Tysseland Chronicles - Cursed Part 3

"Evan's here?" Sasha said her heart skipping a beat.

"He was this morning," Sgt. Corey opened the interview room door. He escorted her to the reception area, shook her hand and said he'd be in touch.

Sasha unlocked her bike and was about to swing her leg over the cross bar when she noticed the man in the trench coat. He was still standing by his car staring at her. The hair on the back of her neck rose as she felt a subtle threat. She debated whether to go back inside and get Sgt. Corey. The man didn't resemble the robbers but he was creepy all the same.

Sasha stared back at the man. She returned her bike to the rack and walked back to the front door, her eyes still locked with the man's. She opened the door and it seemed the man sensed what she was about to do and broke off the stare and got into his car. Sasha stood in the doorway of the police station while the limousine circled cars and exited the lot.

Somewhat relieved and wondering if she was paranoid, Sasha cycled home peering over her shoulder. She didn't see the car again.

Sasha hated the indoor swimming pool at the community centre. It was against nature to swim inside when it's swimmable outdoor weather in Austin at least eight months a year. She hated the humid, stale air that smelled strongly of chlorine and made her crave crisp outdoor air.

She'd promised her mother she'd take Hannah swimming and she wasn't going to break her commitment but she dreaded the ch.o.r.e so she invited her neighbor Jenna to come along.

Hannah pushed through the gla.s.s doors to the community centre eager to get to the pool. She was already wearing her bathing suit so they went straight to the pool. Sasha stretched out on a lounge chair and Jenna sat down beside her. Sasha rummaged in her bag and pulled out two diet sodas. She gave one to Jenna and shooed Hannah into the water.

"You're the one that wanted to come here," she said.

Hannah sat on the edge of the pool and dipped her toes in the water. She shivered dramatically. "It's cold," she whined and trembled.

"Don't be a wuss," Sasha called. "Unless your lips turn blue it's a tropical heat. You wanted to come here."

Jenna turned on her side and faced Sasha. "I'm glad I don't have a little sister," she said. "I'm very tempted to push her in. My guess is she'll cry. It's taking a lot of my willpower not to follow through on my urge. Hit me."

Sasha threw a small snack packet of M&Ms at her and the package smacked her in the forehead. Sasha laughed proudly at her aim while Jenna smirked.

Hannah was still swinging her legs in the water reluctant to take the plunge. Sasha dug out her wallet and walked to the edge of the pool.

"You want to dive for some coins?"

Hannah frowned, her eyes downturned and sad. "Will you swim with me?"

Sasha crouched down beside her sister. "Didn't bring my suit."

Hannah appeared crestfallen. Sasha glanced around the pool to see if there was anyone there Hannah knew. There were a few adults doing lengths and young kids playing with their parents. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a guy her age come onto the pool deck from the men's change rooms. He was lean with well defined stomach muscles. His chest was muscular although not in a body builder kind of way. More like a guy who carried heavy things or lifted weights once a week instead of every day.

His knee-length bathing suit hung on his hip bones enticingly. Sasha could see herself putting her hands on those hips, feeling the bones and pulling him to her. He appeared strong and agile, the perfect runner or swimmer. The boy turned his head and she could see his eyes, the ocean blue of his eyes. Sasha sucked in a breath of surprise and flushed when she recognized Evan.

It was easy to see last night that Evan was an attractive guy, she just didn't know how hot until she saw him nearly naked. For a minute Sasha regretted not bringing her bathing suit. If she'd been swimming too, she would have been able to approach him innocently. Now she was either going to have to come up with a clever, yet coincidental reason or hope that he comes to her.

It was then she realized she didn't have to catch his attention, Hannah did. Sasha's sister was still sitting on the edge of the pool swirling her feet in the water. Sasha put a hand on her shoulder and resisted a strong urge to push her in the water.

"Put on your goggles and I'll toss a coin for diving, it'll be like a treasure hunt," she said. Her ploy would only work if Hannah did as she asked. Hannah swished her goggles in the water and then fitted them around her eyes, taking care to make sure the strap wasn't tangled in her hair. Fitting the goggles took a few minutes giving Sasha time to figure out what Evan was doing. He was swimming lengths on the far side of the pool. She'd have to maneuver Hannah over there so that she could "b.u.mp into" Evan.

She tossed coins in the deep end to give Hannah the experience of diving. Hannah took to diving to the bottom of the pool and then swimming along until she found the coin. Each time she broke the surface she swam back to Sasha and handed her the coin so she could throw it somewhere else.

After Hannah mastered the short drops, Sasha threw them farther and farther away. Jenna came to stand beside her curious about what she was doing.

"What are you looking at?" Jenna scanned the pool for my target. "The guy in blue?"

Sasha had no idea who she was talking about. "Where?"

"At the drinking fountain is that who we're watching?"

Sasha shook her head and laughed. "That guy has to be 50."

"Older can be s.e.xy," she said. "Look at Brad Pitt. I think he's like 50."

"Hmmm. You have a point. That guy isn't Brad Pitt though."

"Touche."

"So who is the object of our affection?"

"Our?"

"I thought I would live vicariously through you for a change," she smirked.

"That's going to be boring." Sasha watched Evan slice cleanly through the water with compact, efficient strokes. He moved at a moderate tempo as if he were pacing himself for a long swim. She wished she could slip into the water and glide beside him. She'd always loved swimming and had contemplated trying out for the team. Running was easier to do because all she needed was a pair of shoes while swimming required a pool and her parents didn't have a big enough backyard for one.

Hannah swam to the edge. "I think I'm done." She hauled herself out of the pool and a panicked Sasha pushed her back in.

"Just one more." She wasted so much time warming Hannah up she never got to her target. Hannah fell back into the water and hung on to the edge. Sasha saw Evan and targeted where he'd be by the time Hannah swam over. She threw the coin with perfect precision.

"That's so far," Hannah pouted. She dunked under the water and slowly swam away. Sasha watched her sister glide out to the planned collision point. Evan cut through the water doing front crawl like a machine. He breathed on one side, the opposite side from where Hannah was swimming which meant he wouldn't see the crash. Yet it didn't work as she planned.

Evan was too fast and Hannah was too slow and they didn't meet. Evan pa.s.sed over the coin before Hannah arrived. Her sister got into Evan's lane after he'd departed; she searched for the coin, dove a few times and then returned to where Sasha was standing.

"I couldn't find it," she panted. "You threw it too far. I was too tired to search."

Her sister lifted herself out of the pool and sat on the edge leaning against Sasha's pants. "You couldn't find it? It's not that deep over there."

Hannah got to her feet and took a towel off the chair. "Those lane guys make waves. I had a hard time keeping my head above water."

Upset that she'd tortured her sister just so she could see Evan again, Sasha wrapped her arms around Hannah and squeezed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Hannah rested her head on Sasha's shoulder. If Sasha didn't know any better, she'd think Hannah was trying to get her wet.

"Is this yours?" a deep male voice said from behind her. Sasha turned around, her little sister still in her arms, to see who was talking.

Evan was in the water with his hand on the edge as an anchor.

"Evan," she exclaimed surprised because she genuinely was, just for a different reason. Hannah broke the embrace and reached down for the coin.

"Thank you," Hannah said. "I didn't want to bother you while you were swimming but my sister threw it into your lane. I think she might have even done it on purpose."

"Hannah," snapped Sasha busted. She flushed with embarra.s.sment and glared at her sister. She was never taking her anywhere again.

Evan burst out laughing and seemed entertained by the accusation. "It's alright," he said.

"If she had done it on purpose," Jenna said. "You can't blame her. You are someone I'd like to meet."

Evan laughed again although a bit uncertain as if afraid Jenna would devour him. Sasha felt grateful to Jenna for easing Sasha's embarra.s.sment. Her comment was equally as embarra.s.sing as Hannah's "Ok, enough crazy s.h.i.t," Sasha intervened. "Go change Hannah. We gotta go."

Jenna shuffled to the change room with Hannah and left the two of them alone. Sasha crouched down, one knee in the sopping mess of pool water. She didn't feel it considering Hannah had made the rest of her damp too.

"How are you?" She asked him. She was worried about how he was processing last night.

"Not bad," he said. "I wanted to see how you were but I realized I didn't have your number."

Sasha smiled. "I'll leave it for you at the Second Cup."

"Good," he said.

There was a moment of silence. Sasha felt awkward and didn't know what to say. She'd arranged this and yet was at a loss for words.

"Did you see the police?" Evan asked.

"Yes," she said. "Didn't help much. They were wearing masks."

"That's what I said. Seemed like a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, I do hope they catch the guys."

Sasha nodded. "I get it," she said.

Evan turned away and watched the other swimmers. "I need to finish before going to work," he said motioning with his head toward the water.

Sasha jumped to her feet. "Absolutely."

"See you later," he said. "Make sure you leave your number at the cafe."

Then he pushed off from the wall into a front crawl stroke and swam smoothly away.

Sasha battled two emotions raging in her head. She was thrilled that he wanted her number and yet disappointed because she would have liked to talk to him longer. Next time, she told herself and slipped out of the pool.

CHAPTER FOUR.

To get her mother off her back, Sasha found a restaurant for her birthday dinner. It was a small Italian hole in the wall that she was sure her mother would hate but it made great lasagna.

She texted a few people she knew and was tempted to post on Facebook an all-person invite but she didn't think her mother would appreciate having to feed 30 people.

Jenna was the first one to respond.

Probably free, Jenna's text message said.

Great let me know, Sasha responded.

A few other friends quickly replied with affirmative answers. Cady was last to answer.

No can do. Got plans, she said.

It's my b-day, Sasha pleaded.

Will try and cancel. No guarantee, Cady responded.

Sasha wasn't surprised that Cady couldn't make the party. She'd already told her she was busy but Sasha thought maybe she would have changed her plans. That's what Sasha would do for Cady.

Willow Bean came home as Sasha received a flurry of text messages. She was fiddling with her phone when her mother flounced into the kitchen and dropped her purse on the table.

Sasha could feel her mother watching her as she texted messages to her friends.

"Does no one talk on the phone anymore?" Willow Bean asked.

"No," Sasha said.

"What kind of life is that?" Willow Bean said.

Sasha ignored her mother and kept sending messages to her friends. She sent a text message to her mother telling her how many friends were coming and the location she'd chosen for the party.

Willow Bean's phone beeped. She picked up her purse and dug the phone out of an exterior pocket. She checked the screen and then gawked in disbelief at her daughter.

"Did you just send me a text?"

"Yes. Now don't bother me about the party anymore," and Sasha left the room.

She needed to decide whether she was going to ask Evan to the party. She ran into Hannah in the family room slouched in front of the television watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns.

Sasha flopped on the couch beside her little sister.

"Who started the romance? Buffy or Angel?" she asked her sister, a Buffy expert.

"Both," Hannah said. Sasha was skeptical.

"Angel was always around but it's not like she wasn't interested," she said.

"So you think it was mutual then?"

Hannah nodded vigorously. "Why do you ask?"

Sasha ignored the question. "How do you know, for sure, if someone is interested?"

Hannah shrugged "When guys like girls they pull the girl's hair."