“I didn’t realize the room was taken,” says the freshman girl clinging to Angelo’s arm.
I turn on the cold water and let it fill my hands. I splash it on my face.
“You need an ice bath, bro,” Angelo says.
Layla doesn’t say anything. She walks around them and runs up the steps. I call her name, but when I get back out to the football field, she’s gone.
Instead, Kurt’s standing there waiting for me and I know we have to go. Jerry and Bertie set off a blast of fireworks. The sky is still so light that the bursts are barely visible, and yet everyone cheers just the same. I turn toward the street, away from the field, and Kurt follows silently behind me. Even when we reach the train station, I can still hear them—laughter and life and fireworks.
The street leading to Betwixt, the underground supernatural nightclub, is teeming with people. Everywhere except the metal door with a red star at the top. An invisible cloak makes people cross the street so they don’t have to walk in front of it, keeping unsuspecting humans away.
This is what cold feet feel like.
“Are you sure Princess Violet and Princess Kai are down there?” I ask.
Out of all the mermaids running around Coney Island, Gwen singled out these two. Kai’s father is Keeper of Records and Violet’s father is one of seven council members.
The last couple of days, I’ve trusted my gut instincts. And my gut is telling me that Violet is going to try to eat me like Sarabell. Then again, everyone says your gut, your heart, and your mind have different agendas. My heart says, “Go find Layla and finish that kiss,” because never in my expert years of kissing has a girl kissed me that way. My mind, which sounds too much like Coach Bellini, says, “Get it done, boy. You’re on the right track. Just get it done.”
“They love it down there,” Gwen says, knocking once on the door. “When Toliss comes to shore, it’s the only time we get to see other creatures. Mermen get so boring after a while.”
Kurt and I exchange glances.
“Not you two, of course.” There’s the knock-back and she steps right through the portal.
Kurt and I follow, shivering through the cold door. The girl at the front podium is different from the last time. She’s blond and very human. She smells like candied apples and copper. Her fake wings are doused in glitter and she takes my money. A red-haired giant of a dude lets us in through the second entrance.
Twinkling balls of light cling to the ceiling. Some of them stray away and over to around the long strip of bar. The music is loud and robotic, like the bald guy at the DJ podium is playing a video game instead of music. But everyone shakes their wings, pumps their claws, and sways according to the untzuntzuntz of it all.
I try to look for Marty and Frederik. Hell, I’d even take Rachel and her trigger-happy crossbow just to see a familiar face.
“She’s in the VIP lounge,” Gwen shouts in my ear. “I’ll go bring us some drinks.”
When I turn around, Gwen and Kurt are gone. I’m sandwiched between two elf-looking dudes with glittering skin, who are twirling light sticks between their fingers. I squeeze past and bump into a vampire chick whose deep black eyes make me cold inside despite the inviting perfection of her face. Deep down, I know it’s a trick. That’s she’s dead and her yellow fangs would rip out my throat in a heartbeat. I push past her harder than I mean to until I break through into the less-crowded VIP section.
I spot the princesses draped around guys in black leather with tattoos and long hair that smells like grass and dirt and fur. Princess Kai is the easiest to spot with her shimmering long blond hair. She squeezes into the corner of a plush, scarlet couch, trying to push a guy’s hand off her thigh. I step toward them to help, but she gets up and goes down a dark hallway.
I realize I’m standing right beside Princess Violet. Her smile is forced, almost pained, when she sees me, like I’m holding her at gunpoint.
“Hey.” I can’t even hear myself say it. The electronic song vibrates over everything.
She looks over my shoulder at the crowd, scanning and scanning. I can practically feel the breath she’s holding.