Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “No!” she screamed, continuing to pull. “We have to leave! Now!”

  I yanked my hand back. “I just got in royal trouble for leaving unchaperoned and I’m not about to drag you into this with me. If we escape to Tahoe, we aren’t ever coming back.”

  “I know that. And if we don’t leave now, we may never get another chance.”

  I pushed my hands into my temples to force away the headache from the ink. “But what about Mom?”

  Tatch fidgeted and avoided eye contact. “She wants to stay and wait for Dad.”

  I clenched my jaw. “We can’t just leave her. We promised Dad we’d watch out for her.”

  Tatch’s face pressed into a scowl as she pointed her finger in my face. “Look. You know as well as I do they aren’t going to give you a slap on the wrist and say ‘never do it again.’ You’ll be forced to stay here. Forced to serve the elder mers for who knows how long. Forced to choose someone here to promise. Do you want that?”

  Ashlyn’s sweet water-drenched face shimmered in my mind. My soul was trying to claw its way out of my chest to take ahold of my fin and make me leave Natatoria now. But without Mom coming with us, it didn’t feel right.

  “Fine,” Tatiana said after I didn’t respond and my eyes met hers. “You can go back and lock yourself up if you want. I’ll just leave without you.”

  “Wait.” I grabbed her wrist.

  “I’m done with this place, Fin. Don’t you see I can’t stay? First with all the crap at the palace and then with you getting locked up. Now Uncle Alaster is saying he had to mind-wipe a whole bunch of people, stop divers who were getting too close to the gate, and deal with the press. I guess there was a news story about the waves you caused and people are frantic for answers. It’s very serious. The King may just banish you and take your fins for all the trouble you’ve caused. Then where will you be?”

  I scrubbed my hand over my head and wished for a crystal ball to see the future. Was this the way to bolt? The ink would be evaporating soon and the guards would wake up. I needed to make a decision

  “Where will you go?” I finally asked.

  “To Fannette Island tonight. Then tomorrow, I’ll take the Jeep and head towards the Pacific. There I can start searching for Dad. Something’s wrong. I can sense it.”

  I should have been livid she was thinking of taking my Jeep but the thought of her trying to find Dad alone didn’t sit right. Helping her sounded better than going back to my cell. Plus Dad would fight for us and stand up against our injustices. Besides, I needed to see Ash.

  “Do you have the spare key?”

  Tatch’s lips widened into a huge grin as she nodded her head.

  “I know I’m going to regret this, but let’s go.”

  “Yes!” Tatiana swam ahead of me.

  Inside the meeting room between Natatoria and Lake Tahoe, we pressed the button and waited for Uncle Alaster or Colin to bust us. Tatch held a small vial of octopus ink ready to throw if they happened to come through the mouth of the cave—but no one came.

  We looked at one another with growing grins and swam through the gate to the other side. Once we figured the waters were safe, we hightailed it for Fannette Island.

  “Yes!” Tatch squealed as she swam in circles and blew bubbles with her arms spread wide.

  “Careful,” I said playfully. “You might create waves.”

  “Ha-ha. Very funny big brother. And anyway, why did you have to swim so fast you absently made waves on your rock collecting trip?”

  Too mentally exhausted to share and afraid of her reaction, I stayed tight-lipped. She’d flip once she knew her friendship with Ash was forever changed. Telling the full story after we’d both had a decent night’s sleep, far away from things she could throw at me, would be better.

  “That good?” she asked after I didn’t answer.

  “I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. I just want to get to the island before we get caught.”

  She giggled. “Sure thing.”

  We surfaced the water together, but Tatch flipped her head back, making a huge arch of water with her hair. She laughed as the droplets rained down on her face.

  “I’m finally home,” she squealed and I couldn’t agree with her more.

  34 ASH

  ASH

  I felt absolutely horrible in the morning. Whatever drugs they’d put in my IV were far better than the stuff I took every four hours during the night. After a fitful night of sleep, I finally stumbled to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

  My parents bustled around, competing for counter space as they made lunches to take to work. I ate my Mini Wheats in silence only to catch Mom’s fretful glance every once in a while—silent questioning of my stability, I assumed.

  “You know, Ashlyn. We eventually need to talk about what happened,” she said abruptly.

  Dad stopped and shot her a puzzled look. “Karen. It was an accident. If Ashlyn doesn’t remember what happened, the doctor said there’s nothing we can do to force her.”

  “Yes. I understand that, but the fact that she lied to stay home from church and then left the house without leaving a note bothers me.”

  I stopped eating and stared at the last few unappetizing Wheats floating in the milk. The silence weighted heavily on my guilt-torn chest. I hated living this lie. “I’m sorry. It won’t ever happen again.”

  Mom moved a little closer. “Did something happen at the dance?”

  “No.” I forced a Wheat under the milk with my spoon. “I didn’t get picked for Queen, so I wasn’t ready to see anyone yet.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes softened. She cast an anxious glimpse at Dad, who took pity as well.

  “I wanted to go for a walk to clear my head. That’s all.”

  “There’s no need to apologize again,” Dad calmly interrupted. “It all worked out and could have been much worse. Luckily, the Fire Chief recognized you when they arrived at the scene. We’re not mad at you, Ash.”

  I swallowed back my tears. “I know. But I really am sorry.”

  They watched me with compassion in their eyes and I wanted to crawl into a hole. Here was my opportunity to come clean and I wasn’t doing it. My heart started to pound as I finally opened my mouth to confess.

  With a cheery smile, Gran came bustling into the kitchen. “And she’s obviously got a guardian angel. God’s not finished with her yet, is He?” She rubbed her hand over my shoulders and squeezed. “Oh, and Jack, you forgot to put the boat back in the shed.”

  The spoon fell out of my hand and hit the milk with a clattering splash.

  “I didn’t take out a boat,” Dad said.

  “What?” Mom darted to the sliding glass door. “Where?”

  “I think it’s The Sea Star.” Gran pointed towards the dock. “Right there. Shouldn’t it be locked up in the shed ‘til summer?”

  Dad looked out the kitchen window too. “Yes, it should. I wonder how it got out there.” He turned toward me, the empathy replaced by a straight face.

  “I’m not feeling so well,” I said, shooting a guilty smile.

  He watched as I made my escape.

  They continued to talk about who might have borrowed the boat as I hobbled back to Gran’s room, heart pounding. I turned on The Price is Right and hid under the covers, dreading the conversation I knew would be coming, hoping everyone would just leave. Would he confront me before he left for work or later tonight?

  I pinched my eyes shut and listened, waiting. After what seemed like forever, the house finally quieted down. My mind whirred with a million questions as I limped outside on crutches to the dock. Who found the boat and returned it? Did they see me? Did they know what happened? Where was it? Would they tell my parents?

  And there The Sea Star floated, pristine and tethered to the dock as if nothing ever happened. I touched the jagged piece of metal and shivered. Could the angel have possibly brought the boat back as well?

  Growing excitement tickled my belly as I scanned the tree line, thinking he c
ould actually be here—watching me. Ever since the accident, my dreams were filled with nothing but him. All I wanted was to talk to him, ask him what happened.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, holding my hand out towards the horizon, “wherever you are.”

  My body fluttered with warmth until I remembered the biting frigid water and the fear in my parents’ eyes. I shook my head, unable to wrap my mind around what was real and what wasn’t.

  Just beyond the beach, a group of men walked to the back door of Tatchi and Fin’s house. The stiff way they moved reminded me of Secret Service Agents except they were all wearing skirts. Who were they? And what were they doing? I took a seat on the bench and tried to melt into the surroundings so they wouldn’t notice me staring.

  “Ashlyn?”

  I jumped at my father’s voice. “Dad?” With wide eyes, I watched him walk down towards me on the dock.

  “Should you be out here?”

  The tears came from nowhere. “I can’t take it anymore with the boat, and the guilt. I have to tell you the truth about what happened.”

  A pensive look crossed his face as he joined me on the bench. “Okay.”

  I discretely wiped my nose on my sleeve. “I didn’t get swept out by a wave like everyone thinks. It’s all my fault what happened. I took the boat to Fannette Island because I thought it would somehow bring Tatchi back. We have a treasure box buried there from when we were kids but when I was paddling home, I accidentally tipped the boat and fell in. Someone saved me and I honestly don’t know who. But now the boat is back. And I’ve been trying to figure out what this all means.”

  Dad took a deep breath and put his hand on my knee. “Well, that explains where the boat went.”

  I gasped. “You already knew?”

  “About the boat missing? Yes. But not that you’d taken it to Fannette Island and fell out. It makes sense being the Fannette Island Ranger Station is miles from our house. The reaction you had to the boat reappearing did seem suspicious this morning.”

  I blinked back in astonishment. “Does Mom know?”

  “It would probably be best if you told her.”

  “Me?”

  He pursed his lips together and nodded.

  I wanted to die. Telling Mom was the last thing I wanted to do.

  “I know you’ll make this right, Ashlyn.”

  His words came crushing down on me and the last thing I wanted was to disappoint him. “Oh, Dad,” I wailed and threw my arms around his neck, “I’m so sorry, you don’t even know.”

  He patted my back. “Mom will be mad, but it’s better to tell her the truth than have her find out otherwise.”

  “I didn’t mean to lie. Everything was so fuzzy at first and then when I remembered—” I pulled away and looked at him with my tear streaked face. “Wait. Why are you still home? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  “I don’t need to be in until nine.”

  “Oh.”

  “Feel better?” He smiled warmly with knowing eyes.

  I shook my head.

  “Good. This was a hard lesson to learn, but always remember; the truth will set you free.”

  “Thank you, Dad.” I hugged him again. And does it ever.

  35 - FIN

  “Crap,” Tatiana said as we crouched in the bushes next to our former house. “What are we going to do now?”

  I rubbed my hand across my forehead as the early morning sun sparkled against the snow patches scattered across the ground. The Jeep wasn’t in the driveway where I’d parked it. But that was the least of my worries. Azor and a few of his men just walked inside, obviously looking for me and quite possibly my sister as well. Without the Jeep, we were stuck.

  “The first thing we need to do is get some clothes. Right now we look like we should be in Hawaii, not in the middle of an extraordinarily cold spring in Tahoe.”

  “Oh, good idea,” Tatch said as she wriggled her bare toes in the snow. “I do have Mom’s credit card.”

  “You what? Never mind.” I creased my brow. “I was thinking more along the lines of borrowing instead of buying. We can’t go walking into American Eagle Outfitters looking like this anyway.”

  Tatch bit her lip. “I wonder if anyone is home at Ash’s. I could borrow something of hers and get you an outfit from her dad’s closet.”

  Ashlyn’s name sent an anxious tingle up my spine. If only she was home. What I wouldn’t give to accidentally run into her. But I didn’t trust myself from grabbing her and kissing her madly if I did. More than likely, she would still be at the hospital, giving us an opportune time to break in.

  “Earth to Fin.” Tatch snapped in front of my eyes. “What is it with you when I mention her name anyway?”

  “Nothing. Yeah, that’s actually a good idea.”

  I glanced over at the house and stopped breathing. Ash was limping on crutches up the path from the dock, her father by her side. The world stood still for a moment as the sun filtered through her curly red hair. She was better than I thought and already at home.

  Tatch’s gasp broke the spell. “Oh my starfish! What happened?”

  I grabbed her arm as she lurched forward. “No! You can’t go!”

  “But don’t you see her?” Tatch flailed under my grasp. “She’s injured or something.”

  Everything inside me wanted to run to the dock, scoop Ash up off her feet, and carry her the rest of the way. “We can’t reveal ourselves to her. She’ll have too many questions.”

  “Fish sticks! That’s ridiculous,” she said in admonishment and yanked her arm back. “You can just wipe her mind afterward. I have to know.”

  She looked up at me with such earnest concern that I nearly caved, but now that Ash was promised to me, the incantation wouldn’t work. “I can’t—don’t want to do that to her anymore. It’s not right.”

  “Oh, geez, Fin. That’s never stopped you in the past,” Tatiana whimpered, watching the two of them disappear inside. I felt her pain and tried not to show it. “Why not?”

  I sighed, wondering if now would be a good time to tell Tatch the truth. “I just don’t think it’s right to do that anymore.”

  The night before, on the way to Fannette Island, we happened upon The Sea Star, floating abandoned right off shore. I tried not to make a big deal about it, but Tatch insisted we return it to Ash’s family dock at least. Seeing her now flooded me with relief, but the brevity sliced right through my soul, leaving a longing to hold her I couldn’t quench yet. Staying hidden and convincing Tatiana to do the same took all my strength.

  At the same time, Colin pulled up to the house in the Jeep. We ducked down behind a bush just in time. Tatch elbowed me as I mumbled a few curt words. But when Colin stepped out wearing my “silence is golden but duct tape is silver” T-shirt, she was the one holding me back.

  “I could kick his ass,” I growled.

  “Shhh! If they hear us, it’ll be all over.”

  Another man exited on the passenger side and turned around—Chauncey, Azor’s right-hand man. “Colin, pull the car into the garage. If Fin is around, I’m sure he’s got his own set of keys.”

  “Oh, right,” Colin said and got back into the Jeep. I cringed when he ground the gears.

  Within minutes, our get-away vehicle was locked up tight in the fortress guarded by bored mermen anxious to drag me back to my tomb.

  “Now what?” Tatch whispered.

  I looked over at Ash’s house and spotted her dad’s truck driving away. He was the last to leave the house this morning. Ash was home alone.

  ***

  Against my better judgment I stood on Ash’s front porch, my pulse pounding in my veins. I tried to remain somewhat hidden by the trellis so none of Azor’s goons would see me as I prayed everything would go over smoothly with her. If she didn’t respond right, Tatch and I would have a whole bunch of explaining to do.

  The door slowly opened and her honeysuckle scent hit me like a wrecking ball. At the sight of her, my mouth went dry. All I
wanted to do was kiss her right then and there.

  “Fin?” Ashlyn gasped as she blinked back at me in disbelief.

  “Hi.” I tried to sway her with a charming smile. “This is really embarrassing, but I need a little help.”

  At first she didn’t respond. Then her gaze slowly panned down my torso towards my feet and back up again. “You’re—why don’t you have shoes on? Or clothes for that matter?”

  “It’s a long story. Can I come in?” I pretended I was cold and faked a shiver.

  She motioned for me to come inside, shuddering from the gust of chilly air herself. I graciously stepped around her and walked over to the couch as she stood at the doorway. When she didn’t move, I patted the couch cushion next to me. Robotically, she closed the door and limped over to the couch to sit down. Her location put her back conveniently towards the stairs.

  “What happened to your leg?” I asked to fill the stony silence.

  “Oh,” she said and stopped. Her eyes darted to her leg, then back to my naked knees and bare chest. “I had an accident.”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m—” She swallowed as the confusion visibly flashed across her face. “Are you in trouble or something?”

  “Oh, of course not,” I said with a laugh. “My good for nothing cousin is pulling a joke on me. I was in the hot tub and he locked me out of the house to be funny. I thought I saw you earlier, so I came over here instead. Could I possibly borrow a shirt? I have a feeling he’s not going to let me in anytime soon.”

  “Oh.”

  Ashlyn furrowed her brow and shimmied forward to stand up when I spotted Tatch darting up the stairs.

  “That looks really painful. Are you sure you’re okay?” I quickly asked, getting to my feet to help her.

  Our hands touched as I cradled her elbow, pulling her up and close to my side—away from the direct view of the stairs. Her breath trembled as we stood by one another.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” she said softly. Her eyelashes obscured the deep green eyes peering down at the floor.