OVERFALLS (The Merworld Water Wars, Book 2) (7 page)

“Is there ever a right answer to that question?”

Smiling, I placed the petal in my mouth, as did Mom. As we swallowed our petals, a pretty pink haze surrounded us. Slowly, we disappeared from our living room and instantaneously reappeared inside a pink boat floating towards a familiar tunnel.

“Marina, where are we?” asked my mom.

“Behind Sprinkles restaurant, in the lagoon,” I said, looking back at the very dark, very quiet restaurant. “Looks like the place is closed.”

“I’m sure having the Imperia in town has hurt business,” said Mom.

Once the boat crossed the threshold of the tunnel, it dissipated, leaving us sitting upon a crystallized water passage; a sparkling black veil fell behind us, sealing us inside. Mounted tridents along the sides of the tunnel flickered blue as Doctor Tenly, Troy, Bobby, and Benji challenged Meikle to block and transform trident strikes into choking cloaks (cloaks that temporarily strangle the wearer); in the very back corner, Treeva desperately tried to ignite Ophelia’s inner ninja, but all she got was the chance to be a temporary mannequin, frozen in time, followed by repeated apologies; Trey, meanwhile, skillfully detected every lie Airianna threw at him.

“I’m thinking Airi is the wrong person to test your truth-sniffing talents, Trey,” I said, walking over to them. “She’s far too honest.”

“We just want to be sure he’s ready in case Imperia members try to trip him up on the stand,” said Airianna, her cheeks blushing.

“Like I said, you pretending to be an Imperia member is practically sacrilegious. Now, Manakel would be ideal in the lying and trickery department.” Airianna smiled shyly at the ground as Trey gazed at her with Mr. Darcy eyes. When I looked a little closer at their body language, I noticed Trey had the tips of his fingers gently resting between hers. “Of course, sometimes a pleasant distraction can trip you up far worse than one you know is pure evil.”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” said Trey, winking at me.

“Ah, you’re finally here!” shouted Doctor Tenly, wiping some sweat from his brow. “Your friend Meikle is...”

“Good,” said Troy, looking exhausted.

“Or great,” offered Bobby, also looking rather spent.

“I believe the word you’re looking for is
unbeatable
,” said Meikle, flinging her bag over her shoulder as she sauntered towards me, smirking.

“Yes, yes, you’re good, Meikle, but not unbeatable,” said Doctor Tenly. Flicking his worn, bronze mini-trident at her, he wrapped her in a blanket of seaweed.

Struggling to break free, Meikle gasped, “Not…fair…you cheated.”

“As all great enemies do,” said the doctor, releasing her from the strangling seaweed with a wave of his hand. “The point is not to underestimate. Clear?”

“Crystal,” growled Meikle.

“Excellent!” Doctor Tenly turned his attention back to me. “Did you like my Petal Print Pass? Figured it would be less confusing than directions on how to get here via the underground sandbars and much less frustrating than parking in my invisible garage.”

“I can say with absolute certainty that the Petal Print Pass was far less confusing than what you just said.” Mom smirked at Treeva and Ophelia, who were muffling giggles.

“And you know the truly beautiful part about the Petal Print Pass?” he asked.

“The daisy?” I replied.

“No, no, no! Why does everyone automatically say the flower? No, the truly beautiful part is that it leaves an image of each of you sitting on your couch! If an Imperia member drops by to assume his position as a peeping tom, he’ll see you watching television! What’s more, the fake versions of you will fade once you return home. Amazing, is it not?” he said proudly.

“Amazing,” said my mom, looking suddenly pale. Catching herself on my shoulder, she whispered, “I don’t feel very well.”

“The trip can make you a little queasy,” said Treeva, creating a goblet of water for my mom with her mini-trident. “Drink this.”

“You can sit here, Mrs. Valentine,” said Troy, crafting a beautiful silver chair with
his
mini-trident.

“Always have to outdo me,” said Treeva, winking at her brother.

“She
is
my girlfriend’s mom,” Troy teased.

Mom chuckled weakly. “You’re both wonderful.”

Kneeling by my mom’s chair, I took her hand and whispered, “Mom, is there something you’re not telling me?” Frankly, I’ve been hoping she would broach the pregnancy subject when she felt ready. I just worry so much about her; I have watched closely for any changes and haven’t noticed anything unusual.

“No, sweetheart, of course not,” she said, squeezing my hand. “I’m fine. I’ve just never traveled by a flower petal before.”

“Your mom is perfectly fine, Marina,” said Doctor Tenly. “It’s very common for a human with no special talents to feel the impact of something as extraordinary as the Petal Print Pass.”

“Geez, don’t go easy on my account,” said Mom, smiling nonetheless.

“Oh, of course not, Camille. Going easy would be an insult to your intelligence. Now, where was I? We were there, then my brain thought that, and landed here…ah, got it! Everyone in here may be testifying tomorrow, along with practically the entire town of merfolk. As I’ve said, Marina and Trey are the primary targets. Wouldn’t surprise me if King Zale has instructed his followers to try and get you two removed from Saxet Shores,” said Doctor Tenly.

“But, he collects Normals,” said Trey. “I haven’t gotten my extra power yet, and Marina is like hitting the lottery. Wouldn’t he still have hopes of employing us for whatever scheme he’s got going?”

Doctor Tenly nodded. “Possibly, yes. But he has also collected quite a bundle of Normals over the years, and I imagine he wouldn’t exactly oppose being rid of a lie-detecting, clue-solving Normal with the ability to transform into a sea-friendly creature and, naturally, the mythic Siren Savior.”

“So, basically, we have no idea what outcome King Zale is after, if any at this point,” said my mom, sipping her water.

“That pretty much sums it up,” said Treeva, still sitting with Mom. “The one thing we do know is the Imperia’s desire to exert authority is endless. The Imperia is all about showing you who’s in charge, and so long as it doesn’t step on Merpeople’s fins, trust me, those bastards are putting together a hearing for the history books.”

“Which is why we could have this meeting without them noticing,” said Doctor Tenly. “While they work out a way to scare, we’re going to hatch an escape plan, should one be necessary. Trey, Marina—I want you two to try and combine your talents. Between the two of you, we should see an uplifting, inspiring escape option emerge! Use your instincts…imagine them coming at you, trying to cuff you both. Now, join hands.”

The second I took Trey’s hand, he transformed into a tiny, fuzzy baby seal. “Oh, that’s absolutely fantastic. If he’s going to turn into a bouncy fluff ball every time I touch him, we’ll be labeled a middle grade magic show and then enter that little realm called doomed.”

Returning to his human form, Trey faced me, and said, “Maybe you should try and transform with me! Maybe it’s
my
power’s way of telling
you
to follow
my
lead…that transforming is how we’d escape!”

“And how would we do that? Pounce around, look cute, and finally fart-rocket our way out?” I said, folding my arms across my stomach.

“Doctor?!” shouted Trey.

“Well, son, she has a point,” said Doctor Tenly, pacing while running his hands through his hair. “The most you’ve done as a seal is pass wind and inappropriately touch. Any ideas, Tree?”

Treeva and Mom looked like they were having an intense conversation. “Huh? Oh. What happened? Did he transform at Marina’s touch?”

“You expected this to happen?” Trey was seriously getting pissed off. I’m fairly certain his guy ego was tired of transforming into nothing but a harmless fluff ball.

“Kind of, yeah,” said Treeva. “David and I made a bet. I won.”

“Means you both need far more training than I originally anticipated,” said Doctor Tenly.

“It’s not your fault,” said Troy, facing Trey. “Her Savior talents just need taming.”

Why was the image of Troy wearing nothing but a ring master’s hat while cracking a whip suddenly popping into my mind? I’m a sick ticket.

“If you were to hold hands or touch in an everyday context, you wouldn’t change, Trey,” said Doctor Tenly. “Under life and death situations, however, her Savior powers heighten her touch talent, thus stirring a Normal’s power a bit too much.”

“Sort of like flooring a mermobile in a school-of-fish zone,” Troy added.

“Marina has the ability to control both the degree and outcome her touch will have, according to situation. It’s something she must learn…meaning, you two cannot hatch an escape plan together, as I had hoped.” Doctor Tenly plopped down on a rock.

“Manakel is a go with our backup plan,” said Treeva.

“Yes, yes, I know, but that’s strictly for any transport outside the courtroom. I’m much more concerned with what may transpire
inside
the courtroom.” Doctor Tenly studied Trey and me, obviously disappointed.

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling a terrible mix of guilt and failure.

“It’s not your fault, Marina.” Troy stroked my hair, instantly soothing the cluster headache that was forming behind my right eye. “You just need training.”

Doctor Tenly agreed. “Indeed. If anyone is to blame, it is I. We should have found a way to train this past month.”

“Not with the Imperia blanketing the town,” I said.

Meikle, leaning against the drippy wall of the tunnel, chuckled rather loudly. “Not to sound cocky, but why are we even worrying about what Marina can and cannot do right now when there’s a witch and a time-freezing, soon-to-be ninja ready and able?”

“She’s got a point, David,” said Treeva. “A combination of spells and freezing time could provide Trey and Marina just enough of a window to make an escape.”

Doctor Tenly didn’t respond for a few minutes. “Ophelia, can you manage sudden time-freezing?”

“When it means saving friends, yes, I can handle it,” she said strongly.

Staring hard at Meikle, Doctor Tenly said, “I need to know you will be aware of the—”

“Cheaters?” supplied Meikle.

“Precisely. You are exceedingly powerful, Meikle, but all it takes is a single dirty move to unseat you and your spells.”

“Don’t worry.” With a wink of her left eye, the seaweed that had encased her earlier was now weaving itself in a tight braid around a smiling Doctor Tenly. “Lesson taught, learned, and mirrored.”

Laughing, Doctor Tenly broke free, the seaweed falling around his feet like wet rags. While Meikle looked at me, proud and calm, I noticed the seaweed rapidly slithering towards her with chomping fangs emerging from both ends.

“Really?” Meikle simply snapped her fingers at the snake-like seaweed strands, transforming them into long strings of twinkle lights.

“Oh, nice touch, turning the fangs into twinkle lights!” said Doctor Tenly, clapping. “I think we have an escape hatch in the form of a witch and tick-tock freezer.”

“Complete faith on my end,” I said.

“Same here,” said Trey.

“Good! Go on! Go home! Get some good sleep. That’s an order,” said Doctor Tenly, wagging a finger.

“Mom? You ready?” I called.

Mom seemed distracted by her own thoughts. “Actually, I’d like to stay and talk to Treeva and Doctor Tenly for a bit. You can ride home with Troy. I’ll petal it back.”

“Aw, yeah, I can arrange for that.” Doctor Tenly stood by my mom, gently smiling at her.

“You sure?” I asked, worried.

“I’m sure, baby girl.”

“Your mom and I have a lot in common, Marina. We’d like to girl talk a while. Think your mom might need it,” said Treeva.

“And I just like to listen. It’s a soap opera to me…intensely entertaining,” said Doctor Tenly.

“Uh-huh, okay.” I smiled, rolled my eyes, and took Troy’s hand.

Leaving my mom behind to talk to Treeva and Doctor Tenly bothered me. I gripped my stomach as we walked towards Troy’s truck. Once safely on the road, my stomach flipped around even more. I squirmed in my seat to keep from barfing on his dashboard.

“It’s your Savior senses,” said Troy.

“So, should I expect to shoot webs from my wrists anytime soon?”

Smiling, he said, “Ever the wise ass. You worry about your mom, especially given everything she has learned. It’s your Savior senses creating an extra need to protect her.”

“Sounds about right,” I said, clutching my stomach.

A few minutes later, Troy pulled into his driveway and cautiously walked me to my bedroom window, just in case any Imperia members lurked about.

“You going to be okay tonight?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine. Just have to shut off my mind.”

“If you need me, you know where I am.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Okay.” He kissed me slowly and deeply. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Touching my lips, I nodded and climbed inside. That may have been the last time I would ever feel his lips upon mine.

Mom still wasn’t home, but I knew I couldn’t wait up. I needed to try and sleep before tomorrow. After changing into my pajamas, I left her a note on the kitchen counter, shot a freaked-out look at Mom’s image on the couch, and headed to bed. When your pillow feels like rocks against your skull, you know you’re in for a long night. As the proverbial tossing and turning dance began, I knew I needed something—music, food…a non-florescent green bedroom might be nice.

Then, the something I needed so badly entered my room. His voice humming
Behind the Waves
softened my pillow. His strong body molded to mine; his bare chest against my back, hand around my stomach, and warm breath against my cheek fast-forwarded my mind to a place where tomorrow never happened. I felt safe within a false reality…a façade I wanted—needed—to make real.

Rolling over to face him, I softly ran my hand down his chest. “If this is our last night, I want to remember it past my last breath.”

I raised my hungry lips to his; his moans encouraged my hand to continue its southbound travels, and I had no desire to stop it…or anything else. I wanted to share my everything with him; I needed his soul inside of mine.