Read Online 03 The Fate Of The Muse - Marina's Tales by Derrolyn Anderson - Free Book Online

free.
    Shayla was frozen in place, standing with a
shocked look on her face.
    “It must have gotten in through the broken
windows,” I explained, pointing to the missing panes.
    “Th– that’s bad luck,” she stammered, “It
means someone’s gonna die.”
    “What?” I asked.
    “A bird flying inside…”
    “Don’t be silly,” I said, “That’s just an old
wives tale.”
    I couldn’t help thinking that someone already
had ended up dead… I’d have to be extra cautious from now on.
    “This place gives me the creeps,” said
Shayla, rubbing her bare arms.
    “It’s not so bad in the daylight,” I said
defensively, “And I get free rent for a month for cleaning it up,”
I explained.
    “I guess Ethan can haul all this stuff outa’
here,” she said, looking around at the piles of junk lining the
floor.
    “Uhm, I haven’t really told him about it… he
works too hard anyway, and I’ve decided to do it on my own. I want
to fix it up and surprise him.”
    “I’ll help you,” she said, looking around
ominously, “I’ve got a week to kill… before I go to PARIS! ” she squealed, jumping up and down, still overcome
with excitement every time it crossed her mind.
    “I’ll take you up on that,” I laughed,
feeding off the power of her joy, “But only if we can go surfing a
few times too.”
    “You got it,” she grinned, her eyes widening,
“I wonder if they have beaches with crankin’ surf in France?”
    “They probably do,” I said.
    Shayla and I unloaded the art supplies,
making multiple trips up and down the treacherous stairs. We
decided to grab a coffee after we finished, and I pulled the Rover
around to park by the brightly lit storefront of Bill’s
coffeeshop.
    Megan waved at us from the stage we walked
in. She was just finishing up a song and we all sat down
together.
    “Hey! How did it go at Evie’s? What are you
guys doing here?”
    Shayla excitedly told her about her interview
and upcoming trip to France.
    “Congratulations!” she smiled, “So you guys
both get to go to Paris! Poor Cruz must be dying!”
    “Pretty much,” I said sympathetically. I told
her about the sewing room Evie set up for Cruz, and Megan said she
was planning a trip up to see him in the next few days. Shayla
launched into a wide eyed description of my new art studio, looking
up when she realized it was directly over our heads. She was still
freaked out about our encounter with the bird.
    “And Marina, like, totally started gargling
at it to calm it down, and the seagull just climbed right onto her
arm!”
    Megan’s eyes flashed to mine and we both
realized at that instant that I’d just spoken mermaid in front of
Shayla. I was surprised, for I truly hadn’t known it. It all
sounded the same to me coming out, and once again, I couldn’t
imagine how that could be.
    No wonder the bird went with me.
    “That’s a bad omen,” said Megan
seriously.
    “Oh puh-lease! Not you too,” I scoffed
with a roll of my eyes, “Honestly!”
    Megan smiled and shrugged, “A lot of
superstitions are based on facts…”
    I shifted in my seat, “So what’s going on
with your music?” I asked her, changing the subject.
    Megan’s eyes lit up, for she had news, and
once she launched into her story everything else was forgotten. She
had taped her breakup-inspired songs and posted them on the
internet.
    “They’re going viral, getting tons of hits,”
she said incredulously, “And I met with a record producer! He’s
going to record me… in a real professional studio and everything!
Can you believe it?”
    “Yes I can,” I smiled, once again flooded
with contentment. It occurred to me that it was addicting, this
feeling I got when someone I liked succeeded. I had a tremendous
sense of relief, like everything was right in the world. It was
very similar to the feeling I got while surfing. I leaned back in
my chair. Maybe this muse thing would be okay after all, if I could
just keep the dark side of it contained.