by Kristie Cook
“Aw,” she said in disappointment, pouting her lip, “it’s not.”
I swallowed down two more pain pills with some water and pulled the covers up to my chin. “Life is a big pu pu platter for me right now and the last thing I’m worried about is some stupid popularity contest. I’ll be lucky if I can keep up my grades at this rate. My mom thinks I can take pain pills and do homework when I can barely concentrate on a TV show.”
“I think someone needs a sash and a crown right about now.”
“Have you been listening to me? I’m going to lose my scholarship. I don’t know when I can go back to school. I’m going to be so far behind, I might not even graduate!”
Georgia clammed up and pressed her lips together.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. “Sorry. I’m just super frustrated.”
“I was just trying to cheer you up.”
“I know. So what else is going on at school?”
At the invitation, Georgia shrugged off what I’d just said and prattled on. I lay back into the pillows and listened with half-lidded eyes. The distraction was appreciated, though Fin kept barging into my thoughts. Luckily, the pills started to buffer my physical pain and my emotional ones as well.
After about a half-hour Mom came into my room and ushered Georgia out. She continued to talk as they walked down the hall, adapting to a new audience. Exhausted, I pushed everything off the bed, closed my eyes, and drifted easily off to sleep.
***
When I opened my eyes again, the house was quiet. The red numbers on the clock flashed 12:03AM. I turned on the light and lay back, wide awake. A little index card that had been folded in half stood precariously on my nightstand. The words “Dinner is in the fridge. Love, Mom” were scrawled across the front. I warmed at her thoughtfulness, wondering if Dad or Gran had told her the truth yet. An opportunity to mention anything about the boat had eluded me since I’d slept most of the time when she was home. Once someone did, I knew she’d make me fend for my own food and ground me for life.
Gingerly, I hobbled to the kitchen as my stomach growled. They’d had their regular pasta night and my mouth watered at the garlicky smell still lingering in the kitchen. I found the plate in the fridge and popped it into the microwave. Within seconds, the steaming hot goodness was ready for devouring.
The pills were definitely working to my disadvantage as the creepy trees beyond the lit porch played tricks with my mind. My imagination flipped through a sundry of bad guys, like a vampire or a zombie, who could appear and scare the heck out of me.
I tried to hurry and eat, when I heard a noise. At first it sounded like people talking but quickly escalated into an argument. I stood up and turned off the porch light to get a better look. Even under the full moon, I couldn’t see anyone.
My adrenaline pulsed as my clammy hand fogged up the glass. Then a girl’s angry voice registered over the other male voices. Could no one hear this? Was this girl in danger on the beach?
I opened the door and slipped outside to listen better.
“Get your hands off her!” Fin yelled. His voice temporarily stopped my heart.
Without a thought, I limped down the path and headed towards the beach.
“Finley, it’s time to head back. You’re in enough trouble as it is,” a guy said, his voice slightly deeper and huskier.
“I don’t have to go anywhere with you. We chose to leave Natatoria of our own free will and I have that right,” Fin barked back.
Natatoria?
“You’re still underage for a few more months,” another masculine voice said.
“Get your hands off of me,” Tatiana said plain as day. The smack following made the others laugh.
I pushed through the pain to walk faster.
“I like a spunky girl,” the husky voice said. “Take her down.”
“No!” I yelled as soon as I approached the edge of the shoreline. But I wasn’t prepared for what I’d see.
Several feet off shore, a group of shirtless men with hulking muscles waded waist deep in at least six-foot deep water. Colin, the car-thieving cousin held Tatchi, and another held Fin against their wills.
“Ashlyn, no!” Fin yelled and struggled to free himself from the gnarly bearded guy who had him restrained by his arms. Fin flailed and something like a large fish tail flipped out of the water.
I gasped.
“Great. See what you’ve done? Brought the attention of your neighbor,” the husky voiced guy said, apparently the leader, wading empty handed off to the side. His jet black hair glistened in the moonlight as he turned toward me. He reminded me of a slimy snake. “Blanchard, take care of her.”
I scrambled backwards and fell flat on my butt into a pile of melting snow. Pain flared up the side of my leg and I pressed my hand on my thigh, worried I tore out some stitches.
Like an oversized seal, he came out of the water and dragged a giant fin where his legs should have been. Frozen in shock, I watched the fish-man raise the palm of his hand towards me. I pinched my eyes shut and flinched. Instead of some act of violence, a melodic sound flowed from his mouth, making my insides feel warm and tingly, taking away the alarm. I opened my eyes and stared back blankly as the weird language mesmerized me.
Blanchard stopped after a minute and studied me. Still stunned, I didn’t move. Then he smiled and swiveled around on his belly, and plunged himself headfirst into the water.
The guy with dark hair nodded appreciatively. “Okay, now that that’s handled, let’s go home,” he said. “Do not let either of them get away this time.”
Fin shot me a agonizing look before his handler pulled him unwillingly underwater.
“No!” Tatiana screamed as she disappeared, too, the liquid silencing her cry.
I waited for a moment to hear “You’re on candid camera,” but the water became eerily silent.
Wake up, Ashlyn. You’re just having a bad dream.
When I didn’t wake up, the reality hit me that Fin and Tatchi were pulled underwater and never came back up, I screamed out their names into the night.
“Ashlyn!” Dad called from the house. “Ashlyn!”
I looked up through watery eyes at my father’s distorted image, running down the path towards me. I couldn’t stop sobbing.
“Fin … Tatchi … They were here … They’re in trouble!” I yelled out between broken gasps.
“Ashlyn, honey,” Dad said, fear in his voice as he glanced at my bloodied pajama’s. “It’s okay. You’re going to be just fine.” He lifted me off the ground and cradled me in his arms. I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes, wanting the insanity to stop.
“Ashlyn?” my mother called from the doorway. “Oh, no! What happened?”
“She was outside on the beach,” Dad said softly as he carried me past her into the house. “I think it’s PTS. Karen, get me a blanket.”
Dad laid me on the couch and covered me up before he redressed my wound. I tried to make sense of what happened but nothing coherent formed in my brain, let alone would come out of my mouth. I just felt dread washing over me like I should have done more—dove in after them to stop the abduction at least. Where did they all go? Were the bad fish-men taking them away to that place? To Natatoria? But the biggest shock, the thing that kept echoing over and over in my mind was: forget Tessie, mermaids were real and lived in our lake.
I was surely going crazy.
39 - FIN
Tatch’s scream both in my head and in the water shot adrenaline straight into my muscles. I wasn’t about to be taken home like a captured fugitive. This is the moment Badger had groomed me for—the moment to prove who I was and what I could do.
I popped my shoulder back into Chauncey’s arm and felt him momentarily loosen his grip. With a quick flip of my tail, I slid out of his grasp and circled around, piercing a barb filled with poison into his chest. He groaned and tried to hit me with his spear, but the direct shot took affect quickly and pumped into his body. I snagged his
spear as he slipped into a daze and floated in the current.
Tatch took advantage of the attack and bit Colin in the arm. He yelled and released her. “You filthy little—”
I smacked Colin across the face with my tail before he could finish. “Don’t you dare insult my sister.” Before he could recover, I spun around and hit him again. “And that’s for taking my Jeep without permission.”
Colin shook his head and held his bleeding nose. I prepared to whack him again for wearing my clothes when Blanchard got between us with a spear, pointed directly at my chest.
“Enough,” Azor yelled.
Tatch floated behind me, nails bared. “Stay back,” she said, followed with a hiss.
I held my spear and pointed it towards anyone who moved.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Azor replied, keeping his distance and his cool.
“Where are we going to go?” Tatch asked.
“I don’t know yet. Just watch my back.”
We mad-dogged Azor and his goons, and waited for someone to make a move. I had no idea how long this stand-off would last or how we’d escape and hide without being seen, but we had to try. We weren’t letting them take us back to Natatoria without a fight.
“Like I said earlier, we don’t mean anyone any harm,” I said and slowly swam away from the group. “All we want is to leave peaceably and I suggest you don’t follow us.”
“Or you’ll what?” Azor asked mockingly. “You can’t possibly think you’ll be able to hide in the lake tonight. You can run, but we’ll find you. You’ll be returning to Natatoria—both of you. It’s your choice whether or not it’s peaceable.”
“I’ll never go anywhere with you!” Tatch growled at Azor.
The group let out a collective “oooh.” He turned and silenced them with a glare.
For the most part, Azor was right. But there was one place we could hide that no one would consider looking—the upstairs bathtub of our house. We could escape through the hatch and crawl upstairs while everyone combed the lake. We’d avoid the game of cat-and-mouse and in the early morning we could take the Jeep right from under their noses. With the contrived plan I smiled, until I realized Uncle Alaster wasn’t part of the apprehending party.
“Fin, watch out!”
I swirled around just in time to see my Uncle’s tail barbs headed straight for my face. Then the world suddenly went black.
***
“Just like his father,” I heard a deep male voice say.
I slowly pried open my eyes and winced at the pain radiating from my cheek. King Phaleon stood just beyond the bars, staring at me coolly. Though I’d never seen him up close in person, he bore a striking resemblance to the large statue outside of the palace and he wore a crown. Azor was perched smugly on his left, showing me off as if I were a prized stag. His happiness made me wish I’d stabbed him with the spear when I had the chance earlier.
“Aren’t you going to say something, son?” the King asked gruffly, his piercing gaze practically pinning me to the floor.
Though flustered in his presence, I fought his contempt and tried to sit upright. The world felt very unstable, slanting at a bit of an odd angle. “This whole thing has been a misunderstanding,” I said with a hoarse voice.
“Aye.” He shook his head, suddenly amused, as if what I’d said was humorous. “But what should I do with you now?”
I waited, as he appeared to be contemplating a punishment. I’d learned from Dad that the best way of surviving an unsavory predicament was to keep my mouth shut. After a few moments of stifling silence, a coy smile spread across his mouth, pulling up the large white beard that hung from his face.
“On your wrist you’ll find a new ornament to your attire—” I looked down and found a gold bracelet with the Natatorian symbol stamped across the top. “If for some reason you can’t manage to keep yourself within the boundaries of Natatoria, poison will be injected into your skin and render you unconscious.”
I looked at the bracelet more closely and felt a sense of panic set in. I’d seen other merman with these before, but I just thought they were employees of the King or something.
“Don’t be alarmed. As long as you don’t try to disable the device or leave, you should be just fine. After your promising ceremony, I’ll have it removed.”
“Promising ceremony?”
He smiled again in an evil knowing sort of way. “Yes. Fortunate for you, your escapade hasn’t been publicized. Requests from parents have been pouring in. Your mother is eagerly deciding who your wife will be.”
I tried not to look shocked, knowing this couldn’t be true. More like coerced into deciding would be my guess. “And my sister?”
“Her upcoming promising has quickly become the talk of Natatoria. Azor has offered and she’s accepted. She’ll stay in the palace to help with preparations for the big day. Queen Desiree has become quite fond of Tatiana and can’t wait to have her as a daughter. She’s insisted we have a huge celebration and I’ve already had to dispatch mers all over the world to collect items she’s specifically requested.”
I fought my desire to rip his crown off his head and shove it down his throat, keeping a stoic expression. Mers typically didn’t promise before their eighteenth birthday. No such luck for us. Maybe with all the extra preparations, we’d have extra time to plan our escape.
“After the ceremony, Azor will assist in assigning you a home and a job. I imagine we won’t have any more incidents from you in the future.”
Azor nodded his head.
Emotional blackmail. They intended to use the feelings a promising created to hold me captive in Natatoria. Good thing they didn’t know they were already too late.
“Of course not,” I lied and could hardly contain my smug smile.
Azor opened the lock on the cell door and swung the gate open, setting me free. I remained on the floor and felt strangely calm even after the King’s dismal portrayal of my future. They might have thought they’d won, but I’d use their “promising” weapon against them; my feelings for Ash would fuel my escape. And I’d never let Azor look at, let alone kiss my sister. Ever.
King Phaleon turned toward Azor in satisfaction. “He’s in your charge now.”
“Yes, Dad.” Azor bowed and the King exited with his body guards trailing behind him.
My weakened state prevented me from rising and strangling Azor’s neck once we were alone. He had a lot of nerve to force Tatch to promise him. I wondered if my sister had a matching bracelet as well.
“You’re very lucky, Fin,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “I wouldn’t have been so lenient.”
“One day, Azor,” I pledged, “you’ll wish—”
“Fin!” Badger said, interrupting my threat. “I came as soon as I heard.”
“Oh,” Azor said in surprise. “Yes. I’ve had a little trouble with my star pupil.”
Badger glanced at my wrist but kept a stony exterior. My guess was he knew exactly what the golden decoration meant.
“Aye,” Badger shook his head. “Let me take him off yer hands. I’ll straighten him out.”
Azor laughed. “You can try—” he threw his arm out in an invitation. “He’s all yours.”
I exchanged hard looks with Azor for a minute before I tried to pick myself up off the ground. One day I’d get my revenge.
Badger reached out his hand and pulled me up. “Let’s go, lad.”
As soon as we were clear of the compound, I opened my mouth to explain what happened.
“It’s okay, son,” he said and held up his hands. “I already know.”
“You do? How?”
Badger’s frown pulled into a grin. “I keep thinkin’ back to the day we met. I knew ye were gonna be a firecracker. But the promisin’ is a right smart plan to get back on the King’s good side. I’m honored at your choice.”
I screwed up my face. “Choice?”
“Ah, don’t pretend like ye don’t know. My little Lily is a right fine gal
and ye two will be so happy together.”
My heart thudded a few haphazard beats. What did Lily have to do with any of this? “Oh, right,” I said, playing like I knew what he meant.
But my breath came out heavily as my head swirled at the revelation. Did Mom decide Lily for me? If so, there definitely was no way I could tell Badge what happened with Ash now. He’d kick the crap out of me, especially if he thought I was two-timing his niece.
The logistics suddenly concerned me. Would our souls combine and free Ashlyn? Or would Lily bond with me too? I’d go mad being apart from Ash if it did. And I couldn’t imagine being Lily’s husband, the thought of kissing her was utterly disgusting. A life without Ashlyn wasn’t a life at all and I planned to fight to be with her. If only it were some other girl, then Badger could help me escape.
Badger looked me in the eye as if he’d read my thoughts. “I’ll be expecting ya to respect her or you’ll be dealin’ with me.”
“Of course,” I choked out as I cowered under his stare, worried he’d seen right through me. “You have my word. I’d never hurt Lily.”
“I know that,” he said playfully and jabbed me in the arm. “I’m just joshin’ with ya.”
I faked a chuckle and continued towards my underwater home-away-from-home. All I wanted was to close my eyes and wish myself out of Natatoria and into Ash’s arms. I couldn’t be forced to promise someone I didn’t love.
Then I remembered I had to face my mother first.
40 - ASH
The soft rapping on the door woke me up from my drowsy state. I’d been dreaming of my angel again and the blasted noise interrupted my utopia.
“Go away,” I grumbled and pulled the covers over my head.
“Ashlyn, you’ve got company,” Mom said through the door.
“I don’t want to see anyone.”
I heard the door creak open and cringed.
“Georgia came to see you,” Mom said.
“Tell her I’ll call her later,” I said into the pillow.
“You can tell her yourself.” Her soft footfalls stopped in the corner of the room just before the pulleys whined on the blinds, shooting light into the room. “It’s time you joined the world again. Tomorrow, you’re going back to school.”