Hidden Worlds

by Kristie Cook

  “Now I have a token to remember that day as well,” I said and touched our scars together.

  She looked up at me with innocence sparkling from her eyes. “What are you?”

  I smiled and covered her lips with mine. “Yours.”

  She laughed and hugged my neck again.

  I swooped her up into my arms and carried her to the house like I’d wanted to do the first time I’d seen her.

  52 - ASH

  I showered quickly, afraid when I got out Fin would be gone, the whole thing a dream. The water trickled over the pink scar, tickling the new skin. I laughed, my insides filled with unexplainable richness. While hurrying to brush through my wet unruly hair, I heard a knock at the door.

  “Ashlyn?” Mom asked, apprehension looming in her voice.

  I opened the door, letting the steam escape. Her face brightened as she scanned my fresh appearance—my first shower in almost a week.

  “Why didn’t you call and tell me you had company for dinner?”

  “I’m sorry,” I shrugged. “He just got here. Would it be all right if he stayed?”

  From down the hall I could hear Gran, Lucy, and Dad talking to Fin about the explosion on the lake. His presence made me giddy inside and I bit back my grin.

  “Of course. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

  I smiled, probably for the first time since the accident and a tear glossed the corner of her eye. “Yeah, Mom. I’m feeling a hundred times better.”

  From nowhere, she wrapped her arms around me and sniffled in my ear. I rubbed her back, trying to soothe away all the grief I’d caused her the past few days.

  She let go and composed herself. “Well, hurry up. I’m almost done reheating the lasagna.”

  I closed the door and counted my blessings for a moment. Though it brought me Fin, what I did tortured my parents. I’d worried them needlessly and took everyone on such a crazy rollercoaster of emotions with me. I’d never do it again. I couldn’t watch them suffer like that. Somehow, I needed to make it up to them.

  A quick blow dry and a little makeup to cover the grey smudges under my eyes made a world of difference. When I walked around the corner without a limp, everyone gasped. The fact that Fin was here, hit me again, his gorgeous face melting my knees. His smile, a ray of sunshine after a storm.

  “Man, I’m gone a few weeks and miss all the crazy stuff happening on the lake,” he said with a wink.

  “Totally,” I said with nervous laughter.

  Everyone’s relief-filled giggles cleansed our living room now that I’d returned back to my old self. He patted the couch cushions and I joined him, feeling his warm thigh next to mine. As the conversation continued, I kept staring at him, marveling that he was here. All the questions I thought of in the shower tumbled in my brain: How did he escape the blast? Where did the bad mermen take him? How did he get away? Where was Tatchi? How did the whole mermaid thing work anyway?

  But even if my family wasn’t engaging him with their own theories of the explosion, including an attempt to bring Tessie to the surface, I knew once we were alone, I wouldn’t be able to ask him mine. My lips would be busy kissing his instead.

  And as if he knew I needed reassurance, his hand wove delicately with mine and my heart raced even more. How I could be so miserable one minute and elated the next, escaped me. But I didn’t want him to ever leave. His presence blanketed all my fears I’d suffered from since the accident.

  Dinner went smoothly and once the sun started to set, Fin grew nervous and asked if we could go outside. Mom shooed us out, insisting she’d do the dishes. We walked hand in hand into the dim twilight. I kept a watchful eye on him, concerned about the change in his behavior.

  “I can’t stay much longer,” he said after we kissed again under the swaying pine trees down by the dock. “I change when the sun goes down.”

  I creased my brow.

  “Into a m—” he looked off towards the beach where it all happened. “You saw what I am. Let’s not pretend anything different and I’m sure you’ve got tons of questions.”

  My heart filled with compassion and I squeezed his hand. “And I’m okay with it.” I looked at his luscious lips, finding it hard to concentrate.

  He ran his finger along my jaw and tilted my chin up. “I promise to answer anything you want to know tomorrow. No school, right?”

  I started to answer when he smothered me with another kiss. I pressed my body against his, feeling the strength of his chest and arms around me. He couldn’t leave. Not yet.

  Breathless, he pulled away. “Great. I’ll see you then.”

  His lips pecked mine one last time as he attempted to leave, but came back for another. I giggled, watching him war with himself. Then the panic on his face took over as the sun made its final descent and dipped under the horizon.

  “Good night, Ash. Sweet dreams,” he called over his shoulder as he sprinted towards his house.

  I swooned and waved back. “You too, Fin.” My love.

  53 - FIN

  I ran into the house and stumbled to the floor as scales burst down my legs. My fin pulled an Incredible Hulk routine and ripped my favorite jeans to shreds. “Crap.”

  “Finley, is that you?” I heard Mom call from the basement.

  “Yeah,” I said as I shuffled down the steps on my scaled butt like a seal, trying hard not to lose control and fall the rest of the way down.

  In the pool, Mom and Dad swam together, dancing to an unheard melody, enjoying each other’s company after being apart for so long. I understood, being promised myself and finally getting to be with Ash again.

  “How was your visit?” Mom asked, looking at me briefly.

  “Good. I almost didn’t make it back in time.”

  She glanced over and handed me a coy smile. “I see.”

  I looked down and groaned. The waistband of my jeans still hugged my waist, making a frayed mess. I plopped into the water, ripped it off the rest of the way, and swam over to my floating raft, finding it broken.

  Part of me wanted to swim out to the lake and stare up at Ash’s window rather than stay here and watch my parents flirt. Another part of me wanted to call her, though I didn’t know the number. Maybe she’d sneak out to the dock tonight instead. The thought of waiting all night to see her again killed me, especially since the pool suddenly felt too small with my parents in it.

  “I’m going out,” I finally said.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dad said. “The lake is crawling with boats and divers looking for the source of the explosion.”

  I hit my fist against the water and groaned.

  “Why don’t you just call her on the phone?” Mom suggested.

  I rolled my eyes. “How can I without the number?”

  “Tatiana put it on speed dial,” she said.

  “She did?”

  Mom smiled.

  Without hesitation, I swam to the other end of the pool, and slithered to the stairs. I closed the basement door after catching Mom’s giggle, happy to give them some privacy.

  The upstairs bathroom, where I’d planned to hide-out with Tatch, had a super huge jaccuzi tub. The reasons Tatch escaped upstairs some nights suddenly made sense. Mom must have known she was making secret calls to Ash.

  After the tub filled to the top, I stared at the phone, wondering when to call. Unable to wait, I pressed the speed dial button. If someone else answered besides Ash, the night would be mighty long. My pulse beat harder waiting for her to answer, my finger ready on the hang-up button.

  “This is Ash. Leave a message.”

  “Ash—” I cleared my throat, wanting to hear her voice again even if recorded. “It’s Fin. Call me when you get a chance.”

  I hung up and sunk under the water. Her face decorated the backs of my eyelids. Being apart, even for the smallest amount of time drove me crazy. Talking on the phone would hopefully help. We had to figure out how to manage this relationship the best way possible.

/>   Relieved she hadn’t rejected me, I marveled at our promising. If I knew how spectacular our love could be, I wouldn’t have waited so long. Then I thought about Tatch and guilt gripped my gut. Did Tatch feel this way for Azor? I worried about her, wondering if the promise squelched all her dreams of college, of being human. I formed my fists into a ball as I remembered Azor laughing at me in the palace after he’d stolen a kiss. Revenge was going to be sweet.

  So many decisions now. We couldn’t stay in Tahoe forever. And if I became a man to join Ash’s world, I wouldn’t be able to avenge Tatch. Would Ash and I be able to survive until I could get Tatch away from his evil clutches? And once I became a man later, would our feelings for each other remain after the bond of the mer left our relationship?

  I blew bubbles to reduce my nervousness, hoping the phone would ring soon.

  54 - ASH

  I walked inside, sad and happy all at once. Fin was home. My heart was whole. Though we didn’t have time to talk, I knew he’d answer my questions eventually.

  “There’s my girl,” Dad called out once he saw me. “Come join us.”

  The family had retired to the living room to play cards.

  “That was quick,” Lucy said flippantly.

  “Lucy,” Mom said with a glare, “mind your own business.”

  “What I meant to say was, you went from Callahan to Fin so quickly. He’s cute and all, but does he know you still have a boyfriend?”

  If hissing wasn’t socially unacceptable—especially since I’d gained my parents’ favor, I would have. What happened to my nice sister? Though she was right, I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. We were practically broken-up anyway. Since his visit on Wednesday where I’d confessed my secrets and freaked them all out, I’d ignored his calls and texts. It would just be a matter of time before he stopped trying.

  “I don’t anymore,” I muttered, shifting my weight in the entryway. “Callahan and I aren’t really together anymore, so—”

  She raised her eyebrows and blew out a quick gust of air right before she laid down her cards. “Whatever.”

  “Anyone who can pull my girl from her slump is all right in my book,” Dad said, ignoring Lucy completely.

  I wrapped my arms around Dad’s neck and kissed him on the top of the head. His hair smelt of the firehouse: cigar smoke and old leather. “Thanks Dad. I really like him.”

  Gran’s and Mom’s eyes twinkled watching me. The general consensus (except for Lucy) was thankfulness. I could have brought home a tatted up guy with a lip piercing and they’d be happy at this point. Anything to get me out of Gran’s room and back into the world of the living.

  The faint ringing of my cell phone formed a knot in my stomach. Now was a good a time as any to tell Callahan. Better than at school.

  “I think I’m going to move back into my room. My leg feels a lot better today.”

  “Good—oh. Gin!” Gran said and the rest of the group moaned.

  I smiled. Things were back to normal, as if my accident had never happened. Well, as normal as they could be, considering I was in love with the merman who lived next door.

  I shook my head and left to collect my things out of Gran’s room. On top of the basket of clean clothes, I piled up my sympathy cards and toiletries. My cellphone on the nightstand beeped with a message.

  The walk of shame up the stairs with the basket weighted my feet. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Callahan. The phone started ringing again in my pocket and I sprinted the rest of the way.

  To my shock, my room was cleaned: vacuumed and everything in its place. I plopped the basket on the floor and fumbled in my pocket to get the call. Caller ID said it was Tatchi.

  Anxious to talk to her, my heart began to pound. “Hello?”

  “What happened to my happy girl?”

  “Fin?” My mind scrambled a second, not expecting to hear his voice. “How’d you get my number?”

  He laughed, a fresh breezy sound that made me collapse on my bed in a wonderful heap. “You’ll never guess.”

  “Did Tatchi give it to you? Is she there?”

  “No.” Fin said with sadness briefly in his voice. “But she did put it on speed dial.”

  “She’s not there?”

  “She decided to stay in Nat—our world.”

  “Oh.” My chest constricted with disappointment. In our whirlwind of a day, I didn’t even think to ask about her.

  “It’s a long story. I plan to go back and get her. Our family had to leave the colony.”

  “Fin, you’re going to have to start from the beginning because none of this makes any sense to me.”

  That was when I learned all about the mers of Natatoria: where and how they lived, why human relationships where frowned upon, how sunlight allowed them to stay in human form, and how water was necessary for survival—his call placed while he lounged in the bathtub. I wanted to share my totally off base alcoholic theory, but didn’t want to insult Fin’s dad in the process. His warm voice, coupled with my snuggly blankets, kept me comfortable and entertained until morning. The “crazy” label I’d placed on myself peeled away like magic.

  “So, you heard me scream?” I asked.

  “That day, Ash—” he let out a huge sigh. “When you fell into the water, I nearly lost it. I didn’t think you’d survive. And I didn’t want to kiss you without your permission.”

  I snickered under my breath. “I highly doubt mouth-to-mouth can be considered kissing. But if it makes you feel any better, you have my permission.”

  “It’s not funny.” The seriousness in his voice was adorable, though, I had a feeling he was withholding something.

  “Sorry. Thank you for being such a gentlemen,” I said and tried not to giggle again.

  “Kissing in my world is a very serious thing, Ash.”

  “And as a human, I’m very serious about my kissing, too.”

  “You’re impossible.”

  I laughed. “Okay—I’ll stop teasing. Next question. How did you manage to slip me past the Ranger?”

  “Oh that.” He paused again like he’d been doing after every question that required a lengthy answer. “Well—” he chuckled nervously. “I carry breakaway board shorts with Velcro seams, so when I phase into legs I have something to wear. So you could imagine what the Ranger thought when he saw me in nothing but your girl’s swim team jacket—which was way too small—and board shorts, dripping wet.”

  “The Ranger never mentioned this?” I curled up my lip at the visual. “You put on my jacket? Why?”

  “I was trying to dry it for you with my internal heater. Anyway, yeah, he freaked out. Especially after he saw the blood.”

  “Oh.” My hand went to my mouth, the visual a little more grim. Why would the Ranger completely lie about this?

  “And since mermen can erase minds, I told him, in my language, to forget what he saw.”

  I gasped. “Mermen can erase minds? Oh wow. That’s … useful, I guess.”

  “Well …”

  He got quiet and I heard the water swishing around in the tub. I assumed he wanted to confess something without me getting angry.

  I bit my lip. “Did you erase my memories too?”

  “After we were pr—touched lips, from mouth-to-mouth, I couldn’t any longer, but since you were unconscious, it really didn’t matter. And actually, Blanchard tried to mind-wipe you after you saw us in the water, remember?”

  “Oh,” I said in awe, remembering his musical words. “I thought he was going to punch my lights out or something.”

  “Mermen, typically aren’t violent against humans. And mermaids—” he took a huge breath, “that’s a story for another day.”

  I imagined him reclined backward with his fin hanging over the edge, like the mermaid did in the movie Splash. I yawned, noticing the clock read 4:00 AM.

  “I should let you sleep for at least a few hours,” he said in concern.

  “I’m good.”

  “Good? You keep yawning,
” he said.

  “Don’t you need to sleep too?”

  “I don’t really sleep, more like rest. A few hours will work for me.”

  “That’s nice.” I would have liked to get away with less sleep too.

  “I can come over in a few hours, if you like. How’s nine sound?”

  “Too long,” I whined.

  “You’re adorable.” I heard a smile in his voice.

  I swooned. “Fine. I guess I can wait that long.”

  “Okay then. You hang up first.”

  “No, you,” I laughed.

  “You.”

  “You,” I countered.

  “How about we do it together. On the count of three. Ready? One. Two. Three.”

  I listened for the click that never came.

  He laughed. “Hang up already.”

  “I said you first.”

  “Fine, since you won’t do it and you need your sleep, I’ll do it.”

  “Okay,” I said with a lilting voice.

  He paused for a moment, “Ash, you mean the world to me, I hope you know that.”

  Goosebumps covered my skin. “And you mean the same to me, Fin.”

  “If anything had happened to you today, I would have gone crazy. Please promise you won’t pull any more stunts like that.”

  “I promise.”

  “Goodnight, my beautiful angel,” he said.

  I sighed after I heard him hang-up.

  55 - FIN

  The sun rose and I caved at about 8:30, unable to wait any longer. Uncle Al and Colin had left a pile of dirty dishes in the sink and a rotting lemon, a loaf of stale bread, and a jug of expired milk in the fridge. My stomach clenched for some type of nourishment.

  My parents weren’t on the ground floor or in the pool, and I wasn’t about to go looking for them upstairs. I understood the bond too well and being with Ash was all I could think about.

  I was at her door in minutes, hoping she’d be just as anxious. Her figure, once she opened the door, took my breath away. I fought the urge to take her in my arms and kiss her right there.