“Did you speak to them?” Dad leaned forward, his hands clasped together like when we had The Talk.
“No. Mitch made me hide.” All the tension left both their faces. “Why? Is there something I should know? And what would I say? What if they didn’t speak English? Talk about awkward.”
“No, nothing like that.” Mom looked at Dad before turning her attention back to me. “It’s just that we don’t know if there are any customs you should know or how they would react to a mermaid raised by humans.”
“That’s silly. Why would it matter that I was raised by humans?” As I said the words a chill went through me. We worked so hard to keep my secret, what if they felt I was a risk? “Oh. You think they might hurt me.” Despair flooded my chest. There were mermaids out there. Real mermaids like me, but I couldn’t talk to them.
“We don’t know that, Meena. We just want you to be careful. There’s no way of knowing how they would react.” Dad leaned forward. “They may be very friendly or they might be territorial. We just don’t know at this point.”
“Territorial?” I felt my face twist into disbelief. “Dad, I don’t go around peeing on the house plants.”
“You know that’s not what I meant. It could be a cultural thing that you would have no clue about. It’s best to be careful.”
“There are mermaids swimming in our waters. Around our island, and I can’t talk to them.” Tears sprang to my eyes and I hated it. I hated that they were right; they were just trying to protect me.
“No, Meena. We’re saying to be careful.” Mom moved to my end of the couch and pulled me against her. “Just don’t rush out to them yet. Let’s see if they stay for a while and go from there.”
“Exactly.” Dad moved closer to us and reached out to rub my hair. “What did Mitch do? Was she upset?”
“Not really. She was nervous and excited, but not angry or defensive. I don’t think she knew what to do.” My breath came out in a gust.
“Well, that’s a good sign. Mitch wouldn’t lead you wrong.” Mom wiped some of the tears away from my cheeks. “We just have to approach this with caution. They may already know you’re here.”
“That’s true. We can’t know if they have different senses.”
“I really hate it when you start using the Scientific-We stuff.” I shook my head.
“Sorry, Sea Monster. Old habits die hard.” He smiled at me and I found myself feeling a little better.
“You’re right. We need to be careful.” I smiled at Dad. “But if the opportunity comes, then I’m going to try to make contact. I have to.” I held my breath, hoping they would understand why it was so important to me.
“Sounds good. You’re smart, Meen. Trust your gut.” Mom hugged my shoulders. “We just want you to be careful.”
“We always hoped that you would meet others like you. It’s just a bit scary, you know?” Dad’s eyes wavered for a minute and I realized he wasn’t just scared for me. They were scared that I might leave them.
“I’m not going anywhere, guys. I just want to know a little more about myself.” I looked them each in the eye so they knew I was serious. “This is my home and you are my family.”
“We know.” Mom squeezed me again.
“Okay. I’m going to shower and head to bed.” I stood up and stretched.
“You’re not hungry?” Mom headed to the kitchen and I followed.
“Well, maybe some food and then a shower.”
The next morning I was awakened by the heavy thud of someone jumping on my bed. Groaning, I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.
“What the hell, Vi?” I looked at my clock and frowned. “God, why are you here so early?”
“I wanted to see how yesterday went with your new buddy.” She laughed when I threw my pillow at her.
“He was waiting on the beach after my swim last night.” I looked at her from under my hair. I had forgotten to tell my parents about that part. They would freak out, but Violet was different. She squealed and quickly covered her mouth.
“Oh my God! Did he see you?”
I shrugged. “He saw me, but I don’t think he really saw me.”
“What was he doing? Did you tell him to meet up?” Violet tucked my pillow under her head and lay down next to me.
“No!” I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. “He thought I was skinny-dipping.”
Her laughter made me blush, but I couldn’t help smiling. “His expression when I told him I had to put my bottoms back on was priceless.”
“No, you didn’t!” She slapped my shoulder. “Spill. Everything.”
I did. I told her about Dad’s plan to redesign the logo, to spiff up the place, and plan a big event. I told her about Devin and how Blake had stood up for me, which led to our weird banter at the beach. She laughed and sighed the entire time.
“This sucks. You finally have guy trouble and I’m going to be on the other side of the planet!” She stuck her bottom lip out.
“Bah. It’s not guy trouble. He’s leaving as soon as he can.” I frowned. That bothered me more than it should. “So, tell me about the interview. Did you get it?”
“I did! They grilled me like a steak, but I got it in the end.” She sat up and turned to look at me. Her face was serious and I knew whatever she was about to say would probably make me sad. “But I have to leave early. They want me in Hawaii in ten days to meet with the head of the department.”
“You’re leaving? Ten days?” I sat up and looked at her. There was so much change happening, and I hadn’t even told her about the other mermaids yet.
“I know. It sucks, but it’s one of the stipulations.”
“It’s a good thing! You get more time in Hawaii!” I smiled and hoped it looked real. “By the time classes come around, you’ll know everyone. You’ll see, Vi!”
“I know.” She didn’t sound very enthusiastic. “I’m just really going to miss you.”
“Pfft. It’s the twenty-first century. We can talk every day.” I rolled out of bed and reached for some of the nail polish on my side table. I picked up a blue and a green. Violet grabbed the seafoam green and sat down on the floor. I flopped down in front of her so she could paint my toes while I painted my fingers. It was something we had done since I was little.
“So what did your parents say about Blake? Did they freak out when you told them he was on the beach while you were all fishy?” Her steady hands made quick work of my toes.
“Actually, I forgot to tell them. Something else happened last night.” I bit my lip. “While I was swimming I saw two mermaids.”
“Holy shit!” Violet jerked up to look at me and accidently knocked over the bottle of nail polish. “Shit!” She reached over and grabbed some tissues from the box on my dresser. “Sorry. Oh my God. What did you do? What did you say? What did they say? Do they speak human?”
I laughed and grabbed the nail-polish remover to help her clean the mess up from the wood floor. “I don’t know. I didn’t speak to them.”
“Why not? You’ve wanted to meet another mermaid your whole life!” Her hand stopped scrubbing and she looked up at me.
“Mitch made me hide. She was nervous.” I sighed, thinking about it.
“She was scared?”
“No. More like she didn’t know what to do, so she automatically went into protective mode.” I picked up the dirty tissues and tossed them in my trash can. Polish remover always stung my fingers, but it was a necessary evil.
“Meena! That could have been your one chance to talk to another mermaid!” Violet looked at me with big eyes.
“I don’t know. At least now I know that there are more of them. And it wasn’t just a mermaid. There was a merman, too.” I smiled when her mouth fell open.
“Logically, I know that if you exist there must be males, too. But holy crap! Was he as hot as I imagine?”
“He was hot, but not really my type. Honestly?” I looked toward my door to make sure no one was listening. “He looked familiar.”
“Familiar?” Violet’s eyes darted toward my door too. “Like you might’ve seen him walking around before?” She mimed walking with her fingers and I slapped her hands.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter right now. Mom and Dad want me to be careful, but if I see them again, I’m going to try to talk to them.”
“Hell yes, you are!” Violet stood up and put the nail polish back on my nightstand. “You can’t let this slip away, Meen. You need to know more about where you came from.” She turned back and narrowed her eyes at me. “Now, go put on something hot. I hear Blake’s motorcycle and I want to see him drool over you before I leave.”
I snickered. “You can’t even stay today?”
“I have to pack.” She hugged me and then pushed me toward my closet. “Cutoffs. Guys can’t help themselves when a sexy girl is wearing cutoffs. And the teal bikini.”
She left the room while I changed, and I could hear her in the kitchen talking to Mom. As much as I hated to admit it, I sort of did want to see Blake drool a little. Especially after last night. I threw on the bikini, shorts, and a large gray tank top that had once been a football jersey. It hung loosely, giving a peek at the bright top underneath. I hesitated in the mirror. I wore this tank top all the time, but I had never done it with the intention of teasing a guy. It felt daring, and it never had before.
Shrugging, I braided my hair and pulled my hat on. Just as I was leaving my room, I heard Blake’s voice join Violet and my mom’s. My heart stuttered for a minute. Stiffening my spine, I walked straight into the kitchen and headed for the fridge.
“Good morning.” I grabbed the orange juice from the fridge and then a glass from the counter. I kissed Mom on the cheek and then turned to look at everyone else. Blake had a piece of bacon in his hand but had stopped halfway to his mouth. He seemed to realize he was staring because he quickly popped it in his mouth and chewed. After swallowing, he narrowed his eyes a little and smiled. Flames erupted in the pit of my stomach and my skin itched.
“Morning.” His voice rumbled through the room and I wondered if anyone else could feel it the way I did. His eyes flicked down to my hands and I realized that I was scratching at the skin on my left wrist. I grabbed some bacon from the plate Mom had set on the counter and quickly stuck some in my mouth. His eyes focused on my lips as if transfixed by the simple act of chewing. Behind him, Violet flashed a big thumbs-up and heat crept up my checks.
Mom turned around and winked at me. I choked on my bacon and had to take a quick gulp of orange juice. Well, that spell was broken.
“What’s that?” I pointed to the bag he had slung over his shoulders.
“Brought my laptop. Thought we could work on finishing up the new logo.” He patted the bag.