Submerged: The Mer Chronicles

Change

The next morning, I could tell that something was wrong. Calvin was outside of our tent before sunrise. Talking to his dad on the phone. He had it on speaker again, so I could hear everything.

“It’s too late. I already stopped it,” Prescott said.

I pulled a blanket up closer to me, his solemn voice sending shivers down my spine. What exactly did he stop?

“Dad, you said you were going to trust me. The transformation already was stopped! What did you do?”

“I’m not talking about the transformation. Did you really think I’d actually leave you alone with her for four days and not do anything?” Prescott said. “You’re acting foolish just to get a piece and you know it!”

I stepped outside of the tent. Calvin was gritting his teeth together, face red. “If it’s not about the transformation, then what did you stop?”

“What do you think?”

“No, you didn’t. Tell me you didn’t.”

“I most definitely did.”

“Screw you, dad.” Calvin clenched his fists, a vein in his neck ticking “You think that will make a difference? You really think that was smart?”

“She won’t be tempted now. And I’m guessing when you come clean it’ll be the end of whatever you two have going on.”

“I’ll tell you what it’s the end of. Any hope you had of me following in your footsteps. Don’t call me again. Ever”

 “Cal—“

Calvin slammed the phone shut. He started pacing, running a hand through his wild hair.

“Calm down, okay? It’s like you said, we’ll go to the diner and show him that everything is okay. Then he’ll have to believe us.”

I pushed myself in front of him, making him look at me, but his eyes were wild like they were seeing through me. “You don’t understand...I did something.” He gulped and continued pacing. “Oh god...I didn’t think he would actually...”

“What, what did you do?”

Calvin turned on his heel, inches from me, his eyes tinged with red. “I really, really care about you. You know that right? That I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you.” He reached out for me then, wrapping me in his embrace.

“What are you talking about? You’re freaking me out.” I could feel him shaking against me, his body still humming with anger.

“Tell me you know that I wouldn’t hurt you. Not on purpose.”

“Okay, I know you care, that you wouldn’t hurt me.” I tried to steady his body, but he kept shaking his head.

“It’s more than that, Kova. You showed me things. Without you I would have become like my dad, maybe not in a year or two, but eventually. I would have been a hunter. You saved me from that, you know?” Tears welled in his eyes, as he stared down at me.

I shook my head. “But you did the same for me. We saved each other, okay? You’re fine. It’s just your dad getting to you.”

I reached up and pulled his head towards mine, his salty tears falling down his face as our lips met. He kissed me then like it was the last thing on earth he would do, like his existence depended on it.

The secluded dawn of the woods allowed us the privacy we didn’t have before. And for a few sweet moments, we indulged in each other. We forgot that destiny might have other plans for us, and we gave ourselves over to the rush of new love, to fearlessness, to feeling invincible. Eternity seemed to slip into that long-drawn out moment, kisses tracing collarbones and hands eagerly retracing the now familiar lines of each other’s bodies.