Page 1 of Tentacles for Christmas
Prologue
Rowen
20 Years Ago
Drivingthroughthetree-coveredhills towards what I was told would be my new home, I didn’t have high hopes. I was promised water but there was none to be found among the dry grass and giant oaks.
It wasn’t that I had a preference. It was more of a bone-deep need. Something in my child brain told me to run for the sea, and foster families weren’t keen to keep a runner around.
“You’ll like Fin–” the social worker who introduced herself as Valeria Ironjaw started, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror to where I sat in a booster seat. “Mr. Finley, that is.”
My response was to look out the side window. I was always shy around strangers, and I’d only met her the day before. I couldn’t remember how many homes I’d been placed in, but this one I messed up in record time. Within two days of being placed with the family, I’d snuck out and followed my instincts to San Francisco Bay.
Cops found me splashing around naked in the dark, frigid water, and I’d been taken to a group home. The family didn’t want me back, but Valeria, who said to call her Val, seemed excited to meet me.
“You need a special home, don’t you?” She’d asked while kneeling beside the bunk I’d been assigned. She smelled good. Not like perfume, but more like freshly turned earth with flowers blooming.
“Water,” was the only word I’d said to her and she nodded with an understanding smile none of my foster parents had ever given me at the request.
“I’ll make some calls, but I think I know just the place.”
It wasn’t easy being in the dorm room with mostly bigger boys after Val left me there. I was a quiet kid, and the other boys didn’t like me, which they made clear by pushing me around and stealing my food. The people in charge didn’t notice or they didn’t care, and I was starting to worry I was stuck there, with the security bars and alarm system keeping me far away from the water I craved to spend my time in.
Val kept her promise, though, and returned three days later with pretty words about the perfect place for me. I had no personal belongings, so she’d signed some papers and taken me the same day.
After what felt like hours, we’d gotten steadily farther from the bay on the drive, and I could smell the ocean was farther than I’d like when she piped up again, “We’re almost there.”
Reaching as far as I could, I was able to tap the window button to open it more. It stopped halfway, but I was happy with that much. There was the scent of fresh water on the breeze, mingling with the tree and animal smells. At least she hadn’t lied about the water.
The group home had been stinky and made me feel sick with so many unwashed bodies pressed into a small space, so I loved the fresh air. The sky was getting darker, the clouds making fun animal shapes, but I couldn’t smell any rain.
Right when I was building courage to ask where the water was, we rounded a corner and the trees revealed a lake. Sitting up and leaning forward, I looked out for the glimpses I could catch as we sped down the road along the waterway.
“This is Blue Lake, Fin lives in the town of Blue Lake,” Val explained as we passed a sign for the town that confirmed what she was saying. “There’s also rivers and we’re only an hour from the ocean.”
Chewing my bottom lip, I felt a bubble of something warm fill my belly. We made our way through a small town with the lake on the left and hills to the right, turning into a parking lot across from a marina full of boats.
The business said a word I didn’t know, “Motorvated,” with a motorcycle and wolf painted on the side of the building as we circled to park in the back. There was a house at the base of a hill, surrounded by trees, a boring beige color but with a bright red door.
Three adults stood in front of the door, two men and one woman. Val hadn’t mentioned a woman, only Fin, but I didn’t care as I unbuckled and got out. Instead of looking towards the people, I craned my neck to see the water past the car and across the street.
“Rowen?” Val’s voice caught my attention, and I turned to see she had her hand out. It would be good if I wanted to stay here where I could see the water every day.
Taking her hand, she led me to stand in front of the adults. One man held the woman against his side, and I saw she looked pregnant.It would be weird for them to take me in when they were already expecting another child, so I turned to the other man.
“Rowen, these are friends of mine from high school, Amy and David King live up the hill.” Val gestured to the others who smiled before turning me to the single man. “This is Clark Finley. He has offered to give you a permanent home.”
“Hi Rowen, I’m Clark. It’s nice to meet you.”
Tilting my head, I sensed something different about him. All of these adults smelled different to the many I’d lived with over the years. Unlike Val, Clark Finley smelled like a predator, yet I didn’t feel afraid. On paper he was intimidating. He was tall with dark hair and green eyes and broad shoulders, but I could tell he wasn’t a threat.
“Clark? Like Clark Kent?” I asked him, thinking of my favorite superhero. Maybe he was the alien who’d been sent to save me. “Can I call you Superman?”
“Oh! Well, most call me Fin.” He chuckled and kneeled to look me in the eyes. “But you can call me Superman if you want.”
“Okay,” I smiled back. Then I thought of a more important question. “Will you let me swim whenever I want?”
“Hmm, I don’t know aboutwhenever,” Superman rubbed his chin. “How about this: at least once a week we’ll go to the lake and at least once a month I’ll take you to the ocean on my motorcycle. Does that sound reasonable as a starting point?”