the most. "It wouldn't ruin my eyes," Kerry replied to Nelle, infusing enough scathing scorn into her remark that she hoped Nelle would give up and leave her alone.
"Sure it would. Guys wouldn't be able to see them, and that would ruin your chances of getting laid." Nelle replied casually, somehow managing to lean back on her own towel with effortless grace. She winked at some beach-babe playing Frisbee as he watched her. "I know what this is about," Nelle lowered her voice so the rest of the conversation wouldn't be overheard. "This is because you picked debutant out of the hat for the masquerade tonight and you don't want to wear the corset. I emphasize, really I do." Nelle flicked her hair over her shoulder, grabbing some sun-tan lotion out of her snazzy bag. "It would be a sacrifice, but I'll trade you my seamstress outfit for your gown."
Kerry snorted, standing up. "I don't think so. That assignment was the only good thing that's happened so far on this trip. I'm going swimming."
"Are you nuts?" Nelle shrieked. "No one swims in Florida except for tourists, kids, and bad surfers. The water is like oceanic cold."
Kerry shot her a quelling look. "We are tourists."
"Well, we don't have to act like it," Nelle replied haughtily, rubbing herself down with the oozing pink lotion and sending the Frisbee guys flirtatious glances.
"Riiiiight…" Kerry mused, taking a step towards the ocean. "If I don't have a book to keep me occupied, I'm not going to take part in your Betty and Veronica routine."
"You aren't going to see her, you know. The last you heard, she was on the other side of the state."
Kerry turned her back on her friend, wondering if it was unforgivable that Nelle had just said that out loud, with no regard to who was around to hear her. That fit too closely into Kerry's phobia that her mother was just around ever corner, so she ignored it. Of course Nelle would have known what had been really bothering Kerry, friends tended to keep a pulse on these things, no matter how self-absorbed they may seem. Kerry waded into the water, relishing the salty cold tang of the air and the water lashing against her ankles. She waded until she was up to her knees, then dove into the ocean, meeting the waves head-on. She swam beneath the surface, trying to break through the surge of water. She emerged in roughly the same place she had gone under.
Kerry shook her head, flinging the wet hair plastered against her forehead out of the way. As her feet touched down in the water, she smiled. There was no way she could stay melancholy while swimming in nature for the first time in years. Pools were just too sterile, too boxed in. This open expanse of water, with possible hidden dangers was exhilarating and exactly what she needed. Kerry took a step, foot rolling over some object in the sand below the water, and it felt exactly like the time she had skittered over her brother's marble collection, only without the nasty accident in the end. Taking a deep breath, she dove under and groped along the ocean floor. Her fingers sank into the sand, grit wedging under her fingernails, until her hand closed around the spherical shape.
Coming up the surface for air, Kerry caught her breath and then slowly pulled her hand out of the water. Her heart was beating quickly, and somehow she knew this was more than just a silly treasure hunt children do, finding rocks, shells, and the occasional discarded utensil. She'd call it serendipity that she knew before looking, but she could feel the chain cutting into her skin as her hand rose and her eyes closed. Kerry opened her hand at the same time she peeked through her eyelashes to see what it was she had found. Laying in her palm was a breathtaking necklace of diamonds and pearls, surrounding the focal point of a larger pink stone.
Kerry gasped, almost dropping the necklace. She quickly glanced back to her friend, relieved to see Nelle flirting with some guy. He was standing in the middle of her towel, probably getting sand and man-feet all over the cotton, but she'd worry about that later. With no one paying any attention to her, she quickly cleaned the jewels in the water. It easily rinsed free, and Kerry couldn't help but wonder how long the necklace had been hidden in the waves. She didn't think it had been very long, as there was no build-up of anything covering it, but she was obviously no expert.
It was hers, Kerry realized giddily, and she was keeping it forever.
It wasn't discomfort, nor disinterest which drove her away from the party. She was the belle of the ball, and as the gentlemen paid her favours and compliments Nelle was openly fuming in a corner. Kerry smiled broadly for the first time since she had stepped foot on the sunshine state, and yet she could feel the call of the ocean, pulling her back to its edge like a siren's calls. She had no choice but to answer, and her feet took her to a spot just outside of the Inn where the ocean met the side of a hill. The relentless hammer of the water had carved out a side of the incline, making the drop into the ocean a good fifteen feet. For safety, the Maritime Inn had placed a railing, something to keep the well-meaning but not always intelligent tourists from falling over, but nothing to detract from the natural beauty of the view.
Standing, she could see the deep black of storm clouds rolling in from the waters. The breeze against her skin was colder than before, almost biting as it picked up bluster from the water. The wind plastered her white silk dress against her skin, making her body feel heavy and lethargic when she tried to move. Her long tresses were untamed as the water raged, hitting violently against the cliff wall below her in a steady, unsystematic roar. On the air, she could taste the salt of the ocean and the spray made her skin clammy, sticky as it was exhilarating. She worried about her borrowed dress, wondering what effect the weather would have on silk.
Around her neck, the necklace flashed, glowing with internal beauty and the reflection of nearby lights. It felt warm against her skin, body heat igniting the flames in the diamonds and pearls so long hidden in the depths of the briny waters. She didn't know this, yet, just as she wasn't aware of the history and origins of this particular necklace. All Kerry knew was that she felt a strong possession over the ownership of the treasure, as though it had sought her out. It delighted her, and it frightened her.
The gale picked up, snapping the material of her dress, and pulling, twirling, whipping her hair around her until she appeared as the goddess of the water, standing protectively over her element. Her skin shimmered, luminescent from the thin spray of salt-water.
"Alys?" A man's voice called, thin on the air. Kerry jumped, one hand going towards her neck in surprise. She was about to turn to try to assuage her fears against ghosts and fantasies out tonight when a cold hand clamped around her elbow and forced her to turn. Kerry squealed and he raged, "Alys, how dare you flaunt…"
"Michel?" Kerry questioned, staring up into familiar blue eyes, pale skin, and black hair, wondering if she was hallucinating.
"Kerry?" His voice echoed her shock and she knew she had not been the one he expected to see.
"Surprise." She said with a derisive chuckle. "What are the chances you grab the wrong girl and it still turns out to be someone you know?"
"Slim," he agreed. "Even less so when that necklace comes into account." He inclined his head towards her, one eyebrow raised and the cold blue of his eyes like the calm of the water before the storm.
"It's mine," Kerry said defensively, hand reaching up so she could hold a hand over the stone, protecting it, possessing it.
"Have you seen the Lord of the Ring movies?" he mocked. "Listen to yourself." Michel sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It belonged to… someone I knew. Where did you get it?"
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're asking." Kerry replied defensively, stepping away from him. Michel's hand tightened against her bare arm, his skin temperature only slightly cooler than her own. He pulled her back into his personal space, arms loosely encircling her. Kerry stared into his face, amazed but not surprised at the lack of change.
"I'm not disputing your claim to ownership. I just want to know where you found it."
"It's silly," Kerry told him, resigned to the fact he was going to mock her with his eyes like he used to, and a part of her looking forward to it. "It found me at the beach today."
"It found you?" Michel whispered, fingers brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "I can't argue with that." He pulled her closer, slanting his mouth over hers, his lips brushing and slightly sucking. Kerry shifted closer to him, pressing her body against his and trapping the necklace between them. She parted her lips, inhaling the bitter taste of the ocean and the closer scent of Michel through her nose, and knew this wasn't chance.
The necklace was made to be worn by the woman he was meant to spend the rest of his life with, after all.
©RelenaFanel.October29.2006
A tenuous connection at best, but how many of you expected it?