“But the Merlin 3000 doesn’t even work!” I yelled.
“Jade,” Dad said quietly, “Eddie will try to get it back online while we wait. I’m sorry but that’s the best we can do for now.”
I stared out the window as the rain streamed down the glass. What had I done? I’d been so focused on getting to Mom that I’d sacrificed Luke in the process. Life suddenly started to feel like a cruel, warped joke.
Dad had the heat cranked to keep everyone warm, but we smelled like a moldy bog and were full of sand and mud, which didn’t help. Despite the rain, I rolled down my window to try and get some fresh air just as we crossed the drawbridge over the canal. Serena leaped across the back seat, crawling over me to see out my window to Talisman Lake.
Maw-rmm!
“What the—?” I asked. “Get off me!”
Dad ended his call. “Whoa there, Serena. Jade, did you show her how to get her seat belt on?”
“You’re kidding me, right?” I asked, trying to untangle myself from her arms, the blanket, and her long matted hair.
“She hears them.” Mom turned back toward us from the front seat. Serena, honey, sit back. Mom placed her hand gently on Serena’s shoulder. She jumped back at first, but then turned to Mom and seemed to calm down enough to sit back down on the seat.
Maw-rmm.
Yes, it’s her, Mom rang quietly. But remember what we talked about. Your mother and father wanted you to be free of Talisman Lake. They didn’t want you to be imprisoned like they were.
Serena leaned against her rain-splattered window and cried quietly. I adjusted the extra blanket over her, trying to cover up her shaking legs but secretly wished I’d left her back in Talisman Lake when I’d had the chance. After a few minutes of driving through town, we finally reached our dark, quiet street. Eddie and the Martins were already waiting by our driveway.
Trey came running up to my partially open window as Dad put the car in park. “Why didn’t you guys tell us where you were going? We could have helped you!”
I opened the door and slinked out. “I’m sorry. We didn’t—”
“Didn’t what?” I’d never seen Trey like this. His usual happy-joking self was gone, replaced with a flash of anger behind his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Trey. I…” But what could I say? I’d lost his brother.
“Trey? Help us out here?” Eddie whispered from the open garage as he started hitching the trailer to his truck.
Dad already had Mom partway up the walk. I let out a shaky breath and went over to Serena’s side to help her out of the car and into the house.
“Home.” Mom was sitting on the sofa in the living room with her eyes closed when I finally got Serena inside.
“Yeah, Mom. You’re finally home.” I crawled onto couch and hugged her tightly as Serena stood at the door, staring at the hall light.
I thought back to how I’d rescued Mom from Dundee and bargained with Finalin and Medora to get her across the locks. How Reese had led me to the culvert only to be turned away by the sentries. The rally and how hard we’d worked to finally get through the culvert. My whole body shook with relief as I hugged her, now skin and bones from the hell she’d been through over the past year.
But Mom was home, finally home.
I just hoped I hadn’t risked too much to get her there.
•••
It was 3:00 a.m. by the time everyone got to bed. I finally convinced Serena to take a bath, then to take another one after her unfortunate accident. It was like having a toddler in the house, showing her how to use the toilet and get ready for bed. Yes, it was all brand new to her, but after arm-wrestling her into a pair of my old pajamas and trying fifteen different sleeping options before she wedged herself under my bed, she was definitely getting on my last nerve.
So when my cell phone rang at half-past stupid o’clock, I swore whoever it was, they were going down. It didn’t help that Serena was freaking out like a trapped mackerel underneath my bed.
Eeeeiiii!
“Serena! Shussh.” I stumbled out of bed, realizing it could be news about Luke. I was suddenly wide-awake. I dumped the stuff from my backpack onto my bed and sorted through Dad’s and Luke’s cell phones before finding mine.
“Hello?” I yelled into the phone over Serena’s screeching.
“Jade! I tried your cell like six times last night. What happened? Where were you?”
“Cori! You’ll never believe what happened.” I put a finger in my ear, trying to talk over the screeching. Dad stuck his head in to see if he could help, but I just waved him away with a thumbs-up. He grabbed his cell from my bed and headed downstairs.
“What?” Cori asked.
“It’s my mom—”
“Did you find her?” she asked in a hushed, hopeful tone.
“We did!” I answered, tears welling up again, partly from relief and partly from the other bit of news I had to share.
“You must be so happy! I’m so happy—” Her voice choked off the end of her sentence when she heard my sniffles. “But there’s more?”
Talk about an understatement.
“Yeah, there’s more. Have you talked to Trey since yesterday?” I asked. She didn’t answer. “Luke is gone. He was guarding the culvert and the sentries took him.”
“Oh no, Jade. I’m so sorry, that’s so messed up.” She paused for a second while Serena went into another fit of wailing when my alarm clock went off to wake me up for my 9:00 shift at Bridget’s. I pressed Snooze and peeked under my bed to reassure her, but she was crouched into a little ball with her back turned.
“Is your alarm clock broken or something?” Cori asked.
“Um, no. That’s the third part of this drama-rama.” I cradled the phone between my ear and my shoulder and went through my piles of T-shirts and shorts on my dresser, trying to figure out how I was going to find something for Serena to wear given that she was about half my pants size.
“What do you mean?” Cori asked.
“You’ll see when you get here.” I thought for a second, then snuck a peek at Serena under my bed again. “Hey, if you’ve got any spare Cori Originals hanging around, why don’t you bring them over? I’ve got someone who could use a stylist.”
“Oh,” Cori said, “sounds interesting. What about shoes?”
I laughed, wondering how hard it would be to get Serena into a pair of summer sandals considering the pajama episode from the night before.
“Sure. And safety goggles if you have them.”
Biggest head trip in the history of the universe? Walking downstairs to breakfast and seeing Mom standing at the kitchen counter, sipping coffee like a normal person. A two-legged, ten-toed normal person!
“Mm…I missed you.” Mom grasped her mug and closed her eyes as I entered the kitchen.
“I missed you too.” I hugged her, afraid of crushing her in two.
“Oh.” Mom looked up from her mug. “I meant the coffee.”
“Ha ha, very funny. Seriously, though, I can’t believe you’re actually home.” My heart threatened to burst with relief at the sight of her as sunshine streamed through the kitchen window. But I couldn’t let myself totally enjoy the fact that Mom was home. Not with Luke still missing. I spun open a bag of bagels and popped one into the toaster oven, wondering what Luke was eating that morning—if he’d eaten anything at all. “Any news from Luke?”
“Not yet. Your dad’s at Eddie’s. They’ve been out patrolling with the boat since dawn. How’s Serena?” Mom took another sip of her coffee and sat gingerly at the kitchen table. It would be a while before she was back to her old self, judging by her slow movements. The last year had been tough on her.
“I taught her how to use a toothbrush and now she’s trapped in front of the bathroom mirror, thinking there’s another mer-girl in there. She’s been talking to herself for the past thirty minutes.”
I sat at the table next to her.
“Thanks for taking care of her last night. I just…” Mom reache
d out and stroked my ponytail. I’d forgotten she used to do that. “I couldn’t leave her all by herself in the ocean. Not after the promise I made to Finalin and Medora.”
I leaned my head against her shoulder.
“I get it,” I said quietly, but I couldn’t help but feel cheated, knowing that from now on I’d have to share Mom with Serena. Plus, could she even be my mom when everyone thought she was dead? “How are we going to do this anyway? It’s not like you can walk around town acting like you didn’t drown last year.”
“Well, for starters, “ she said picking up a copy of one of my Teen Cosmo magazines from the table. The page was turned to a hair-color ad. “I was thinking of going blond.”
“People dye their hair all the time. Are you sure that’s going to be enough to fool everyone?”
“I’ll cut it too and maybe get some colored contacts. Oh, and I’m now your Tanti Natasha from an obscure South Pacific Island,” Mom added, taking a bite of toast and jam. “Tonganesia or something.”
“My aunt? Ouch.” I burned my hand on the toasted bagel and blew on my fingers. “What about Serena?”
Speak of the devil, Serena walked into the kitchen in my Cinderella pajamas carrying a toothbrush like it was the Olympic torch.
“You mean your Tonganesian cousin Serena?” Mom asked. “She’s still learning English so it’ll be perfect.”
Perfect. I’d just lost my mom and gained an aunt and a cousin from the old country.
Just perfect.
•••
“I think the blue pantaloons look best with the chartreuse chemise.” Cori adjusted the fabric belt around Serena’s teeny waist.
“Why does she stand still for you?” I mumbled through a mouthful of toothpaste as I leaned against my bedroom’s doorframe. Cori’s offbeat Cori Original designs were a perfect disguise for a mer-girl masquerading as a cousin visiting from an unknown, remote South Pacific island. “She almost took my head off when I tried to get the pajama top over her head last night.”
Cori gave me a scornful look.
“Well, the Cinderella pajamas were your first mistake. Honestly, Jade, have I taught you nothing?” Cori arranged Serena’s super long hair around her face. “This is a girl who obviously appreciates fashion.”
Pretty. Serena ran a hand along the silky top and smiled broadly.
“Great. She’s only been wearing clothes for an hour and she’s already got more fashion sense than I do.” I walked back to the bathroom to spit and rinse, then returned to my bedroom to finish getting ready for my ice cream parlor shift. Mom wanted me to take Serena with me so she could get used to her new life as soon as possible. I was working my shift with Cori, so at least she could help me chaperone.
“Okay, she’s ready to hit the town.” Cori stood back from her fashion handiwork and beamed. Serena looked amazing, I had to admit. Mom had helped her wash and brush her super-long hair, and it fell in golden brown waves around her face. Cori had even gotten her into a pair of sandals.
“Not so fast.” I switched to my mermaid voice and took Serena gently by the shoulders.
If you come with us, you need to try to make a few sounds with your mouth, okay?
Serena nodded tentatively.
“Yesss,” I said slowly, showing her how to move her mouth.
“Yer…shhh.” She jumped in surprise at the sound from her mouth then smiled, looking to me for approval.
Good. Now if any boy humans try to talk to you, you just say “Nnnooo.”
“Nnrroo!”
“Close enough.” I turned to Cori. “Now we’re good to go.”
The house phone rang. The one in my room was buried under a pile of clothes, so I ran into Dad’s (and Mom’s!) room to answer it.
“Hello?” But Mom had already picked up on the phone downstairs.
“It’s okay, Jade, I’ve got it. It’s your dad.”
“Is he there? Did Luke turn up?!” I screamed into the phone.
“Sorry, honey. Eddie is out looking for him with the boat right now,” Dad answered.
My heart dropped to my stomach. I’d messed things up even more than usual. Luke was in trouble and it was all my fault.
“Did you at least get the Merlin 3000 working?” I asked hopefully.
“The motherboard on the laptop blew, so I’ll need to get a new one to reprogram it.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” I mumbled.
“It’s not ideal,” Dad replied. “Listen, I have to make an appearance at work or else my whole research experiment is going to fall apart. I’ll swing by the computer store on the way home and we’ll talk later, okay?”
I hung up just as Cori entered the bedroom with Serena at her side.
“Everything okay?” Cori asked. I shook my head.
Luke was still missing and the Merlin 3000 was toast. Things were definitely not okay.
“Not by a long shot.”
•••
Tuesday morning at Bridget’s Diner was thankfully quiet, so Serena stayed occupied spinning on the barstools and lining up sugar packets without the inconvenience of too many gawking eyes.
With lunchtime creeping up, though, I was afraid of what to expect.
“Just try it.” I turned to see Cori offering Serena a quarter of the BLT I’d ordered for her, but Serena turned her head.
“Good luck with that.” I came over from the ice cream cooler. “I’ve been trying to get her to eat all morning.”
I leaned over the counter to talk to Serena in a language she could understand. You have to eat something. Aren’t you hungry?
Bridget came through from the kitchen with a Big Breakfast order. She set it down on the counter for a second to get napkins and looked from Serena’s untouched food to me.
“Something wrong with the sandwich, honey?”
“Oh.” I searched for an explanation for Serena’s picky eating habits. “My cousin isn’t from around here. She’s just not used to our kind of food.”
“Well, what does she usually eat?” Bridget asked.
“Um. Well, I’m not really sure.” I doubted Bridget had seaweed and barnacles on the menu. “Seafood?”
Bridget considered this for a second and then smiled.
“I think I have just the thing.” She served up the Big Breakfast to table six, then disappeared into the kitchen again.
The diner’s front door bell jingled.
“Trey!” Cori said.
Trey’s face was serious and unsmiling. He met Cori at the till.
“I heard about what happened,” Cori whispered. “I’m really sorry.”
Trey looked around to make sure no one was listening.
“I can’t stay. Just came in for something to eat.” He took a plastic-wrapped bagel and cheese from the cooler below the counter and placed it next to the cash register. “My dad had to take my mom to the Emergency Room. She had a relapse, probably because of everything that’s going on.”
“Oh no, Trey. I’m so sorry,” Cori said as she rang up the bagel.
“Yeah, is she going to be okay?” I asked.
Trey glanced my way for a half second, then fished in his pocket for money.
“They’re trying to get her stabilized at the cottage hospital or else we’ll need to take her back to Renworth Hospital in the city.” He picked up the bagel and shoved the change into his pocket. “I’ve got to get back. Grandpa’s starting his shift at the lock and someone’s got to keep up the patrols.”
He pulled the boat keys out of his pocket and waved to Cori.
“See you later.” Then he turned and walked out without looking my way.
“He is so mad at me,” I said quietly.
“Things are just really crazy right now.” Cori brushed past me to go back to the ice cream counter just as Bridget emerged from the kitchen with a steaming plate of mussels.
“Our chef, Daniel, is trying a new recipe, so you can tell me what you think.” Bridget placed the plate in front of Serena.
Serena touched a mussel and pulled her hand back when she realized they were hot. Then, slowly, she picked one up and slurped the mussel out from between the shell.
“We’ll have to work on her table manners,” Cori said, looking over her shoulder from the cooler.
“Well?” Bridget asked, smiling.
Serena nodded and grinned.
“Say ‘thank you,’ Serena,” I whispered, touching her hand.
“T-shank shoe,” Serena replied, beaming at Bridget.
“You’re welcome.” Bridget wrung out a steaming cloth from the sink and picked up a dish tub to go clear a booth by the window. “Nothing makes me happier than a satisfied customer.”
I stared at Bridget as she cleaned the table where Luke and Trey usually sat, wondering what to do. Mrs. Martin was sick again and Luke’s dad was run ragged making sure she was okay. Eddie had his shift at the canal lock during the busiest boating season of the year, and Dad was fixing the Merlin 3000 and trying to avoid a catastrophe at work. That left Trey wandering up and down the coast of Port Toulouse looking for his brother. How would he even know where to look?
“I need to go find him,” I mumbled as I scooped up a Chilly Grizzly Ripple for a waiting customer.
“Huh?” Cori pulled her eyes away from Serena as she plowed through her plate of mussels.
I handed the cone over to the waiting customer and washed my hands in the sink while Cori made change.
“Trey won’t find anything from the boat. I need to go find him myself. Underwater,” I whispered, making sure no one could hear.
“Nuh-uh, nuh-uh, nuh-uh,” Cori waved a finger at me. “You keep doing this. You think no one can do anything but you and then you shut us out.”
I stared at her, taken aback.
“Don’t give me that innocent look,” Cori continued. “Why do you think Trey is so mad? You and Luke went off on your little mer-scapade and tried to play heroes, leaving us out of it. Seriously, Jade, how do you think that felt? We’re all on the same team here, even if some of us don’t have tails.”
“Shh,” I said, looking around.
Serena looked up for a second as Bridget brought her another plate of mussels. Cori stared at me, tapping her foot.
Real Mermaids 2 - Don't Hold Their Breath Page 11
