The Mermaid's Mirror - L. K. Madigan [31]
She went downstairs and found her mom crashed on the couch, watching a rerun of Top Chef and eating a candy bar.
Her mom looked up at her guiltily. "This show is more fun to watch when you eat junk food," she said, indicating the candy.
"Yep," said Lena. "And you didn't eat much dinner."
Her mom returned her gaze to the TV, not answering. She reached up to twist one of her diamond stud earrings. They were a wedding present from Lena's dad; she never took them off.
Lena waited a few minutes, then said, "Mom?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"What's not fair to me?"
Her mom tensed. She hit Pause on the remote, and stared at Lena for a long time before she finally said, "I'm really sorry, Lena. I wish—" She hesitated, then said, "It's not for me to tell you."
Lena stared back until she felt tears approach, then she left the room.
***
Lena heard a soft knock at her bedroom door.
She opened her eyes, disoriented. Her light was still on—she must have fallen asleep while she was reading. She squinted at her clock radio: 12:32.
Then she heard Cole's voice. "Lena?" he called softly.
She jumped out of bed and opened her door.
He stood there in his pajamas, hair tousled, shielding his eyes against the light in her room. "I woke up," he said.
"I see that. Come in, bud."
Cole shuffled into the room and climbed up on her bed. He slid his feet under her covers and pulled the quilt up to his chin. "Can you turn the light out?" he asked.
Lena obliged, then lay down on the bed next to him. When he was little, Cole used to come into her room in the middle of the night sometimes after he'd had a bad dream. But he hadn't done that for a long time.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"I woke up. I thought I heard Mom and Dad yelling again. But I got up, and it was dark."
"Aw, it was just a dream, bud. Everything's okay."
Cole sighed, already half-asleep. His fingers stroked the satiny moon on her quilt. "Will you sing me a song?"
Lena put her head on the pillow next to him. "Sure." She thought for a minute, then sang very softly:
"By the light
of the blueberry moon
we sang this song
in Lena's room..."
She repeated the verse once more, then waited to see if Cole had fallen asleep.
"Sing it again," he mumbled.
She smiled and sang the short verse again—twice—getting softer with each line. When she had finished, Cole's breathing was regular and deep.
"Love you, buddy," she whispered. She lay awake in the dark for a long time, her own fingers worrying the satin moon. Finally she got out of bed, tucking the quilt closely around her brother.
Still wearing yesterday's clothes, Lena went downstairs and took her jacket and stocking cap out of the hall closet. She unlocked the kitchen door and went out through the garage. Opening the side door, she stepped out into the darkness.
She shivered and pulled her coat closer as she reached the sidewalk. There was a fine, misty rain falling, which made the night seem even colder and darker. She headed down the street toward the beach, glancing back at her house once to make sure no lights had come on.
I'll be back before anyone else wakes up, she thought.
She peered warily around as she walked. Anyone out wandering around in the middle of the night could not be up to any good. A wry grin quirked her lips. Unlike me, who is so sane and sensible.
She turned onto the paved bike path above the beach that led to Magic Crescent Cove. She kept her eyes on the path as she walked, since it was so dark. She didn't want to trip and fall. That would be just her luck: sneak out, fall, break her ankle, and have to lie here in the path until morning, until some jogger or bicyclist came along.
She picked her way along the path cautiously, occasionally pausing to lift her eyes to the sea. Without admitting