Mr. Havelock looks gratified and lifts his head even higher. “Just knowing that we have your illustrious family on our side will help fortify us,” he says grandiosely. “And knowing my Melusine has new friends makes me feel that I made the right decision in coming here.” He looks at Caspian and me, and I get the feeling I’m being manipulated.
“Melusine, why don’t you go get to know Aurelia and Caspian better while my husband and I show your father around? I’m sure that will be more enjoyable for you than endless introductions to Merfolk twice your age.” My mother’s eyes twinkle with sincerity, and I surge with the familiar sense of pride I get watching her handle social situations with so much grace. Did it skip a generation?
After some brief, “Pleasure to meet yous” all around, Caspian and I lead Melusine to a side room that’s less crowded and up to an empty table. Most of the Mer our age have found their way here, and the atmosphere is more relaxed.
“I’ll go get us all some seaberry punch,” Caspian says. I want to think of an excuse to go with him, but that would be crazy rude. So, here I am. Alone with Melusine.
“I can’t believe I didn’t know you were a Mermaid,” I say, voicing the thought that’s been racing in repeated laps around my mind.
“I know. You looked floored,” she replies in a syrupy sweet voice. She doesn’t have a trace of her father’s Mermese accent. She must have worked hard to get rid of it before coming on land.
“Did you know? About me, I mean? Because it’s been like, weeks since you started school, and you never said anything.” I keep my tone light, non-accusatory, but I can’t help thinking how strange it is. Had she been purposely trying to trick me? And, if she had, why?
“I wanted time to explore on my own. I’ve heard so many conflicting ideas about humans and their world. I knew the moment I revealed myself to you, you’d go out of your way to be my welcoming committee—show me things and explain things. I wanted to draw my own conclusions first, without anyone else’s influence.”
If I had been in Melusine’s place, I’d have wanted any help I could get. In fact, when I started at Malibu Hills Prep, I bombarded the twins with an endless list of questions. I hate to admit it, but Melusine’s determination to try things out on her own is kind of … brave.
“Wasn’t that difficult? How have you even been able to maintain your legs for so long so quickly?”
“Nothing’s quite as … inspiring as a challenge. I practiced for months before we surfaced.”
“You mean you can keep your legs in water?” Awe creeps into my voice.
“Here you go, ladies,” Caspian says, returning with our drinks.
“We were just talking about why Melusine didn’t tell me she was Mer before tonight,” I fill him in.
“Isn’t it such a fun surprise?” she asks.
I’m not really the type who likes surprises. Okay, surprise presents or baked goods are welcome, but I’m a make-a-plan-and-stick-to-it type of girl, so I don’t like to be caught off guard. Still, it’s not like Melusine could have known that. Maybe it’s time I stop hating her on principle and try to get to know her. After all, she’s left everything she knows and moved to a foreign place. It’s gotta be really hard for her.
“So, Melusine, Lia tells me you have a boyfriend at your school,” Caspian says, concern evident in his rich baritone. Leave it to Caspian to face the seriousness of a situation head on.
“His name’s Clay. We instantly connected.”
And just like that, I hate her again. I haven’t spent a year keeping Clay at tail’s length just so he could date another Mer. I’ve put my duty to the Community first, and she needs to, too.
“You know how dangerous that is, right? For all of us?” This time, I don’t care if I sound accusatory.
“Relax,” Melusine says, sounding far too calm for my taste. “I’m not putting anyone in danger.”
“Lia’s worry is understandable,” Caspian says. “There are reasons the parents up here don’t let their kids date humans. I’ve only just met you, and I’m sorry if I’m overswimming here, but if this guy … What’s his name? Ray?”
“Clay,” Melusine and I both correct at the same moment.
“Clay. If Clay ever finds out what you are—”
“Not a chance. Maybe some people have trouble maintaining their legs,” she shoots me an appraising look and I don’t like how self-conscious it makes me, “but I have excellent self-control.”
“And your father hasn’t found out?” Caspian hedges.
“Daddy knows!”
“He knows you’re with a human?” I sputter.
“Are you kidding? He’s thrilled. I guess he thinks it’ll help people realize we’re not udell like the rest of our family. Daddy trusts me.”
Her dad approves? My life is so totally unfair. My parents are all for assimilation, but they’d never let me be in a relationship with a human. Even if you forget the risk of exposure, the emotional risk is astronomical.
I mean, talk about heartbreak. It’s not like we could ever be married—try hiding a tail from someone you live with. No matter how much self-control I had, that would be impossible. It’s not like any of us can maintain legs while we sleep. See, that’s the real reason the Little Mermaid went to the Sea Sorceress. Humans have this part of the story so wrong. She didn’t go to the sorceress to get legs; she went to permanently banish her tail so she could ensure her precious prince never found out what she really was.
“You can’t possibly have a future with him. What’s the point?” I ask Mel.
“Please don’t tell me you’re one of those neo-romantic Mermaids who believes I should get married before I even go to college? I thought one of the reasons we moved up here was to learn how humans make the best of these pathetically short lives. A lot of humans don’t even think about marriage until their thirties.”
“I’m not talking about marriage. I just mean, if there’s not even the possibility you could stay with someone, be yourself with them, what kind of a relationship is that?”
“Gosh, Lia, how old are you? You do know we’re in high school, right? I’m just having a good time. The whole point of being young and living in the human world is so I can experience life before I wither and die.” She smiles and lets innuendo seep into her voice, “Clay is a fun guy to have those experiences with.”
I sit in stunned silence. I’m not a sheltered idiot; I know that dating around is normal. I don’t think the first boy I start a relationship with will be my one and only. I’m not Em. But isn’t it a waste of time to put in so much energy—to risk heartbreak—for something that could never last? That’s what I’ve always told myself, and that’s why I’ve followed my parents’ rules against dating humans.
I’m still thinking about it long after Melusine, her father, and all the other guests leave. I’m lying on the sea sponge bed in my downstairs bedroom, unable to turn off my thoughts. Maybe I’m wrong to take my parents’ rules so seriously. The twins don’t. Oh, they agree about not dating humans—all the guys they’ve ever been serious about have had tails. But they’ve each had human hookups at parties, and our parents have never known the difference. It was just never something I could picture myself trying. My parents have sacrificed so much to save us from the undersea wars and forge this life for us here. I don’t think they deserve to be lied to.
Have I made a mistake? Sure, Melusine can’t have a future with Clay, but she’s spent the last three weeks hanging out with him, laughing with him, kissing him. I could have done that. I could have gotten in a few glorious weeks of kissing Clay. What would it be like to be able to hold onto those strong arms, stare into those deep hazel eyes, kiss that full, smirky mouth? I could have had that. But even as I let myself enjoy the oh so sweet idea, I know it wouldn’t have been worth it. A few weeks with Clay and I’d have fallen—hard.
I should be happy his relationship with Melusine can’t last, but instead I’m worried that she
doesn’t seem to care about his feelings. I don’t want to see him get hurt. I snuggle deeper into my sea sponge, letting the layer of salt water cover me like a blanket. Clay’s a person, not a piece of eye candy. Or lip candy … yum. I lose myself in the fantasy, and my sleepy mind floats away. I might not be able to be with Clay in real life, but at least I can dream about him.
Chapter Four
You know how sometimes when you go to sleep with your head full of worries, you wake up with a fresh perspective and realize in the light of day that your overly tired brain was overreacting? This is not one of those mornings. The moment my eyes pop open, thoughts of Melusine and Clay consume me—and now, I’m officially angry.
By the time I walk up to the kitchen for breakfast, my temper boils right under the surface. Amy has already swum off to school using the tunnels, like she does every morning. It’s just Em, the twins, and my parents at the breakfast table as I slump into a chair.
“What’s swum up your butt?” Lapis asks.
“Language,” my mother scolds from across the table.
“Nothing,” I grumble as I grab a sprouted bagel. Like most Mer, I don’t do well with processed foods, but whole grains are safe. Usually, one of these bagels topped with as much salmon as I can pile on is my favorite breakfast; today I don’t have much of an appetite.
Lapis turns her attention to Em. “So, you talk to Leo last night?”
“Yes … we talked,” Em says, barely forcing out the words.
“What did you—”
“Just drop it. Please.” Em looks down and pokes at her salmon with her fork.
Concern paints my mother’s face.
My father claps his hands once, breaking the somber mood. “I thought the party last night went just swimmingly. Pun intended!”
“We certainly had fun,” Lazuli comments. The sly look she shares with Lapis proves the two of them definitely got up to something.
“You girls must all be excited to go to school today, what with another Mer in your midst,” my dad says.
“Oh, yeah. Lia, did you know that Melusine chick was a Mermaid?” Lapis questions.
“Nope,” I say, my annoyance obvious.
“I want you girls to be welcoming,” my mother says as she sips her sugar kelp tea. Especially you, Aurelia, since the two of you are in the same grade. Do you have classes together?”
“Unfortunately.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t like her.”
“Why ever not?”
“Her boyfriend’s a human!” I shout. There. I wait for my mother’s reaction. Maybe she’ll be so freaked she’ll get the Foundation to put a stop to it.
“Yes, her father told us.” My mother’s voice is way too calm, and my father just nods solemnly.
“Well? Can’t you do something? Order an injunction or—”
“Aurelia! We’re not dictators. You know very well that the Foundation’s job is to keep the peace, not limit anyone’s freedom. Now, I wholeheartedly agree that it’s not proper parenting … ”
“But we all came up here to raise our children the way we see fit, Lia,” my dad says, covering my mom’s hand with his. “Filius assured us that Melusine has a particularly strong hold on her legs and that he supervises her with the boy regularly. We may not agree with it, but she’s his daughter, and it’s his choice.”
“At least it will prove to the community they’re not udell. That’ll be a help. We can’t have anyone thinking prejudice against mortals is acceptable,” my mother finishes. They both look at me like they expect me to understand.
“So, that’s it? You’ve lectured us for years on the dangers of getting ‘romantically entangled,’” I purposely use their own words, “with humans, and you’re just going to let Melusine do whatever she wants?”
“Melusine is not our responsibility the way you and your sisters are.” My mother’s tone grows firm. “No matter what Mr. Havelock lets his daughter do, we expect you to continue living by the rules we’ve set down. They exist to protect you.”
“And we’re very proud of the choices all you girls have made.” My father’s smile is genuine.
“This is way too much lecture for me to handle before 7:15,” Lazuli says as she and Lapis rise from the table. “Lia, we’ll meet you at the car.”
Once my parents and I are alone, my mother comes and sits next to me. “I can tell you’re angry at this girl, but her father promises he won’t let her put any of us at risk.” I plaster on a comforted expression. If my mom knew I’m more angry about who Melusine’s dating than the consequences it could have on the Community, she’d flip a fin. “I want you to think about what a hard time she must be having. You know, her mother was killed in an uprising earlier this year.”
The news sinks into my bones. I knew her mother was dead, but I hadn’t realized it was so recent or that it had been violent. I’m lucky that, living on land, none of my immediate family has fallen victim to the wars. My anger fizzles.
“Imagine how hard it must be to come up here to a whole new place and know no one. Try to reach out to her, okay, kiddo? I bet she needs a friend.” My father’s eyes are beseeching. With a sigh, I nod. “That’s my girl,” he says, and my mother squeezes my hand.
Great. Now I’ll have to be nice to her. My parents don’t ask very much of me, like ever. They saved me from a life in a warzone, they created an entire Foundation to secure my future, they spend a small fortune sending me to a school I really like, and they don’t limit my shopping budget. “Don’t date humans” is one of their only strict rules. Now that they’ve asked me to be friends with Melusine, I don’t have much of a choice. They deserve that much from me. Plus, maybe if I’m nice to her, I can convince her seeing Clay’s a bad idea.
The twins and I get to school early, and when I enter the main hallway, Melusine stands alone by her locker. I take a deep breath. I’d better try this before I lose my nerve.
Yes, a part of me wants to unleash my girl-claws and rip her to shreds, but another part of me knows it’s totally irrational to hate her just because she gets to have hot make out sessions with the guy I like. I’ve chosen not to risk being with Clay, and now I have to act like someone way more mature and live with that choice. We all need to stick together up here, and that means it’s my job to be the bigger Mermaid and reach out to her.
I walk up to her locker. “Hey.” I hope I sound natural. “I’m glad you came last night.”
“Are you?” Her gaze is calculating, like she’s appraising me again. I don’t like it.
“Sure. Um, my sisters and I sometimes grab sushi together after school. We’re going today and I thought maybe you’d like to come.” I rush through the invitation before I can talk myself out of it. She’s new. She has no friends. She needs this.
“No, thanks,” Melusine replies coolly, shutting her locker.
“Oh, well, maybe another day this week?” I should be glad she’s said no and drop it, but I can’t forget my promise to my parents.
“Look, Lia, I know you’re only trying to be besties because your parents told you to be nice to me.”
“That’s not true,” I insist. We both know it’s a fat lie.
“I’ve been at this school for three weeks, and you didn’t say so much as hello to me until last night at the party.”
“I’m sorry. I—”
“Save it. I can survive without your friendship. I’m used to being on my own.” She turns and stalks past me down the hallway. Does that mean I’m off the hook?
As soon as the bell rings, I have more to worry about than Melusine’s determination to be a loner. I hate having P.E. first period.
It would be an overstatement to say I’m as excited as Kelsey to start self-defense, but no matter how brainless a teacher Coach Crane is, I figure since the subject is new for everyone, we’ll start with some light punches and blocks. That, I can handle.
When I
walk out of the locker room in my P.E. uniform and enter the gym, one look at the coach tells me I’m wrong. Her thick muscles are covered by even thicker padding strapped to her arms, legs, and torso. This is a woman who didn’t even bother to wear a helmet when she taught us lacrosse. The fact that she feels the need for so much protective gear does not bode well for the safety level of today’s activities.
“Gather up!” she calls as we make our way over to where she’s set up a whole patchwork of mats. “To start our study of self-defense, we’re going to test your instincts. You’ll come up one at a time and fight me. That way, I’ll get to see what your individual strengths and weaknesses are.”
“We’re not working on techniques first?” asks Hannah, a wide-eyed girl who looks as scared as I feel.
“I want you to see how you’d do if someone attacked you today. Hopefully that will motivate you to take this seriously.”
I know how I’d do if some psycho attacked me—I’d die. I don’t need to be beaten up by my P.E. coach to figure that out. What I do need to figure out is how I’ll get through this class with my still-shaky leg control. What if I get all twisted up in my own limbs and make a fool of myself? Epic flail. And the coach won’t make it easy. She still has it in for me because I refused to go swimming, and now she’ll have the opportunity to knock me unconscious.
She paces back and forth, the soles of her Skechers sinking into the mats with each step. “Now, for the men in the room, I want you to focus on punches. We’ll steer clear of the face for today, but feel free to hit me anywhere else—I’m wearing protection.” The few guys who snicker at the double meaning fall silent when she pins them with a death glare.
Punches. Okay, I can handle punches. I’ll plant my feet and try a few solid punches to her padded stomach. Maybe this won’t be so terrible.
“As for the women, the occasional punch is fine, but I want you to focus on kicks. A woman’s strength is in her lower body, and I want you to get used to taking advantage of it.”
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