Amongst The Water-Fresh Waters

Chapter 10: Questions! Part 4

(First Uploaded: 2014 Dates updated: January or February 2018; October 2019; Jan. 13, 2020, June 27,2021; January 18, 2024)

After staring at the page of the Polynesian Mermaid Myths for a few minutes, she notices that some of the information has some plot holes and seems to be misinformed. She shrugs. It's not like the Geologist would know anything about Polynesian Mermaid Myths. Unless they weren't myths, Kylie thinks silently. She suddenly jumps out of her pink fluffy chair when her phone buzzes. She looks next to her and sees her phone buzzing away on the dresser. She reaches for it, but it falls off the edge of her dresser and into the floor. She rolls her eyes. Kylie bends down and quickly picks it up and answers it, not paying attention to the caller's ID. She's relieved to hear Jacob's voice on the other end. Her heart slows down hearing his voice. She forgot he said he'd texted and told her he'd call. She almost didn't believe him. Two weeks is too long to wait for just a single text back.

After what felt like hours of endless talking and mostly silence for Jacob. Kylie looks at her phone to see how long the call has been.  "Only 40 minutes!" Kylie mumbles. She rolls her eyes. It seems much longer. When Kylie wasn't talking, the call was mostly silent. Jacob hardly said anything. 

Kylie finally gets the courage to say what's been gnawing at her since she moved. "Jacob. I know you've been going through stuff. I've been giving you space. At first, I only texted once a day like you asked the first week and you never responded to any of them.  I've left you messages and told you I was here if you needed me and to text, call, or Face Chat me whenever. I've even contacted Darla and asked if you were okay. And you are just now responding. Is something going on Jacob? Are you okay? I'm worried." Kylie waits for Jacob to apologize or say something. But he is silent. 

She puts her phone on speakerphone as she continues to look at the Blog. When Kylie tells him, she doesn't know if she can take him ignoring her anymore, he speaks up. "Kye. I'm not ignoring you. I've had a lot going on." Kylie rolls her eyes. She knows he hasn't, Darla told her he hasn't been busy recently. "Kye. I wish I was there when you almost drowned at that island and I still don't think you saw a mermaid. Come on Kye, they aren't real." 

Kylie heard him chuckling a little over the phone. She takes a deep breath. "Jacob. I don't know what I saw. But I also know that the entire experience wasn't normal." Kylie states. The only part of the conversation that Jacob said anything was when she mentioned she almost died. She was desperate to get his attention and she had to tell somebody. She knows he was freaked out when she told him about everything. Saying it out loud, she freaked herself out, it sounded like a made-up story. But he should have been more sympathetic. She knows she saw a weird mermaid when she was pulled underwater by absolutely nothing. But she can't tell him anymore, he already thinks she's insane. He continues to stay silent. Kylie huffs aggravated.

She starts to say something, but she swears she hears a voice on his side of the line. "Who's that?" She questions? Jacobs clears his voice. "Ummm...It's Lacey." Kylie looks at her phone questioningly. It didn't sound like his sister. "Awww. I miss your sister." She says trying to get more out of him. 

The voice sounded too mature. She looks at the time in West Virginia. "But it's like 3 am. Shouldn't she be in bed?" She asks him. The voice gets closer and she's sure it's not his 8-year-old sister. She also doesn't think it's his mother. His dad couldn't have forgiven her enough to bail her out of jail. She knows that Jacob's father settled his differences with his mother recently during a visit. Kylie silently thanks Darla for the information.

"Jacob. Are you there? And who was that? Your sister isn't awake, and I don't know who else it could be." She fills the silence. Jacob mumbles something Kylie can't hear clearly. She thinks she heard him say something about wanting to go down. Kylie's brow rises curiously. From the bits and pieces she heard him say, she can't figure out what he's talking about. Then she hears the alluring voice again. This time, she hears the female laugh. The laugh eerily sounded like Darla.

 She pieced everything together. Darla was supposed to stay with Jacob and his family for her Winter break. She and Jacob always stayed up late when they didn't have to go to school. Jacob's therapist and psychiatrist told his parents and principal to keep him out of school for a while to continue outpatient therapy. They thought being in school would trigger outbursts and cause him to relapse.

The woman she heard on the phone didn't sound like she was a 40-year-old who smokes. So, it's not his mother. She sounded younger. She and Jacobs age. Maybe in college. So, she's certain it was Darla. But why did he say his sister's name? He's probably tired and said her name out of habit. Kylie desperately wants a real conversation. "Is that Darla? Can I talk to her?" She asks, wanting to end the long silence between her and Jacob. Jacob coughs confused. "Huh? Ummm I need to go." Kylie jolts back confused. She looks at her screen. "Did you seriously hang up on me?!" Kylie yells annoyed and confused. Why didn't he let her talk to Darla? "What are you not telling me, Jacob?" Kylie mumbles. Her thoughts worried her. Maybe it wasn't Darla.