Emerge (5 page)

Desperate to get her back, the Little Mermaid’s family made a bargain with the Sea Sorceress. If the Little Mermaid killed the prince with the sorceress’s enchanted obsidian dagger, his blood on her legs would transform her back into a Mermaid. But she refused and threw the dagger into the sea. She valued the prince’s human life above her own immortality, so the magic in the dagger cursed us all with human lifespans as soon as its blade touched the water.

Merkind blamed her father the king for her mistake and executed him, throwing our entire society into a state of anarchy and war that’s lasted ever since.

That’s why my parents and a group of other brave Mer who feared for their lives and yearned for a better future for their children finally did the unthinkable—they ventured onto land. Now, nearly twenty years later, they’ve built a life here.

“There’s no reason for our people to live under the terror of constant warfare any longer,” my mom continues. “No reason for them to fight and die in defense of one false ruler over another, hoping against hope that this will be the one who finally keeps his promises and finds a way to break the curse.”

“It can’t be broken!” someone shouts from the crowd. I recognize him; he sits on the Community’s advisory board alongside my parents. Others agree, echoing his words.

My mother nods. “There’s always a new ruler. Always someone claiming to have a better plan, when all they really have is an angrier army. How many of these warlords have overthrown the previous leader—raged battles that bloodied the ocean floor in their quest for power—only to fail once that power was theirs?”

Mer all around me hiss or shake their heads. “Senseless violence,” a woman next to me mutters.

My mother holds up a hand, and the room falls silent. “We cannot break the curse. But we can choose to leave the violence behind. Each one of us has chosen a life on land—a life of peace. And tonight, we welcome our brave brethren who are making that same choice.”

I glance around me. Now people’s faces beam with pride.

“Some of our newest Community members have been here for several weeks,” my mother continues, her regal, opalescent tail swishing through the water underneath her, “so you may have already met them at the Foundation. A few others have just arrived. We waited to celebrate so we could welcome everyone at once. I have every confidence you will do your utmost to make our kin feel at home here.”

My mother nods to my father, who swims beyond the doorway and returns with ten new Mer swimming behind him. The group consists mostly of young parents with small children, but a few outliers wade in back. The whole room erupts in welcoming applause.

But I’m not clapping. I’m frozen in shock. Among the refugees is the last face I ever expected to see.

Mel Havelock is front and center in the group of Mer refugees. A slender, coral-colored tail tapers down from her tiny waist, and a
siluess
decorated with actual coral barely covers her chest. She looks more like a spoiled princess than a refugee. How is this possible? How can Mel be a Mermaid?

While my mouth practically hangs open, my parents usher the group to the front and offer a few more words of welcome before allowing our new Community members to disperse into the crowd. Mel and an imposing older man who must be her father stay and talk to them.

“Lia, what’s wrong? What are you staring at? You look a little freaky.” Caspian shakes my shoulder when I don’t respond. I work to regain the power of speech.

“That girl,” is all I manage.

“The really pretty one?”

“Yes,” I hiss. “She goes to my school. I had no idea she was Mer.”

“Oh, well that’ll be nice. You’ll finally have another Mer friend at school with you besides the twins.”

“No. Not nice. Very not nice. She’s horrible.”

“What has she done to you?”

“Well,” I picture her possessive hands all over Clay, “it’s hard to describe.”

Caspian looks confused. “But she’s horrible?”

“She’s dating a human!” There, I got it out. I wait for Caspian to get appropriately outraged, but he just looks thoughtful.

“Well, that’s not smart.”

“Not smart? Not smart! They’re constantly together. She spends hours with him every day after school. All it takes is one moment when she’s not a hundred percent focused—one tiny slip of tail—and she’d put all of us in danger.” By the end of my rant, I’m practically panting. How is Caspian still so calm? “How are you still so calm?”

“Maybe she doesn’t realize the risk.”

“Then she’s an idiot as well as a—”

“Aurelia, can you swim over here please?” my mother calls.

“Stay next to me,” I murmur to Caspian as we make our way toward my parents and the Havelocks. Mr. Havelock has rigid posture and holds his head an inch too high, which makes him look pretentious.

“Aurelia, Mr. Havelock has been telling us that you know his daughter Melusine already,” my mother says in her quintessential hostess voice.

“How fun that you girls are already friends,” my father says, clapping Mr. Havelock on the shoulder.

“We’re not friends,” I blurt out. My mother’s eyes narrow, and I search for something else to say.

Melusine beats me to it. “We haven’t really gotten to know each other yet, Mrs. Nautilus.”

“Well, now that you know you have so much in common,” her father says, “I am certain the two of you will have plenty to speak about.” Mr. Havelock’s voice has the slanting, sibilant quality of a Mermese speaker who’s not used to speaking English. “Who is your young man?” he asks with perfect, studied grammar, his eyes shifting to Caspian.

“This is my
friend
,” I emphasize the word, “Caspian Zayle.”

“Pleased to meet you, sir,” Caspian says as he shakes Mr. Havelock’s hand. “I hope you’re finding everything to your liking here on the surface.”

“Zayle? As in Adrianna Zayle? Yes, I had heard your family was living here now.”

“Filius, you must understand … ” my father begins, his tone full of censure. Then, Mel’s father surprises me.

“No need, Edmar. I fully support what you are doing here. A fresh start for everyone. I respect that. Without it, I would not have come, not with my family’s reputation. I almost didn’t, but after my wife died … ” He’s quiet for a moment, then continues, “I wanted better for my Melusine.”

“I won’t lie to you,” my father says, shaking his nearly bald head, “there were people who petitioned against your request for refuge. Up here in the human world, we all view humans as equals, and we bring up our children to do the same. Not surprisingly, some members of our Community thought you must share your family’s
udell
predilections.” My eyes widen.
Udell
is an ancient word for human hater. Melusine’s an
udell
? Then why is she with Clay?

“Never. I have never understood their hatred of mortals, and I have raised Melusine according to my own moral standards, not my family’s.”

“Well, now that you’re here, you can show everyone through your actions that your family’s
udell
history does not extend to the two of you,” my mother says. “Of course, we’ll help in any way we can.”

Mr. Havelock looks gratified and lifts his head even higher. “Just knowing that we have your illustrious family on our side will help fortify us,” he says grandiosely. “And knowing my Melusine has new friends makes me feel that I made the right decision in coming here.” He looks at Caspian and me, and I get the feeling I’m being manipulated.

“Melusine, why don’t you go get to know Aurelia and Caspian better while my husband and I show your father around? I’m sure that will be more enjoyable for you than endless introductions to Merfolk twice your age.” My mother’s eyes twinkle with sincerity, and I surge with the familiar sense of pride I get watching her handle social situations with so much grace. Did it skip a generation?

After some brief, “Pleasure to meet yous” all around, Caspian and I lead Melusine to a side room that’s less crowded and up to an empty table. Most of the Mer our age have found their way here, and the atmosphere is more relaxed.

“I’ll go get us all some seaberry punch,” Caspian says. I want to think of an excuse to go with him, but that would be crazy rude. So, here I am. Alone with Melusine.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know you were a Mermaid,” I say, voicing the thought that’s been racing in repeated laps around my mind.

“I know. You looked floored,” she replies in a syrupy sweet voice. She doesn’t have a trace of her father’s Mermese accent. She must have worked hard to get rid of it before coming on land.

“Did you know? About me, I mean? Because it’s been like, weeks since you started school, and you never said anything.” I keep my tone light, non-accusatory, but I can’t help thinking how strange it is. Had she been purposely trying to trick me? And, if she had, why?

“I wanted time to explore on my own. I’ve heard so many conflicting ideas about humans and their world. I knew the moment I revealed myself to you, you’d go out of your way to be my welcoming committee—show me things and explain things. I wanted to draw my own conclusions first, without anyone else’s influence.”

If I had been in Melusine’s place, I’d have wanted any help I could get. In fact, when I started at Malibu Hills Prep, I bombarded the twins with an endless list of questions. I hate to admit it, but Melusine’s determination to try things out on her own is kind of … brave.

“Wasn’t that difficult? How have you even been able to maintain your legs for so long so quickly?”

“Nothing’s quite as … inspiring as a challenge. I practiced for months before we surfaced.”

“You mean you can keep your legs in water?” Awe creeps into my voice.

“Here you go, ladies,” Caspian says, returning with our drinks.

“We were just talking about why Melusine didn’t tell me she was Mer before tonight,” I fill him in.

“Isn’t it such a fun surprise?” she asks.

I’m not really the type who likes surprises. Okay, surprise presents or baked goods are welcome, but I’m a make-a-plan-and-stick-to-it type of girl, so I don’t like to be caught off guard. Still, it’s not like Melusine could have known that. Maybe it’s time I stop hating her on principle and try to get to know her. After all, she’s left everything she knows and moved to a foreign place. It’s gotta be really hard for her.

“So, Melusine, Lia tells me you have a boyfriend at your school,” Caspian says, concern evident in his rich baritone. Leave it to Caspian to face the seriousness of a situation head on.

“His name’s Clay. We instantly connected.”

And just like that, I hate her again. I haven’t spent a year keeping Clay at tail’s length just so he could date another Mer. I’ve put my duty to the Community first, and she needs to, too.

“You know how dangerous that is, right? For all of us?” This time, I don’t care if I sound accusatory.

“Relax,” Melusine says, sounding far too calm for my taste. “I’m not putting anyone in danger.”

“Lia’s worry is understandable,” Caspian says. “There are reasons the parents up here don’t let their kids date humans. I’ve only just met you, and I’m sorry if I’m overswimming here, but if this guy … What’s his name? Ray?”

“Clay,” Melusine and I both correct at the same moment.

“Clay. If Clay ever finds out what you are—”

“Not a chance. Maybe some people have trouble maintaining their legs,” she shoots me an appraising look and I don’t like how self-conscious it makes me, “but I have excellent self-control.”

“And your father hasn’t found out?” Caspian hedges.

“Daddy knows!”

“He knows you’re with a human?” I sputter.

“Are you kidding? He’s thrilled. I guess he thinks it’ll help people realize we’re not
udell
like the rest of our family. Daddy trusts me.”

Her dad approves? My life is so totally unfair. My parents are all for assimilation, but they’d never let me be in a relationship with a human. Even if you forget the risk of exposure, the emotional risk is astronomical.

I mean, talk about heartbreak. It’s not like we could ever be married—try hiding a tail from someone you live with. No matter how much self-control I had, that would be impossible. It’s not like any of us can maintain legs while we sleep. See, that’s the real reason the Little Mermaid went to the Sea Sorceress. Humans have this part of the story so wrong. She didn’t go to the sorceress to get legs; she went to permanently banish her tail so she could ensure her precious prince never found out what she really was.

“You can’t possibly have a future with him. What’s the point?” I ask Mel.

“Please don’t tell me you’re one of those neo-romantic Mermaids who believes I should get married before I even go to college? I thought one of the reasons we moved up here was to learn how humans make the best of these pathetically short lives. A lot of humans don’t even think about marriage until their thirties.”

“I’m not talking about marriage. I just mean, if there’s not even the possibility you could stay with someone, be yourself with them, what kind of a relationship is that?”

“Gosh, Lia, how old are you? You do know we’re in high school, right? I’m just having a good time. The whole point of being young and living in the human world is so I can experience life before I wither and die.” She smiles and lets innuendo seep into her voice, “Clay is a fun guy to have those experiences with.”