by Allie Burton
“Yes.” I peered over his shoulder amazed at how they kept records. Paper wouldn’t last long in water. “I was told that an old man gave me as a baby to the people who raised me. He said he’d come back and get me before I was two.” I gathered my emotions and locked them away like the pearl in the clam before telling Finn the rest. “He never came back.”
Finn’s head jerked. “Was this man your father?”
“I guess.” I gave a half-shrug. “I really don’t know.”
“This isn’t a good idea.” He slammed the clam shut and grabbed my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“But?” I couldn’t give up now. I was so close. “There’s another reason I need to find my parents or a relative.”
He tapped his foot in the water and little bubbles rose between us. “What?”
I bit my lip unsure of how much to tell. “Remember Chase?”
“The air-breather.” Finn’s nose and lips scrunched up in a disgusted expression.
“He’s a reporter and he’s planning to write an article about me.” Speaking of Chase’s betrayal made my lips tremble.
“I’ll tell the captain. He’ll know how to deal with the ocean scum.” Finn started to swim away, but I grabbed his arm.
“The story is about me. Chase knows nothing about Atlanteans.” A crack spread through my aching heart, increasing the pain. “If I discovered my background, found a relative, I could move in with them and get away from Chase if he goes through with exposing me to the world.”
Finn’s expression set in hard lines. “The Free-Atlanteans will deal with him.”
“No.” Even though I was angry and disappointed in Chase I didn’t want him harmed. “I’ll talk to him again, convince him not to write the story.”
“He still knows about you so he’s dangerous. All air-breathers are.”
I didn’t need Finn’s doubts about Chase. I had enough of my own. The sooner I got back, the sooner I could convince him not to do the article. I wasn’t sure how I was going to talk him out of the story, but I’d find a way. I had to.
And while I was thrilled to find people similar to me, how much were they really like me? My nerves skittered when I thought about joining complete strangers. I’d lived on land my entire life, saw the sunshine almost every day, everyone I knew was an air-breather. Would the Atlanteans even accept me?
So far, I didn’t have a great track record. No one at the circus had been my friend. Bill and Carlita called themselves parents, but they acted like slave owners. I was still new at the Boardwalk and hadn’t really tried to make friends. Except for Chase.
Everything ached, from my heart to my toes to my head, when I thought of the loss of his more-than-friendship.
But he wasn’t the reason I was going back. No, not at all. I did need to see him, but only to convince him to not write the article. And if I couldn’t, I might not have a choice about returning to Free Atlantis.
“If I can’t get any information, I should go.” My bruised heart knew I couldn’t flee my problems on land. I had to try to change Chase’s mind. “It would be great if you’d look into my background based on what I told you.”
Finn gave me a superior-look, as if he knew something that I didn’t. “These are your people. You should stay.”
I sympathized with the Free Atlantean cause and I so wanted to belong, but I couldn’t disappear. Maybe Chase would at least worry. “I’ve got a job to get to in the morning and I need to talk to Chase about the article.”
“You can’t trust him.” Finn judged based on whether a person could breathe in water or not.
“You don’t even know Chase.” I never should’ve told Finn about Chase’s plans.
He glanced down one of the narrow caverns. “It’s not safe to go back now.”
I wasn’t sure why the danger had increased. We were still under the deep depths of a dark ocean, still watching for sharks and rogue royalists. I needed to get away by myself for a while. Think about all I’d learned. “I need to go back.”
“You’re staying.”
“Excuse me?” I hoped he heard the sarcasm. He acted like a bossy big brother. I was tired of taking orders from Bill and Carlita, and now my boss at work. I refused to be told what to do by a guy I just met. “Are you ordering me to stay?”
“We need to keep an eye on you.” At my sharp look, he continued. “We protect all Free-Atlanteans, keep them safe. It’s part of our job.”
I arched a brow. “What exactly is your job?”
“I’m part of the Free-Atlantean army.”
“How many people are in this army?”
Finn again glanced down the darkened cavern. “That’s, um…top secret.”
“How many people in the Royalist army? In fact, how many Atlanteans are there in existence?” I wanted to learn something about my people, even if I learned nothing about my parents.
“After the destruction, there were only a few thousand Atlanteans left. Over the centuries, we’ve increased in numbers.” Finn swam toward the exit of the cavern.
I followed. “How many Royalists compared to Free-Atlanteans?”
“Numbers don’t matter.” His shoulders stiffened. “What matters is the free will of the people. There’s no need to wait for three spoiled princesses in order to take control of our destiny.”
I stopped at the cavern exit. “I thought you didn’t believe in the princess myth?”
His lips puffed out. His eyes pulled back into their sockets. “I don’t.”
“But there is a princess in the Royalist castle right now. If she’s a real princess, why doesn’t she stop the oppression?”
“Oh, she’s real all right.” He said it like he knew her personally.
“So if she’s real, why couldn’t the other two be real? Just like I once thought Atlantis was a myth, why couldn’t the three princesses’ story be true?”
“Because they were supposed to arrive when they were toddlers to be trained for their royal duties. Only Cordelia and her regent showed. If the other two were real, they’re probably dead or they would have been here by the time they turned sixteen.” His gaze flew up to mine. A spark of light flashed like he’d just had a bright idea, then dulled. “The point is, real or not, Atlanteans should not be held back, oppressed, treated like slaves.” His speech sounded rehearsed.
Or maybe he’d repeated a speech by the captain.
“Either way, I don’t see how it can be more dangerous now than it was two hours ago.” I crossed my arms. “I need to go.”
Finn held out his hand, but dropped it when I didn’t take hold. “It’s late and we don’t know where the Royalists have spies positioned.”
“I’m going home.” Weird, how I already thought of Mermaid Beach that way. Pushing my shoulders back, I tried to sound tough. “Are you taking me or do I need to find my own way?”
Chapter Thirteen
Back To The Beach
Thank God Finn changed his mind because finding my own way would’ve been next to impossible. Stupid me hadn’t paid attention.
After he talked to, or more likely got permission from the captain, Finn blindfolded me again and took me out of the Free Atlantis base camp. When we were far enough away, he removed the blindfold.
I noted the mountains turning into hills, the strange rock formation we swam through, and a huge trench in the ocean floor. This time I paid attention the entire way home. If I needed to escape to Free Atlantis, I’d know how to find my way to the general vicinity.
What seemed like hours later, we surfaced near the campground beach. I thought Finn would swim away, but he walked with me to where the beach ended and the campground began. “Sorry I tried to force you to stay.”
Nodding, but not in agreement, I gripped the straps of my bag. I hoped the large clam the woman gave me was still in one piece.
“I want you to know that I argued for bringing you back here. I know how much you wanted to come home.” Finn took hold of my free hand.
&nb
sp; “Really?”
“We take watching out for our kind seriously.”
I examined our connected hands and felt nothing but kindness. I stared into his friendly, brown eyes. “I appreciate that, but I’ve been looking out for myself my entire life.”
Maybe belonging to a group was too restrictive for me. Maybe I was better off alone. But I didn’t believe it. I was concerned they wouldn’t accept me with my differences, even though the differences were fewer compared to air-breathers.
I longed for acceptance and understanding. Wished for a family. I thought I’d found something with Chase. And I’d been wrong.
Confusion collided in my mind. Pain pinched like lobsters nipping at my toes. A crazy daze of befuddlement swirled. I wanted different things from different people and everyone had always disappointed me.
“Just know if you ever need help, I’ll be around.” He dropped my hand, knowing his charm wasn’t working on me.
“Thanks. I should get some sleep.” I didn’t tell him my tent was only a few yards away, and he didn’t ask.
“We don’t like to advertise our existence or our secret location.”
“The blindfold gave that away.” I glanced at the ocean, at the calm way the waves hit the shore. “Are you going all the way back tonight?”
“No. I need to talk to…”
“Talk to who?”
Finn’s gaze glazed over. “You gave me some things to think about. I’m going to follow up on that old princess myth.”
Every girl’s dream would be to discover she was a princess. A smile drifted onto my face at the fanciful thought. Of course, Finn said the other two princesses were probably dead.
My smile flattened. Maybe being a princess wouldn’t be so fun after all.
* * *
Even though I was exhausted from my overnight-underwater travels, I was up early in the morning. Nervous energy spurred me on. I got dressed for work and jogged to the Boardwalk. It wasn’t excitement about work that had my stomach jumping and my heart aflutter. It was talking to Chase, or trying to talk him out of doing the story. And to be honest, it was about seeing Chase.
Which I hated.
I shouldn’t ache to see him. He was going to betray me. I should hate him and everything he planned to do. And yet, I couldn’t stop the jittery tingles shooting up my spine. I couldn’t fool myself into believing it was because of our upcoming confrontation.
I didn’t know where to find him, but figured I’d ask at the office. As I was walking up to the back door to Mrs. Fowler’s office, Chase walked out the door.
“Chase.” His name whispered off my lips.
“Pearl.” He turned toward me with his arms open. “Where were you last night?”
I wanted to rush into them, feel his strong arms wrap around me. “Huh?” My confused expression must’ve reminded him of our fight because he dropped his arms.
“I stopped by your tent about ten. I wanted to finish our discussion.”
The bang of a window shutting made me glance up. “What’s above the office?”
“The owner lives there in an apartment.” His face stiffened. “Do you have time to walk on the beach?”
“Sure.” I wanted to get this conversation over with and I didn’t want prying ears on the Boardwalk to hear.
He took hold of my arm and wouldn’t let go, unless I fought him, which would be ridiculous and overly dramatic. So, I let him lead me past the rides and down the steps to the sand. “I hated how we left things yesterday.” He dropped my arm and continued walking.
“Me, too.” My heart unwillingly softened. My feet squished in the sand.
“You have to understand, I was excited about what you showed me. What you could do.”
“You promised not to tell anyone, but now you plan to write an article about me.” The betrayal renewed, ripping my heart like it had been gutted with a serrated knife. I had to remember I was here to convince Chase not to write the story. I couldn’t be whittled down by sweet talk and explanations. “Now you plan to tell the world.”
“Your skill could help people.” He stopped and turned to observe me. A gleam of enthusiasm lit his face. “Scientists could study—”
“Study me? Analyze my DNA? Dissect me?” I didn’t want to be studied under a microscope anymore than I wanted to be put on display at the circus.
“No one would dissect you.” His voice sounded less-sure.
“You don’t know that. Look at what greed does to people. What about military operations? Can you imagine what terrorists, or even the C.I.A., could do with my ability?” I’d thought of all these scenarios before. When I’d made the decision to run away, I’d considered Washington D.C. to basically offer myself as a science experiment, but each scenario evolved into a nightmare of torture that eventually left me dead.
Instead I’d followed my heart and ended up in southern California. I loved Mermaid Beach and the life I’d planned to build for myself. And now I’d found people like me.
“Like what?” He sounded more curious now.
I get that Chase is a reporter but I was telling him my biggest fears and he was just curious?
“Oh, I don’t know.” My patience hit its limit like the surf slamming into a cliff. “How about an army of underwater breathers?” Like the Atlanteans. “Who don’t need to worry about expensive equipment or refilling air tanks. Or a new tourist industry where once the expensive fee was paid, I’d breathe into people so they could explore the ocean without inhibitions.” I raised my arms to emphasize my point. “There’s a dozen more at least and they all involve using me to make money. I’m sick of being someone else’s gold mine.”
Chase studied me. Sympathy shown in his gaze. He seemed to finally understand all the ugly possibilities.
He sunk to his knees on the sand. His head hung low “You did the same thing to that little kid Brandon, right?”
I jerked my head down in a nod.
“Does he know? Does his mother?”
“I told you, it wears off. The boy is too young to realize what happened, and his mom won’t let him near water for awhile.”
I plopped on the beach, my anger draining with my energy. Tired of fighting, tired of hiding, tired of pretending.
Free Atlantis was looking better and better.
“How many other people have you breathed into? How did you discover it?”
After explaining about Alonso, I asked, “Do you understand why I don’t want anyone to know? Between being thought of as unusual, a prize, or a scientific experiment I’d go crazy.”
“I guess.” But he didn’t sound convinced.
I heaved a huge sigh. Maybe it was time to give up, run away again. I thought I’d stopped running, made a stand here in Mermaid Beach to make a life for myself, to live the way I wanted. But trusting Chase had been a mistake.
My anger was gone. There was nothing left inside. I felt empty. “Go on. Write your story, but I won’t be around to prove it’s true.”
“Where are you going?” His sharp tone told me he wasn’t expecting that response.
I chuckled at the thought of actually telling him the truth. “Does it matter?”
“It matters to me.” Chase scooted closer.
Part of me wanted to move away from him and part of me wanted to move closer, knowing I’d never see him again. I was so weak. “If it mattered, you wouldn’t be telling the world about my secrets.”
“Surely, others know.” He picked up a handful of sand and measured it in his palm. “This Alonso guy. Your parents.”
My head jerked up. The circus owners had known some of my abilities, but not all. “They abused my skills. That’s why I ran away.” I clamped my lips tight.
“Ran away from where?” His voice softened and his fingers traced a line on my thigh.
His Prince Charming act wouldn’t work again. I’d divulged enough for the day. I wanted him to understand how writing the article could affect me. And possibly him if the Free-Atlanteans fou
nd out. Not that I could tell him that part.
I swatted his hand off my leg. “I told you my parents and I don’t get along.”
“But you’re eighteen, so it’s not running away. It’s leaving home.” He sounded so logical.
But there was nothing logical about my life. I shook my head trying to clear it. All the lies and half-truths mixed together. Completely confuzzled, I brought the subject back around to my purpose. “Are you going to write an expose about me? No one will believe you without proof and I won’t help. I’ll be gone.”
“I don’t want you to leave.” He grabbed my hand and this time held on tight. “I don’t want to lose you. Although for even thinking of writing the story you probably hate me.”
“You’re not going to write the story?” I leaned forward showing my eagerness.
“No. I’m an idiot.” He kicked at the sand, disgust filling his voice. Not disgust at me, but at himself.
Hope coursed through my chest like a rush of waves in an underwater cave. If he didn’t write the story, I could stay in Mermaid Beach. Take the time to learn more about the Free Atlanteans and this battle they’re fighting. My decision to live with them wouldn’t be rushed.
“Do you hate me?” His please-like-me tone crept into my heart, breeching the barriers I’d built.
“Are you going to tell anyone about what I can do?” I kept the hope out of my voice.
“No. I promised I wouldn’t.” He rubbed his thumb against my skin. His gaze sought out mine and connected. “I’ll promise again. I will never tell anyone about you and your amazing skills.” He sounded like he was making a solemn vow.
I wanted to believe him.
“I admit I got excited about the idea, but I won’t say anything. We’ll keep it our secret.” He squeezed my hand tight. “Do you forgive me?”
The hope rushed through the barriers around my heart. The walls crumbled at his hurt-lost expression. I hated seeing him like this. My instincts told me to trust him. He hadn’t actually done anything yet. Just got over-excited about his experience. I should believe him.
