The Mermaid's Mirror - L. K. Madigan [1]
"Mmm-hmm."
"But it's seven o'clock. You never sleep this late. Are you okay?"
Lena squinted at her clock—7:04—and blinked in surprise. She was usually up by six, or six thirty at the latest. "I'm fine." She yawned, then added, "And I don't dance on the sand."
"You know what's weird? I don't think I've ever woken you up before. That means ... oh, wow. That means you're just lying there in bed."
"That's what it means," she agreed, closing her eyes. She felt like she could go right back to sleep.
"Leen! I just realized that I don't know what your pajamas look like. I'm a terrible boyfriend. I'll be right over to check."
She snickered. "Great. Just knock and my dad will let you in."
"Oh, yeah. Your parents," he joked. "They're always messing me up." He lowered his voice. "But what are you wearing?"
Lena stifled a laugh. When he used that sexy voice, it always made her feel like cracking up, instead of flirting back. "My wetsuit, of course. Doesn't everyone wear rubber pajamas?"
Kai groaned. "Oh, nooo. My eyes ... my mental eyes! You've scarred them. But since you've already got your wet-suit on—"
She giggled.
"I'm heading out to Back Yard. No school today, remember? Want to come?"
At the mention of the local surfing spot, an image of moonlight on water floated into Lena's mind. Her eyes snapped open.
She sat up, looking around her room. Her hoodie hung in the closet, and her sandals sat in the shoe rack, same as always. Was it all a dream? She slid her feet out from under the covers and examined them.
There were grains of sand between her toes.
"Leen? You t here?"
Lena lay back down slowly. She didn't remember getting out of bed, or going downstairs, or unlocking the back door. All she remembered was the shock of finding herself on the beach. "Yeah," she said. "You're going to Back Yard. Right now?"
"The early bird catches the wave, Leen—you know that."
I should tell Mom and Dad, she thought.
Almost before the idea could take shape, she backed away from it. No, they would just worry ... maybe even make her go to the doctor. Lena frowned. It was a completely random episode, probably a one-timet hing.
"Lena, helloooo? Are you falling back asleep?"
"No, sorry," she said. "I'll meet you there. Is Pem coming?"
"She is."
"Okay. I'll be there in twenty minutes." After she hung up, Lena realized she hadn't told Kai about her sleepwalking. I'll tell him later, she thought.
But she knew she would not.
***
Lena stood in the wet sand, foamy wavelets lapping at her feet. The surf at Back Yard was breaking long today. Lena could see that the surfers in the water were spending a lot of time waiting around for decent waves.
"Hey," said Pem, joining her at the water's edge. "Where's your wetsuit? You're not going to swim?" Even wearing a full-body neoprene suit, lips coated with sunblock, and long black hair secured in a braid, Pem looked like a model.
"Not today," said Lena. "But you know cold water has never stopped me from a good game of GOTCHA!" Before she had even finished speaking, Pem had anticipated Lena's move, and they bent down simultaneously, flinging water up at each other. Lena took off down the beach, splashing through the ankle-high surf, Pem right behind her. Lena stopped and faked to the right, throwing Pem off long enough to spatter more seawater up at her.
"Don't you think"—Pem laughed—"we're getting a little old for this?"
Lena paused to catch her breath, clothes and hair drenched. "Way too old!" Then she spun and scooped.
Pem yelled, dodging the spray.
"Okay, okay," said Lena, laughing, hands on her knees.
"I'm only showing you mercy because you're already wet," said Pem, "while I'm nice and dry in my wetsuit."
They headed back to the blanket spread out on the sand. Pem's surfboard, an eight-foot board with blue hibiscus flowers painted on top, was lying next to it.
"See you in a few," she said, grabbing her board. "Want to go for coffee after?"
"I can't," said Lena. "I'm going to the city with my dad."
"Oh. So you just came to watch Kai?"