by Kristie Cook
Mom chuckled. “Of course not. It’s just an important meeting and I want us to look our best. Please, for me?”
Tatch groaned and grabbed the overly ornate thing from Mom’s clutches and marched toward the bathroom, mumbling threats. I let go of the breath I didn’t realize I’d held and darted into my room as well. Off came the jeans in a rumpled heap along with my shirt. I put on my tear-away board shorts and my waterproof sling pack over my shoulder—anything to stay on Mom’s good side.
We reconvened in the living room at the same time and gave each other a fast once-over.
“Happy?” Tatch twirled in a circle, but I avoided looking at her chest.
“Beautiful.” Mom’s shoulders relaxed until she looked down at the lower half of her body. Tatch still wore her skinny jeans. “Are you planning to wear those?”
“No.” Tatch rolled her eyes. “Sea serpents! Of course I’m going to change.”
She stormed off and Mom resumed pulling cans of food from the pantry. Why would we need food when we were coming right back? Would we be staying the night?
“What’s the meeting about, Mom?” Tatiana asked, walking back wearing her swim skirt.
Mom kept a straight face as she took dry goods out of the cupboards: flour, sugar, coffee, noodles, and beans. “We’ll find out in a few minutes, but just in case, why don’t you pack a few of your things.”
“Are you serious?” Tatiana gasped. “Can I at least make a phone call before we go?”
Mom turned and tilted her head. “Who do you want to call?”
Tatch’s eyes made their way to the linoleum. “Ash.”
A jolt hit my stomach at the mention of her name.
Mom used her low lecture voice. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone. What will you tell her this time? There’s a family emergency? We’ve had a death?” She shook her head and tsked. Close human friendships were discouraged due to the risk of exposure and Tatch hid how much time they’d spent together, as well as her secret plans for college. “We have to leave in five minutes.”
Tatch huffed and stamped her foot. But I already knew we were running out of time. Under my skin, scales began to form and ached for the refreshing cool water to relieve the growing itch.
But if we weren’t returning for a while, then someone else would be assigned to guard the gate. Last time, the privilege became my Uncle Alaster’s and his son Colin while we were in Fiji on vacation. Colin, who was our age, broke the lock on my closet and used all of my stuff. I couldn’t let that happen again.
I ran to my room and put my belongings into the new secret hiding spot under the wooden floorboards: my laptop, iPod, all my shoes, and keys to the Jeep. I pushed my bed over so a leg secured the loose board in place. The rest of my clothes and underwear, I packed in a duffle bag and slid it into the attic. I shivered at the thought of him wearing my boxers again.
“Hey, Tatch. Will you lock this in your room?” I called across the hall, showing her my guitar.
“Yeah, whatever.”
She was scrambling around, hiding stuff too. Luckily, my cousin never touched her room, but we could never be too careful.
“Fin,” Tatch whispered. “Sweet talk Mom for me, will ya? Get her to let me stay.”
“We have to go. Azor said.”
“What?!” Tatch stood, wide-eyed and frantic. “He’s going to be there, too? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shifted my weight from side to side, angry with myself for telling her accidentally. Azor, the King’s son, made no secret of his desires for Tatch, but she couldn’t stand him.
She shoved me aside and clutched her pink sparkly bag under her arm as she headed down the hall, her top jangling with each step. I half listened as she complained to Mom, begging to use the phone again.
I returned to my room, did one last sweep to make sure I’d hidden everything important, and grabbed a few extra board shorts for the road.
“Let’s go, Fin!” Mom called from down the hall.
“Okay.” I closed my door and paused, hoping this wasn’t the last time I’d cross the threshold.
Mom saw me and sighed, frustrated with Tatchi’s reaction—no doubt. I picked up the bag at her feet with little effort and offered my arm as we walked down the steps. She squeezed my hand to console me, but I remained positive things would work the way I’d envisioned.
Together, we walked across the bridge that stretched over the pool in our basement. On the other side was the metal hatch attached to the floor, leading out to the lake. Tatiana had already left, her pink bag resting on the cement ledge. With a shake of her head, Mom shoved it in with the rest of our things, sealed the bag, and dropped it down the hole. We watched it sink out of sight—the collection of our lives in one small bag.
“Don’t be long,” Mom said, and slipped into the water.
I frowned as I looked around at our huge recreational center, with the large TV suspended in the corner, swim-up bar with anything you wanted to drink hooked up to taps and swim mats to lounge on. Most likely, Colin and Uncle Alaster would soon be here, enjoying our stuff and having the time of their lives without having earned it. I wanted to punch something.
With two claps the lights shut off, leaving me in complete darkness. I ripped off my board shorts and plunged my body into the icy water. With an ache the muscles in my legs fused together and scales burst across my skin from my toes up to my waist. A wicked, black fin spread out where my feet used to be. I was sleek, fast, and dangerous—like a shark ready to hunt. I shot down the passageway and came out into the lake on the other side.
Riddled with guilt, I went back up to the lake’s surface a hundred feet off shore. I looked towards Ash’s house, already missing her. What was wrong with me? How could I let things go that far? I felt wretched for hurting her and vowed to never do it again. Feelings aside, I had to remind myself of the consequences and stay away from her. For her sake.
In the window, a silhouette of someone appeared. Was it Ash? I wanted to apologize in person and confess the truth about who we really were. If only …
“Sorry,” I said right before diving down into the frigid lake.
I tucked my shorts in my sling pack and swam towards my family who waited a few feet underwater in the distance. When the sun returned, along with my legs, I’d need something to cover myself with so I wasn’t walking around in the nude.
3 - ASH
“Ashlyn Frances, is that you? Don’t forget to take off your boots!” Mom barked from the kitchen. “And take your swim bag with you to your room—hang up your towel and suit too.”
What am I, like five? With an eye roll, I kicked off my shoes as instructed and trudged towards my room. Yes, I’d forgotten to remove them, but the formal speaking of my name wasn’t necessary. “Did you forget I didn’t have practice today? And call me Ash,” I said under my breath.
Mom poked her head around the corner and grabbed my arm, stopping me. I scowled while she put some of my stray hairs back into place behind my ear. “Your name is beautiful and you should be proud of it. It honors Grandpa, God rest his soul.”
My middle name was after my late Grandpa Frances, or Frank for short. I used to like it until Mom said it every chance she got. I quickly turned towards the stairs to escape, knowing a probing conversation brewed on the tip of her tongue.
“You’re home early. Is everything okay?” she asked behind me as I took the stairs by twos.
“Perfect,” I grunted.
“Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes—”
I closed my bedroom door so I couldn’t hear anything else and slumped down on my bed. Fin had flirted with me in the past, but that was—what was that? Was he about to kiss me and chickened out? Or did I read his signals wrong?
My cheeks burned remembering my willing response—hanging my lips out there, ready to be kissed. And just when I thought I had a grasp on the situation, he’d do something like this to my emotions. Hot or cold—never easy for me to read.
&n
bsp; “Oooh,” I grunted, grabbing an innocent pillow and chucking it across the room.
I went to my window and looked toward their house. Trees blocked most of it from view, but his Jeep was visible enough. The sight of it rolled my stomach over. How one guy could be so adorable yet so frustrating irked me to no end.
If it weren’t for the fact that I’d lose my best friend, moving away seemed ideal.
4 - FIN
With a pop, gills opened behind my ears, allowing me to breathe as water rippled across my scale-covered skin. With a final exhale, I pushed out the last of the oxygen, lessening the resistance as we leisurely dove further into the inky depths towards the secret tunnel 1,600 feet down. Gel lenses slipped down over my eyes like goggles, enhancing my night vision and clarity. Our dive—easy for us to traverse—would be impossible for humans without some expensive equipment. Our mer bodies were unaffected by the glacial water and tremendous pressure.
Tatch swam alongside me; her worried thoughts met mine. “Are we getting relocated?”
I smirked, trying to keep our internal conversation from gaining mom’s attention. Mer twins often had mind-talking abilities. “Stop overreacting. If whatever Azor asks is going to move us away from here, Dad will decline like last time. Maybe he has to go somewhere and I’ll get to guard Tahoe in his place.”
“You? Why would they pick you?” She clutched her charm bracelet that held her most prized possession—a tiny vial filled with a blue colored liquid—the essence of our life.
“I’d be the most logical choice,” I said indignantly.
“Yeah, right. First of all you’re not old enough and second, you’re single.”
“Nothing but technicalities.”
Though the prospect of a bigger assignment when I got older was tempting, following in my father’s footsteps and freedom apart from the colony appealed to me more. I just needed a chance to prove myself.
Tatch turned towards me, tilting her head. “You could come with me and Ash to college you know.”
Tatch’s response bitterly sliced through my excitement; I spouted out with internal laughter. “Ridiculous.”
She looked downward towards our destination. “No. What’s ridiculous is how they make it seem like you control your destiny when you don’t. This huge honor is just a disguise for a huge crap sandwich. Your life will always belong to the King and the rest of the Council. Luckily, Dad has groomed you specifically for this territory by setting up Captain Jack’s, giving you some sort of freedom. But you’ll still be owned by them and at any time, like now, they could take it from you. You know it and so do I.”
“Have you forgotten Dad is actually on the Council? He’d never let that happen.”
We looked at each other for a moment—my twin, my little sister by five minutes. If she actually chose to leave us, to go to college and live “normally,” the consequences meant erasing her memories and starting afresh as a human. People killed for our secrets and she was throwing it all away to be normal. No one in their right mind ever chose to leave.
I clenched my jaw. “I doubt you’ll be able to go through with it.”
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
I gulped down my emotion and shook my head. How could she act as if our family didn’t mean anything to her? That our memories deserved to be heaved into a dumpster bin? The thought of losing her forever tore me apart the day she’d mentioned the prospect of college. Of course the decision would be easy for her to make—not having to feel the pain of losing the ones she loved. But I’d never do that to Mom and Dad, or to her.
I gritted my teeth. “You get the good end of the bargain.”
“We’ve talked about this before. With the colony, there’s no certainty. Dad’s protection only goes so far. The King still has expectations. Leaving is my only choice,” she said matter-of-factly.
“You could go to school close by. You don’t have to leave leave.”
“You just don’t get it,” Tatiana swam a little faster. “They’d still own me.”
I gritted my teeth and silently followed behind. She was technically right. Everything could change after tonight. But I highly doubted we’d be leaving for good.
A statue of Tessie, Tahoe’s Loch Ness monster, loomed in the dark as a joke, but ironically was a door to the meeting room. Mom felt under the statue’s neck for the lever. As the statue’s jaw lowered, the water undulated around us, disturbing the blind shrimp and other sea life. They scurried away as we swam through her mouth into the ante-chamber.
“This sucks, Fin.”
“It’ll be okay,” I said, still hopeful I’d get my big chance to guard the gate.
Upon breaching the surface of the flooded cave, my heart barreled in anticipation of what could happen within the next few minutes. Bluish lighting—native to our world—danced across the abalone-encrusted ceiling, brightly illuminating the two-hundred square foot space. The cave, originally just a tunnel bridging Tahoe to Natatoria, was carved out by Dad to become a place for the Council to meet, far away from prying ears in the palace. A colorful mural of our city, inlayed with gems and shells, covered the main wall. I hadn’t seen it yet and was blown away by the detail Dad had incorporated.
But to my disappointment, not only were Dad and Azor in attendance, Uncle Alaster and Colin were, too. Why would they be here?
Dad motioned for us to join them at the large granite slab that appeared to be floating in the center of the room. I swam up first and wedged my tail into one of the eight L shaped seats carved into the slab’s ledge under the waterline, across from Uncle Alaster and Colin.
Azor, son of King Phaleon and second in command of the army, sat at the head of the table with his slicked back hair and cocky smile. His calculating dark eyes watched as we chose our seats. Mom took the spot between Dad and Colin, leaving a seat next to Azor and the one between Dad and I open.
“Tatiana, don’t you look lovely. Please. Sit here,” Azor said, ogling her blatantly, making my skin crawl.
She smiled, but chose the other seat.
“Ugh,” Tatch groaned ever so slightly once she settled in. Out of the water, we couldn’t mind-talk but I could imagine what she was thinking about Azor and what he could do with the seat next to him.
“Now that we are all here, we can start the meeting. Nice to see everyone,” Azor spoke in our native tongue. The blue light gleamed off his white teeth as his glance darted across the attendees. “Let’s get down to business.”
Mom shifted in her seat. Of all the merpeople here, she was the only beta-mer: a human changed into a mer. That fact made her cower in the presence of the pure-born, the native tongue still difficult for her to speak without an accent.
Azor cleared his throat before starting. “First, I have to congratulate you, Jack, for your vigilance at the Tahoe Passage. Things have been peaceful and the rumors you’ve spread have been effective in containing curiosity.”
“Well done, Brother,” Alaster said, waggling his white eyebrows and giving a golf clap.
Dad nodded, keeping his posture stiff. He and his younger brother rarely saw eye to eye, especially with matters surrounding how to handle Tahoe.
Tatch sighed next to me as if to say “what a kiss-ass.” I bit my lip to refrain from laughing.
“So,” Azor said quickly, “that situation up North we discussed in the Council meeting has escalated. Jack, we need your expertise and advice after all. The King was hoping you wouldn’t mind leaving your responsibilities in the hands of Alaster and helping us out.”
I glanced at Uncle Al. His smirk under his white beard made my stomach flip. Why would they be allowing him to oversee again after the disaster last time? We still hadn’t fully overcome the rumor mill over the fire and near sinking of the Empress. He was the last person I wanted in charge of our lake or our business. In quiet alarm, I waited for Dad to object, to insist I stay to protect Tahoe and run things in his absence.
“If that’s what the King wi
shes, “ Dad said to my dismay, “of course.”
“Great. And then, as far as the family—”
I swallowed hard and clenched my jaw. Uncle Al taking over the lake? The last thing I wanted was to share living quarters with them.
“—Finley and Tatiana are having their eighteenth birthday soon, correct?”
Mom folded her hands on the table top. “Yes.”
Azor smiled wide. “Perfect. The Coming of Age festival is less than a month away and there is much to prepare. We’ll just have you stay in Natatoria for the time being. Have any prospects of promising been voiced?”
Tatiana hit her tail against mine. I kept a straight face.
“Not unless it’s happened within the last hour,” Dad said with a smile. “We’re allowing Fin and Tatiana to choose, you know.”
Azor’s countenance fell. “Well … hopefully they’ll find suitable mates before the festival.”
From my peripheral vision, I noticed Tatch close her eyes, as if she’d sent up a silent prayer of thanks.
“Fine then,” Azor continued. “Magdalene, you and Tatiana will be assigned to the palace to help prepare for the upcoming festival. Finley, I’d like you to join me in my command. One day, you might be given an actual gate of your own to guard so it’s important you’re trained.”
Trained? Was he kidding? I’d been guarding the gate with Dad from the day I could swim. Maybe if he got off his pompous fin and actually spoke from experience instead of barking orders from his dad, I’d respect him. I bit back my retort once I caught Dad’s cautious eye.
“As you wish, Azor,” I said begrudgingly but shot a pleading look back. Dad still had time to suggest I stay in Tahoe in his place.
Dad kept a mask of strength and nodded his head. “I’m proud of you, Son.”
“Excellent. Now that that’s settled, I’d like to speak to Jack and Alaster alone. We have details to discuss.” Azor raised his arm, directing us—the outcasts—toward the shimmering waterway in the opposite corner of the room. The tunnel leading to the city of Natatoria.
Dread crept across my scales. Our “convenient” assignments brought us right under the nose of the King. We’d have to fall in line and follow their rituals. No more jaunts on land for the time being. But the worst part was Dad’s assignment.