Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “Attention everyone,” Principle Tanner said into the microphone after she tapped the top, making the lame thumping noise. “It’s time to announce our royal court.”

  Georgia grabbed my hand and squealed. “This is it. This is your big moment!”

  The tortellini rolled over in my stomach and I gulped down the bile. No matter what the results, I didn’t feel prepared. I clutched her hand for dear life, hoping I’d be happy with whatever happened.

  23 - FIN

  After dinner, I contemplated going out for a swim to ease my frustration. After Tatch and Mom started giggling in the back room over some vampire book mom had smuggled into Natatoria, I bolted.

  “I’m going over to Badger’s,” I called out before disappearing into the inky black waters.

  The crystal ball bounced cerulean shards of light, signaling the land above was experiencing a full moon. The buildings looked like upside down candles, red lava glowing from the gel-covered domes from below. Speckled circles of light came from the windows of the homes, littering the coral canyon around the palace, mer families settling in for the night. The peacefulness of the scene should have been breathtaking, but Natatoria was the last place I wanted to be.

  Within a few short minutes, I arrived at the cave leading to the Tahoe gate instead of Badger’s. Saying goodbye to Dad on this spot just a week ago, it felt like ages had passed. My heart pounded as I scanned the surroundings before ducking inside. My eyes adjusted to the dark of the room.

  I hesitated before pressing the button to open the gate into Tahoe. Underage mer needed permission to leave Natatoria and had to be supervised by an adult male. Grounding or community chores would be the consequences of the offense. Of course, that was already my lot in life. But I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had to take the chance. I needed to breathe fresh air and bask in the light of the moon if only for a few minutes.

  The icy water sent a chill up my spine as I swam through Tessie’s mouth into the frigid current. I laughed that my heart hammered even though I knew the waters would be empty. The fact that Uncle Alaster or Colin left the gate entrance unguarded didn’t surprise me. And I’m sure Dad didn’t tell his brother about the movement meter he’d installed that would register higher readings if someone had opened the mouth of the cave. In the old days, Dad and I used to put soft rocks under the doorway so if someone did sneak into Tahoe unnoticed, we’d know and watch for them.

  Gate guarding should have been more about keeping humans from finding the entrance and not keeping mers out—most of them deathly afraid of getting caught to even try. But everyone knew we took our job seriously and didn’t test the boundaries.

  Alaster or Colin could have been somewhere else in the lake, monitoring water vibrations with their tails. But my guess was they were living it up in the basement, eating and drinking everything they could find, and enjoying the oversized TV—the lazy bums. Any mer could come and go right under their noses, and they’d never know—something I planned to capitalize on until Dad returned.

  I swam the 1,600 feet with ease and carefully surfaced to make sure no one saw me before taking in a deep breath of crisp air. A fresh blanket of snow glimmered on the bank from the moonlight, illuminating the entire cascade of mountains like a silver crown. Lily’s face came to mind as I imagined her reaction to such an amazing spectacle.

  Everything inside me wanted to swim to shore and roll around in the powder, making merfish angels or something so I could cup the earth in my hands. But my visit had to be inconspicuous. Getting caught by my lame relatives, or worse, humans, would ruin this opportunity.

  I floated on my back and admired the night’s sky. Stars pebbled the heavens and I vowed to never take the beauty for granted once we were back home, guarding the gate like it should be.

  Light shone from every window in our house, though I knew they wouldn’t be scooting around on their fins upstairs. If mers didn’t keep their tails wet, their scales would dry out. Any sort of dehydration interfered with our natural ability to regulate our internal temperature, thus putting us at risk of a coma or even death. So much for them being incognito.

  Headlights shot out over the lake and I ducked down. The vehicle—a stretch limo—pulled down our street and headed toward our house. I squinted in concern. Who would be visiting at this time of night? Then the car turned and parked in front of Ashlyn’s house instead. I swam to a nearby rock to investigate.

  A guy my age, dressed in a suit, assisted a female out of the vehicle. She looked regal with a long green dress and red curls trailing down her back.

  Ashlyn.

  I watched as she turned, her alabaster skin hitting the moonlight just right, stabbing me in the chest with her beauty. She walked up to the back porch, hand-in-hand with this punk and my stomach twisted, but I couldn’t look away. They stood together, too close for my liking, whispering things I could barely pick up. She had a good time. He did, too. There was a pause and they continued to gaze into one another’s eyes. Blood hammered in my veins and I clenched my jaw. When he tilted her chin up with his hand and Ashlyn closed her eyes, leaning into him, my stomach lurched. I couldn’t take it anymore.

  A kiss for a Natatorian was the most intimate act two merfolk could do; once a mer’s lips touched another’s, they were promised to each other for life as mates. Through their breath, their souls intertwined, binding them together spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This is the main reason why mermaids weren’t allowed out of the kingdom alone. One kiss would drive a man insane. His soul, seared from the loss of the mermaid herself, would never allow him peace until he found her again.

  But for me, watching Ashlyn kiss someone else, merman or not, drove me crazy. I dove into the water to try to shake the jealousy. This whole time, I’d done my best to keep my distance and not get too close. Harboring feelings for a human was risky. But watching her with the other guy made me realize I’d only wanted her to be with me all along.

  I groaned and raced toward the gate back into Natatoria. If I was with Dad on the secret mission, I would have avoided seeing her with someone else. But instead, I got an eyeful of her future and all I wanted to do was rip things apart with my bare hands.

  “Good, you’re home,” Mom said, catching me off guard as I came out from behind the curtain. A sunbeam transported in from the other side of the globe allowed me to phase into legs. “Did you have a nice time with Badger?”

  My eyes hit the floor. I could never successfully lie to Mom. “I ended up just going for a swim.”

  She walked closer to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Everything okay, Son?”

  I nodded. “Just a little homesick, that’s all.” And heartsick too.

  “Oh, I see. There are a few more cookies in the kitchen if you’d like some. They always seem to cheer you up.” She smiled and leaned her head to the side to try to find my gaze. I turned up the edges of my lips to appease her.

  She bought the façade and went back to work on her needlepoint.

  I stood for a moment, head low. Cookies wouldn’t fix what ailed me this time. Now, a few Guinnesses might have put a dent in my pain, but I didn’t think Badger would share, and being intoxicated might lead me to doing something very rash, like returning to the surface to get Ashlyn’s attention. Instead, I went to my room, sat on my hammock, and put my head in my hands, searching for answers.

  24 - ASH

  Callahan escorted me to the porch and my heart never pounded more excitedly. Well, except a few hours ago when the results of Senior Ball Queen were announced.

  “Sorry about tonight,” Callahan said sheepishly.

  “For?”

  “Everything.” He looked away, guilt covering his face.

  I chuckled and squeezed his hand tighter. “I’m not. I got to leave with the Senior Ball King. What more could I ask for?”

  He peered down at me and wrapped his hands around my waist, knocking my breath away with his closeness. “I wanted you to be my Queen.”

&nb
sp; I squealed on the inside, far happier to have his vote above anyone else’s, and put my arms around his shoulders, gazing back into his eyes. “Who says I have to have majority vote to be yours?”

  “True.” He raised his left eyebrow.

  His reaction zinged my chest and I giggled at how brazen I’d become.

  “You were really great with everything I had to do tonight, too.” Callahan’s gaze darted away again. “I don’t know if I could have handled things if the vote had gone another way.”

  I leaned my head over, forcing him to look at me and smiled once his baby browns met mine. “If it weren’t for the fact that you just asked me to be your girlfriend, then I might not have handled your Kingly duties very well either.”

  He flashed a coy smile. My breath quickened as he brought me closer. Finally, an uninterrupted moment. I tilted my lips toward his, parting them slightly as he leaned in. I shut my eyes.

  A loud splash down by the lake drew my attention away, causing me to turn at the last second. Once again, Callahan planted a kiss on my cheek.

  “Did you hear that?” I asked, peering over his shoulder. My heart still thundered at a sprinting pace, leaving me breathless and shaky, especially after I realized what I’d done.

  “What?” He turned and looked for the interruption, dropping his hands from my waist

  I let go of his shoulders and readjusted my corsage on my wrist. How could I have let this happen again? “Sorry, where were we?”

  Callahan put his hand on my chin and caressed my cheek with his thumb, his eyes filled with concern. With his other hand, he brushed a wisp of hair away from my face.

  “Maybe we’re taking things too fast,” he said solemnly.

  I gulped back the rejection, begging with my eyes for him to kiss me again. “No, I’m sorry.”

  He straightened the corners of his lips; disappointment crossed his face. “We’ll have a better chance another time. I need to relieve the driver and get home. My parents won’t be happy if I end up owing overtime.”

  “Right.” I stared at the ground, my cheeks flushed from screwing up the perfect ending to our crazy night.

  Callahan caught my hands and forced me to look at his tender eyes. “I had a very nice time tonight.”

  I sighed as he pulled me into a hug, kissing me on my temple. The warmth of his body, encased against mine, temporarily calmed the rollercoaster in my stomach. “I did, too.”

  I wanted to say something else to fix it or just grab his face and lay one on his lips, but my cowardice wouldn’t let me. Instead, I pulled out my set of keys and unlocked the door.

  “You’re such a sweet girl,” he said before heading down the walkway toward the limo. “Have good dreams tonight, Ashlyn,”

  “Good night,” I whispered and shut the door.

  My head reeled as I removed the bothersome heels and tip-toed barefoot through the dark house toward the stairs. What the heck just happened?

  I purposefully avoided going to the after-party just so we’d get a quiet moment together. Why did I look away? Why didn’t I just kiss him when I had the chance? Would he go now to the party without me? I dreaded waiting for his phone call tomorrow. I bet he’d break up with me in the morning because of my lack of experience.

  And then the stupid dance. Why was I so disappointed when Principle Tanner called Brooke’s name instead of mine? Did I really want to be Queen or was I just jealous of Brooke getting his attention? I struggled watching her fawn all over him for pictures and the dance reserved for royalty. Georgia had me so convinced I’d win, like the swim race earlier. Was the vote even close? How badly did I lose? And why was Brooke so smug even after people booed her? The audience’s reaction didn’t jive with the results. Thank goodness Kylie and Evan were more excited about the after-party at Justin’s house than rubbing the defeat in my face.

  I took off my dress and carefully wrapped up the fur in the garment bag Gran left for me on the bed and slid into my jammies. With an empty stomach and a full brain, I curled up on the window seat and peered into the dark night. Tatchi’s house was lit up like a Christmas tree and Fin’s Jeep sat like a statue. Every time I’d attempted to go over there to talk to Colin, I chickened out.

  Why couldn’t she just come home already?

  25 - FIN

  I woke up sick: sick to my stomach, sick of Natatoria, sick of waiting for Dad to come home, sick of Tatch’s complaining, and sick of the rules. And when I showed up for practice at the field, all I got was another laundry list of stupid stuff elder mers wanted me to do … like moving decorative rocks.

  All I needed was one excuse and someone was losing an appendage.

  26 ASH

  ASH

  “Get up, Ashlyn,” Mom demanded from down the hall. “Hurry or we’ll be late for church.”

  I pried my stubborn eyelids open and removed a wayward fake lash, but didn’t leave the sanctuary of my bed. Church was the last place I wanted to go. More than likely, Callahan would be there, along with other kids from my school. I didn’t want to face him yet, still dying of embarrassment from the flubbed up kiss.

  Within minutes, Mom opened the door and picked up the dirty laundry off the floor. “Didn’t you hear me? You need to get ready.”

  “I’m not going,” I said plainly.

  “And why not?” Her tone told me she wasn’t in the mood for theatrics or sob stories.

  “I have cramps,” I lied, knowing my period could get me out of anything since she had horrific cramps herself.

  “Oh,” she said with a softer tone. “I didn’t realize. Did you start early?”

  A flicker of dread flashed across my body. Did she keep track of my cycle? I wasn’t supposed to start until next weekend.

  “Must have been all the stress,” I mumbled into my pillow, curling into a ball and moaning for affect.

  “I’ll bring up the Midol,” she said quietly and closed the door.

  I asked God for forgiveness for my deception, knowing He’d understand. If Dad had come to wake me instead, he’d have accepted my need for solitude, but chances were, he’d already left for the fire station.

  Shortly after Mom brought the pills and a heating pad, the family got into the car and left. I exhaled at the sudden quiet. Three peaceful hours all to myself. What would I do first?

  I closed my eyes and tried to sleep longer but couldn’t shake the anxiety. If Callahan noticed I wasn’t at church, he’d probably call. I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet.

  I pulled on jeans and my team jacket, deciding a walk far away from my phone would calm my nerves. The cool breeze off the lake tickled the inside of my nose as I sloshed down the soupy path to the water. Memories of playing on the trail with Tatchi before we were old enough to take The Sea Star, our four-seater row boat, to Fannette Island, prompted a desire to visit our secret spot.

  Inside the shed, the blue boat leaned against the wall closest to the door. I heaved it down the dock, then grabbed two paddles and looked at the life vests. A big hairy spider had made its home on the edges of the fabric, wigging me out. I shrugged and left the eight-legged beast alone. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know how to swim.

  The paddles glided the boat across the calm deserted waters. Out in the bay, the clarity allowed me to see down into the eerie depths. I bit my lip thinking about the source of the splash the night before. Was Tessie the one making noise, distracting me from kissing Callahan? I giggled, before the embarrassment hit me again. As if.

  Fannette Island was closed to tourism this time of year due to the frigid weather. I made sure the coast was clear before I snuck over to “our” spot. Underneath the ponderosa pines and white firs, I scooped the dirt away from the line of rocks we’d arranged as kids. Somewhere under the sand, a plastic Folgers coffee-can slept with childhood treasures deep inside. We’d counted twenty steps from the spot to the water. Now, the steps were more like fifteen. The landscape had changed, but I still remembered where we’d hidden it.

  The sandy
loam made digging the earth easier and I finally hit something hard. With my fingers, I traced the edge of the circular object under the dirt and lifted the can from the ground. The outside wording had faded, but when I pried the duct tape free, the inside was dry as a bone.

  For a moment, I just peered into the container, afraid to stir the contents. We were supposed to open this together before we left for college. Before she left without saying a word. Oh, Tatchi. My insides ached. I felt more like a thief than a discoverer.

  Inside were the two friendship rings I’d made from a broken gold chain, a paperclip, and fake stones all hot glued together—a blue stone for me and a yellow one for her. Tangled in the loose chain was a necklace charm of a mermaid she’d given me for my birthday one year, something we liked to pretend when we swam in the bay. A picture of us with the inscription “best friends forever” written with liquid paper reminded me how we loved to play with Mom’s office supplies at Gran’s shop. I put my friendship ring on and held the picture to my chest.

  Two envelopes with our names written in glitter pen caught my eye. I stopped before taking mine out and breaking the candle wax seal. A thread of guilt for opening it early wrapped around my heart.

  Dear Ash,

  You are my bestest friend in the whole world. Swimming, reading books, pretending to be rescued by handsome princes, and riding bikes with you is my favorite things ever. I hope we live next door to each other when we grow up and have lots of babies who grow up and like to play together. When you read this, I want you to remember the time we took Fin’s underwear and put it up the flagpole. ha-ha. Or the time we tricked Fin into tasting the whipped cream pie and smashed it in his face. That was hilarious. Okay, I can’t think of anything else to say, so good-bye.

  Love your BFF, Tatiana aka Tatchi aka Super Spy #2

  Ps. If you aren’t Ash, you’re stealing. Rebury it or else.

  I held the note to my chest, laughing and crying at the same time. We’d had such a fun childhood together—so many good memories. And now this. Silence.