Entering was just like leaving. Chris motioned for Sam to go first. Placing his hands on the jelly-like wall, Sam pushed. It was now blurry to look through the barrier from the water, but Sam melted through and just walked away. Chris then motioned for Leo to do the same. Leo followed, pushing his way much more gracefully into the inside part of the place. This time the pulling sensation was calmer, and he had time to transform into his human legs and walk without flopping on the ground first. Chris followed right behind him.
“I guess one thing I forgot to mention,” Chris began talking the moment his head was free. “Don’t go beyond the barrier of the pods. There are strong currents that can pull you out to sea, but we also have a lot of predators circling the area, searching for a stray easy meal. They will all follow you, no matter how far you are pulled, to eat you.”
“Good to know,” Leo replied, and truly it was good to know. Siren were powerful and they didn’t fear much in the ocean, but one Siren against many predators was never a good combination.
“Were you able to contact your father?” Chris asked, turning back to Sam and ignoring Leo.
“Yes. He was happy to know that everything was going good here.”
Chris nodded and began talking again, leading them back toward the main room. Leo was ready to disappear. Chris talked way too much for him. There was never a moment that Sam could even reply as the guy just kept talking and talking. Leo didn’t know how Sam had the patience to keep listening.
Zia had spent the morning hiding from their Siren guests. At least by spying from her various hiding spots she learned the name of the guy, but she didn’t want to go near him. She would have to be nice and make him want to stay even though she wanted him to leave. She hated when Lan or Min gave her orders. Over time it faded, but there hadn’t been enough time yet. She’d be exactly the mer Lan thought Leo would fall for.
Watching as Leo ate breakfast, Zia almost laughed to herself. He didn’t seem to like the food, and she couldn’t blame him. It was horrible. That’s why Lan’s threat of taking food away from her was kind of ridiculous. Forcing her to eat the really bad stuff would be way more of a punishment. The only bad thing about going without meals was that it made her weak. The Mavkas didn’t have access to blood like the Siren, so once she got weak from not eating there wasn’t an easy solution to feel better. She’d have to eat the gross mush to gain her energy back.
When Leo had gone outside, Zia took the opportunity to move to a new room and watch them. It had been a long time since she had seen a Siren tail, and the bright blue tails swimming outside. It really was a sight to see. It wasn’t just Zia that was drawn to the two guys; everyone below was watching them, too.
When they returned inside, Zia hurried back to spy on them. She knew exactly where to stand to hear every detail from the strange acoustics of the bubble home of the Mavkas. It took weeks, but Zia knew where every voice in the pod transferred to. Because of the shape of the ceiling and walls, and how they reflected sound, there was always a place or two where your conversation could be perfectly overheard. Her room had been chosen for her because Lan could hear anything from her room back in his own.
Zia was never going to forgive herself for stupidly falling for Lan. Yes, he was the first mer who had caught her interest, but she could see now that was because of her situation and not because he liked her. He had shown her nothing but contempt since she had moved in with his family. Even now he was waiting where he could hear her and follow her movements. It didn’t take long to realize that Lan saw her as a prize and tool to do his bidding. He didn’t love her, just like she didn’t love him.
Life was never free for Zia. She didn’t want Leo, or Sam for that matter, to get caught in the Mavkas world. She had bonded herself to Lan, and there was no way for her to get out. But they were both still free, and she wanted to keep it that way. She hated the control he had over her, and she just needed to keep avoiding Leo to keep him from getting caught up in everything.
As Chris talked about his life and adventures that were likely fake—Zia knew more about the outside world than he did—she sat and listened, waiting for Leo to say something.
“Still not doing what we ask of you?” Lan asked as he came up beside Zia.
She ignored him as best she could and kept listening, while pretending to just be relaxing in the chair she was sitting in instead.
“Why do you keep following me around?” she asked, finally opening her eyes. “It’s not like you actually like me, and yet every time I turn around, there you are.”
“Ah, poor Zia is having a sad moment,” Lan taunted her. “I follow you around because it seems like you’re having trouble following our instructions. And I don’t get why. Why don’t you want more Siren around? Why wouldn’t you like to have someone here who understands you? You’ve been asking forever for us to let you go. Isn’t this the next best thing?”
Was he serious? There was no way Zia would condemn another Siren to the fate of the Mavkas. She knew that Siren belonged free in the sea. They needed sunlight and song to stay happy. There was nothing but darkness and dread in the Mavkas world. Sure, the Mavkas didn’t seem to care, but a Siren would.
“You need to be smart about this. You do as we command, and you’ll stay safe and fed. Don’t, and there will be consequences.”
It wasn’t like this was the first time she’d heard that one. In fact, the first time he threatened consequences was after she mistakenly bonded herself to him. He seemed to think it was a real bond, or think he could trick her into it, but Zia knew otherwise. She had read about real bonds. What he had done to her was magic, and strong magic at that. She wasn’t getting out. Not now, not ever. And she sure wasn’t going to bind someone else to the same fate. Leo and Sam were going to stay free.
Zia stood up. She’d rather sit alone in her room than listen to Lan talk. He was a sorry excuse for a human being.
“Zia,” Lan grumbled as she pushed past him and back to the hallway where her room was. Lan hurried to block her entry into her room. “You might not agree with my father or me, but you’re a Mavkas now. You have to do what I say. You bonded yourself to me. You’re mine to command.”
“And I regret it every day,” she replied as she ducked under his arms and into her room. Lan could follow her, but she didn’t care. She was going to take a nap. She knew her statement was only going to make him mad, but that was life. When it got to be too much, she did lash out occasionally, and her words were her only weapon. She couldn’t do anything else.
Leo sat impatiently in the waiting room by the Mavkas leader’s office. It seemed that while they lacked chairs, tables, and beds in the Mavkas mer world, they didn’t lack desks. Looking through several hold-the-water-away walls, Leo could see that the Mavkas leader, Min, had an actual desk in his office. Leo and Sam sat on the low, chair-like benches in the waiting room while Chris stood before his father. Min motioned with his arms, and Chris replied, but the clear magic walls weren’t clear enough to see what Chris was saying or to hear for that matter. The only noise they heard was from them in the room alone.
“Did your father have anything more to say?” Leo asked. If they couldn’t hear Chris and Min, Leo doubted anyone could hear them.
“Nothing to add to what he said before we left.” Sam seemed tense. Leo didn’t need to know the actual words of the king to understand it hadn’t been good news.
“So we’re still at step one,” Leo said under his breath, knowing perfectly well that Sam heard him. Leo was already making a mental list of who he’d want to say good-bye to before he was executed for treason.
The Mavkas so far had been nothing but hospitable. While Leo wanted to find some great big secret, he was getting less and less sure it was possible. From the whole open life within the pods, Leo was pretty sure if there was a secret that everyone would know about it. Thus far it seemed like either everyone was good at keeping their mouths shut, or there was nothing to hide. He was beginning to wonder if it
was the second option. King Longray had grown a little paranoid over the years.
Leo looked up as someone entered the room.
“Chris is being a bad host, I see,” Chris’ sister commented as she sat down beside Sam, a little closer than it seemed Sam would like, but Sam didn’t move.
“I understand how fathers can be,” Sam replied, letting Chris’ sister lean on him a little bit. Her intentions were quite obvious. Leo instantly felt like a third wheel.
“I think I’ll try to make my way back to the room,” Leo said as he stood.
He didn’t need to sit around and watch a girl throw herself at Sam. It wasn’t like Leo wasn’t used to it, though. The whole rock band thing meant girls were constantly throwing themselves at Sam at each performance. Leo knew Sam’s stance on girls. He didn’t plan to get attached to anyone in case his father could use that to make him stay on the Siren island. Sam, like Leo, didn’t want a single reason to keep them there on the island.
Glancing up at him, Sam nodded. He didn’t seem happy to be left behind with Chris’ sister, but he would manage. He always did.
Leo nodded back to his friend and left the way they came. It was hard to see the walls at times, so Leo took his time walking down the almost straight hallway back to the main room, sometimes nudging with his foot first to be sure that there wasn’t a wall the way he was walking. Leo just wanted to get away from the Mavkas for now, and the only place he was certain to be alone was the room he was sharing with Sam. It seemed that the rooms, while having no doors, were still protected. The magic that created the place made it possible to assign rooms, and no one could enter without permission. It wasn’t like Leo knew who had permission to enter their room, but he felt confident enough that it would be a safe, quiet place to contemplate his last week alive.
Chris had explained in detail how to make their way around the pod. After taking a swim above it made more sense now. The hallways were hard to see because they all curved a bit, causing the magic walls to blur where the pathway would go.
Leo took one glance around the open meeting room before walking toward the room where he was staying should be. He stopped to look at the floor. Five giant stepping stones marked the hallways, and Leo was standing just by a stone with a large single starfish carved into it. They were in the starfish corridor. The other stones had other sea life carved on them, and Leo was sure he was heading in the right direction.
Taking his time to stop and check each room, Leo had to be certain which was his before he tried to enter. Chris also explained that if you tried to go into a room that wasn’t yours, you would get a sting like you had touched a jellyfish. Leo had touched a few jellyfish in his time in the sea, and he knew how bad it felt. He didn’t need a repeat. He would find his way back carefully. Right now he knew he was in the room with two starfish marking the doorway. While he was searching for the right one, he also couldn’t help but glance at the people he passed. Zia still was a no show, and Leo couldn’t help wondering where she’d gone.
He had only met the other mer the night before, but he wasn’t able to stop thinking of her. There was something different about her, and he wanted to know more. It wasn’t like he hadn’t had a crush before, but he couldn’t explain it to himself or Sam who was bound to notice soon.
Luck was on his side as Leo made the soft turn toward the end of the hallway. Someone was walking toward him, and from the green hair, he had a good idea who it was. Leo paused where he stood and waited to watch her pass. As she was right next to him, the girl finally looked up.
Zia stared in shock at him with her beautiful ocean blue eyes. Leo could say nothing as any thought left his mind when their eyes connected. Zia shook her head and began to walk again, away from Leo. That brought him quickly back to reality.
“Wait.” Leo walked back a few steps, and she turned to face him. “I was looking for you all morning while we had our tour.”
“You’re one of those Siren guys that are visiting, right?” she asked innocently, like they had never spoken before. She knew perfectly well he was one of those Siren guys.
“Yes.” Leo stared at her, trying to read her face.
She looked perfectly innocent.
“You must have liked my singing,” she added. “Most of us don’t get to go up to land because of the whole green hair thing, but the ones who do always bring back items. Your album was one of the newer items brought back, and I love all the songs. It’s got to be great singing about water all the time. Sam is such a good singer, too.”
Now she sounded like the groupies they had at their concerts. The girl Leo had met the night before was gone. Leo looked her over again from head to toe. She was the same girl, but her personality was different.
“You don’t happen to have a twin sister, do you?” Leo asked. Really, it was confusing him. She was acting like they had never spoken before.
Zia laughed, but her smile was fake. “Isn’t that, like, some cheesy pick-up line?”
“It’s just you’re …”
Leo didn’t know what to say as he tried to hide his disappointment. It was his own fault. He’d been thinking of her non-stop since the night before, and the whole take turns sleeping thing meant he had plenty of time to imagine the perfect girl he’d met. In reality, they’d spoken once, and he was ready to ask her to leave the Mavkas and join the Siren. But he knew the truth. The clans didn’t mix. It was very rare for one to leave their clan, and harder to get them accepted in a new clan. He had just been wishfully thinking.
Leo looked at the waiting mer. Her eyes were watching him, and that made his heart pound. He wasn’t one for embarrassing himself, but what did he have to lose? Only the week left alive was a bit of motivation for him to be brave about the girl standing in front of him.
“I thought there was something more,” he finally finished his thought, embarrassing as it was.
“Aw, that’s sweet. I seem to have that effect on people. Sorry if you thought my singing was for you.”
That made little sense. It wasn’t the singing Leo was talking about, but he was done getting his ego bruised for the day. All his courage was gone.
“Sorry about that,” Leo added and turned to walk away.
“Well, just so you know, I don’t have a twin sister, and I’m the only Zia in the Mavkas colony.”
Leo turned back around, but she was already walking away. Leo watched her go. That added to the confusion. It was like she was speaking in riddles. One minute she was cute and innocent, and the next somber and foreboding. What she was saying didn’t make sense. Unless it was what she wasn’t saying that was important?
Leo thought back to the night before and the scared girl who hid in the shadows, not the confident singer that was a perfect match with Sam when singing. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Leo had a gut feeling that there was more to Zia. Then again, maybe she just didn’t feel the connection he thought was there. That was more likely it. Leo had a countdown to the rest of his life. Five more days to go and they’d return to the Siren. He was grasping at straws and wanting one last connection before his certain death. That had to be it.
5
Sam sat in the common room with his arm around Cate. She snuggled into him and laid her head on his chest. It was late, and all the other mer had already gone to bed. Cate was obviously tired, too. She sighed, content in his arms. Sam had no interest in the girl, but he played like he did. She was a source of information.
He was getting more and more worried every day they spent in the Mavkas world without any clue what to be looking for. Sam knew his friend’s life hung in the balance, and it made everything more urgent. Sam had talked with his father briefly when they went for their swim earlier, and the old man was very certain there was something going on, but of course, he didn’t elaborate. All he would emphasize was that if Sam and Leo didn’t find the secret, then they would be punished.
“I suppose it’s time I get you back to your room,” Sam said to the almost asleep Cate.
“Are you sure you don’t just want me to crash with you?” she replied with a yawn as she sat up.
“I’m sure Leo wouldn’t appreciate it. And don’t ask me to stay with you,” Sam added. Meeting fathers wasn’t part of his game. He had absolutely no interest in Cate, and he’d hate to anger the leader of the Mavkas by pretending he was more serious than he really was.
“I wouldn’t do that.”
Rising, Sam pulled Cate up before she could finish.
“I still sleep at my parent’s place. I’m sure my father would kill me if you stayed the night.” Cate stumbled a bit as they started walking and giggled at her sleepy feet.
Sam scooped the neon-green-haired mer into his arms. Cate giggled again as Sam began to carry her back to her place. Sam made it to the doorway to her place, and she was already asleep in his arms. He waited just long enough. He stood at the doorway as Chris came up to them.
“Just tell me where to put her,” Sam said. “It seems that Siren can go longer without sleep.” A fact he already knew.
Chris nodded as he rubbed his eyes. He must have been sleeping also. Chris reached down the sea urchin just inside the doorway.
“I need your hand,” Chris told Sam.
Sam held out a hand. He remembered from the night before how this worked. His blood on the key to the room would allow him in. It seemed his planning was paying off. Chris poked the creature into Sam’s outstretched hand, and Sam’s blood dripped down the spine that had poked him. After placing it back into the wall of magic, he motioned for Sam to follow.
Chris sleepily led the way to a room that had a bed already waiting for Cate. It was nice that Chris was silent for once. His everlasting chatter had been pushing Sam’s limit all day. At least Cate was a bit easier to listen to. She wasn’t all about boasting, but instead wanted to know everything about Sam. Okay, it wasn’t much easier, but it seemed like it was worth it. He was now free to snoop around their place and had earned his entry.
Sirens and Scales Page 259