“You were a lot younger when you died, and that’s the number that counts in my book of perversion,” I said.
“Oh, sweetie, lighten up. Besides, my snugs has enough stones to fill a treasure chest,” said my mom.
“Snugs?” said Troy, his eyebrow raised.
Mr. Gibbs tentatively raised his hand.
Doctor Tenly slapped Mr. Gibbs on the back. “Why, Fletcher, you old octo! I knew you had it in you!”
“Just kill me. Really,” I said.
“Won’t be an easy task, there, Savior,” said Manakel.
“Whoa, what?” said my mom, slamming her glass down, her eyes suddenly alert. “Savior? Savior of what?”
I swallowed hard before answering. “Savior of…Merpeople.”
“What-huh?” sputtered my mom.
“Mrs. Valentine,” began Doctor Tenly, “your daughter has been selected by the lost souls of the sea to be the one and only Siren Savior. She is the one being that can save our kind.”
Mom didn’t say a word. Instead, she fell forward and face-planted into the coffee table.
“Oh God, she face-slammed!” I said, starting for her, but Mr. Gibbs gestured for me to stay put. Instead, Treeva hurried to comfort Mom.
“That’s going to be a helluva headache tomorrow,” said Manakel.
“Speaking of headaches,” said Trey, “there’s something kinda alarming I should probably tell you, Marina.”
“What could possibly be more shocking than everything my poor mom has just heard?”
Trey fidgeted with the hem of his torn black shirt. “Uh, well…I’m a seal.”
“You mean like of the Navy variety?” I muttered.
“No, I mean the cuddly, fuzzy, note-bringing variety.”
And that was the moment my shock forced me to slide off the couch and butt flop onto the floor.
Chapter Two
Sanity-Not-So-Much Savior
From the floor, I stared blankly at Trey. He had been the little seal delivering me clues.
“You? You were the seal?”
“Yep.”
“You nuzzled my boobs,” I said flatly.
“And you farted on my hand,” said Troy.
“Freely nuzzled, yes, and I would’ve done worse if I could have worked something up, Deliverer,” answered Trey, looking sternly at Troy.
“We need to tone down the testosterone in this room and turn up the estrogen,” said Meikle.
“Wait. How can you be a…a…seal?” I stuttered.
“Yeah, no idea. The first time it happened was on Halloween. When I went to get you some punch, I overheard Katrina and Troy fighting about you. She accused him of going soft—”
“Going soft? Interesting. Might be your relationship just jumped the shark, Marina,” said Manakel. “Not something you want to deal with later on.”
It was all I could do to keep Troy from lunging at the angel with the one-track mind.
“Shut it, feathers. Trey, go on,” I said, glaring at Manakel.
“Troy told her to keep her nose where it belonged—”
“In whale dung,” supplied Troy, smirking.
“—and that’s when she said that Troy’s first test since ‘Miss Orange Sherbet came to town’ would be on my birthday. It was that moment when everything came together for me. I knew what the Ravenflames and Troy were up to,” said Trey.
“Don’t throw me in the vat of Zale insanity. I didn’t know what they were doing with the Normals and family members. I was forced to comply as much as you were,” said Troy, angrily.
“It’s true, Trey. Troy really had no recourse until now,” I said.
“Whatever,” said Trey. “Anyway, Katrina caught me listening in, so she and her thugs tried to trap me in some room with this strange porthole. When I saw Ophelia’s image in the porthole, something happened…and I transformed into a seal. The porthole disappeared for a millisecond and an odd blue mist appeared. Instinctively, I crawled through it and ended up in the lagoon, safe and sound.”
“How?” I asked, frowning.
“Think I might be able to help here,” said Doctor Tenly. “It’s Marina’s fault.”
“WHAT?” I shrieked.
“Beg yours?” Mom groaned, finally lifting her reddened forehead off the coffee table.
Doctor Tenly grinned widely. “What I mean to say is…Marina’s touch has some transformative qualities. It’s why my wall of gum flew away as butterflies, why Trey turned into a seal, why a golden shield developed from the palms of your hands…”
“Why I started feeling detached from the demon within when our hands touched for the first time,” said Troy, taking my hand in his. With very little effort, he lifted me off the ground and held me in his lap.
“My touch has…powers?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” said Doctor Tenly. “Now, that’s not to say Trey’s alternate identity as a seal is solely due to you, Marina. In fact, I would say his seal-self goes much, much deeper. Another research project for another day.”
“Hold up! My daughter created that golden shield oddity at the Christmas Eve party?” asked my mom as Treeva handed her an ice pack.
“Watch!” Doctor Tenly swiveled around, grabbed a beaker, and hurled it at me.
“Son of a—” I threw my hands up and, like clockwork, my friendly golden shield materialized, bouncing the beaker right back at Doctor Tenly, who caught it with one hand. “Seriously, dude. Stop throwing things at me.”
“See? Uh, Mrs. Valentine? Oh dear. She passed out,” said Doctor Tenly. “Tree, I have some bottled humpback fart on the top shelf, far right. That should wake her up.”
Treeva hurried to find the bottled humpback fart in Doctor Tenly’s hidden cabinets.
“Bet that beats regular smelling salts any day,” said Manakel.
“Can’t we just let her sleep?” I asked.
“Best if she hears it all at once,” said Troy, rubbing my back.
“Troy’s right. Plus, she’s just downright entertaining the fin off of me,” said Doctor Tenly.
Treeva uncorked the small vial and waved it underneath Mom’s nose. Mom rubbed her nose, looked hopelessly at me, and then slowly shifted her gaze to every face in the room. “It wasn’t a nightmare, was it?” I shook my head. “But that smell…that was a nightmare, right?” I pulled a face, crinkled my eyebrows, and shrugged. “Not your fault, baby girl. Don’t go blaming yourself for my intolerance of facts. Old Mom will cope…eventually.”
I stared at my poor mom and felt the weight of one thousand worlds of guilt pile on. She’s right—none of this was my fault. I never asked to be born with a talent the government declared illegal; I never asked to be institutionalized and poked to near-death by doctors trying to cleanse me of my so-called malfunction; and although I did secretly ask to be banished, I certainly didn’t ask for the location to be some town full of Merpeople on the brink of war, half of whom kidnap and use people like me for their own warped purpose; and I never, under any circumstance, asked to be the Siren Savior. So, I shouldn’t feel guilty, should I? I mean, I never asked for any of this…but neither did my mom. I can’t help thinking that Mom would have been happier if I had never been born. Aside from everything she has found out today, her husband—my father—wouldn’t have been murdered because he tried to free me and people like me. Without me taking up space in this world, my dad would still be alive, and they would be together, happy and free.
“Marina. You’re dead wrong,” said Doctor Tenly.
Sigh. I forgot about the doctor’s mental eavesdropping abilities. I really should carry a checklist of people’s powers and quirks around with me. Answering through my mind, I simply said, Am I, really? Because I don’t think I am. Mom and Dad minus me would have equaled a long, happy life. With me, Dad dies and Mom suffers. So, please, tell me how I’m wrong, exactly?
“Things happen for a reason. You happened for a reason.”
Wishing I could accept that at face value, yet knowing
I couldn’t, I simply rested my head on Troy’s shoulder, hoping it would stop my brain from churning out more woes for Doctor Tenly to overhear.
“Doc was brain-diving again, wasn’t he?” asked Troy. I nodded. “I may not brain-dive, but I do read between the lines pretty well. You were meant to be, Rubylocks. And if you don’t believe that, then believe this—you were meant to be for me.” He placed my hand upon his heart. “I couldn’t and wouldn’t be here without you.”
I whispered my thanks and kissed him on the cheek. Whether he was right or wrong was immaterial; his words were exactly what I needed to hear. Knowing he truly believes my presence mattered to his very existence was more than I could ever imagine.
“I’m falling behind, here, aren’t I?” Mom, arched eyebrow in full effect, stared at me, Troy, and Doctor Tenly.
“David is telepathic,” said Treeva. “But he only listens in on someone’s thoughts when they want to be heard.”
“Well, of course he’s telepathic!” said my mom, laughing and throwing her arms in the air. “Merpeople, horny angels, and mer-zombies...naturally there’d have to be a telepath in there somewhere! Oh, and let’s not forget about my daughter, the card reader and Savior of fish, a creature that makes her gag and, on occasion, puke.”
“I’m glad to see you’re coming to terms with everything, Mrs. Valentine,” said Doctor Tenly as Mom shot one heck of a scary glare his way. “Uh, you know, I think we should show your mom just how capable you are, Marina! Manakel tells me you’ve awakened. How about we put you against Manakel and Troy? They can give you their best maneuvers and really test your raw skills.”
“Not gonna happen,” said Troy. “She already tried to race me on the beach.” Troy then mouthed the word ‘bad’ to Treeva and Doctor Tenly.
“Yeah, it ended with him waiting and me gasping like I was on my deathbed,” I said.
“Ah, we have to turn you on, then,” said Doctor Tenly.
“I volunteer to help with that,” said Manakel, raising his hand.
“You would,” I sneered.
“Actually,” started Doctor Tenly, clearing his throat and grabbing a sky blue leather book out of his purple case, “there are provisions for an awakened, but not yet ‘alert’ Savior.” Holding up the smallish book, he said, “This is the only known copy of Salvaging the Savior. According to the Divine Oceanic Powers, the one who finds this book shall, henceforth, be known as the Pathfinder, guide and guardian to the Siren Savior. Hey, hey! That’s me! So exciting!”
“And in non-fin speak all that garble would translate to what, exactly?” I asked.
Doctor Tenly rocked back and forth on his heels. “Ah, well, you need regular training sessions, and I’m your trainer.”
Troy, Trey, and Manakel started laughing up a tsunami at my expression: gaping mouth with a snarling lip, saucer-sized, pissed off eyes, and a healthy brow crinkle that will inevitably leave a permanent wrinkle one of these days.
“Y’all think that’s funny?” asked Treeva.
“Hilarious,” said Trey.
Treeva gave a sarcastic faux laugh. “So glad you think so, because every Normal student will attend regular training sessions of their own…with me.”
“You can’t be serious,” said Trey as Meikle groaned and let an expletive slip.
“We need to make sure you all are in touch with every layer of your powers. War is coming. We need to be ready,” said Treeva.
Troy and Manakel kept hooting at me, Trey, and the various irked reactions of the Normals; the fact that Ophelia once again fainted—her head flopping sadly backwards on the couch like a puppet without its human counterpart—didn’t do much to calm their hysterics.
“I wouldn’t be hatching a hernia if I were you, baby brother,” said Treeva with a devilish grin.
“Yeah, why’s that?” he said.
“Because you’re going into training with me—” said Doctor Tenly.
“Ha, ha, wee 'lil fish prince needs to muscle up for the big fight, eh?” said Manakel, chuckling.
“—and Manakel,” finished Doctor Tenly.
“Oh, bloody feathers! Are you yanking my short hairs, Doc?”
Doctor Tenly shook his head. “Nope. You are going to help train up Troy, here.”
“Why the hell do I need training?” Troy griped.
“King Zale should never have been able to control you so easily, Troy,” said Doctor Tenly. “Your demon side is far more powerful than what you exhibited with Zale, particularly when combined with your merman and royal abilities. You just need to learn to use and control it.”
“Told ya,” I sang in his ear.
“Whoa. Back up.” This time, Mom was up off the loveseat, swaying slightly where she stood. “You’re dating a merman demon prince?”
“He’s actually a prince merman…who just so happens to have a demon attached,” I clarified.
Grabbing her head, Mom said, “My head is going to explode tomorrow, isn’t it?”
“Several times, I would imagine,” I said.
“Oh, baby girl, I don’t want you dating a demon.” She looked thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment before I spied the start of a cat-like smirk and felt that familiar ‘Oh, Dear God, what is Mom about to do’ feeling. “Maybe, instead, you could just, you know, have a date with an angel.”
The room erupted with eardrum-blowing laughter. Hell, even Meikle was giving way to small, intermittent giggles—a rarity, to be sure. I looked to Troy, expecting him to be out of his mind with anger, only to find him chuckling with everyone else.
“Seriously?” I said to him.
Troy shrugged. “Well, your mom winked at me before saying it. Have I mentioned she’s the coolest parental on the planet? Look at her!”
Only one emotion registered while watching my gorgeous, drunk-on-root beer mother: respect. All that I learned over the course of nearly a year had just been unloaded on my mom in a single night—and here she was, making a room full of mythological beings and banished, abandoned Normals grab their sides and wipe away laughter tears. Beneath the joking, I knew she was trying to force her mind around everything. She was scared; I could see it. But she wasn’t scared for herself; she was terrified this would be the one time she couldn’t save me.
At that moment, another emotion overtook me, and I stood up, walked to my mama, and hugged her as tightly as I could.
“Oh, little peanut. Shh. I’m okay. Promise,” she said, stroking my hair like only a mother can.
“And so am I. Promise,” I said, looking her in the eye.
Mom, eyes glistening, nodded. “Well, now, Troy, a.k.a. Prince Merman Demon…I trust you, but if you ever slip up, I’ll be there to create the mess, not clean it. Got it?”
Troy looked at my mom with great admiration. Smiling, he replied, “Absolutely.”
“Hey, why didn’t my spare-a-life spell repel Troy? If he’s a demon, and my spell was supposed to repel all demons and blood relations, why didn’t it get him? Or Polly, for that matter?” Meikle asked, swinging her bag.
“That’s a good question,” I said. “I saw two people pull Polly into the sea that night. If one was you, Troy, who was the other one?”
“Marina, there wasn’t anyone else with me. I work alone,” said Troy. “As for your spell, Meikle, maybe it just didn’t work.”
“Aw, thanks, demon fish, for putting the ass in assessment. Couldn’t have concluded the spell’s failure on my own. I never fail,” said Meikle, digging her nails into the chair.
Doctor Tenly waved his hands in the air. “Wait, wait, wait!” Treeva, knowing the doctor as well as she does, had already grabbed his purple case and held it open for him to dig in. “Ah-ha! Here we go!” Flipping through an ancient golden book, its pages barely attached to the spine, Doctor Tenly grinned and kicked his leg out. “Meikle, you are one powerful witch! Your spell didn’t fail! It’s a floater!”
“A…floater?” she said.
“Indeed. Troy’s power as the deliverer more or
less trumps any other mystical counter. See, the demon within Troy isn’t something born…it’s something crafted, something planted. As such, it carries its own brand of magic—that of its original creator—”
“Zale,” said Troy, clenching his jaw.
“Yes, in part. But, magic isn’t stationary. It’s fluid. Thus, a fashioned demon will naturally pledge its allegiance to its creator, but also to its current owner…Troy. Zale has magic, the demon has magic, and so do you, Troy. What you’re left with is a war of will. Whose magic prevails? You see, now, why you need training?” Troy nodded. “Good. So, Meikle, because Troy was acting within the parameters of the demon’s mystical purpose when you cast your spell, it effectively thwarted the spell’s intentions, which is why it didn’t affect Polly.”
“Okay, I get it,” said Meikle, “but then what do you mean by ‘floater?’”
“Ah, well, your spell is still live, floating in the air out there, waiting for you to direct it. Highly advanced magic! Most spells will dissipate when thwarted.”
“Kick ass,” said Meikle, smiling.
“Who was the second person I saw with Troy and Polly, then? I know I’m not insane. I saw two figures,” I said.
Doctor Tenly tilted his head. “Well, sanity is relative, isn’t it? Your supposed sanity to one person could be another’s insanity.” Spying the start of a glower on my face, he quickly carried on. “As for the second figure, I’m fairly certain it was Meikle’s spell.”
“Say huh? How could I have seen a spell? It looked human.”
“Meikle’s spell was shadowing its targets—Troy and Polly—taking their form, thus appearing quite human to the eye.” Doctor Tenly closed the ragged book and handed it to Meikle. “I want you to have this.”
Taking it from his hands, Meikle ogled at the cover. “Stealing, Sealing, & Devouring Through Magic. Freaking awesome. Thanks.”
“You’re very welcome,” said Doctor Tenly. “Any other questions or topics we need to address?”
“Yeah, right here. Is anyone going to tell me where our other resident partial-demon is exactly? Where’s Polly?” asked Mom.
OVERFALLS (The Merworld Water Wars, Book 2) Page 3
