FINNED (The Merworld Water Wars) (28 page)

Everything became quiet, too quiet. Soon, though, there was a soft knock on the bathroom door.

“Your mom called me. I’m coming in,” said Troy. With hardly a push, Troy had forced the door open. I must have been quite a pathetic sight. “She’s fine, Mrs. Valentine…just shaken, I would imagine,” he said quietly.

“Oh My God, Marina. Troy told me all about the near accident. What on earth were you thinking, trying to hike a path that narrow? You know you inherited my idiot gene with outdoorsy adventures.”

“It’s okay, Mrs. V. I’ll talk to her,” said Troy.

“Take your time,” said my mom.

Troy sat with me under the icy water.

“You’re shivering,” he said, turning the hot water on a bit. “There, that should feel better.” I flinched when he tried to put his arm around me. “I deserve that. I should never have exposed you to my world. It was foolish. I just didn’t want to hide anything from you. I needed you to see me, the real me, in my world. You saw, and now you suffer. Never again.”

“Is she able to move, do you think?” asked my mom, peeking around the door.

“I think so. She just needs a change of clothes and some sleep. The memories will fade eventually.”

Troy and my mom guided me to my room.

“Thank you, Troy. You are an exceptional young man.”

“Goodnight, Mrs. V. Goodbye, Marina.” He walked out of my room…and possibly out of my life.

My heart started pounding, anxious heat flooded my body, and a desperate feeling filled my mind. For the next twenty minutes, I forced myself to act normal around my mom. I changed into my pajamas, talked about the faux hiking mishap, and downed a mug of milk before feigning exhaustion.

Once my mom was asleep, I crawled out my window and headed for Troy’s bedroom. The path to his window seemed unusually long. Would he be in his room? What if he has left for good? How would I ever see him again? I can’t lose him. I can’t.

I took one great breath before approaching his window, my temples pounding in unison with my heart. Feeling like I was on the verge of fainting, I peered into his room. He was there on the floor, dangling his extraordinary fin deep within the water hole in his room. My chest blissfully rose and fell as my breath returned to me. Watching him, I finally knew what I had been avoiding for months: I
needed
him.

“May I come in?” I called from his window. He started to get up. “No, please. Stay.” I crawled through the window as eloquently as possible and moved to sit next to him. I stared at his fin, soaking up every single layer of him.

Again, he started to pull out of the water. “Please, stay,” I whispered. “I want to see you.”

I gently touched his face, but couldn’t stop there. I traced his strong jaw, worked my way down his chest, and barely grazed the top of his fin with my fingertips. He moaned approvingly while I moved my hand slowly, deliberately over every inch of his soft, shiny fin.

“I see you,” I said, searching his eyes.

His hungry, adoring eyes engulfed me as he tenderly cupped my face in his hands. He pulled me into him and lowered his mouth upon mine.

Chapter Twenty

Prehendo Animus

May: Almost out of school month

Monthly Life Caption: Soul or Sole?

Mood: Anxious

Eating: Pink tonic, which causes an obscene amount of farting

Music: Really nothing

Well, I capped off April by getting stabbed in the stomach by a soul-stealing merbitch, had a slight breakdown that Mom was blowing way out of proportion, and, um, I slept with Troy—minus the sex. We just had an all-night cuddle-fest. Okay, okay, there might have been some serious making out mixed in there somewhere.

Since spring break, the school has been buzzing with news of my underwater visit. Ravenflames have taken on an entirely new
I want to kill Marina
look, while Fairhairs were both appalled and alarmed, some hissing their disapproval whenever I passed them. Troy has even been taking heat from his fellow Fairhairs for daring to bring me to their home.

For weeks, I’ve been avoiding the meeting I promised Doctor Tenly. I have no real reason for putting it off. Maybe my mind just didn’t want any more complicated crap shoved in its already limited space. Today, however, my brain will have to suck it up because Doctor Tenly, undoubtedly ticked, has sent a car for me. How embarrassing.

“Miss Marina Valentine, I presume?” the chauffeur inquired.

“Unfortunately, you presume correctly,” I said, totally mortified. “I take it you’re here to haul me to Doctor Tenly?”

“Indeed. He’s less than thrilled with you,” said the chauffeur, opening the car door.

“Great,” I groaned, crawling inside the lush limo. “Reckon he knew Mom had a meeting today?”

“Indeed. He knows all.”

I’m just glad Troy had racer practice today and couldn’t witness my limo-scolding—he would have laughed his fin off.

After a quick drive, we roared up to Hambury House. The car had barely stopped when Doctor Tenly flew out of the doors, ran to the car, opened my door, and shoved a piece of gum in my hand.

“Chew! Chew! C’mon!” he said, dragging me by the arm into the house.

Once we were in the study, I pointed to the gum-covered wall. “Okay, what’s with the gum? I mean, that is so many shades of unsanitary.”

“Spit, spit!” he said, placing his hand under my mouth.

“I’m not sure you comprehend the level of grossness,” I said, spitting the gum in his bare hand, which he promptly stuck to the wall. “So, are you going to tell me about this gum sticking obsession?”

“It’s good to finally see you. Any other adult might have grown insulted by your delay in keeping our appointment. I, however, am an intelligent being, who surmised that you, young Marina Valentine, have been avoiding any further revelations, which, in your mind, may cause you sleeplessness, overactive thinking processes, and otherwise damage your youthful perspective on the world in which we live,” he wheezed, moving jerkily about the room.

“Uh, I’m not sure what you just said, but I’m pretty sure my perspective of the world has already been significantly altered by these past months. And kudos to you for evading the gum question.”

“Kudos accepted. You forgot my chocolate peanut butter bars, didn’t you?”

“And the peanut butter cookies. Sorry. Rain check?”

“Yeah, sure, but add some iced sugar cookies with sprinkles to the list. Now, what color is my hair?”

“This again? Earthy mud-brown.”

“Excellent. It seems your vision has improved.”

“In my defense, you are a Ravenflame. That much I know from my research—”

“—in the library. I know all about it. Ask yourself this, Marina, why did you see my hair as brown when you
first
saw me the night of the fair, but saw it as a Ravenflame the night you were stabbed?”

“Hadn’t thought about it. Maybe because I was hurt?”

“Yes, in part. The type of injury you endured distorted your vision and your attitude. When a soul is forcibly ripped from the body, the conscious mind loses faith and becomes susceptible to false images.”

“So, when Katrina tried the demented soul-sucking thing, my mind saw you as the wizard I shall not name because it was scared and refused to see that you’re really a wise, old headmaster?” I said airily.

“Sorry, I don’t speak blockbuster. Better stated, as Katrina attempted to own your soul, the wound she left tried to trick your mind into not trusting me. More gum, if you please,” he said, handing me another piece of gum.

“Okay, but can I place it on the wall this time?”

Hesitantly, Doctor Tenly nodded. “Oh, all right.”

Chewing the gum, I had a thought. “What about my mood swings? I remember getting a little rude with you. Sorry about that, by the way.”

“No need to apologize, since you weren’t really speaking. With your soul tearing and your mind distrusting, your heart fell victim to evil.”

“You mean, like a demon?” I asked, alarmed.

“Eh, not a measly demon. Demons I can handle…well, most of them, anyway. Some are rather sticky. No, what transformed your change was part of your being. The poison from the necklace flowed through your blood and created an alternate you. Very, very powerful sorcery.”

“Is it…I mean, is the alternate me still, uh, part of me?”

“Not the evil part, no. But I can’t say with certainty that there aren’t elements of its power still in your blood. It may prove useful to you in the future.”

“How so?”

“Did you know that all humans—all Normals—have superpowers?”

“You have got to be kidding me. Superpowers? Like, I’m going to suddenly go all power puffy or something?”

“You never know. Normals only use about fifteen percent of their brain’s ability, thus superpowers tend to remain dormant. Those who work to discover their hidden abilities won’t be disappointed. Why do you think they’re herding young Normals with special talents into institutions? They see what’s coming, and they want to stop it.”

“So, you’re saying this alternate me will, what, enhance some latent superpower?” I said, half-joking.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. And you won’t know when it will surface.”

“What about my card reading ability? Could that be—”

“Impressive as that ability is, it isn’t your main power, though it may be connected, possibly even to your Savior status. One of these days, I’ll have to give you a history lesson on readers. Fascinating stuff.”

“Being of the leg-only species, what exactly is the Siren Savior supposed to do?”

“Save sirens, I would assume. And merps.”

“Oh. That would make sense.” Duh. “Well…how?”

“No idea. All that Savior stuff is a bit blurry. Though I’d love to ponder the possibilities, we have more pressing matters. Any random questions swimming in your cranium?”

“Always. My mom. She changed at one point…she wasn’t herself,” I started.

“Let me guess. She treated you poorly, you two had a fight, you said something hurtful, and she returned to her normal self,” he said assuredly.

“Are you clairvoyant or something?”

“I know things,” he said, winking.

“Well, if you’re Mr. Knowledge of All Thingies, do you think someone poisoned her, like Katrina did me?”

“Nah. Someone poisoned your mom, no question, but it was a simple—and completely reversible—personality poison, nothing extreme,” he said flippantly.

“Extreme or not, any kind of poison ranks on my list of
scary-no thank you
.” This was all becoming a little too crazy, even for me. I dropped my head, wondering why all of this was happening.

“Because the Ravenflames planned to have you here all along.”

Doctor Tenly just responded to my unspoken thoughts. Oh, he just gets weirder. “You read minds?”

“Only when they want to be read. You could never have outrun the Ravenflames. They wanted you here for a reason.”

“What’s the reason? Why did the Ravenflames make bringing Normals here part of the water pact? Does it have something to do with superpowers? Is that why they bring us here from Hambourg’s house of horror?”

“Nah, not solely, anyway, otherwise they would bring hundreds of thousands of Normals here for their hidden abilities. If my records are correct, which they are, they’ve only brought upwards of eight hundred since signing the pact. No, it must go much deeper,” he said, moving about the room again, rubbing his hands along his unshaven face.

“Did they suspect I was the Siren Savior?”

“Don’t think so. Like I said, this is a murky area. The Siren Savior, until now, has been a myth, a legend. Now, it’s real…you’re real. Don’t ask me anything else about your Savior status…I’m still researching.”

I stared at him, wondering what we would do without him. I clasped my hands together and put them to my lips.

His eyes narrowed on a tattered notebook. “Not to worry, Marina, you can’t get rid of me that fast,” he said, smirking over his notes.

“How have you been able to evade the Ravenflames for so long? They must have a special
hunt-and-kill-Doctor Tenly
Ravenflame assigned to find you.”

Doctor Tenly laughed. “
A
special Ravenflame? Try an entire team! If you ever get near Zale’s kingdom, you’ll see wanted posters with my handsome mug plastered over every flat surface. Don’t worry. I have abilities they couldn’t fathom.”

“But, this house…surely they wonder about its owner.”

“Not really,” he said, smiling a knowing grin.

“Ya gotta elaborate on that one, Tenly.”

“Let’s just say any curiosity of Hambury’s owner magically lifts from their heads the second they avert their eyes from the house.”

“No wonder Treeva likes you. You are friggin’ brilliant! By the way, Hambourg-Hambury. Any relation?”

“Apart from a love of ham, none that I know of. And, I’m glad you approve of me,” he smiled, grabbing a cylinder tube filled with green liquid. “Tree is special.”

“Is Tree your secret messenger?”

He eyed me carefully. “One of them.”

“I won’t say anything. Just think of me as your keeper of secrets,” I quickly added.

“Ah, but that didn’t end so well for one bespectacled boy’s parents, did it?” he said with a smirk.

“So you do speak blockbuster.”

“Well, I mean, really…who doesn’t? I trust you, Marina. You have a good soul,” he said, dropping a few drops of the green fluid on a rock.

“That reminds me…after Katrina stabbed me, she looked upset, almost like whatever was supposed to happen, didn’t,” I said.

“Ah, yes, well she expected your soul to immediately detach from your body. When it didn’t, she was probably a little frightened at just how formidable you may be. Now, I’ve been working on something here, and I need you to tell me if it’s the same color as the stone Katrina used to stab you,” he said, handing me a perfectly red rock.

“Yes! Wow! Exactly this color!” I said, rolling the rock in my hands.

“Prehendo Animus,” he sighed.

Dear God, is he speaking in tongues now? “I can’t possibly emphasize the ‘huh’ enough.”