by Hannah Reed
“That’s awful,” April said.
“Yeah, he married my Grandma but, I think he still always loved the mera so eventually their marriage broke down. My Mum blames him for her Mum leaving. We aren’t allowed to discuss the mer at home. But, my Grandfather always told me stories about the mera he loved when I visited. Every time the wind touches his cheek he says it is like a kiss from the past.”
“Did he ever get to see her again?” April asked.
“Nope. I’d never even seen the sea before moving to Shell Island.”
April tried to imagine a life without the sea. But, she couldn’t, it was intrinsically linked to her.
“Well, I’m glad you got to see the sea,” April said.
“Do you want to talk about your Mum?”
April stiffened. Her heart rate spiked. Megan shivered involuntarily as electricity crackled through the room.
“I don’t think I can yet,” April said quietly.
“Okay,” Megan gave her a small smile.
“Thank you.”
The two sat in silence for a moment then both started reading.
After a further half an hour of waiting, Alex and Connor finally re-entered the room.
“What did Darius say?” Megan asked before they were even seated. Megan moved to make room for them both on her couch. Alex sat and Connor moved to sit by April.
“Dad was quite excited,” Alex said running his hands over his jeans.
“Excited?” Megan asked.
“Yeah, apparently his intelligence team hacked into the mer military database. And looking at the information they deduced that a recon sort of mission was being aimed at Shell Island,” Alex started.
“That was why Dad moved us so suddenly from the island. After we left a team came in and removed anything of value and evacuated everyone. The mermaid mission was delayed though for some reason,” Connor continued. Both brothers seemed reluctant to continue.
“Mer,” April said tersely.
“And? That doesn’t explain the fire and tidal wave?” Megan pressed.
“Well, Freddie suggested that Dad bombed the island to demoralise the mer and provoke them into an attack,” Alex said.
“Darius bombed his own island. That’s absurd,” Megan interjected.
“The tidal wave was a mer retaliation then,” April said quietly.
“I’m not sure,” Alex said “Why would you attack an island when it is clearly already destroyed?”
“Did your Dad mention what the mer were after?” Megan asked.
“He didn’t say,” Connor replied.
“Only an incredibly powerful mer could wield such a wave. And usually only after drawing as much energy as possible from their Factus pearl,” April mused.
“Maybe it was an emotional response? Like you April, when you found out about…” Alex trailed off.
“My Mum,” April finished. She took some deep breaths to try and bring her heart rate back down again.
The other three started talking earnestly about the reason why the mer would be looking for something on Shell Island. Something that was clearly removable or Darius wouldn’t have set fire to his own island. Darius himself perhaps Megan supplied. Information kept in his office maybe. None of the options seemed like they would provoke such a response. As they talked April’s mind slipped into a pearl blackout.
She was seven and she had swum out of her window. She was dashing through the open sea testing her full speed when she came across a lone manatee. The calf was abandoned. April slowed down to approach it. “Hello,” April said using her Communico powers. She waved her hand in a circle wielding her Assurgere powers to grow some kelp and offered it to the calf. “I won’t hurt you. I can be your friend,” she said.
The manatee swam over and ate the kelp. April started to stroke the manatee, “What’s your name?” she asked. The calf looked at her quizzically. “I shall call you Maxi.” April hugged the manatee. She looked all afternoon but couldn’t find a herd for Maxi so she snuck him back into the royal stables. In her minds’ eye, April saw her silvery tail and Maxi’s grey fin slip into the barn. The seahorse handler who worked there promised to look after him if April came and exercised him every day while she was staying at the Hanarian Palace.
Suddenly April was eleven. After, a particularly boring lesson with her Mum on pearl mining, April rushed to the stables. Maxi usually returned from his swim to greet her there. As she approached his favourite stall the smell hit her. Swimming faster and faster she called out to him, “Maxi!” She reached the stall and found Maxi floating at the top of his pen, a bleeding gash across his belly. His body already starting to bloat. April swam and hugged him trying to see if he could be saved. He had been one of her best friends, never treating her differently because she was a Princess. Without her realising the tumult in her mind radiated through her powers. A cyclone whirled all around her. The stables were torn apart and dragged into the storm. Her cyclone grew until it reached the surface of the water drawing sea creatures into it as it built. Eventually, it towered high into the sky rooted to April as its base. Finally, after expending so much energy, April collapsed to her tail and the water crashed down.
April came back to reality with a start. None of her friends noticed that she had slipped into a pearl blackout. It was always the death of a loved one that provoked someone to unleash uncontrollable power.
“Me, they were looking for me.”
Megan, Alex and Connor acknowledged April for the first time in several minutes. Before they could interrupt her April continued.
“If the mission was to save me, then that fire would have signalled my death,” April said definitively. “And,” April realised, “if my Dad was on the mission. Then he could have summoned the wave. It wasn’t retaliation. It was mourning and grief. Returning me to the water and releasing my body from the flames,” April said.
“That actually makes sense,” Megan said. April restrained herself from rolling her eyes.
“Does that mean that Dad did know then?” Connor asked leaning forward.
“Know that they were looking for me? Probably,” April asserted. “It will be seen as a direct assault against the mer.”
“Forcing the mer to retaliate. With your presumed death April, Dad could have started a war,” Alex said.
“I need to go home,” April stood then promptly sat back down. “But first, I’m going to get my pearls back.”
“Do you think Dad knew you were on Shell Island?” Alex asked slowly. “If the mer authorities knew, then I wouldn’t put it past him either.”
April sat in stunned silence, “I don’t know.”
“Surely, he didn’t,” Connor interjected. “Otherwise why would he let you wander around freely?”
“Unless this is all a trap,” Alex said warily looking at April.
CHAPTER 29
Sitting and spinning in Darius’ chair April felt incredibly comfortable. Yet, you wouldn’t think this when looking at her. Her eyes kept on darting between the two doors that allowed access into the room. Her hands gripped the armrests tightly and her legs were folded at an odd angle. But, the soft leather that moulded to her body was wonderful. Alex had been relegated to a standard chair while he was at the computer typing furiously. April had never really come across a computer before, apart from Alex’s laptop, and she was fascinated by it. Alex’s laptop seemed so small compared to this massive screen. She was used to flicking images in and out of the water from the different Iris pads. Iris pads let you pull data straight from the Iris pearls and onto other Iris pads. But, she felt like the computer was practically alive with its knowledge of everything. Alex had told her what he was doing but after staring blankly at him for several seconds he summarised - “I’m copying everything.”
Everything sounded like a lot in April’s mind. As she had been no use to Alex she started helping Connor select books from his Dad’s library. But, apparently, Connor could “copy” them too so she was leaving him to it. A
pril flicked through each book he passed her to confirm that it was useful before Connor whisked it away again to copy it. Her thoughts were preoccupied once again with all the problems and obstacles that seemed to be mounting against her. She twisted the cool black stone in her hands for comfort.
Darius’ study was the last place she felt safe. The windowless room made her feel trapped. The wall-to-wall bookcases felt ominous as if they were watching her and may tumble down upon her at any moment. It was also the only room April had seen so far, which was allowed a break from the white and black design of Rushton. The dark, oak, wooden desk was formidable and adorned with green leather inlays. But the ornate rug depicting a battle scene was what unnerved April the most. April stared at it now trying to decipher what the image represented. It looked like men in the sky were attacking those down below. But, in the centre was a great ship breaking up the crowd. Around the edges were smaller scenes all depicting different battles. The rug was a fascinating yet, grotesque piece of art. The entire room felt like it was bearing in on her. The land-based materials were intimidating and foreign in a way April had never experienced before.
The brothers led April through a series of white corridors to access Darius’ private study. Although there was a quicker route through the brother’s apartments they wanted to check where their Dad was before breaking in. When they knew he was occupied elsewhere they slipped inside his office and locked the door behind them. It was the only old-fashioned door with a key that April had seen in the entirety of Rushton. April was shocked at the lack of security the legged President had to get into his inner sanctum. Didn’t he realise how easily his teenage sons could access all the information the President was privy to? Then again April thought, she and Ethan had done similar things before. Once when Ethan had a particularly annoying bodyguard, April and he used the King’s private mer mail to get the mer reassigned. It had been child’s play April remembered. Those in power often underestimated those closest to them.
April closed her eyes for a moment and reached out her Essentia energy. She let her consciousness move through Rushton.
“April, you’re glowing,” Connor said while copying the books.
“I know.” April opened her eyes and spun round to face him in the large spinning chair. “I’m trying to find my pearls.”
“I thought you couldn’t,” Connor said.
“I am trying though. I thought maybe I would be far enough away from the poison here,” April said tossing the stone back and forth in her hands.
“And?” Connor asked.
“What do you think?” she said raising her eyebrows. “The sea is calling me, but the poison is like a constant pain stabbing me when I use my Essentia powers,” April said rubbing her forehead.
“Is this the longest you’ve ever been on land for?” Alex asked without looking up.
“Yes, actually it is,” April said turning to him in her chair. “Why?”
“I was wondering if that would have an effect on you?”
“I don’t know,” April said. “There are stories of mer going land crazy, but I don’t think they’re true.”
She spun around in the chair again, deep in thought, while keeping up her post as sentry. Fortunately, Alex hadn’t found any information to suggest that a full staged war had been waged against the mer. But, April was certain it was only a matter of time. And what then, whose side would Alex and Connor choose? This was something to discuss with them. April didn’t want either of the brothers to put themselves in danger to help her protect her mer. They were risking enough already. Darius would guess how the mer acquired all this intelligence. April was about to open her mouth when she heard a disturbance outside.
“Guys!” April hissed.
Alex and Connor immediately stopped what they were doing and listened. There were definite murmurings coming from outside the door to their right.
“April, I need 40 more seconds, then I have almost all the useful information. Can you hold that door?” Alex whispered.
April nodded and Connor proceeded to organise the books neatly away. Focusing her Factus powers April closed her fist and hardened the moisture around the lock freezing the mechanics in place. Alex was drumming his fingers at the keyboard while April quickly manoeuvred all the furniture around him so there was no trace of them being there.
“Got it,” Alex grinned; he quickly shut down the computer and deleted any evidence of someone accessing the cloud or the hard drive. Connor nodded in agreement and the three slipped quickly out of the alternate door. April released the moisture on the lock once they were a safe distance away from the study. This door conveniently led into Darius’ private rooms that eventually connected through to Alex and Connor’s living quarters.
“Dad is such an arrogant arsehole,” Alex said as he flopped onto the couch. April sat down next to him hoping that Alex’s chilled out attitude would rub off on her. She ignored Connor’s hurt expression as he sat on the couch opposite on his own.
“I mean the man’s security is ridiculous. Just because he’s in his own private fortress he seems to think there are no threats. I have half a mind to inform Freddie. He would flip if he knew.”
“You got it all though?” Connor questioned trying to bring his brother back to the seriousness of the situation.
“Yup, and now any information dear old Dad is privy to so am I.” Alex smugly waved his phone in the air. “One day he is going to regret my unconventional education.”
Alex’s good humour was infectious and April couldn’t help laughing.
“Did you copy all the useful texts Connor?” April asked
“Everything,” Connor said finally relaxing his facial muscles.
“Let’s hope there is something in there to explain my power surges...”
At that moment, the door swung open. Before she had a chance to realise what was going on, Alex started kissing her. Although utterly confused, she was aware of Connor exiting the lounge area quickly.
“Hey!” Connor said.
“Alex, nothing has changed then,” a chilling drawl sounded through the room. As the footsteps retreated and the chatter of Connor and the man receded into the kitchen, Alex pulled away - his face scarlet.
“What the hell was that?” April stared him down.
“Sorry! I didn’t know what to do. I thought it was best to go with what Dad told him.”
“Told who?” April demanded.
“That was Freddie.”
April’s mind whirled. Freddie was here. She was going to be caught. There was no way he wouldn’t recognise her.
“Alex, I need to leave now,” April said.
“April, calm down,” Alex hissed. “You’re making the water in the vases start to rise. Come on, let’s go upstairs and wait until he’s gone.” April sat rooted to the spot.
“He expects the worst of me anyway.”
“I can’t stay here forever Alex,” April whispered.
“You need your pearls, and you need to learn any useful information that will help your Dad.”
About to protest April quickly stopped herself. Following Alex out of the room, she suddenly said, “Alex! If Freddie is here, do you think Ethan might be too?”
CHAPTER 30
Pearls, Ethan, pearls, Ethan. Pushing aside her worries about her Dad and her shock about her Mum, all April could focus on was finding Ethan and her pearls. She needed to find them. If she found the pearls first, obviously she could help Ethan. But, so far her searches had been futile. Hopefully, Alex had found the information on the prisoners of war by now. They may have been able to copy Darius’ intelligence, but it was a lot of information to sift through. Lying in Alex’s bed she wished she was back home. The black and white interior was driving her crazy. The sparseness of the Ruston suite made her feel claustrophobic unless she was sat by the window in the lounge. Her brain kept flicking from coherent plans to frantic worry, with alarming speed. She felt so useless. Kicking her legs in frustration and anger she
yielded to the Commutavi energy. With a purple glow, she transformed her legs back into her tail. It made her feel more powerful. In the sea, she was a force to be reckoned with. On land, she was Alex’s latest conquest. She tossed her stone back and forth. Her eyes followed the stone mesmerised by its energy, like slipping into a current, her mind was swept away.
Darkness swirled around her and the water was ice cold. But, despite the burning freeze across her body, April felt alive with heat. She swam forward but couldn’t tell if she had actually moved. The black tendrils enveloping her made it impossible to see anything but them. Subconsciously she was aware that she should be scared. Yet, her heartbeat remained even. A sudden surge and she was pulled down further into the depths of the ocean. Her body stayed calm and in control. No fear permeated through her. Finally, she was back in the sea.
“Follow me.” A voice echoed through the darkness.
April calmly looked behind her to where the voice came from. The black spirals had formed themselves into an immense tunnel. Finally, able to use her tail she pushed off deeper into the darkness.
“We’ve been waiting for you.”
Yes, April thought. A throbbing hum travelled through her body. She could feel power emanating from the end of the tunnel. Just a little bit closer and she would be there. Just a little bit further. She kicked her tail with more vigour.
“Not long now.” The voice grew louder and she strained to decipher if it was many voices all speaking together as one. The power of the voice resonated deep within her. This is where she belonged. The further she swam the more her head cleared. Thoughts of her pearls, her Mum, her escape all became faint. She was the ocean. Welcoming the tendrils as they slithered to her, they started to wrap and entwine like slippery black gossamer around her arms. Fusing into her skin the black swirls imprinted themselves into her veins. She was part of the power now. It was hers to control.