surface, crying and sobbing and wiping the water from her eyes with wet hands.
“What kind of merman are you?” She hiccups. “Any merman would’ve loved the look on their faces underwater. They were beautiful.”
I rub the angry spot on my arm where the salt burns and licks the wound. I’m too stunned to even make coherent noises. “You can’t just go around drowning people. That is not an okay present!”
I can’t understand what she says between sobs. Her eyes cloud over, her hair black and stringy all around her.
“Don’t do that again,” I warn.
Then her wicked eyes return. “I’ve given you a chance, champion. Now, you will be powerless against Adaro’s triumph.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll see.” She turns and swims away, smacking me across the face with her fins for good measure.
I shift out of my tail about a mile out. I let my frustration with Sarabell fuel my arms, cutting powerfully through water. Ever since I became what I am, I’ve stopped using my arms as much, preferring the powerful kick of my tail. Now I welcome the pain, castigating myself for being such a dick.
My friends and I have one rule: we never, never, ever set each other up on blind dates. Why did I think a championship would somehow make it better?
It never ends up well.
I cut through Long Island Sound until I feel I’m back at Coney Island. There’s a miniscule change in the taste, though I don’t want to linger on what’s in Coney water since I’ve peed in this ocean more times than I can count. The kick of my legs feels foreign and numb, and I try to massage feeling back into my legs as I trip my way under the shadow of the pier.
But there’s already someone there, and when we see each other naked, we scream.
“What are you doing here?” Gwen is just out of her shift and stepping into a red dress.
“Just fresh off my first date.” I pull my damp clothes from my backpack and throw them on. “Thanks to you.”
She throws her head back and cackles until she’s out of breath.
“It’s not funny,” I shout.
Gwen tries to take my hand but I pull away. “Was Sarabell not everything you expected?”
“She wanted me to make her my queen in exchange for telling me what she knows about Adaro. Is that what they’re all going to ask for? Because I can’t make the same promise to each girl.”
Gwen settles her gray eyes on me. “Why not?”
I have sand on my tongue and I spit it out. “Because it wouldn’t be true.”
“Do you plan on making Layla your queen?” She leans against the dark, wet pillar of the pier. “Our people would never accept a human queen. Just as a fair warning.”
“I didn’t—I’m not—” I take a deep breath. “I’m sixteen. I’m not getting married. Anyway, I couldn’t get any useful information out of the mermaid sociopath of the year.” Though Sarabell’s words are digging into the back of my head where I’m accumulating all the things I’d rather not be thinking about. Nieve. Archer. Leaving Layla.
Gwen purses her lips and tugs on one of my wet curls. “We’re not all bad, Tristan.”
“Are any of them normal?” I laugh. Gwen has that effect on me.
I can’t not smile at her. “Say, not thinking drowning humans is a good engagement present?”
“Normal? Is that what you want?” She spots Sarabell’s dress getting pulled by the tide. “Would you believe me if I told you she’s not even the worst of them? Seas, I hate the way she dresses.”
“So I’m the punishment? Know what? Forget it. What are you even doing here?”
“Don’t be angry with me because Sarabell didn’t work out.” She points her finger in my face. “This just means you have to move on until we can find something that will lead you to the next oracle.”
“I’m sorry, okay?” I force my mouth into a comical smile. “Why aren’t you doing important mermaid things like weaving pearls and shells in your hair?”
She squints angrily but doesn’t deny it. “I couldn’t stand Layla and the angry pout she’s got smeared all over her face. Then there’s Thalia who simply vanished, leaving Kurtomathetis running about the boardwalk looking for her. Doesn’t he understand? If a mermaid doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be.”
A dull blast sounds in the distance, like someone pressing down on the horn. Then I realize Gwen is bleeding. “Your arm.”