The sound of pattering rain on his window slowly woke Beck. Gray light filtered through his sheer curtains, and he stretched in his tangled covers. He hadn't slept that well in a long time. His body felt light and rested. He could feel a buzzing energy that he hadn't had since moving to the Gold Coast. He felt like running, even with the less-than-ideal weather outside. Around his neck the crystal felt warm to the touch, and he thumbed it curiously. Maybe there was something to this homeopathic healing after all. Giving another gangly stretch, he pulled back his covers and stumbled from his bed.
Just as he gripped the doorknob to the bathroom, he could hear his parents arguing from the kitchen. Pausing, he frowned at their hushed tones.
"I don't like it, Will. You know I don't."
"Something has to be done, and we both know it. Jeremy was very clear about the moon stone being only a temporary fix. The moon fever will come back before the next full moon. If he can't resist it, he'll end up getting hurt."
"All the lies we've told him…" Bella gave a long pause. When she spoke again her voice was strained with emotion. "He's never going to forgive us."
Beck let his hand drop as he heard his dad wheel over to his mum as she began to sob. Snatches of conversation he'd heard while sick with fever came back. Weird things that didn't make sense. Something about a moon pool and moon fever. Other things were still fuzzy, but he was beginning to realize there was something major being kept from him. Some sort of family secret he didn't know. Maybe it had to do with the mysterious aunt his coach had mentioned.
Pushing his way into the bathroom he quickly showered, letting the warm water soothe away his worries. He needed a good, long run. He was just toweling down when a knock came on the bathroom door.
"Beck?" His mum's voice called.
"Hey, mum."
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better," he spoke through the door. "That medicine really did the trick."
"I'm glad to hear it. If you're hungry, I have some fresh orange juice in the fridge."
"Thanks, mum. I'll be out in a minute."
Once he was sure his mum had made her way back to the kitchen, he made his way to his bedroom and quickly got dressed in his running clothes and sneakers. He'd left his rain jacket by the front door and would grab it on his way out. His stomach growled loudly as he entered the kitchen. Stopping, he was surprised to see Mr. Sertori there.
"Hi Beck," he said, sipping from a mug in front of him.
"Hi, Mr. Sertori." He glanced over at his dad who was wheeled up next to him.
"Your parents were telling me you've been sick. Sorry to hear that."
"Thanks," said Beck. "I'm feeling much better." He turned to his mum. "I think I'm going to go for a run after I eat."
"Are you sure?" Bella asked. "It's raining, and I don't want you to push yourself."
"I'll be fine." He walked to the fridge and grabbed the orange juice, pouring himself a glass. He leaned against the sink and took a sip. It was soothing, calming the dryness that had been in his throat. He stared at his parents, suspicious of what they were talking about. His mum had said they'd lied to him. How could he figure out what it was?
"When you get back, I want you to work on the homework you missed the last couple days. Don't leave it all for Sunday. Especially since Don was nice enough to bring your work to you." Bella nodded at the stack of school papers that sat on the kitchen table.
"Why didn't Lilly bring it over?" Beck asked. Lilly may be someone he could ask questions. Her grandparents knew her parents. Maybe her parents had told her something that would help him start putting the pieces together.
"Ah, yes, well. She wanted to, um, but had to help her, um, Nan out with some, well, stuff. At home." Mr. Sertori said but gave a side long glance to Will.
"Okay…" Beck sipped his orange juice and watched as his parents fiddled around the table. Beck realized that they were waiting for him to leave. So, they were talking about him. What more would they say once he left? His parents were being strange, and it was making him feel like his whole world had gone haywire. He thought again about what he'd overheard his parents say before he got in the shower. There was some big secret being kept from them, and he was going to find out what it was.
Downing the rest of his orange juice, he placed the cup in the sink and then turned around to see his parents watching him.
"Are you sure you feel well enough for a run?" His mum asked.
Barely holding back an eye roll, Beck nodded and walked to the front door to put on his rain jacket. "I feel perfectly fine. If I start feeling off, I promise I'll make my way back home."
"Okay," said Bella, now standing next to her husband's wheelchair. "Don't be out too long."
"Sure, mum," he said, and made his way out the door.
Will let his head hang in his hands as Beck left on his run. He couldn't help but sigh in frustration.
"Lilly can help him. So can Cleo and Lewis," said Don.
Bella shook her head. "I know they want to help, but Jeremy could still be wrong about it. Beck's always been so human. I'm sure once we move back to Sydney this will all go away."
"Maybe it's because he's suddenly close to Mako," Don tried to reason. "Or maybe it's because he's now a teenager. Maybe puberty has something to do with it, I don't know. But you can't ignore this."
Bella felt the tears brim in her eyes again and had to sit down. "How do we explain it all? It's so unbelievable. His whole life will change."
Will sighed and took his wife's hand, looking up from where he'd aimlessly been staring at the grain of the table. "I don't think denial is going to work any longer. Maybe we slowly tell him about Sophie and what she did. That's probably the best place to start."
"And then what, Will? We just tell him about Dr. Denman, and Zane, and Briston? Is that the best way to introduce him to it all? By telling him about all of the bad stuff that happened to us?" Bella stood from the table and started pacing. "I don't want his first knowledge of Mako and merfolk to make him afraid of everything." She felt like screaming. "I don't want him to know about any of it in the first place!"
A heavy silence fell on the room. Bella didn't like this one bit. She had tried so hard over the years to put that part of her life behind her. Being stripped of her tail and magic had been one the hardest things she'd ever done. But she'd grown up and Will had been there to help her through it. When Beck had come along, her life had again finally felt whole.
The fresh memory of the moon ceremony just two nights before came to mind. At first it had been so wonderful being in the waters of Mako, surrounded by the pod. Bella had watched Cleo hug her daughter closely, happy smiles on both faces. Magic had swirled around them, shimmering in the water. A magic Bella found herself searching for but couldn't feel. In the end she'd come home feeling more frustrated than refreshed.
Stopping her pacing and looking Will in the eyes, Bella broke the silence. "If he has to be part of that world, I need to know he's going to be safe."
Will nodded, completely in agreement. He turned to Don and gave a strained smile. "Tell Lilly to hold off and not say anything. I want to do some digging and see what I can't find out about what's happened to Briston and the others." He sighed and gave Bella's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Beck still has some time. Let's do all that we can to make sure there are no surprises before the next moon rise."
Don nodded and finished his orange juice. "I'll head home and talk to my wife and let her know. Please, let us know if you need absolutely anything."
"Thanks Don," said Bella.
Wheeling to the door as Bella cleared up the glasses, Will thanked Don for dropping by. "It was nice of Lilly to bring Beck his homework."
"She tried to stay away from him, you know," said Don. "Just like you'd asked. But when she heard he was sick she felt bad for him."
"Tell her we say thanks, but to keep practicing caution. I speak for myself and Bella when I say that we're hoping there is a 'human' way out of this."
"Righto," said Don. He squeezed Will's shoulder then left out the front door.
Will maneuvered his way back to the kitchen where Bella was staring at her hands as she washed a dirty glass. Her eyes were unfocused as she washed the same spot over and over.
"You okay, babe?" he asked, wheeling as close to her as he could.
Bella glanced down at her husband, tears in her eyes.
"Oh, Bella. Come here."
Tears falling down her cheeks, Bella sat in Will's lap as he hugged her tightly. Rubbing her back in soothing circles, he tried to push down his own fears. "We'll figure this out. Beck's going to be okay."
"I just thought we were done with this." She tried to choke back her sobs. "Maybe we could still move Dad back to Sydney with us. Get away from all this while we can."
"Hun," Will said softly, and looked in her reddening eyes, "you know that won't work. Your dad needs us here. Even with the risks, this is where we need to be."
"I know. I just wish there was some way to explain all the weirdness to Beck without dredging up the past." She wiped away the tears on her cheeks and rested her head on his shoulder. "Being a teenager is hard enough. Having to deal with merfolk and all of that only makes it all so crazy."
"We've raised a good boy and we have so many people here who can help us," Will gave her another tight squeeze then gently lifted his wife's hand, playing with her wedding band. "You and I can overcome anything."
Bella nodded, then stood from Will's lap. "You're right. We're tougher than this." She leaned in and gave Will a kiss.
As Bella went back to finish the dishes before heading to her dad's, Will rolled his way to the spare bedroom where a temporary office space had been set up. Opening his laptop he began to do research that he had been avoiding for years. It was time to figure out what had happened to the people who caused him so much pain.
-t-c-o-m-
The warm rain soaked his face as Beck ran down the road, jacket hood pulled down. He felt better than he had in days and the stinging pricks of raindrops was invigorating. He tried to push all thoughts from his mind as he ran, focusing instead on his heartbeat and the pound of his tennis shoes on pavement. He drifted into a state of meditation, focused only on his body as he worked out the last of whatever weirdness he'd been experiencing the last couple days.
It wasn't until the pavement gave way to wooden boardwalk that he once again found himself at the beach. Slowing to a stop he cursed under his breath. This was exactly what happened a few weeks ago. Why was he always finding himself at the shoreline? The beach in front of him was deserted, the early morning rain keeping the crowds away. The choppy waves broke on the reef just off shore. Once again he felt himself pulled to the water. He wanted to go for a swim, despite the obviously rough conditions. It was a crazy feeling that made him think he wasn't as recovered as he thought.
Ignoring the intrusive thought, he turned around and ran for home. His stomach was growling loudly now and he craved some sushi. Maybe he could convince his mum to get him some while he worked on his schoolwork. Finding his stride, he ran back down the boardwalk. Listening to his heartbeat he ran steadily, feeling the burn in his calves. He was out of practice already.
As he ran up to a stop sign, he paused to check his phone for the time. A shadow fell over his side and rough arms wrapped around him, a hand coming to his face to cover his mouth. He tried yelling and kicking but a strong smell was making him lightheaded and weak. Within seconds his vision was darkening, and he didn't have the strength to fight back. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he felt himself being lifted and placed onto a soft surface. Then it was all black.
And…I'm back! I am determined to finish this. For real. Here's hoping the next chapter comes out sooner than later. Happy swimming!