by Jaclyn Weist
Off in the distance, we could see the Eiffel Tower. We’d tour the city tomorrow for a while before heading over to play our first game of the tournament.
“Hey, Megan, that guy is totally checking you out.” Brinley nudged me.
I jumped out of my thoughts and turned. “Who?”
“That guy back there. He was trying to talk to you, but you didn’t answer.”
“Oh. Oops.” I waved and kept walking.
“He was pretty cute. You sure you don’t want to go back and say hi?” Shelby asked.
“No, I’m good. Besides, I don’t want to get left behind.” I touched the ring from Jared. The guys here were cute, but they were nothing compared to who I’d left back home.
We walked into a small cozy restaurant lit by candles, and it was quiet except for the low murmur of voices. The waiter seated us and held my chair, making the other girls burst into giggles. I rolled my eyes and picked up the menu in front of me. Coach had warned us that we’d be here for a while as was the custom here, so I wasn’t in too big of a hurry to figure out what I wanted.
A soft pop sounded, and I felt someone lean against my arm.
“Whatever the waiter brings you, don’t eat it,” Eoin said.
“Why?” I whispered back, covering my mouth with the menu.
“Just trust me.” Another pop sounded, and he was gone.
Mom nudged me with her elbow, and I shook my head slightly before dropping my menu on the table.
“I give up. What should I order? All the words and phrases I studied today had to do with clothes.”
“Nice try. Look at it again. If anything, just close your eyes and point.” Mom set her menu down. “Everyone ready?”
They nodded, even though they didn’t look ready at all.
“Well, let’s see if we’re lucky enough to order within the next hour.” Mom waved at the nearest waiter. “We’re ready.”
I noticed too late that it was the waiter Eoin had warned me about. He looked right at me and smiled. “Qu’est-ce que je vous sers?”
“Er, one sec. Can you ask someone else first?” When he continued to smile, I pushed on my luck and pointed at the menu. “I’ll have that. The Boeuf Bourgignon.” I cringed, hoping I hadn’t just butchered it.
“Voulez-vous finir avec du fromage?” he asked.
“Uh, oui?” I was pretty sure fromage was cheese, so it was safe. Or at least, I thought it was. I’d heard not-so-great things about the smells of French cheeses.
The waiter nodded and moved on after writing down my order. I had no idea what I’d picked. He hadn’t seemed to mind that I knew very little French, but he wasn’t very nice to the other girls. They either butchered the language (even I could tell when they said it wrong), or they’d just point at what they wanted. He was clearly annoyed by the time he left, but still spared one dazzling smile for me on his way toward the kitchen.
“Wow, Megan, you have him wrapped around your finger.” Brinley shook her head. “I’m a little worried about what he’s going to bring me. I either asked for pasta or snails.”
“Snails aren’t so bad,” Shelby said. “I just hope my meat comes out cooked. I didn’t know how to say ‘well done.’”
“Anyone know what foi grois is? I just ordered it for an appetizer.” Melissa giggled.
Mom leaned over. “What did Eoin say?”
“Don’t eat what the waiter serves me.” I glanced toward the kitchen. “He gives me the creeps.”
“Me too.” Mom took a drink of her water. “So, what time is tomorrow’s game again?”
Coach Peterson pulled out his phone. “We have to be there at four to start warming up.”
“So we only have a few hours to sightsee? Bummer.” Hannah played with her fork.
“Yes, unfortunately. We’ll be able to tour each city, but not for long periods of time.”
The girls murmured back and forth and pointed out different people in the restaurant. Some were loud and had clearly had too much to drink, and others spoke quietly. We were talking about the upcoming game when Brinley suddenly perked up and nodded toward the kitchen.
“Oh, hey, here’s the appetizer.” When the waiter set the plate in front of her, she stared at it in disgust. “This is escargot?”
Shelby burst into laughter. “You didn’t know you were ordering snails?”
Hannah frowned. “No. I guess I’ll never trust my brother again.”
Shelby poked her fork in one and took a bite. “They’re not so bad. I’ve had them before.” She handed a piece of cheese from her plate to Brittany. “We could trade, if you want.”
Hannah picked up her plate and gave it to Shelby. “Go right ahead.”
The entree was served next. I was relieved when a different waiter set the dish in front of me. It was mouth-watering even to look at, and I would’ve hated not to touch it. The savory beef melted in my mouth, and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. It was heaven.
The other girls weren’t so lucky. The salmon was dry, the steak wasn’t cooked correctly, and Brinley’s pasta dish was small. After they choked theirs down, and I’d licked my fork clean, we were given plates of cheese to cleanse our palates, followed by dessert.
I could barely move by the time we left. The waiter kissed my hand and gave me a card, then winked as we left the restaurant. There was something about him I really didn’t like. I stared at the card that contained only his name and a phone number. Ethan didn’t sound very French to me. The girls squealed, but I couldn’t help scrubbing my hand when I got back to my hotel room.
Eoin popped in as Mom and I were brushing our teeth. “You didn’t eat anything from that waiter, did you?” he asked urgently.
“No, we were careful. Who is he?” I spit out the toothpaste and rinsed my mouth.
He wrinkled his nose. “Could you not do that while I’m here?”
Mom laughed. “It’s your fault you came when you did. Now, who is this guy?”
Eoin looked at his shoes. “I don’t know. I mean, I know he’s dangerous, but I don’t know why. I’ve been trying to contact my da, but I don’t know where he is.”
“Louie’s missing now?” I knew this trip wasn’t going to be quite as simple as Mom had hoped.
Eoin burst into tears. “I haven’t heard from him since I came to find you at the airport. When I went to take him your message, he wasn’t in the house.”
I patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. “We’ll find him and your mom.”
He only cried harder. “You would do that?” His wails echoed off the walls, and I looked at Mom, horrified.
Mom hugged Eoin. “It’s okay. We just need to figure out what we’re up against, and then we’ll take care of it.”
“Did you find Beth or Jared?” I should’ve been thinking about the volleyball game the next day. I should’ve been worried about nothing but where we’d tour next and if I could actually speak the language.
“Aye. They’re going to try to summon Henry so he can bring them here.” He sniffled. “Beth says that you’re in trouble for getting into trouble without her.”
I chuckled. “Sounds like Beth.” I bent down to stare Eoin in the eyes. “Now, I want you to go back and keep watch for anything suspicious. We need to know who we’re fighting. Got it?”
“Aye.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
I flopped back onto my bed. “Sorry, Mom.”
“Sweetie, if I expected the trip to be normal, I wouldn’t have come with you.” She picked up her bag and moved over to the desk. “Now, you get some sleep. I have some homework to do.” She had another year left of school and had tried to get the term off, but a couple of classes she needed were only offered this term.
“Sounds good to me.” I changed into pajamas and burrowed down into my blankets, thrilled to be in bed. The jet lag had finally hit and I was exhausted. Even then, it took an hour for my mind to calm down.
Whoever had just messed up my vacation to Europe was going to pay dearly
.
MEGAN
The tour through Paris was breathtaking. When I awoke that morning, I decided I was just going to ignore leprechauns and enjoy the time I had there. I could beat the bad guys later.
I could’ve spent days in the Louvre. It was massive, with tall ceilings and hallways that could go on forever. We had headphones to listen to an audio tour. Coach had told us to stick together, but the girls had scattered. I spent most of my time in the Van Gogh exhibit. I’d always been fascinated by his pieces when we studied him in school, but the small pictures in the textbook were nothing compared to seeing the strokes and the bright colors in person.
It took a while for Coach to round up all the girls, so I took advantage of the time and headed into the Da Vinci display. The room was emptier than I’d thought it would be, which I was happy about. I’d wanted to see the Mona Lisa up close. She was just as mysterious as all the books had said.
“Powerful fairy, that one.” Eoin stood next to me.
I laughed. “Yeah, right. And how’d you get in here? I didn’t hear you.”
Eoin pointed at the painting. “That frame is a prison for her.”
“Seriously?” I examined the painting some more, but it looked just like a regular frame to me.
Eoin nodded. “The security in here is tight enough that I couldn’t appear in here.”
My eyes widened. “There’s no way. This painting is famous. You’d think people would know she’s a fairy.”
“Do your research. There’s no valid story for who she was. And there’s a reason. Now let’s go. I don’t like how she’s looking at me.” Eoin tugged on my hand until I finally turned and walked away.
As we left the Louvre, I looked back over my shoulder to get one last glance at the paintings, and I could’ve sworn I saw movement in the corner of my eye. There were people everywhere, but I caught the movement of . . . darkness. My mind immediately went back to the grey man, which made me shiver and set me on edge.
“Coming, sweetie?” Mom asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there.” After making sure no one was watching, I hurried toward the room where I’d seen the movement. There were only paintings in there, but the feeling in the room was dark. Something was here, and I didn’t like it even a little bit. It was darker than the grey man, but had no actual being. Maybe Eoin was right. I didn’t want to find out.
I hurried back out to meet the rest of the group. We climbed onto a bus and headed off for our next stop. We stood in line for the Eiffel Tower for a couple of hours before we were finally able to go up. The view was phenomenal. I could see for miles as I took in the city around us.
After that, we headed off to the Arc de Triomphe. Jared would’ve loved the architecture. While the other girls giggled over the boys who were also there, I took as many photos as I could to send back to him. I grabbed him a “Wish you were here” keychain and got Beth a small coin purse from a small gift shop nearby.
“Let’s head back to the hotel, ladies. It’s time to get ready to go to the gym.” Coach Peterson walked us back to the bus and we climbed on, excited to play.
I was quiet as I pulled my uniform out of my suitcase in our room. Nerves had begun to set in, and I welcomed them. It meant I could ignore everything else that was going on. I changed and tied my hair up in a ponytail. When I went to find my shoes, I sighed. “Eoin?”
Mom looked up from the pamphlet she was reading. “He can’t hear you, can he?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but it’s worth a try.”
“Yeah?” He popped in just above my bed, playing with an old top. I figured he hadn’t gone too far.
“Where are my knee pads?” I asked.
“What are those?” He cocked his head to the side.
“They go on my knees so I don’t get hurt when I fall. They were with my uniform. They’re white, they’re worn out, and I need them.”
“But why? I could get you some new ones.” He lifted his hand to snap his fingers.
“No, wait. First, you can’t get me some if you don’t know what they look like. And second, these are my lucky knee pads. I wore them for every game during high school.”
Eoin fell over laughing. “You? You’re the luckiest human alive, and you have lucky knee pads. Oh, now I’ve heard everything.” He popped out, still cackling.
“He has a point, you know.” Mom chuckled. “Don’t forget to leave your jewelry off. I doubt they have lockers here for you to use.”
I hesitated, biting my lip. “I can’t leave my ring or my necklace here, Mom. I need them close by. Could you wear them for me?”
“Sure. I’ve always liked green anyway.” She put them on and grabbed her purse. “I hear people gathering in the hall.”
“Why don’t you go ahead? I need to wait for Eoin.” The ring and necklace could protect my mom while I was down on the court. After taking out my earrings and setting them on the counter, I sat down to stretch.
“Okay, just hurry. I don’t want you getting in trouble.” She left the room, and I finished stretching.
“Eoin? I really need to get out of here.” I went in to brush my teeth, and heard a pop followed by a scuffle and gagging. “Hey, what’s going on?” I ran into the room and stopped short.
Eoin was on top of a mermaid, pulling on my knee pads that she held tightly to her chest. She had a bluish-green tail, and her hair matched. She would’ve been beautiful if not for her angry scowl as she fought Eoin. Water soaked into the hotel floor.
“One second. Almost got them.” Eoin breathed heavily and he grabbed for the knee pads.
I walked over and pulled them out of the mermaid’s hands. “I’m sorry, but I really need these.” The pads were soggy and smelled of ocean water.
The mermaid glared at me. “I know you. You hurt my sister.” She did look familiar. Suddenly the memory of the battle at Phantom Falls came to mind.
“Wait—you mean the mermaids who were attacking my friend? They tried to kill her!” Beth had been tied up and soaked. The water had been almost to her shoulders by the time I was able to save her.
The mermaid sneered. “One fewer human.”
Eoin snapped, and the mermaid disappeared. “Sorry about that. She might have been a little upset that you took the pillows for her babies.”
I looked down at the pads and frowned. “That’s sad. Could we zap her something else?” I went to the sink and squeezed the pads out.
Eoin snapped his fingers, and the pads were dry. “It’s a pop, not a zap. And I’d have to get them from somewhere. We can take care of it later.”
I pulled on my knee pads, grateful to have them back. They were one of the first purchases I’d made with my own money, and I’d been extra careful with them. I finished getting ready and ran out to the waiting bus. I slid into the seat by Mom and tried to catch my breath. “Sorry about that. I had to fight to get them back.”
Mom glanced around before leaning closer. “Fight? Fight who?”
“A mermaid who apparently hates me.” The look on the mermaid’s face haunted me. Maybe I never needed to see Atlantis. Not if they all felt that way about humans.
“A mermaid?” Mom’s eyes widened.
I told her what had happened in whispers. She shook her head, but didn’t say anything until we got to the gym. The building was huge. Rooms ran along the hallways spaced between concessions. Once we got inside, it felt like being home again. The same smells of equipment, mats, and old sweat flooded my senses, and I breathed deeply. The nerves I’d been fighting were tamped down.
“Maybe you should keep the necklace.”
I turned to her in surprise. “You know I can’t.”
“You wore the locket at the tryouts. Why not now?”
“I’m not at tryouts anymore. They’d kick me off the floor. Besides, I want you to wear it. I can hold my own, but …”
Mom raised her eyebrows. “You think I can’t?”
“Well, no. Yes. I don’t know. Just … please take care of
them.” I ran out onto the court and warmed up with the team, then. I scanned the crowd to find Mom sitting up in the bleachers, talking on her phone.
After we’d practiced for an hour, we gathered in a side room for a snack of croissants and cheese. It was delicious, but I was aching to get out on the floor and play. My nerves screamed at me to use my luck, but I ignored them. I was going to do this on my own. I needed to know I had enough luck to fight with later. Not that I ever ran out, but I was still careful. Besides, I usually had to pull from other people, and it wasn’t fair to them.
When Coach Peterson finally stood up at his table to give his before-game speech, I sighed in relief. The girls sat up to listen. Hannah looked pale, and Melissa’s leg bounced with anxiety.
“All right, we’ve trained a lot for this tournament. We can do it. Just go out there, have fun, and of course, win.” He grinned and moved toward the door, nodding at the attendants who had waited on us. He was never one to make big speeches. And he liked to win.
We ran onto the court and started our warmup. The bleachers were sparsely filled with spectators.
Eoin stood up on the ref stand and gestured for me to come over. When I didn’t, he rolled his eyes and nodded toward the crowd. What was it? A quick scan of the crowd showed me nothing—wait. My stomach dropped. The guy from the restaurant was here—Ethan?—and he was staring right at me. It took everything I had to smile and turn my attention back to the game.
The set started with France serving first. They were good, and they were fast. I missed a few hard hits, Coach took me out. I didn’t blame him. One of the hits was too fast for anyone to get under, but I should’ve stopped the other two.
“You okay?” Coach continued watching the game.
“Yes. Sorry.” I grabbed my water bottle and took a drink, searching for Ethan. He was still watching me, so I glanced away. He was several rows away from Mom, but I was still worried about her.
Our team was able to come back within a couple of points before the match ended, but France won by three. We switched sides, and Coach put me back out on the floor.