Evergreen (Mer Tales, Book 2)

by Pandos, Brenda

  “Geez, Mom. Hold on, will ya?” I barely made it to my feet before she pushed opened the door the rest of the way.

  “What are you doing? We’ve been waiting for you.” Her eyes were frantic, searching for what could possibly have delayed me. “You’re not even changed yet. What’s taking you so long?” She zeroed in on the phone. I tucked it in my kangaroo pouch.

  “Sorry. I needed to make a call. I’m coming.”

  She held her hand out, palm up and combed her fingers forward. “Give it to me.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Your sister said you made her walk across the parking lot in the snow this morning and she ruined her new Toms, and now you’re being rude to our guest. Phone. Please.”

  That little snitch.

  “Did she mention she used all the hot water, too? And that she almost made me late this morning?”

  Mom’s eyes narrowed. “No… I’ll have a talk with her about that. She shouldn’t have worn those shoes in the first place, but I still want your phone, at least for the evening.”

  I pursed my lips. Like she’d ever enforce punishment on her lovely Lucy. I wanted to scream.

  “Ashlyn, I don’t have time for this.”

  Reluctantly, I gave her the phone. “Can I have it back later?”

  “If things go well tonight, we’ll see.”

  My mouth snapped shut as a snide remark bounced on my tongue.

  “I’m sorry,” I squeaked out, hoping it would help.

  Her face remained stern as she tucked the phone into her apron pocket and exited into the hall. “I know you miss Fin, but that doesn’t mean you can sulk around here and ruin the atmosphere for everyone else. Colin is a nice boy and I’d like you to get to know him, so… let’s put on a smile, okay?”

  I sighed. Little did she know the depths of persuasion Colin had used on her. She’d never be like this with any other boy stalking me. I gulped down my pride and followed, dragging my feet. At the bottom of the stairs, Colin stood with my sister at his side, both of them smug as a catfish. Hot anger pulsed in my veins. Never before had I desired to punch someone as I did now. If it weren’t for the fact I’d never see my phone again, I would have.

  Mom let out a cleansing breath. “I apologize, Colin. Here’s our swim champion.” She rubbed my back in glee before ushering everyone into the formal dining room. “Let’s all sit down and eat.”

  Colin’s eyes twinkled, his swagger even more pronounced than before. The biggest secret I’d managed to keep from him was out in the open, and for that, I wondered why he didn’t just mer mojo everyone, throw me over his shoulder, and cart me off now and forgo the pretenses of dinner.

  But he didn’t. He just smiled at me, like he enjoyed watching me squirm.

  19

  :::

  FIN

  Monday before sunset, April 18th

  Only an hour remained before sunset and everyone lounged in the living area, still wearing street clothes and snacking on fried fish and chips. Seemed ironic they’d prefer to eat cooked food and wait ‘til the last minute to get to sea.

  I walked past them with a huge smile on my face. The cellphone store had called right after I hung up with Ash. They had a waterproof case in stock after all. I couldn’t wait to get it so I could call Ash tonight and surprise her.

  “I’ll be back,” I said as I palmed the keys off the kitchen island.

  Dad looked up from his paper, startled. “What?”

  “I have a quick errand to run.”

  “Son, it’s almost sunset,” Mom said sternly from the kitchen. “Whatever it is, it can wait.”

  “I’m going to the cell store on the corner and I’ll be back in ten.”

  “Fin—” Dad started.

  But I knew what he was going to say, a big lecture on taking chances. Blah blah blah. I was only going to be gone for a minute. “I’m running out of time. I need to go now.”

  Dad stood up. “Let’s talk outside.”

  I smirked. Just like Dad to verbally tear me limb from limb out of hearing distance of the rest of the mer. He couldn’t risk tainting his perfect fatherly image. But I was ready for this. We’d gone for days without talking, and I was done. He needed to forgive me already.

  Once outside, I turned to argue.

  Dad held up his hand. “I want to apologize.”

  “You do?”

  Expressionless, he turned toward the water. “I feel bad about how I behaved and I’ve decided what happened was just as much my fault as yours. Taking the family across country and pushing our limits like that was risky. Any of us could have finned out accidentally. We’re lucky you’re still mer, and alive! And I’ve been an ass, so….”

  I narrowed my eyes for a moment. Then he hugged me.

  “I’m sorry, too, Dad.”

  He grunted. “Now go get that case—that’s what you’re getting, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said and took off running. The store was only two blocks away. Within minutes, I had my phone securely in the case and was back in the Jeep ready to roll. I turned the key, knowing I had plenty of time to spare. But the engine turned over without catching.

  Panic set in. The coast was within walking distance, but that meant either streaking across the beach, or wrecking another pair of jeans.

  “Please, sweet Poseidon,” I begged and turned the ignition again.

  The Jeep wouldn’t start, taunting me. I smashed my fist into the steering wheel.

  “Come on!” I yelled. “Can’t I catch a break?”

  I turned one last time and the engine sputtered to life with a loud bang. I gassed her good before throwing the shifter into reverse.

  “Just take me home, girl.”

  I cruised down the streets, keeping a steady speed. When the house came into view, I sighed in relief. I knew my reaction to simple car trouble was totally ridiculous, but because Dad and I smoothed things over, it was critical I didn’t screw up. I let out a victory whoop once I parked next to the RV in the driveway. A dying breath of smoke coughed out of the tail pipe right when I killed the engine.

  “Thank you.” I petted the dash.

  I’d expected to see the group headed for sea, given we had thirty minutes to spare, when a naked guy limped from the water. After he entered the house, I heard a scream.

  Dad ran outside toward me.

  “Come on, Son,” he said out of breath. “We need your help.”

  He rummaged through the cabinets inside the RV and grabbed a jar of something.

  “Why, who is that?”

  “It’s Ferdinand,” he said over his shoulder as he ran back inside.

  I entered the doorway. The naked guy lay sprawled out on the dining table, his legs dangling off the end and resting on a chair. Gashes covered his chest and arms, but thankfully, they’d covered his groin with a towel. Dad dumped the contents of the jar into a mug and fed Ferdinand the liquid.

  Ferdinand moaned in Natatorian as he thrashed around. Scales still covered the bulk of his bare legs and he had webbed feet.

  Hans held him down to keep him from rolling off. “Shhh, son. Just lay still and drink the tea.”

  “Get another towel.” Sissy flailed her arms for someone to move faster. “I need to stop this bleeding.” Mom handed Sissy a towel and she pressed it into his chest and arms.

  He moaned louder.

  “He’s going to die if we don’t help this heal.” Sissy wiped the sweat off her brow. “And before the sun sets.”

  Dad took a knife and slit his hand open. He squeezed his blood into the gashes on Ferdinand’s torso.

  Galadriel appeared at my side, dressed in her bikini top and skirt—ready to go to the water. She watched with a mixture of sadness and relief. Did she not care that this man was most likely tortured at the hands of Natatorians, by the father she hated?

  She reached around me and closed the front door. “We don’t need the neighbors calling the police.” She winked.

  Ferdinand thrashed around on th
e table. Galadriel winced. Dad hoisted Ferdinand up as they slid another towel under his head. Mom continued to feed him more special tea, insisting it worked in the past for me.

  “Hmmm.” Galadriel watched with intrigue. “Where’d your mom get the tea?”

  I held up my hand to show the scars encircling my wrist.

  “Oh.” She raised her brow. “You know more than my father realizes. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but if the herbs don’t work, then they’ll need to use essence. That’s the only thing that’ll work against the poison.”

  “What do you mean? What poison?”

  Galadriel tisked. “Those cuts on his legs and chest are what’s causing the problem. Won’t heal otherwise. He was most definitely trying to escape Natatoria.”

  My heart hammered, not only because of the implications of what she said about Natatoria, but also about the essence. She had to be wrong. We only had one vial left and that was for Ash. I moved closer to see if they could revive him without it—they had to.

  “These cuts should be healing.” Sissy rubbed the blood between her fingers, inspecting it. “There’s something on the wounds. It’s gummy almost, and tinted iridescent green.”

  Dad grimaced. “It can’t be—”

  “I knew it.” Galadriel nudged me in the side. “It’s cassava cyanide. Go tell your daddy to use the essence.”

  My feet wouldn’t move. I couldn’t accept her lies. He was mer. He’d heal. We all healed, eventually.

  “You don’t think they’re using a different poison, do you?” Mom asked, studying the empty remains in the mug.

  “What? No.” Sissy brought her hand to her lips. “What would it be? They’ve outlawed the use of—no!”

  Ferdinand’s eyes rolled into his head as he convulsed for a brief second, then stopped struggling.

  “This is savagery. He’s only just a boy,” Sissy cried. “Quick, Hans. Do something.”

  A boy? He looked roughly 22 or 23. Older than me .

  “Tell them,” Galadriel whispered. “Or do you not believe me? Or—” she smiled evilly.

  “It’s a message from the King,” Hans said grimly. “We either turn ourselves in, or he’ll continue to torture and kill the people we care about.”

  Mom gasped and clutched Dad’s arm. “Tatiana?”

  “No.” Dad’s eyebrows pushed together. “Azor loves Tatiana and she’s the future Queen. The King wouldn’t do anything that drastic, especially against his son. He cares too much about what the mer see. His style is to frame people or make tragedies look like accidents. He’ll go after the beta-mers first, like Badger.”

  Sissy turned to Hans, tears in her eyes. “We’re losing him.”

  I held onto the doorframe for support. The essence was the last we had, the small bit needed for Ash to convert. And now we needed it more than ever. If the situation in Natatoria was this dire, I wasn't going to Natatoria without her. I couldn’t. What if we were eternally separated at the enjoyment of a psychotic king?

  “Your mermaid or Ferdinand’s life,” Galadriel whispered in my ear. “Your choice.”

  “Shut up!” I yelled as I balled up my fist.

  Dad appeared by my side and caught me before I had a chance to hit her in the face. “What’s this all about?”

  I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe.

  Galadriel stepped forward. “Give Ferd the essence. It’s the only thing that’ll heal him against the cassava. And hurry, or we’ll all be dragging ourselves down the beach instead of walking.”

  I wanted to tell everyone that Galadriel was lying, but Mom handed over her necklace anyway. I watched Sissy uncork the vial and pour the contents into Ferdinand’s gaping mouth. At first he didn’t respond, then he gurgled and swallowed. Within seconds the color returned to his face and the scales disappeared.

  Sissy exhaled with a relieved chuckle and hugged onto Ferdinand’s neck once he opened his eyes. “Oh, praise Poseidon.”

  The group collectively sighed—everyone but me. Every horror imaginable flashed through my head, including spending eternity locked up in Azor’s cell as the sharks swam by.

  Ferdinand’s crisis was over and mine had just begun. The endless supply of essence was in Natatoria and if I ever wanted Ash to become a mer, I’d have to go into the warzone for more. My plans collapsed around me.

  Dad pulled my arm. “Let’s go outside, Son.”

  I stormed through the open door, one Galadriel had just escaped through, and yanked out a painted rock stuck in the cement along the walkway with inhuman force. Temptation to chuck it at Galadriel gripped me. Instead I lobbed it over her head and watched it land in front of her.

  She turned in horror and stuck out her tongue.

  “Fin!” Dad grabbed my outstretched arm. “Control yourself.”

  I yanked it from his grasp. “I’m not going to control myself. Galadriel lied. And now Mom allowed the last of the essence to be used, for what? He would have healed.”

  “The poison would have killed him.”

  “What poison?”

  “Cassava. I remember hearing of its use a long time ago on nets to prevent mer’s from trying to escape Natatoria. Essence back then was also very limited and the only cure.”

  I scrubbed my hand through my hair, tempted to say numerous evil things I really didn’t feel. I wouldn’t have wanted Ferdinand to die, but why didn’t we hoard more. Emergencies happened all the time.

  “We can get more, Son.”

  “How? Natatoria is a war zone and Tatiana is in the middle of it. If they’re using biological weapons designed to kill and possibly shackling everyone in bracelets down there, we’ll be trapped. Why didn’t Ferdinand bring any back with him?”

  “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out when he comes to. Hopefully he can tell us what’s going on as well.”

  “Otherwise it would have been for nothing.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

  Dad looked at me hard. “So we should have hoped he lived?”

  I gulped down my pride and looked away, unable to answer.

  “I know you’re better than this, Son. You’re under duress from the promise so I’m going to let this slide. But Ash’s essence saved a life today.” Dad squared his shoulders. “So, I advise you to check yourself and let this go.”

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll meet you in the water.”

  I stormed down the beach to the dock. Galadriel was already in the water, her silver tail reflecting in the setting sun.

  She had better keep her distance. At this point I hated everyone and every thing.

  “F-f-fin,” Galadriel crowed. “Don’t be such a wet blanket.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Ferdinand better know something, or I’m really going to be pissed.”

  She burst into laughter, spitting water out of her mouth before diving under. She knew something I didn’t, and chances were once I found out, I wouldn’t be laughing along with her.

  I stripped off my jeans, and dove into the water in my boxers.

  20

  :::

  ASH

  Monday before sunset, April 18th

  Instead of our typical buffet from the pans on the stove, Mom had the formal dining room table set with china and candles. As we passed the pot roast and mashed potatoes in fancy bowls, I withheld my snort as Colin attempted to use his hands instead of the utensils. Of course, during the blessing, he was overjoyed to hold my hand, but confused about why we were closing our eyes. Afterward, I scooted my chair as far over as possible—straddling the table leg—to put ample distance between us. I didn’t want any part of my body touching him, or within his reach.

  “So, Colin,” Mom said sweetly, “what are your college plans?”

  Colin frowned for a moment, before fisting his fork and stabbing a hunk of beef. “I’m not sure yet.”

  “So, you’re just visiting?”

  “No,” he said. “My dad and I moved here, actually.”

  So Mr. White Beard was
Colin’s dad. Interesting. But they sure as heck didn’t deserve to live there. I huffed under my breath. Mom noticed and shot me a glare.

  “So are you homeschooled, too?” she asked, keeping an eye on me.

  “Uh, don’t think so,” he said as he chomped off a big bite.

  I snorted again. Brilliant answer, fish-face. Mom nudged my foot under the table.