Real Mermaids Don't Sell Seashells

by Helene Boudreau

  “Up and at ’em,” I said, combing my wet hair before it turned into a bird’s nest.

  Cori hadn’t moved and was still staring at her phone.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “My phone is dead,” Cori said. Without the charger, there was no way of recharging her phone.

  “Too many shark videos, huh?” I joked.

  “What if Trey tried to email or Video Gab with me?” she asked.

  “Do you want him to?” I asked. “I mean, things got a little tense last night on the beach.”

  “Argh!” Cori sighed in frustration. “If he could just act like a normal boyfriend instead of being so goofy all the time. Last night on the beach I told him the moon reminded me of how we roasted marshmallows at your gran’s cottage this summer then hung out under the stars at the end of the pier, and he told me how he once stuffed twelve marshmallows in his mouth.”

  I laughed out loud, visualizing Trey with his cheeks all puffed up like a chipmunk getting ready for winter.

  “Yeah, but that’s Trey, though, right?” I asked.

  “That’s the problem! He’s so…so…Trey-ish!” Cori said. “Anyway, how am I supposed to survive without my phone?” she asked, looking up at me like a puppy who’d lost its mommy.

  “I’m sure you’ll live. Get dressed!” I said. “We’re going on a quest.”

  “Not the shipyard again!” Cori protested.

  “No, nothing like that. Look, I’ll even tell my parents where we’re going if it makes you feel better.” I knocked on the adjoining door to Mom and Dad’s room. Their catamaran ride didn’t start until a little later, so they didn’t have to rush out the door at the crack of dawn like the day before. “Hey, guys?” I called out.

  “Good morning!” Mom opened the door and popped her head into our room.

  “Is it okay if Cori and I go for a walk on the beach before breakfast?” I asked. “Rayelle wants us to get a message to her cousin Kiki. The girl who did our braids.”

  “Just stay together and don’t go in the water,” Mom said with a wink.

  Go in the water? Yeah. No fear of that.

  •••

  Cori and I saw a few couples walking along the beach during our half-mile walk from the Asylum to the Eutopia, but the gray skies and a cool morning wind were keeping most people inside.

  By the time we reached the cabana where Kiki worked, I could see her huddled inside, wrapped up in a blanket with no customers in sight.

  “Slow morning?” I asked as we walked up to her booth.

  “Ah, Rayelle’s friends.” Kiki greeted us with a beaming smile. “Come back for more braids?”

  “Not exactly,” I said sheepishly. “Rayelle’s been trying to get hold of you.”

  “That girl,” Kiki said, shaking her head. “I’ve been ignoring her. I keep telling her to forget about that guy Dillon.”

  “So you’ve been getting her texts?” I asked. But apparently not answering them.

  “It won’t do her no good to keep messing with him,” Kiki said, waving her hand through the air.

  “She just wants to know if your boyfriend has seen Dillon or not. He’s been missing since Monday,” I replied.

  “Missing or messing around?” Kiki shook her head. “Listen. I know Dillon ain’t got it very good with his dad out of the picture and his mom trying to make ends meet and all. Heck, Dillon is the best conch diver on the island, and he’s keeping that family afloat. He’s just been losing his way lately. Rayelle is a good girl. I just don’t want to see her get mixed up with someone like him.”

  Cori nudged my arm and whispered in my ear, “Come on. This isn’t getting us anywhere.”

  “No wait, Cori,” I whispered back. I turned to Kiki. “So you’re saying your boyfriend hasn’t seen him?”

  “Ask him yourself. He should be at Dolphin Lagoon getting ready for the first show. His name is John.”

  •••

  “John, as in the dolphin trainer John?” Cori asked as we cut through the glittering lobby of the Eutopia to get to the other end of the resort where Dolphin Lagoon was.

  “I guess,” I replied.

  We spotted John by the equipment shed, handing out wet suits and life jackets to the guests.

  “Do you think we should bother him?” I asked, checking my phone. It was already eight-thirty, and we were cutting it close if we wanted breakfast before Teen Club. I internally scolded myself for thinking about food at a time like this. Rayelle had asked me for help and I planned on doing everything I could to put her mind at ease. I had to admit that I was kind of worried about Dillon too, even though I didn’t know him very well.

  “John?” I asked as we approached.

  John turned our way and smiled. “Ah Jade, right? And Cori?”

  “Good memory,” Cori said.

  “Can we ask you something?” I asked.

  “Sure, but I only have a few seconds,” he said, nodding to the waiting dolphins in the lagoon.

  “Our friend Rayelle wanted to know if you’ve seen Dillon. His mom thinks he’s staying with you,” I said.

  “Dillon?” John scratched his chin. “I haven’t seen him since Monday night.”

  I knew didn’t have much time so I had to work fast.

  “What did he say to you when he asked you to sneak onto the cruise ship?” I asked.

  John looked around to make sure no one was listening.

  “Look, I’m not sure what Dillon was up to, but whatever it was, it wasn’t to steal anything if that’s what you’re thinking,” John said as the other trainer waved him over to start the show. “Sorry, I gotta go.”

  “Thanks,” I said as he walked away.

  The dolphin trainers all grouped together for a pre-show powwow, and one of the dolphins swam up to where they were standing and splashed John.

  Hello!

  My eyes popped open in surprise. It was the dolphin talking again. Meanwhile, John had turned to smile and wave the dolphin away.

  Could John understand what the dolphin was saying? I wondered. No…that was just a coincidence.

  “So, where the heck is Dillon, then?” Cori asked as we headed back to the Asylum, hoping they hadn’t packed up breakfast yet.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. But something on the horizon of the lagoon caught my eye. It was a large, white ship with a big W on the top. The Wonderment Cruiselines ship.

  It was back.

  •••

  We grabbed a couple bananas and yogurt cups from the Asylum’s buffet table and headed back up the elevator to our room. I threw my stuff on the bed and grabbed my phone to search for Rayelle’s email so I could reply.

  Hi Rayelle,

  We talked to Kiki’s boyfriend, John, and he hasn’t seen Dillon since Monday night. I don’t know what that means exactly, but I’m sorry I don’t have better news. What do you think we should do now?

  —Jade

  Cori was reading over my shoulder and sighed.

  “What?” I asked.

  “You did what she asked. Now just let it go. Your parents are supposed to get married Saturday. Don’t you think you have better things to do with your time than getting dragged into the local teen drama?” Cori asked.

  “Yeah, like our own teen drama isn’t enough to deal with, right?” I muttered. I thought back to what Cori had said earlier about Trey being too Trey-ish.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Cori asked.

  Should I say something? Or was Luke right when he said we should just stay out of it?

  “Nothing. Forget it,” I said.

  My email alert sound went off.

  Hi Jade,

  Can’t write now because I’m in school and will get killed if they catch me texting. I just don’t know what to do.

  —Ra
yelle

  My heart went out to her, but I really didn’t know what to do either.

  Let me talk to my mom and dad. Maybe they’ll have an idea.

  —Jade

  I knocked on Mom and Dad’s door and explained everything to them while they finished getting ready for their catamaran excursion.

  “I think we should call that Officer Ensel guy,” Dad said.

  “But Rayelle doesn’t want to get Dillon in trouble,” I said. Maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to tell my parents.

  “Yes, but if he’s already in trouble, isn’t it better if someone he knows helps him?” Mom asked.

  “I guess,” I said, going through my bag for Officer Ensel’s card. I gave Dad Faye’s card by mistake then found the right one and handed it to him. He dialed the number and gave the card back to me.

  “Rayelle’s not going to like this,” I whispered to Cori while Dad was on the phone.

  “It’s better to let someone else deal with it,” Cori said. “What do we really know about this guy anyway?”

  “I hope you’re right,” I said.

  Dad chatted on the phone for a few minutes,then hung up and grabbed his floppy, straw sun hat. “Okay, everyone. That’s done. Officer Ensel is going to look into it and has assured me they will do everything they can—and he said he’d try to be discreet about it.”

  So that was that. Officer Ensel would find out what happened to Dillon, if anything, and he’d try to keep it on the down-low. Rayelle would be relieved to hear that, and I could finally put it out of my head with good conscience.

  “We should head out. Our shuttle to the catamaran leaves in five minutes,” Mom said.

  “And we can drop you off at the Eutopia to meet Luke and Trey when we pick up the Martins,” Dad replied. He clapped his hands for us to hustle. “Let’s go, let’s go. We’ve got some fish to fry!”

  “All right, hold on. We’re coming!” I grabbed my stuff from my bed and followed them out the door.

  It wasn’t until I was in the shuttle on my way to the Eutopia that I remembered I’d left my phone on the nightstand in the hotel room at the Asylum.

  And I’d forgotten to email Rayelle to let her know that Officer Ensel was on the case.

  I hunted through my bag once we got to Teen Club, checking one last time for my cell phone, but all I came up with were a couple of business cards and scraps of paper.

  “Okay, everyone!” Marissa, the Teen Club coordinator, said as she scanned her clipboard. “Fourteen-year-olds and up for Group A today. Ten- to thirteen-year-olds in Group B, and Chance will be in charge of the nine and unders.”

  “Aw, too bad,” Cori said. “I was kind of looking forward to seeing Nick and Macy.”

  “Yeah. Oh, and I still have that Taylor ’n Tyler autograph for Nick,” I said, holding up the paper.

  I kept searching through my bag, willing my phone to appear. “I can’t believe I forgot to email Rayelle back. Now I won’t be able to get in touch with her until we get back to the hotel later.”

  “Just ask Luke for his phone when he gets here,” Cori said.

  “That’s the problem, though,” I said. “I don’t remember her email address.”

  “Seriously, Jade?” Cori said. “You’ve got to let this go. Remember what I told you on the airplane?”

  “Yeah?” I said skeptically.

  “Not everything is a life-or-death emergency. We’re on vacation to relax and have fun. Remember?” Cori asked.

  “I remember. But do you remember?” I asked. “The ‘have fun’ part, I mean.”

  Cori looked at me and scowled. “I know you’re talking about Trey, but honestly, the guy just doesn’t get it.”

  I thought back to the last thing I’d said about Trey to Luke on the beach, about him being boneheaded. It kind of felt like we were ganging up on Trey—well, at least Cori and I were—for just being…Trey. But how could I say that to Cori?

  “Listen, Cori,” I said quietly. “Maybe you’re expecting too much from Trey.”

  “Is it too much to ask to have a boyfriend act like a boyfriend?” Cori asked.

  “No, that’s not what I meant,” I said, trying to figure out what I actually did mean. “It’s just—”

  “Forget it,” Cori said. “You have Luke, and everything is all hunky-dory for you guys. I guess I’m just not that lucky.”

  “Cori, it’s not…” I said, regretting I’d said anything at all.

  But by then, Luke and Trey had arrived, and the Teen Club was on the move to our next thrilling adventure.

  •••

  The weirdest thing happened when we arrived at Dolphin Lagoon. Anytime Luke got close to the dolphins, they freaked out and swam in the other direction. The dolphins were acting so strange and upset that the rest of the dolphin activity had to be canceled and we were stuck at the waterslides for the rest of the afternoon.

  Our parents picked us up from Teen Club later that day, and we went straight to dinner at the Eutopia with the Martins. Then we headed to the marina to meet Bobbie and Eddie at their sailboat for dessert. The marina was near the bridge that spanned the harbor between Nassau and Paradise Island, not far from where the cruise ships were docked at the shipyard.

  “The Eutopia sure knows how to lay out a delicious spread. What a meal,” Dad exclaimed as he patted his belly while we walked along the series of docks to Bobbie’s sailboat.

  “Better than the cafeteria line at the Asylum,” I agreed under my breath.

  It was nightfall by then and the marina was lit up with strings of white lights like a Christmas tree, adding to the cheery feeling of the evening.

  “Those dolphins at Dolphin Lagoon did not like you,” I said to Luke as we hung back with Trey and Cori behind the adults in the group. Bobbie wasn’t kidding when she told Luke dolphins and mers didn’t mix.

  “How do you know it was me?” Luke asked. “You’re a mer too.”

  “They were totally fine with me yesterday,” I teased, thinking I wasn’t as annoying to dolphins because I was part human. “Well, they acted a little weird at first, but I think I have the whole ‘part-human’ thing going for me. In fact, I’m kind of a Dolphin Whisperer. You’re the one who had them all huddled on the far side of the lagoon today.”

  “What can I say?” Luke said with a smirk. “Just call me the Dolphin Hollerer.”

  “You could get that on a T-shirt,” I suggested.

  Luke held my hand, away from Dad’s prying, overprotective eye, and I wondered if he had put our conversation on the beach from the night before behind him. Honestly, that was fine with me. In fact, I tried to block out all the weirdness the trip had brought so far with Dillon and Rayelle, and the tension between Cori and Trey, and relaxed into the moment.

  “It’s so pretty,” Cori said as we walked along the main dock of the marina, looking for the branch of the jetty where Bobbie’s sailboat was berthed. “Almost romantic.”

  “Oh, look at that boat!” Trey ran ahead and pointed to a hundred-foot yacht. “Four decks, a flying bridge, and a hot tub. That is so sick…”

  “See what I mean?” Cori muttered to me.

  We turned down one of the branches of the jetty, and soon we reached a dark blue wooden sailboat.

  “This is it. Ahoy!” Dad called out as we arrived at the boat.

  “Did Bobbie and Eddie really sail all the way from Florida on this thing?” I asked. The boat was about thirty feet long with gleaming hardwood decking. Its white sails were wrapped around two tall wooden masts. I envisioned the boat being pitched around the ocean like a wine cork in a bucket of water. If a three-hour flight had my stomach in spasms, I could only imagine what sailing across the open ocean in a wooden schooner would do for my intestinal tract.

  “Hard to imagine, huh?” Luke asked. “But we sailed all the way from Port Toulous
e to Florida last spring, remember? And our boat is only a few feet longer than this one.”

  I thought back to when I’d first seen Luke at Dooley’s Drugstore when he returned from his sailing trip that spring. Everyone at school thought his family had gone on an adventurous sailing expedition—which was partly true—but mostly they had gone to Florida because Eddie’s friend Bobbie was a Webbed One (which is a human that started off as a mer). She’d helped Luke with his first human-to-mer transition.

  “Ahoy!” Eddie replied, popping his head out from the lower deck and waving us aboard.

  A pretty, middle-aged woman with graying hair emerged from the cabin behind Eddie. Bobbie and Eddie were probably the biggest mer experts in the world. They’d been working together for many years, ever since Eddie was laughed off a Florida university’s faculty for publishing an article about mers in a scientific journal. Now he preferred to keep his mer knowledge a secret and urged us all to do the same.

  “Bobbie!” Luke said, hopping aboard to give his mentor a big hug.

  “Luke! I swear you’ve grown a foot since last spring,” Bobbie said, holding him at arm’s length to get a good look at him.

  Luke blushed. “Well, not quite a foot but an inch or two, I suppose.”

  Eddie introduced Bobbie to me, Cori, and Mom and Dad, and we all sat around the upper deck under the twilight of the moon and chatted.

  “So what have you all been doing with yourselves on this lovely island?” Bobbie asked as she served the delicious coconut dessert she’d picked up from a local island bakery.

  “Dolphins, dolphins, and more dolphins,” Cori said, beaming as she took the plate Bobbie offered.

  “Aren’t they the most magnificent creatures?” Bobbie asked.

  “Speaking of which,” I interrupted, “Luke was telling me about the link between dolphins and mers. That they can’t coexist in the same habitat?”

  Bobbie looked impressed and turned to Luke.

  “I didn’t realize you were listening when I was boring you with all that mer trivia,” she replied. “We haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact cause, but our best guess is that it has something to do with the natural frequency mers produce.”