The next full moon was much less eventful that the first had been since Marcus had lost the memory. The calling that he had experienced was greatly reduced. The full moon following that was even less difficult. Now, as the sixth full moon since he had lost his memory passed by, Marcus felt absolutely no effects. In fact, the group was so certain that Marcus was completely clean of all after-effects of being exposed to the moon's power that they were all stretched out on the beach enjoying the evening. "Nice night." Marcus commented, stretching out on the sand. He had his head on Ondina's lap and he grinned up at her. "Beautiful view."
"It's not bad." She said, gazing out at the stars. But her mouth twitched in a smile and Marcus knew that she had caught his attempt at flattery. "Nice night for a swim."
"Maybe." He agreed. "What do you guys think?" He glanced over to the others with the question in his eyes.
"Well, I don't have to be home early." Zach offered, his arm around Evie's shoulders. "I'm for it."
"I have to be at work at the park at dawn." Chris said regretfully. "So unless it's going to be a short swim…. I'm out."
"Aw come on." Evie told him. She threw a handful of sand at him and hit both he and Mimi. "You two always go off on your own. I know you two have your private lives, but come on. Have some restraint."
Even under the dim light of the moon everyone present could see Chris and Mimi blush crimson. The group howled in laughter as they struggled and stuttered to defend themselves. "You know, you have no room to talk." Marcus told Evie slyly. "Don't think I haven't noticed that you've been spending a lot of time at Zach's house."
Now it was Evie and Zach's turn to blush. They laughed again and Evie scowled. "Come on Ondina," She said pleadingly, "Say something! You have to give me some sort of dirt on you two."
"Too bad there is none." Marcus grinned wickedly. "We're an open book."
"I have spent a few nights at his house." Ondina offered. "Is that what you want to know?"
"Yes, but what did you do?" Evie asked eagerly. "You have to give me some more details."
"We watched movies." Ondina said uncertainly. "To what are you referring to?"
"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Marcus asked innocently, running his hand across Ondina's in boredom.
"So are we going for this swim or not?" Ondina asked. She stood up, unceremoniously dumping Marcus onto the sand. He glared up at her and she winked at him. She offered a hand and he grabbed it with a playful smile. She pulled him to his feet and he swooped in to give her a quick kiss.
Marcus stepped back and threw his shirt off, not caring where it landed. "Come on!" He called as he ran out into the waves. He dove beneath the water and was followed seconds later by Ondina. The others hesitated only a few moments more before they joined the two with the exception of Chris and Mimi. They watched their friends disappear into the sea before they departed the beach hand in hand.
Under the water, Marcus was being pulled along by Ondina as they sped along the sea floor. He had long since become accustomed to the rapid undersea travel that mermaids and mermen were privy to, though he wasn't necessarily a fan. They only stopped speed traveling when they had arrived at the reef. Fish of every different color darted in and out of the coral and plants they lived in. Zach and Evie swam off on their own leaving Ondina and Marcus to explore the reef on their own. A rather brave moray eel ventured out of its home and came to investigate the human intruding on the reef. It circled Marcus, swimming in and out his legs and arms before it returned to its home in the reef. Marcus looked grinningly back to Ondina, but his smile faltered when he saw the intensity with which she was looking at him. It wasn't anger in her eyes though, it was passion. She glided through the water and pulled Marcus close. They embraced and Marcus lost himself in her touch. He was vaguely aware of them moving through the water, but he didn't care. His hands roamed up and down her back freely, occasionally moving through her hair as it hung suspended in the water. When she finally released him he was startled to realize that they had somehow drifted against the sea floor. Ondina's hair formed a golden halo around her head as the moonlight slipped beneath the water.
Things between him and Ondina had only gotten better in the months since the full moon. Despite the obvious difficulties they faced with being from two different worlds they had been able to make it work. Marcus, who had always been alone, was bound well and truly by the beautiful mermaid. She filled the gap inside of him that had been there so long he had considered it to be natural. Ondina, who had never fully trusted anyone, could not imagine life without Marcus. She had seen his thoughts and his memories. Those of all things could not lie, something she knew very well. They laid on the bottom of the ocean for a long time, simply drinking in each other's presence. Neither were aware of the passage of time until Zach interrupted them. He had grabbed onto a dolphin and was grinning as the animal sped by with him in tow. The dolphin's passage turned up the sand and the moment between he and Ondina was broken. Evie appeared a few moments later with a similar mode of transportation. Ondina tugged gently at Marcus's hand and pointed towards the shore. Marcus nodded in response and they shot off without a word to Evie or Zach. When Marcus could walk he took Ondina into his arms and carried her past the waves. He laid her gently on the sand so that she could dry off her tail and went to search for his shirt. When he discovered it Ondina had just gotten her legs back. "Well, where to?" Marcus asked, though he was certain he knew the answer.
"Let's go back to your house." Ondina told him, her voice equal parts dusky and breathless.
Marcus did not question it. He led the way, taking her hand in his own. Apparently that was not satisfactory to Ondina as she threaded her arm through his, moving ever closer to him. "So, what movie did you want to watch?" He asked, the words having difficulty in moving past the lump that had formed in his throat.
She smiled mysteriously and leaned in closer. "I don't want to watch a movie." She whispered in his ear.
It took Marcus several moments to remember how to breathe. Remembering how to speak took an even longer amount of time. When they stepped onto his front porch he had only just reclaimed his ability to speak. He gazed at the door numbly, something inside of him warning him that something was wrong. He locked the door every time he left the house unless Ondina had wanted to crash at his house. But he was certain that he had locked it before heading to the beach. In addition to that, the light to his living room was on and he could see two bodies sitting on his couch through the window. He pushed open the door warily and stepped inside. Ondina was only a step behind him, her Moon Ring glowing gently as she sensed something wrong.
Marcus's mouth dropped open when he recognized the two people sitting on his couch. "Marcus!" Her mother said, rising gracefully from the couch and moving to gently hug him. His father was only a few steps behind, putting a hand awkwardly on his shoulder. "So good to see you!"
"Mom?" He asked disbelievingly. "Dad? What are you two doing here?"
"Do parents need an excuse to visit their child?" His mother asked chidingly.
Considering the amount of time that I have seen you in the past couple years? Absolutely. Marcus didn't say as much, but he wanted to all the same. "No, sorry… you just surprised me."
"Well I am glad to hear it!" His mother beamed at him, clearly mistaking his shock for joy. "How have you been? And who is this… young lady?" Her smile faltered as she beheld Ondina and her sand caked appearance.
Instantly, Marcus felt his temper rise and he scowled. "I've been fine." He said coldly. "And this is Ondina. My girlfriend." His tone dared them to say a word to her detriment.
"It's nice to meet you." Ondina smiled politely and offered a hand.
"Yes of course." His mother shook her hand quickly and released it just as fast. "Marcus, would you mind telling your friend to give us a moment? I'm not sure that it's entirely proper for you to have a… lady over this late anyways."
"Do you want to leave?" He asked Ondina pointedly.
"Not really." She said after reading his eyes.
"Well, that settles that." Marcus said firmly.
"Let's try this again." His father stepped forward. "Marcus, tell your friend good night. Your mother and I need to speak with you. In private."
"If she goes I go with her." Marcus said bluntly, hardly believing his words. He wasn't the type of son to so openly oppose his parents. Whenever he disagreed with them he rebelled through subterfuge and other underhanded methods.
His parents visibly recoiled as though his words had struck a physical blow against them. "Erm… very well." His mother said after a moment. "We have something we need to discuss with you. Good news actually."
Traditionally, news that his parents considered good was bad news to him. His father was quick to prove Marcus's suspicion correct. "We just acquired a chain of large scale convenience stores." He said proudly. "It just so happens that the owners of said company were very amicable to the merger. They even have a daughter about your age. She attends a very prestigious boarding school-."
"No." Marcus had already made up his mind before he had even finished listening to his father. "Not a chance. I'm not leaving here, I'm not leaving her." He glanced back to Ondina who had a worried frown on her face.
"Marcus, I'm afraid that I must insist." His mother said, feigning reluctance. "This is a very big deal, I'm sure that your friend will understand."
"I'm not leaving." Marcus repeated. "I have friends here. I have a job. The school year is almost over and I have plans for this summer. I'm not leaving just because there's some girl you want me to get with just so you can get some favors with some rich guy."
"She is not just some girl." His mother told him reassuringly. "She is from a very nice family. I'm sure that Olivia-"
"Ondina." Marcus snapped venomously.
"Ondina will understand." She looked to Ondina for confirmation. "Isn't that right dear? You want what is best for my son?"
"I do." Ondina said uncertainly, glancing at Marcus.
Something inside Marcus snapped at that moment. The last of his loyalty to his parents. "She is what is best for me." He said coolly. "This place is what is best for me. You two? You two are not what is best for me."
"Watch your mouth." His father warned him. "We still control your finances."
"Take a look at my spending history." Marcus advised him. "Tell me just how much of your money I have spent in the past several months. You pay for my groceries. That's it."
"This is not up for discussion." His father said decisively. "You will be transferring schools or you will be cut off completely."
"Well…." Marcus mimicked thinking for a few moments. "That's not a hard choice."
"I'm glad that you understand-."
"Come on Ondina." Marcus turned around and strode out of the door with his chin held high. He knew his parents well enough to know that they always came through with their threats. By walking away from them he was effectively walking away from the life he had known. Ondina claimed his hand again and Marcus realized that he was completely okay with that. Mako was his life now, leaving the island was something he simply couldn't imagine.
"Are you sure?" Ondina seemed to grasp the significance of what he had just done.
"I'm sure." Marcus said confidently.
"If… if you want to leave you should." She told him quietly. "I don't want to make things difficult for you."
Marcus stopped where he was the second the words had left her mouth. She whirled around and he saw the pain in her eyes as she figured his stopping for his taking her up on the offer. She blinked in surprise when he leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't their most passionate kiss, nor their longest. But it was their most memorable. When Marcus finally broke off the contact he smiled at Ondina. "You already made things difficult for me." He told her honestly. "Every time that I look at you I am reminded of that. Because every time I look at you my heart does this weird little spasm. You are walking, living, and breathing trouble. But unfortunately for both of us, I love trouble. Almost as much as I love you."
It was the first time either of them had actually said it outright. They had danced around the edges of the word, but they had never actually said it. Ondina looked at him through guarded eyes for a long moment and Marcus began to wonder if she had wanted him to leave. But the thought had only entered his mind when she reached forward and wrapped her hands up in his long brown hair. She pulled him close and touched her forehead to his. "You better believe that you won't ever be leaving if you stay now." Ondina warned him, her breath slightly shaky. "This is your one chance. If you stay then you are mine for the rest of time. I won't be able to let you go."
"I'm all yours." He grinned and kissed her nose. "You know, I'm kind of feeling vulnerable here. I said that I loved you…"
Ondina looked at him with something similar to outrage. "Do I have to actually say it?"
"Yes." Marcus nodded vigorously. "Only if you mean it though."
"Of course I love you." Ondina sniffed.
"Now was that so hard?" Marcus teased, taking her hand and moving down the street again.
"It was… nice." Ondina said grudgingly. "I shouldn't have had to say it. You should have known how I feel."
"Oh, I did." Marcus assured her. "But I also know how much you hate being put on the spot."
"You did that just to tease me!" Ondina stated as it dawned on her.
"Yes. I absolutely did." Marcus smiled. His heart felt strangely light in his chest, though he was certain it should have been filled with worry and regret. Yet it felt as though a weight he had been carrying for a long time had finally been dropped.
Hello there my readers. I hope this finds you all well. I have recently had a few messages wondering why I am ending HTT. The long and the short of it is that I need a bit of time to somewhat refresh myself. I've been writing this so much I need to step back. This is not the end of Marcus and Ondina however. I will be continuing this story in a separate story. I have been toying around with ideas for the next story, and thus far I have(tentatively) settled on Find The Secret. A bit cliché I know. But nonetheless, only a chapter or two left with HTT. As always, thank you so much for your reviews. They mean the world to me. Be well. -Hallowed