Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings

by Helene Boudreau

  “Jade, sweetie.” He sighed. “I’ve worked as an engineer long enough to know that the scientific community would be all over you if they found out. They’d want to explore this phenomenon fully and I’m not ready for that to happen.”

  My jaw dropped. “Like experiments and lab tests?” A ripple of dread ran through me. Could it be true? Would scientists want to poke and prod at me like some kind of lab rat?

  “Maybe. Let’s just give this a bit more time before we decide who to confide in. But it’s important that you don’t tell anyone for now. Not Cori, not your other friends, not even Gran. Please, Jade. You have to promise.”

  Finally, I could read the expression on Dad’s face. It was the same one he’d had when Mom slipped underwater that day at Gran’s cottage the summer before. The day both our lives changed forever.

  Dad was terrified. And so was I.

  “I promise,” I whispered.

  The reality of the situation slammed into me. This huge, unbelievable thing that had happened could turn into something even more bizarre and horrible if I didn’t keep my mouth shut.

  “And please,” Dad continued, “if anything’s bothering you, please talk to me. I’ll help any way I can.”

  Something had nagged at me ever since Dad admitted Mom’s real identity to me.

  “I do have one more question.” My voice was barely a whisper.

  “What’s that?”

  “Well, if Mom was once a mermaid…how could she have drowned?”

  “Ah, honey.” Dad closed his eyes. “That’s a question I’ve asked myself about a hundred million times.”

  Chapter Seven

  I MARCHED DOWN MAIN STREET on my way to Bridget’s Diner, my flip-flops flicking to the beat of the cheer-leading chant running through my head.

  You can do it.

  You can do it.

  Get on up.

  And get down to it…

  Not like I was trying out for the pep squad any time soon, but I needed to get my game face on if I wanted to get through lunch without spilling my guts. Dad was right; I couldn’t tell anyone what had happened. Not that I didn’t trust Cori, but if this secret ever got out, it could change my life forever.

  The storefront windows blurred past as I kept my focus straight ahead. A town maintenance guy was watering the flowers, but he stepped off the sidewalk to let me pass. The mounting tempo of my flip-flops must have tipped him off. He obviously recognized a girl on a mission.

  I stopped on the bridge at the boat lock to gather my thoughts and gazed down the mile-long canal from the lake to the ocean, welcoming the warm June sun on my legs.

  Ah, legs! Standing upright was highly underrated.

  The good news was that I’d had legs for four days so far and my first period was now behind me. I’d even managed a couple of showers in the meantime. Dad had waited by the bathroom door, just in case, but I’d been fine. No scales, no fins. Not a gill in sight.

  So what was the difference between the shower and the bath? Did a mermaid gene get tripped off when I slipped underwater in the tub? Did it have anything to do with the fact I’d just gotten my first period? Or maybe the Epsom salt triggered something. Dad and I went around and around in circles, trying to figure it out. One thing was for sure: I planned on laying off the Epsom salt even if it was the miracle cure for cramps.

  I leaned against the bridge’s railing and stared into the water. Weird. The ringing in my ears was back. I guess I should have listened to Dad all those times he’d told me to turn down the volume on my MP3 player.

  A lungful of ocean air cleared my head. Okay, no use stalling anymore. I stepped off the bridge and headed to Bridget’s Diner.

  I could do this. It was just lunch. I excelled at lunch. The waffle fries alone were motivation enough to pull me through.

  “Ja…” The ringing in my ears changed and I thought I heard my name.

  Was it Cori? Was she running late? I looked up the street.

  No. Nobody there.

  Huh. Well, there was nothing stopping me now. Besides, I’d been stuck in the house long enough. Lunch at Bridget’s was just what I needed. I was actually feeling pretty good by the time I stomped up the front steps of the diner.

  Until some idiot slammed into me as I reached for the door.

  “Hey, watch it!” I yelled.

  “Oh, sorry.”

  My cheeks went from chilled to grilled in about 0.7 seconds when I realized who it was.

  “Luke!”

  Note to self: refresh supply of moron sticks.

  “Jade!” He dropped his skateboard. Right on my toe.

  “Sugarplum! Fiddlesticks! Pickle juice!” I channeled all of Gran’s semi-satisfying phony curse words to take the edge off the crushing pain.

  “Oh, crap!” Luke kneeled to pick up his skateboard and hesitated.

  I looked down and cringed. That tail transformation had done a number on my toe nail polish, judging by the Cotton Candy Pink hanging off my nails in chipped bits. And where the heck was my toe ring, anyway?

  “I’m so sorry. I, uh…” Luke stood, no doubt stunned by the shocking state of my feet. He hugged his skateboard to his chest to let me by.

  “No, no, really, it was my fault,” I stammered. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Dissecting the evidence, that was probably closest to the truth.

  “Well, I’ll own up to the broken toe.” Luke held the door for me. “So let’s call it even?”

  Then, he did it. He smiled that adorable, beaming smile, turning my brain to goo.

  “Uh…y’um.” Geesh! They really should invent a brain implant with a drop-down menu of witty comebacks because right then, I had nothing.

  “You going in?” Luke asked, still holding the door.

  I worked to engage my gross motor skills, which must have looked strange, because Cori and Lainey glanced up from their booth and stared at me, wide-eyed. I turned to Luke once we were inside the diner.

  “Me. Thank you.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I gave myself twenty mental lashings.

  Pronouns. Must grasp correct use of pronouns.

  “You. Welcome,” Luke said in his best robotic voice.

  I snorted. Not the cute little sniffle-snort Lainey was so good at, but at that point, it didn’t seem to matter.

  “Oh, and sorry about that ‘crap’ thing,” he continued.

  “Next time, try pickle juice. It’s surprisingly satisfying.”

  Luke pressed his lips together in a curvy, trying-not-to-laugh smile.

  “What?” I asked.

  “It’s just…” A chuckle escaped from his lips. “Don’t take this the wrong way…”

  I put a hand on my hip. “Spit it out.”

  Luke looked at me and seemed to consider what to say. “You’re…just different from the last time I remember you.”

  “Likewise.” Ha! Give him a taste of his own medicine.

  “Is that good, bad, or indifferent?” he asked.

  “I haven’t decided yet.” I smirked.

  Luke laughed. “I guess I deserved that.” He waved and continued to the counter to chat with his grandfather, Shaky Eddie, before joining his brother at the booth in the front.

  Okay. So maybe Luke wasn’t the evil sixth grader I remembered. Even though I was sure I hadn’t managed to wow him with my conversational skills, at least he didn’t seem to be carrying a grudge over the spin-the-bottle incident. And as long as the Scissor Lips nickname was behind us, maybe it was time for me to bury the hatchet too.

  I was still smiling when I slid into Cori and Lainey’s booth. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “What was all that about?” Cori whispered.

  “You mean Luke?” I jabbed my thumb in his direction.

  “Shh, they’ll hear us.” She poked her head past me. I turned to see what she was looking at. Aha. Luke’s older brother sat with his back to the window. He played with a paper-covered straw, his arm draped over the back of the seat.

&nb
sp; “Still scoping out Trey, huh?” I nudged her.

  Cori blushed and smiled. She turned to her sketchbook and concentrated on shading in the design she’d been working on all spring. A dress. Asymmetric, off the shoulder, and quirky. Just like her.

  Lainey pinched her mouth in a sour expression, marring her otherwise perfect face.

  “And since when did you become so buddy-buddy with Luke?” The dripping sarcasm in Lainey’s voice had me staring back at her, unblinking, for a full three seconds.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It just looked like you two were having a bit of a moment over there.”

  “I nearly ran the guy over if that’s what you mean. We were just laughing about it.”

  What the heck was her problem?

  “Oh!” Lainey giggled. She turned to flash her Crest Whitening Strip–enhanced smile Luke’s way. “Well, that makes sense.”

  I rewound the last three minutes in my head. How had it seemed to Lainey and Cori, seeing me at the door with Luke like that? Had Lainey actually been jealous? That was a laugh.

  I examined the evidence.

  Lainey Chamberlain: designer jeans, way-too-cute spaghetti strap tank top, perfectly accessorized, with killer highlights.

  Me: scruffy jean skirt, uppermost T-shirt from my teetering pile, and a threadbare hoodie.

  Yeah. No wonder Lainey was quaking in her Jimmy Choo knockoffs. As if.

  “You gonna have anything?” Cori looked up from her sketchbook. “We already ate.”

  “Thinking about it.” I was grateful for the change of subject. Plus, ever since Cori mentioned the Bridget Burger on the phone, I’d been daydreaming about how many toppings I could get before Bridget started charging me extra. “Are you sticking around for a bit?”

  “We’ll hang out till you’re done. Right, Lainey?”

  “What? Oh, Cori!” Lainey tore her eyes away from the window booth for a quarter of a second, then went back to her ogling. “Maybe you can invite Luke and Trey to your pool party.”

  Whether Luke was buying the serious case of eye batting Lainey was aiming at him or not, I couldn’t tell with my back turned. Either way, I had an irresistible urge to reach over and pluck out her plum-tinted eyelashes, one by one, each time she glanced in his direction.

  “I’ll go order at the counter,” I muttered. Two more seconds of Lainey’s flirting and I couldn’t be responsible for my actions. I took myself over to the swiveling stools and leaned over the cool linoleum counter.

  “Hey there, Hurricane Jade.” Shaky Eddie looked over from his usual spot at the end of the counter, coffee in hand.

  I stared back at him, mouth open. How did he know I was named after a hurricane? I’d just found out a few days before.

  I waited for him to take a sip of his coffee.

  The mocha liquid quivered in Eddie’s cup as he brought it to his mouth with a trembling hand. Stories ran rampant about his mysterious past. Shell-shocked from a tour in the Gulf? A past career in jack hammering, maybe? From the amount of time he spent at Bridget’s counter, drinking coffee while he waited for boats to show up at the lock, I figured he was just a bit over his recommended daily allowance of caffeine.

  He put his mug down and swallowed noisily.

  “What did you just say?” I asked.

  Eddie just smiled. His hand made a rasping sound as he rubbed it over his whiskered face.

  “Did you just call me Hurricane Jade?” I continued.

  “You always did blow through here like a wind storm.” Eddie chuckled.

  “Oh.” So that’s what he’d meant. Nothing more. Or was it? Forget it, I told myself. This whole mermaid thing had me paranoid, big time.

  “What’s good today, Eddie?” I spun the little menu Rolodex and scanned the items.

  “Bridget’s got those chocolate Wigwags you like.” He nodded to the candy rack next to the till. “Or I hear the special’s good.”

  “You just read my mind.” It didn’t matter that “the special” was the same thing every day. Bridget Burger, waffle fries, and coleslaw (but hold the coleslaw if you want extra fries). I placed my order with Bridget and leaned back against the counter to wait.

  Cori and Lainey weren’t at the booth. I spotted them at the door, talking to Luke and Trey. Luke was smiling at something Lainey had just said.

  My heart did one of those inside-out numbers, like when you pull off a rubber glove and the fingers get turned the wrong way. What was that all about? I wondered. Twenty-four hours before, I thought Luke Martin was the biggest jerk in all of Port Toulouse. So, why did it feel like I just got kicked in the gut, seeing him with Lainey like that?

  Cori came over.

  “Hey, Luke and Trey are going over to the skate park. You wanna come?” She looked past my shoulder as Bridget set my food on the counter. “Oh, sorry, right.”

  A quick glance at Lainey, as she tossed her perfect hair over her slim shoulder, and I was reduced to the same self-doubt I’d been plagued with for my almost-fourteen years. Who was I kidding? Of course Luke would go for someone like Lainey. She waved her hand for Cori to come.

  “You guys go ahead. Maybe I’ll go find you once I’m done.”

  “You sure? I can wait,” Cori said. “Oh! Actually, I’ll let them know we’ll catch up with them later. That way, we can talk about that thing you mentioned on the phone.”

  Oh, you mean the fact that your best friend is a half-girl, half-mermaid circus freak?

  “Oh, that? It’s nothing. Seriously. We’ll talk later, okay?” I gave Cori a friendly push and laughed to make sure she wouldn’t object. Thankfully, Luke and Trey were already partway out the door with Lainey. “They’re leaving. Go!”

  “Okay, but make sure you come right over once you’re done.” She lowered her voice. “Can you believe Trey actually touched my arm? Eee!”

  I smiled and gave her a thumbs up as she headed outside with the others. I thought I saw Luke glance my way before they all disappeared past the window and out of sight. But no. He probably meant to say good-bye to his grandfather. Or maybe he thought he forgot something.

  Shaky Eddie fixed a plastic lid around his takeout coffee and stood to leave. I turned to my lunch and sighed.

  “Gotta go, kiddo. I’ve got another customer.” He nodded to the large windows overlooking the boat lock. From the diner’s vantage point, I could see the double-masted sailboat cruise up the canal from the ocean to the lake. “Summer rush is starting early this year, looks like.”

  “See ya, Eddie.” I waved.

  “Hey. There’s a nice bench by the lake near the bridge. Lovely day for a picnic.” He winked and planted his hat on his head before disappearing out the door.

  “Good idea,” I murmured as Bridget came to the register. I nodded to my lunch. “Could I take it to go, please?”

  “You got it, honey.” Bridget packed up the Styrofoam container and rustled under the counter for a plastic bag.

  I turned back to the window and spotted a cell phone left at the Martins’ booth. I got it from the table and flicked it open.

  fluke1019

  “Luke’s,” I muttered, snapping the phone shut. That must have been why he’d glanced in the diner, like he’d forgotten something. Of course he hadn’t been looking at me.

  “Just leave it with me.” Bridget called over from the short-order window, where she was getting me some plastic cutlery. “I’ll keep it at the counter.”

  “Gladly,” I muttered under my breath, placing the cell next to the cash register.

  The diner suddenly felt small and suffocating.

  I’d practically pushed Cori out the door, avoiding her questions, along with Luke and Lainey. Was this what life was going to be like from now on? Trying to act like a normal teenager while I had this huge secret to hide? Meeting Cori at Bridget’s was supposed to make me feel better. Instead, I felt more off-balance than ever. I had to get out of there and sort out a few things.

  Bridget returned to the c
ounter and rang up my order. I fished in my pocket for funds and eyed the chocolate-covered caramel Wigwags lined up in their usual spot next to the register and grabbed a box.

  “I’m gonna need one of these too.”

  Chapter Eight

  WIGWAGS: CARAMEL AND CHOCOLATE bliss. I leaned back against the park bench and stared out into the lake, savoring the candy’s ooey-gooey goodness.

  Ah…just what I needed. Kudos to Shaky Eddie for the best idea of the day.

  The water in the bay shimmered, reflecting the aspen trees hugging the shoreline. Water trickled from a nearby creek as it spilled into the lake. I kicked off my flip-flops and tossed my hoodie over the back of the bench to get some Vitamin D onto my pasty skin, then closed my eyes so the sun could get a jump on freckle season.

  So peaceful. Like the feeling I’d had in that dream the other night, floating in the ocean with the long strands of silk lulling me into a dreamy haze. Pre-tail, that is. Post-tail? Not so peaceful.

  Wasps buzzed around my lunch leftovers, shaking me from my daze. I sat up and stretched. Just as well. I needed to stay focused. Who knew if the tail thing would happen again? Last thing I needed was to be found flipping around like a marooned trout on the shores of Talisman Lake. I tossed the empty take-out container into the trash so the wasps could have their way with it.

  Red lights flashed and a familiar bell clanged, signaling that the bridge was being drawn to let a sailboat through. Boats came from as far away as Florida to sail in our lake. Many headed to resort country near Gran’s cottage in Dundee, five miles away, or continued onward for another thirty miles or so to re-enter the ocean through the lake’s northern passage.

  Shaky Eddie sat up in his control tower puffing on his cigarette, lever in hand. He smiled through curls of smoke and gave me a quick wave.

  The lock’s large metal gate clunked open, sending a rush of salty ocean water into the freshwater lake. Ribbons of waves danced along the water as the sailboat cruised out of the lock. A couple, about Gran’s age, stood on the deck of the boat, looking like they’d stepped out of Sailor’s Quest magazine with their white pants, blue and white striped shirts, and matching hats. The man stood at the helm as the woman busied herself at the front of the boat, arranging rope into a spiraling coil.