FINNED (The Merworld Water Wars)

by Sutton Shields

“How can you sense it? Is this some Jediism quality, only in fin form?”

  “It’s hard to explain. Because my feelings for you are so intense, I can feel when other non-humans are interested in you. It’s not clear to me exactly how they’re interested in you, whether it’s innocent or not. But I can feel it.”

  “Wow. I so feel like a vampire’s girlfriend right now,” I sighed. “Okay, where do we go?”

  “I’ll work all of that out. You just need to convince your mom by tonight.”

  Fabulous.

  Friday night: Mom was freaking with double the freak. Trying to convince my mom to let me go away with my boyfriend for spring break has not gone well at all. Her eyes were literally popping out of her head.

  “Let me get this straight. You want me to let you, a girl, go away with your boyfriend, a boy, for a vacation that just happens to fall during spring break?”

  “Well…”

  “I’m going to point out a few key words, and you’re going to guess what I’m thinking.” Crap. It’s the key word drill. “Girl. Boy. Away. Vacation. Spring. Break. Now, guess what I’m thinking,” she said, pacing back and forth in the kitchen.

  “You’re worried we’ll…have the sex…and…the drink…and…do the crazy stuff.”

  “BINGO!” she yelped.

  “Mom, it’s not like that with Troy.”

  “Oh, you’re not hot for him, I guess?”

  “I’m actually stifling hot for him.”

  My mom’s face softened a bit; now she looked more like a gossiping girl than a mean mommy. “He is pretty hot, Marina. UGH! But, that’s exactly my point!”

  “Mom, you raised me right. We’ve had the talks. I know everything I need to know. I’m not ready to move in that direction, and he hasn’t pushed me at all. We just want to be together.”

  My mom flopped down on the couch next to me. “I trust you completely, I really do. Troy’s a nice boy, and Mr. Gibbs always speaks so highly of him. Sixteen is just so young, especially for a vacation with your boyfriend.”

  Troy had prepared me for this part of the conversation. “Airianna will be there. Troy’s family will be there, too. It’s more like a Tombolo family getaway. He’s got a whole school of fi—amily.” Grr. I hated lying to my mom. She would be so disappointed if she knew I had no frigging idea where he wanted to take me.

  “Well, if you had told me that from the get-go, I wouldn’t have channeled my mother. Frightening experience. Now, where are y’all going?”

  “Camping.” Lightning will strike me dead for lying.

  “You? Camping?”

  “Yeah, well, it’s more like a fishing excursion in a fancy sea hut, but I won’t fish. Troy knows to keep me far from the scales.” I hate myself.

  “Okay, you can go. Want some help packing?”

  “No, I’ve got it,” I groaned.

  “Sound happier! You just got your way,” said my mom, laughing. I faked a laugh. “Better hurry. Troy should be here any minute,” she said, rushing to the kitchen. “I’ll just get some snacks together for y’all.”

  I’m total garbage.

  Five minutes later, Troy arrived. He barely put the tips of his sneakers across the threshold of the doorway. He kept shifting his eyes from me to my mom in the kitchen.

  “Don’t worry, she caved,” I grumbled. Troy grinned like a cat and breezed through the door. “I’ll have you know I don’t make it a habit of lying to my mom. I hate myself for it.”

  “It’s for the best. Trust me.”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

  “Troy! Hello, dear,” said my mom, handing him a paper bag. “It’s just some food for the trip.” She moved to shove mine into my backpack.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Valentine,” said Troy.

  “It’s nothing. Marina tells me Airianna and your family will be with you two?”

  “Yep, there’ll be tons of family and friends with us. The whole trip is really about family. I thought it might be nice if everybody met Marina.”

  “That’s very thoughtful. Please be careful, and I expect you to call me regularly,” she said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Call Mom will be my middle name.”

  “I’ll make sure we check in frequently, Mrs. Valentine. I promise we’ll be careful. I could even have my dad call you.”

  I had to work very hard not to shoot him an exasperated look.

  My mom thought for a moment. “Nah, it’s okay. I know where you live.”

  Troy laughed.

  “She’s not joking,” I said. “She has a cattle prod, and she’s not afraid to use it.”

  Troy stopped laughing.

  Mom and I burst into hysterics. After a few fun minutes, we bid farewell to my mom and headed for…well, I don’t know exactly where.

  “So, where are we going?” I asked.

  Grabbing my hand, Troy leaned down and huskily whispered, “I’m taking you to my home.”

  “Dear God Almighty! I have spent many waking moments in your house! If that’s what you had in mind for a vacation, why didn’t you just tell me?” I asked, stomping my foot.

  Troy grinned. “I don’t mean my house. I mean my home.”

  It hit me like straight-line winds. I looked between our houses, out to the sea. “You mean your home…out there?”

  “Down there,” he said.

  “Are you nuts?” I asked.

  His laughter kept the knots from fully forming in my gut. “Maybe. It’s the only place I know where Manakel can’t reach you.”

  “True, but other beings can, like sharks, giant squid, Katrina, her family…raw crab meat.” I started scratching at my neck.

  “Well, you’ve got me…plus, I’ve called in some backup. You’re not going to bring the hives and gags with us, are you?”

  “Really trying not to.”

  “Give me your backpack.” After handing my backpack to him, he glided his hand over it and created a pretty pink casing. “This will be perfectly protected from the water.”

  When I took my backpack from his hands, I nearly dropped it. The slippery film would take some getting used to, but it functioned exactly as it did before. Sliding the newly protected straps over my shoulders, I looked at him. “Where’s mine?”

  “Your what?”

  “My protective casing stuff.”

  “Right here.” He enfolded me in his arms, kissing my lips, face, and neck.

  “I’m being serious.”

  “So am I. Eat this.” He slipped a wad of what looked like rotten lettuce in my hand.

  “So, hives and gags are unwelcome, but apparently hurling gets an engraved invitation. What is this junk?”

  “Ulva.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Ulva. It’s sea lettuce. It will let you breathe under there,” he said, pointing to the water.

  I looked at him, and then at the wad of crap in my hand. What the hell was I doing? Was I seriously going to travel under the sea with my merman boyfriend? Hmm. HECK YES!

  Shoving it in my mouth, I sputtered, “Tastes like chicken.”

  Troy laughed. “I doubt that.”

  “No,” I choked, “you’re right. It tastes more like cow crap.”

  “That sounds about right. Did you get it down?”

  Swallowing hard, I said between gags, “Yep. It’s down. Not sure how long it’ll stay down, but…”

  “Are you ready?”

  “Think so.” I know so. “Hey, I’m The Little Non-Mermaid.”

  We walked towards the sea. Right at the edge of the water, he paused, faced me, and placed my arms around his neck.

  “When we get in the water, put your legs around my waist,” he said.

  “That’s a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”

  “Well, I don’t want you floating away. Plus, it’s the only way you can safely ride me,” he breathed.

  “Save a cowboy, ride a fish, huh?” I said as he pulled me closer.

  “Could be fun, right? Um, what was tha
t?”

  Some weird, spontaneous half-giggle, half-something stupid sound flew from my mouth. “Sorry. I’m just so kinda craving the eighties crimpy hairdo right now.”

  “He broke the mold with you, my little Rubylocks.”

  With that, I wrapped my legs tightly around him, and he waded deeper into the sea. I could feel his body narrow beneath me. He felt as solid as a concrete wall. He placed his right hand behind my neck and gently dipped both of us under the cold water. Instinctively, I held my breath and closed my eyes.

  “You can breathe, remember?” His voice sounded slightly distant yet remarkably clear.

  I opened my eyes and hesitantly followed with my mouth and nose. Wonderfully cool air filled my lungs. “I can breathe…and talk!”

  “Look around you.”

  His glorious body and sapphire blue fin had occupied my vision…until now. When I stopped gawking at my boyfriend’s hot fin, I could hardly believe what surrounded us. To either side of us, two massive orcas acted as shields, their expressions guarded and alert. Seven burly dolphins escorted us down, while eight equally hefty dolphins brought up the rear.

  Deeper and deeper we traveled, plunging into the darkening waters; I could barely see the friendly forms swimming around us now.

  “Don’t worry. It gets darker before it gets light,” whispered Troy.

  The sea was so quiet, so peaceful…perhaps a bit too much so. If Troy didn’t have a firm hold of me, I might well have panicked. Aside from the whole under thousands of feet of water thing, there was nothing more unnerving than complete silence. I was about to quiz him on the lack of noise when I heard odd zooming and zipping sounds from somewhere ahead of us.

  “Drop us off at the swim path, boys,” said Troy.

  Moments later, light as radiant as lightning filled Troy’s eyes, both figuratively and literally. I turned around, but saw nothing.

  “Here,” he whispered, sweeping his hand over my eyes. “We shield our city from human eyes. Now, turn.”

  “Oh!” I gasped, very nearly slipping off his neck.

  “Welcome, Marina, to my world.”

  Ahead of us was an underwater city so magnificent, so unlike anything ever imagined in the human world, I could scarcely contain my growing excitement. Troy grinned at my amazement.

  “We’ll take it from here,” Troy said, relieving the two orcas from their posts. “Falls, Rays, please continue with us. The rest of you are dismissed.” All but two of the dolphins remained. “Falls and Rays are two of my father’s main guards. Welcome to Fairla, my home.”

  Beautifully crafted sand, shell, and gem-laden structures shimmered from within blue, yellow, and green gel-like coverings. Merpeople, their colorful fins propelling them through the water, zipped in and out of the gel-covered buildings. The city reminded me of a bunch of different sized snow globes, each with their own bustling world.

  Troy carried me along one of the many shell walkways…er…swim-ways.

  “We have to stay out of the float paths,” he said, pointing to a number of zooming crafts that looked like a hybrid of car, plane, and submarine, with some otherworldly elements thrown in. “It’s down this path where our version of a Thanksgiving Day parade starts.”

  “That’s why you acted so weird on Thanksgiving when I asked if you enjoyed the parade. You thought I somehow knew about your parade down here.”

  Troy nodded. “Never said I was the brightest fish in the sea.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It was just in keeping with your typically sour attitude.” He started kissing my neck and tickling my stomach. “Stop it, will ya! I want to look around,” I said, nuzzling his neck.

  The glow from a group of electric eels shone brightly on a bin full of mermaid bra tops outside the nearest shop. An illuminated sign detailed the benefits of the so-called top selling mermaid fashion: Mermaid Shell Tops—One Size Fits All—Adjusts To Fit With Age and Weight Fluctuations—All Colors—Wide Shell Variety…Pāua, Sand Dollar, Conch.

  “Imagine! Fifty silver sand dollars for something that never fits right!” grumbled a young mermaid, scoffing at the bin of bra tops.

  “Like, who wants to wear these uncomfortable things? So stupid!” said her friend.

  “A lot of mermaids have had their fill with those things, but most mermen insist the ladies wear them,” said Troy. “By the way, don’t worry about anyone noticing you. They’re all too busy to even smell you.”

  If only I had five heads and ten eyes. I kept turning my head in every direction, not wanting to miss a single thing: the shops and goodies outside them, the businesses, restaurants, and creatures hurrying about. Several small purrs came from a lively little corner shop with a sign saying Kat’s Catfish Catches—Furry, Hairless, Water-dwelling, and Land-dwelling. A gaggle of merps, young and old, had their noses and hands pressed against the window of a colorful shop opposite Kat’s Catfish Catches. The large, purple and pink, starfish-shaped building spanned the whole of the corner. An animated sign with fancy sea flowers constantly weaving in, out, and around it, said Mist’s Toy Emporium.

  “Troy?” I asked sweetly.

  “No, we are not going to the toy store.”

  “Aw, come on. I want to see what sea toys ya have. It looks really popular!”

  “Oh, it is. It’s the only one in the Gulf and Atlantic regions. They sell all sorts of things for merps of all ages. Since the new owner took over, it’s become crazy popular.” He smirked at me biting my lip. “We’ll go while you’re here, don’t worry. We just have someone waiting for us,” he said, nodding to a large shell carriage.

  “Good evening, Prince Troy,” said a squat-tall merman. He had gray hair, bright green eyes, and the brightest yellow fin imaginable.

  “Nice to see ya again, Percival,” said Troy, slapping him hard on the back. I giggled. “What?” whispered Troy. “His name? The color of his fin? A merp’s worst nightmare is to have a yellow fin—you look like you peed yourself for life.”

  “None of the above,” I said, still laughing.

  “What, then?”

  “Prince Troy. You’re such a fairy tale character.”

  “Ah, that,” he said, blushing a bit. “Just don’t expect me to spontaneously sing and dance.”

  “Prince Troy, if you are ready, your father awaits you and your friend’s arrival,” said Percival, looking at me as if I smelled very badly. “Wait until old Waldorf sees who you’ve brought.”

  “After you,” said Troy, helping me into the carriage.

  “A seahorse-drawn carriage…clever,” I mused.

  “Percival, kindly go through the park,” said Troy. “You’ll love the park.”

  As we made a sweeping U-turn, I took in as much of the downtown area as I could. There were shops selling fin accessories, stores selling odd ornaments and fancy instruments, large showrooms filled with those floating mermobiles, and windows piled high with mini-tridents, storm-swell enhancing creams, and Mermish translators.

  The carriage broached a tranquil area overgrown with colorful plant life. Moving through the golden archway, we entered the sea’s version of a secret garden. Fragrant sea flowers, illuminating fish, and towering seaweed lined the pathway to a dead end.

  “How do we get through?” I asked, staring at a solid coral wall.

  “You’ll see,” he said, smiling. Troy floated up a bit to face the wall. “Prince Troy Tombolo and guest requesting entrance.”

  The coral cracked, slid apart, and revealed a village of stately homes.

  “This is Fairhair Township. You’re safe here, Marina. This is our territory,” said Troy. “And this is my house.”

  “Which one?” I asked, looking from side to side.

  “Stand up, and look straight ahead. I’ll keep a hold of you, so you won’t float away.”

  I did as he said. Ahead of us was not merely a house or a noble home—it was a fairy tale castle. The pale ivory palace, guarded by no less than fifty merp guards, seven battle-clad orcas, and about on
e hundred dolphins, radiated goodness, if that was even possible for an inanimate object.

  Before long, we arrived at the front doors of Troy’s home.

  “When we move through the protective gel covering, you’ll be able to walk normally, without floating. Your hair and clothing will be dry, just as if you were on land.” I know he could feel me trembling. “Don’t worry. Imagine walking through a thin shield of some gelatin dessert. That’s all it is, I promise.”

  Little did he know that the source of my trembling wasn’t the gel covering; it was the knowledge that his father—the king—was somewhere behind those doors, waiting to see us…waiting to judge me.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Royal Flush

  Troy carried me through the gel film and carefully set me down on the crystal floor. My knees had never been so wobbly.

  “My hair feels flat,” I grumbled.

  “It’s fine,” said Troy, looking strangely at the top of my head.

  “No, I have cheddar string cheese head.”

  “So, it’s a little flat. Who cares?”

  “Troy, perhaps you are not familiar with Texas girls, but flat hair is a sacrilege.” Now, I not only feel unfit to meet Troy’s father—again, a king—but I look like I forgot to wash and comb my hair. Wonderful.

  The tall marble doors of the palace swept open, and a lanky merman with a silver fin hurried towards us.

  “Prince Troy! Prince Troy! It’s so good to see you again. And I see you have decided to use your legs.”

  Although I failed to notice Troy’s transformation to his human form, I definitely caught the disapproval in the man’s voice.

  “Good to see you again, Waldorf,” said Troy. “This is Marina Valentine…was Marina Valentine.”

  I decided to hide behind Troy’s massive form. I was just not ready to see the horrified look on Waldorf’s face when he realizes my legs don’t go finny.

  “Well, my dear, please swim forward. Don’t be shy,” he said merrily.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Waldorf,” I said kindly. Double crud. “Oh, he sounds all wheezy. God, I’ve given him a cardiac arrest!”

  “He’ll be fine. Waldorf, breathe,” said Troy. “I would like you to take us to my father.”