Jacob

                                                                     By Siren7

                        

Chapter I

Different

 

            What really lies beneath the surface? Do we ever truly know? That was the question Anna asked herself as she untied the boat from the dock. Gazing past the rope, she stared at the surface; waiting, wishing for something to burst out of the water and fly her down into the blue depths; transforming her into something free. All her life she loved the sea and considered it God’s greatest creation. It was the extreme of all extremes. The calmest place in the world on a plane of glass at sunset, yet the most violent and terrifying monster known to man in a time of storm. The gently rolling waves symbolized life to her; an endless mass rolling over and over again in a circle, all events connected.

 

          As she lost herself in the gleaming gold reflections on the surface, she imagined the day of her release. The day when she would finally be truly free in the water. Soaring in the pure rapture of being one with its living soul. That day would come, she promised herself, but for now she was still holding on to the land, to people, to the material things that formed the links of her iron chains; holding her back from her true destiny. Spirituality was what Anna had always aspired to, but she had not yet reached the level she desired.

 

          Flesh seemed so restrictive, so poisonous to the soul. It held you rooted to the ground where you couldn’t fly into the sun. It tempted you with pleasures and materials that would destroy your spirit. Flesh seemed a prison, a cage to the soul. Anna agreed that the spirit was reflected in the body, but a reflection can be flipped and twisted beyond recognition. It was simply an ugly cardboard box that concealed and imprisoned a beautiful jewel, an oyster that encased a pearl.  

 

          That day on the water Anna laid on her back in the sunshine, drifting away into herself. It was the ultimate state achievable to her; one without thought, worry or confusion. A state of only feeling, but not of the external surroundings. A state where she felt with her soul, and escaped her body. Once in a while she would get a tiny taste of it; a whiff; barely there but instantly recognized, and she would feel the ocean with her soul. She could hear its gently rolling voice; which was every tone and volume in the universe, all at the same time. She heard its song; which was more beautiful than any earthly music she had ever heard. There was a deep sadness, but also untamable joy.

 

 As soon as she touched it, however, she would be whisked away again; pulled back cruelly to reality. Reality was a strange term to Anna. Her glimpses of the ocean’s soul and sudden insights of wisdom always seemed more real than any tangible thing. However, this was where she lived; at least for now, so it would have to do. Her small town of Corossa wasn’t bad at all. It was the best place for her to live, if she must. Here she was near the sea, her mother. And here life was simple and pure. Life was all there was here.

 

          As much as Anna felt cheated by being forced to live as a human, she loved life to its fullest extent, which was more than what most people do. She loved the ocean with all her being and was on the water every day possible. She loved her family and friends, she loved pets and Christmas and God and so many other things. Anna loved practically everything; she was full of light and joy just to be alive. She had a deep inner wisdom that most people had never understood, and her soul was as complex yet as simple as the sea itself.

 

          Anna did her part in the world, and without scorn. The next day she worked in her father’s shop, which sold, bought, and repaired anything you could possibly use when fishing off the New England shore. Anna was restocking fishing poles when Brett Connor walked in.

 

          She sized him up immediately. His designer khakis and expensive wool sweater betrayed him as wealthy, his cell phone as a businessman, and his accent as a New Yorker. He was no doubt on a summer fishing  “vacation”, possibly with a client, probably with a modelesque fashion designer girlfriend.

          Oddly enough, he didn’t appear to be much older than her, but that probably just came with the package. Wealth and beauty often seemed to go hand in hand. Anna stood and recited the old “Can I help you sir?” with sincerity and friendliness, and he quickly asked for the works, calling out all the most expensive brand names. Anna sighed inwardly and began the task of convincing him that just because it was advertised the most didn’t mean it worked the best.

 

         

          Brett Connor was here to relax. He had to relax. High stress levels cut down on productivity, which was the only reason his boss had forced him to take a week off. He decided that fishing was the obvious choice. There was nothing to do but relax when you were sitting in a boat a mile or two from shore with nothing to do but watch the waves and some clear plastic line. This girl here seemed like the cliché type you would read about in some overly romantic message-in-a-bottle type novel. Simple fisher folk with deep inner wisdom that teach the big shot business people a thing or two about life. Yeah. Whatever. He wasn’t cynical and big headed just because he was making a couple hundred large a year, he had his youth to do that for him.

 

          Brett Connor was only a few steps away from being a corporate VP, and he wasn’t even old enough to drink. Brett was twenty years old. He had an IQ of 187, and most amazingly, some of the best business and people skills the company had ever seen. He had graduated high school at thirteen, earned a Ph.D. at eighteen, and climbed the corporate ladder faster than anyone had ever remembered. He was the most talked and written about man in New York. He had lots of friends, but even more enemies. Life was good.

 

          Brett watched the girl carefully as she moved around the shop, picking up one fishing rod, then another, then line and reel, all the while comparing them and trying to convince him that she knew more about fishing than he knew about making a sell. All right, fair enough. “How about I just put my faith in you, miss. You seem to think you know enough.” She looked offended, and he smiled. She narrowed her eyes and looked as though she might bite back, but then decided not to.

          “Very well, sir. If you’ll just wait a moment I’ll round up what you’ll need.” her tone betrayed the polite words. Smart alek big shot. Calling her miss of all things. I’d be surprised if he was three years older than me, she thought. Oh, well. He wasn’t worth it. Just another greedy know-it-all thinking he controlled everything and everyone.

 

          Brett waited patiently as she moved about, gathering things up and hurrying past. He silently fingered tools and parts he admittedly knew nothing about. Somehow, he never actually made eye contact with her until she rang up his total. He was abruptly taken aback by the light in her crystal blue eyes and the firm grip in her solid handshake. When she spoke he guessed her much older than eighteen, as her voice was as reliable as her expertise on boats and something in her tone told him she was the most trustworthy person he would ever meet.

 

          He, being a businessman, prided himself on being able to read people and predict their moves and motives, but in all honesty she was simply a mystery. He had never seen anyone like her.

           Her beauty was unearthly, as though she were an angel in disguise. It wasn’t a shocking beauty, though. You had to see through the grimy Levi's and army green jacket to the gentle curve of her lips and understanding eyes. It had taken him about five minutes to see; and after that her every move seemed to captivate him, because he couldn’t quite place what it was about this daughter of a fisherman that moved him so. Her beauty would sneak up and whispered in your ear, then run away laughing instead of screaming in your face upon arrival and holding your attention only because you didn’t dare look away.

 

          Anna wasn’t oblivious to her beauty, as heroines often are, but she forgot about it if she weren’t looking in a mirror, so she was startled when she caught him staring at her. When he realized he’d been staring, he muttered an apology and reached for his wallet, digging out the appropriate amount of cash.

 

          Anna was very level headed and matter-of-fact when doing business, and had a completely laid back manor when dealing with people and their little quirks. It was easy for her to accept a “the customer is always right” attitude, because she had a wonderful perspective on things and never got angry over something trivial. In this way, she had dismissed Brett and his cockiness almost instantly, and had certainly not expected to catch him having any interest in her. Oh, well. It didn’t matter. He’d get over it, and she had nothing to get over, so they’d all be just fine. Anna shouted a cheerful good-bye as he silently walked out the door.

 

          After work Anna met her friends for dinner, and delighted them with the news of the rich and good-looking visitor’s arrival. Anna’s friends loved her dearly but had accepted the fact that there was something about Anna that they would never understand. Anna was very fun to be around, because her joy and freedom were contagious and her spirit of adventure never took a holiday. Most of the boys in town, however, didn’t like things they didn’t understand (as was male instinct), so though she was probably the prettiest girl in town, she didn’t have many admirers. Or so she thought.

 

          Anna loved her companions, but her social life was the least of her concerns. Anna often felt trapped if she stayed indoors or in company for very long, and her greatest joy was running along the beach barefoot, much to the disdain of her mother. Freedom was what she longed for, night and day. The people here were good, but she had learned from a very early age that she didn’t belong here.

 

          By the time she was fourteen, she had realized her one true joy was being with the earth and sea, and having a relationship with her soul that strengthened her relationship with God. The wind and the water were her family.

 

          Regardless, companionship is a basic human need. Hence, Rebecca, Cynthia, Louisa, Greg, Daniel, Sharon, and Abigail. All of them shared certain respectful qualities, and all of them seemed to be related somehow, if only in mannerisms. They were good people. Some intelligent, some less intelligent, but all good.

 

           Louisa was closest to Anna, simply because she was the most perceptive and caring. Louisa’s brother Daniel could always be counted upon whenever Anna needed him, or when anyone else needed him, for that matter. There was a sweetness about him that was impossible not to feel endeared toward; he was the type with big muscles and hands, but an even bigger heart. He was, of course, silently in love with Anna. It was only fate doing its job. Anna loved him too, of course, but as a sister loving a brother. She had made a point not to fret about it; he would meet a simple girl one day with a heart to match his. Until that day, however, she was as kind and careful as possible.

 

          Their cousins, Gregory by fraternal relation and Abigail and Sharon by maternal relation, shared family resemblance in looks and personality. Cynthia was sweet but not the sharpest knife in the drawer. This, however, was irrelevant due to the fact that she was blessed with the beauty of an actress and the laugh of a talk show host.

 

          Rebecca was a kindred spirit to Anna. They needed not words to communicate, and understood each other perfectly. While both loved the wind and water more than anything walking or speaking, Rebecca was content to be a fisherman. She was strong and tough, a tomboy to say the least. She could haul and pull as hard as her brothers, and intended to be an old maid living on a fishing boat. They held mutual respect for each other.

 

          Anna’s news at the dinner table (a feast prepared by their own talented domesticate; miss Sharon Courtside) merited the predicted responses. The boys and Rebecca were indifferent. Sharon was wistful (she was engaged to Rebecca’s brother Joseph, who was eating too fast to hear what Anna was saying), Abigail and Louisa curious, and Cynthia was most delighted.

 

          The food was good, the people merry, and Anna slept well that evening; sung to sleep by the rolling waves.

 

Chapter II

Meeting

 

 

          Anna started the tiny boat’s ancient motor and drove it away from shore. She needed a quiet place to swim today. It was the middle of summer, and the temperature was as hot as it gets up here. After many minutes of silent traveling, she anchored and dove off the side. She swirled herself through the cold water with her eyes closed. Down and down, then up for air. She swam out from the boat and back again for some exercise; then floated on her back among the waves. She dove again into the freezing water. Something grazed her leg. Her instant reflex thought was fish, but no, it was warmer. And it felt more like skin than scales. She raised her head to the surface and looked around. Was there someone else in the water? There was no boat to be seen but her own.

 

          Anna went down again, opening her eyes against the harsh salt water. At first she saw no one, but then... an arm! Anna reached out for it but missed. The body twisted and moved away. She could barely see anything in the blur, and her eyes were open just a crack against the stinging salt. About all she could make out was that it was male, between the ages of fifteen and fifty. Anna looked around for him and spotted him swimming further down. Her lungs were starting to burn, though. She had to go to the surface. How could he stay down that long? Anna could hold her breath longer than anyone in Corossa. Where did this guy come from?

 

          She thrust her head above water momentarily once more; then returned to the depths. He was gone. She looked around and up, but he was nowhere to be seen. Anna was about to go up for air when a hand grabbed her wrist. Adrenaline shot through her veins and she instinctively pulled with her captive hand while pushing with her free one. It seemed as though he had anticipated her move, and he used her inertia to spin her around. Her back was now against his chest, with her arms crossed and both her hands in a steel grip.

          Oh my God, she thought, he’s trying to drown me. She had already been low on air, and the combination of fear and effort of fighting him had nearly drained her supply. Her lungs burned more than they ever had before. The pain was pushing her down into blackness. He shook her gently, as though trying to wake her. I’m drowning, you idiot she thought faintly. Somehow he seemed to respond to her thought, and he swam toward the surface. Her head broke through and she gasped for air. She forced herself to slow down and not hyperventilate.

 

          “Sorry.” he said sheepishly, “I forgot you needed air.”

          “Forgot?!” yelled Anna angrily, “How can you forget?! You nearly killed me! How can you hold your breath so long anyway? Who are you? Let me go!” She began to struggle again and his grip only tightened. She stopped and sighed. “Who are you?”

          “Do you promise not to go away?”

          “Oh, I don’t know. It’s not like you’ve given me a reason or anything; all you did was try to drown me...”

          “I said I was sorry!” He sounded like a child. He seemed so naive, so... unexposed.  It was weird. It was almost as though it really had been an accident. She decided he wasn’t a threat. He had to be about her age, give or take a year, and although he was much stronger, she was positive she could psychologically deal with anyone in her age group.

 

          “Oh, all right. I won’t try to go away.” He released her and she turned to look at him.

 

          He was gorgeous. Not that Anna had ever been one to go after the pretty ones... most of them were jerks. But his beauty seemed unearthly; he had the most vibrant coloring she’d ever seen. His skin was pure and clean, a soft glowing white. Lean muscles rolled over his chest.  His eyes were a blue that made hers look sickly green. It was a blue of the ocean and wind; so many shades that melted and rolled into each other that she could never pinpoint just one color. His hair was black as night, but it shone in the sun with radial brilliance. It was thick and fell over his shoulders with grace.

 

          His lips, eyebrows and cheeks; his entire face, in fact, looked like a sculpture. He looked like an angel in a renaissance painting, with both a masculine and feminine beauty that seemed to move her soul. That was it. An angel. He looked like a heavenly angel. The sunlight danced around him like a holy glow, and the compassion in his eyes told her he was as beautiful and pure in spirit as he was in flesh.

 

          She knew him instantly. It was he. The One. It was his voice she heard calling her from the sea. It was his touch she longed for, it was his eyes that had haunted her dreams for so long. It was him. Her destiny. She wanted to cry. All pretensions and pleasantries were gone from her mind in an instant and his eyes widened in shock. “Who... are you?” she gaped in awe. He seemed somehow to be in as much wonder and confusion as she.

 

          “I... my name is Jacob.” Anna expected him to sprout wings, but instead she saw a flash of silver beneath the surface. She glanced down and her breath flew from her body. A fishtail. He was a mermaid. A child of the sea. The events of the past five minutes caught up with Anna suddenly, and her legs lost the ability to tread water. In a moment his arm was underneath her body, holding her up. The fishtail swished gently back and forth beneath them, glinting in phosphorescent glory.

 

          “Please don’t be scared.” he said gently. “I didn’t mean for you to see me. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you okay?”

          “I’m fine. And I won’t go away. Just stop talking to me like a child.”

          “Sorry. I’ve never met a human before.”

          “Well, I’ve never met a mermaid before.”

          “Merman, if you insist on calling me that.”

          “What would you rather me call you?”

          “Jacob.” Anna looked down in embarrassment and was met once again with the sight of his shining tail. She took in a deep breath and raised her head to look him in the eye. Bad idea. His gaze was so intense she was forced to look away in only a moment. That had never happened before. As well as having the largest lung capacity of anyone she’d challenged, she had also been able to stare down anyone. Including that big shot at the store yesterday.

 

          “Sorry. I always get stupid when I meet a mythical being.”

          “I’m not mythical. I’m keeping you from drowning.” Anna knew that, of course. It was impossible to forget that arm behind her back when every slight muscle twitch sent lightning through her body. They both let out a shaky breath.

          “Are you feeling the same thing I’m feeling?” she asked dangerously.

          “I certainly hope not.” he replied.

          “What?”

          “If you’re feeling a beautiful girl in your arms, I should be lifting rocks more often.” Anna smiled.

          “So you’re a funny mermaid.”

          “Merman.”

          “Right. Sorry.” Anna looked down again; then decided not to anymore until she could cope with her new revelation. She looked him in the eye. This time her gaze didn’t falter. She couldn’t start thinking like a human. Not now. Not when all her life she had known that there was something else out there, somewhere she belonged. She had waited for this all her life. She had to think of something to say.

 

          “So, why did you grab me, anyway?” he looked down, seemingly embarrassed, and released her. She suddenly felt the cold of the water rushing back, as though she had just dived in.

          “Sorry about that. I just wanted to talk to you. To tell you not to tell anyone. In hindsight it was actually pretty stupid. You probably only got a glimpse before, and now...”

          “I won’t tell anyone.”

          Though Anna thought it impossible, his eyes brightened.

          “Really?”

          “Yes, really.”

          “Thank you. Thank you. You don’t know... I’m not supposed to swim this near land, or this near the surface. But I like the sun... and I like people. I watch them sometimes, even though it’s dangerous.”

          “Is that how you learned English? You have a New England accent.”

          “Yeah. I watch sailors... and read books from underwater ships... but I don’t really like to go in those. There are a lot of skeletons in them.” Anna giggled, and he looked at her in shock. “People dying isn’t funny!” she kept laughing and his eyes darkened. “You didn’t want to drown.” His voice and eyes went black and Anna was suddenly very frightened.

         

          “Woah. Chill. I wasn’t laughing at the skeletons. It’s just that... well... you’re just like The Little Mermaid.” Jacob looked indignant and annoyed.

          “For the last time it’s-”

          “Oh, I know, I know. Merman. That’s not what I meant. There’s this old fairy tale that was made into a movie a long time ago...” He looked blank. “Do you know what a movie is?”

          “No.”

          “How about a fairy tale?” he shook his head.

          “Umm... folk tale? Legend?” He nodded.

          “You mean the fictional stories the sailors tell each other too amuse themselves?”

          “Yes! And by the way, thank you for having a bigger vocabulary than I first thought. It pains me to talk like a third grader.” He nodded again but she could tell he was once again confused. “Child in their fourth year of education.”

          “So why are they called third graders?”

          “Well, there’s kindergarten before first grade. Don’t ask me why kindergarten isn’t called first grade and so on, I don’t know. Lots of things in the human world don't make any sense.” He sighed heavily.

          “I guess I should have known I couldn’t learn completely about a society from old novels and overheard conversations.” Anna was suddenly startled by an abrupt sensation of discord. He was lying. She had at first been fooled by his facade, probably because she wanted to be. But none of what he had said was true. None of it.

 

          He looked her in the eye, and his mystically shining blue eyes darkened to a midnight hue. Power crossed his features and Anna’s heart stopped. “You’re smart, Anna. And more spiritually intelligent than I could have ever hoped.”

 

          “Liar.” her tone darkened to a black depth that visibly startled even this master of illusion.

          “No, that bit right there was truth.” Anna shot him a look that could kill. She was being very bold for someone in such a rapidly deteriorating situation. His face softened. “Anna, please don’t be angry.”

          “Don’t speak to me! Who are you?!”

          “I can only do one, Anna.”

          “Do not deal with me like I was a child! You are not superior to me!” His eyes saddened.

          “I never said I wanted to hurt you, Anna. Please. I just didn’t want to scare you by telling you everything at once. I wanted to show you weakness so you’d feel safe. I never knew you’d be so...”

          “What?”

          “High... on another level. You’re more like us than them.”

          “What?”

          “I wanted to act childish and curious so you wouldn’t feel threatened. But you don’t need that, Anna. You’re different.”

          “I noticed.”

          “Are you still mad? I guess you have a right to be... but I had good intentions.”

          “How do I know you’re being true now?”

          “You know, Anna. You saw through my first act, even though merpeople can make humans see whatever they want. You have the Power. You’ll know.” Anna sighed. What he said made sense. She checked her thought process to make sure she wasn’t just believing him because she wanted to, or because he kept complimenting her and telling her what she wanted to hear. No. In black and white, his facts were correct. She had a strong connection to him now; she could feel it, whereas before there was something between them, holding her back, just like it was with other humans. No, this connection was only the one she had felt while praying, or petting her cat, or swimming, or soul feeling the ocean. It was real, now.

 

          Jacob let out the breath he had been holding. Anna found herself surprised and indignant once more. “You can read my thoughts, can’t you?”

          “No!” he said quickly, “No. I just felt you accept the connection.”

          “Oh.” Anna realized she could feel his... well... not feelings exactly... or thoughts... just, mood, maybe. Kind of like drawing conclusions from facial features, only much stronger and without using any sense she could name. It was just a very deep perception. A connection.

         

          “Oh!” he said suddenly, as though remembering something, “Here.” He reached into the pouch that was hanging from a silver chain around his neck. He pulled out a ring. The band was made of what appeared to be sterling silver, and the stone was cut into an oval. It was very simple, but when Anna looked closer she realized that it was a deep blue, with reflections and phosphorescence that looked jut like the surface of the water. It seemed as though it was liquid, or a movie of the ocean playing over and over again. It was remarkable, like having a piece of the sea on a ring.

 

          Anna took it and looked at it closer. It was really unbelievable. It was hard as stone, but looked like water. In fact it was the same phenomenon as Jacob’s eyes. As Anna gazed at it, the color began to lighten to a deep turquoise. She looked up at Jacob only to discover that his eyes were turning the same color. She almost yelped.

 

          “Oh my God, you gave me a merman mood ring.”

          “Sort of. I won’t try to explain it now, but yes, it changes colors with my eyes.”

          “It’s amazing.”

          “I’m glad you like it. I gave it to you for a reason. So you won’t wake up tomorrow and dismiss this all as a dream.” Anna decided not to comment, due to the fact that she had been expecting to wake up since she had first noticed him. Anna began to put it on when he stopped her.

 

          “Here, Anna. Here’s a chain for you to wear it on”

          “Oh, I don’t need a chain. It looks like it will fit-”

          “Really, I’d rather you wear it on the chain.”

          “Jacob.”

          “Yes?”

          “What will happen to me if I put it on my finger?”

          “Anna, I really don’t know if you should hear this just yet...”

          “Tell me Jacob.”

          “I will. Just not yet. Please, just trust me. And do not put it on.”

          “You’re doing the superior thing again.”

          “No, I’m just telling you this isn’t the time to do this just yet... there are other things we need to discuss first.”

          “How did this suddenly get business? What’s going on? You’re moodier than I am. And I don’t recall giving you my name.”

          “Yes you did.”

          “No, I didn’t.”

          “Okay! All right! I confess! There is a lot more going on, Anna. But you’ll just have to trust me for now. I can’t tell you everything at once.” He took the ring and strung it on a chain of the same sparkling silver brilliance. Carefully he draped it over her shoulders. “Do not put this on your finger.” he said sternly.

          “I won’t.”

          Anna realized how much time must have passed, and how cold the water was. “I have to get out of here.” she said, “The water is getting to me.”

          “Oh. Right, sorry.” He swam with her slowly toward the boat and helped her in.  “Can you get back safely?” he asked.

          “Yes.” she sighed.

          “Well, goodbye then. I’ll find you.”

          “Bye.” He dove into the gossamer waves and Anna was left staring into the mystical ring.

 

          “I love you,” she whispered to the shining sea.