by Hannah Reed
“Are you ready?” she asked looking between the two brothers, her eyebrows lifting. Connor and Alex were standing oddly far apart.
“Yes, we are,” Connor replied. He opened the garage door in the foyer and the three made their way inside. Darius kept an assortment of cars on Shell Island. It was one of the few places he could drive in peace without a security detail. Alex beeped open a large, black, open top jeep.
“I’ll sit in the back,” April said as she clambered in. Connor followed her into the back. He caught Alex smirking in the rear-view mirror. Connor kicked Alex’s chair and received a short laugh that annoyed him further.
While Alex drove them towards Beaulieu Falls, Connor turned his attention to April.
“So, what are your plans for after school?” Connor asked in an incredibly chipper voice that earned him a muffled laugh from Alex.
“My plans… eurgh,” April paused “I’m weighing up my options at the moment.” April gestured vaguely with her hands. “What about you?”
“He wants to go to Scotland,” Alex answered. Connor was about to inform Alex he could answer for himself when April said enthusiastically.
“Oh, I love Scotland,”
“You’ve been?” Connor said leaning forward.
“You’re remembering,” Alex said excitedly.
“Yes, snippets,” April said. She kept on forgetting she was supposed to be suffering from amnesia.
“It’s only recent memories I’m struggling with really,” she said avoiding their eyes. “My family have a house near the Isle of Skye. Where about do you want to go?”
Connor grinned. This was the most positive anyone had reacted to his Scotland plan. His mind started racing forwards. Maybe he and April would end up there together. They could live in Scotland together.
“St Andrews, they have an excellent international university there.”
“The East Coast. Very nice, the seas around St Andrews are stunning. Cold but stunning,” April said. She loved the time she spent exploring the British Isles.
“Do you stay in Scotland often? I thought you had a British accent?” Alex said.
“Yeah, I’m kind of from all over the place. My Dad travels a lot for work. He visits all the different…” April paused. “Ummm companies. And stays there for a while to see how they’re operating. Moving around so often is probably why I’m struggling to remember the details of where I was,” she said trying to cover herself.
“That’s so cool,” Connor yelped as the jeep went over a hole in the road. Connor fell towards April, his hands landing on her legs. He removed them quickly as if he had been burned. Feeling sorry for his brother Alex intervened.
“Sorry guys, that is amazing though April. I would love to travel the world,” Alex said. He slowed down the jeep as they approached a clearing.
“It is exciting. When I was young I loved it. But after a while it does get lonely. I’ve been in boarding school since I was fourteen.”
“Same,” Alex said. “Military school from age five. It sucked.”
Connor watched April and Alex share a small smile in the mirror.
“Right, we’re here,” Alex said.
The three took off their seat belts and exited the jeep. They were standing in a clearing of tall, thick grass that went up almost to their knees. Connor caught April looking in bewilderment at all the foliage as she lifted her legs up and over to walk out of the grass. He smiled involuntarily.
“Follow me,” Alex said as he started to traipse through the clearing.
“Close your eyes April,” Connor said.
“Is this necessary?” April laughed. Alex rolled his eyes up ahead but Connor persevered. He stood behind April and put his hands over her eyes. He was careful to not let the rest of his body touch her.
“Yes, it is.” He walked her through the undergrowth from the small clearing. His hands were starting to get clammy and he willed them to not sweat onto April’s face.
April tread carefully but she was confident that Connor wouldn’t let her fall. In front of her she could feel Alex moving the plants out of her way.
“Okay, you can open them now,” Connor said as he gently lifted his hands away.
The sight before her compelled her to move further into the heart of Beaulieu Falls. Trees towered around a natural pool and let in shafting rays of light. Light glistened off the water and then reflected back onto the glossy grey wall of stone that the waterfall thundered down. The pool was large and they had come out at the farthest end from the falls but the tumultuous roar echoed through the clearing. Surrounding the pool were patches of brightly coloured wild flowers. The scene was straight out of one her mertale books. April stood and stared, taking it all in. She just about noticed Alex setting up their towels and chairs for the afternoon.
Connor stood back watching April marvel at the pool. He stepped forward to join her when Alex called.
“Can I get some help over here?”
Connor shook his head and turned around scowling. But, April didn’t hear Alex. Eyes trained on the pool she ran forward and dived seamlessly into the water. It was deliciously cool after the humid car ride. She hovered underwater for a moment taking in the clarity of the pool. Then she swam down into its depths. Her every fibre was intent on reaching the bottom. The water was crystal clear and a beautiful storm cloud blue. The pool was deeper than she first presumed, she feared this was an inappropriate amount of time for a legged to be underwater but her compulsion to reach the bottom quelled her fears.
Consumed with her task April lost all other thoughts. Deep within her was a hum as if her heart was trying to escape from her chest. The humming was getting stronger and stronger as she swam deeper into the pool. She pushed through the plant life wielding her Assurgere and Factus powers. She frowned in irritation as she swept her arms in an arc above her head and wielded a white light that shone around her as a protective orb of Factus energy. Something glittering caught her eye and she was drawn further down towards it. It was like a magnet drawing her in. Without thinking she reached out to pick up the shining black stone. The second her fingers made contact, everything stopped for a second and her white Factus orb absorbed back into her. Her brain cleared and she was transported to the deep sea.
She treaded water in a moment of perfect stillness. For miles around she could see nothing, just an endless stretch of ocean. Then a swirling mass began to form in front of her. The sea grew darker and began knitting together until a dark figure appeared before her. Its form kept shifting as the tendrils of the dark sea writhed. April could just make out the form of a Merdevil as the wisps of darkness came together. It towered over her easily as it grew to the size of a killer whale. Yet, she felt oddly calm. She tried to swim towards the Merdevil but was unable to move. She stayed perfectly in place before the giant. Tilting her head, she tried to fathom why it was there.
Then suddenly, a deep cold washed through her, the chill felt sinister. Dark tendrils of energy were writhing towards her. Panic flooded into her brain and the compulsion to reach the Merdevil was broken. She tried to drop the stone but it clung to her hand. Her panic levels increased and April thrust all her powers outwards. She propelled herself upwards and the Merdevil dissipated as she found herself back in the lake.
Finally, she broke through the surface and hurriedly clambered onto the grass. Clouds had gathered overhead and all the waterweeds had shot up. April looked around in alarm. The beautiful flowers were now overgrown with grasses. She looked to her hand where she was still gripping the black stone. A dark flicker ran across her fingers, she blinked and it was gone. April shook her head trying to make sense of what had happened. She felt cold, very cold.
~
Connor and Alex were frozen ten metres away from April. Their faces mirrored the horror of the other’s expression. Silence settled over the pool. Even the sudden clouds froze in place hanging ominously above. Only a few seconds had passed but it felt like everyone had stopped for several minutes. T
he cold was slowly seeping into April’s skin. She looked up towards the sky and wielded her Tempus powers to part the clouds and let the sunshine back through to heat her up. April turned to assess the damage she had caused, but the pool area had reverted back to normal. She stood up and whipped the water from her body with her Factus powers as she walked through the grass. A glow of white Factus and navy-blue Tempus energy surrounded her. As she wielded her pearl powers she heard an intake of breath to her left. Suddenly she remembered who she was with. Alex and Connor still hadn’t moved. Transfixed by April’s actions they were both utterly still. April took a small step towards them and as if the power had been turned back on, they both abruptly burst into life.
“What was that?” Alex said.
“What’s going on?” Connor asked.
“Who are you?”
“Are you okay?”
Their questions and exclamations continued and April patiently waited for them to get it out of their system. Her shoulders relaxed slightly and she sighed in relief. Relief that they had not run away and that they seemed to still care about her. She wondered if that would change after she told them the truth. While they continued their shocked ramblings, she tried to figure out the best way to explain everything. Not that she knew how to explain what had just happened. Her pearl glow dimmed and she felt warmer from the sun’s rays. The two brothers reached the end of their stream of questions and both said in uncanny unison, “April?” as they beseeched an answer from her.
“I’m a mera,” she said simply. “When I swam into the water I was drawn to an object down there.” She produced the stone to show them. Their eyes flicked from the stone then back up to her face.
“When I touched it my powers went haywire, it was like I was in the middle of the ocean with a great Merdevil. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to lie to you, but I was worried after the Peace Treaty terror acts and with your Dad being the President, you would hate me, or turn me in, and I didn’t know what would happen.”
The two brothers continued to stare at her expectantly; apparently, this wasn’t enough of an explanation. April sat down on the towel Alex had laid out for her and waited for the brothers to join her. They sat but kept their distance. As April explained how she came to be there the brothers’ faces swelled with different emotions. April was desperate to find out how they felt about her, but she continued on with her story.
“… When you wanted to go to the beach I panicked because of the poison in the seawater and that’s why I pretended I couldn’t swim, which led us to here.” She finished lamely. April had kept her eyes trained above their heads throughout the story; she lowered her gaze to see what the brothers were thinking. Connor and Alex continued to stare at her in silence. Connor kept on opening his mouth and then closing it again. Alex, on the other hand, remained frozen. April was not sure whose reaction she feared most.
It was Alex who moved first. He came and sat next to April.
“I thought I recognised you,” he said.
Connor shifted further forward.
“You’re the Princess aren’t you?” Alex asked.
“Yes,” she said confused that this was what he wanted to discuss.
“April, I have something to tell you. I would have mentioned it sooner but obviously I… we didn’t know. In the explosion,” Alex paused awkwardly. “Your Mum, she died.”
In a million years these would not have been the words April expected Alex to say after she revealed she was a mera.
“No,” she said. Her eyes searched his face willing him to tell her it wasn’t true. An ache tore through her body; her powers were welling up inside of her, trying to escape, trying to fix the unfixable.
“No,” she said again shaking her head. Her pearl powers were overwhelming her as she absorbed what Alex had said. She leant forward and gripped the blanket trying to ground herself.
“April?” Alex asked. Her body was pulsing with different colours and she trembled uncontrollably. With a scream, a stream of energy shot out of April like a wall of light and lifted her into the sky. The power shooting out of her pushed Alex and Connor from her side and they tumbled to the ground. As April cried the light spread out amongst the sky and it started to rain. The winds picked up and the waters started to toss and turn. Her powers sought to mirror the turmoil in her heart. Her body floated in an orb of pulsing light, flickering from pink to yellow, black to blue, green to red. Alex pushed up from his fallen position and crawled his way through the energy radiating from April. The light, wind and rain forced him back but he fought his way towards her. He knelt at the foot of the energy stream. Connor struggled to stand from his position. The wind was racing around Beaulieu Falls and the foliage was growing out of control. He tried to shield himself with his arms from the thundering rain and join Alex, but he kept on being pushed back. “April,” Connor called but his voice was lost in the wind.
“April,” Alex managed to shout over the storm. “April, listen to me.” He pushed up from his knees and succeeded in standing as the wind and light emanating from April sent him backwards.
“April, I’m here for you.” His voice seemed to finally get her attention as he noticed her blink. Alex reached up and gently grabbed April’s shoulders.
“I know what it’s like to lose your Mum,” Alex shouted through the noise trying to get April to listen to him. “It’s awful, you feel like a piece of you has been lost forever. But, I promise, I will help you get through this.” Alex felt April’s shoulders shake.
“Alex,” she said. Her voice sounded like it was coming from far away.
“April, I’m here.”
For a moment, everything froze then the light relocated back into April. The storm stopped, the wind quietened and the waters calmed. April collapsed to the ground in exhaustion bringing Alex down with her. Alex managed to sit up. He pulled the unconscious April onto his lap and gathered her in his arms.
“You’re going to be okay April. I’m here for you okay.” Alex checked that her breathing was steady. Connor looked around in shock.
“What are we going to do?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Alex asked.
“How are we going to protect her? All the staff on the island will have seen that explosion.”
“Just calm down okay, no one will think April’s involved.”
Connor continued to stand and stare.
“Calm down Connor.”
“I am calm,” Connor said as he dragged his hands over his head.
“What’s your problem? April is your friend. We can’t let her down now. I don’t believe a word Dad has been saying.”
“No, you’re right, neither do I.” Connor started pacing. “I’m just scared.” He walked towards Alex and April and stopped at an awkward arm’s length distance. “Is she okay?” he asked more tenderly than he had meant to.
“Yes, I think she’s just exhausted. That was a lot of power she just released. And she might be in emotional shock,” he said looking down to study her face.
“I can’t believe she’s a mermaid,” Connor said. Alex shook his head not taking his eyes off April.
“Shall we head back to the house?” Connor asked looking around.
Alex adjusted April and stood up in one fluid movement while carrying her.
“Let’s get out of here.”
CHAPTER 17
“Arrghhh!”
The scream echoed through the underwater maze of the Yeltan caves. Across every department mer stopped what they were doing and swam towards the noise. Guards abandoned their posts to investigate fearing a potential security breach. The echoing made the screams sound as if they were coming from all different directions. Mer swam about in disarray trying to find the source. The security team near the Royal chambers were first to feel the pulsating water coming from the inner sanctum of Kayla’s quarters. They swam against the current as it continued to surge towards them. Then suddenly the screaming stopped. Finally, the security team made it to the door of
the Royal suite. They entered and followed the rolling waves to the kitchen.
“How do we get in?” one of the guards asked clinging to the cave wall to stop from being pushed away by the current.
“The waves are too strong,” another guard said. The guard glanced at the mer who had joined them. None of them wore the white stripes that distinguished the Factus pearl wielders.
“Stay back,” a voice boomed. Suddenly the water stilled and the ends of the surging waves crashed into the walls of the hallway. Demetrius swam through the entrance.
“You two guard the doors. The rest of you follow me.” Demetrius swam forward towards the kitchen door, and carefully opened it. His fingertips glowed white in preparation. He took in the disturbing scene, table overturned, chairs shattered, cutlery floating around the room and at the centre was Kayla. The debris around the room floated in an orbit around her. The princess jerked with pulses of light and with each shudder energy ripped through her body and manifested in the waves surging through Yelta. Demetrius kicked his tail hard to try and reach Kayla. His powers were useless now he was in the room. He scanned the area trying to find a way to Kayla’s side when suddenly she stilled. Everything hovered in place for a moment.
“April,” Kayla uttered still pulsing with light. Then suddenly the glowing stopped and Kayla gasped in pain as she collapsed to the ground.
~
For over two hours Kayla lay awake in the infirmary. She maintained her stillness. The bubbles issuing from her mouth kept a regulated slowness. It was times like these that she was incredibly thankful for her military training. Control in all things was necessary. She couldn’t lose control again. But, the problem was, that it hadn’t been her. It was April. It was crazy and unexplainable but April took over her body. The pain had been excruciating. Kayla was certain April didn’t survive. Pain was something Kayla was used to dealing with. She had held out through all the pain and allowed April to channel the energy through her body. Until in an instant April’s presence vanished. The emptiness and sudden loss of energy still made her feel weak. She was down two family members in one week. It was just her and her Dad now. Kayla lay in her bed and tried to feel nothing.