“Did you see his face? Sweet urchins! Mom is going to let him have it.”
I laughed back. “I know. He thought Mom was calling you out to see him, not to get a lecture. And she is on a roll today.”
“This day has totally turned around,” she said, sounding jovial for the first time since arriving. “I’m going to be laughing about this for days.”
“Me, too.”
With a hard flick of our tails, we sped off towards the palace, laughing like we used to in Tahoe.
15
ASH
I spun around in front of the mirror, wearing my new emerald-green gown. A solitary sequined strap crossed over my collar bone and looped around my neck, hugging my shoulder like a big hook. Never did I imagine a sleeveless dress would complement my overly muscular shoulders, but it did. The soft silk against my skin and the elegant way it hung to the floor made me feel like royalty. For a moment, I wished Senior Ball could have been tonight—not in two weeks.
The girls waited noisily downstairs for the fashion show as I slipped on my shoes. With small steps, my ankles wobbled as I traversed down the stairs. When I came into view, Mom brought her hand to her mouth and Lucy gasped.
“Aye, aye, aye,” Gran said with a golden gleam. “Aren’t you a picture?”
I smiled—just the reaction I’d hoped for.
“So who’s your beau?” Gran asked after I came into the room and twirled a few times.
I twisted my lips and looked at Mom. “Bow?”
“Beau is another word for your date, or guy friend,” Mom said, as she walked over and tugged on the seam under my armpit. “Is that comfortable?”
I nodded and she inserted a straight pin from her pincushion.
“His name is Callahan. He’s the pitcher on our baseball team and a really good snowboarder.” Joy burst from my heart as my feelings flowed freely from my mouth. For once the conversation revolved around me and not Lucy, who was still mute at the moment. “He’s got brown hair and big brown eyes—” I daydreamed for a second, imagining us dancing together in the center of a dimly lit room.
“Well, in my day,” Gran said with a sparkle in her eye, “things were very different. My parents were strict. In high school, they wouldn’t let me go to a dance alone with a boy, but I could tag along with my older brothers.”
I looked at Lucy and smiled evilly. She’d die if Mom and Dad did that to her when it was her turn.
Gran put her hand on Lucy’s knee and squeezed. “So, I’d go with my brothers and meet up with your grandpa at the dance. We didn’t do the wild moves you kids do now, more like dancing cheek-to-cheek or jitterbug. I was pretty good, but your Grandpa . . . he wasn’t coordinated. Maybe it was his big feet, but we’d have a good time anyway.”
“I’ve never heard this story,” Mom said, pausing from pinning up my hem.
“Oh, I’m sure I’ve told it before.” Gran laughed.
And this is how her stories surfaced. Out of nowhere Gran would pop out a story none of us had heard before, as if she kept them for special moments such as these. I’d resorted to studying the pictures scattered around the house to fill in some gaps of what their life was like together. The sparkle in their eyes told me they loved each other very much back in the day.
“Did you ever wear any pretty gowns like in the movies, Gran?” I asked while eyeing a particular picture where Gran pushed Mom in a baby stroller while Grandpa walked next to her, arm draped over her shoulder.
“Oh, no,” she said with a chuckle. “We wore our everyday dresses and saddle shoes, not those—” she waved her hand at my strappy ones. “But I would have loved to. Boy, are you stunning.”
I felt my cheeks grow hot. “Thanks, Gran.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I have something for you.” She rose from the couch and headed toward her room.
I looked at Mom who smiled knowingly. She returned with a brown garment bag. From inside she pulled out a faux white fox stole. “It was my mothers. I’d like you to wear it on Saturday.”
My mouth dropped open as she draped the soft silky side over my shoulders and fastened the jeweled clasp front. I rubbed my cheek against the luscious fur, instantly enveloped in warmth. “Really?”
“Of course. The weather is supposed to be dreadfully cold, so it’s perfect.”
“Can I wear it?” Lucy asked, standing up and dragging her hand across the front of the stole.
“When you have a special occasion, darling, I’ll let you borrow it as well.” Gran took her arm and guided her back to the couch. They sat and she pulled Lucy into her shoulder. “Isn’t your sister lovely?”
Lucy’s sallow skin matched her sour expression as her eyes raked over the fur. She reluctantly nodded. I held my shoulders up and smiled, enjoying every second of the attention.
“I’m done,” Mom said. “Go ahead and carefully take off your dress so I can sew it before the weekend.”
I gingerly pulled the edge of my dress off the floor and did a Miss America wave. “Thank you everyone for voting for me.”
Mom chuckled and looked to me with pride. “I can’t wait for your father to see you.”
“Me, too.” And Callahan. I bit my lip and grabbed the garment bag before floating upstairs on a cloud of glee. Would I really be doing that the night of the dance? Did I have a chance to win?
In front of the mirror, I held up my hair to simulate an up-do. Georgia had offered to practice hairstyles on me Friday night since my little stash of cash was all gone. “Tiara hair” she called it.
What would Fin think of me now? No longer the plain girl next door. I smirked, wishing he’d be home when the limo pulled up and I walked out, drop dead gorgeous on another guy’s arm. I peered out the window towards his house, plotting my evil deed and spotted Colin pacing back and forth in front of Fin’s Jeep, tapping something on the palm of his other hand. I gasped as he shoved the tool down into the window slot and pulled upward, a Slim Jim. With a flip of the handle, he opened the door.
“Don’t you dare mess with Fin’s Jeep,” I said and positioned my index finger and thumb so I could pretend to squish his head.
He turned, looking down the street toward my two-story window as if he heard me. The hair prickled on my neck as I moved out of view. Through my chiffon curtains I watched him stare with a peculiar smile. He proceeded to crawl inside and dig around for something on the floor boards before he slammed the door and walked back into the house.
My breath came out choppy for a moment, feeling caught. How could he have heard me? I stayed rooted in my spot, wondering why he was breaking into Fin’s Jeep. What was he looking for? If Fin knew he’d touched his Jeep, let alone broken into it, Colin would be dead.
I bit my lip, remembering how beautiful his eyes were—clear and blue like Fin’s. And that an overwhelming desire to kiss him had flooded me. How could that have slipped my mind so easily? But did he actually say he hoped Tatchi didn’t come back?
Suddenly, my blood boiled and I wanted to smack his sassy smirk right off his face. He knew where the family was and if I didn’t hear anything from Tatchi tonight, I’d be paying him a visit tomorrow.
16
FIN
I dropped off Tatch and headed straight over to the practice field. Chauncey mentioned yesterday we’d get to drill with actual weapons today and I needed to hurry before everyone picked over the armory selection. My chances of defeating Badger could improve with something like a sword in my hand.
I tried to clear my mind and think only of the upcoming duel like Badger had instructed, but Tatch mentioned wanting to tell Ashlyn about what happened with Azor, which ended our jovial morning. At the mention of her name, my craving rekindled for the outdoors and the sun along with the desire to go home.
“Aye, yer late. Get over here before I give you a wallopin’,” Badger said and threw me into a headlock, rubbing his knuckles into my skull.
“Hey.” I wriggled free and took a fighting stance, barbs out. “Who made you my
keeper? I had something I had to do.” Like babysit my sister.
“Yer da’ would want me to be keepin’ watch over ye, and I don’t want ye to be gettin’ no demerits.”
“Demerits? Ha! I wouldn’t worry about that today.” Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a black tail zip by—Azor returning from our house with a wounded ego, no doubt. “So where are the weapons?”
Badger winked at me and took out a trident from behind a nearby rock. My smirk disappeared off my face. He continued to grin as he pulled out a golden javelin too. He snagged two? My hands ached at the sight of such fine pieces of workmanship, surprised the armory held weapons of such caliber.
“Aren’t you a greedy charlatan,” I said quickly, while clenching my jaw, figuring I’d probably end up with a wooden sword or worse—nothing, if everyone took more than one.
“You underestimate me, lad,” he said, holding both pieces out toward me. “Pick yer poison.”
I cocked my head to the side. “What?”
“I got two so ye could choose yer favorite.”
“Really?” My smile returned. “Yer a good man, Badge.”
“I know.”
Grommet, the youngest of our group, sang a high pitched series of notes to signal the army to move into ranks. Azor hovered close by, stoic and visibly pissed off as the excitement heightened from the group. My enjoyment of his earlier tongue-lashing from Mom was hard to contain; I couldn’t wait to tell Badger what happened. Azor impatiently flipped his tail a few times, stirring up the current to get our attention. The group silenced.
“Mermen,” he said after clearing his throat, moving to float a few feet higher so we had to look up at him. “It is time we learn how to fight and defend our city!”
Everyone erupted into a sudden cheer, startling me. Was this the first time they’d ever had access to the armory?
“They say you can tell a lot about a merman by the weapon he takes into battle.” Azor’s scowl fell on me. “And we are at battle, gentle-mermen, don’t be deceived. Man may look like you, he may sound friendly, and he may even give you the promise of his word, but never forget that his ultimate desire is to kill, destroy, and steal what is rightfully ours. Humans are never to be trusted. We must always remember that they are our enemy!”
Badger joined the hoots and hollers, beating his fist against the metal breast-plate over his chest. I stayed still, content to observe with my javelin in my hands behind my back. His agreement surprised me. He of all people, who once was a man, didn’t strike me as one so apt to condone blanket condemnation of his previous kind. Before I could mention something, Azor continued.
“We must defend our city to the death. For here in our utopia, we have the delicate balance of peace, love, and happiness that the humans can not understand. They do not have the capacity to progress to this level and never will. So, take your weapons and master them. Make them become an extension of you! Of us! Of Natatoria! For we are the master race!”
More hoopla rang out from the group as merman clashed their weapons against one another’s in a chorus of thundering metal. Badger raised his trident toward me.
“Look the part, lad. Someone’s watchin’ ye, thinkin’ yer gettin’ soft on the human folk.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Azor’s glare. Instantly, I raised my javelin and clanked it against Badger’s, growling on the exterior, but disagreeing in my heart. There were plenty of virtuous men on land, like Ash’s dad who was a fireman. Not all of them were lost to greed. Unfortunately, Azor never had an opportunity to find out himself, being a snob in his underwater kingdom, content to preach fear.
“Come, lad. Let’s get to fightin’,” Badger said quickly, gaining my attention.
“But you don’t—”
He grabbed my arm and shook his head. “Not here. Come.”
I followed him to our dueling spot, feeling slapped for doing nothing wrong. Once we were out of earshot he turned abruptly with fire in his eyes. “Son. A word of advice. Don’t be gettin’ bold and assertin’ your displeasure of what Azor be sayin’. For the most part, he be talkin’ just to hear hisself talk, but you don’t want him on your bad side. Ya hearin’ me?”
I backed away. “What’s the big deal?”
Badger got back in my face. “The deal is, he’s royalty and if they suspect you’re gettin’ soft on the humans, they’ll yank yer chain so fast yer head’ll spin. I don’t think you’ll be takin’ too kindly to stayin’ here the rest of yer life!”
“What?” I rolled my eyes. If that were true, we’d have been grounded a long time ago. Dad was a total rogue.
He sighed and pawed his hand through his wild hair. “Aye. I wouldn’t be tellin’ ya if I didn’t know so.”
“But you don’t agree with what he’s saying, do you?”
“Of course not.” Badger took his hand and splayed it against his forehead. “I knew men that would cut their parts off to save me life. All he knows is he needs to keep peace and doesn’t want another uprising like they had in ‘93.”
“Uprising?”
He looked up toward heaven. “Oh, dear Lord of mercy, don’t ya be knowin’ your own history? I’m goin’ to have a talkin’ to your da’ once he gets home fer not teachin’ ya the important stuff of our ways. You don’t know about Montauk and the massive town mind-wipe?”
I shook my head. As a family, we never discussed stuff like that. And now that he mentioned it, Dad didn’t talk about the past at all.
“I don’t be havin’ time now to be schoolin’ ya. You just come by me house tonight, and I’ll fill ye in on what happened.”
I pressed my eyebrows together. This sounded a heck of a lot more important than banging our swords together, especially if we never intended to fight for real. “But Badger.”
“Don’t be badgerin’ me! Sparrin’ is what we’re supposed to be doin’ now. We’ll talk later, in private.”
I glowered but moved into position. I knew if I didn’t, Badger would knock me on the seafloor without warning. As we fought, I continued to stew. Why was I even here? Dad had no idea the ignorant fool he left me with, spewing asinine propaganda and running crappy drills with weapons we’d never use. If it weren’t for Badger’s company, I didn’t know how I’d survive.
Once we arrived at Badger’s house, I felt less heated and glad we decided to talk in private. Over the day, more questions came to mind, including if he heard any news about Dad.
Badge curled his toes and blew smoke circles while draining his Guinness—something Sandy must have scored last time she visited the mainland.
“Aye, man. I don’t even know where to start. Weren’t ye even partly curious about yer own folk?”
I shifted in my seat and looked at the ground; my orange juice suddenly tasted tart in my mouth. “Not really.”
“Let me see.” Badge leaned back and closed his eyes. “It was back in the spring of 1693. Frederick and Marta Fairchild were charged with the Montauk gate. Why, I don’t know. They weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. It started out innocent, as they got real friendly with the neighbor folk. But after a bout of the fever, Frederick took to healin’ the people with his secret elixir, our blood hidden in tomato juice.
“Word got out about the cure and more people flocked into town needin’ help. Everythin’ went smooth until people began demandin’ the recipe, showin’ up at all times of the day and night. Of course the mer weren’t around durin’ the night, which started the folk questionin’ but finally someone caught them drainin’ their blood which made a hash of everythin’.
“Only thing they could do was mind-wipe the town and disappear. The gate was sealed, and Frederick and Marta were never heard from again. Rumor has it, they were stripped of their mer and forced to live as humans.”
I looked down at the ground. We weren’t healing anyone, but we were pretty active in the community with our charter business. If this was such a huge fear, why were we allowed to do so? “Are we the only family who lives
on land?”
“As far as I know. Most mer guardin’ a gate are scared of losin’ their fins so they stick close to Natatoria. But Jack is a different lot. The Council likes for him to keep tabs of what’s goin’ on up there.”
I laughed under my breath and tried to keep from squirming in my seat. How could we be the only family who lived on land? Was that why Uncle Alaster wanted our gate so badly? Colin had said someone noticed we were getting too friendly. Was he purposely spreading rumors to get us kicked out? To get our fins taken from us?
I gulped, suddenly weighted with the responsibility. The King could, in all honesty, frown on Tatch’s friendship with Ash. I could lose Tahoe.
“But it be nothin’ to worry about.” Badger scratched his beard. “Azor’s off his nutter. No one’s goin’ to be so daft to do that again. But still, let the plonker blather with his gammy and fake like you be on his side.”
I’d assumed something completely different—like a band of rebel mers threatened to overtake the palace and start a new reign or something. That would make more sense after Azor’s speech, spoken to mermen who never left Natatoria. A javelin couldn’t compete with a torpedo or a gun. Mind-wiping would be our only defense against humans.
“Yeah, sure.” I stared at the painting of Badger’s old ship, anxious to change the subject. I liked things better when I didn’t know the truth. “Do you know were my dad went?”
“No, lad.” He shrugged. “I haven’t got a baldy.”
I assumed “baldy” meant he didn’t know. “So you’re good friends?”
“Aye.” Badger sat up to pour himself another stout. “I suspect if I weren’t one of the bottom feeders, he’d a took me with him.”
I squinted, working hard to follow his Irish slang.
Badger sighed and bowed his head. “Son, there be some right ole hoors who don’t be trustin’ us turned folk. They say if left alone, we’d be goin’ back to the mainland just to tell our friends the secret.”
“What? That’s crazy.”
“I agree. And because of it, we be treated like the womenfolk, forced to have the coppers keep an eye on us gits.”
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