Mutiny (M.E.R. Series)

by Jacqueline Gardner

  “I have a hunch,” I muttered. “I think I know who might have told.” Frankie sighed still looking down at the floor.

  “Me too,” he agreed. “We will go on as if nothing is wrong and when there’s down time, we’ll both ask Brian about it.” I turned towards the open hatch, letting the night air fill my nostrils. The breeze felt different from the air in the Hamptons. It was warm and sticky.

  I climbed through the open hatch and down the side ladder. The waves were rough and they rocked the boat making it hard to jump in. Mariella was hidden so well that I couldn’t see her.

  “Come on guys!” Anchovy seemed excited about venturing off into the busy city. I put the tiny tracker in my pocket and jumped in the boat. Frankie followed looking a bit angry. As soon as he jumped in, we were off for the beach where we would catch a bus to Curitiba. Once we got to the city, we wouldn’t have to hide Mariella anymore. She would blend in just fine as long as she kept her mouth shut.

  The waves crashed against our boat and stars shone bright in the sky. Lights from the beach got closer as we all waited patiently to hit the sand. Frankie and I stared at Brian. He’d been quiet all evening, not like his usual self. There was no telling what he was thinking. He was a hard guy to figure out.

  We passed our last wave and came up towards the beach. The sand was light brown. We ended up hiding our boat by a nearby bush. It took me a minute to adjust to the humidity. With every step it was difficult to breathe but I tapped Mariella’s blanket and headed for the street. She threw the blanket off and took a huge gulp of air.

  MARIELLA

  8

  My City Tour

  I sat in a bus that was so crowded, I thought I might suffocate. I’d never been to South America and it felt weird to sit amongst people and not understand what they were saying. Their mouths moved so quickly that all I wanted to do was cover my ears. I looked around and couldn’t help but think that every passenger was talking about me.

  The only thing that made me feel at ease was sitting next to Eric. He stared straight ahead at a group of teenage boys who were standing in the aisle. They roared and laughed out loud. Frankie sat behind us with the rest of the crew. Brian had avoided eye contact with me all day. I didn’t know what he was hiding, but that symbol on the wall was stuck in my head.

  “How much longer do I have to sit here?” I whispered. It took Eric a second to answer. He was busy listening to all the conversations going on around us.

  “Not much longer now. We’re almost to downtown.” We’d been sitting on the bus for an hour, and I couldn’t put up with the foul stench any longer. Crowding loads of people on a bus is just asking for a cloud of stink. “And try not to talk.”

  I could barely see the city outside the bus windows. It was dark and I could hear loud music and see bright lights as we drove through downtown. The bus screeched before it came to a halt. Eric jumped up, grabbing my hand. It was such a sudden gesture that my heart pounded as I looked down at our intertwined fingers. He pulled me off the bus. The rest of the boys followed. Stepping off the bus was like stepping back into New York City. The energy was the same.

  “This way,” Eric pointed towards an alley. We all walked together in a group. Tall buildings towered over us and the streets were buzzing with passing people. Eric led us through a tight alley that opened up to a busy side street. There were food stands in every corner and the smells made my stomach rumble. All I’d eaten lately were dry biscuits that tasted like soap. Almost anything sounded appetizing at this point.

  Eric looked like he didn’t even noticed the smell. He walked briskly towards a small marketplace filled with fruit stands. Some of the stands were still open for business. We passed a brightly lit shop with little tables sitting outside. Eric stopped and walked backwards. He looked through the shop window. There was a counter inside filled with pastries and fresh bread. A small sign in the door said café.

  “This place looks safe,” Eric muttered. “Wait here.”

  Eric looked up and down the street as Frankie, Brian, and Anchovy waited on the sidewalk. He pushed open the shop door and there was an overwhelming smell of baked goods.

  “Want a coffee?” he asked. I shook my head and pointed to the counter full of pastries. Eric smiled and walked up to the counter. A girl with pulled back hair and a splotched apron came to the register. Eric handed her some coins and she pulled out a fruit filled pastry, putting it on a plate. My mouth watered just looking at it.

  I grabbed the plate from Eric and stared at the fruit filled pastry. Eric walked over to an empty table by the window.

  “Sit right here and I’ll be back before you know it.” I sat down at the empty table. People were hurrying past outside. I could see them clearly through the café window.

  “What if something happens?”

  “Nothing will happen,” Eric replied confidently. I looked over at the front counter. The girl at the register had already gone back into the kitchen.

  “What if someone tries to talk to me?”

  “Don’t make eye contact and nobody will.” Eric looked out the window at his impatient teammates. I thought I wanted the freedom to be on my own but now that Eric was leaving, I wasn’t sure I wanted that anymore. I’d always had trouble absorbing new information. I was in an unfamiliar place with people that technically didn’t exist. I had to have Eric by my side. I’d be totally lost without him.

  “But!”

  “I told you. You’ll be fine. And don’t worry about me. I promise I’ll be back for you.” He looked outside again, pulling open the door. Before I knew it, Eric was gone and I was alone in a Brazilian coffee shop.

  The tables around me were empty. I watched strangers through the window as I picked up my pastry. The bread was sweet and the fruit flavor was unlike anything I’d ever tasted.

  I’d been missing over 24 hours now. I wondered who would actually be bummed by the news. Carmen would be, probably because I’d be missing our concert. Cynthia was probably too preoccupied with baby stuff to care. Now she had the entire house to herself. She didn’t have to worry about me and my inappropriate behavior.

  I took another bite of my pastry, looking up as the shop door opened. A young couple holding hands walked in. They laughed and rushed to the front counter. I eyed the girl’s black, lace dress. It was so tight that I wondered how she was able to walk without ripping the seams. Her red heels were cute though.

  The girl came back out from the kitchen and to the register. She took their money with a smile. The couple took a table next to me. I took another bite of my pastry and pretended not to notice.

  The girl with the splotched apron came back from the kitchen with teacups and a pot of coffee. The couple poured themselves a cup and sipped slowly. The girl giggled as she batted her eyelashes. I looked the other way. It felt like I’d been waiting for Eric for hours.

  I licked some fruit filling from my lips and stared at the table. I was completely overwhelmed with worry as I tried to think of what to do next. Once Eric got me a cell phone, I wasn’t sure who to call. Who was going to believe that I’d randomly ended up in Brazil? I had absolutely no explanation to give. I’d have to make something up.

  A sudden scream made my heart jump, and I dropped the rest of my pastry on the table. The laughing couple looked startled. The scream came from outside. My stomach churned and I hoped that the cause of the scream had nothing to do with Eric.

  The piercing sound of gunshots finally made me panic. I dropped to the floor without thinking and listened as screaming people ran down the street. More gunshots sounded and my heart was beating so fast that my entire body felt tingly. What was going on? Eric had said everything would be fine.

  The laughing couple grabbed each other and fled out of the café door. The sticky night air felt refreshing as the door flipped open. I stayed crouched by my table. It took everything I had to keep myself calm. The loud noises outside made everything feel more real. I really was in trouble. My feet were glued to hardw
ood floor. I couldn’t move and I didn’t want to.

  More screams filled the street but this time they were closer. I closed my eyes and took long, deep breaths. I had to be ready for whatever was about to happen. Another gunshot sounded so close that I screamed. The loud noise bounced around in my eardrums and glass shattered all around me. The sight of the broken glass only made my heart pound more.

  The shop window had broken. Whoever was responsible for the gunshots had to be right outside the café. A hand grabbed my shoulder and made me scream. Eric’s face was red and sweaty. He kept looking outside like he was being followed.

  “Time to go,” he muttered. He didn’t look the least bit scared. He acted like this kind of thing happened every day.

  Eric didn’t look back. We tore through the kitchen of the coffee shop, knocking over pots and pans as we ran. Crashes and blasting noises lingering behind us made me run faster. The back kitchen was empty. Eric and I came to a back door leading outside. The door was locked. Eric rammed the nearby window with his fist. Blood dripped from his knuckles, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “He’ll be here any second. I can smell him now.”

  “Smell who?”

  Eric knocked out the remaining glass and grabbed me around the waist. I didn’t resist. I heard the kitchen door smash open and footsteps stamped across the floor.

  “Don’t look, just run!” Eric pushed me through the side window before I could see the source of the banging noises that followed us.

  My hands hit the dirt, preventing my face from getting trashed. Eric was stuck inside and I was ordered to run for my life. I stood up, wiping my dirty hands on my jeans. My heart was still pounding and my feet were tingling as I glanced around deciding what to do.

  Before I had a chance to think, Eric leaped through the window behind me and jumped up to his feet. He gave me a scolding look and pushed me forward.

  “I told you to run!” Eric yelled. I didn’t know what was scarier – Eric getting angry or the monster of a man knocking the door down. A fist pounded at the back door and the wood started to split. Eric took off running down the street and I followed.

  My legs propelled forward on their own. I gulped down air whenever possible and tried to ignore the fatiguing pain shooting down my body. Eric glanced behind every few seconds to make sure I was still there. I couldn’t wait until we could stop. I was running out of fuel, and trying to keep up with a government trained M.E.R. soldier wasn’t easy.

  “I can’t . . .” My voice trailed off as we turned the corner onto a cobblestone street. Eric ran towards a street with rows of houses.

  “We’re almost there, Mariella! Just keep running!” Eric kept running like it was nothing. He probably could have run for hours if I hadn’t been with him. The street was quiet behind us and we were finally far enough away to talk.

  Eric jumped over a fence and into an empty yard. The grass was an intense green but the yard looked unkempt. The windows of the narrow, brick house were dark. Eric ran into the backyard, opening the front door minutes later. He waved at me to come in. I hopped over the front fence and tumbled into the front yard. I was too tired to care about ripping my t-shirt. All I wanted to do was sit down on something fluffy and drink a glass of water.

  Eric pulled me inside the dark house and shut the door. I felt a light switch on the wall beside me and I flipped it on.

  “No,” Eric whispered. He flipped the switch off and stared out the front window.

  “What happened?” I asked. “Where’s the rest of the team?” Eric moved down the dark hallway and turned the corner into a small sitting room. I stepped softly on the tile floors and found a sunken armchair to rest on. The sitting room furniture cast shadows on the walls and made me worry that we weren’t alone. Eric was calm as he sat next to me and fiddled with his handgun.

  “We got separated,” Eric whispered. “We’ll have to find the guys later.” I put my hand to my chest. My heartbeat was starting slow down. I closed my eyes and tried to erase the sounds of gunshots from my memory.

  “What happens next?” I whispered. Eric pushed a loaded clip into his hand gun and looked up. His hands had already healed, and the skin on his knuckles was smooth.

  “You get some rest,” Eric replied. My eyes went wide as I looked around the room. There was a glass coffee table in front of me and a small doorway that led to a cramped kitchen.

  “Uh what if we get caught?” I pointed upstairs. Eric grinned, walking to the window.

  “No one’s home,” Eric answered as he peeked through the hanging curtains.

  “How can you be sure? You haven’t even checked upstairs.” Eric sighed and watched the street.

  “There’s no noise upstairs and there hasn’t been fresh food in the kitchen for a few days. Whoever lives here must be out of town.” I sniffed the air. I hadn’t noticed it, but Eric was right. The air was musty and there was no sign of any snoring upstairs.

  “And you know this how?”

  Eric looked at me and chuckled.

  “Oh right, the magical senses thing. So, are you going to tell me what happened or do I have to pry the information out of you?”

  “It was my fault, I guess. I said something to Brian that made him upset.”

  “Well, Brian isn’t exactly the most optimistic guy.” I thought about how we’d bickered back and forth the night before. Brian had a lot of issues. I could totally see him freaking out for no reason.

  “If I hadn’t said anything, we would’ve never been spotted.”

  “Spotted? By who? I thought merpeople didn’t exist.”

  “M.E.R. soldiers,” Eric replied quietly. “And we don’t. But . . .” Eric was holding back again. I’d already seen him heal, and I’d been traveling on a speedy submarine. Nothing could surprise me now.

  “Is someone chasing us, Eric? You know, it’s better to just tell me than to leave me in the dark. Maybe I can help.”

  “Fine,” he agreed. “Yes, there’s someone after me.”

  “Someone with special powers?” I laughed. I was trying to make the best of our situation but Eric didn’t think I was funny.

  “No.”

  “So what’s the big deal?” I replied. Eric looked down at the floor and walked towards the small couch next to me.

  “He shot me,” Eric whispered. My first instinct was to jump up and play nurse. But halfway out of my chair I remembered that Eric didn’t need to be babied. “As soon as he did that, he knew what I was.”

  “Who exactly are we talking about?”

  “Clark,” Eric muttered.

  “Huh? I don’t know a Clark.”

  “And let’s hope you never do,” Eric answered. “He’s crazy and he’s after my team for some reason. Now, get some sleep. We’ll be fine as long as we stay put.”

  It felt good to close my eyes. My legs were sore from our sprint to find refuge. After sleeping on a hard floor, an armchair in a strange house wasn’t so bad. Plus, Eric was with me. He’d notice anything unusual before I ever caught on. Eric looked like he’d drifted off to sleep already.

  When I closed my eyes, I tried to clear my head. The first thing that entered my head was Eric taking my hand and leading me into the coffee shop. I was sad to see him go and I had worried about him a little too much for some reason. I turned my head towards the cramped kitchen. I could see a counter lined with jars. It had been a long time since I’d had a full meal. Maybe there’s something I can eat in there?

  Eric flinched a little when I stood up but he stayed asleep. I tiptoed over to the kitchen and looked for the fridge. There were counters, a sink, and a bunch of cabinets covered with curtains, but no fridge. A narrow door with a square window was at the end of the kitchen. It led to the backyard.

  I moved the cabinet curtains aside and spotted a plastic sack containing something that looked like bread. I grabbed the sack and pulled out a crumbling loaf that smelled strange. I couldn’t see very well in the dim light but the bread looked like it was m
olding.

  I froze for a second as something softly scratched the door to the backyard. In my head, I thought about the glass that had shattered around me in the coffee shop. My knees buckled and I dropped to the floor. Don’t be stupid, Elle! It’s probably just the cat or something.

  I waited a couple minutes for another scratch. Inching my way closer to the door, I glanced through the square window and couldn’t see anything but shrubs and a leafy tree. A cat would’ve been good company. Things had been crazy lately and I was starting to long for some normalcy. Sometimes I felt useless around Eric. He was prepared and ready for everything. I wasn’t.

  I turned the doorknob and the back door swung open. The night air was still warm and humid. I wiped my forehead, stepping outside. More green grass covered the backyard and a tall, twisting tree covered the neighboring houses.

  I looked around for something furry. “Here kitty kitty.” I whispered and walked across the lawn. It felt nice to be standing out in the open again. Being on a submarine wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be.

  I paused and turned back towards the house. I couldn’t shake the strange feeling that I was being watched. The yard was full of shadows and I was starting to get paranoid. One of the shadows moved and I jumped back towards the door. I opened my mouth to yell but nothing came out.

  A hand grabbed my mouth. I struggled to break free. A bulging arm wrapped itself around my neck and a low voice told me to stay quiet. I was over-powered and I had no idea what to do. Eric was asleep and I was stupid enough to think a cat was scratching at the door.

  “Don’t make a sound or you’ll regret it.” The deep voice sent chills down my spine. I was horrified. I didn’t want to think about what might happen next. If these guys thought I was a regenerator, I’d be in trouble. I just prayed they wouldn’t shoot me to find out.