“I wish Josh had come with us,” Zak said, sighing as he stretched his shoulder before paddling again. “He told me there was a waterfall on the island. It was like walking into a different world. So beautiful and otherworldly.”
“Yeah, he told me that, too.”
“Did he tell you where to find it?”
“He said it’s not far from the mansion. Maybe we can check that out first before nightfall. Then we can record the mansion before we go to sleep.”
“Sleeping in a haunted mansion.” Zak laughed. “We’re crazy, dude.”
I shook my head. “I don’t believe in ghosts or anything supernatural. You know that. But there’s a lot of people out there that do, and if weird noises and shadows keep people watching the videos, then I’ll keep jumping at the sounds.”
“You really don’t believe anything is out there? Ghosts or spirits or whatever? What about that night at the cemetery in St. Petersburg? We heard that voice saying my name.”
I shrugged. “Could’ve been the wind. Or maybe a fan who followed us and stayed hidden in the woods. Could’ve been anything. But, supernatural? Nah, I don’t believe it.”
“I don’t know.” Zak shook his head. “There are too many strange things that have happened to us. What about that time Alex got touched on the arm? There were three scratches afterward.”
“That was in the abandoned hospital. He could’ve brushed up against something and didn’t even realize it. Everything can be explained. We just don’t know all the answers sometimes.”
“If you say so.” Zak glanced at the clouds again. “But even though those clouds don’t look supernatural, something is telling me we’re getting rain tonight. Come on, let’s hurry onto that island.”
I finished recording after we dragged the canoe onto the beach. Then Zak brought out his camera and recorded video for his fans.
Although we shared adventures, Zak had his own channel with his own videos. We often went to a site together for safety’s sake. Some places we recorded were potentially dangerous. Abandoned houses were rarely structurally sound. Anything could happen. The ceiling could come crashing down or the floor could collapse. It was best to use the buddy system as a back-up for emergencies.
But with recording, although we were together, we recorded videos separately. It was fun to see our adventure from another viewpoint. And it brought more viewers to each of our channels for more content.
“Okay,” I said. Zak just finished recording his intro, but I didn’t want to waste too much time. I wanted to get going. “The canoe is well away from the water. I’ve got my backpack and my equipment.” I patted the bags I carried. “You ready, Zak?”
Zak pointed the camera at me. A flash of light shone in my face. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Zak turned the camera back to film himself and continued talking to his audience. “I wasn’t sure we would make it. The water got choppy as we neared the island. It was a little touch and go for a while. We’re lucky to have survived. Now, we have to see if we can find this mansion hidden on the island.”
I grinned. Zak was good at theatrics. The water had honestly gotten rough, he wasn’t lying about that, but we hadn’t feared too much that we wouldn’t survive. It had taken longer than we originally planned, but we made it in one piece. I was surprised Zak hadn’t tried to throw a shark into the mix, but I supposed even he might consider that to be too much.
As for the mansion hidden on the island, from where we stood, the structure’s second story was visible from the beach. We had even seen it as we approached the island in the canoe we had borrowed from Zak’s brother.
But I had to admit, it sounded good on the video. Letting the viewers think we might end up lost in the tropical forest with a storm approaching. That was drama. And drama made good content for videos.
Why hadn’t I thought of that?
I hit record on my camera and together Zak and I trekked along an overgrown path that led from the beach to the direction where the mansion stood.
“Hey, what else did you say was on this island?” I glanced at Zak.
“A waterfall,” Zak said, and his eyes brightened as he looked back into his camera. “Yeah, fans, there’s a waterfall hidden on this island, too. Our friend, Josh, from Josh SearchesTV has been on this island before and he found a secret waterfall. No one has ever seen this waterfall before…”
And off Zak went into his exaggerated drama-filled video.
I couldn’t help but smile as he continued recording, talking into the camera, telling his viewers about the sights they were seeing. The huge undergrowth of vegetation had grown over the path, obscuring most of it from view. It was difficult to follow, but we managed.
In the meantime, I kept an eye on the ever-increasing cloud coverage in the sky. Sunlight peaked through several breaks in the clouds, but it was getting few and far between.
“Man, look at this view,” I said as we crested the hill that led to the mansion. I had turned to glance at the path behind us. The sight of the blue ocean took my breath away. “It’s no wonder the Stanton-Gore family wanted to build their dream home on this island. Isn’t that a gorgeous view?”
It was breathtaking. The ocean waves rippled across the water, splashing onto the sandy shore. I could just imagine walking along this path to take a morning swim in the ocean after breakfast.
Maybe one day I’d buy an island, too. I smiled at the thought, then continued trekking the path.
“Oscar, look,” Zak said at one point, stopping me. “The path branches here.”
I nodded. “Which way do you want to go?”
Zak stared for a moment in each direction. “The one on the right continues to climb upward. I think that might lead to the mansion since we already know it sits on the highest point on the island. How ‘bout we take the one on the left? Maybe we can find that secret waterfall Josh told us about?”
I nodded again, then led the way along the path. I had grabbed a large stick I’d found along the way, using that to help push back the vegetation. Huge leaves covered the path, shielding it from visibility.
“We’re going to have to take it easy here. It looks like we’re walking along a cliff. One wrong step and we might fall to our deaths. Or maybe get seriously injured.” Zak tapped my shoulder to get my attention and pointed to our left where there was a sharp drop. He wasn’t kidding that we might get injured if we slipped off the path and fell.
“Take it easy, bro,” I said, leaning over to record the descent, then continued along the path, one hand on the camera, the other on the stick.
We walked for some time before I heard the low roar of rushing water. This sounded different from the ocean’s waves behind us.
“Hey, Zak, do you hear that? I think we’re getting closer to the waterfall.” I wanted to hurry my steps, eager to be the first to film the waterfall that Josh had told us about. He had said it was an impressive sight. But I took care where I placed my feet, keenly aware that one wrong move might place us in danger. The last thing I wanted was to slip and fall… and get caught on video falling, too.
“Yeah, I hear it, dude. It sounds massive.” Zak chattered into the camera again, his voice droning into the background noise of the waterfall as we approached.
“Wow, this is amazing.” I stepped into a rocky clearing along the cliff’s edge as we stood at eye level with the crest of the waterfall. The island was bigger than we expected as the water came pouring out of a natural spring from the mountain that we had ascended.
The water fell gracefully down the cliff’s edge to pool in a large lake below surrounded by trees. It was a secluded glen. An area shielded by nature.
It was beautiful, tranquil. The waterfall’s beauty lulled me into a trance as I stared at the flowing water, breathing in the scent of fresh air and feeling the peaceful atmosphere that the area created. Josh had been right. It was incredible.
“Dude, there’s someone down there.” Zak’s deep voice broke through the hypnotic tran
ce that had befallen me.
“What?”
“Look.” Zak leaned over the cliff’s edge and pointed his finger. “There’s someone down there. Swimming in that lake.”
I leaned alongside my friend, standing shoulder to shoulder to stare in the direction Zak pointed.
Yes, there was someone. A woman with incredibly long reddish hair swimming in the pool at the foot of the waterfall.
She glided gracefully, her slender body moving swiftly just below the surface of the water. Her head came to the surface a few times before ducking under again to glide easily through the water.
“Yo, Ozzy, is she wearing a dress?” Zak leaned further. I reached with my left hand to hold Zak back, fearing my friend was leaning too far over the edge. “It looks like she’s wearing a gold dress. What the—”
But I saw it, too. The gold of her dress shimmered in the fading light of the sun. As she swam just beneath the surface of the water, I could see the blurred image of her long reddish waist-length hair and a golden dress.
“Well, that’s not something you see every day,” I said as we continued to watch the woman as she diverted direction and headed for an outcropping of rocks in the center of the lake.
Once there, she slid onto the rocks with a splash, spreading her arms beside her to bask in the dying sunlight, the bottom of her dress flicking playfully like a cat’s tail.
“Wait a second,” I murmured as I fixed my gaze on the woman basking on the rocks. “Is that a… tail?”
What at first I thought were her feet flicking the bottom of her dress back and forth, as I narrowed my eyes focusing my attention, I saw it wasn’t a gold dress she wore.
It was a tail shaped like that of a large fish.
“Ozzy… Dude… Is that a mermaid?”
Chapter 2
Cassandra
I sighed with contentment as I turned the page of my current favorite romance novel. It was getting to the good part where the hero and the heroine were about to declare their love for each other. I’d read this novel three times already and each time it got better and better.
A loud splash distracted me as Penelope slid onto the rocks in the center of the lake. She spread her arms to her sides, basking in the fading sunlight. The golden scales of her tail glistened as she flicked it playfully back and forth.
I rolled my eyes, irritated by Pen’s theatrics as she splashed, then went back to reading. I wriggled deeper into the blue folding camp chair I’d brought along, my bare feet propped on a fallen log, so I reclined comfortably while I read.
“Ah,” Penelope moaned pleasantly, stretching her arms above her and spreading her reddish-blonde hair around her to dry. “This is better. I needed this. Like a day at the spa.”
“Um-hmm…” I tried focusing on my novel again, but I could still see Pen from the corner of my eye. “I’m reading.”
“We need to do this more often,” Penelope continued, as I tried to ignore her and kept reading. “Why don’t you come in? The water’s wonderful.”
“Not interested,” I murmured, turning another page.
“It’s going to rain soon. I know you don’t enjoy swimming in the rain.”
“Still not interested,” I spoke a little more sharply, hoping Penelope would get the hint and leave me alone. It wasn’t often I had time to read. My college classes kept me beyond busy, so when Penelope suggested a brief getaway to the island for a private swim, I had reluctantly agreed. I didn’t like to admit to anyone, but even I needed a break now and then.
Typically, Pen left me to my own devices for hours while she swam. Since swimming in the ocean wasn’t allowed, we came here. I knew I’d have time to devour this novel one more time while she remained occupied. A better escape than swimming, in my opinion.
I hadn’t counted on Penelope urging me to join her.
“Come on, Cass—”
“I agreed to come here so you could swim.” I set my book onto my lap, straightening so Penelope could see me through the low-hanging branches of the trees. “I did not say that I would swim all day long with you. I’m reading.”
I lifted the book to show Penelope and to emphasize my words before settling back in my chair and opening my book again.
Would she just knock it off already?
“But, Cassie—”
“Hey, you!” A male voice interrupted Penelope’s protest.
I bolted upright at the sound, my book falling from my fingertips as I stood. The startled expression on Penelope’s face reflected my confusion as fear coursed through me.
That was a voice. A man’s voice. Where was it coming from? Had he seen Penelope?
Another shout echoed into the valley, but it was enough for me to pinpoint where the voice originated. I lifted my gaze to the waterfall above us.
Penelope tilted her head upward, too. Her eyes widened, her mouth opened with a frightened gasp, and then she plunged into the water, diving deep until completely submerged.
I stepped cautiously to the edge of the lake. My gaze lifted to search the mountain hovering over us.
There, on the cliff’s edge, stood two men. They each held a camera in their hands as they stared at the center of the lake.
“Oh, my Goddess,” I breathed and stepped slowly and quietly backward, hoping the men hadn’t seen me. When I was far enough away, I ran back to my camping chair, folded it, and then slung it over my shoulder.
I grabbed the two backpacks we’d brought along with the bottles of drinking water, then ran through the brush and trees to the farther end of the lake. Here the trees were thicker, providing more coverage. I saw Penelope’s red hair stick out of the water a second before her body followed, sliding and squirming onto dry land, her hands pushing against the ground to propel her forward.
I dropped the backpacks and bottles onto the ground, then scooped my hands beneath Penelope’s arms and dragged her farther from the water’s edge.
Penelope’s face twisted in pain and fierce concentration as her golden mermaid’s tail split and formed two bare human legs. She grunted as feet appeared out of fins and toes wriggled to surface. The process was typically slower, but Penelope was in a hurry to change, so we could make our escape.
Penelope gasped, breathing heavily as if she’d just run for miles. As soon as her legs were visibly human, I helped her to stand on her newly formed feet.
“Here,” I said, grabbing Pen’s backpack and pulling out her human clothes. “Get dressed.”
Penelope yanked on the clothing, shoving her legs into bedazzled jean shorts and her head and arms into a bright yellow t-shirt with an image of a unicorn on the front surrounded by a cloud of glitter. She didn’t even bother with underwear or bra and shoved them back into the bag.
“We need to hurry,” I said, glancing at the cliff. How long would it take the men to climb down from there? It looked like they’d taken the path leading to the cliff from the mansion, which was the opposite direction where Penelope and I had arrived on the island.
“They had cameras,” Penelope said with a sniffle. She wiped at her eyes. “Do you think they recorded me?”
“I think we need to assume they did,” I said, my chest growing tight with worry. This was not the lazy day I was expecting. We weren’t even supposed to be here today. How had everything gone so wrong, so quickly? “Come on, we need to get out of here.”
“Okay, okay,” she muttered. “I’m hurrying.” She grabbed her tennis shoes and jammed her feet into them. “All right, let’s go.”
Hand in hand, we ran along the path leading to the beach where we had arrived. It took several long, agonizing minutes to reach the boat we had tied along the shore. Once there, Penelope threw her bag into the boat and climbed in. She turned to help me in, reaching her hand to assist me.
I took a step back, waving Penelope’s helping hand away. “I can’t go, Pen.”
Penelope’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
“You need to go. Get back before anyone misses y
ou.”
“Cassie, what are you planning to do?”
“I’m going to get those cameras.” I tightened my fingers around the straps of the backpack slung over my shoulder. “If they were recording, they could upload the video for the world to see. We can’t let that happen.”
“Don’t you think they’ve done that already?”
I shook my head. “There’s no signal on this island. They can’t even use their cell phones to call anyone to tell them about what they saw.”
“Cassie, come on. Who will believe them even if they did? Do you know how much fake footage is out there?”
“Pen, we don’t know how long they were recording you… us. We can’t let that video go public. The consequences of the world discovering mermaids are real… I can’t even begin to think of what Uncle Philip would say if he found out.”
Penelope grimaced and visibly shuddered at the thought. Then she nodded and went to step out of the boat.
“No, you can’t help me. Leave.” I lifted my hand to stop her, aghast that she would even think of staying.
“Why not?” Penelope frowned in protest. “It’s my responsibility, too.”
“Look at you,” I said, waving my hand to point at her head. “Your hair is a dead giveaway. Even if they didn’t see your face up close, they’ll know who you are from your hair. Who else on this island right now has blazing red hair?”
“But—”
“I’m not so noticeable.” I swallowed hard, hating myself for saying the word, but it was true. Standing beside the vibrant Penelope, I was rather plain. Where Pen’s pale skin and red hair only emphasized the beauty of her oval face and bright blue eyes, I was rather the opposite. I had brown hair and brown eyes. My round-shaped face was rather pretty, but ordinary compared with Penelope.
It was easy enough for me to blend in with a crowd while Penelope stuck out like a spotlight shone directly on her. Her beauty screamed for attention while I was more like the quiet girl next door.
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