Everblue (18 page)

32

ASH

 “Gran’s letting you stay in her room,” Mom said from the front seat. I sat in the back with my bandaged leg stretched out.

“She is?”

Mom looked at me through the rearview mirror and raised her eyebrows. “You’re not going to be able to go up and down the stairs.”

“Oh, right.” I chuckled and turned to watch the sparkling water zip by. The pain pills were doing a number on me, making things speed up and my stomach topsy-turvy. “Wish we could have taken the wheelchair home.”

“Hmmm,” Mom mumbled and turned on some easy-listening jazz.

On the floorboard, the flower vases clinked together in time with the balloons bobbing on the ceiling. Mom drove faster than normal or at least it seemed she did. After Callahan left, Georgia and some others from the swim team came by. And with them, oodles of gifts showed up as well. I felt like a coward for lying and not coming clean. Would they do the same if they knew I’d purposefully put myself in harm’s way?

I leaned back and took a deep breath. “Where’s Gran? She never came to visit.”

“She did, but you were asleep. She’s at the store right now. We’re short-handed.”

“Oh.” I noted the animosity in her voice. Heaven forbid they close down for a day. She’d probably rather have changed places with Gran. I preferred Mom anyway. Driving with Gran
was
putting your life in your hands.

Earlier at the hospital, Mom asked again if my memory returned. I warred with myself as the “not yet” slipped easier off my tongue than the truth. I vowed to confess after the hysteria wore off and Mom was a little less frantic.

We pulled up to the house and parked out front. I assumed this was so she could make an easy get-away to the store after delivering me. As I waited for her to come around and assist me, I looked at my second story window. It had only been a day, but things looked different, almost as if I didn’t belong there anymore.

Mom opened the car door and gave me a hard look before handing me my crutches. “You are to take it easy.”

I sighed. “Yes.”

With all the medication pumping through my veins, how could I even fathom anything other than sleep? I struggled to get to my feet, my head spinning.

“Ashlyn! You’re home!” Lucy ran up to the car and wrapped her arms around my neck as I teetered on one foot. “I was so worried.”

“I’m fine,” I said and warmed at her kindness. Apparently twelve-year-olds were germ breeders; anyone under fourteen couldn’t visit unless they were actually a patient.

“Can I help carry anything?”

I did a double-take before pointing at my bounty inside. She rounded them all up and hauled them into the house with a smile on her face. I stood like a flamingo and gawked.

Gran’s room had a stale smell to it mixed with potpourri and sickly sweet perfume, but I didn’t mind. The bed was comfortable and she had a TV, which I planned to use liberally. I untucked the blankets so I could drape them over my leg easier; the excess pillows became a foot rest.

Lucy perched herself on the chair with wide eyes. “What happened? Mom said you can’t remember anything. Do you have amnesia? I read about someone with that once in school. Are you staying home all week? Where’s your cut? Do you have stitches?”

“Whoa,” I spluttered out, head swimming with questions. “You’ll need to slow down. I can barely keep up.”

Lucy laughed. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, I’m staying home all week so my leg will heal. It’s pretty nasty. Want to see it?”

“Ewww, no.” Lucy squirmed.

I smiled at my creative diversion from answering her about my supposed
amnesia
. “I’m just glad to be home. My nurses woke me every three hours to check my temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate. I couldn’t get any sleep.”

“Crazy,” she said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “Did Callahan come and see you?”

“Yes and he brought me flowers.”

“Oooh! He did?” Lucy squealed and got up to find the arrangement.

I watched her with wonderment. Who was this delightful girl? I would have fallen into the lake years ago if I’d known she’d be nice to me afterward. Having a real conversation for once was refreshing.

“Did he kiss you?” she asked abruptly.

“What?”

“After the dance.”

I felt my cheeks warm up. “Oh. Not yet.”

Lucy shot me a smirk with half-lidded eyes. “Yeah, right.”

I shook my head and laid back on Gran’s bounty of pillows as Lucy read my cards out loud. The popcorn ceiling reminded me more of cottage cheese sprinkled with glitter—like stars. I imagined my angel up in the clouds and wished to see him again.

“You’re kinda famous, you know.”

I rolled my eyes and turned towards her, propping my leg up on pillows. “Famous?”

“Yeah. You were on TV and Laura Jane says you could probably write a book about what happened and make a lot of money.”

“Oh she did, did she?” I tried not to laugh at her best friend’s ridiculous observation.

I finally realized why she was being so nice to me. My accident must have raised her social standing at school, giving the kids something to fawn all over her with.

“Do you remember how you got to the Ranger station?”

I chewed on my fingernail. “No.”

“Well, we went and talked to that Ranger guy. He didn’t know anything either. That’s weird, don’t you think?”

“You went alone?”

“No, I went with Laura Jane.” Lucy got comfortable at the foot of the bed, clutching the stuffed teddy bear with a bandaged leg Shannon had brought me. “It was her idea. Her mom drove us over there so we could get an interview with him for the school paper.”

“Wow. That’s—”

“—impressive,” Lucy said, finishing my statement. “I know. She’s going to be a journalist someday.”

“I bet she wants to interview me, too,” I muttered under my breath.

“Oh, would you?” Lucy’s eyes shone.

I blinked, realizing I’d opened myself right up, practically volunteering. I couldn’t say “no” now that we suddenly had a pleasurable sisterly relationship. “Sure. If she wants.”

Lucy smiled from ear to ear. “Awesome!”

“Lucy!” Mom barked from down the hall. “Ashlyn needs to rest.”

“Fine,” Lucy called back with a grimace. She walked closer to me and whispered, “I’ll have Laura Jane come over later, okay?”

I forced a smile. “If I’m feeling okay.”

She perked up and skipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I pushed away the worry they’d want to do the interview anytime soon, snuggled under the covers, and reveled in the silence. No beeps or annoying nurses to bother me. Sleep came easily.

Then he returned. All glowy and warm. I felt his strong arms tenderly wrap around my body, breaching the surface of the water as he carried me to safety. His melodic voice told me to fight, to stay alive. I would have done anything to stay there in his blazing hot arms. If only he’d fly us up into the clouds of heaven. His lips touched mine and golden heat tickled my skin. Something within my heart released, like a bird soaring toward freedom. Only there did I feel complete. Like his kiss was the key that popped open the lock in my heart, setting me free.

33

FIN

A groan coming from behind the door startled me from my sleep. Somehow, I’d fallen over and the crabs were jockeying for position under my back. As I sat up, they scattered to the holes in the walls. I shivered and moved away from the floor.

“Stupid crabs.”

“Hold your breath.”

I swiveled around and went to the bars at Tatch’s telepathic voice. As the outer door began to slowly open, black ink spilt into the water.

“Don’t breathe!” she said with a forced whisper.

On the floor behind her, Blanchard lay knocked out cold from octopus ink.

“What did you do?”
I asked silently as she rushed to the cage.

“I have to get you out of here before you pass out.”
Her hands shook as she flipped through the ring of keys, inserting one in after the other. Finally she found the right one and popped the lock open.

“Come on!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall to the interior of Azor’s house. Through the thick clouds, I could make out a few other mermen laying in the same sprawled-out way as blackness tainted the water above their heads. I couldn’t see Azor anywhere, though.

I knew Tatchi was smart, but to use octopus ink to incapacitate all the mermen so she could help me escape was brilliant. Mermaids for some reason were immune to its effects. Unable to hold my breath any longer, I let a small sip of water through my gills and felt my thoughts grow fuzzy. Tatch responded with a gasp and pulled me harder.

Once we exited out the front doors, I sucked in a huge breath to clear my head. “What did you do?”

Tatiana exhaled, but continued to pull my arm so we moved farther away from Azor’s compound. “I’ll explain everything after we get out of here.”

I allowed her to drag me along since the tiny bit of ink I did inhale affected my ability to reason and swim. But once we turned away from the direction of our house and towards the far rock wall where the Tahoe gate loomed, I flared out my fins to stop.

“No!” she screamed, continuing to pull. “We have to leave! Now!”

I yanked my hand back. “I just got in royal trouble for leaving unchaperoned and I’m not about to drag you into this with me. If we escape to Tahoe, we aren’t ever coming back.”

“I know that. And if we don’t leave now, we may never get another chance.”

I pushed my hands into my temples to force away the headache from the ink. “But what about Mom?”

Tatch fidgeted and avoided eye contact. “She wants to stay and wait for Dad.”

I clenched my jaw. “We can’t just leave her. We promised Dad we’d watch out for her.”

Tatch’s face pressed into a scowl as she pointed her finger in my face. “Look. You know as well as I do they aren’t going to give you a slap on the wrist and say ‘never do it again.’ You’ll be forced to stay here. Forced to serve the elder mers for who knows how long. Forced to choose someone here to promise. Do you want that?”

Ashlyn’s sweet water-drenched face shimmered in my mind. My soul was trying to claw its way out of my chest to take ahold of my fin and make me leave Natatoria now. But without Mom coming with us, it didn’t feel right.

“Fine,” Tatiana said after I didn’t respond and my eyes met hers. “You can go back and lock yourself up if you want. I’ll just leave without you.”

“Wait.” I grabbed her wrist.

“I’m done with this place, Fin. Don’t you see I can’t stay? First with all the crap at the palace and then with you getting locked up. Now Uncle Alaster is saying he had to mind-wipe a whole bunch of people, stop divers who were getting too close to the gate, and deal with the press. I guess there was a news story about the waves you caused and people are frantic for answers. It’s very serious. The King may just banish you and take your fins for all the trouble you’ve caused. Then where will you be?”

I scrubbed my hand over my head and wished for a crystal ball to see the future. Was this the way to bolt? The ink would be evaporating soon and the guards would wake up. I needed to make a decision

“Where will you go?” I finally asked.

“To Fannette Island tonight. Then tomorrow, I’ll take the Jeep and head towards the Pacific. There I can start searching for Dad. Something’s wrong. I can sense it.”

I should have been livid she was thinking of taking my Jeep but the thought of her trying to find Dad alone didn’t sit right. Helping her sounded better than going back to my cell. Plus Dad would fight for us and stand up against our injustices. Besides, I needed to see Ash.

“Do you have the spare key?”

Tatch’s lips widened into a huge grin as she nodded her head.

“I know I’m going to regret this, but let’s go.”

“Yes!” Tatiana swam ahead of me.

Inside the meeting room between Natatoria and Lake Tahoe, we pressed the button and waited for Uncle Alaster or Colin to bust us. Tatch held a small vile of octopus ink ready to throw if they happened to come through the mouth of the cave—but no one came.

We looked at one another with growing grins and swam through the gate to the other side. Once we figured the waters were safe, we hightailed it for Fannette Island.

“Yes!” Tatch squealed as she swam in circles and blew bubbles with her arms spread wide.

“Careful,” I said playfully. “You might create waves.”

“Ha-ha. Very funny big brother. And anyway, why did you have to swim so fast you absently made waves on your rock collecting trip?”

Too mentally exhausted to share and afraid of her reaction, I stayed tight-lipped. She’d flip once she knew her friendship with Ash was forever changed. Telling the full story after we’d both had a decent night’s sleep, far away from things she could throw at me, would be better.

“That good?” she asked after I didn’t answer.

“I’ll tell you everything tomorrow. I just want to get to the island before we get caught.”

She giggled. “Sure thing.”

We surfaced the water together, but Tatch flipped her head back, making a huge arch of water with her hair. She laughed as the droplets rained down on her face.

“I’m finally home,” she squealed and I couldn’t agree with her more.