Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “I’m early,” I said and flashed the Jeep keys in front of her. “Wanna go get some breakfast?”

  Her face lit up. “Yeah,” she said and grabbed her coat off the wall. “Bye, Mom.”

  I took her hand in mine and squeezed as we walked back to my place for the Jeep. Her sweet honeysuckle perfume hit me in the enclosed cab. Desires to nuzzle my nose in her neck distracted me from driving and I missed the turn.

  “Don’t you mean to—?” She asked sweetly with a casual point of her finger.

  “You make it impossible to concentrate,” I confessed and enjoyed the color of her cheeks changing to a rosy red that matched her curls.

  On a table inside the door of the diner, an abandoned Tahoe Daily Tribune’s headlines said, “Explosion in Lake Tahoe Causes Tsunami.” I swallowed hard. This was an unforgivable crime in the King’s eyes. Worse yet, we’d made a fool out of him during the attempted promising ceremony by challenging his word and escaping. Returning would be a death sentence. How could we ever rescue Tatch?

  Ash and I snuggled in on the same side of the booth and pressed our bodies against one another. After ordering, Ash laid her head against my chest as I put my arm over her shoulder. I still wanted to get closer.

  “So, if you’ve managed to upset the—” She looked up with thoughtful eyes and paused for a moment. “—the King, won’t he come back and arrest you or something?”

  “It’s a little difficult to come back with the gate destroyed,” I whispered. “He’d have to get across the state somehow from the Pacific Ocean to Tahoe during sunlit hours and he just ruined his only West Coast connection—my dad. And his insistence that mers avoid human contact is now going to work against him.”

  “So I’ve made you a wanted man?” she asked with a coy smile.

  I kissed the top of her head. “Ever since you stole my heart, yes.”

  She giggled before becoming serious again. “Do you think you’re safe here?”

  “Dad seems to think it’s okay for now and that’s a good thing. I can’t imagine leaving you.”

  She hummed and drew her finger over my knuckles, tickling my skin and driving me crazy. In her presence, I’d lost my appetite and wondered why we even ordered food. A secluded place to curl under a blanket sounded so much more appealing than a restaurant. Our bond made my desire to let my hands wander increase a hundred-fold.

  In the early morning, I’d decided to do the right thing and make an honest woman of her first. Her parents seemed to like me and I wanted to keep it that way. Would they approve of her marrying at such a young age? I’m sure they wouldn’t if they knew my secret.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked, breaking my moment of life planning with her sweet voice.

  “What to do next,” I said and hugged her tighter.

  “As long as I’m with you, I’m up for anything,” she purred in my ear, nibbling my earlobe gently.

  I curled my toes to restrain my hands. Luckily the waitress showed up with our food before I could return the favor.

  We hurried up and ate, then headed for the park. The ground was still wet from the melted snow, which meant we’d have to sit on a bench. We found a spot with the lake in view and snuggled under a blanket.

  “So,” she said hesitantly and I knew the question before she asked it. “How’d you become a merman actually?”

  “I was born this way.”

  “Born? Hmmm. I bet you were the cutest little merboy in Natatoria.”

  “We call our babies merlings. But I don’t know. You’ll have to ask my mom.”

  “Aw, that’s cute,” she giggled but tensed next to me.

  I wasn’t sure what I’d said that made her uncomfortable. Was she afraid if we had kids, we’d end up with merlings? I actually didn’t know what kind of kids we’d have, her being human. But that was definitely something we could discuss in the future. I didn’t plan to force her into a lifestyle she’d rather not be a part of, or even tell her it was an option.

  To be safe, I changed the subject. “I didn’t spend tons of time in Natatoria growing up. My parents liked living on land more than under the sea.”

  “Do you like it there?”

  “It’s a very beautiful city. The mers before us created a pipeline of mirrors that reflect sunlight in from all over the world. The entire place is covered in gems, gold, silver, and platinum. With the sunlight bouncing all over, it’s like being inside a huge crystal ball. The only frustrating thing is you have to remain a mer the entire time. Only in a retrofitted oxygenated room can you change to legs.”

  “There are rooms underwater?”

  “That’s why I carry around my board shorts. Nakedness isn’t accepted in our colony, unlike the pictures you see.” I maneuvered two strands of her hair to create makeshift legs walking on her arm.

  She giggled again, her voice high and cheery. “I’d love to see it.”

  I frowned, completely confused. She wanted to see Natatoria, but didn’t want merlings? Then I cringed. Could she have guessed there was a way to be changed into a mermaid? She had no idea the sacrifice, the uncertainty now that we were fugitives, separated from our kind. I wasn’t going to let her know there was an option, at least not yet.

  “We won’t be going back for a long while, that’s for sure.”

  “But you said Tatchi is there.”

  My gut tightened. “Yes, she is. It’s complicated.”

  “Is that why she didn’t want to go to college with me? I guess being a mermaid and all would make that pretty difficult.”

  “No,” I said quickly. “She did want to go. Originally, she kept trying to get me to leave our way of life, too, but I wanted to be loyal to our people which ended up being a major mistake. It’s different for the men than the women in Natatoria. She tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen.”

  “Oh.” She crinkled up her nose.

  My heart thumped harder, knowing where this conversation was headed. Was it time to tell her about the promising? Why a kiss with a mer is so powerful and revered?

  “I’m sure you’ve heard the fables about mermaids luring men into the sea to their deaths.” She watched me with wide-eyes. “It’s true. Whoever a mermaid kisses, their soul will bond with hers and her absence will drive them mad.”

  “Honestly?”

  I raised my right eyebrow. “You tell me.”

  She watched me with curiosity and touched her lips. Recognition sparked behind her eyes. “Is that the same for mermen too?”

  I nodded my head. “Our weddings are called promisings. All it takes is one kiss to bond with someone for life. Then you’ll need them almost more than—”

  “—life itself.” She reached up and trailed her fingers down my stubbly cheek. “That’s what you meant when you said a kiss is very serious. It all makes sense now. I thought I was going insane this past week. I kept dreaming and thinking about you all the time, hoping you’d come back. But it was only mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. That’s hardly a kiss.”

  I looked down. “It still counts.”

  “Oh,” she said and her face brightened. “Is that why my lips tingle all the time?”

  I marveled at her innocence and then frowned. “I wouldn’t have done it without giving you full disclosure on me, on us. But, under the circumstances—”

  “Are you trying to apologize again for saving me?”

  “Well … it was way more than saving. I’ve high-jacked your life.”

  “Hardly,” she laughed and squeezed my hand. “I’ve actually got a confession of my own. Of all the guys I know, you’d be the only one I’d pick to be promised to. I’ve had a crush on you ever since the sixth grade.”

  Her confession gave me the chills. “Really?”

  “Totally. I don’t know how you couldn’t tell. I’m always a complete bumbling mess around you. I mean, you’ve always been flirtatious, but I didn’t think it meant anything. And once we got older, you stopped hanging out with us.”

  “Oh,�
�� I said, thinking back to my actions on the beach. “I wanted to take things further, but tried not to give it a second thought because you were off limits. Our way of life is—well, you know. Complicated.”

  “But you couldn’t resist me,” she said, her lip curling up.

  “You were sort of dying.” I’m sure my smile gave away the truth, that she was right.

  “I think it would have been super awesome if you’d just shown me. Like when we swam to Fannette Island.”

  “You would have freaked out.” Which you did once.

  “Never.” She cocked her head.

  I chuckled, biting my tongue.

  Her eyes sparkled. “I’ve always known you were special.”

  “Or genetically mutated.”

  “In the most adorable way.” She mussed up my hair and planted a kiss on my nose.

  “But what about that guy?”

  She pursed her lips. “What guy?”

  “I saw you k—” It hurt to form the word let alone say it. Everything inside me wanted to punch his lights out. “—with him on your porch. You were all dressed up.”

  She sat back, her eyes darting back and forth as if trying to remember. “Was that you?” She gasped. “It was you!” She busted into peals of laughter. “Oh, my gosh. You were spying on me!”

  “Was not.”

  “Then what were you doing in the water?”

  I shifted in my seat. “I was just visiting. I couldn’t stand being trapped underwater for so long. And then I saw you with him and he had his hands all over you.”

  “You’re jealous.” She crawled into my lap with a huge smile and I melted. “There’s no him, so don’t worry. I’m all yours now, apparently until death. So don’t get all green merman on me.”

  “Good. One less guy I have to—” I caught myself before saying kill “—take out.”

  “So dramatic. Are you purposely trying to avoid telling me about what happened to Tatchi?”

  “No,” I said and hugged her tight. “After they took us back, she ended up getting forced into a promising and—” I cringed “—that really left her no choice. She had to stay. We don’t know what we’re going to do now. We can’t force her to come home. She’ll suffer without him.”

  “Who’s she promised to?” she asked.

  “The King’s son. He’s the reason she didn’t want to go to Natatoria in the first place. He’s had a crush on her forever. The day I came to the beach to get Tatchi, it was for a family meeting with him. She knew we wouldn’t return. I didn’t listen.”

  “I don’t think it’s your fault, Fin. From what you said, the King manipulated the situation.”

  “Yes, but—I don’t know anymore—it’s become so confusing. Before the promising, Tatch wanted nothing to do with the King’s son, and after, we couldn’t pry her away from him. Without knowing what she really wants now, I don’t know what to do. Should I try to bring her home? Only death will set her free.”

  She gasped. “Her death?”

  “No! His. Only after his death does her soul become free again.”

  She grabbed her chest at heart level and sucked in air. “Don’t do that to me.”

  “Sorry,” I said, admiring her theatrics. “You’re stuck with me.”

  “I guess I am.” She wrapped her arms around my neck. “And you with me.”

  “I’m glad no one is at this park.”

  “Me, too.”

  We finished the rest of the conversation wordlessly with only our lips doing the communicating.

  56 - ASH

  After more people showed up at the park and we caught a few glares from moms at our display of affection, we high-tailed it back home.

  “I think you should meet my parents officially,” Fin said out of nowhere as he turned the corner, our houses in view.

  I swallowed hard. “Meet your parents? Now?”

  Somehow I’d assumed they’d be reopening their shop for business today.

  “Heck, yeah. We’re practically married now in mer standards. They know everything.”

  I tried to speak but stuttered something incoherent and couldn’t finish. Did he say we were practically married?

  “Look,” he said, taking my frozen nervous hand into his burning hot one. “This is cause for a party. You’re family now. They’re your in-laws.”

  “Not in my world they aren’t. If my parents even knew what happened—my dad would flip and he’s the most understanding of the two. I can’t even imagine my mom’s reaction. She might just keel over with a coronary.”

  He tilted his head and looked at me over the top of his sunglasses. “Am I scaring you?”

  “No,” I said. “This is all a little fast. You just came home. We just got together.”

  “It’s eternal. You can’t fight it. We can’t be apart. We’re a match made in water.”

  The lump in my throat made talking difficult. “Hardly. I can swim like a fish, but my talents are limited. I doubt I could keep up, let alone survive.” Besides, we aren’t even a matching race.

  He chuckled. “Please. Come meet them. They’ll be cool. I promise.”

  “They don’t really know me,” I said, still in a panic.

  “Well then let’s remedy that.”

  We parked out front and my legs turned to mush. My last memory of his dad, though unrelated to drinking, still scared me. Though Fin said he’d already told them about me, I couldn’t imagine them liking me. First off, I wasn’t a mermaid. How could I give them merlings in the future?

  Fin popped out of the Jeep and went around to open my door. I sat quaking in my seat, gripping the leather with white knuckles. This wasn’t how I wanted my date to end—fighting with his parents and them forbidding us from seeing one another again. It had to be a set-up.

  “It’ll be okay. I promise,” he said and kissed my hand before he led me out.

  Memories of coming here and looking through the window as a child hit me hard. I tried to dig my heels in, but Fin looped his muscular arm around my waist and ushered me inside.

  “Mom? Dad?” he called out. His voice echoed through the vaulted ceilings of his lavishly decorated home.

  A scuttle from upstairs preceded a “Be right down,” from a female voice.

  “Fin, let’s go. Come on,” I whispered and pulled his arm with all my might. “They’re busy.”

  He shook his head.

  “Fin,” a woman said with a smile as she flowed gracefully down the stairway in a white cotton dress. Long, flowing blonde hair covered her shoulders, and eyes bluer than Fin’s sparkled at me behind bronzed skin. She was 100% mermaid material if I’d ever imagined one. “Who’s this beauty beside you?”

  Beauty? Has she looked in the mirror today?

  “This is her, Mom. My Ashlyn,” he said, pride bursting forth like he’d just won the lottery.

  Fin’s mom took my hands before she enveloped me in the warmest hug. “Welcome to the family, dear.” She pulled back and studied my fingers. “Oh, I see it. It’s coming in lovely.”

  She traced over the spot on my ring finger where a wedding band would go. I studied the spot and noticed raised discolored marks on my skin.

  She took off her own wedding ring to uncover a gorgeous colorful tattoo underneath. “Yours will look like this soon.”

  My mouth fell open. Now my parents were definitely going to kill me. A tattoo? “How—?”

  Fin showed me his hand. He also had faint markings like mine. “They’ll match once they completely fill in, after a month.”

  I blinked. “Holy crawfish.”

  Both Fin and his mom laughed as she hugged me again. “You are too adorable.”

  “What’s all this laughter happening in my kitchen?” A gruff voice spoke from the stairwell.

  I nearly peed my pants when I turned and shook in Jack’s presence. Standing six foot three with a gnarly beard and broad, naked shoulders, he towered over us. Off-white drawstring pants were all that he wore.

  “I told yo
u to put on a shirt,” Fin’s mom said and disappeared for a moment. She reappeared and threw one at him.

  I didn’t move, blink or speak as he pulled on this shirt, and inspected me.

  “Come on, Dad,” Fin finally said.

  “Aw, love. You’re as pretty as a picture. Come here!” He grabbed me and squeezed the life out of me. I coughed as he pounded me on the back. “Well, this is such a wonderful day. Have you two made official plans yet? What did her parents say?”

  Fin opened his mouth and nothing came out.

  “Jack, give the boy a chance to see his girl and get reacquainted. There’s a lot to discuss. She is still human after all.”

  The word “still” rang through my head a few different times. I turned to Fin and studied his stoic expression. He’d only told me we bonded, not that I was going to sprout scales in the near future.

  “We haven’t talked about the details yet,” he said quickly.

  “You need to start because we can’t stay here forever.”

  My heart thumped wildly. “You can’t stay?” My frantic glance ping-ponged between the three of them.

  “No,” Fin said, looking hard at his father and then softer towards me. “We’ve got time to work everything out. We aren’t going anywhere. Don’t worry.”

  I couldn’t stop from breathing faster. He was my world. He couldn’t leave without me.

  “I’m famished,” Jack said, unfazed by the invisible grenade he’d launched in the room. He moved towards the fridge. “You kids hungry?”

  I felt unstable, my reality toppling over.

  He opened the fridge and cursed. “Great Poseidon. I swear my idiotic brother would die if he ever lost his scales.”

  Fin leaned over and whispered. “There’s nothing in the fridge.”

  I gaped. Who could care about food at a time like this? Mermaids? Merlings? Tattoos? Leaving? I couldn’t focus as the blood pounded louder in my ears. I needed fresh air—now. “I need to go outside,” I choked out, grasping onto Fin’s hand.

  “Oh.” Fin looked at me and furrowed his brow. “Hey, Dad. We just ate and besides, I need to get Ash home.”

  “Lookie here, some pancake mix.” Fin’s dad removed himself from the pantry for a second and took a quick look over his shoulder. “Oh, sure. Good to meet you, Ashlyn.”