Episode 15: Deep Blue Underworld

Episode 15: Deep Blue Underworld

by Toni Walker

There was only one way onto the island and Muse Williams wasn’t keen on taking this option seriously. She studied the map a second time making sure she hadn’t missed another route. If she could get to the island another way, she was going to take it.

“No matter how you look at it, it’s your only option,” said Marcey Chamberlain sitting on Muse’s opulent couch. She fingered the fabric. It was only the best for Muse.

“There has to be another way,” she muttered to herself barely noticing Marcey eyeing the beautiful things in her room. “You know what happened the last time.”

Marcey rolled her eyes. She didn’t like being reminded of ancient Paragon Island wives tales. “That won’t happen. It was just an old island lady scaring us.”

Muse wasn’t so sure. Paragon Island had always creeped her out.

“She warned us what would happen if we went back,” Muse said. 

Muse took the situation more seriously than Marcey.

“The woman is a loon, Muse. There is no one on the north side of Paragon Island turning people into fishes. It’s preposterous.”

When she said it like that, Muse did have to admit the local legend did sound like a big fish tale.

“Just think, you won’t even have to swim ashore. You can have your Daddy’s chauffeur drive you out to the island and drop you off.”

Muse shook her head. “Daddy can’t see me. He’s been invited to the bash and his driver is loyal to him. He’ll tell Daddy my plans for sure.”

“Maybe if you had given him a little nookie when he was interested, he would be more apt to help you now.” Marcey enjoyed reminding Muse of possible mistakes from her past. It was a hobby she had taken up not long after befriending Muse. 

Suddenly Marcey had a great idea, the perfect way to get back at Muse. 

“You can use my boat,” Marcey said unexpectedly. “But you’ll have to drive yourself. I have plans of my own tonight.”

Muse wasn’t keen on driving herself but sometimes a diva had to do what a diva had to do.

It took about an hour for Marcey to ready her boat for the trip. As Muse stepped onto the craft, she didn’t notice Marcey lurking in the hull. Unnoticed by anyone in the crew, Marcey opened a plug in the bottom of the cruiser. Water would slowly fill the hull. No one would know anything was wrong until it was too late.

She chuckled to herself and imagined the look on Muse’s face when the boat sank. Marcey returned to deck, jumped down from the dock and handed the keys to Muse.

“The guys will put her into the water for you. Let them know when you want to cast off.” Marcey waved as she walked back down the dock to her car. She needed to get ready for her date. She fingered the invitation sitting on the passenger seat. Its cool white and silver surface looked like gold to her.

She rushed back home and dug into her closet for a slinky black gown. It had cost her a months pay but it would be worth it if she could garner the attention of the one man she truly desired.

***

There was something very familiar about Paragon Island at night. It was almost as if she’d seen the waves lapping onto the shore in some dream. The full moon was rising and twinkled across the ripples of water like diamonds.

The north dock was old and rickety. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years. She remembered it from when she was a teenager. By now it had to be in even worse shape.

She was a few hundred yards from shore when she realized the small boat she’d borrowed was filling with water. She ran to the upper deck where the crew piloted the boat.

“The boat is sinking,” Muse screamed. The scream died in her throat as she realized there was no crew steering the boat! She turned and ran back to the edge of the bow looking over into the rising water.

“Why is this happening?” she cried out as she spooned water out of the interior with her hands. The front end tipped and slipped under the black water almost submerging the vessel immediately. Muse screamed in panic. She wasn’t far from shore, but the distance was like an ocean to her. She couldn’t swim!

***

Marcey checked her watch. Muse would probably be on the north side of Paragon Island by now and the crew long gone. She inwardly smiled and held on tighter to her escort as he helped her out of the limo.

“You look lovely, my dear,” said Palmer Williams, Muse’s father.

“Thank you. You look rather dapper yourself.” Palmer grinned like a young school boy. It had been years since he courted a woman. Marcey assured him that Muse understood their relationship. And that made him happy.  He wanted both his girls to really get along, especially when he finally popped the question to Marcey.

***

So, this is what it’s like to drown, Muse thought as she struggled to keep her face above the water’s surface. She strained to breathe and gulped in water. Once she started coughing and the waves continued to batter her face, Muse felt defeated. She always thought she’d be brave in the face of impending death. But she didn’t feel brave. She felt terrified. Terrified she wouldn’t be able to catch her next breath.

Too quickly her struggling ceased and she slipped below the surface of the waves. As she sank, she felt a rush of peace. The struggle was gone. The water from below the surface looked strangely blue and green even though the night made it truly black. She felt disconnected from what she was seeing, almost as if she were watching it on television.

A fish swam in the distance toward her. It was large, but she wasn’t afraid. It seemed to zip back and forth faster than she could track its progress. As the last few bubbles escaped her lips, a fish came up beside her nudging her face with its tail. Her eyes drooped down as unconsciousness claimed her, but before she completely passed out, she glimpsed a figure swimming next to her.

***

Cleo Cruise frowned at Tony Maddox. He was still in the moonlit pool on the north side of Paragon Island. It was obvious from her vantage point that he was part man and part fish. But that knowledge didn’t give her pause. It was the appearance of a strange woman in their secret cove that made her question Tony’s sanity.

“How many times have I told you not to bring women into the moon pool. You know your aura drives normal women a bit gaga,” Cleo said.

Cleo grabbed Muse’s arms and helped Tony heft her onto the rocky embankment. The minute he exited the water the fish tail dissolved in a magical display of silver sparkles revealing human legs.

“Please tell me she’s alive,” Cleo said. She used her ability to manipulate fluid to check Muse’s lungs for water. After a few waves of her hands, Muse turned sideways and spit up the ocean water she’d tried drink while drowning. Cleo gave Tony a smirk. “You so owe me.”

“It’s not like I make a habit of saving land creatures. There’s something different about her. I think she may be the one Hannah’s been looking for.” Tony stared at her seriously.

Cleo laughed. “You think this land walker who can’t even swim is the one?”

Muse opened her eyes. The slick, black rocks shimmered in shades of purple, teal, blue and white. She assumed the lights were reflections off the water but how could that be with only moonlight coming in from an opening at the top of the grotto.

Despite the colorful display on the ceiling, the grotto was unearthly dark. She had no idea how had she come to be here.

“Where am I?” she whispered sitting up. The surface she’d been lying on felt smooth, as if it had been flattened by the very waves that lapped upon it. A male voice came from behind her. 

“You’re safe.”

Muse jumped. “Who’s there?”

The man chuckled, then replied, “A friend.”

He didn’t reveal himself which gave Muse pause.

“Unfortunately, your boat didn’t make it. It sunk just north of the cove.”

Muse didn’t respond to his revelation. Tony found that fact odd.

“I need to get to the McKenna estate,” she said. “Can you take me there?”

“She’s awfully pushy and self-centered,” Cleo whispered to Tony. “How can she be the one?”

“It’s not for us to decide. She’s the first person to come into the moon pool in decades,” Tony pointed out.

“The elders won’t like you bringing her to council. Maybe they should come to her, test her in some way,” Cleo said. “We don’t want her revealing our secret if she proves not to be less than worthy.”

“You take our message to the elders. I’ll return the land walker to the McKenna estate.”

Cleo didn’t appreciate Tony giving her directions. He’d spent too much time among the people of the land. Their habits were brushing off on him.

Tony didn’t divulge his identity to Muse Williams. It wouldn’t benefit him to expose himself as a merman. His people didn’t fully trust humans. However, he and Cleo had been ordered to find the one person who was meant to live in both worlds. Someone who could contribute to help them hide their existence from a society who could accidentally wipe them out at any moment.

“How did I survive the boat sinking? I’m not known for my swimming ability.” Muse asked as Tony walked her down path after path. He hoped she wouldn’t be able to find her way back to the grotto on her own.

“You somehow escaped the current of the sinking vessel and floated into the cove where I found you,” Tony said.

The closer they got to the McKenna estate the calmer Muse became. Tony could hear the party getting underway. Guests were already arriving. He’d personally escorted two other interesting human woman onto the estate earlier in the evening. He wished to talk to them both further. He wasn’t going to place all his hope on Muse being the savior. Tony knew he needed to keep his options open.

“The pool house is straight ahead and to your right,” Tony said. He’d seen the evening dress inside a waterproof sleeve inside the backpack he’d retrieved from the wreck. He handed her the pack and she seemed surprised to have it.

I thought this was at the bottom of the cove.”

She didn’t say thank you. She didn’t even wave. Not a very promising start. She disappeared into the pool house without a background glance.

The phone clipped to his belt jingled. And Tony knew he was being called back to his human job. All of them at one time or another over the years had to take a human job in order to keep their secret contained. This time around he worked for Braxton McKenna and McKenna Corp.

“I’ll be right there,” he said into the phone.

He hoped Cleo had gotten word to the elders. Time was running out to find the one. They only had until the next full moon or it might be the end of them all.

***

Jordan Stewart fingered the coin she’d found as a teen. In the center on one side was a trident, on the other a figure of a man she assumed to be Poseidon, the sea god. She believed like any teenager would that this trinket was a lost token from the South Pier, but little did she knew how important the bauble truly was. 

Wayne McKenna had whisked her sister, Charlotte, away to a far corner of the estate almost as soon as she arrived. But Jordan wasn’t there for fun and frivolity. She had a job to do.

She pulled a cell phone from her back pocket and dialed the number she had committed to memory. It rang only once before someone picked up on the other end.

“I’m in,” she said simply.

***

Eric Winter motioned for Paul Cooper. He’d been acting strangely ever since he’d tied to escape. Something was setting him off. Adam Lear, Eric’s partner, handed him the phone.

“It’s Jordan,” Adam said. “She needs to know your next move.”

Eric put the phone to his ear. “Should have known you’d have no trouble breaking into the compound.”

“What exactly am I looking for?” she asked. “I’m not even sure what this weapon looks like. Is it bigger than a bread box?” she added with a smile.

Paul Cooper had been sitting perfectly still for over three hours, but somehow he responded to Jordan’s question though he couldn’t hear her voice.

“There is an oversized prototype that I kept in my lab, but McKenna wanted something more portable. I’m not sure what happened to it. It disappeared not long before my car accident with Joy. I always thought McKenna must have taken it, but now I’m not so sure. Maybe it’s still somewhere in the lab.”

“Great,” Jordan said. “I guess I get to play hide and go seek.”

Eric eyed Paul curiously. “If you run into trouble, Karen will be on the premises. She somehow managed to wrangle herself an invitation.” 

“Oh, joy,” she said in a mocking tone. Karen and Jordan had never gotten along with each other. So she doubted she’d call on Karen for help even if she was in a jam.

***

Thom Masters was an entrepreneur  and when his nightclub was closed his second business was rearing to go. It wasn’t exactly a restaurant, more like a deli on wheels. He catered to many of the hard-working lunch crowd in Park Ridge, even the police force.

“Where’s Mr. Hot Stuff?” Thom asked in his flamboyant way motioning towards the Sheriff Cole’s office.

“He’s working on that big shindig on Paragon Island. Got asked by Daddy McKenna himself,” said Deputy Doug. “If you’re looking for him, I think I saw him pull his squad car up to his cabin. It’s just around the corner from mine.”

“Wonderful,” Thom said with a wink. “You’re a peach pit, honey dumpling.”

The deputy raised a curious eyebrow. “I’d watch my step around that place, though. It sounds like he’s got a dying animal in there. All that moaning and clicking. It echoes across the water something fierce.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, deputy.”

Thom winked at the deputy and left with Cole’s lunch in hand. Maybe if he was lucky he could catch him at home. Maybe if he was even luckier, he would catch his buff bod in the shower. Thom smiled to himself. One could only hope.

***

Muse sat in the pool house behind the McKenna mansion and thought about the moon pool. The moon had never seemed so bright before. The unearthly glow reflecting on the dark rocks still played in her mind.

Thoughts consumed her attention when a woman backed into the pool house. She was staring out into the area where many of the guests had gathered. It almost seemed like she was trying to slip into the pool house without anyone on the premises noticing.

She slowly closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief. As she turned around she let out a squeal of surprise.

“You scared me,” the Jordan said, trying to act non-challant about her presence in the pool house. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question,” Muse said her curiosity peaking.

The woman seemed to be searching for an answer. It was obvious she wasn’t ready to be questioned.

“I just wanted to find a quiet place to chill before I had to start my new job,” the woman said. “Nerves are getting the best of me, I’m afraid.” She glanced at Muse with a curious eye. “You?”

Muse smiled. She might as well give the woman the truth. She wouldn’t believe it anyway.

“I’m stalking Wayne McKenna. I just snuck onto the island from the north shore where I inadvertently sunk my best friend’s boat and nearly died in the process.”

She didn’t mention the fact she thought she saw a mermaid. Muse wasn’t certain she believed it anyway. She’d been known to see strange things now and again.

“Sounds like good times,” the woman said with a smile.

“Yeah,” Muse said. “Good times.” 

She spied the backpack she’d brought onto Marcey’s boat sitting on the floor next to the patio table. Muse pulled out the party dress she’d planned to war and examined it. Not a water stain in sight. She turned toward the dressing rooms and disappeared behind one of the partitions. 

“If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be getting ready for the party.”

“Nice meeting you,” Jordan mumbled to the disappearing figure. She waited until the woman was out of ear shot before calling Eric again.

“I just had a very strange encounter with a woman who told me about a way onto the island from the north shore. I’m going to check it out for leads.”

“Keep me posted,” Eric said. “And be careful.”

“I always am,” Jordan mumbled. “I always am.”

***

Charlie Cooper had lost sight of her sister, Jordan, almost as soon as she’d stepped onto the island. In the sea of overdressed Barbie and Ken wanna-bees, Charlie felt out of sorts. It had been different when she accompanied Paul to this sort of thing. He always made every experience seem like an adventure.

She was sure this night was going to be a bust until she spied a dapper looking Jaxx Sinclair across the room on the arm of her best friend, Sydney. She’d never been so relieved to see anyone in her life.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Charlie said.

“I’m surprised you’re still not sore everywhere after your last accident,” Sydney said. The nurse in her always seemed to come out.

“I am a bit stiff, and a little tired,” she admitted.

“Then why don’t you let us take you home?” Jaxx suggested.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t do that. You just got here.”

Jaxx tugged at the tight collar that seemed to be cutting off the circulation in his neck. The feeling was only a defense mechanism. He hated parties. There was only one good thing about being on the McKenna estate: maybe he’d find a lead on the whereabouts of his sister, Joy.

Charlie fingered the puzzle box sitting in the top of her purse. She wished she could figure out how to open it. She wasn’t sure what could be in it.

Jaxx excused himself leaving her alone with Sydney. Charlie had never seen her looking so beautiful.

“You look lovely,” Charlie said.

Sydney shifted uneasily in her dress. “I feel a bit over exposed. This kind of thing is a bit beyond my comfort zone.”