by M. N. Arzu
They both cringed.
“It has to be hard to adapt to his silent mind, too,” Julian said, thoughtful. “We’re not used to having someone who can’t talk to us, either. If something does happen, he’ll be the most vulnerable of us all.”
“Scott’s a tough kid, Dad. Even Matt came around after a few months, remember? And you thought he was going to be a perpetual runaway back in the day.”
Matthew had been hard. It still felt like a dual badge of honor and survival every time Matt called him Dad.
They found a parking space and started walking to the designated spot by the Central Park Lake. “I know we haven’t talked about this,” Chris said at length, “and this is probably the worst time to ask, but…I’ve been wondering, when are you going to start teaching me the basics for entering The City?”
Julian’s heart skipped a beat, but he swallowed his trepidation. “We’ve been talking with Mireya about it, actually. Diana is starting her basic instruction now that she’s back in Buenos Aires. Maybe you’ll want to join her there later this month?”
“Wait. I thought you were going to teach me,” Chris said, which came out rather suspicious. “I mean, if you’re going to use my thirst for knowledge to get me out of the US and send me to the other side of the world, I’m going to hold that against you.”
“You can’t argue it’s not a good plan.”
“Dad, as long as I’m up here, I’m sticking with you. You’re my family. You’ll always be my family. So you better start instructing me because I am interested in our history,” Chris pointed out with a raised eyebrow, and then fell silent as they both became aware of the merman’s mind getting closer. “What do we know about him, anyway?” Chris asked.
“His name is Adrian. He was born on the surface, and has been looking for another merman for a while. Someone told him about Drake’s database on surface merfolk, so he thought we might be able to help him.”
“Why didn’t you tell Matt about him? They might be related if their tails match, right?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’m nervous enough as it is regarding strangers approaching any of you. Drake usually handles these things through his underground contacts. We’ll talk, see what he wants, and then warn him to stay away from New York, if not the entire United States. This is the worst place to be a merman in the entire world right now.”
Finally, in a deserted part of the park by the lake, a tall man wearing a bright red-and-orange blazer was looking at the water. It was more than a scenic view—it was an escape route.
Julian and Christopher stopped a few feet from him, letting Adrian take the initiative to talk to them first. Wind blew as the stranger turned around to meet them, and Julian had to swallow a gasp as Christopher took a step back.
It was Matt. Or rather, it was exactly how Matt would look in a few years, when he fully reached adulthood. But the resemblance wasn’t just in their looks. This man had the same hardened expression, the same defiant gray eyes that Matt had had when he’d first met Julian, and that sometimes still made their way into their fights.
It was Matt, but then it wasn’t. Their postures were dramatically different. Where Matthew was open and ready to joke, this man was completely closed off. He was taller than Matt, too, and thinner. But most of all, this man was distrustful, a look Julian hadn’t seen in Matt’s eyes for years now.
“I’m Adrian Thorne. And I’m looking for my brother.”
* * *
Something had changed. As Matt opened the door to the penthouse, it felt as if the whole living room had been flooded with dense, invisible smog. It was so abrupt that he stopped mid-sentence, making both Alex and Scott ran into him.
For weeks now, Matt had started to suspect that Scott’s crash course in mental prowess had left him with a hyper-awareness of the emotional moods around him. He’d thought it only had to do with Christopher’s mind, but as time had passed, he’d come to realize he was picking up these vibes from everyone. Maybe even from Scott.
“What? What’s wrong?” Alex asked, as he regained his balance.
“Something…tense. I don’t know, it feels weird.”
“Weird as in we-should-be-running-in-the-other-direction weird?” Alex asked.
“Or weird as in it’s-not-any-of-our-business weird?” Scott added with a raised eyebrow.
“It’s just weird. Plus, if we should be running, I think Julian would have shouted a warning by now.”
Both Alex and Matt turned to look at the study, where they could sense Christopher, Julian…and someone else.
“Oh,” Alex said, “that kind of weird.”
“What?” Scott asked, growing impatient.
“Someone’s in the study with Julian and Chris,” Matt said, “Another merman. He’s being very closed off.”
“As well he should in the presence of unknown mermen,” Scott said with all the authority in the world. Gosh, but Matt hated it when he talked like that.
“Aren’t you hungry or something?” he asked instead, as both glared at each other.
The door to the study opened, and Chris came out. His usual optimistic brother felt troubled, even if he smiled at the three of them in greeting.
“Who’s the visitor?” Alex asked, while Matt tried to understand why his brother was in such bad spirits. He wasn’t just troubled, he was downright worried. How many times have you hidden your true emotions behind a smile?
“A merman looking for help. Matt, I think you should go in and talk to him.”
Matt raised his eyebrows, completely confused. “Sure. What does he want?”
“It’s better if he explains it himself.”
“Are you feeling okay?” Matt asked as they both met in the middle. “You feel…I don’t know, you feel sick.”
Chris was surprised, and then thought about it for a second. “Not sick, overwhelmed. It’s been a lot to process, but don’t worry about me. Go on.” Before Matt had moved further, Chris turned around. “It’s good news, Matt. But remember, we’re all here for you, okay?”
What kind of good news comes with assurances that everything will be okay? More puzzled than worried, Matt knocked on the study door.
“Come in,” Julian said, his mind closed off to Matt so he couldn’t get any sneak peeks.
“Chris said you wanted to see…me…?”
Sitting in front of Julian’s desk, a man turned to look at him, and for one absurd moment, Matt thought he was looking at a mirror. And then the man stood up, taller than him, and Matt actually stepped back, trying to understand what he was seeing—who he was seeing.
“You must be Matthew.”
“Who the hell are you?” he heard himself asking, suddenly feeling betrayed. Why hadn’t Chris warned him that he was going to cross into a parallel universe where his other self was older, taller, and meaner?
“It’s a long story, but the shortest answer is I’m Adrian. I’m your brother.”
* * *
“What do you mean Matt has a brother?” Alex asked, baffled.
“He said he didn’t know Matt existed until a few months ago. That he learned he had a younger brother through a friend of his parents. He’s been searching for Matt ever since.”
“Why wouldn’t Matt know about him?” Alex pressed, his eyes still round.
“’Cause his parents were assholes,” Scott answered, getting a stack of pancakes out of the fridge. That kid was never far away from a stack of something edible.
“Scott!” Chris admonished.
“How would you know?” Alex asked him, now feeling left out.
“Because no one talks about them, especially not Matt. Even Julian walks away from the subject every time it remotely comes into the conversation. And Matt’s temper alone with his practical sense and cold view of the world is not something you’re born with, it’s something you’re born into.”
Both Christopher and Alex stared at him. “What? I pay attention. You won’t shut up about how much you want to
be with your parents down in The City, and you’re too happy to have had crappy parents, even if you don’t talk about them much.”
Alex blushed, and opened his mouth without knowing if he wanted to defend himself or say something else.
“What matters here is Matt, okay?” Christopher interrupted Scott’s awfully perceptive mind. “This is going to be a monumental shock in his life.”
“Wait, Matt’s not really going to go, is he?” Alex asked, going cold.
“Adrian is old enough to be his legal guardian. He will probably want to reconnect with his brother. And Matt…well, there’s no reason for him not to want to do the same. If they decide to go, Julian’s not going to stop them.”
“He can’t leave,” Alex whispered, suddenly feeling like his whole family was being torn apart. Chris was going to go soon, but now Matt was leaving, too?
“Think about him, Alex,” Chris said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “If you suddenly knew you had an older brother, wouldn’t you want to know him? Wouldn’t you want to connect with your blood relatives?”
“No! Well…maybe. I don’t know. You’re my family, Chris. Matt’s my family. I even have a younger brother to look after—”
“Please…” Scott said, rolling his eyes.
“Why would I change that for some guy who shares my colors?”
“Some people do, and it wouldn’t be bad if you wanted to do just that. Like it’s not bad for Matt to want to explore this side of his family he didn’t even know existed. Scott’s right, Matt’s parents were the worst kind of people, and I’m glad he escaped that life. I’m glad his brother escaped that life as well. He just seems…intense about things.”
“What things?” Scott asked, forgetting his pancakes and paying closer attention.
“He said he left his parents and stayed with off-the-radar merfolk, travelling the world. But he seems wary. I don’t know, I looked at him and all I could see was Matthew, and it completely threw me off. Something about him doesn’t vibe right,” Chris said, more to himself than to his brothers. “Either way, we’ll have to play it as it comes. Matt’s going to have to work through some issues he’s never really looked at, with his parents and his past. So don’t pester him with questions until he’s ready to share—if he’s ever ready to share.”
“Of course,” Alex said, sighing. “He’s still our brother, right?” But the real question he wanted to ask was: for how long?
* * *
“A Council member adopted you, huh?” Adrian said as Julian left them alone so they could talk. Truth be told, Matt wanted to leave right behind his father. He didn’t trust Adrian. Every fiber of his body told him to be on his guard, because Adrian certainly was.
“I was thirteen,” Matt said, narrowing his eyes. “At first I thought it was stupid. I couldn’t get used to the rules, and the authority, and…well, actually having someone who cared about me.”
“How did they die? Our parents?” Adrian asked, curious.
“What do you care? You obviously walked away without expecting to see them again, or we would’ve met much sooner.”
Adrian had told Julian he was forty-nine, which meant he was thirty-two years older than Matthew. His brother—though it felt completely wrong to think about him like that—raised his hands in a sign of peace.
“Fair enough. I guess with the lives they had, I expected them to die a whole lot sooner. I certainly wasn’t expecting that they would even think about having another kid.”
“Makes you wonder if they had another before you,” Matt said. No matter where he looked, Adrian’s resemblance to his own face didn’t let him consider the possibility that this was all a big misunderstanding. The guy even wore a red-and-orange blazer.
“Let’s hope not,” Adrian said. “Look, I know I’m coming out of the blue, and I was confused for a long time after knowing you existed somewhere out in the world. I never expected you to have another family. Especially not with the Council,” Adrian said with disdain.
Matt had heard about merfolk who hated the idea of the Council, but he’d never understood what their problem was.
“What’s so wrong about them?”
“Matt. It’s the Council. These people do whatever they want regardless of how much they screw up our lives.”
“What?”
“They just took you away without even checking for relatives. I bet you don’t even know the first thing about being a real merman.”
“I am a real merman.”
“I’m sure you believe that.” They both glared at each other, until Adrian turned away.
“I didn’t come here to fight with you,” he finally said. “I came here to know you. And for you to know me. We’re the same, Matt. We’re the same colors, you and I. It’s not right for us to be strangers. And I know I’m different—hell, I’ll never even compare to the life you have here, but won’t you give me a chance?”
Against what his instincts were telling him, Matt relented. “What do you propose?”
“I don’t know. Let’s talk one of these days. Maybe we can even go out this Thursday, after school. I have something I need to finish around here, but I could totally make it work around your schedule.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Julian has my number. You can reach me at any time, talk to me about anything. It wasn’t long ago that I was your age.”
Adrian smiled. Matt didn’t. It was going to be a long time before Matt would be able to do that.
13
Ties
Gill was waiting for him.
Alex had no idea what to do or how to feel. On one hand, she’d been so worried about him that she’d actually done the smartest thing possible: call his father. She had no idea that in doing so, she’d basically thrown him to the wolves, even if getting a lecture and being grounded by Julian had all been his fault. So he was both thankful and dismayed at her antics, and he felt guilty for putting her in this position to begin with. How was she supposed to know he hadn’t told anyone about this?
In fact, as Julian had pointed out, how was she supposed to know if his father knew he was a merman? And if things like this kept happening in the future, she’d have absolutely no idea on how to deal with it.
“Alex!” Gill greeted him from the main doors at Saavan Academy, clutching her laptop in her arms as a shield, her backpack hanging from one shoulder. “I thought you were not going to come today,” she said as she reached him. Looking around them, she added, “I thought you were sick or something.”
“Hey,” he said, his hands in his pockets, looking at his feet. “It’s nothing serious. It just seems that I’m growing too fast, so these rashes are expected.”
She frowned. “But you weren’t expecting them. You had no idea what was going on—”
“I do now. Listen, about the whole thing—”
“I didn’t say anything to anyone,” she rushed to reassure him, and he nodded.
“I know. How—how did you know to call my dad? I mean, how do you have his number?”
“You’re kidding me. There’s a hunter out there, people are going crazy looking for…you know, and suddenly I’m walking and talking to you. So I made it my business to make sure I knew who to call in case something horrible happened. Which it did. It was a fifty-fifty chance your own father would know that you’re…you know, so I took my chances. Was Matthew with you in the pool? I wasn’t sure if it was him or someone else from the team and…” She trailed off as the hamster in her head kept spinning out of control. “Wait. Is the whole team mer—!”
“Gill!” he said louder so she wouldn’t shout to the whole world that she thought merfolk had invaded the school. “Ssshhh… I’m in enough trouble already,” he admonished her, and Gill almost dropped her laptop in a vain attempt to shut her mouth with her hand.
“The school keeps a list of emergency contacts,” she murmured as they walked through the halls, dozens of students minding their own business around them. “T
hat’s how I got your dad’s number. It’s not even that hard to hack, really.”
“Oh, right. That makes sense,” Alex said, relieved for no good reason.
“Are you mad at me?”
“Yes. No. Wait, that came out all wrong. I’m not—I’m not mad at you, Gill. It’s just that you knowing the whole thing is dangerous, okay? There are all these implications that I didn’t know about, and my father would like to talk to you…but only if you want to!” he added as Gill’s eyes started going round. “He wants to do this properly or something.”
“Your dad is…also…?”
Sighing deeply, Alex nodded.
“But you’re adopted—” she whispered, and this time she did drop her laptop as she put her hands over her mouth to try to keep it shut.
“Gosh, is there anything you don’t know about me?” Alex said as he bent to pick her laptop up. She was staring at him. “What?”
“I would love to know everything about you, but I keep messing this up, don’t I?”
Alex handed her the laptop, and she received it without even checking if it was in one piece. “We both do,” he said at last. “That’s what I’m really mad about. Not you, but the way I’ve handled things. With you, and my dad, and now this stupid rash. And things at home are insane right now. I should’ve done a million things differently months ago… or even two weeks ago. But now we’re in the middle of this…thing…so I would totally understand if you say no to my dad for a while.”
“You want me to pass up an opportunity of formally knowing a…you know, for some unknown reason you’re not even explaining to me?”
Alex nodded eagerly. If she said no, that would solve that problem—
“You do realize that I have his number, right?” she asked, raising both eyebrows. “There’s no way on Earth I’m rejecting his invitation.”
