white, cotton cover up and we were on our way down to the beach. I was a little nervous, knowing the whole school would probably be out there, too. But, at least I had three new friends to lessen the anxiety…three very tan and very in-shape new friends, to be exact. Seeing Phoebe’s perfectly sculpted figure in a silver Roxy bikini, I decided I definitely needed to do some shopping. Glancing at Carmen, who resembled a Hawaiian tropic model in her red bikini, I decided some sit ups wouldn’t hurt either.
Outside the sun was shining and the breeze picked up the smells of the beach as it swirled around us. The aroma of tanning lotion and saltwater assaulted my senses, making me smile. There were people playing beach volleyball, groups of girls laying out, and groups of guys watching the groups of girls laying out. The tide was on the way in and the waves were dotted with surfers. We found a clear spot on the sand and put down a soft cotton blanket that held all four of us.
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” Willow breathed and slathered some SPF 30 on her pale skin. I was about to agree when a group of guys ran by us carrying surfboards, throwing up sand with their feet on the way to the ocean.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” Carmen shouted and wiped sand out of her dark eyes.
They just kept running and I couldn’t help but admire the view. Tan and shirtless, with swim trunks hanging low on their hips, they made it to the water, and immediately jumped on their surfboards and started paddling out. They all had very dark hair. Not one of them had brown or blonde hair. I wondered if they were all related somehow.
“I’d like to watch where they’re going for sure,” Phoebe told Carmen and winked a green eye at me. “Carmen, on the other hand, only has eyes for Logan.” She started making kissing noises and Carmen threw a stray seashell at her.
“Is that your boyfriend?” I asked Carmen.
“She wishes,” teased Phoebe.
“Whatever, Logan can’t stop drooling over Cassie long enough to notice anybody else,” Carmen sighed and laid back down. “I’m so over it.”
“You’re imagining things. He’s definitely into you, not Cassie,” Willow commented, as she put on some light white Wayfarer sunglasses and a straw hat.
“Yeah, it’s just hard to tell because Cassie throws herself at anything that walks,” agreed Phoebe. She turned her attention to me. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get to meet Cassie soon enough. We have the pleasure of living beside her, Olivia and the other two evil queens.”
I laughed at her dry tone. “I can’t wait.”
Chapter 7
An hour later, we flipped onto our stomachs and ate the ham sandwiches Willow had brought down. Carmen lost herself in a People magazine and Phoebe absently stared at the sand in front of her. As I looked on with curiosity, she flattened her palm just above the sand, and then moved it back and forth slowly. The sand started swirling around beneath her hand. Her fingers wiggled and the sand swirled faster and faster. Mesmerized, I jumped when she smacked her hand down, bounced up and smiled down at me.
“I need to cool off, wanna go in the water?” A little confused by what I had just seen, all I could do was nod my head and stand up. Not until we had taken several steps towards the ocean did the feeling of unease twist my stomach. I shouldn’t be afraid. I mean, it was just water. Not as clear as a swimming pool, but there couldn’t be anything too dangerous in there, right? Once we reached the water’s edge, the surf raced up the sand and rolled over my feet. I felt like it was teasing me, daring me to venture out farther out into its seductive grip.
“What are you waiting for? Come on!” Phoebe called to me, as she ran ahead and dove into a cresting wave. Wishing the entire school wasn’t behind me on the beach watching, I forced my feet forward. I jumped and let out a tiny squeal each time a wave hit me. Eventually, the water was up to my waist and I was used to the chilly temperature. It was now or never. Phoebe bobbed effortlessly about fifty feet away from me. I took a deep breath and dove in.
I kept my eyes squeezed shut, fighting against the movement of the water. I kicked harder and dove a little deeper. My skin started tingling all over, and a surge of adrenaline flowed out from my chest. About to float back up to the surface, I froze when something slimy rubbed against my leg.
Another slimy something wrapped around my ankle. Something else started bumping into my back, arms and stomach. I opened my eyes in alarm. An entire school of tiny silver fish had completely surrounded my body, blocking my vision. When I looked down at my legs all I could make out were green blurs swaying against them. My eyes began to burn with a searing pain like I’d never experienced before and I desperately needed oxygen. I wiggled my legs to get them out of the slimy fingers, to no avail. All of the kicking in the world couldn’t free me. As mind numbing panic took over in earnest, the fish darted away suddenly and a pair of eyes swimming towards me took their place. Deep blue eyes. Everything turned fuzzy and I assumed I was hallucinating. I closed my eyes.
Strong, warm arms that smelled incredibly good carried me with ease. I opened my eyes hesitantly, as I was laid softly on the sand. The blinding sunlight instantly sent more pain pulsing through my already burning eyes. Casting a shadow over my face and restoring my vision, he leaned over me. Time slowed and my heart stopped. He was so close; I could see swirls of gray in his stormy eyes. Those tantalizing blue eyes, only inches away, were gazing down into mine with what looked like wonder. Droplets of water ran down his handsome face and with the sun shining brightly behind him, he resembled a dark angel. His chiseled jaw was doing that flexing thing I’d seen in my dreams and his wet, dark hair clung to his brow. He was mysterious, dangerous, and beautiful all at once. I willed myself to say something, but I couldn’t breathe, nonetheless speak. Suddenly his features hardened and I was blinded by sunlight once again. A shiver went through me as if a part of my soul had left with him. I managed to sit up as a crowd of people swarmed around me.
“Stasia! Are you okay?! Oh my god!” Phoebe hugged me. “What happened?!”
“Are you hurt?” Willow looked me over, searching for scrapes or bruises.
“Move back you guys and let the girl breathe.” I looked over at Carmen and silently thanked her. Phoebe and Willow moved back all of a millimeter, but continued watching me with concern.
“I’m okay, I promise,” I reassured them. “I just got…caught on something.” They stared blankly at me. Carmen raised a skeptical eyebrow and taking a silent queue, pushed past the other two. She helped me to my feet, while keeping a supportive arm around my waist.
“Alright people, show’s over,” she announced to the crowd that had congregated around us.
She half carried, half dragged me back to Maren, as Willow and Phoebe gathered our stuff from the beach. I was busy looking over my shoulder to find where my rescuer had disappeared to.
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yea, I promise. I think my legs got stuck in some seaweed or something, it was weird.” She gave me another skeptical look and gasped.
“Stasia, your eyes!”
“What about them?”
“Wow,” she whispered.
“Wow, what? What’s wrong with them?” She was really starting to freak me out.
“They’ve….changed colors.”
“What?” Not exactly what I was expecting to hear.
“They were regular blue before, but now they’re like a bright teal or turquoise.” She looked closer. “It looks like you have those colored contacts in or something.” Grand. That was excellent news.
Back upstairs, I made a beeline for the bathroom mirror. I just stood there and stared in disbelief until Phoebe materialized behind me.
“Wow – look how pretty they are!” She exclaimed, smiling wide.
“Yea, if by pretty, you mean freakishly weird.” My eyes had in fact changed colors. They were a striking aquamarine hue contrasting against my pale blonde hair. This was going to take some getting used to.
“I bet it has something to do with your abilities.” She surmised. My abilities?
