by Wendi Wilson
“That’s the understatement of the year.”
I can’t restrain the grin pulling up the corners of my mouth. If Ana can make jokes that means she’s coming around to the idea. She looks from Bryce to me and back again, then sighs and slumps back into her chair.
“Okay. I believe you. Start from the beginning and tell me everything.”
“I’ve known for weeks that Bryce is a witch.” I shoot her an apologetic smile for keeping that secret from her. “I couldn’t tell you. I hope you understand.”
“I do,” she says.
“I knew Ms. Coraline was suspicious, especially after she caught me coming out of the woods that morning. She pretended like she bought my story but now I’m sure she suspected I was out there with Bryce. I knew she’d be watching for me to go there again. That’s why we moved our secret spot.
“Friday, when I was leaving for school she literally dragged me back up to my room and locked me in. I was stuck in there all day. Bryce used the spell he just showed you,” I pause and smile at him, “to sneak into the house and come check on me. Ms. Coraline caught us together and went crazy.”
“What did she do?” Ana asks.
“She called Bryce a witch. She already knew. She said a few words and he disappeared.”
“I was teleported here,” Bryce adds.
“Then she argued with my mom, saying that she would no longer protect me. My mom got really upset but Ms. Coraline wouldn’t listen to her. She cast another spell and my mom and I both hit the floor with stomach pain.”
“So where is she now?”
“I have no idea. She told me she loves me then jumped up and ran from the room. I haven’t seen her since.”
“What? She just left you?”
I nod. “Yeah. I asked Ms. Coraline where she went and she said she’s home.”
“Home? What does that mean? Is she still in that house?”
“I don’t know. I asked the same question but Ms. Coraline said no. Who knows if she’s even telling the truth? Bryce and I snuck over there to get my stuff on Saturday and there was no sign of my mother. But I did find this.”
I pull the locket from my pocket. I grabbed it from my room earlier, knowing Ana would want to see it. I dangle it in front of her and she reaches out to take it from me. She opens it and stares at the pictures inside.
“Is this your dad?”
“Yes. At least, I’m assuming it is. He has my eyes.”
“You were a cute baby,” Ana says, snapping the locket closed. She flips it over in her hand and reads the inscription. “My love is as boundless as the sea and stronger than any monsters that lie within. That is beautiful but what does it mean, monsters?”
I take the locket from her and read the back. “I don’t know. I just assumed it was metaphorical. Like a knight slaying dragons for his love.”
Ana sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and chews it. “Maybe.”
“What, you think he meant literal sea monsters?”
Ana jumps to her feet and paces the length of the room. “Does that sound so crazy? You just told me Bryce and the old hag are both witches. Who’s to say other…things don’t exist?”
“I don’t know, Ana.” I say, looking to Bryce for help. “They are witches, sure, but they are still human.”
Bryce nods, confirming my statement if there was any doubt. “Yeah,” he says, “witches are human but I guess in the grand scheme of things the existence of beings we don’t know about isn’t really that far-fetched.”
I narrow my eyes at him and he shrugs apologetically. I turn my attention back to Ana, who’s stopped pacing and slumped back down into her chair. “Well, whether or not monsters are real, I still think it’s a metaphor. It doesn’t matter anyway. He left. His love obviously wasn’t that strong.”
I drop the locket on the coffee table, pushing away the melancholy that tries to engulf me. “Anyway, we’ve been trying to find a locator spell. We thought we could use that,” I point at the jewelry, “to find my mother.”
“My parents have all these books,” Bryce adds, “but we haven’t had any luck finding the right spell.”
“Your parents are witches, too?” Ana asks. “Of course, they are,” she says, not waiting for an answer. “What do they think of your current living situation?” she asks with an impish grin.
“They’re fine with it,” Bryce says. “It’s weird because it’s their rule that I not get close to anyone.” He reaches for my hand and wraps his strong fingers around mine. “That’s why I always sit with different people every day and don’t let anyone in. Until Kai.”
I smile at him, then look back at Ana. She’s smiling, too. “But now they’re like, yeah, go ahead and move a girl in?” she asks.
Bryce’s face goes serious. “Not a girl. The girl.” Warmth spreads through me at his words. He continues, “After I told them that old lady used her magic against me and hurt Kai, all bets were off. We don’t use our magic to hurt people. Besides, Ms. Coraline kicked Kai out. I couldn’t very well let her live on the streets, could I?”
“Is that the line you used on them?” Ana asks. At Bryce’s smile, she says, “Nice.”
“I haven’t been able to get in touch with them since. I’m waiting for them to call me. When they do, I can ask them about the locator spell.”
“Don’t they have cell phones?”
“Yeah, but they’re at a family reunion and they tend to leave them off when they are there.”
“That seems weird when you’re home by yourself.”
“They know I can take care of myself,” he says, puffing out his chest.
Ana and I both laugh. There’s a stilted silence for a few moments before Ana stands up and grabs her bag. Bryce and I stand up, too, and she hugs us in turn.
“Thanks for explaining everything to me,” she says as we walk her to the door. “I have to get home, or my mom will send out a search party.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say, hugging her again.
“Yep,” she says. “Bye.”
“Bye,” Bryce and I say in unison.
She takes a few steps, then turns back. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she says, lifting her eyebrows suggestively.
“Shut up,” I say, laughing.
With a little wave, she jogs down the steps and heads to her car. Bryce closes the door and leans back against it. He takes my hand and tugs me against him, wrapping an arm around my waist.
“That went well,” he sighs.
“Yeah. Your disappearing act was genius. I don’t think she would have believed us otherwise.”
I take a step back and look into his eyes. “After going over everything that happened, one thing still bothers me.”
“Only one?”
“Okay, a lot of things. But seriously, the catalyst for everything was our relationship. Ms. Coraline was adamant that we not have any contact. I wonder why that was. Why was it so important to her? I thought it was because she wanted to make me as miserable as possible but her reaction was extreme. She outed herself as a witch, lost her live-in servants, and tore my mother and I apart. And for what? Because I disobeyed her and got a boyfriend?”
The corners of Bryce’s mouth lift at that last word. He pulls me back into his arms, wrapping his arms around me and pressing my cheek to his chest. “We’ll figure it out, Kai. We’ll find your mom. I have a feeling she can explain everything.”
“I hope you’re right.”
He kisses the top of my head and pulls away. “Come on,” he says, interlacing his fingers through mine. “Let’s go get a snack and do our homework like normal high school kids.”
“Sounds great. I feel like I could drink a gallon of water right now.”
He chuckles, pulling me into the kitchen. “You get the water, I’ll get the food,” he says.
I walk over to the fridge and grab two bottles from the door. Twisting the cap from one, I take a long drink. As I watch Bryce chop an apple into slices and slather p
eanut butter on them, my heart swells.
“Bryce,” I say, waiting for him to look up at me. When he does, I say, “Thanks.”
He seems to get that I’m not talking about the food. “Anything for you. Always.”
Chapter Twenty
“Maybe you should go swimming.”
I lift my arm from my eyes and crack one eye open to look at him. I’ve been lying on the couch since we got home from school, my head pounding and my throat scratchy. Without saying a word, I drop my arm back down and sigh.
“Come on, Kai. The last time you went in the water was, what? Saturday? That was five days ago. I know you miss it and it made you feel better last time.”
I pull myself up into a sitting position with a groan. Pressing the heels of my hands against my temples, I look up at him, silhouetted in the doorway.
“I know it did. At least, until I freaked out.”
“Is that why you haven’t gone back in? You’re scared?” I start to shake my head but he cuts in, “It is. I can feel it.”
“Okay.” I can hear the bitterness in my voice so I take a deep breath and start over. “Okay. You are right. I freaked out and I’m scared it’s going to happen again. But, Bryce, the ocean is my happy place. I don’t think I could take it if it was ruined for me.”
“I thought I was your happy place.”
He says it with such a serious face, I almost believe he’s offended. Then a nerve in his cheek ticks and the corner of his mouth lifts slightly, like he’s trying to suppress a smile. I laugh despite the pain and he chuckles in response.
“There’s that smile I love so much.”
I close my eyes with a whimper as pain sears through my temples. “Okay. I’ll try,” I concede.
“That’s my girl. I’ll go get your swimsuit so you can change down here.”
“Thanks.”
My head throbs with each beat of my heart as I wait for him. When I hear his footsteps jogging down the stairs, I ease myself up off the couch and take slow, measured steps toward the bathroom. Bryce meets me at the door and hands me my suit. Kissing my forehead, he backs up so I can close the door and change.
When I open the door, he’s standing there in swim trunks, holding two towels. I lift one eyebrow and ask, “You’re going in?”
“Ugh, no.” He grins and hands me one of the towels. “I just want to be there, you know, just in case. If anything does happen I don’t want you to be alone.”
I smile. “You’d jump in and save me if I start to drown?”
“Ha. I don’t think you could drown if you tried.”
I wrap my arms around his waist, laying my aching head on his chest. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asks after I pull away.
“Everything.”
He inclines his head and reaches for my hand. “Let’s go.”
The sand cools my feet and the briny breeze feels wonderful against my face as we walk across the beach. The roar of the waves beckons me and I pick up the pace despite the pounding in my head. Bryce chuckles and releases my hand as I break into a run.
The water swirls around me as I wade out, making me feel more alive than I have in days. By the time I reach waist-depth and dive forward, the pain in my head is gone. I swim beneath the surface for several seconds then come up for air. I could have gone a lot farther but the strange feeling I got last time is still fresh in my mind. I decide to play it safe and stay closer to shore.
Turning north, I swim parallel to the beach, my muscles stretching gloriously. I only swim for about a half a mile, then stop to tread water and take inventory of my body. My head is clear and pain-free, my throat has lost its persistent dryness, and I feel completely revitalized. It’s strange that a swim in the ocean has healed all my ailments but I’m not going to dwell on it. I’m just going to live in the moment and make the most of it.
I turn to swim back but before I can dive under, movement to my left catches my eye. A wave crests and blocks my view. When it passes, whatever I saw is gone. I dog paddle for a few minutes, watching the water around me. I’m nervous, a sensation I’m not used to feeling in the water. I laugh at myself, trying to push the feeling away.
I strike out in a breaststroke but my tempo flounders when I see it again. Closer this time, a dark object breaks the surface for a moment before ducking back under. Treading water, I stare at the spot. Nothing appears. I take a deep breath and prepare to dive under when I hear a splash directly behind me.
“Kailani.”
I twist around in a panic and come face to face with my mother.
“Mom?”
“Hey, baby.”
“Mom?” I repeat. My mind goes blank. I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
“It’s me, Kai.”
Tears sting my eyes and I lunge forward, needing to touch her, to make sure she’s real. My fingers barely brush against her hair before she jerks back in the water just out of reach. My throat swells until I can barely breath. I don’t know what’s happening right now.
“Mom, what’s wrong? Where have you been?”
“I’m so sorry, Kai. I’m sorry I left you but I had to.”
“You had to?” Anger starts to push away the other emotions. “What do you mean, you had to? Mom, please, tell me what’s going on.”
Her eyes flood with tears but she maintains her distance as she speaks. “I don’t know where to start.” When I remain silent, she takes a deep breath and continues. “As you probably know, Coraline is a witch.”
“Yes, I figured that out.” I can’t keep the sarcasm from my voice.
“When you were a baby, she cast a spell on us. It was for your protection. There are…people who want to hurt you because of who your father is.”
“My father? What does he have to do with this?”
She closes her eyes and scrubs a hand across her face. “Okay, listen, Kai. We don’t have a lot of time. You have to get out of the water as soon as I leave. Promise me, Kai.”
“What? You’re leaving again? Why?”
“I’ll explain but you have to promise me.”
“Okay,” I yell, my frustration peaking. “I promise.”
“As soon as I leave?”
“Yes!”
She inhales deeply, looking up at the sky. She moves her gaze back to me, smiling tentatively before lying back and floating on the surface of the water. I open my mouth to ask what she’s doing but no sound comes out. My jaw drops even further as a large, turquoise fish tail flips up out of the water and splashes back down.
“What the…”
I push myself backward in the water, trying to get away from the strange appendage. It disappears beneath the waves and I stare incredulously at my mother’s face. She smiles at me, her face sad, while I process what I just saw.
“What was that?” is all I can manage to spit out.
“Kailani, I’m a mermaid.”
“A what?”
“Kai, I know this is a surprise, to say the least, but I need you to listen to me.”
I nod but can’t manage to speak. I think I’m in shock. My mother has a tail. She’s a freaking fish. I can’t believe it. I must be dreaming. I pinch my thigh beneath the water, hoping it will wake me up.
“Are your legs tingling yet?”
“What?” That seems to be the only word I can say.
“Focus, Kai.” Her voice grows harsh. “This is important. Are your legs tingling?”
“Um, no. Not right now. I felt it the other day, though.”
“Okay, good. If you start to feel it, you have to leave the water immediately. Okay?”
“Okay.” I draw the end of the word out like a question.
“Kai, I’m so sorry this is happening.”
“What is happening, mom?”
“We don’t have a lot of time but I’ll explain as much as I can. You’ll tell me if you start to feel the tingling?”
“Yes. Please just tell me.”
“Okay. I was born in the sea…
a mermaid. When I was sixteen, I met your father. He was a fisherman. A human. We fell in love and I asked a witch to turn me into a human so I could be with him.”
“Ms. Coraline?”
She nods. “We made a deal. She would give me legs, make me human, but I would owe her a favor. One which she could collect on at any time.” She pauses and sucks in a deep breath. “We were so happy when you were born. You were so beautiful, so perfect.”
She smiles. “You still are. We lived in your father’s family home. You know it as the old McCormick house. It belonged to his mother’s family for decades. Mr. McCormick was your dad’s maternal grandfather.”
Chills run down my spine and I shiver. Mom sends me a concerned look but I brush it off. “No, no tingling yet.”
“One day,” she continues, “when you were a toddler, you were splashing in the water when a riptide pulled you under and out. Your father and I jumped in and swam after you but by the time we reached you, you had changed. You had a beautiful lavender tail.”
“What?” I interject.
She continues as if she didn’t hear me, her eyes vacant. “We didn’t know. We thought you’d taken after your father and were human. We panicked.” Her eyes focus and the looks at me, pleading for understanding. “Marrying a human is frowned upon in my home. Offspring between merpeople and humans is…illegal is the best term for it. You can never go there. They consider you an abomination and will kill you.”
A tingling starts in my toes but I hold my tongue. I can’t leave now. I have to know more. “I have legs now. What happened?”
“We took you to Coraline who, by that point, had moved in next door. It made her happy to lord over me that I still owed her. She agreed to cast the same spell on you that she had on me, to suppress the mermaid side of you, but there was a price. A steep one.”
The tingling moves up my feet but I ignore it. “What was the price?”
My mom’s eyes fill with tears. “I had to give up your father. She would make you human but only if she could make him a merman and send him into the sea, away from us. Forever.”
“No,” I moan out, horrified. “How could she…” But I know the answer to that. Just like that tiny black kitten, she cast him into the sea to make us miserable for her own perverse pleasure. “Where is he now?”