Lights at Midnight : A Mermaid Story (Lights at Midnight Series Book 1)

by Orchid Leigh

  Thinking quickly, I glanced around the room for the box of envelopes. I spotted it on a shelf near the door. I took a new envelope and was careful to put the box back on the shelf the same way I had found it.

  Another search around the room and I spotted a jar of loose change. I grabbed a small handful and placed it in the envelope. I licked and sealed the paper and placed it in the safe.

  I closed and locked the safe and had just finished placing it back at the bottom of the closet when the back door slammed shut.

  I quickly deposited the key back in the shoe and ran on tiptoes out of the room.

  “Ellie, are you home?” Millie called from downstairs. Worried my nervous voice would give me away, I pretended not to hear her and quickly scaled the steps to my room, then plopped on my bed in a heap of nerves.

  ~

  “Hey, Ellie!” Millie called from downstairs. My nerves electrified at the sound of her voice.

  I had been locked up in my room all afternoon. My guilt was keeping me prisoner. And now, I’d been caught. She knew. She went into the office and found something I had accidentally left behind. It was easy to work out why I had gone in there. In her hand was the envelope, jangling with the sound of coins, obviously containing a locket no more. I took a deep breath.

  “Peter’s here!” she called again. Peter—a whole new set of nerves circuited through me.

  I released myself from my prison and ran down the stairs as fast as I could. I came into the kitchen. It was just Millie . . . at the stove.

  “Where is he?”

  “Waiting outside, hon,” she said, not looking up from her sizzling pan.

  I peeked out the kitchen window; Peter’s legs, with his sneakered feet, were resting at the bottom of the porch steps.

  “Thanks, Millie.”

  ~

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as I opened the door.

  Peter got to his feet and stepped up on the porch to stand beside me. “Um, I don’t know. Just thought I’d come say hi,” he said, sounding unsure. He lowered his gaze to his feet. I stared happily at his messy hair.

  “Hi,” I murmured softly.

  He raised his head. “Hey,” he said back.

  We quietly stared at each other through the murky wall of tension that hung heavy between us.

  “So you finally got it?” Peter asked after a moment.

  “What?”

  “The locket,” he said, pointing at my neck.

  “Oh, crap!” I screeched. I hurriedly tucked it under my shirt. “Oh my god! Millie could have seen that!” I shook my head in disbelief at my stupidity.

  “So you’re going,” he said, his voice flat with no judgment.

  “I don’t know,” I said honestly. “Maybe . . . maybe not. Can we talk about it?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that’s why I came.”

  A tight band snapped and released from around my chest. I took a happy breath. “I’m glad you did,” I said. “I was starting to miss your cute freckles.”

  Peter reached up to touch his nose. A hint of a smirk peeked out from behind his hand. “Starting to?” he baited.

  I shook my head with what I knew was too goofy of a smile, being too big and obvious on my face. “Do you want to sit?” I asked, tilting my head toward the porch swing.

  We sat together, the rusty chains creaking under our weight. We slowly pushed with our feet and the swing rocked in motion. It was a warm day that carried the smell of fresh spring mud in the breeze, and I wished life could be as easy as sitting here with Peter on a day just like this.

  Peter turned to me. “I want to help you, Ellie,” he said.

  “Yeah, I know you do,” I said with wretched regret for having made him feel bad about it. “I’m really sorry I’ve been so weird about all of this. I’m just having a tough time shaking it.”

  Peter pointed to the chain around my neck. “It doesn’t look like you’re trying to shake it,” he said, but his tone wasn’t angry; it was just the same flat note, working to further push the guilt down, tamping it tight in my stomach until it hurt.

  I tucked my hands under my legs and kicked them out in front of me. I pulled my shoulders into a shrug. “Yeah, well, what can I say? I’m a split girl these days. But part of me is trying.” I sighed wearily. “I promise.” I looked down, shaking my head at my two selves and a little at Peter for not getting it. But what did I expect? Who could get this?

  Peter turned on the swing to face me. “So let’s figure it out,” he said. “If you can’t let it go, if you really feel like you need to help them, then maybe we can find a solution that doesn’t involve you giving up your whole life, ya know?” Peter scoffed a little and turned back to sit straight.

  I stared at him, chewing my lip. Giving up my whole life. Of course, that was what he had been worried about. “Peter, I wasn’t going to stay there—not forever.”

  “Yeah, but that’s what they want,” he said, shaking his head.

  “I know, but . . .” I paused and lingered in a battle with myself. This innate need to help them came with the gut feeling that I could do it without sacrificing everything. But I had no idea how I was going to accomplish that, and another feeling, bouncy and bothersome, told me I would still help no matter what. I sighed, still caught in my struggle.

  “I don’t know why you trust them so much,” said Peter, “or why you care so much about them.”

  “I don’t know, either,” I said. How was I ever going to explain to him the feeling of responsibility that had come over me for this strange world? I couldn’t even explain it to myself. I sat back on the swing, feeling the murky wall rise between us again.

  “Look,” said Peter after a moment, “I didn’t come here to fight. I promise.” He looked at me with pleading eyes. “But, Ellie, they’re wrong. I just know it.”

  “Okay,” I said, heeding the strained plea in his voice. “How are they wrong?”

  “For one thing, they’re wrong about your grandmother,” he said. “Granny Leira was really sweet. She wasn’t like what they said. I can’t see her betraying anyone like that. She was probably the least selfish person—besides you—that I’ve ever known. And,” he said, his voice rising with disdain, “I really doubt her only motive for bringing you here . . . was so you could help them.” He shook his head and fell between his knees with a sigh, pressing at his temples in frustration.

  I stared at him slumped and slouched in the swing. “You don’t like them very much, do you?”

  “Not really, Ellie. Can you blame me?” he asked. He pulled his hands from his face and looked at me, bruised and hurt.

  My breath caught, and I floundered in my stupidity. I wanted to turn my hand around and slap some sense into myself. These strange Glacians, whom I was so eager to help, had been nothing but mean bullies to him—to Peter, whom I knew I would help, without hesitation, if he were in trouble. But did he know that?

  “Oh God, Peter. I’m so sorry,” I said. “I really am. They were awful to you. You know I don’t think that was okay, right? I just—”

  “Yeah, I know,” he said, stopping me, but he still sounded hurt. “Anyway, Ellie, there’s more.”

  “Okay. Like what?”

  “Well, I just don’t think they need you like they say. If Razora can become queen, then shouldn’t it be possible for someone else? They’re missing a piece here. I just know it.”

  “So what are you thinking?”

  “Ellie, did Granny Leira leave you anything? Maybe some kind of clue as to what she wanted from you.”

  I thought about that, but I couldn’t think of anything except the locket. “I don’t know,” I said. “The house was full of stuff. How would I know what to even look for?” And then I remembered something. “The note!”

  “A note?”

  “Yeah, I mean, it’s probably nothing, but she left me a note. It was from her, handwritten and everything.”

  “What did it say?”

  “Not much really, just . .
. um . . .” I tried to think of the words.

  “Well, do you still have it?”

  “Yeah, I do, actually. I’ll go get it.”

  I got up and ran into the house. I sprinted to my room and took the note from where I had placed it safely in my journal. I hurried back down the stairs and handed it to Peter. He read it with a smile on his face.

  “I miss her,” he said and folded the paper back up. “Can I hang on to this? I feel like there’s something here.”

  “Yeah, keep it as long as you need, but . . . I don’t have much—”

  “You don’t have much time,” he finished for me. “I know.”

  We sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the creaky swing playing its oddly soothing creaky song. I twisted in my seat and stared at Peter, chewing on my lip and counting his new spring freckles.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “So, hey,” I said. I was a little nervous; he wasn’t going to like this question.

  “Yeah?” prodded Peter.

  “So . . . I’m going to Jenny’s party tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to come.” I already knew what his answer would be, but I still wanted to try.

  “Oh, I don’t know, Ellie,” he said, shifting uncomfortably. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  “Why not?”

  He looked at me with eyes way up in their sockets.

  “Come on . . . It won’t be that bad.” I smiled sympathetically. “I’ll be there, and . . .” I shrugged because that was the best case I had for getting him to come with me. I bumped his shoulder, hoping to bump a yes out of him.

  “Ugh . . .” groaned Peter. “Okay, I guess.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes, Cordelia, I’ll go with you.” He grinned slyly.

  “Oh God,” I said, shaking my head. “Are you going to start calling me that?”

  “It’s nice,” he teased.

  I scowled at him, unamused. I held my tongue, not wanting to give him the pleasure of a response. He was still smiling.

  I shook my head at him. “So you’ll really go?” I asked.

  He nodded reluctantly. “If you really want me to,” he said.

  I smiled happily. “I really do.”

  24

  “Ellie!” Millie called from downstairs. “Peter’s here!”

  I was finishing getting dressed for the party. I had decided to wear a pair of navy leggings with a bulky yellow sweater that had a ridiculously high turtleneck. It was a gift from Millie from last Christmas. Not my favorite style, but she would be happy to see me in it and it would be just the thing for hiding my locket.

  “Hey, Peter,” I said, entering the kitchen. He was talking to Millie by the door.

  “Hey,” he said, turning to me. He was wearing a blue T-shirt and his usual pair of jeans, though they were pressed and free from the usual wrinkles now, and his hair was combed and out of his face, exposing his cute eyes and freckles. He walked over to me and a spicy scent of sandalwood and musk, not usually there, drifted to my nose.

  “Do I look okay?” he whispered into my ear nervously.

  I smiled at him. “Yeah,” I said, leaning in and whispering back. “You don’t need to worry about that—they all think you’re cute.” He shot his head back doubtfully. I laughed at him and nodded, confirming he’d heard me right.

  “Hey, you’re wearing the sweater I bought you!” exclaimed Millie. She moved to stand beside me and reached out to touch the fabric along my arm. “It looks great on you. Doesn’t she look great, Peter?”

  “Yeah, she looks great,” said Peter, smiling at me.

  “Thanks,” I said, bowing my head to hide my blushed cheeks.

  “Your dad’s going to drive you two over,” said Millie.

  I listened for Dad’s footsteps upstairs, thinking I heard a scuffle in his office. My body tensed as I tried to get a fix on his location. He was heading down the stairs now—phew. Being a criminal sure was stressful. I would be putting the locket back as soon as possible.

  “You two just about ready?” called Dad as he entered the kitchen.

  “I think we’re ready. Peter?” I asked.

  “Yep,” he said. Then, under his breath, he added, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  ~

  Jenny’s house was situated in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Ocean Lake. It was one of those neighborhoods where everybody kept tidy lawns and had big garages housing polished cars.

  “Hey, Ellie!” Jenny shouted with a swing of the door. “You’re late!”

  “I’m so sorry! Did I get the time wrong? I thought it started at 7:30. No?”

  “Oh, that’s . . .” She trailed off with her mouth gaping wide. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “What is Joey Williams doing here?” She was looking past me to the outside.

  Joey was walking up the stoop with one of his buddies from school.

  I smiled big. “Um, oh yeah. I kind of forgot to tell you, but I invited Joey.”

  “What!” she exclaimed. She fixed on me. “You invited Joey Williams? How?”

  “I just asked him,” I said. “And you should probably stop calling him Joey Williams. Just Joey is good.”

  Jenny smiled gleefully and gave me a big hug. “You have no idea how happy I am right now, Ellie. I could just kiss you.” She then pushed me aside as Joey entered the house.

  “Hey, Joey Williams,” she said sweetly to him.

  I laughed at her, then turned to Peter. “Come on,” I said, motioning for him to follow me. “I think that’s our cue to leave.”

  We passed through the dimly lit living room where a bunch of kids from school crowded around. Many curious eyes looked up at Peter as we walked by, and I took his hand to pull him along faster.

  Bethany was sitting at the kitchen counter, talking with some girls from school when we entered.

  “Hi, Bethany,” I said.

  “Oh, hey!”

  “You remember Peter?”

  “Oh yeah, of course,” she said, looking at him with a friendly smile. “Hey, Peter. It’s good to see you again.” I was happy to hear no hint of sarcasm in her voice.

  “Hi,” said Peter, shyly tucking his hands into his pockets.

  “Are you guys hungry? There’s plenty of pizza,” said Bethany, gesturing to the stack of pizza boxes sitting on the counter beside her.

  “I could eat.” I grabbed paper plates and put a few slices of pepperoni on them for Peter and myself. Peter eagerly grabbed at the pizza and shoved it into his mouth.

  “You hungry?” I asked, laughing at him.

  “Not really,” he said through a mouthful of cheese.

  The kitchen door swung open, and a nervous and panicking Jenny came rushing in.

  “Oh my gosh, you guys,” she said, her voice shaky with nerves.

  “What’s going on?” asked Bethany.

  “Joey’s here!” she screeched, informing Bethany of the news.

  “What! Really?”

  “Yeah,” she said. “What do I do? I didn’t know what to talk about, so I just walked away. He’s a lot quieter than he is at school.” She looked at us desperately. Then she turned to Peter. “You’re a boy. What do I do?”

  Peter stared back, unsure. “Um, I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “Maybe play a game, or how about dancing? You know, so you don’t have to talk.”

  “Oh my gosh!” said Jenny. “Yeah, a dance floor! That’s a great idea! Thanks!” She bounced over to Peter and hugged him. “Do I ask him?” She consulted Peter again.

  He was smiling awkwardly and looked utterly amused that she was asking him for advice. “Wait,” he said. “At first . . . just in case he wants to ask you.”

  “Okay, good idea. But you guys got to start dancing first, or else no one else will.”

  “I’ll get the music,” said Bethany. She ran to the living room and cranked up the volume on the stereo, then was back at the door. “Peter!” she called. “Help me with this coffee table.”

&nb
sp; They cleared a space in the living room for a dance floor. A peppy dance song played loudly across the room.

  “Come on, guys!” said Jenny. She motioned for me and Peter to get up and start dancing.

  Peter shook his head in disbelief. “I have no idea why I suggested this,” he said. “I don’t even know how to dance.”

  “Neither do I.” I laughed. “Come on . . . it’ll be fun.” I grabbed Peter’s hand and dragged him to the floor.

  Thankfully, Bethany had taken it upon herself to go around the room and persuade others to join in. It wasn’t long before the makeshift dance floor was covered with dozens of amateur dancers who looked just as awkward as we felt.

  Joey walked up to Jenny, who was standing in the corner. He took her hand and walked her onto the dance floor.

  “Hey, look,” I said to Peter. “It worked.” He smiled, seeing Jenny and Joey dancing together.

  We danced awkwardly and happily to the song. Then the music switched over to a slow ballad and the dance floor began to clear.

  “Um . . .” I said, unsure if we should follow. I started to turn. Peter grabbed my hand to stop me.

  “Can I have this dance?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I said with a happy smile.

  Peter put his arms around my waist. I followed his lead and reached my arms up around him, suddenly feeling nervous.

  We swayed slowly to the music. It felt really good to be here with Peter and not worrying about crazy stuff that was out of my control. I took a deep breath and exhaled, letting myself relax in the moment.

  “Normal feels really good tonight,” I said.

  “This isn’t normal for me,” said Peter with a smile.

  “I’m glad you came, though.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  “Are you having any fun?”

  “I always have fun with you, Ellie,” he said.

  I smiled at him, feeling the same. “I think you’ve made a friend in Jenny, at least.” I gestured to where Jenny and Joey were dancing beside us.

  “Yeah.” He laughed, but he shook his head. “That was all you, though,” he said. “You’re a really good friend, Ellie. We’re lucky you moved here.”

  “I don’t know about that,” I said, brushing him off.

  “I do,” he said. He stared at me, his eyes narrowed and anxious. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He paused. “And I’m really scared I’m going to lose you.”