Never Girls #13

by Kiki Thorpe

  “That’s okay,” Gabby said, turning away. “I just want to be alone.”

  Cheering Gabby up was turning out to be harder than she’d thought. Rosetta fluttered around so she was hovering in front of Gabby’s nose. “What’s bothering you, sugar? You can tell me.”

  “I miss Yooni,” Gabby said.

  “Yooni?”

  “My mermaid friend. Mia and Kate and Lainey scared her away, and now I’ll never see her again.”

  “I think your sister and her friends were just doing what they thought was best,” Rosetta said carefully.

  “But Yooni was my friend. She must think I don’t like her anymore,” Gabby said.

  Rosetta sighed. Her plan wasn’t working at all. She was supposed to be making Gabby feel better. Instead, Gabby was making her feel worse. “Well, why don’t you send her a note?” she suggested.

  Gabby squinted at her. “A note?”

  “Everyone likes getting notes,” Rosetta explained. “Just a little message to say there are no hard feelings. Problem solved.”

  “A message.” A slow smile dawned on Gabby’s face. “That’s it! Oh, thank you, Rosetta!”

  Rosetta smiled. “It’s nothing. I’m glad to h—”

  “Can you take it today?”

  “Me?” Rosetta exclaimed. That wasn’t what she’d had in mind! But Gabby was looking at her with such big, hopeful eyes. What could she say? “What, er…what do you want the message to say?”

  Gabby thought for a moment. “Just take her a flower. A sea rose. She’ll know what it means.”

  “All right,” Rosetta agreed. What harm could a flower do?

  “Oh, thank you, Rosetta. Thank you so much!” Gabby looked happy. Rosetta was certain she’d done the right thing.

  A short time later, though, she wasn’t sure. As she flew toward the Mermaid Lagoon, holding Gabby’s sea rose, Rosetta’s nerves almost failed. She could see the mermaids lying out on their rocks, slowly fanning their tails.

  Rosetta didn’t have much experience with mermaids. What would they do when they saw her? Would they ignore her, like they had Hem? Or worse, would they use their magic against her?

  Rosetta strained her ears for any sound of singing. But all was quiet in the lagoon. Slowly, trembling a little, she fluttered forward.

  Two mermaids lay side by side on the first rock she reached. They lifted their heads as Rosetta flew up.

  “Fly with you,” Rosetta said in a quavering voice. At once, she felt silly. Of course, mermaids couldn’t fly. She wondered how you were supposed to greet a mermaid.

  The mermaids gazed at her blankly, without giving any clues.

  Rosetta pressed on. “I’m looking for a mermaid named, um…” What had Gabby called her friend? “Yoo-hoo? Do you know her?”

  The mermaid on the right blinked her long eyelashes. “Do yoooou hear something, Oola?” she asked her friend.

  “Nothing but a drab little fairy flapping its wings,” the other mermaid replied.

  Drab! Rosetta was so offended, she momentarily forgot her fear. “I’m not drab!” she exclaimed. “This is a new dress!”

  The mermaids laughed. “Oooh! Did you hear that, Oola! She has a new dress.”

  Ignoring their rudeness, Rosetta raised her voice. “I’m looking for a mermaid named Yahoo. Can you tell me where to find her?”

  The first mermaid yawned and laid her head back down. “Go away, fairy. We can’t help you.”

  Rosetta was about to fly on, when suddenly the mermaid named Oola reached up and plucked her out of the air! Rosetta was so surprised she almost dropped the flower. “Let me go!” she shrieked.

  Oola just laughed. “Look at her flap!”

  Her friend made a face. “Don’t touch that thing, Oola. You don’t know where it’s been.”

  That thing? Rosetta had never been so insulted. She kicked at Oola’s hand.

  Oola let go so suddenly that Rosetta, who had been fluttering with all her might, shot out of her hands. She ran headfirst into a mermaid on the next rock over.

  But the mermaid batted her away. “Go away, fairy. You don’t belong here.”

  Rosetta wanted nothing more than to go away. But she’d promised Gabby. “I’m just trying to find Yo-Yo,” Rosetta gasped. “I have something to give her. Can’t anyone help me?”

  By now she’d caught the attention of other mermaids. They swam up, looking at her with sneering faces. Rosetta turned this way and that. Just then, she spied a familiar face among them. This mermaid was smaller than the others, and Rosetta was almost sure she was Gabby’s friend. She threw the sea rose at her, crying, “This is from Gabby!”

  Mission accomplished! Rosetta sped toward dry land as fast as her wings would carry her, grumbling to herself. “I hope Gabby’s happy! But for the life of me, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to be friends with a mermaid!”

  Gabby scrambled down the rocky path toward the Cauldron, her heart pounding. Would Yooni be there? Had she understood the message?

  When Rosetta had returned with the news that she’d delivered the flower, Gabby had been overjoyed. She’d hardly listened when Rosetta went on about how rude the mermaids had been to her. Gabby was already thinking about how she might be able to steal away to the cave.

  Gabby saw her chance soon. That afternoon, Lainey wanted to go berry picking, but Mia and Kate were in the mood for a swim.

  “That’s all right,” Mia said. “We can meet back at the Home Tree.”

  Gabby started to follow Mia and Kate. But halfway to the swimming hole, she stopped. “I changed my mind,” she announced. “I want to go with Lainey.”

  “If you hurry you can catch her,” Kate said. “Do you want us to take you?”

  “That’s okay,” Gabby said quickly, starting up the path. “I know the way.”

  But as soon as Mia and Kate were out of sight, Gabby doubled back and headed toward the cliffs that overlooked the beach, reaching for the fairy dust in her pocket. She knew she was breaking her promise to Mia. But how else would she ever see her friend again?

  Gabby held her breath as she flew into the Cauldron. The first thing she saw was Yooni sitting on their rock. The mermaid turned as Gabby flew up.

  Gabby threw her arms around her. “You came!”

  “I got your message,” Yooni said, hugging her back.

  “But where have you been?” Gabby asked. “I waited and waited, but you never came back.”

  “I couldn’t,” Yooni said. “My sisters said I shouldn’t see yoooou anymore.”

  “Why not?” asked Gabby.

  Yooni looked embarrassed. “They say people are stoooopid, like sea cows, and that they’re dangerous, too.”

  Gaby was shocked. “I’m not stupid or dangerous.”

  “They told me if a person ever caught me, they would put me in a zooooo!” Yooni added.

  Gabby had no idea mermaids thought such terrible things. But it sounded strangely familiar. “My sister and her friends say that mermaids are dangerous, too,” she told Yooni.

  Yooni looked surprised. “I would never hurt yoooou!”

  “I know.” Gabby squeezed her hand. “It doesn’t matter what other people say. We’re friends no matter what, right?”

  “Right,” Yooni agreed.

  “Good.” Feeling happier, Gabby settled onto the rock. “So what do you want to play today? Marco Polo? Or tea party? Or—”

  Yooni gave her a sad smile. “I came because I got your message. But I cannot stay. The full mooooon is tonight.”

  “The full moon?” asked Gabby.

  “It is the time when mermaids dooooo their most magical singing. Everyone will be there. All the merfolk from Never Land.”

  “But you can’t leave now. I just got here!” Gabby cried. It didn’t seem fair that, after all her trouble, she wouldn’t get to play with her friend.

  Yooni’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Yoooou could come with me!”

  “To the lagoon?” asked Gabby.

  �
�Yoooou can hear us singing! It is the most be-yoooootiful music in the world!”

  Mermaid music! Gabby liked the idea. “But what about your sisters? You said they don’t like people. Won’t they be mad?” she asked.

  Yooni thought about this. “I know a place where yoooou can hide. No one will see yoooou. I know all the hiding spots in the lagooooon.”

  Gabby started to get excited. Imagine going to a mermaid party! “How will we get there?” she asked.

  “Swim, of course!” Yooni said.

  Gabby shook her head. She wasn’t a strong swimmer. She knew she could never swim all the way to the Mermaid Lagoon. Then she had an idea. “I can’t swim, but I can fly. I’ll follow you.”

  “And now we can stay together!” Yooni said. “Yoooou are going to love it!” Yooni dove into the water, then bobbed to the surface. “Ready?”

  “Ready!” Gabby rose into the air.

  As she left the cave, Gabby suddenly remembered Mia, Kate, and Lainey. She had to tell them where she was going!

  But if I tell them, they might not want me to go, Gabby thought. Besides, there wasn’t time. Yooni was already racing ahead through the white-capped waves.

  Gabby hesitated for only a moment. Then she chased after her friend.

  “Ahh,” Rosetta sighed. “There’s nothing like a cup of rose-hip tea.” She leaned back against her peony pillow and breathed in the scent from her steaming teacup. What a day it had been. The trip to the Mermaid Lagoon had plumb worn her out!

  Still, she congratulated herself on a job well done. Gabby had been very happy when Rosetta told her she’d delivered the flower. In fact, she’d skipped away humming.

  Now maybe we can put all this mermaid business behind us, Rosetta thought. She put her feet up on her toadstool footrest. All she wanted was to relax.

  But just as she closed her eyes, she heard voices outside.

  “You mean she’s not with you?”

  “I thought she was with you!”

  I wish they’d pipe down, Rosetta thought. Some of us are trying to rest!

  But the voices grew louder, and more urgent. Rosetta raised herself up and parted the curtains. Looking down through the leaves of the Home Tree, she could see Kate, Mia, and Lainey standing in the courtyard below.

  “Do you think she got lost on the way?” Mia asked, sounding worried.

  “All she had to do was follow the stream,” Kate said. “Gabby knows that. She wouldn’t get lost.”

  “Well then, where is she?” Lainey said.

  Rosetta listened uneasily. They were talking about Gabby. She wondered if she should tell them about the flower.

  But it was only a flower, Rosetta reasoned. A harmless gift. She didn’t want to worry anyone. She had already caused problems by saying too much. This time, she decided, it was better to keep her mouth shut.

  “Myka! Myka!” Lainey was calling to a fairy scout. When the girls asked, the scout replied that she hadn’t seen Gabby all day.

  “Let’s split up. I’ll check the meadow,” Kate said. “You guys look in the forest. We’ll meet back here.”

  When they were gone, Rosetta leaned back on her pillow again. She closed her eyes. But she couldn’t rest. Pictures of Gabby and the mermaid kept floating through her mind.

  “Oh, thistles and thorns!” she sighed, sitting up. “I’d better look for her, too.”

  By the time Rosetta got to the courtyard, a few other fairies had gathered. They’d heard the news that Gabby was missing.

  “She’s not in the meadow,” Kate said as she returned from her search.

  “Not in the forest, either,” Lainey said as she walked up with Mia. “At least, not around Pixie Hollow.”

  “Maybe she went home,” suggested Silvermist.

  Mia shook her head. “She wouldn’t do that. We always leave Never Land together. It’s our rule.”

  “What about the Cauldron?” Tink asked suddenly.

  Mia’s forehead furrowed. “She promised she wouldn’t go there by herself,” she said. “I sort of hoped she’d forgotten about the mermaid. She hasn’t talked about her in days.”

  “Ahem.” Rosetta cleared her throat. Everyone turned to look at her. “Gabby did—ah—mention the mermaid to me. Well, actually, she asked if I would take her a gift. But it was nothing, really,” Rosetta hurried to add. “Just a flower.”

  “We’d better go check the cave anyway,” Kate said. “She might be there after all.”

  With Myka the scout leading the way, they hurried toward the beach—the three girls, Tink, Rosetta, and Silvermist.

  Rosetta found herself flying next to Mia. “Why didn’t you tell us about the mermaid sooner?” Mia asked.

  “I don’t know. It didn’t seem important,” Rosetta replied miserably. She couldn’t seem to get it right! When she spoke up, she’d caused problems. When she kept silent—well, that caused problems, too!

  When they reached the cliff above the beach, they peered down into the bowl of the Cauldron. The tide was high. Inside the cave, waves crashed and frothed. There was no sign of Gabby or the mermaid.

  “The waves are rough. A storm is coming,” said Silvermist.

  “A storm? Are you sure?” Kate looked up at the calm early-evening sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight.

  “Not the kind of storm you’re thinking,” Silvermist replied. “If Gabby really is with a mermaid, we’d better find her soon.”

  “Where else could they be?” asked Lainey.

  “We could try the Mermaid Lagoon,” Mia said. “Rosetta, you saw the mermaid there, didn’t you?”

  The fairies looked at one another. “It’s a full moon tonight,” Tink murmured, saying what they were all thinking. A chill went down Rosetta’s spine.

  “What does the moon have to do with anything?” asked Kate.

  “The mermaids come together to sing to the moon,” Silvermist explained. “Their magic is at its strongest now. It can cause a powerful storm.”

  “Was that what you meant when you said a storm was coming?” Lainey asked. Silvermist nodded.

  “But that’s not all,” said Tink. “Tell them, Silvermist.”

  “The music is dangerous to anyone who hears it,” Silvermist explained, lowering her voice. “Fairies who’ve been caught in the lagoon on full-moon nights have turned into bats.”

  “Bats?” Lainey echoed with a horrified look.

  “Are you sure?” Kate asked. “Remember the mist horses? You thought they were dangerous, too, but they weren’t.”

  “It’s true,” Tink confirmed. “We know fairies who’ve turned into bats.”

  There was a moment of silence. Then Mia asked, “What does it do to people who hear it?”

  The fairies looked at one another and shook their heads. No one knew.

  What an adventure! Gabby had flown many times in Never Land. But she’d never flown so far on her own. The wind was strong, and the sea was full of choppy waves. Sometimes the spray hit Gabby’s legs. Yooni swam very quickly—she looked like a silver streak in the water ahead. Gabby had to work hard to keep up with her.

  The moon had just started to rise when they reached the Mermaid Lagoon. Gabby had never known there were so many mermaids in Never Land! They sat crowded together on the rocks. Others treaded water, bobbing like buoys. They looked more beautiful than ever, dressed in sea-foam gowns and pearl necklaces, with seashells woven into their long, lovely hair.

  It was a breathtaking sight. Yet right away Gabby knew she didn’t belong there. She might have turned back right then, if Yooni hadn’t called out to her.

  “We made it just in time!” Yooni’s wide, excited grin made Gabby feel better. As they entered the lagoon, Yooni pointed to a large rock jutting up from the center. Several mermaids sat together on it. They all had blue-green hair and silver tails like Yooni’s.

  “Those are my sisters,” Yooni told Gabby.

  The older mermaids sat tall and straight. They gazed at the horizon, where a fat, yellow moon had
started to rise. “What if they see me?” Gabby whispered.

  “They won’t,” Yooni told her. “They’re getting ready to sing. Their thoughts are with the mooooon. Come, follow me.”

  Yooni led Gabby to the far edge of the lagoon. The rocks were steep and jagged here. Starfish clung to them. She pointed at a shallow nook between two bigger rocks. “Watch from here,” she said. “Yoooou will hear everything.”

  Gabby gingerly lowered herself onto the slippery rock. “You’ll stay with me, won’t you?”

  Yooni smiled, and nodded.

  Though it had been very windy out at sea, the water in the lagoon was smooth as glass. A silence had settled over everything, like the hush before a concert starts. Yooni squeezed Gabby’s hand, as if to say Isn’t this exciting?

  Gabby squeezed back to say Yes.

  Just then, a thunderous rustling filled the air. Dozens of birds were rising, fleeing the trees around the lagoon. As she watched them, Gabby had a sudden urge to fly away, too.

  But it was too late. The mermaids had started singing. It was an unearthly sound. A moment later, Gabby was lost in the music.

  Rosetta, Silvermist, Tink, Myka, and the girls were almost to the lagoon when the storm hit. The first gust of wind sent Rosetta tumbling. She managed to catch a leaf so she wouldn’t be blown away.

  She could see Tink’s lips moving. Rosetta took the beeswax out of one ear so she could hear.

  “Hold on to someone!” Tink shouted. “Girls, hold hands! Fairies, hold tight to the girls.” The wind was whipping the treetops. Tink’s voice could barely be heard in the roar.

  “Where did this wind come from?” Mia shouted. Moments before, there had hardly been a breeze.

  “It’s the mermaids,” Silvermist replied. “They’ve started singing. Careful now. If the rain comes before we get there, we might never make it.”

  Rosetta whimpered and pushed the beeswax back into her ears. How she longed to be safe in her cozy room. Not flying into a mermaid storm, possibly about to be turned into a bat!