When, at last, he found me.

by Adrianna Stepiano

  Nasani came from underneath—had she been in the water listening to us? Together she and Joseph pulled a struggling Ethan under the rocky overhang. I followed but they were extremely fast. I could listen to their thoughts though.

  What is this kid trying to do? Joseph asked Nasani.

  He saw the hat she was wearing and her shirt floating on the surface along the boardwalk after spending the entire afternoon looking around campus for her. The first thing he thought was that she had drowned again. I guess the lug has a sweet spot for her or something because before I could warn you, he dove in. She sounded annoyed.

  I asked you to make sure he left us alone.

  Honestly, he’s exhausting to follow. What was taking you two so long?

  That’s none of your business. He snapped. Looks like we might have to do some damage control—do you think he saw Seraphin?

  I don’t appreciate your tone. She snapped back. I’ll go get HER and you deal with him.

  I didn’t like the way she referred to me but I disliked the way she spoke of Ethan even more. Obviously, he was concerned with my safety and who could blame him? One moment I was standing next to him and the next I had disappeared leaving nothing but a floating hat and shirt.

  Instantly, I felt responsible.

  Nasani appeared and waved for me to swim to her. She led me under the boardwalk until we came to a dead end. A large wall made of stone, stretched out in front of us.

  Go on. She signaled. It’s a walkway. Trust me.

  I didn’t want to trust her. Instead I used my senses and listened for Joseph’s voice. I could hear him talking just a few feet past the wall made of stone. Ethan’s voice rang through as well.

  First I put my hand to the stone, feeling nothing but open space. My arm met no resistance. Then I could see the difference between the stone on either side and the mirage concealing the walkway. It was a shroud.

  Orin Bindolestiv was a genius. What do I do? I asked Nasani.

  Just swim through, you’ll see what happens next. She was bossy.

  There was no choice but to trust. She swam past first; entering the shrouded area with ease. I followed, eyes closed; worried. When my body made contact with the paper-thin mirage that hid the underground cavern, a jolt of static electricity passed through me. My scales instantly retracted and my gills closed. It was so unexpected that I fell onto the rocky floor; landing hard on my side and gasping for air.

  “NASANI—what the—? It was her first time transforming through a shroud!” Joseph’s voice echoed through the cavern.

  It was difficult to catch my breath—Joseph helped; he placed his hands on my shoulder blades. A rush of air filled my lungs.

  “Thank you.” I whispered.

  He helped me to my feet. Together we walked to Ethan who was sitting on the ground, sopping wet and shouting. Nasani did not speak and followed close behind.

  “What did you do to her? What is going on?” He saw me. “PHIN? What was on you? Were you wearing at tail or something?”

  “Great. He did see her.” Nasani muttered.

  “Perrine?” Ethan’s eyes were as wide as silver dollars.

  “Well, no use keeping up the charade. Kid, my name is Nasani. I’m a mermaid.” She held her hand out and gestured first to me and then to Joseph. “She’s a mermaid and he’s a goonch.”

  She was mad at Joseph and I wondered if it had anything to do with yours truly.

  Joseph gave Nasani a disapproving look and stepped forward, reaching out his hand to help Ethan. “Not that there is anything wrong with being a goonch—but I’m a merman.” He glanced to me. I was amused at his sudden care for the word.

  “I don’t know what a goonch is.” Ethan was even more confused.

  “Hey Ethan—uh, thanks for being worried about me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you when I was leaving the press conference. I ran into Joseph—it’s just that there are some unbelievable things—” How could I even begin to explain the turn my summer had taken?

  “Who is Joseph?” He looked around the cavern and held his arms out, baffled.

  “Oh, that’s me. Jay is an alias.” Joseph gave a pathetic half wave.

  “Again, I ask—what the hell is going on here?” Ethan started shouting.

  The three of us seemed to be waiting for the other two to explain things. After a few minutes Joseph stepped to the task. “Alright, FINE. But the only reason I’m including him is because my Aunt Doreh said he could probably help me with my family. Not that I need any help, especially from a kid who can barely swim.”

  “I’m a great swimmer.” Responding to least important part of Joseph’s statement, Ethan’s ego was obviously bruised.

  “Sure. You’re great. C’mon, let’s get inside.”

  We followed Joseph through a long hallway. As we walked side-by-side, Ethan shot quizzical glances my way. I tried to ignore him.

  The hallway opened into a cavern—not unlike the one under the Ionian Sea. It looked a bit more lived in. Maps littered the walls and were spread out onto a table but what caught my attention was a large bulletin board with hundreds of photos of young women and a list of crossed out names.

  “Welcome to my world.” Joseph held his arms in a half-hearted gesture.

  “Who are these women?” I was standing at the wall of photos.

  “They’re evidence.” He was close behind and put his hand on my shoulder. I could feel his warm breath on my neck. “Proof that for years I have been searching for you Seraphin.”

  Ethan abruptly appeared beside us while Nasani joined us opposite him. “Great, now that you’ve found her, please enlighten me. Is this some kind of joke?”

  Nasani chimed in. “No joke kid.”

  “Stop calling me kid. I’m like only two years younger than you. Seriously!” Ethan snapped.

  Maybe he wasn’t as smitten with her as I had originally thought.

  She crossed her arms, turned her face away from his and gracefully strutted across the room to pout in the corner.

  Joseph took Ethan to the large table. “My Aunt Doreh, you know her as Ms. Zebedee, said your father was a marine scientist, is that true?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  “Did he talk to you about his work?”

  “Nah.”

  “But you want to be a marine scientist, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And that has nothing to do with your father?”

  Ethan grew uncomfortable, the relationship with his father was even more nonexistent than the one he had with his mother. If he wanted to be a marine scientist, it probably had very little to do with Gomer Cottington.

  “Is leaving various marine science magazines lying around the house considered molding the mind of your son? I guess they were his, right? So sure, let’s go with the idea that he inspired my career choice.” Ethan said, anger present in his voice.

  “I gather you have a general distaste for your father. I knew I liked you for some reason.” Joseph patted Ethan on the shoulder like an older brother would.

  They smiled at each other—I noticed how similar the two were.

  Nasani chimed in. “Such a touching moment—you’ve both got Daddy trouble.”

  “What is your problem lady? You’re a jerk to me in the lab, you totally ignore any compliment I fling your way and now you can’t even resist throwing your two cents into a conversation that has nothing to do with you.” Ethan raised his voice.

  She left the room.

  Joseph gave me a pitiful look. “Will you go talk to her? She really likes you.”

  Shrugging my shoulders and pointing to myself, I turned to be certain he was talking to me. Unfortunately, I was still the only other person in the room. He wants me to console her? Really? She likes me? It sure didn’t feel that way.

  “Of course,” my answer lacked eagerness.

  When I approached the end of the walkway I found her sitting against the wall. “What?” She asked.

  “If you want to be left alone, just
say so and I’ll leave.” I said. “BUT, if you want to talk I’m a pretty good listener.”

  “I’m sorry.” She said in defeat. A tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t mean to be difficult, especially with Ethan. He puts me in a state, for some reason. It’s been since the moment I met him.”

  “I don’t understand what you have against Ethan; he’s a really nice guy.”

  “I know, that’s the problem—he’s too nice.” Her shoulders slumped.

  “Can you elaborate? I’m having a hard time understanding why being nice deserves so little respect.” I jumped to Ethan’s defense.

  She wouldn’t look at me. “Seraphin, how do you feel about Ethan? Are you two—ya know?”

  “Ethan’s my friend.”

  “And that’s all?”

  “YES! Why is everyone so interested in my feelings for Ethan?” Joseph ran me through similar questions on the John F. Kennedy.

  “I don’t know.” She was on the verge of tears.

  I felt bad for raising my voice.

  Then she sighed and sorrow took over her expression. “I miss him; my Joshua.” Collapsing with grief, tears streamed down her cheeks.

  I understood then why Joseph and Nasani were so close. A strange mix of sadness and joy churned inside. Shame surfaced for feeling jealous. He loved her, there was no denying, but he didn’t love her like his brother had. I thought back to her crying outside of my house and the way he comforted her each time the neighbors mentioned Joshua’s name. “I’m sorry Nasani. I didn’t know.”

  “He was—he was my all. They took him from me—from us. Joseph has you now. I see the way he looks at you and honest, it makes me happy. The search for you has been his way of coping all these years. He deserves this—to be the Guardian; he’s the most honorable man I’ve ever known—well, aside from Joshua. Where do you think he got it from though?

  “They were quite the pair. They protected each other until the end.” As she wiped tears from her face she turned her head from side to side, trying to shake away her sadness. “I’ve got to pull myself together. It’s been too many years but the wound feels fresh.”

  If anyone knew how she felt it was me. The pain of my father’s death will never fade. “Nasani, no amount of time can heal the heartache associated with losing someone so dear. We just have to take it one day at a time and let their memories bring us comfort when no one else can. Do you have a memory of Joshua that makes you smile?”

  “Yes.” Her face lit up as she explained the last time she saw Joshua. It was a clear night and the stars were visible on the Australian shore where they held one another. Her father and Lord Merrick were attending an environmental conference in Sydney. Their families decided to make a vacation out of it. She knew it was past curfew and her father was going to be furious but for some reason she could not pull herself away from Joshua that night. It was as if she knew it was their last hour together. A giggle escaped as she recounted a small sand crab that had attached itself to Joshua’s toe. “He squealed like a child; jumping around on the sand until I managed to pry the little critter off. The bravest man I knew was reduced to a frightened boy all because of a tiny pinch. But, he didn’t need to be valiant and exciting for my sake; I loved every moment of monotony or imperfection he let slip through.”

  I wiped a lone tear from my eye before it could drop. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”

  “Seraphin, I want you to know that I won’t get in the way of your life with Joseph. I won’t allow myself to be the third wheel. He belongs to you and I know this.” She spoke as if it was an absolute that Joseph and I would share our lives with one another. It seemed a little extreme as she went on to assure me. “Joseph has and will always be yours.”

  Uncomfortable with the drastic turn our conversation took and how unconditional she approached the relationship between Joseph and I, my head grew light. “Nasani, please let’s talk about something else. Joseph and I are not like that. I’m not even sure we’re friends. To think of him as mine, to make him sound like a possession is ridiculous.”

  “He is yours though. The two of you are destined to be together as—”

  I didn’t allow her to finish. “As Guardians, I know.”

  “NO. I mean, yes. But not just that, you and Joseph are to be together. You and he will be the ultimate team of two…as long as you both shall live.”

  “Married! You think we’re going to be married?” I was in hysterics. “I assure you that will not happen.”

  She defended Joseph. “But why? Even if the Legend didn’t dictate it, which it does, Joseph is wonderful. A girl couldn’t ask for a more trustworthy, devoted and loving person to share their life with. And, you can’t tell me he’s not handsome enough. Have you seen the effect he has on women? Knees buckle when his blue eyes meet their stares.”

  “It’s not that, I know how wonderful he is. It’s just—what did you say about the Legend dictating our future?” If so, where could I find a copy of the Legend so I could uncover my so called future?

  “Maybe I’ve got it wrong. I’ve never actually read it, as a matter of fact; no one knows where it is. History has misplaced it. What I know has been handed down through generations by way of bedtime stories and merfolk tales.” She tried to ease my panic but failed to do so. Instead she changed the subject. “Speaking of tales, I wonder how Ethan is processing all the new information Joseph is presenting him with.”

  “Maybe we should go find out.” I suggested.

  She stood and fussed with her long black braid which had purple ribbons threaded through it, as always, she looked ravishing. Her hand extended and I took it, she helped me to my feet. “Thanks for this.”

  I hugged her and we walked back to Joseph and Ethan with our arms still wrapped around one another.

  “Oh good. You’re back.” Joseph mumbled with little enthusiasm. They were bent over the table looking at the maps. “Ethan’s in.”

  “Phin, how cool is this? I am SO glad I didn’t go to Michigan with my parents. My summer is going to kick butt. I can’t believe you’re fish people—and Ms. Z too.”

  “I guess it’s somewhat cool.” A little dumbfounded that Ethan accepted the existence of merpeople better than I had—he was almost excited. “ETHAN? Nothing about this seems impossible to you?”

  “No. Should it?”

  “We are half-fish people. Your awareness of truth has been altered and you’re okay with it—just like that? Everything you knew to be true is now false.” A part of me wanted Ethan to doubt as heavily as I had.

  He stopped looking at the map and picked up a globe—spinning it around. “Phin, history is filled with false realities. If we stopped at what we know to be true—we’ll never discover that it’s actually false. The earth would still be flat.”

  Ethan spun the globe again.

  The sphere quivered a bit before detaching from the brass brackets holding it to the base. We watched it smash into the ground; the earth cracked apart like an egg. The northern hemisphere lay at my feet while the southern hemisphere continued to spin. I watched Australia pass five times before it came to a wobbly halt.

  “Sorry Joey.” He muttered. “I’ll fix the earth.”

  Joseph held a wide smile. “What a relief—and here I thought we were going to have to save the planet all by ourselves.” He winked at me and though I would have thought it impossible, his smile grew even wider and he let out a laugh. Was this the man I would marry? Did he already know this?

  The four of us gathered around the table.

  Ethan held both hemispheres, shifting them first so that the top half of Africa lined up with the bottom half of South America. He realized his mistake and continued to rotate the pieces—aligning the continents properly. From where I sat, only blue was visible. The great span of the Atlantic Ocean—a mystery to that day; what wonders it held. He then rolled it along the equator, the arctic twisted before me. The earth was an ocean and the continents islands—how could we be expected to
protect such a vast area?

  “So, what now?” I reached, taking the two halves from Ethan. “Where do we begin Joseph? Are you ready to share your secrets with us?”

  “What secrets?” Nasani perked up. “Joseph?”

  “I’m not sure what you mean Seraphin.” He gave an innocent glance in Nasani’s direction. Her expression didn’t change.

  “I mean, are you finally going to tell us where my favorite teacher is?” I was trying my best to be tough. “Don’t you think priority number #1 is finding her? Do you have a plan?”

  Pushing his chair back and standing, he didn’t answer but instead pulled a milk crate out from under the table. It was filled with black tubes. We watched him take several from the crate before he found the one he was looking for. He placed the crate beneath the table and sat back down.

  “I’ve searched for this scroll for years.” He began.

  “And you just found it? Under your table?” Ethan joked.

  “No.” Obviously annoyed, Joseph continued. “It was given to me—the day I met Seraphin I also met an old—I suppose you could call him an acquaintance. He is the reason I was late helping my aunt. Anyway, he handed this to me and then left—without saying a word. I was in shock but managed to chase him for miles before he disappeared—just vanished.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “It’s the Legend. I don’t know where he found it or why he surrendered it to me—it was unexpected.” He was genuinely perplexed as he stood staring at the official rules of our lives. I wondered which block of text held our wedding vows.

  “Who gave it to you Joseph?” Nasani was very interested. “I can’t believe you had this and didn’t tell me.”

  “Trite,” Joseph answered. Irritation was in his voice. “I’ve been a little busy Nasani—sorry, it slipped my mind.”

  “Nicholas Trite? Is that the crewman missing from the vessel that went down earlier this summer? I think I remember the name from the news report.” Ethan sat forward. “Did his disappearance have anything to do with—I mean—did he just swim away, like you and Phin?”

  “ETHAN!? I didn’t just swim away. I was really drowning.” I defended myself.