by Hannah Reed
As Alex walked in April jumped away from Connor. ‘Great’ Connor thought, just great. Why did Alex have it so easy with girls? Maybe it was how oblivious he was to awkward situations.
“Wow, we’re all up early today. What’s the occasion?” Alex asked
“We…we were just planning what we were doing today!” April said.
“April can’t swim,” Connor provided dejectedly.
“You can’t swim, how on earth did you survive?”
“Don’t worry about it Alex. I survived and that is all that matters,” April said kindly, but her impatience was growing thin with the brothers’ attentiveness. She hated feeling helpless or being insinuated that she was. At least Alex hadn’t rushed to comfort her.
“I know what we could do today. I could teach you to swim. We can do it in the pool here. I’m a trained lifeguard,” Alex said.
Why didn’t I think of that Connor thought as he took a step away from April so they were at a normal distance from each other. From here he could still smell the sweet yet salty smell of her hair. It was very distracting. It reminded him of popcorn.
“That sounds fun, do you fancy that April? Everyone should know how to swim,” Connor said trying to pull April’s attention back to him. She was fiddling with the tassels on her sleeves.
“Yeah, that sounds like fun” April said.
“Cool, I’ll ask Peter to make breakfast and then we can head down,” Alex said.
“April do you want to come and try on the swimming costumes?” Megan asked from the doorway. She had retreated further out of the room since Alex arrived and was trying to shield her face from the blush that was rapidly spreading.
“Okay, I’ll see you guys at breakfast,” April replied and followed Megan up the stairs.
Since April’s arrival Megan hadn’t seen much of her. Rosetta was giving her lots of work in the linen room and the rest of her days were spent preparing the President’s suite of rooms for his return. She couldn’t believe her luck when she was passing through this morning and overheard Connor and April’s conversation. As April followed her into the staff’s section of the house she struggled to contain her excitement. Should she come straight out and say, “I know you’re a mera,” or should she wait and build a friendship with her first? Megan grinned to herself. A real-life mera! It was too exciting. She turned back to smile at April and noticed April was eyeing her oddly before she hastily returned the smile. Clearly, she needed to tone down the excitement.
“My room is just here,” Megan said as she gestured towards the door at the end of the hallway.
“Thank you so much for this Megan.” April stepped into the room and was warmed to see such a normal bedroom. April was growing restless in the emotionless guestroom she was staying in. It felt like she was intruding on the room’s orderliness. By contrast, Megan’s room was nice and homely. The window was east facing so Megan’s room was lit with natural soft light at this time in the morning. April looked around the room and was surprised to see pictures of the sea from all over the world tacked to the walls. She recognised most of the shorelines, many of which were about an hour’s swim from the Hanarian Palace. As Megan busied herself pulling out the swimming costumes, April walked over to her bookcase. Almost all the books were mermaid fictions or factual books about mer. It was astounding. April had never thought that some legged might be fascinated by mer life. She always presumed that most legged hated the mer or simply had no interest at all. She scanned the books and briefly touched their spines. Legged books always fascinated April. The texture was so different from those she read under the sea. April loved to read, it was one of the few things she had in common with her Mum.
“Is there anything there you would like to borrow?” Megan asked,
April jumped around. She paused and looked back at the bookshelf. “I think I would actually, if that’s okay. You’ve already been so generous.”
“It’s not a problem,” Megan said standing awkwardly behind April. She wanted April to know she could trust her. April continued looking across the different titles until she saw one that made her smile. Pulling it off the shelf she flicked through the pages.
“Mer Life for Dummies?” Megan asked.
“Yeah,” April said. “Is it okay if I borrow this?”
“Sure.”
April continued to flick through the book laughing every so often as she saw some of the chapter titles, ‘Breathing Under Water: Not as hard as you think.’
“So here are the swimming costumes. The ensuite is in there if you would like to try them on,” Megan said. She gestured towards the door next to her wardrobe. April closed the book, put it on the bed and gathered up the suits Megan had laid out.
~
April made her way to the pool. The beauty of the island impressed her for the first time. The sun was starting to shine and she could feel its warmth seeping into her skin. For a moment she relaxed, then panic and guilt tightened her shoulders. She knew she should be trying harder to get home or at least contact home. But, she was scared. The footage from the bomb kept on replaying in her mind. On repeat she saw herself being picked up and thrown down into the sea. April just wanted to know if her friends and family were okay, but she was equally scared to find out otherwise. She thought of her Dad and imagined his devastation at this terror attack against peace. Everything he believed in had been blasted to pieces in one evening. Looking out at the sea she tried to live in the moment and focus only on the beauty before her.
The pool area was stunning. She suspected that the architect had studied the rock pools of Lakkada. The layering of the pools was very similar. The pool was spread over three levels, the water constantly running towards the sea. She stepped towards the top pool and slowly dipped her foot in the outer rim. Thank goodness, she thought. Her skin remained its normal colour and there was no burning feeling. The water must be fresh for the pool. That solved that problem at least.
About a mile out to sea she could see a pod of dolphins playing in the waves. April grinned in amusement. If the sea wasn’t poisonous she could dive in and be with the dolphins in a few short seconds. Yet, here she was about to get swimming lessons from a pair of leggeds. April walked back into the house and through to the conservatory. Alex decided it was best to eat there today. She sat down and waited for the boys to arrive. The front door slammed and a moment later a very sweaty Alex appeared.
“Excellent timing, I think the food is coming shortly,” April said smiling.
“Perfect,” Alex said. He sat down opposite April and tried to stop his panting.
“Good run?”
“Honestly, it was excellent,” Alex grinned. “You sure you don’t mind the smell?”
“No, it’s fine, you just smell salty to me.”
The smell didn’t bother April one bit. It reminded her of certain tides.
“Urgh, you smell disgusting,” Connor said wrinkling his nose. He walked around the table and pulled up a chair next to April. Connor thought exercising was only worth it if you didn’t break out in a sweat.
“Thanks for that,” Alex said.
The boys continued to bicker as one of the staff brought breakfast through. The brothers had the same argument every morning.
“Why can’t you shower first?”
“Because I’m hungry.”
April had learnt to leave them to it. She thanked the server and helped herself to a pain au chocolat. They were still warm.
“So, have either of you heard any news about the Peace Treaty bombing?” April ventured.
Alex chewed through his pain raisin before answering.
“No, not really.”
He was useless when it came to deciding what was interesting information. Connor had reluctantly admitted one morning that Alex was a borderline genius. Therefore, his opinion on what was important differed to most other people. It seemed that Connor doubted his brother’s intelligence though.
“Connor?” April asked.
“Not a lot. The new
s reporters don’t seem to have any concrete answers yet. The mermaids haven’t done anything further and we haven’t retaliated.”
“Mer.” April couldn’t help but correct him. “I see,” she said. “Have you spoken to your Dad?”
“Not really, he checked in to say he couldn’t come over during the storm. I mentioned you were staying,” Connor said.
“You did,” April said, her pain au chocolat paused in mid-air.
“Yeah, he didn’t seem that bothered,” Connor said munching again. “Selfish bastard.”
April watched Connor carefully then resumed eating her pastry when he didn’t say anything further.
“He’s got the doubles with him anyway for his appearances,” Alex said.
“Doubles?” April asked.
“Exactly, he doesn’t need us,” Connor said.
“As in body doubles? Don’t the public realise it isn’t you?” April asked. April had forgotten her confusion that the brothers she met at the Peace Treaty were not the real Alex and Connor. Body doubles would explain the situation.
“I presume so, but after our Mum died they understand Dad’s precautions.”
April nodded before asking, “Are your Dad and Freddie okay?”
“Yup, they were fine. Really lucky actually, Dad stepped out to make a call five minutes before the bomb went off and Freddie was with him,” Connor said.
“That is lucky,” April agreed but her tone fell flat.
“I’m just glad we weren’t there,” Alex chipped in. “Without the mermaid powers, I doubt many people would have survived.”
“The mer powers were a blessing,” April said.
They lapsed into silence over breakfast. The brothers ate pastry after pastry. Even if she couldn’t trust the President, Alex and Connor had done nothing to make her doubt them.
After breakfast, they all went their separate ways to get ready for April’s ‘swimming lesson’. April sat on her bed and tapped Ethan’s Iris in frustration. She oscillated between wanting to know everything that was going on back home and being thankful that she was apart from it all. Ethan’s watch sat heavily on her wrist but she was starting to get used to the weight. His pearls were less responsive than hers but she could sense their eagerness to be wielded. April leant out of her open window and looked from side to side. Certain no one could see her; she focused her energy on the ground.
Instantly, her Assurgere powers responded, she located a seed and started to imagine its growth. Soon a sprout sprung from the grass, April fed it more energy her fingertips glowing green as she gripped the ledge. By now her seed was a small sapling. Little flowers started to bud on the end of the branches so she seized her flow of energy before it could become fully grown. Surely no one would notice one more tree in the forest. Ethan’s pearls hummed contentedly. “Happy now?” April asked. She walked out of her room and headed down to the pool.
It was already hot outside. April was thankful for the sunglasses and suntan lotion Megan had insisted on lending her. She could feel the sun beating down on her gathering a light sweat on her skin. April made her way down the steps to the lowest pool, her breathing more laboured than she was used to. She claimed a sun lounger under an umbrella and spread out like a starfish to try and cool off.
“There you are!”
April snapped out of her reverie by the voice shouting out the top window.
“I’ll be down in a second.”
She squinted up but couldn’t work out which brother it was. Minutes later Connor walked out onto the pool’s patio and started making his way down.
“Hello, are you ready?” he smiled. April could see him trying and failing not to look at her in her bikini. She was in shock herself. The amount of material used on these things was laughable. When she came out of the bathroom she double-checked with Megan that this was the normal amount of skin shown. April also never realised how much hair leggeds grew. She queried Megan about this as well. Fortunately, April had perfected creating a water slice many years ago so that was dealt with quickly. From Connor’s facial expression it seemed that she was good looking enough for a legged.
“I’m ready for my lesson.”
“Lovely sea isn’t it.” Connor turned dramatically to the ocean.
“It is lovely,” April said trying not to chuckle. As Connor tried to look away while maintaining a conversation, Alex appeared. He reminded her a lot of Ethan. They both seemed to possess the same quality of looking effortlessly confident. But, it was how he made her instantly at ease that really reminded her of her best friend. Alex ran towards the pool and dived straight in.
“Right April, there is nothing to be scared of let’s start at the shallow end.”
April followed Connor towards the pool. She stopped at the deep end to double check that the water wasn’t poisonous. She dipped her foot into the pool and was relieved when it didn’t burn.
“Be careful April.” Connor warned.
April rolled her eyes. She straightened and stepped forward. Her foot slipped out from underneath her.
“April!” Connor cried.
Then, splash. The moment she hit the water her whole-body tingled. Ethan’s Commutavi pearl glowed in anticipation. It ached to not transform back into her mera form. She fought the instinct with every fibre in her body. While she was concentrating on this Alex swam up behind her. He grabbed her around the waist and swam her to the surface. As they broke the surface together, April tried to look scared like someone who couldn’t swim but she couldn’t help grinning. It may not be the open ocean, but she was back where she belonged.
An hour later Connor and Alex were still marvelling at how quickly April had learnt to swim. She gloried in their praise, not admitting to any slight advantage. She walked down the steps carrying three tumblers of lemonade. She had developed a taste for the stuff. Lemons were a rarity under the sea. Her senses tingled; it was so quiet she could practically hear them plotting something. Sure enough, she rounded the corner and was confronted by two guns. Fortunately, the grins on their faces reassured her that this was all still a game.
“Put the glasses down and we promise we won’t hurt you,” Connor said.
“It’s cold water,” Alex said mock seriously.
“Fine,” April replied raising her eyebrows over her sunglasses. She walked over to the table, placed the lemonade and her sunglasses down, and then, she suddenly spun and dove into the water without making a splash. The boys jumped in after her. April mused that theoretically she could just stay down here. However, that might reveal her secret. Instead, she went for a sneak attack and swum quickly round them whilst all their bubbles hid her. She waited a moment then kicked upwards and splashed out at them with her arms. She wielded a little of her Factus energy to give momentum to the splash and the result was marvellous. The brothers were swept backwards and lost hold of their guns. While they were underwater April quickly seized the water guns.
“What?” Alex spluttered as he surfaced and got his bearings.
“How did you do that?” Connor asked. Instead of answering, April pulled the trigger and laughed as she blasted them both with cold water.
“That’s for throwing me in earlier,” she said. At least Connor had been right about one thing, having fun was definitely the best way to distract her.
CHAPTER 16
The heat glared down and Alex rolled over onto his back. He glanced at his watch; it was already 2pm, where had the time gone he thought. He sat up slowly and looked at the other two also zonked out after their hard-core water fight. The heat was really getting too much for him. About to drag his sunbed over to the parasol he spied the water guns abandoned by the pool. Seconds later he was standing at the head of April and Connor’s sun beds.
“Sneak Attack!” he shouted and fired.
“Ahhhhh!” April and Connor shouted, both raising their arms to protect themselves.
“At least I cooled you down, you two were in danger of burning!”
“Pfft,”
April laughed. She actually looked surprisingly dry Alex thought. Connor, on the other hand, was soaked and did not look impressed.
“What did you do that for?”
Quick to relieve the tension Alex announced his new plan.
“How about we go to Beaulieu Falls? I could do with some shade.”
“Is the pool filled with fresh water?” April asked.
“Ummm yes,” Alex said. “Why?”
“Just wondering. Sounds good to me,” April answered brightly.
“Yeah, I’m up for it,” Connor said. He leaned over and grabbed a towel to dry his face.
“Meet out front in ten?” Alex asked, he offered his hand to April and pulled her up from her sun bed.
“Sure thing,” Connor said as he watched Alex and April make their way back into the house.
Connor and Alex stood in the foyer waiting for April. Connor shuffled from side to side. He was anxious to see April and show her Beaulieu Falls. It was just a shame Alex was coming with them.
“When do you get your grades?” Alex asked.
“18th August,” Connor said.
“Then where are you going?” Alex asked leaning against the pillar.
“I want to go to the University of St Andrews,” Connor said. He was sure he had told Alex this all before.
“Where is St Andrews?
“In Scotland.”
“Scotland?” Alex said. This was the reaction Connor had been receiving for months. Every time he told people he was planning on studying outside of the States people seemed to think he was crazy.
“Yup,” Connor said. He could see Alex waiting for further clarification but he stubbornly maintained his silence.
“Why?” Alex eventually asked. He was flicking the car key in and out of its case. He always fidgeted when he was thinking.
“Because.”
“Because… right. That clears it up,” Alex replied. Connor rolled his eyes at him.
“Because I want to learn about the world. Not just this egocentric version Dad presents to us.”
“Right, I’m ready! Sorry to keep you waiting,” April said as she wandered into the foyer.