Uncle Milos waited until after dark so nobody would see and recognize her. He then drove Cassie and her Aunt Marnie toward a waterfront condo he owned on Clearwater Beach. The more distance they put between themselves and Tarpon Springs, the more uneasy Cassie became. Her mother warned she should stay close to Anclote Key for a reason, and it was her dying wish.

The condo turned out to be sixteen miles away. It was too far to walk or swim, but Aunt Marnie assured her there was a bus route that led from the front of the condo directly to the Tarpon Springs docks. From there, if she had to, Cassie could catch a boat to Anclote Key.

Saturday night traffic made crossing the causeway onto Clearwater Beach a real pain. Uncle Milos lost his temper once and cursed. He glanced in the rearview mirror and met Cassie's gaze. "Sorry, kiddo, I'm not used to being around young ladies."

She giggled and her uncle winked at her. He seemed really nice.

Once they drove onto the island, herds of people walked the streets going into and out of restaurants, shops, and hotels. The house Cassie had shared with her momma was along a beach but in a quiet neighborhood, nothing like this loud place.

Soon, her uncle parked the car in a garage and made her wear a floppy beach hat as a disguise. It was like the kind old ladies wore and made her feel ridiculous. They got on an elevator. Cassie noticed there were buttons numbered all the way up to twenty. The condo building sure was tall.

Nobody else got on the elevator with them, and he pressed the button for floor number ten. They walked down a corridor to a door with the number 1010. Uncle Milos unlocked the door and held it for them as she and Aunt Marnie entered.

Uncle Milos snapped on a light. "This will be your home from now on."

The living room was almost as big as her old house. There were two sofas, stuffed chairs, and lots and lots of pillows. Cassie loved pillows and used to build forts out of them when she was little. She resisted the urge to dive into them now.

Uncle Milos opened a sliding glass door and motioned for her to follow. "I think you're going to like this."

The three of them walked out onto a balcony facing the Gulf of Mexico. Cassie closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh, salt air and listened to the waves lapping against the sand ten floors below. For a few moments she was able to forget about the terrible things that happened the night before. The sea breeze tossed her hair and calmed her.

But when she opened her eyes, memories of the horror flooded back into her. Salty tears stung her eyes, but she didn't cry. Cassie had cried so much; she didn't think she had any tears left. She was going to remain sad forever.

Her uncle asked them to sit on the balcony chairs. When they did so, he spoke. "Cassie, your aunt and I have come up with a plan to keep you safe." He waved an arm indicating where they now sat. "This place is one of my many investment properties. I'm going to let you stay here."

He leaned a hand against a block wall separating their balcony from the next unit. "None of the neighbors will be able to see you here, and you're too high up to be in view. That is, unless, someone on the beach is spying with high-powered binoculars, but that's unlikely."

Milos glanced at her aunt. "Marnie, would you mind fetching me a beer from the fridge and a soda for Cassie?"

Her aunt didn't answer but got up and walked back into the living room.

Uncle Milos sighed. "Cassie, if I had my way, I'd ship you off to the middle of Iowa or somewhere where there are few people. That way you'd have more freedom to move around without having to worry about who might see you. That won't work because your aunt tells me you can't leave the area."

Cassie didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.

He went on. "Clearwater Beach is a transient town bustling every day with thousands of tourists. Because there are so many people, it's almost as good as being around no people. Does that make sense to you?"

She gave it some thought. "I think you mean everyone is busy coming and going and nobody is going to pay me any attention."

He smiled. "You're really smart. That's it exactly."

Since he and her poppa were brothers and their eyes were the same, Cassie wondered if her uncle's voice was the same as her poppa's. She wished she had been old enough to remember what his voice sounded like.

Her uncle's expression grew serious. "You're safe here, but that doesn't mean you can be careless. The men who are after you are going to assume you are still in this area. They'll be hunting really hard for you. That means there are some rules I'm going to make you follow. First, you need to change your looks."

His words made her edgy. "I'm not cutting my hair."

"Your aunt told me you'll be wearing braids from now on and you'll dye your hair. I have no problem with that."

"She agreed to buy me Goth clothing."

"No," he said with an insistent tone. "You're too young to dress all freaky. It'll make you stand out and get noticed. I want you to wear normal touristy clothing appropriate for a girl your age."

Cassie didn't like it but decided it would be okay. Her uncle seemed to know what he was talking about.

"I don't want you to be a prisoner here," he continued, "but for your own good, you need to limit the time you spend out."

She frowned, not understanding exactly what he meant.

Aunt Marnie returned with their drinks and sat. Cassie took a sip of her orange soda and set it down. It tasted gross. Too much sugar.

Uncle Milos turned to Aunt Marnie. "I've been going over the rules we discussed in my office with Cassie."

She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He took a long drink from his beer. "I'll arrange for a tutor to visit for your schooling. No need for you to leave the condo to go to school."

She didn't like hearing that. "I lost all my friends from my old school. I want to make new ones."

He huffed. "I know it's normal for girls your age to want to socialize, but Cassie, after last night things aren't normal for you anymore. You'll need to make sacrifices."

Cassie felt the sting of tears in her eyes again, but she stayed quiet.

"Your Aunt Marnie will accompany you whenever you need to go out anywhere. She'll determine when that's necessary and how to dress you."

Cassie swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She looked out into the night toward the Gulf. "I need to swim every day, just like at my old house with momma."

"Nope. Not a good idea."

"I have to." Her voice cracked. She couldn't allow her uncle to take that away from her. "I'll do everything else you ask, but I must be able to get in the Gulf. Swimming is a part of me. It's like medicine for me."

Aunt Marnie leaned toward Uncle Milos and laid a hand on his arm. "I think we can agree to her compromise. The back door to the lobby leads directly to the beach. At no time will Cassie be in view of the street. With so many tourists around, she'll just be another girl enjoying a day on the beach with her aunt."

He considered it. "Okay. Done. Just use your discretion."

"Of course."

They discussed many other changes. Aunt Marnie would be her momma from now on and Cassie was supposed to treat her with respect. Uncle Milos was going to arrange for new identity papers for her. She wondered how her uncle could do that and began to suspect he was some sort of mafia guy.

Cassie looked between the two of them. "Uncle Milos, Aunt Marnie, why are you being so nice to me? I mean, I am grateful, but you're not my real parents."

Uncle Milos smiled, and she saw her poppa's eyes again. "Nothing is more important than family."

So, why did he divorce Aunt Marnie and start sleeping with Rafe's momma? She wondered but didn't dare to ask.

"You're my brother's daughter, and I'm going to take care of you as if you were my own daughter. Marnie will too. That's a promise."

She took a lot of comfort in his words and felt tired. She stifled a yawn.

"It's been a distressing day for us all," Aunt Marnie said. "I'm going to show Cassie to her room."

They left the balcony. Cassie saw something she didn't see when they first walked into the condo. On one wall of the living room was a huge display case with lots of shelves. The glass-fronted case displayed sponges of all different sizes, shapes, and colors.

"They're beautiful!" she exclaimed. She stood in front of the case admiring them.

"Sponges are our heritage," Uncle Milos said. "Sponge harvesting is how our business empire got started. Your grandfather was a master sponge diver back in Greece. We originated from an island called Kalymnos. A bacterial infection wiped out the sponge beds there, so your grandfather and his clan emigrated to Tarpon Springs where the sponges are plentiful. They made the place the sponge capital of the world."

Cassie knew the history of Tarpon Springs but had no idea her grandfather had been a part of it. Why hadn't her momma ever told her about it?

"Your poppa and I became sponge divers when we were young and eventually took over the business. In time we made so much money, we diversified. Now, I own several businesses, all of which became successful."

"What kinds of businesses?"

"Tourist shops, rental properties, condos like this one," he paused, "among other things." He exchanged a glance with Aunt Marnie.

One particular sponge in the center of the display case drew Cassie's attention, a beautiful tubular shaped one colored brilliant orange. She pressed her finger against the glass. "I think I like that one best. It's so pretty."

Uncle Milos gently took her hand and moved it away. He wore a troubled look. "That's the deadly West Indies Fire Sponge. One brush of its spicules against bare skin releases enough toxin to paralyze a man's lungs and suffocate him. I keep it on display as a reminder of what it looks like."

It didn't look all that dangerous to her.

He got her attention. "Cassie, if you ever go swimming and find one like this, don't go near it. It will kill you."

Question: How soon until Cassie touches a fire sponge?

Top Photo Credit: Condos on Clearwater Beach, photo by author.