Wake (Watersong Novels) Page 2

  “How much?”

  “Um … five seconds.”

  “Five seconds?” Alex seemed to weigh this. “I guess maybe I could—” Instead of finishing his thought, he dove into the water, swimming fast.

  “I’m already giving you a head start!” Gemma called after him, laughing. “You don’t need to cheat!”

  Alex swam as furiously as he could, but it wasn’t long before Gemma was flying past him. She was unstoppable in the water, and he’d honestly never seen anything faster than her. In the past, he’d gone with Harper to swim meets at the school, and there had rarely been one where Gemma didn’t win.

  “I won!” Gemma declared when she reached the rock.

  “As if there was ever any doubt.” Alex swam up next to her and hung on to the rock to support himself. His breath was still short, and he wiped the salty water from his eyes. “That was hardly a fair fight.”

  “Sorry.” She smiled. Gemma wasn’t anywhere near as winded as Alex was, but she leaned onto the rock next to him.

  “For some reason, I don’t think you really mean that,” Alex said in mock offense.

  His hand slipped off the rock, and when he reached out to steady himself again, he accidentally put his hand over Gemma’s. His first instinct was to pull it back in some kind of hasty embarrassment, but the second before he did, he changed his mind.

  Alex let his hand linger over hers, both of them cool and wet. Her smile had changed, turning into something fonder, and for a moment neither of them said anything. They hung on to the rock like that for a moment longer, the only sound the water lapping around them.

  Gemma would’ve been content to sit with Alex like that, but light exploded in the cove behind him, distracting her. The small cove was at the mouth of the bay, just before it met the ocean, about a quarter mile from where Gemma and Alex floated.

  Alex followed her gaze. A moment later, laughter sounded over the water and he pulled his hand away from hers.

  A fire flared inside the cove, the light flickering across the three dancing figures that fanned it. From this far away, it was difficult to get a clear view of what they were doing, but it was obvious who they were by the way they moved. Everyone in town knew of them, even if nobody really seemed to know them personally.

  “It’s those girls,” Alex said—softly, as if the girls would overhear him from the cove.

  The three girls were dancing with elegance and grace. Even their shadows, looming on the rock walls around them, seemed sensual in their movements.

  “What are they doing out here?” Alex asked.

  “I don’t know.” Gemma shrugged, continuing to stare at them, unabashed. “They’ve been coming out here more and more. They seem to like hanging out in that cove.”

  “Huh,” Alex said. She looked back at him and saw his brow furrowed in thought.

  “I don’t even know what they’re doing in town.”

  “Me neither.” He looked over his shoulder to watch them again. “Somebody told me they were Canadian movie stars.”

  “Maybe. But they don’t have accents.”

  “You’ve heard them talk?” Alex asked, sounding impressed.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen them at Pearl’s Diner across from the library. They always order milk shakes.”

  “Didn’t there used to be four of them?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” Gemma squinted, trying to be sure she was counting right. “Last time I saw them out here, there were four. But now there’s only three.”

  “I wonder where the other one went.”

  Gemma and Alex were too far away to understand them clearly, but they were talking and laughing, their voices floating over the bay. One of the girls began singing—her voice as clear as crystal, and so sweet it almost hurt to hear. The melody pulled at Gemma’s heart.

  Alex’s jaw dropped, and he gaped at them. He moved away from the rock, floating slowly toward them, but Gemma barely even noticed. Her focus was on the girls. Or, more accurately, on the one girl who wasn’t singing.

  Penn. Gemma was sure of it, just by the way Penn moved away from the two girls. Her long black hair hung down behind her, and the wind blew it back. She walked with startling grace and purpose, her eyes straight ahead.

  From this distance in the dark, Penn shouldn’t have noticed her, but Gemma could feel her eyes boring straight through her, sending chills down her spine.

  “Alex,” Gemma said in a voice that barely sounded like her own. “I think we should go.”

  “What?” Alex replied dazedly, and that was when Gemma realized how far he’d swum away from her.

  “Alex, come on. I think we’re bothering them. We should go.”

  “Go?” He turned back to her, sounding confused by the idea.

  “Alex!” Gemma said, nearly shouting now, but at least that seemed to get through to him. “We need to get back. It’s late.”

  “Oh, right.” He shook his head, clearing it, and then swam back toward the shore.

  When Gemma was convinced he was back to normal, she followed him.

  Penn, Thea, Lexi, and Arista had been in town since the weather started warming up, and people assumed they were the first tourists of the season. But nobody really knew exactly who they were or what they were doing here.

  All Gemma knew was that she hated it when they came out here. It disrupted her night swims. She didn’t feel comfortable being in the water, not when they were out in the cove, dancing and singing and doing whatever it was they did.

  TWO

  Capri

  The slamming of a car door startled her, and Harper sat up, setting aside her e-reader. She hopped off her bed and pushed back the curtain in time to see Gemma saying good night to Alex before coming in the house.

  According to the alarm clock on her bedside table, it was only ten-thirty. She didn’t really have anything to bust Gemma on, but Harper still didn’t like it.

  She sat down on her bed and waited for Gemma to come upstairs. It would take a few minutes, since their father, Brian, was downstairs watching TV. He usually waited up for Gemma, not that she seemed to care. She still went out, even when Brian had to be up at five A.M. for work.

  That drove Harper nuts, but she’d long ago given up that fight. Her father had set Gemma’s curfew, and if it really bothered him to wait up, he could make it earlier. Or at least that was what he said.

  Brian and Gemma talked for a couple minutes, with Harper upstairs listening to their muffled conversation. Then she heard footsteps on the stairs, and before Gemma could make it to her own room, Harper opened her bedroom door and caught her.

  “Gemma,” Harper whispered.

  Gemma stood across the hall from her, her back to Harper and her hand on the bedroom door. Her sundress stuck to her damp skin, and Harper could see the outline of the bikini through the fabric.

  With heavy reluctance, Gemma turned to face her older sister. “You know, you don’t have to wait up for me. Dad does that.”

  “I wasn’t waiting for you,” Harper lied. “I just happened to be up reading.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” Gemma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “So, get on with it. Tell me what I did wrong.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Harper said, her tone softening.

  It wasn’t like she enjoyed yelling at Gemma all the time. She really didn’t. Gemma just had the awful habit of doing stupid things.

  “I know,” Gemma replied.

  “I was only…” Harper ran her fingers over the trim on her bedroom door and avoided looking at Gemma in case she had a judgmental gleam in her eye. “What were you doing with Alex?”

  “My car wouldn’t start, so he took me for a swim at the bay.”

  “Why did he take you?”

  Gemma shrugged. “I don’t know. Because he’s nice.”

  “Gemma,” Harper groaned.

  “What?” Gemma asked. “I didn’t do anything.”

  Harper sighed. “He’s too old for you. I know—�
�

  “Harper! Yuck!” Gemma’s cheeks reddened, and she lowered her eyes. “Alex is like … a brother or something. Don’t be gross. And he’s your best friend.”

  “Don’t.” Harper shook her head. “I’ve watched the dance you two have been playing the last few months, and I wouldn’t care, except he’s going away to college soon. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I’m not getting hurt. Nothing is happening,” Gemma insisted. “You know, I thought you would be happy. You’re always telling me not to go on those night swims alone, and I brought someone with me.”

  “Alex?” Harper raised an eyebrow, and even Gemma had to admit that Alex probably wouldn’t be a very effective bodyguard. “And those night swims aren’t safe. You shouldn’t be going on them at all.”

  “I am fine! Nothing happened!”

  “Nothing happened yet,” Harper countered. “But three people have gone missing in the last two months, Gemma. You have to be careful.”

  “I am careful!” Gemma balled her hands into fists at her sides. “And it doesn’t matter what you say anyway. Dad says I can go as long as I’m home by eleven, and I am.”

  “Well, Dad shouldn’t be letting you go.”

  “Is there a problem, girls?” Brian called from the bottom of the stairs.

  “No,” Harper muttered.

  “I’m going to take a shower and go to bed, if that’s okay with Harper,” Gemma said.

  “I don’t care what you do.” Harper held up her hands and shrugged.

  “Thank you.” Gemma turned on her heel and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

  Harper leaned on her doorframe as her father climbed the stairs. He was a tall man with big strong hands, worn from years of working at the dock. Though in his forties, Brian was rather fit, and other than the few gray streaks in his hair, he didn’t look his age.

  Stopping in front of Harper’s room, her father crossed his arms and looked down at her. “What was that about?”

  “I dunno.” She shrugged and stared down at her toes, noticing the bright blue nail polish had begun to chip.

  “You’ve got to stop telling her what to do,” Brian said quietly.

  “I’m not!”

  “She’s going to make mistakes, just like you do, but she’ll be okay, just like you are.”

  “Why am I the bad guy?” Harper finally lifted her eyes to look up at her father. “Alex is too old for her, and it’s dangerous out there. I’m not being unreasonable.”

  “But you’re not her parent,” Brian said. “I am. You have your own life to live. You should be worrying about college this fall. Let me worry about Gemma, okay? I can take care of her.”

  “I know.” She sighed.

  “Do you?” Brian asked honestly, looking her in the eyes. “I know I’ve let you take on too much since your mom…” He trailed off, letting it hang in the air. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t be okay without you.”

  “I know. I’m sorry, Dad.” She forced a smile. “I just worry.”

  “Well, try not to, and get some sleep tonight, okay?”

  “Okay.” She nodded.

  He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “Night, sweetie.”

  “Night, Dad.”

  Harper went back into her room, shutting the door behind her. Her father was right, and she knew it, but that didn’t change the way she felt. For good or for bad, Gemma had been Harper’s responsibility for the past nine years. Or, at the very least, Harper had felt responsible.

  She sat down on her bed with a heavy sigh. Leaving them would be impossible.

  She should be excited about finally getting out on her own, especially considering how hard she’d worked for it. Even with working part-time at the library and volunteering at the animal shelter, Harper had managed to get a 4.0 all through high school.

  The scholarship she’d been awarded had opened doors for her that her father’s budget couldn’t. Every college she’d applied to had been eager to have her. She could’ve gone anywhere, but she’d chosen a state school only forty minutes away from Capri.

  Peering out through the curtains, Harper could see the light from Alex’s bedroom. She grabbed her phone from her bedside table, meaning to text him, but changed her mind. He’d been her friend for years, and despite the fact that she’d never harbored any romantic feelings for him, his growing flirtation with her younger sister weirded Harper out a bit.

  The pipes groaned as Gemma turned on the hot water in the bathroom across the hall. Harper grabbed the blue nail polish so she could touch up her toenails and listened to Gemma sing in the shower, her voice soft like a lullaby.

  Harper gave up after one foot and curled up in bed. Within moments of her head hitting the pillow, she was out.

  By the time Harper woke up in the morning, her dad was already gone for work, and Gemma was rushing around the kitchen. It never stopped being strange to Harper that, even waking up at seven in the morning, she was the late sleeper in the family.

  “I made some hard-boiled eggs this morning,” Gemma said through a mouthful of food. Based on the yellow crumbles coming out of her mouth, it looked like Gemma had just finished off an egg. “I cooked up the whole dozen, so you can have some.”

  “Thanks.” Harper yawned as she sat down at the kitchen table.

  Gemma stood next to the open dishwasher, quickly downing a glass of orange juice. When she finished, she threw the glass in the dishwasher, next to her dirty plate. She was already dressed in worn jeans and a T-shirt, and her hair had been pulled up into a ponytail.

  “I gotta get to swim practice,” Gemma said as she hurried by.

  “Why so early?” Harper leaned back in her chair so she could watch through the doorway as Gemma slipped on her shoes. “I thought practice didn’t start until eight.”

  “It doesn’t. But my car won’t start, so I’m biking it there.”

  “I can give you a ride,” Harper offered.

  “Nah, I’m fine.” Gemma grabbed her gym bag and sifted through it, making sure she had everything she needed. She pulled out her iPod and shoved it in the pocket of her jeans.

  “You’re not supposed to listen to that when you ride your bike,” Harper reminded her. “You can’t hear oncoming traffic.”

  “I’ll be fine.” Gemma ignored her and tossed the earbuds around her neck.

  “It’s supposed to rain today,” Harper said.

  Gemma grabbed a gray sweatshirt from where it hung on the coatrack, and then she held it up for Harper to see. “Got my hoodie.” Without waiting for Harper to say any more, Gemma turned around and opened the front door. “See you later!”

  “Have a good day!” Harper called after her, but the door had already slammed shut behind Gemma.

  Harper sat in the kitchen for a few minutes, allowing herself to wake up before the silence annoyed her into action. She put on the stereo so the house felt less empty. Her father always kept the radio set on the classic rock station, and she spent a lot of mornings with Bruce Springsteen.

  When she opened the fridge to get some breakfast, she saw the crumpled brown paper bag that contained her father’s lunch. He’d forgotten it. Again. On her own lunch break, she’d have to leave early to take it down to the docks for him.

  After she finished eating breakfast, Harper hurried about her morning routine. She cleaned out the fridge, throwing away old leftovers, before starting the dishwasher and taking out the garbage. It was Thursday, and on the brightly colored chore calendar she’d made it said LAUNDRY and BATHROOM in big block letters.

  Since laundry took longer, Harper started that first. In the process, she discovered that Gemma must’ve borrowed one of her tops and spilled a chili dog on it. She’d have to remember to have a talk with her about that later.

  The bathroom was always a pain to clean. The shower drain was always filled with a disproportionate amount of Gemma’s golden brown hair. Since Harper’s hair was darker, coarser, and longer, she’d expect to see more of it, bu
t it was always Gemma’s clogging up the pipes.

  Harper finished her chores, then got herself cleaned up and ready for work. The rain she’d predicted earlier that morning was coming down, a heavy garden shower, and she had to run out to her car to keep from getting drenched.

  Since it was raining, the library where Harper worked was a little busier than normal. Her coworker Marcy called dibs on putting away books and rearranging shelves, leaving Harper to help the library patrons to check out.

  They had an automated system, so people could check out books without involving the clerks or the librarian, but some people never got the hang of it. Several other people had questions about late fees or reserving books, and a nice old lady needed help finding “that one book with the fish, or maybe a whale, and the girl who falls in love.”

  Near lunchtime the rain had let up, and so had what little rush the library had seen. Marcy had deliberately been in the back aisles rearranging books, but she came out of hiding and sat in the chair next to Harper at the front desk.

  Even though Marcy was seven years older than Harper and technically her boss, Harper was the more responsible of the two. Marcy loved books. That was why she’d gotten into the field. But she would have been happy to spend the rest of her life without talking to another person. Her jeans had a hole in the knee, and her T-shirt read I LISTEN TO BANDS THAT DON’T EVEN EXIST YET.

  “Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Marcy said, snapping at the bands on a rubber-band ball.

  “If people didn’t come here, you would be out of a job,” Harper pointed out.

  “I know.” She shrugged and brushed her straight bangs out of her eyes. “Sometimes I think I’m like that guy on The Twilight Zone.”

  “What guy?” Harper asked.

  “That guy. Burgess Meredith, I think.” Marcy leaned back in her chair, bouncing the rubber-band ball between her hands. “All he wanted to do was read books, and then he finally gets what he wants, and all the people die in this nuclear holocaust.”

  “He wanted everyone to be blown up?” Harper asked, looking at her friend seriously. “You want everyone to be blown up?”

  “No, he didn’t, and neither do I.” Marcy shook her head. “He just wanted to be left alone to read, and then he is. That’s where the irony comes in. He breaks his glasses, and he can’t read, and he’s all upset. So that’s why I eat carrots so much.”