Sam placed the sleeping girl gently onto her bed. She didn’t stir a bit, and he was thankful it was easy to manipulate her with his voice. She wasn’t going to remember a single answer he gave to her questions the day before and now had access to the room she shared with her parents. Now Sam only had to find the key to get into the office, and he would be able to snoop more. And, hopefully, no one else would forget the answers they had heard today when he used a joke to give an order to Cate. That conversation might have been overheard through the acoustics.
Sam wasn’t one for betraying people or running around behind people’s backs—in fact, the whole operation at the Mavkas wasn’t sitting well with him—but his friend’s life was on the line. Sam would do anything to protect those he cared about, and Leo was one of the few people that he didn’t want to see dead. His plan seemed to work, but it took longer than he had hoped. Only five more days to go to find a secret hidden in the Mavkas world, and Sam was going to do his best to keep Leo alive.
Leo woke to find Sam leaving already. They had only talked briefly the night before, but Sam was working on a plan. Leo hoped it was something good as he didn’t have anything, but that wasn’t completely his fault. With the king being vague, it was close to impossible for Leo to know where to start looking. And the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about Zia didn’t help the matter.
Zia had made it clear that she didn’t feel anything between them as Leo had. She acted like she hadn’t spoken to him at all, but he knew that his mind wasn’t playing tricks. He was certain they had a conversation that she was now pretending never happened. Leo hated how confusing girls could be.
Leo made his way out to the common room when he could no longer stand his rumbling stomach. He wasn’t looking forward to any more green goo, but it was better than nothing. He hoped when they left he would get one more meal before King Longray killed him. He’d plead for a last meal with a juicy burger and greasy fries, and even pie. Yes, he would ask for pie. And nothing green. He’d seen enough green food to last him years.
The room was almost empty, but the buffet was still set up. Leo walked over and viewed the choices. Green goo and some round ball things. Neither one seemed like breakfast or a good choice, but since he already knew the green slime was pretty bad, he opted to try the cream-colored, ball-shaped things.
“Use a fork for those or they crumble,” Zia advised from beside him.
Leo nodded and used tongs to pick up the food, placing it on his plate carefully. He continued down the row to two piles of slop waiting at the end. Even those weren’t distinguishable—a deep orange color or a bright-red color slop. What Leo wouldn’t give to be back home on land.
“The red one isn’t bad. Tastes a bit like strawberry jam,” Zia added from his side. She was keeping pace with him and not passing him as the other two mer who had gotten their food had done.
Leo took a scoop of the red one and walked to the end of the line to grab a fork and spoon. He wasn’t looking forward to the meal, but it was better than nothing. He tried not to notice as Zia stayed behind him and followed as he made his way to an empty seat. Zia plopped down beside him.
“So, we have never been formally introduced,” she said. “I’m Zia. I was taken in by Min and his family when mine was taken away from me.”
She held her hand out to Leo with a big smile on her face. Yes, girls were beyond confusing. Yesterday she was crushing his heart and every ounce of bravery he had, and today she was being his friend. He would have given anything to have seen that same smile the day before. He’d have to take the little bit he got now and hope it was going to stay.
“I’m Leo,” he replied, taking her smaller hand in his.
Leo felt a shock zing from his fingers up and his arm as their hands touched, followed by a warmness that trailed the zap, but he pretended not to notice. The momentary expression on Zia’s face showed him that she felt it also, but she went back to her smiley self without missing a beat.
“Well, it’s great to finally meet and talk with you, Leo the visiting Siren. It isn’t often we get guests here, so we’re all excited to learn more from you.”
She was back to being confusing again. If she had been any other girl, Leo would have walked away, but there was something about her that kept him in his seat, even with all the weird talk.
“Would you like a tour of the place when you’re finished eating?”
Leo already had one tour, but a second couldn’t hurt, and maybe if they were alone he could finally ask her what was going on. Then again, they’d been alone in the hallway the night before, and she was acting strange then, too. He really wanted to believe that he had imagined meeting her the first night, but he was certain he hadn’t.
“Sounds good,” Leo replied and began to eat his strange food.
The round, off-white balls really did crumble when he pressed too hard. Zia just smiled at him and motioned for him to eat it as daintily as she was. He wasn’t sure he liked food that had to be held carefully, but he was hungry enough to try. It took several tries and piles of crumbs before he successfully got one into his mouth without crushing it. Zia laughed when he smiled at his success. He had heard that sound before and was just as entranced by the girl as he had been a few days ago.
“You know food is meant to be enjoyed. Why do guys feel the need to eat things as fast as they can?”
Shrugging, he concentrated on getting the next one to his mouth. Two in a row and he decided it was enough concentrating as he reached for his spoon to try the red slime. With the first bite, he completely understood the description of strawberries. It was sweet and almost like them. The only difference was a sour aftertaste. Leo used the sticky strawberry slime to catch the crumbs from the white balls to finish everything on his plate. It was the first meal he didn’t want to throw up, which was a success in his book.
“It’s not that guys want to eat fast, we just have bigger mouths and can fit more in,” Leo finally replied as he finished off his plate of food. Day two was much better than day one for breakfast, but there were still two more meals to go. Leo wasn’t holding his breath on being well-fed.
“Sure,” Zia replied as she finished off her own food. She had taken less than Leo and took longer to eat than him. She did have a point about guys eating fast.
Leo followed as Zia stood and dropped off her plate at the table next to the buffet. He did the same. After dropping off his plate, he turned back to find her waiting, closer than he expected. When he accidentally knocked into her, he reached out to steady her. The zap he’d felt when he shook her hand didn’t happen, but the warm, fuzzy feeling that had followed was still there.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she stared up at him.
Leo just stood and held onto her. He was speechless, having her so close after thinking about her non-stop pretty much since he’d arrived in the Mavkas world. For a second time, they were so close it would take nothing to lean down and finally kiss her. It was like fate was trying to put them together.
Zia broke the stare between them as she backed up. She was as dazed by their contact as he was, and he was certain she felt what he was feeling, even if she was being strange. She glanced behind her quickly and then back to Leo. Her face went from the awe that he was feeling to a fake smile quickly plastered across her face. She was one confusing girl.
“So, did Chris show you guys how to find the hallways?” Zia asked as she motioned to the corridors jutting off the main room.
Leo shook his head. A little white lie couldn’t hurt, and he was ready to listen to her speak more. She was such a mystery to him, and unlike the quest he was on with Sam, she was a mystery he didn’t mind spending time figuring out. Another tour of the place wasn’t going to hurt anything, and it was the perfect opportunity to study her more. Sure, he was supposed to be looking for clues, but that could wait a little bit.
Zia smiled at him and began explaining the Mavkas underwater world. While listening to Chris was annoying, Leo was
pretty sure he could listen to Zia all day. If she wasn’t from a different clan, Leo would have thought he had found his mate. His mother had always told him that when he finally found the right girl, he would know, but he never understood. That was part of the reason Leo wanted to leave the Siren. He was positive there wasn’t a single girl there for him like his mother described. He understood now, even if it was impossible. He only had five more days to live anyway. Leo would pretend it wasn’t impossible and dream of a future he’d never have.
Zia smiled at Leo as he followed behind her. She knew that he already had a tour, but that didn’t stop him from wanting one with her. He didn’t need a second one as the place wasn’t that big, but it was the only excuse she could make to get him alone with her. She was pretty sure she would do a better job anyway. The Mavkas, in general, had no imagination. She did.
Starting with the first hallway, she slowly led Leo away from Lan, who had been intently watching them eat. Lan was being excessively creepy and clingy since Leo had arrived. She hoped that he didn’t suspect there was something more between them.
“We begin with what I refer to as hallway one,” Zia began her tour.
Leo watched her intently as she led the way. She tried not to think of the feelings she got when she touched him. The zing of their hands first meeting had been unexpected. She had better control of her emotions the second time, but Lan was already there in the room watching them. She wasn’t giving him anything more to go on. She wanted him to think she was detached and just doing her commanded job. If he got any inkling that she really was starting to develop feelings for the Siren she had just met, she would be doomed to trick him into staying.
Zia walked them to the very end of the hallway. It was a quiet spot that only reached to one of the adjacent rooms.
“From here you can enter and leave.” She pointed to the wall. Leo had used hallway five to leave the day before. “Straight across there is pod S. Well, I call it pod S, but don’t ask anyone else where pod S is.”
“S?”
“For south. It took me a while to orientate myself. The sunlight is a little strange under the water, but I mapped out which direction these pods are all seated. This is the most western pod, and that’s the southern one. Hence pod S.”
Leo nodded with her description, and she was glad she didn’t have to go further into her adventures of trying to leave the Mavkas to get those directions. It still didn’t help much. She wasn’t sure where she was or even what ocean they were in. Directions only helped when you knew where you were going.
“Sam would like to hear that,” Leo commented, and Zia raised an eyebrow. “Sam likes to know which way is what, even if we don’t know where we are,” he quickly added.
Zia had seen that they were blindfolded upon arrival, but from what she had heard Sam wouldn’t let that hinder him. Even if he didn’t tell tales like Chris, everyone knew the sons of the siren king were well traveled.
“I heard he’s been all over,” Zia added casually, trying not to give away that she knew more than that.
“Yeah. Sam is like a perfect traveling companion. He never loses where home is and can find it no matter where it is. The best part is that since he was younger he could always go ashore and talk to humans, forcing them to answer him without hurting them.”
“He never gets lost?”
“Never,” Leo added.
Zia nodded. Then if all else failed, she could just push them through the wall and they could find their way home. At least now she didn’t have to worry about that part.
“So that guy that keeps following you around …” Leo didn’t finish asking.
“He’s Min’s oldest son. He’s responsible for me; he likes to creep around making sure I stay safe. It’s all brotherly like.” Okay, that was making it sound nice which it was far from, but she was certain Lan was hanging around and possibly eavesdropping.
“If you look closely, you can see the other pod.” Zia took the conversation back to her tour of the place. It was strange to have to lie about Lan and Min. In fact, it was hard to think up excuses. Most of the time, no one spoke to Zia. She wasn’t used to lying; and a big part of her didn’t want to lie to Leo. She wanted him to know the truth.
“I actually can,” Leo replied as he walked up right to the wall. Zia placed a hand on his chest to stop him from going farther and out of the pod, which made Leo grin more. She had a feeling he was being that way on purpose. She grinned back at him as she pushed him away from being sucked into the ocean.
Leading the way, she left hallway number one and took him down the second one. There wasn’t really much to see, but she wanted to keep going long enough to bore Lan. Maybe he would give up. Probably not, but she could wish.
Zia answered Leo’s questions as he thought of them, and for once she felt at home in the Mavkas place. She was lying if she said she didn’t want to keep Leo around, but wanting company didn’t outweigh the fact that he would be a prisoner like her and the rest of the Mavkas. She couldn’t do that to him, no matter how much he made her heart beat faster.
Leo was disappointed when Zia finished her tour. She didn’t offer to take him outside the pod, but Leo didn’t care. He was happy to simply follow her around. It was nice that he could get a few questions in and she was being friendly enough to answer.
So far Leo knew her family was gone, and she was placed with Chris’ family for protection. Leo was completely right in that the families all had similar hair color, but it wasn’t just the hair. Families were the basis of their whole clan. Family dictated everything, and without one, she had no one to boss her around yet no one to protect her either. That was why she had to accept the offer of Min to let her join his family.
Zia had also explained that every mer living there had certain chores and jobs. She had been lucky since she could sing so well, her job was entertainment when they had their large get-togethers. And that actually happened a lot more than the Siren. According to Zia, it was almost once a week that they were celebrating something.
As the tour ended, bringing them back into the meeting room, Leo was disappointed. It was past lunch time but nowhere near bedtime. Sam was still missing in action, yet Leo was far from caring. After seeing the whole place a second time, he was convinced that King Longray was just torturing him on his last days alive. There was nothing that stood out at all. They had been over the whole place and heard dozens of people talking. Resolving himself to his fate, Leo decided to make the best of his last days alive.
“So we have this cool room off to the side that I haven’t shown you yet,” Zia said, bringing Leo back to her finished tour. “I think it will probably be at least another thirty minutes to an hour before food is set out. We can just go there to sit and watch the ocean. It has probably the best view of the water around here.”
If she was talking about the room to the side, Leo was certain that was true but he was back to being confused. He had met her in that room, but if she was playing a game of forgetting that, he was just going to go along with it. What was the use trying to figure out the confusing meaning behind her words? He was just going to enjoy spending time with the most beautiful girl he had ever met.
Zia led the way back into the alcove off the main room. With the midday light, Leo could see farther than just the schools of fish swimming outside of the barrier.
“I told you it was the best view,” Zia said as she stood beside him.
Leo looked back down at her as she talked and smiled to find she was watching him. She quickly turned from him, but he had caught it. She could pretend she just met him, she could pretend she didn’t like him, she could pretend a lot, but that didn’t change what he really saw.
“Have a seat.” She offered one of the same low-sitting chairs that he had sat in before. She pulled up a second right next to the first, but she didn’t sit down. Leo moved to follow.
“No, stay there,” she told him in a playful tone.
Yet again she was playing a
game he didn’t understand, but he was willing to trust her, confusing as she was. Leo sat in the chair.
“I’ve searched this whole place, and this is the only dead zone I’ve found,” Zia continued. All playfulness left her voice.
“What do you mean?” Leo asked, sitting up a little bit to turn around and see where she had gone.
“No. Just stay there,” she directed him again, “and don’t reply back. You are still in a spot where if anyone wanted to hear you, they could.”
Leo thought about that for a second. Sam had been sure that the shape of the magic that held the water off also made it easy to overhear things, but Leo hadn’t been eavesdropping since he had arrived. It sounded normal to him wherever he went.
“Acoustically this place is perfect. When someone wants to keep tabs on someone, there’s always somewhere to go to overhear a conversation. I’ve tested every little corner in this pod, and this is the only place I found where I can speak and not be overheard by anyone but the person sitting in front of me.”
Well, that explained where she was now. She had to be hiding in the same spot as the first night. Now Leo really wanted to turn around and ask her questions.
Leo began to turn when she slipped into the seat beside him. Reaching over, she took his hand as she lay back against the seat, keeping her head from the top of the chair. Leo took that as a cue to do the same and slid down a little to be hidden, also. Smiling, Zia looked straight ahead at the water in front of them. Leo was confused, but did the same. The girl was puzzling and full of secrets, but he trusted her. She was someone he had just met, and yet he had complete faith in her. That much he couldn’t explain.
Within moments, Leo heard someone approach. He didn’t turn around, but he knew that they were close enough to see him with Zia. Not dropping his hand, she continued to stare off at the ocean. It took all of his self-control to not turn and look at the intruding silent person. It was only a few moments and then the person left without a word.
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