over I plaster a smile on
my face, concealing the effect of the knots that twist in my stomach.
Alec sees me and gestures toward the
slide. I wave for him to join me and he smiles before swimming to the stairs. I
feel a prickle of excitement at the thought of him choosing me over Ava. Not
that it’s a competition. We’re all just friends—right?
He leads us halfway up the stairs to where
the line starts. “Wait until you try this, it’s such a rush.”
I smile at him, grateful for his
distraction from my reality—mermaids and the Equinox.
“So you and Ava are getting along better
now.” I choose my words carefully to avoid revealing any feelings of jealousy.
He doesn’t look at me but shrugs his
shoulders. “She’s okay. Been through a lot. Her and Iris are a bit on the outs
right now, so I feel bad for her.”
I tilt my head. The subtle move must
catch his eye because they land on mine making the flutters awaken inside me. “I
hope Ava appreciates you.”
There, that doesn’t say it all, but I
don’t need to tell him what I really think about Ava—that she is evil and
selfish and would rather watch her best friend burn to death than to jump in
and save her. The memory of the flames growing wild while Ava just stood there
watching, without lifting a finger or reacting at all, is a disturbing thought
that I’ve tried not to think about. Out of every memory from that night, that
is the one that disturbs me the most.
Alec grins at me. “I’m sure she does, in
a way only Ava could.”
There is a fondness in his tone that I
don’t understand, but then again, Iris and Ava have been his friends far before
I came along. If he liked Ava, surely he’d be with her by now.
“So
what did your mermaid friend have to say to you?” His eyes twinkle and I
momentarily forget all about Ava.
We
take a few more steps and I notice that we’ve almost reached the top. I lean
back against the wood rail and quickly calculate what I’ll tell him. Another
lie. “She had a few questions about the fire. She heard about what happened at
your party from Rose, and she was concerned.”
Alec
makes a face. “Really? I wonder why she cares so much.”
I
flinch, slightly offended, but I know he’s just curious. “Her family is from
Apollo Beach. Their father went to school with Rose. They’re nice girls,
really. They do a lot of charity work around here. They don’t even need to work
but they do it, just because they want to entertain and encourage kids to study
hard.”
I
may have stayed up late last night studying Weeki Wachee and their inhabitants
to learn this bit of information. The history is fascinating, especially since
it revolves around mermaids pretending to be real, when really, they are real,
pretending to be real. I stifle a giggle.
Alec’s
features soften a bit. “That’s really nice of them.”
I
smile as if I’ve just conquered something.
“You
ready for this?” Alec asks at the top of the staircase. We’re next to go.
The
slider before us holds onto the metal rails, ready to throw himself down the slide.
As soon as the attendant gives him the go, he uses the handlebars to propel himself
forward as he lets out an excited holler. Everyone laughs at the sound of his enthusiasm,
including me.
It’s
been too long since I’ve used my powers to great extent. I try to run every day
to release some of the build up, but I know that I’ll have to do something more
about it soon.
I
grip either side of the slide and look over my shoulder. Alec winks at me.
“Have fun!”
As
I wait for the attendant, I feel my veins throbbing and the volcano of energy
within me ready to explode. I am so ready for this.
“Go!”
He screams and I use my strength to pull my bottom away from the edge but I’ve
pulled too hard. I barely feel the water below me as I fly down the slide. I
slam the side and land hard on my back as the slide wraps around and continues
downward. Now I can feel the smooth, watery surface
my face, concealing the effect of the knots that twist in my stomach.
Alec sees me and gestures toward the
slide. I wave for him to join me and he smiles before swimming to the stairs. I
feel a prickle of excitement at the thought of him choosing me over Ava. Not
that it’s a competition. We’re all just friends—right?
He leads us halfway up the stairs to where
the line starts. “Wait until you try this, it’s such a rush.”
I smile at him, grateful for his
distraction from my reality—mermaids and the Equinox.
“So you and Ava are getting along better
now.” I choose my words carefully to avoid revealing any feelings of jealousy.
He doesn’t look at me but shrugs his
shoulders. “She’s okay. Been through a lot. Her and Iris are a bit on the outs
right now, so I feel bad for her.”
I tilt my head. The subtle move must
catch his eye because they land on mine making the flutters awaken inside me. “I
hope Ava appreciates you.”
There, that doesn’t say it all, but I
don’t need to tell him what I really think about Ava—that she is evil and
selfish and would rather watch her best friend burn to death than to jump in
and save her. The memory of the flames growing wild while Ava just stood there
watching, without lifting a finger or reacting at all, is a disturbing thought
that I’ve tried not to think about. Out of every memory from that night, that
is the one that disturbs me the most.
Alec grins at me. “I’m sure she does, in
a way only Ava could.”
There is a fondness in his tone that I
don’t understand, but then again, Iris and Ava have been his friends far before
I came along. If he liked Ava, surely he’d be with her by now.
“So
what did your mermaid friend have to say to you?” His eyes twinkle and I
momentarily forget all about Ava.
We
take a few more steps and I notice that we’ve almost reached the top. I lean
back against the wood rail and quickly calculate what I’ll tell him. Another
lie. “She had a few questions about the fire. She heard about what happened at
your party from Rose, and she was concerned.”
Alec
makes a face. “Really? I wonder why she cares so much.”
I
flinch, slightly offended, but I know he’s just curious. “Her family is from
Apollo Beach. Their father went to school with Rose. They’re nice girls,
really. They do a lot of charity work around here. They don’t even need to work
but they do it, just because they want to entertain and encourage kids to study
hard.”
I
may have stayed up late last night studying Weeki Wachee and their inhabitants
to learn this bit of information. The history is fascinating, especially since
it revolves around mermaids pretending to be real, when really, they are real,
pretending to be real. I stifle a giggle.
Alec’s
features soften a bit. “That’s really nice of them.”
I
smile as if I’ve just conquered something.
“You
ready for this?” Alec asks at the top of the staircase. We’re next to go.
The
slider before us holds onto the metal rails, ready to throw himself down the slide.
As soon as the attendant gives him the go, he uses the handlebars to propel himself
forward as he lets out an excited holler. Everyone laughs at the sound of his enthusiasm,
including me.
It’s
been too long since I’ve used my powers to great extent. I try to run every day
to release some of the build up, but I know that I’ll have to do something more
about it soon.
I
grip either side of the slide and look over my shoulder. Alec winks at me.
“Have fun!”
As
I wait for the attendant, I feel my veins throbbing and the volcano of energy
within me ready to explode. I am so ready for this.
“Go!”
He screams and I use my strength to pull my bottom away from the edge but I’ve
pulled too hard. I barely feel the water below me as I fly down the slide. I
slam the side and land hard on my back as the slide wraps around and continues
downward. Now I can feel the smooth, watery surface
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