OVERFALLS (The Merworld Water Wars, Book 2) (12 page)

“Let’s hope not,” he said.

“You hope. I’ll be realistic,” I griped, taking a seat at our new table.

“Or pessimistic,” he countered.

“That, too,” I said airily.

“Attention, students!” Mr. Smarmy Anderson just entered the cafeteria with Principal Jeepers right behind him. “We have an—where on earth did this come from?” Mr. Smarmy shuffled over to our table and brushed his stubby fingers along the edge. “Who gave you permission to create this?”

“Ah, well, that would be me,” said Doctor Tenly. “Nicely done, too! Very well-placed. It’s the centerpiece of the room, isn’t it?”

“The Normals have a table, as do the Fairhairs, Principal Jeepers,” said Mr. Smarmy.

“With new groups, new pairings, and a thoroughly unusable table for the Normals, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a shiny new one. After all, the Imperia wanted to know if the two groups could come together and live in peace. I can think of no greater display of unity than a co-creature cafeteria table,” said the doctor.

Knowing he was outwitted, Mr. Anderson pursed his lips and curtly nodded. Clearing his throat, he said, “We have some exciting news for you all! Tonight—”

“Ahem,” interrupted the doctor. “I’m the principal. Really should be me to make announcements.”

“Of course,” said Mr. Smarmy through gritted teeth.

“Tonight, at nine o’clock, we will be making an exhilarating, heart-pounding, magnificent, stupendous announcement!” Doctor Tenly’s goofy spirit was operating on all cylinders. Whatever it was, this announcement had him pumped.

Rolling his eyes, Mr. Anderson said, “Which means all students are required to meet in the cafeteria by nine o’clock tonight. We’ll see you then.”

Mr. Anderson stomped out of the cafeteria like a spoiled brat that didn’t get his way. Doctor Tenly briefly glanced at Troy, smiled awkwardly at me, and sauntered after Mr. Smarmy.

“What’s this all about?” I asked Troy.

Shrugging his shoulders, he said, “No clue.”

The rest of the day’s classes were essentially useless, since everyone was too busy pondering tonight’s mystery announcement. On the plus side, the buzz effectively turned the Merpeople’s focus away from making our lives suck. For our last class, Troy, Airianna, and I were lucky enough to have Mythology with Mr. Gibbs.

“As some of you know, we offer Mythology to seniors every other year,” said Mr. Gibbs, wiping his brow. He seemed unusually disconnected and terribly anxious. “I know most of you are preoccupied with tonight, so just read the first chapter of your mythology books.” Mr. Gibbs then moved to stare out the window, and there he stayed until the foghorn bell rang, ending the day. “See you tonight. Don’t forget, nine o’clock. Marina, could I have a word?”

“I’ve got to go grab some things before tonight,” said Troy, rubbing my back. “I’ll see you here later?”

“Yeah, okay,” I said. I got the feeling he wasn’t telling me something. It was a feeling I had grown used to over the past year.

“I’ll meet you outside,” said Airianna. “And then we can go on to The Bay Shop.”

I nodded. “Is something wrong, Mr. Gibbs?”

“No, no, nothing’s wrong, Marina. I was wondering if you could give your mom a message for me,” he said.

“Sure. What is it?”

“Tell Camille I need her to be at the announcement tonight,” he said.

“Okay, but…why?” I asked.

“I just think she needs to
thoroughly
understand what this town…what my kind…is capable of,” he said ominously.

“Did our danger zone just multiply or something?” I asked, alarmed.

He shook his head, shoved his hands in his pockets, and started pacing. “Your mother is the only adult Normal remaining in Saxet Shores. Ravenflames have always kept the parents and guardians well clear of this town’s happenings.”

“Between you, me, Doctor Tenly, and Treeva, I’m sure Mom will never be out of the loop again,” I said.

“I know that, Marina, but there’s a difference between hearing things secondhand and experiencing them,” he said, somewhat sharply. “Now more than ever, your mom needs to be present for everything. Please, just trust me.”

“I do, Mr. Gibbs. I’ll make sure she’s here tonight,” I said.

He half-smiled, grabbed his books, and raced out of the room.

“Oh, this is not good. Not good at all,” I groaned, forcing my mind to shut up and my feet to walk out the door, to my locker, and outside to meet Airianna.

Airianna waved from the bottom of the school steps. “Ready to meet your mo—what happened? You have pensive face.”

“Mr. Gibbs wants my mom to be at the announcement tonight,” I said flatly.

“Well, it makes sense, really. If it involves us children, it should involve the parents…unless you’re a merperson, of course. Most of our parents aren’t exactly pro-land, you see,” said Airianna as we made our way to The Bay Shop.

“But it’s the way he spoke. It gave me chills. There was this odd foreshadowing fear behind his words. Does that make sense?” I asked.

Airianna cocked her head to the side. “Um…sort of, I suppose. Try not to worry about it. I’m sure he’s just extra protective of your mom now that she knows everything.”

“I guess,” I muttered. If Airianna was right, and Mr. Gibbs feels the need to be Mom’s quasi-human shield, then what does that say about his confidence in me? Shouldn’t his mind be somewhat at ease knowing I’m capable of protecting my mom? Great. Because my annoyingly self-conscious brain just had to ponder the question, that obnoxious little whisper from somewhere deep in my mind started its inner monologue.

Maybe you can’t protect her—nothing more than brave outside and cowardly inside; disappointing, like a one-hit wonder
.

I fluffed my hair in an effort to shake those dangerous thoughts into my brain’s basement.

“You’re quiet,” said Airianna.

“Sorry. Just thinking about tonight, that’s all.”

“Yes, it should be interesting. Here we are!”

When Airianna opened the door, we found my mom and Mrs. Waterberry laughing while emptying the contents of a smallish glass case across the room.

“Hi sweetie! Hello, Airi! Y’all have a good day?” asked Mom, moving a tray of baubles to a nearby shelf.

“Good is such an overrated word,” I said.

Plopping a box of velvet displays on the floor, Mrs. Waterberry said, “That bad?”

“Well, the once shy, nervous Fairhairs have now finally found their voices and a whole lotta jabs, which they aimed directly at the Normals and anyone standing with us.”

“Those yellow-bellied numb-nuts!” growled Mrs. Waterberry. “Sorry, Camille.”

“Oh, Eva, don’t apologize. I have serious concerns about my daughter’s generation, mer or not mer.”

“They’re certainly not displaying any cognitive functioning at present,” said Mrs. Waterberry. “We expect the Ravenflames to be asses, but for the Fairhairs to join them…absolute blind ignorance.”

“I think they’re scared,” said Airianna.

“Why do you say that, darling?” My heart almost broke seeing Airianna’s yearning eyes when my mom put a caring hand on her arm. Airianna never talked much about her parents. About the only thing I knew for sure was that her father ruled the household, leaving both Airianna and her mother powerless.

“It’s just, Fairhairs, especially the younger generations, have been restrained by the water pact for so long that they really don’t know any other way of life, other than being controlled by the Ravenflames, of course. They don’t know how to be brave. I didn’t until I met Marina. Without knowing it, she showed me I have a choice. Now, she’s a symbol for all the Fairhairs—and, really, for any rational Ravenflames—of the choice between freedom and captivity.”

With those pesky insecurities pecking away at my brain, I said, “Airi, you’re a symbol, too. You, Troy, Benji, and Bobby are all symbols of that choice because you actually
made
it.”

Blushing, Airianna replied, “Really? Me? A symbol?”

“No question,” said my mom, pulling her into a hug. Airianna closed her eyes and tucked in for a truly great mama hug. “I think you’re absolutely right, Airi. The Fairhairs are in a state of shock. It’s a different kind of fear. The fear they had before was so accepted, it was as common as a shadow. What you, Troy, Marina, and the Normals represent is something very bright and unyielding. They’re just not ready to face it.”

“We’re like the sun to a vampire’s night,” I said.

“I still think they’re yellow-bellied, foolish jackasses,” mumbled Mrs. Waterberry as we all laughed.

“Hey, how’d your interviews go, Mom?”

“Miserable…until I got here,” she said slyly.

“You’re going to work for Mrs. Waterberry? Mom, that’s awesome!”

“The Bay Shop really is the happiest, most magical place in all of Saxet Shores,” said Airianna.

“Well, she’s not exactly going to work for me.” Mrs. Waterberry winked at Mom. “Ya better tell her before she bursts a kidney.”

“You know how I love to bake, right?”

“Oh, yeah, baking is your happy place,” I said.

“Well, Mrs. Waterberry has offered me this space we’re clearing out to sell my baked goods! I’ll be baking for a living!” My mom was so happy. I didn’t have the heart to point out the obvious problem concerning Merpeople’s dietary restrictions. “Why don’t you look happier? Oh, God, are you embarrassed or something? I promise to bake cool cookies. Nothing blah.”

“God, no, it’s not that...it’s just…” I didn’t know where to begin.

“It’s our fish-only diet, isn’t it?” asked Mrs. Waterberry gruffly.

“Yeah, kinda. I mean, I know most merps eat candy. Maybe cookies would fall under a general dessert umbrella?” I looked hopelessly to Airianna. “I’m just worried not many people will buy them, I guess.”

“Believe me, I’ll make treats so irresistible, no merperson will be able to resist,” said Mom, pulling out a wavy piece of wood and a few cans of pink and yellow paint.

“And I happen to know that cookies, particularly those with various candies in them, are considered acceptable by most merps,” said Airianna. “Besides, between me, Troy, Treeva, Bobby, Benji, and Doctor Tenly…especially Doctor Tenly…Mrs. Valentine will be crazy busy.”

“Marina, you don’t need to waste brain matter on your mama,” said Mrs. Waterberry. “I have ideas.”

“How did Merpeople come to eat candy, but never any other kinds of human food, if you don’t mind me asking?” Mom opened the cans of paint, grabbed a brush from behind the empty case, and started trimming the sign in pale yellow.

Mrs. Waterberry rolled her eyes. “It’s so stupid, really. Why did we hog candy, but nothing else? The colors. Merpeople love colors. Reminds us of our fins, see.”

As we laughed, I felt much more at ease. Airianna was so right: Doctor Tenly’s obsession with human desserts will probably have him ordering mounds upon mounds of goodies from Mom, and with Mrs. Waterberry having some tricks up her sleeve, I knew Mom would be okay. Besides, seeing her so happy with this new job was enough for me.

“Mom, Airi and I were thinking about going to Harbor…wait, what’s the name for the summer months again?” I asked Airianna.

“Harbor Heat,” she replied.

“I love that they change the name to fit the season,” said my mom, happily painting. “You girls go on and have fun. I’ll be here painting my sign. I have a sign like a real businesswoman. Feeling so briefcase-high heels right now.”

Smiling, I said, “Except you’re more the chocolate chip-cookie dough businesswoman.”

Mom looked up at me with that sly, cat-like expression. “Even better. I get to eat my work. That sounds so cool…and just a bit nasty, actually.”

As Airianna and I turned to leave, I remembered what Mr. Gibbs said. “Oh! Mom, Mr. Gibbs wanted me to make sure you come with me to this big announcement thing tonight.”

Her hand slipped when I mentioned his name, marking a little line of yellow paint in the pink’s territory. “Did he?”

“Yeah, it’s at nine. I figured we could meet here and go together.” She was giving the sign her bulldog-mouth-face—a rare, somewhat alarming expression reserved for only the mightiest piss offs.

“He didn’t happen to say why he wanted me there, did he?”

“No, just that he thinks you should see firsthand how his kind operates, especially now,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

She slammed her brush down on the sign. “He said that?” Okay, the bulldog-mouth had just morphed into crazy-Velociraptor-jaw.

“Uh-huh, he did,” I said with a raised eyebrow. “You two fighting or something? He did seem pretty worried about you.”

“Difference of opinion on my inner grit and general capacity to accept truth,” she said, resuming her painting.

“Could you make that one any hazier? What the heck does that m—”

“Um, see you tonight, Mrs. Valentine! Bye Mrs. Waterberry! Yeah, we should go,” Airianna whispered, grabbing my arm.

“Go have fun, you two. Marina, I’ll wait for you here and we’ll go to the announcement together.”

“Okay, but what was that about Mr. G—”

“Come on, leaving now,” said Airianna, dragging me out of The Bay Shop and right into Harbor Heat.

The owners of Harbor Heat clearly took every opportunity to decorate. Sundials, smiling suns, and brooding faces hidden within dark storm clouds dangled from the ceiling. Every table had back-to-school centerpieces stuffed with rulers, pencils, erasers, and mini-notebooks. Cute as it looked, the place was completely empty.

“Just pick any table,” said the Ravenflame hostess, not bothering to look up from her fancy merperson magazine,
Merfaze
.

Airianna snatched two menus from the display and headed straight for the corner table in the back of the restaurant.

“Ah, this is perfect for our talk,” she said, sitting down, barely glancing at her menu. “I want your kind of food…um, so you’ll have to order for us.”

“Not a problem,” I said, putting my bag on the window ledge.

“What can I get for y’all?”

“Ula! Hey! Good summer?” I asked.

“Not particularly,” she said, not making eye contact with me or Airianna. “Please don’t be nice to me. My family has forbidden me from talking to any of you.”