Grandma was waiting for us when we reached the dock. She was wearing her long grey sweater and standing on the porch with her arms crossed. “Well, at least the two of you made it home safe.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, because the big, bad, tiny town is so dangerous.” I tried to step past her. She stopped me.
“Yes, Nessa, it is. And Colleen, you should really know better.” Grandma uncrossed her arms, looking at each of us in turn. “Ernie called me once you left. He said there was an incident with a pipe and a man who took great interest in it.”
“I really don’t think you’d call it great interest.” I rolled my head backward. Did she really have to take everything so out of proportion?
“You think he’s a hunter,” Colleen’s voice was barely more than a whisper. Her face had paled; the blood had drained. Her eyes were even larger than normal. She reached a hand out to grip Kyle’s arm.
“A hunter? What does she mean? What’s a hunter?” I turned back to Grandma who signalled for us to all go inside.
“Tell me, girls, was this the first time you’ve seen that man around town?” Grandma opened the red screen door and I walked into the warm, golden-lit house. I kicked off my sneakers, heading for the living room, taking a seat on the comfy grey couch.
“No, it wasn’t the first time. We met him on the beach a few weeks ago. He said he was new here. Starting a business. He wanted us to take a pen. Do some advertising for him.” Colleen filled Grandma in as she sat down beside me. Kyle stood, large and intimidating, by the door as Grandma paced at the front window.
“Did you take a pen?” She paused as she asked this question.
“Nessa threw it away.”
She nodded. “A smart decision.”
“It was the same man we saw on the ferry. You know, the one that grabbed me.”
Grandma turned to me, eyes wide. “I thought at the time there was a chance—a possibility—that he was a hunter. But it’s been so long…” She turned and looked out the window again. “Hunters are humans that know about our kind. They know our secrets. They know how to use us to gain power. They do horrible things to our kind just to add a few years to their own lives. That’s why it’s paramount that we keep ourselves isolated, away from the humans that would do us harm. That’s why both of you girls were very lucky tonight.”
I shivered, even though the house was warm. I peaked at Colleen out the corner of my eye. The hair on my head felt like it was standing on end, like a cat’s hair after being chased by a dog. “Is he going to come here?”
Grandma shook her head. “No. We’re safe on the island. We’re protected by the boundary that I maintain. It’s designed to keep out humans. It prevents them from even seeing the island and uses currents to guide their boats away. This hunter won’t be able to reach the island, at least not without a tracker. And Ernie will keep an eye on him in town. Though, after tonight, he would be a fool to show his face again.”
My fingers had grown cold, so I curled them up and buried them into the soft material of the couch. Not only was I a sea-witch, I was a hunted sea-witch. “If he caught me, what would he do?” I was barely able to ask the question. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.
Grandma shook her head. “I think that’s something to discuss at a later time, Nessa. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the boundary. It’s time that you learned how to protect this island too.”