Part of Your Nightmare

by Vera Strange

  “Hurry up. Come with me,” Enrique said, pulling her toward the back of the library.

  They wound their way down rows and rows of shelves. The farther back they went, the dimmer the light grew and the dustier the stacks became. Shelly sneezed twice in quick succession. That area of the library looked like it got little traffic, like nobody had touched the shelves in ages. Enrique came to a halt in front of another door marked by a bronze placard:

  TRITON BAY HISTORICAL ARCHIVES

  “This is it,” Enrique said, swiping the ID card in the scanner.

  The door beeped and unlocked. The lights inside were off, but the second they entered, a sensor triggered them to flicker on. Shelly felt a tickle in her nose and the urge to sneeze again. This room smelled even more like dust and decaying paper. It smelled ancient. The books in there appeared far older than the books in the main library. Tables were positioned around the room, displaying under thick glass books that featured old maps of Triton Bay. She ran her fingers over the glass, taking in the beautiful images. They looked hand-drawn and -inked.

  She followed Enrique over to a bank of computers labeled DIGITAL ARCHIVES. The prompt demanded a username and password. Shelly frowned at the blinking cursor. “How’re we going to log in?”

  Enrique arched his eyebrow, then sat down at the computer. His fingers flew over the keyboard. He typed in his brother’s first initial and last name, then entered a password.

  “Here goes nothing,” he said, hitting RETURN.

  They both held their breath.

  A second later, the password screen dissolved, revealing a search prompt.

  She looked at him, impressed. “You can hack into a computer?”

  “Ha, I wish!” he said with a smirk. “Miguel uses the same password for everything.”

  “Brothers,” she said with a nod. “Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.”

  They turned their attention to the monitor. Enrique typed in some search terms—sea witch, Triton Bay, myth, sailors. The search icon spun. A few seconds later, results flooded the screen, spanning down the monitor. Shelly scanned them quickly. Her heart lurched when she saw the title of one of the archived documents:

  THE SEA WITCH AND THE TRIDENT

  “Click on that one,” she said, pointing to it. Enrique did.

  It appeared to be an old Triton Bay fairy tale. They both scanned the story, reading the flowing handwritten text that had been archived in the online database. Shelly read it aloud.

  “ ‘Once upon a time, a powerful trident belonged to King Triton. It granted him the power to control the ocean and all the creatures in it. Whoever possessed the trident would automatically become the most powerful creature in the sea and could also wreak havoc on the world above if they so chose. That’s why the sea witch would do anything to get it. One night, she tried to kill King Triton and take the trident from him. But he vanquished her in a great sea battle, diminishing her power. The king knew that the sea witch couldn’t be trusted, so he used the trident to place a powerful spell on her that confined her to Triton Bay. Thus, the bay became her prison, where she would live out the rest of her days.’ ”

  “There we have it,” said Enrique.

  Shelly nodded at the monitor. “Look, there’s more.”

  Enrique read: “ ‘But the king was still unsatisfied. He put a spell on the trident to protect it from falling into the wrong hands and hid it somewhere safe. According to the legends, nobody knew exactly where it was hidden.’ ”

  “Until now,” Shelly said, looking up from the computer.

  Enrique thought for a moment. “It makes sense, right? The sea witch can’t leave the bay. The aquarium is on dry land. So she can’t get the trident.”

  “Hiding the trident in plain sight is perfect camouflage,” Shelly said.

  “Yup, it’s brilliant,” he agreed. “Everyone just thinks it’s a fake aquarium prop.”

  “So is this why the sea witch wants the trident?” she said, tapping the screen. “To break the curse and escape from the bay?”

  “Maybe, but it could be more sinister than that.” He pointed to a line in the story. “If she gets the trident, then she’ll be able to control the ocean and all the creatures in it. Think about what the sea witch could do with that kind of power. You said yourself you don’t trust her.”

  “You’re right. It could be devastating. . . .” Her voice trailed off. The words made them both feel afraid. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her silvery-green scales. “But what am I supposed to do? I’m turning into a fish. This is the only way to get her to reverse the curse.”

  Enrique looked uneasy. Suddenly, the lights flickered. They both looked around. The wind whipped up outside the windows, and lightning strobed in the sky, bolting down and striking the sea. The lights in the library flickered again, as if they’d go out at any moment.

  Shelly’s phone went off, making them both jump. She pulled it out and showed Enrique:

  NEW MESSAGE FROM: ATTINA THIS STORM IS GETTING WORSE! THERE’S SOMETHING STRANGE GLOWING IN THE WATER! PLEASE HURRY!!!

  “This doesn’t sound good,” Shelly muttered softly. With trepidation, she approached the window and pressed her hands to the glass. Below their cliffside perch, the waves in the bay churned and surged unnaturally. Thick gray clouds swirled and gathered overhead, pulsing with lightning. One bolt struck the water with a brilliant flash. The lights in the room kept flickering.

  Suddenly, something smacked the glass right by her head.

  Shelly leaped back from the window.

  Her heart thudded against her chest like a drum while her breathing sped up, making her gills flare under her scarf. The object bounced off the glass. It was a plastic cup.

  Just like the one she had thrown in the ocean.

  More plastic cups, bottles, and straws started pelting the glass. The storm wasn’t natural—it was raining plastic trash all over the campus. How was that possible? Ursula.

  Feeling another jolt of fear, Shelly backed away from the trash pelting the window. Then another lightning bolt pulsed in the sky, illuminating Triton Bay. Instead of thunder, cackling laughter rang out. A flicker surged through the library, sparking and shorting out the computer monitor. The screen went dark. Then, one by one, the lights in the archives blinked out.

  Shelly shook Enrique. “It’s Ursula—she’s coming for us!”

  “Hurry, let’s get out of here,” Enrique said, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the door. Outside, the whole library was dark. All the lights had shorted out from the storm.

  They ran through the dark stacks, dodging the shelves as if they were navigating an obstacle course. More lightning pulsed outside, strobe lighting the library, but instead of the clap of thunder, cackling laughter rang out over the bay again. Suddenly, books starting crashing off the shelves, pelting their heads. They tried to dodge them and ran faster. When they reached the entrance, Shelly glanced back at the library. It was empty. That scared Shelly almost more than anything else, but before she could linger on it any longer, Enrique grabbed her hand and pulled her through the door. They dashed down the hall, running full speed, and emerged outside.

  “There you are!” Attina said, running up to them.

  Alana was right on her heels. They both looked afraid.

  Instantly, the storm began to recede, the clouds withdrawing and vanishing.

  “How is this possible?” Alana asked, her face drained of color.

  “Yeah, it was raining plastic,” Attina added with a shudder. “And were those glowing eyes in the ocean?”

  “Yes. It’s her. It’s Ursula,” Shelly said. “She didn’t want us to find that story.”

  “You’re right,” Enrique agreed with a frightened expression. “She wants that trident—no, she needs that trident. It’s the only way she can break her curse and escape from the bay.”

  “And she’s willing to do anything to get it,” Shelly said, her stomach knotting up.

  Ala
na’s eyes shifted to her and held her gaze. “And you’re her only hope of getting it.”

  “And if she gets it . . .” began Attina. Her words hung in the air. They all knew how dangerous the sea witch would become if she escaped from her watery prison with the power of the whole ocean behind her. Shelly bit her lower lip. She inhaled and felt her gills flare.

  “But if I don’t help the sea witch, then I’ll turn into a fish. Forever,” she said.

  They looked at one another for a long, deep moment. Enrique clasped Shelly’s hand. She glanced down at the scaly skin that peeked out from under her sleeve. It glinted like silver in the dwindling daylight. “We’ll help you,” Enrique said. “Just tell us what you need us to do.”

  “Listen, it’s getting too dangerous,” said Shelly, wheeling on her friends. “I’ll text you if I need help. But I think you should all head home to safety. I’ll be okay. Promise. I couldn’t bear anything bad happening to any of you. And thank you for your help. It means a lot. Really.”

  Reluctantly, the twins nodded and biked away, leaving Shelly alone with Enrique.

  When she tried to tell him to leave, too, he said, “You’re not doing this alone.”

  “Resistance is futile?” she replied.

  “See, you are a true nerd,” he said with a glint in his eye.

  * * *

  Shelly laid her bike on the beach, then followed Enrique down a long pier that stretched out over the black water. They had to formulate a plan for how to deal with the sea witch. Shelly heard the sloshing of waves and tasted the briny tang of salt water on her tongue. It felt like walking out to the edge of the universe. The dark ocean seemed to have no end.

  “You sure this is safe?” she said, glancing off the pier. The salt turned acrid on her tongue. Unlike a lot of kids, Shelly had never been afraid of the ocean or the mysterious creatures that lay beneath the surface. But that had all changed. Each wave that sloshed against the pier made her jump as she imagined black tentacles shooting out at her from the depths.

  “We’re outside Triton Bay,” Enrique said with a lopsided smile. “The sea witch can’t leave the bay, remember? I come out here sometimes when I need to think or be alone. Also, the views are incredible.” He pointed back toward the lights of their little seaside town.

  Just a few days before, their town had seemed idyllic and safe, but now Shelly knew a darker truth. Their town was haunted by an evil, malevolent presence imprisoned in the bay.

  “Think your bro noticed that we took his ID?” she asked, following him down to the edge of the pier. They’d returned it to his backpack before biking there.

  “I doubt it,” Enrique said. “He was too busy working with the dolphin trainers.”

  She glanced down at her hands clad in the gloves. “I never should have tried to change myself. It was a huge mistake.”

  “Why’d you do it?” he asked thoughtfully.

  “When I first switched schools, I didn’t have any friends. And no friends is the worst. But then I finally made some. And I guess I was afraid that if I didn’t win my race at the next swim meet, then I’d lose them.”

  “That’s why you made your wish?”

  “Yeah, it sounds silly now, but I wanted to impress Kendall. Like I said, huge mistake.”

  He shot her a sympathetic look and shook his head sadly. “But that’s not a real friend,” he said. “Real friends should like you exactly the way you are.”

  Tears pricked her eyes. “Yeah, I learned that the hard way. It all backfired anyway. Winning my race only made Kendall hate me more. It’s all been such a disaster.”

  Though, at least Attina and Alana had been there for her today. She hadn’t lost everything.

  “Well, I’m your friend.”

  She could tell he meant it, even in her freaky, fishy cursed state.

  Suddenly, back over Triton Bay, a bolt of green lightning streaked through the sky and struck the ocean—and this time she saw an image in the flash. It was Enrique—slowly shrinking and starting to turn into one of those strange, pathetic creatures trapped in Ursula’s lair.

  Shelly jerked her head away. The image was a clear warning from the sea witch not to double-cross her. And it had also signaled something else—something far worse.

  As she’d feared, she wasn’t the only one in danger anymore.

  Enrique was, too.

  “Come on, let’s turn back,” she said, feeling cold. Nothing felt safe anymore.

  “So, what’s the plan then?” he asked, seeing the frightened look in her eyes as they headed back to the beach.

  “Tomorrow,” she said, knowing that she didn’t have a choice anymore. She couldn’t let that horrible fate befall Enrique. They had to get the trident. There was no way around it. “Meet at the aquarium after sunset,” she told him, eyes narrowing. “And we’ll take the trident.”

  The spare security card had a silver key ring attached to a yellow-and-blue foam flounder.

  Shelly had stolen it from a drawer in her mother’s home office the night before, and now, with Enrique by her side, she swiped the security card, then slid the key into the lock. The new security system frightened her. Her father had it installed after a recent series of strange burglary attempts. The police thought it had been local teens, but Shelly wondered if it was something far more insidious—Ursula. What if they were wrong and she could leave the bay? The foam flounder bopped around, and she held her breath, then twisted. The bolts turned and released, admitting them into the dark aquarium.

  Enrique gave her a thumbs-up. “Nice work.”

  They slipped through the side entrance and followed the corridor down the main hall. The main lights were out, but the exhibits were still lit with their signature blue-green light that cast eerie shadows through the cavernous space. The aquarium felt totally different after hours, when the tourists had cleared out, leaving their sticky residue behind. No kids played tag, careering around the exhibits, or pressed their noses to the glass. No parents chased them, looking exhausted. Instead, it was quiet and foreboding. Not even staff were there. The sea witch was watching; she’d know if they failed. They couldn’t let that happen.

  Suddenly, Shelly felt short of breath, like her lungs couldn’t get enough oxygen. Enrique glanced back at her in alarm. He noticed her struggling to keep up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I’m . . . having a hard time . . . breathing,” she managed, still gasping for air. Her lungs were screaming at her. “It feels like my lungs suddenly . . . aren’t working.”

  He pulled her toward the nearest tank. “Hurry, over here! I have an idea.”

  “What . . . do you mean?” she gasped. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Maybe it’s the gills,” he said, leading her to a small tank and removing the top. “Fish can’t breathe out of water, remember? And you’re turning into . . .”

  “A fish,” she said, recalling zombie Mr. Bubbles saying, You’re going to go belly-up!

  “Just try it,” Enrique said, and she dunked her head into the tank on command.

  As soon as the salt water hit her gills, it was like she could breathe again. Really breathe. Gradually, her lungs stopped screaming. She pulled her head out with a frightened expression.

  Their eyes met. He held her gaze. “That means . . .”

  “Not much time left,” she finished in barely a whisper. Her eyes fell on the main exhibit that towered over the hall. The reef shark darted around the trident, coasting by the pirate ship.

  Enrique followed her gaze. “How are we going to get it?”

  “Superpowers, remember?” she said, stripping off her scarf and gloves, revealing her hands, which were now more fish than human.

  “It’s really progressing, huh?” he said. “Your hands weren’t like this yesterday.”

  She nodded. “Faster than before.”

  Her lungs constricted; she was gasping for oxygen. “Let’s go,” she said, pulling him toward the main exhibit into the staff-only area. “I n
eed to hurry up and get into the tank, or I’m going to have trouble breathing again.”

  They hurried down an echoing stairwell into the bowels of the exhibit, where few got to go. There, it looked and felt industrial, and at night, almost sinister. The space behind the scenes consisted of metal scaffolding, rusty ladders, and other equipment. She led Enrique over to a ladder that ran up the side of the main exhibit. Light from the tank washed over them as they climbed up and onto the catwalk that spanned the tank. Shelly looked down at the rippling water, illuminated by its artificial light. There were sharks in the tank, but she wasn’t really afraid.

  “You know, something’s been bothering me,” Enrique said, shooting her a worried look. He balanced on the catwalk beside her, wobbling.

  “What’s that?” Shelly unzipped her hoodie to reveal her wet suit beneath.

  “It’s almost like the sea witch knew this fish curse would help you get the trident for her. Because it’s easy for you to swim into the tank. It’s like this was part of her plan all along.”

  Shelly gulped. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “She’s evil—and wicked smart,” he said with a shake of his head. “She tricked you.”

  Shelly handed him an oxygen mask and fins. “Here. Since you don’t have superpowers like me and all.”

  He laughed, then pulled on the mask. She switched on the oxygen line. He gave her another thumbs-up. Then they clambered farther down the catwalk. It was slippery and narrow. She’d never swum inside the main exhibit. It was dangerous with sharks and other animals, not to mention the hazards of diving with an oxygen line. One needed to be a trained professional, but she might as well have been. They hovered over the pirate ship. She could just see it through the rippling water.

  “Here goes nothing,” she said, diving into the tank with a soft splash.

  Enrique followed, landing with a churn of bubbles beside her. He was clumsier in the water with all the gear, but she was practically a fish now.

  She cut through the tank, diving toward the ship, past it and the faux treasure chest.

  The trident stood before her, skewering the sand.