I jumped up and jogged across the lawn. Slowing my pace as I approached. With caution, I stood beside her. “This seat taken?”
She looked up at me, and shrugged, cheeks stained with tears. This was going to be one tough unfixable clam.
I sat next to her. “I understand if you’re mad at me.”
“I’m not mad.” She crossed her arms.
Okay.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked specifically from my mother’s advice.
“No,” she said, clipped, and crossed her legs.
Fighting the urge to get up and leave, I just sat there, waiting. Mom said not to fix it, so I wouldn’t.
Her wrap-around skirt parted ever so slightly, revealing the faint scar on her leg from when she’d fallen off the boat.
Not thinking, I reached over and traced the line. “I fixed that. Right here. Remember?”
Her skin broke out in goosebumps. “Yeah.”
“Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
The silence ticked on, slowly passing. When I didn’t think I could take another moment, she leaned against my shoulder.
“I don’t know why this bothers me so much,” she confessed. Though tempted to tell her that she should brush it off, I kept my mouth shut. “It’s just so disgusting you had to persuade my own mother to get her to be civil. Desirée should have the place of honor tomorrow, not her. I think you should sing her out of the wedding.”
My jaw dropped at how much this hurt her. “Ash, I just told her to be kind. Everything else she did after that point was her choice.”
“Yeah, right.”
“No.” I hooked my finger under her jaw and lifted so she’d look at me. “Singing changes memories, yes, but if I sang to this whole world to be kind, it would last for their next decision, then they’d relapse into whoever they were.”
“But Lucy is being kind, too, and we both know she has a black heart.”
I shrugged. “Maybe that’s not who she wants to be.”
She moved her chin from my fingertip. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t get why it bothers me so much. Why I feel like I need to earn their love.”
“They both love you,” I said.
“Do they? It feels forced.”
“Well, I can persuade your mother and sister to be mean, if you want.”
“No… don’t do that.” She sniffled. “I like them like this. Maybe I just feel guilty.”
I put my arm around her shoulder and squeezed gently, tempted to tell her I’d sing whatever she wanted me to. But didn’t. Her body grew limp like she was giving up the battle.
“Maybe she’ll surprise you,” I said.
She let out a long sigh. “Maybe.”
“Are you still going to walk down the aisle to me?”
Her face puckered in that cute little way I adored. “Of course I am.”
“Good, ‘cause I was worried there for a minute. Besides, I didn’t want to live in our house all alone.”
“Oh, Fin.” She wrapped her arms around my torso and squeezed. “I’m sorry I’ve been so emotional.”
I smoothed her hair. “Don’t worry about it. This was my fault. I should have told you sooner.”
“Actually.” She looked up at me and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. For a second I wanted to ravage those lips. “I have something to show you.”
I straightened, worried for a second.
“No, it’s a good thing.” She jumped up and pulled my hand, leading me toward her parents’ garage, and I wondered what she wanted to show me.
THIRTY-SEVEN – ASH – June 11 – 12:45 p.m.
I sat at my makeup table in my bedroom, staring at my kangaroo, knowing this room would no longer be mine. That my single life was no more. That from now on I’d be known as Fin’s wife, partner, soulmate.
“Alright. Let me have your ring.” Tatiana stood behind me, looking at my reflection in the mirror. She wore her blonde hair pinned in endless curls with beads and pearls woven throughout. Her green gown accentuated her lithe frame.
I pulled off the diamond ring and handed it to her. “Great. And a ring for Fin?”
“Yeah, it’s right here.” I opened my jewelry box and the ballerina started to twirl to “Für Elise”. Something about the song made me think my life was ending somehow. I snapped it shut and handed her Grandpa Frank’s ring.
“I need to go and get everything started. Are you going to be okay?”
I bit my lip, the tears welling in my eyes. “Yeah.”
“Don’t do that,” she said sharply with a fierce point. “Or I’ll start crying, too.”
“I’m not crying.” I pinched my lips together, swiping a finger under my eyes. We looked at one another, then embraced. “Thank you, Tatchi. For everything.”
“Of course.” She pulled away and put out her pinkie. “Best friends forever, right?”
I hooked my pinkie around hers and squeezed. “Forever.”
“Okay. You have about twenty minutes. And then I need you and your Dad on that porch. You hear me?”
“Loud and clear.” I saluted since she’d repeated this drill several times now.
Her eyes tightened on me, but I knew she was playing. “He’s waiting for you downstairs.”
“Okay, okay.” I shooed her out the door anxious for a minute alone. “Go already.”
She gave me one last up and down glance to make sure everything was in place. “Veil!”
“I got it… I got it.”
She gave me a thumbs up. “Alright. Let’s do this!”
I smiled, then heard the door click shut. My gaze drifted to my reflection, and I smoothed my hands over my bump. It had become so much more pronounced the past few days, but Seamstress Wynie had done an excellent job making the skirt appear fuller all the way around to hide it.
The merling kicked, and my heart thumped harder. “You ready, Joey?” I asked my stomach. “Let’s go see Daddy.”
For the last hour, a steady stream of mers had continued to flow out of the Helton’s front door. Most of them had taken their seats — a sea of multicolored fabrics undulated in the wind. I was surprised that even in the wake of Merric’s death, they showed. My eyes zeroed in on Fin in his tux, standing on his parents’ dock, watching, waiting. My heart squeezed, knowing I was cheating in this moment. How I loved him.
His Jeep, now decorated with crepe paper, and a “just married” sign was parked in front of our cottage. His excitement yesterday, after I’d revealed its hiding place in my parents’ garage, made me able to forgive him and smile again. It had been the perfect wedding gift.
A giant red ribbon encircled the cottage beyond with a bow on the front door. After the reception, Fin planned to carry me over the threshold, and I couldn’t wait.
“You ready?” Lucy popped her head in my room.
“Oh, yes.”
“Mom thought you might need this.”
She handed me a glass of what looked like orange juice. My mouth watered as I took it from her. “Really? Thank you!”
“She said it would give you that extra oomph of blood sugar so you don’t pass out during the ceremony.”
I smiled. Mom knew me so well. Maybe Fin was right, that his request just brought out the good inside her. I took a sip, tasting something creamy and sweet mixed inside. “Ooh, it’s good. Want a taste?”
Lucy lifted her hands. “No. I already had some. I guess it’s her secret recipe.”
“It’s yummy. I’ll have to ask her for it.” I handed her the empty glass. “Could you help me?”
I walked over and pulled Desirée’s crown from the closet, then handed it to her. “Put this on me?”
Her eyebrows pulled together momentarily.
“What?” I asked, panicked. Had Fin already unmind-mojoed her?
“Nothing. It’s gorgeous.”
She fastened the crown on my head and positioned the strings of gems in the back.
I took her hand. “T
hank you,” I said, squeezing. “This has been the best week of my life. I’m so glad we’ve bonded.”
“Me, too.” She smiled, but it didn’t seem as warm as it had the past week. Maybe Fin did unmojo her.
“After you.” She held her hand out. Her eyes twinkled with excitement, and I couldn’t believe the day had finally come.
I walked to the stairs, heart pounding, and felt a dizzy spell hit. Grabbing onto the banister, I waited for it to pass before continuing down. My ankles, wobbly in my heels, didn’t help matters, but all I wanted was for this moment, this grand entrance with my father, the one we’d talked about ever since I was a little girl.
I cleared the middle of the stairs and looked around the empty living area, but it was empty.
“Dad?” I asked.
A man with a white beard walked around the corner and my heart nearly stopped. “Well, aren’t you lovely,” Alaster said, eyeing me up and down.
A shriek escaped my lips as I gripped onto the banister, then turned and tried to run back upstairs. Lucy stood in my way.
I pressed into her. “Lucy, it’s a trap. You have to run. Hurry,” I whisper-yelled.
She put her hands on her hips and let out a long sigh.
“Come on! move it! I’m not kidding.”
“Neither am I.” She smirked. “I’ve had to be nice to you this entire time. So disgusting.”
“Nice to me?”
“You and all your mer friends.” She reached out and grabbed ahold of my arm, pinching. “Get downstairs.”
“What?” I pulled my arm away from her and reached for the chain at my neck that held the octopus ink, remembering I’d put it in my jewelry box. It didn’t matter anyway, since she was human and not a male. What I needed was the pepper spray tucked away in my purse.
I elbowed Lucy in the side and edged my way past her. She let out a groan behind me as I stepped into the hallway. If I could get to my window and scream for help, maybe. Then suddenly, I was yanked backward by the skirt of my dress. I fell onto the floor as something ripped at my waistline. My fingers broke open with talons, and I clawed my way across the carpet.
A guy grunted behind me, as someone held onto my dress. Then hands latched onto my ankle, and I kicked.
Pulling harder, I tried not to think about all the hard work Seamstress Wynie had done, as my skirt tore free from my bodice. I crawled forward, finally making it to my room when hands cinched around my waist.
“Oh no you don’t, Princess.”
I screamed, flailing my arms, but they suddenly felt like strings. His rough hands flipped me over onto my back. Mr. White Van leered down at me with a sick and twisted smile, then his face blurred and weaved around in my vision.
“Just hold still, Princess,” he said with excitement. “It’ll all be over soon.”
I fought to keep my eyes open, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t. Then, I felt myself being lifted, and I floated off into nothingness.
THIRTY-EIGHT – FIN – June 11 – 12:55 p.m.
My heart pounded in anticipation as I waited on the dock for things to start. Mer after mer had poured in from my parents’ house, bright-eyed and smiling, like our wedding was the perfect distraction after Merric’s death.
“You look great, Son.” Mom kissed each cheek.
Dad stood alongside her. “We’re so happy to add Ash to our family today. I’m proud of all your hard work with the cottage and handling the situation.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I grinned, but I hadn’t exactly handled everything with ARC, though we’d been on the lookout.
I couldn’t stop my nerves, though. How was Ash handling all of this? Badger had taken my phone when I tried to call her earlier, and threatened to throw it in the lake.
“That’s cheatin’,” he’d told me.
I thought of last night, and how she’d surprised me with the Jeep. We, of course, had planned to wait until tonight to celebrate, but with the fight and the stolen moment alone, we didn’t have much self-control.
After that, Ash, Tatiana, Girra, and Galadriel stayed in the basement pool of my parents’ house as a final hurrah. I stayed in the lake — my last night having to sleep alone. I couldn’t wait until the moment I carried Ash over the threshold of our new home. So much love would be shared there, especially after our child was born.
Tatiana bustled over in her green dress, her hair a mess of jewelry and pearls. “You ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good.” She glanced up at Ash’s house, but with a floral barrier, neither of us could see the porch.
“I’m going to have them start the music. You seat the parents, then do as we practiced yesterday, okay?”
I nodded and followed her around the back of the audience. Once the music started, my nerves went into full gear. If only my Ginger Girl were here, then I knew they would fade. I just had to see her green eyes shining at me.
I proffered my arm, and Mom took it, clasping her hands around mine. “You’ll do fine.”
“I know.”
My feet felt like they barely touched the sand as I walked my mother down the aisle. All eyes were on me — hundreds of pairs, not only anxiously awaiting the ceremony, but curious to see what life was like interacting in the human world. Today marked a momentous feat — that we’d done so, and may others could join in and enjoy the same privileges.
Once Jax seated Ash’s mother and we took center stage, the audience turned. Girra started first, followed by Galadriel, then Georgia. After the fiasco with Nicole yesterday, Tatiana decided against her attending, and she walked down alone — eyes trained on Jacob. Lucy appeared at the back of the audience, a catlike smile on her face. Once she made it to the front with the rest of us, the music changed and my heart began to pound.
I held my breath and waited, watching to capture this moment in my mind forever. But Ash didn’t appear. After ten long seconds passed, she still didn’t appear.
“Where is she?” I heard Tatiana say between her teeth.
“She was right behind me,” Lucy said softly, lips unmoving. “I don’t know.”
After thirty seconds, Tatiana left her spot and rushed down the aisle. The audience broke out in a hush of whispers, then I heard my sister gasp. The top of her blonde head bobbed along the walkway, headed toward the house. She threw open the front door, calling Ash’s name.
The DJ stopped the music, and the audience’s voices grew louder. Some stood to try and see over the fabric wall.
“Stay seated,” Oberon said calmly. “We’ll start the ceremony in a few moments.” He leaned in and whispered to me. “Go find your bride.”
I walked firmly down the aisle, terrified she’d gotten cold feet or was mad at me again, and then marched up the walkway to the Lanski’s house.
“Fin,” Dad called behind me. “What’s going on?”
I quickly glanced over my shoulder before heading inside. “I don’t know.”
Tatiana came down the stairs toward me. “She’s not here!”
“Where is she?” I looked around the living room and spotted the sliding glass door open. Behind the kitchen table, Bill was lying passed out on the floor.
I quickly checked that he had a pulse, then ran onto the back porch, and scanned the side yard, not seeing anything. “Ash?”
“What happened?” Bill groaned.
“We were hoping you’d be able to tell us,” Dad said.
The entire wedding party flooded into the tiny living space, everyone but Lucy.
“What’s going on, Fin?” Galadriel asked.
“Ash isn’t here.” I pushed past everyone to find the person who saw her last.
Audience members were now standing, and milling about the beach and walkway, asking questions. Ash’s sister stood off to the side, watching with a smirk on her face.
“Where is she?” I sang to her.
Lucy blinked at me, but her eyes didn’t lose its normal clarity like it should have with the song. “I don’t kno
w.”
“You were with her last.”
“Maybe she didn’t want to marry you.”
My hand formed into a fist. Who had mer-mojoed her back into her snarky self? Then the horror hit, and I grabbed her hand to confirm she didn’t have the promising tattoo, not finding anything.
She yanked her hand away. “I beg your pardon.”
Then her eyes lifted, finding someone in the audience.
I turned to see where her gaze landed, spotting Colin. He cocked his head to the side, his lips holding a knowing sneer. I charged him and pummeled my fist into his jaw. We collapsed into a group of guests. Garnet shrieked, screaming for her mother, as Lucy screeched behind me to stop.
Blood spewed from Colin’s split lip. The women nearby started to squawk, backing away. Colin picked himself up and prepared himself to hit me when I grabbed his collar. “Where is she?”
“How the heck am I supposed to know?”
“Out of my way!” Desirée barked. The sea of mers parted. “What is going on here?”
“Ash is missing,” I said, dropping Colin and straightening my jacket. “And he did something to Lucy to cover it up.”
“I did not!”
Desirée lifted her chin. “Or maybe she’s changed her mind.”
I curled my fingers into a fist, not caring that she was the Chancellor pro-tem until the people had a chance to vote, or not. “She didn’t.”
“Silence!” Desirée barked, and the mers around us stopped talking. “I can’t hear myself think. Now, Finley, why do you suspect Colin has something to do with this?”
I clenched my jaw. Blaming Colin was far easier than telling Desirée Ash’s life had been threatened by the ARC, especially after we’d sworn over and over that we had control of our secret on land.
“Because Colin took Lucy aside and sang Poseidon knows what at the graduation party.”
“Son.” Dad came up behind me and put his arm on my shoulder. “Let’s talk.”
“What is the meaning of this?” Desirée asked him.
“Fin!” Tatiana ran up to me crying. In her hand was a bunch of white fabric. “It’s the skirt from Ash’s dress. I found it in the closet. It’s been completely ripped off! She’s been kidnapped!”
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