by Dee J. Stone
“Cassie!”
I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this, but it does give me comfort that it will all be over soon. When it does, my entire body is drenched with sweat, and my heart is beating so fast I think it may fly out of my chest. When I open my eyes, it takes a few seconds until they get into focus. Leah sticks her concerned face in mine. Her mouth moves, but I don’t hear anything, until a few seconds later. “You okay? Holy shit, I thought you were going to die.”
I try to sit up, but I’m so weak I fall back down. My vision turns black.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Cassie!”
I open my eyes to darkness. As I move my body, something feels different. There’s a bit of friction, like I’m underwater.
“Damarian?” I call. No matter where I look, I can’t see a single thing.
“Cassie.” His voice is weaker.
“I can’t see! Where are you?”
“Cassie.” His voice sounds far, far away.
When I wake up, I see Leah’s head drooping toward her chest. Glancing around, I realize I’m in the pool room, and the events come back to me—I just showed Leah I’m a mermaid.
Damarian’s voice. Was it a dream?
Leah stirs. When she sees me, she smiles weakly. “Welcome back.”
“What time is it?”
She shrugs. “Close to six, probably.”
Only a few hours until I head for the ocean to see if Damarian will return. I know it’s still early and that he couldn’t have made peace with the rebels yet, but I still need to go there.
“Let’s go upstairs, get you dressed, and sit down in the living room,” Leah says. “There’s a lot we need to talk about.”
Leah settles down on the couch while I change into my pajamas. She’s munching on popcorn when I get downstairs. She looks semi-normal, not like a girl who saw her best friend swimming in her pool as a mermaid. Not like a girl who witnessed the mermaid shift into a human. Maybe that means she’s more okay with it, or maybe she’s acting as normal as possible for my benefit.
I sit down next to her and grab some popcorn. “I won’t be able to surf.”
Her eyes meet mine. “That sucks.”
“Yeah.”
“Is there a mermaid Damarian can talk to? Maybe someone who can switch you back or something?”
I snort. “I’m sure there’s a long line to the ocean’s sea witch.”
She slaps my shoulder. “I’m trying to help.”
“He said he’s never seen it before.” I rub my forehead. “Damarian’s in the ocean trying to make peace with the rebels because of me. Because he fell in love with me.”
She pats my back. “He’ll succeed, Cass. Everything will be okay.”
I desperately want to believe her, but I don’t know if I can.
“Want me to spend the night?” she asks.
“You sure? I’m going to wait for Damarian at the beach later, though.”
“I’ll stay with you until then. That’s what best friends are for. It’s not every day a girl turns into a mermaid. Those scales—although gorgeous—cannot be good for your skin. I have lotion in my bag.”
I laugh. “What would I do without you?” I put my arm around her. “Thanks for being such an awesome friend.”
She returns the hug. “Thanks for keeping my life interesting.”
***
Leah and I sleep in my bed like we did many times before I met Damarian. It feels nice lying next to her and talking about everything.
We both can’t sleep. Leah because of what happened to me, and me because I’m anxious to see if Damarian will show up. And if he does, will he have good news to share with me?
“Tell me how things are going with Jace,” I say.
“We went to the arcade yesterday. It’s one of his hangouts.”
“He got you to go to the arcade? You quit going with me when we were like twelve.”
“The place is filled with little kids challenging you, and you know I can’t stand when someone calls me a chicken. But…” She shrugs. “The things we do for love.”
“Love?”
“Sorry. The things we do for guys we are totally into.”
I won’t look at the time. I won’t count how many hours, minutes, and seconds I have until I might be in Damarian’s arms again.
I sit up on my elbow. “Last we talked, you told me you guys were going through a rough patch.”
She grins and wiggles her eyebrows. “Let’s just say there are certain…activities that can fix a lot of problems.”
I slap her arm. “Leah!”
She shrugs. “What? I can’t help if I’m so irresistible.”
I slap her again. “Just make sure you guys have a lot to talk about, too.”
She nods. “Thanks.”
We continue to talk, and before I can blink, it’s starting to get light. Leah glances at the window. “Time to go fishing?”
I roll my eyes.
“Come on. Admit that was a good one.”
“Fine. It was a good one. Thanks for spending the night.”
She waves her hand. “Don’t mention it.”
“I’ll walk you home.”
Her house is out of the way, but it’s the least I can do. Leah’s such a good friend and does so much for me. I know I haven’t been the greatest friend to her because I’ve been spending so much time with Damarian. I promise myself to make it up to her.
We reach Leah’s house. She turns to me and grins. “Well, this is me. Thanks for such an amazing night. Call me?” She winks.
I laugh. “Don’t cheat on Jace with me. He’s too much of a good guy.”
She winks again. “Gotchya.” Her face turns serious. “Be careful. If you need me, call me and I’ll come right away. Okay?”
“Thanks so much, Leah.”
She waves and enters her house.
The quietness of the night envelops me. It makes me feel really lonely. I head to the beach, to the rocks, swinging my bag of essentials. Keeping my eyes on the waves, I wait.
And wait. When my eyes can’t stay open, I pinch my left foot, forcing myself to stay awake. I’ve been waiting at least forty-five minutes, and the logical part of my brain tells me it’s highly likely Damarian’s not meeting me tonight, but I won’t give up.
My skin prickles as the salt water air touches it, and all I want to do is dive in there, but I force the temptation away. Reaching into the bag, I pull out the sheet. I sniff it. It smells like Damarian. It’s only been a day, but I miss the smell. Hugging it close to my chest, I lie down on the rocks, staring at the dark sky. The rocks dig into my back and ribs, and I know I’ll have to get up in a few seconds, but for now it feels good to just stare at the sky, at the stars.
It reminds me of the night Damarian and I lay on the beach a few weeks ago. It was the first time he was this close to the stars. Usually, on rare occasions, he’d swim close enough to the surface at night and stare at the sky. Being there with him as he experienced it for the first time on land was so special and magical. So intimate.
“It feels like you can hold them in your hands,” I told him. “But really, they’re huge, some even larger than the sun. It’s just that they’re far away, like light years away.”
Damarian gawked at me. “They are larger than the sun?”
I locked my hands beneath my head. “Yeah. I wanted to be an astronaut when I was younger.” I chuckled to myself. “I would have made a hot astronaut, don’t you think?” I elbowed him.
“I do not know what that is, but yes, you are indeed ‘hot.’”
I laughed. “Astronauts explore space.”
“Space?”
I pointed at the sky. “They go up, up, up. All the way there.” I turned my head and our eyes met. “Humans are curious creatures. Just like we explore the ocean, we explore space.”
His face filled with intrigue. “And what have you discovered up in the space?”
“Many things. Like there are other planet
s.”
“Planets?”
“Yeah. Worlds, just like ours. But there’s no life on the other planets, at least not that we know of.”
He focused his gaze on the sky. “That is quite fascinating. I have always wished to explore the deep ocean. Perhaps…perhaps if I were born a human, I would be exploring the space.”
“Then you would have made one hell of a hot astronaut.” I climbed on top of him, resting my elbows on either side of him and staring down into his face. “You know what I always fantasized about?”
His eyes flashed with delight. “Please inform me.”
My fingers tiptoed down his chest. “Making out with my boyfriend under the stars. It’s…romantic,” I added with a shy laugh.
He put his hands on my waist and turned us over so he was on top. He touched his nose to mine. “Would you like to know what I fantasize about?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Having a female who informed me of her fantasies.”
First a blush spread over my face. Then I smiled. I rolled us over so I was on top again and smashed my lips to his. His arms snaked around me and he hauled me closer to his body. I swear the stars smiled down at us.
I blink and the memory is gone. Sitting up, I rub the pain away from my back. Lying on the rocks was not a good idea. I creep toward the edge and bend over. The ocean is calm. I don’t see Damarian. Straining my eyes at the rest of the ocean, I don’t see anything.
Gathering my bag, I stand up. Maybe he’ll meet me tomorrow.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dad calls first thing in the morning. “Hey, Cass Bass. How are you?”
“Hey. I’m fine.” If you disregard the fact that I’m a mermaid and it’s my fault my boyfriend is in the ocean trying to make peace with some rebel merpeople.
“That’s great. How’s Damian?”
Well honestly, I have no idea. What if he’s in danger?
“Cass?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, he’s great. Super. Couldn’t be happier.”
He’s quiet for a few seconds. “O…okay. Listen, my friend wants to set up an interview with Damian.”
I grip the phone. “An interview?”
“For the construction job.”
The construction job? I totally forgot about that. What’s that compared to rebel merpeople? Sometimes I forget about the little things in my human life that are really important.
“He’s not here,” I tell Dad.
“Will you tell him to call me as soon as he gets in?”
“Um…”
“What, Cassie?”
My fingers plow through my hair. “I, um…I don’t exactly know when he’ll be back.” Could be days, weeks, months, years. God, I hope not.
Dad sighs. It’s the kind of sigh I remember getting a lot as a kid, when I screwed up or disappointed him. My eyes well up with tears. I hated disappointing him. “Dad—”
“I pulled a lot of strings to get him this interview,” he says in a gentle tone, though I still sense the disappointment. “With no prior experience and no GED, do you know how hard it is to find a job?”
“Yes,” I say in a low voice.
He sighs again.
“When’s the interview?” I ask.
“Tomorrow afternoon.”
My eyes shut. “He won’t be able to make it.”
“And why not?”
Because he’s in the ocean. And if he returns tonight, I doubt he’d be up for an interview tomorrow. “He…he had to take care of some things,” I say, hearing how lame I sound.
“Can’t he ‘untake’ care of them so he can make the interview? Job offers like this don’t come often and—”
“I know.”
“—he needs to find a job if you two will be living together, especially with you in college. You need to learn to take care of yourselves. Your mother and I will always be here to help you, be it financially or anything else, but you need to learn to support yourselves.”
“Dad, you can’t just come into my life and tell me how to live it.”
He’s silent.
Dammit. I rub my forehead. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it.”
He’s still quiet.
“Dad?”
“That’s okay, Cassie.” I can tell by his tone that he’s lying. “Try to convince him that having this interview is very important and he should push everything else aside to make it, okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Bye, Cass Bass.”
“Bye. And thanks for doing this. Damian and I really appreciate it. And I, um…I love you.”
He’s quiet. Did he hang up?
“I love you, too, honey.”
My hand relaxes. I didn’t know it was balled into a fist. I didn’t know how desperately I wanted my dad to say those three words to me.
I wish I didn’t snap at him like that. He was just trying to help. But everything feels like such a mess. How can Damarian and I focus on our human lives when there’s trouble in the merworld? If I want to be honest with myself, Damarian’s first priority is to his merman life, not his human one. He was supposed to be the king and he gave it up, abandoning his people. How can I expect him to care about an interview?
But if he misses the interview, what happens? This could be such a good opportunity for him, once we figure out the little details, like how long he can be out in the sun before shriveling up.
I rub my forehead again. Why can’t things ever be simple?
***
He’s calling my name.
His voice is so far away, like he’s on the other end of the planet. But something’s different. I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it.
“Damarian?” I call out. I can’t see anything due to the darkness around me, but it feels as though he’s standing right next to me. “Damarian.” I reach out, but don’t feel anything, only water.
Then in a split second, lightning flashes, too fast for my brain to register it. Damarian cries out in pain.
“Damarian!”
There’s another flash, and another shout from Damarian, but I still can’t see anything.
“Where are you?” I call.
“Cassie…” It sounds as though all the energy is being sucked out of him.
Ringing yanks me out of my sleep. I spring up on the couch, my heart racing, my palms sweating. The word “Mom” displays on the screen. Placing my hand on my heart, I realize I must have fallen asleep.
The dream. Damarian. Is he in trouble?
The ringing continues. I shake my head and reach for it. “Mom,” I say.
“Hey, honey!”
My heart is still running a million miles a minute. Damarian’s screams echo in my ears. He’s in trouble.
“Cass?”
I blink. “Sorry.”
“Are you okay? You seem distracted.”
“Yeah.” I force a smile. “I’m cool.”
“That’s great. I’m leaving for Texas tonight and I just wanted to check in. I don’t know how long I’ll be there, but I have a surprise for you!”
My whole body perks up. “You’re coming home?”
She laughs. “As soon as I’m done with Texas, I’m all yours!”
A genuine smile crosses my lips. I haven’t seen my mother in so long. With everything that’s been going on, I can use my mother’s comfort. But things are a little different now. Damarian’s not the only merperson—I am one as well. I told him I want to tell her about him being a merman, but will I have to explain that I’m a mermaid, too? That sleeping with him caused me to change? I’m sure she’d be thrilled to hear that.
Pushing my worries aside, I say, “I can’t wait! When will you be done with Texas?”
“Probably no sooner than a week, honey.”
Cassie!
The hairs on my arms stand up. “Damarian?”
“What?” Mom asks.
Dropping my phone, I stand, my gaze pasted on the spot in front of me. “Damarian?�
�
Quiet. I strain my ears, but don’t hear anything. Could I have imagined it?
I feel a sharp pain all over my body, like someone’s shocking me. I’m about to rush to the pool room, but then I realize the shock’s not coming from me. It’s coming from…Damarian. I feel him. I can’t explain it exactly, but I just know it’s him. And that wherever he is, he is in a lot of pain.
“Cassandra Price! What the hell is going on?”
Crap. I dive for my phone. “Sorry, Mom.” I wince as the sharp pain continues. “I can’t wait for you to come home, but I have to go now. Speak to you later. Bye!”
I hang up and text Leah to ask Ian to rent me a boat, and that she should wait for me there. I run up to my room and change into an old skirt and shirt. Then I race to the beach.
Leah’s at the marina, and waves me over. She gestures to the boat. “Your wish is my command. Now why is renting a boat so important that you took me away from my break?”
“We’re going for a ride.” I take her hand and pull her with me into the boat. Then I start the engine. When I put enough distance between us and the beach, I focus my attention on Leah. “Damarian’s in trouble. I have to help him.”
“What do you mean he’s in trouble?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been having these dreams about him, and just a few minutes ago, I…felt him.”
“What?”
“I can’t explain it. I just know.”
Cassie!
I press my palms to the sides of my head as his cries slam against my mind. “I’m feeling him again,” I pant, sweat breaking out all over my body. After a few seconds, the shouts stop and I raise my eyes to Leah.
She’s staring at me like I fell off the moon. “Do you have any idea how freaky this is? Your eyes…they turned dark blue for a few seconds and your skin turned, like, clear.”
I feel that pain on my body again. Biting back a groan, I say, “I have to help him.”
“How are you going to…?” Her face gets dark. “You’re not thinking about…”
I nod. “I’m going into the ocean.”
“Are you insane?”
