II
It must have been a dream. The face, peering at her from the rim of her boat. Sharp, sly eyes with a silver shine that glistened in the white light set heavy by the fog. Marlene felt drawn and afraid, like all she wanted to do was follow that voice, fall into the waves, or else row as far and as fast as she could. The conflicting desires, urges, instincts, both battled and screamed, and held her in limbo, frozen in place, staring at those cold, cruel eyes.
Crushed pearls seemed to frost over the skin, a moonlike shimmer clinging to the lashes, otherworldly in the glittering spray. Everything seemed to glitter, the sky, the sea, it. Everything seemed to shine, and everything seemed to sting. The face climbed higher, resting sharp elbows over the prow of the boat, leaning on them with a tilted catlight grin.
“Don't pull, she’ll tip,” Marlene burst out on instinct. The face tipped to the side, puzzled. It could have been innocent if it wasn't so clinical.
“She?” The voice was smooth and low.
“The…boat,” Marlene breathed, her own voice trying hard to desert her.
“Ahh,” the other breathed, nodding, a melodic sigh of understanding. “And what if she does?” The smile was sharp and cruel.
“I-” Marlene croaked, fear flooding through her brain at the thought of if that did happen.
The other laughed like music, so sharp and sure, as though every breath that failed Marlene found its way to those wide, teasing lips. The rudeness and the mocking were what snapped Marlene somewhat out of her daze.
“She’ll tip and sink, and fuck us both. Now stop pulling and I'll teach you how to get on, unless you want me to leave you out here,” the angel-eyes sharpened, unimpressed by Marlene's lack of complacency, the cheap sparkle fading to ice.
“And if I do?”
“If you- what?” Marlene asked, voice faltering again at the sight of those cold, cold eyes.
“Want to stay.”
“In the sea?”
“Mhh, hhm,” the eyelashes batted as the elbows leaned more weight into the boat.
“Then you can stay here and freeze, just dont take me down with you, can you-” the boat was tilting, the torso rising higher, “Don't- you’ll tip it-” the sharp teeth grinned, pulling almost too much, almost over the edge, before letting up, releasing the boat to the will of the waves, leaving only the lightest grip on the side. Marlene breathed a sigh of relief, steadying herself against the rise and fall. “Good. Fuck. Thanks. Come on, I’ll get you up.”
“No.” the lips ordered, smiling soft yet stern.
Marlene only scoffed and turned, trying to figure out how to shift her wait to accommodate.
“How did you get out here, anyway? We’re a long way out. Are you here for the swim heats?”
“Mhh, something like that,” the long hair flicked.
“Mmm,” Marlene hummed non-committedly. She wasn't oblivious, she knew this wasn't… normal, but admitting it made it real, uncomfortably so. So pretending it was. “Here, if I move like this, then you can get up there, do you know how to climb into a boat?”
The sweet lips sighed, “Enlighten me.”
“Seriously?” Marlene huffed, “You’re swimming all the way out here ad you don't know how to climb?”
“Apparently so.” That sounded far too bored for their current situation, so she clicked her tongue accordingly, checking on the storm.
“Fine, I'll pull you up, make sure you lie flat, please don't tip us,” the eyes blinked, all ‘innocent’ again, distant, removed. Marlene ignored it and lay down flat along the wet, wooden floor, reaching out a tentative hand.
The cold eyes watched, engrossed. Cold fingers met, a little twitch of a spark. The weird feeling of first contact mixed with a shiver of that fire deep inside. They slid closer, higher, entwining together, hand in hand, then a sharp, strong grip squeezing comfortingly on her wrist. Marlene couldn't breathe. Once again those sharp, sweet lips seemed to have stolen it all.
“What now?” the cocky grin asked. Marlene sucked in a little, the best she could do. Those sharp collar bones showed no signs of a lifejacket or bikini top, and up close the silver shine seemed all the less real. “You gonna pull me up? Or am I gonna pull you in?”
What to think, brain wont work.
“I-” Strong fingers twitched. Cold.
Dark. Cold. Scream.