Now a string of mer violinists played for us. My guess was that appetizers were over and now dinner would be served. Damn, I was full. I sure as hell didn’t want to eat more though I knew I had to. After seeing the movie, I knew that dishonoring the Trident Court was a hundred year dungeon sentence. The idea of it seemed unbearable.

  Desperately, I wanted to excuse myself to the bathroom. I noticed a few restrooms in the mansion as we followed the slave to the theater. But I was afraid to ask to leave. What if that was insulting?

  Six mermen, also with ball and chain tattoos on their faces, carried out the dinner course on three long silver trays. I couldn’t wait for this night to be over with. I was just so dang nervous about breaking rules. There were so many of them and I wanted to get them straight in my mind with the French mers before I made any life shattering mistakes.

  But then, I smelled it. BLOOD. My body twitched. I clenched the side of the table, my fingernails digging in. I looked down the table. All of the newbies looked just as agitated as I felt. Shit. What was for dinner?

  The slaves set the silver trays down on the table. Oh, my! My breathing kicked in, the fake smile stretched across my face. Holy crap. On each tray was a different human body. Connie, Cindy, and Jenny! The freshmen triplets! Tears flowed out of my eyes. My body started shaking. They were just killed. Devils! The blood was fresh. I was going to devour this meal right now.

  One of the Ancients, a brunette with dimples and dreamy eyes, pulled off Connie’s arm in one bloody tear. Shit! Blood welled up and the frenzy began. We all started shredding the girls to pieces, devouring them in minutes. How could they? The Trident Court was a government of menaces. I hate them to the very bone. After we were finished, I dropped my hands to my lap and smiled. What a phony I had become. I was entirely filled with hatred.

  But then, I was startled out of my self-loathing. Pascal burped loud and raunchy. If I wasn’t so upset, I would have fallen onto the floor laughing. Then Steve belched, not quite as loud, but it was still pretty long and dramatic. Marine burped much quieter, her face blushing. Brigitte and Jane burped at the same time. I knew this was my cue, so I joined in with Savannah, Logan, and Andrew. Laurent burped in a more subdued manner. Everybody looked at Sabine. Her eyes narrowed. I wondered what would happen if she didn’t belch, but then she hiccupped slightly and tossed her red hair. I guess that was enough because all the Ancients started burping at once with smiles on their perfect, lit faces.

  Now the dancing began. Instrumentalists swam into the room lining the walls as they played the mesmerizing sounds of ancient harps, neginos, lyres, nechilos, flutes, and other stringed instruments I had never seen before. The music was indescribable, heavenly, but I loathed everything about this race of barbarians.

  The Ancients began a waltz above the dance floor. Their movements were more graceful and beautiful than ballerinas. The French mers joined in and the newbies followed suit. But, I snuck out the door in pursuit of a bathroom. My heart was pounding fast. If I hadn’t left then I would have either attacked the Trident Court or urinated on their dance. Either way, I had to get out of that room and relieve myself. Whatever the risk, it was better than if I had stayed.

  Once I was in the hall, I made my way through the maze. My head was spinning from all the drinking. The rose liquid must have had a liquor base of some sort. I must have taken a wrong turn in the maze because I didn’t recognize anything. I swam into a room that was filled with only mirrors. It was a maze in itself. Quickly, I swam out of that room before I lost myself further. I peeked into another chamber. It had all sorts of treasure chests filled with jewels and gold. A huge pile of diamonds surrounded by smaller piles of rubies, emeralds, and sapphires were in the middle. Jeez, that stuff must have been worth billions of dollars. There was so dang much.

  Crap, this wasn’t good. I didn’t want the Trident Court to think I was sneaking around their house. I headed back out into the hall and tried to make my way back to where I started, but then I heard whimpering. I swam into one of the rooms, feeling like I was going to burst because my bladder was just way too full. But once I got into the room, I gasped. No way! There was a big steel cage and Donny was locked inside!

  “Raz!” He cried out. “Oh, Raz…” His head was shaking back and forth, but his back was against the bars with his hands cuffed to the steel cage. He looked so different. All of his features were refined and his blond hair was so long.

  “Dammit, what happened to you?” I whispered.

  He was crying. “Marcel converted me to a mer because he knew you cared about me. He warned me to get lost after he turned me. He said I had to swim as far away as I could and make a new life for myself. The Trident Court only allowed the French mers to convert six pre-selected people and I was number seven and not a selection. I was a mercy conversion.”

  My eyes were wide. Marcel had saved Donny because of me. I felt my body grow warm and tingly. I didn’t know what to make of it. “So why didn’t you swim away?” Donny was so foolish to not protect himself.

  “I can’t stay away from you, Raz,” he whispered. “I love you.”

  “Don’t,” I said. Donny made too much of that night we were together. Marcel thought we had sex, but we didn’t.

  “I would rather die than be away from you.” His face flushed at his admittance.

  I thought of my things that were nailed to the table in the sunken yacht. “Did you steel my stuff?” I asked him.

  He shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t do that. Are you talking about your perfume, trinkets, and panties?”

  “Yes,” I said unemotionally, the blood drawing from my face.

  His eyes were bloodshot. “I found your belongings in Jake Stevenson’s backpack. There were pictures and journal entries about you too, but they faded in the saltwater.” He wiped the snot oozing out of his nose with the back of his hand. “I just nailed them to the table so I could show you what a freak Jake is over you. You need to keep away from him.”

  I was shocked that Jake was so psycho over me. After the rape, he acted so callous like he just used me for sex that night. He said I begged for it. But, if what Donny was saying was true, then Jake was obsessed with me. So weird. I thought about how he had been teasing me for so many years calling me baloney girl and other names. Was he so cruel because he liked me? Girls were crazy about Jake Stevenson. Why me?

  But I believed Donny. He wasn’t a crazy freak who collected my things as some sort of psycho fetish. I had kissed him. He was gentle and sweet. I wished I hadn’t given him false hope. I know how bad that feels. “I believe you,” I whispered.

  His shoulders fell. “The Trident Court found me swimming near the shore looking for you and they arrested me and locked me up in here.”

  “What are they going to do to you?” My stomach rolled with nausea.

  “I don’t know.” His voice was faint. “Please don’t leave me alone.”

  I swam around to his handcuffs and tried to pull them open, but they wouldn’t budge. “I don’t know how to get you out of here without a key. I need to find Marcel. He will know what to do.”

  “I don’t want you to see Marcel. Girls like him, but he’s dangerous,” he cautioned. “I think the guy is in love with you.” His voice cracked.

  My body tensed. “He doesn’t do love,” I scoffed. “And he’s married to Brigitte.”

  “It doesn’t matter. He wants you. Please stay away from him,” he begged. “He will only hurt you.”

  What I would do to be his… Marcel was the only guy that made my limbs weak and my body heat up like fire. I tried to brush off what he was saying, but my voice lifted more than a few octaves as I tried to put the focus back on him. “Donny, I’ll do whatever it takes to get you out of here. You can’t worry about that shit.” Goosebumps prickled on my arms at the possibility that just maybe Marcel might be interested in me. Perhaps Donny was right about Marcel liking me. But, love? I mean, Savannah seemed concerned about that too. Was it possible? I thought about the dreams as I felt my breathing kick in before Donny interrupted my thoughts.

  “No, please, Raz.” His face was pleading. “Don’t go. Kiss me.”

  I moved back. “I have to get back to the Trident Court. They are having a party for the newbies. I’ve been gone too long.”

  “You left their party?” His eyes widened. “They are not going to like that. You have to go,” he said desperately. “Talk to anyone, but not to Marcel. Promise me that.”

  “I’ll come back for you with help,” I said and then swam from the room without looking back. My heart ached. Poor Donny was in deep shit. This was really bad. He was the one that had taken too many risks. I wouldn’t be like him and chase after someone who was unavailable. He didn’t have to worry about me, but I was flat out worried about him. And Marcel said himself that we were friends.

  I kept swimming down the halls until I finally found a bathroom. Oh, what a relief it was. The toilet was interesting how it attached to me so that the urine didn’t spill out into the castle. Once, I was finished, I felt my head clear enough to figure my way out of the maze and back to the great room. I hadn’t been gone more than five minutes. Maybe it would be all right.

  Everyone was still dancing to the enchanting music. Out of fear, I joined in feeling embarrassed. A teenage merman about my age with a black fishtail, an angular face, long ash brown hair, and bright red lips like blood introduced himself as Harmonious. Before I could even respond to his introduction, he took my hand and started dancing with me. He had a smile on his attractive face, but I felt very uncomfortable with him. I sensed he was bad to the bone. While we danced, I noticed he kept watching Sabine. Why was he so interested in her? But before I could figure anything out, he whispered in my ear, “How was your bathroom break?”

  My throat tightened. “Uh, fine, I said.

  “And your blond boyfriend—Donny Smith, how is he?”

  Chills ran up my spine. How did he know I had just spoken with Donny? I couldn’t speak. He broke away from me, still smiling as the song ended.

  Quickly, the musicians swam out of the great room. And just as the doors shut, they were thrown open again. The slaves with the tattooed faces pulled Donny into the room. He looked terrified. Everyone backed away as he was carried to the center of the room. Harmonious swam over to him. Before I could think to do anything, the slaves threw Donny to the floor. He looked over at me, his eyes wide and bloodshot. At once, Harmonious pulled out a machete and chopped his head off.

  I screamed, “No!” My hand flew to my mouth. The French mers as well as my school looked shocked. The slaves carried his decapitated body out of the great room.

  Harmonious spoke out to the converts, “Donny Smith was not one of the selected ones.” His voice was clipped and cold. “If you convert a human without permission from the Trident Court, next time, you will be killed. This is your only warning.”

  I looked around, aghast. Everyone’s faces were deadpan. How could this be? It was so tragic. Donny was dead. I guess some mers didn’t live forever. They could be killed. My body was trembling. I just couldn’t control it enough to stop.

  As Harmonious rejoined the Ancients, the white haired mermaid swam out to the center now. “Congratulations newbies.” She smiled broadly. “We are happy to have you aboard. It is time to assign you with your marriage partners now.”

  I felt so dizzy; I feared I’d pass out.

  “Jane and Steve are a match,” the white haired mer announced.

  I glanced at the couple, but their faces were deadpan. I knew they wanted to be together. They probably were afraid to reveal their true feelings in front of the court.

  The white haired mermaid, brushed her hair out of her face with her fingers. “Savannah and Logan are a match.”

  When I looked at them, their expressions were also unreadable. Inside, I was still quaking.

  “And Jewel and Andrew are a match,” she continued her lavender and gold fishtail swaying to the side beneath her. “Thank you for attending tonight. You will return when the song calls you for the official ceremonies. Love to all and good night.”

  The lights went out. I just stood there for a minute feeling dumbfounded until I realized my school and the French mers were already swimming out of the room. I hurried to catch up to them swimming as fast as I could through the dark.

  Chapter Thirteen

  That night, I swam off by myself and slept in one of Marine’s bikinis in the open cubby hole of the pink coral reef that I had used last time. I wanted to be alone. I thought being a human was bad, but being a monster was gut wrenching. Most of the night I just shuddered in a half daze unable to keep my body parts from drifting off into sleep. My head was the last to fall under.

  My head woke up groggily. Somebody was there, standing in the early morning dawn on the white sandy floor of the ocean like a dream. I wiped my eyes with the backs of my hand. It was Marcel, shirtless in sporty black swim pants that hung low on his hips. He looked even more handsome than before, if that was even possible. And he remembered my spot. As much as I didn’t want them to, I felt my eyes well up. Life is shit, I thought to myself, taking in a long jagged breath, my gaze falling to my knees that were pulled up to me.

  “You’re gonna be okay,” Marcel whispered over me. He petted my hair as he scooted inside the cubby hole beside me. Our eyes met as his hand slid over the top of my head and down the side of my locks in long strokes. “It gets easier. There is a lot of power in being a mer. Once you harness that, your life will bloom like a flower.”

  I didn’t respond, but let him continue. I needed his support more than I had ever needed anything, more than I had needed my own mother.

  “I heard what the Ancients did to Danny.” He was looking at me as he continued to stroke my hair. It was such a soothing feeling having him with me and touching me so gently like that.

  I nodded, trying not to cry, but my stomach twisted up into a knot. What could I say? The Ancients were horrible. Surely, he knew that. “Thank you for turning him,” I whispered looking up at him into his blue eyes.

  His hands fell to his lap. “Did he tell you I converted him?” His expression was unreadable, but his eyes bored into me.

  I swallowed and shook my head. “He said you did that because you knew I cared about him. Is that true?” I felt lightheaded and embarrassed asking that, but I just had to know.

  His eyes cast down to his long fingers, amusement playing on his lips. “I can’t wait to get you away from this island. It’s much better out in the world away from the Ancients. You will rule your new high school. Everyone will want to know you just like it is for the rich and famous. It is an exciting life and you will have everything you could ever want, even a family that will love and support you.”

  I nodded again. I always wanted a close family and now that I was aligned with my school, we were a family in a sense. Over the years we would grow closer. The French mers were close like that. It would be a good change to have that kind of love and loyalty in my life like they had. “But the Ancients are forcing me to marry Andrew.”

  His face remained expressionless, but his nostrils flared at that. “It’s good to have a companion.” His jaw clenched. “Do you like him?” He asked calmly.

  I hated this kind of conversation when you were into someone and they treated you like a friend. “He seems nice. But…” I shook my head in frustration.

  “But, what?” he asked cocking an eyebrow while tilting my chin up so that I was looking him in the eyes. What beautiful, fiery eyes he had.

  I swallowed again. “He’s just not my type.”

  He chuckled. “What’s your type?” His velvety voice was teasing as he searched my eyes.

  You—that’s the truth. But I couldn’t say that. “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve never really had a type exactly, but there was this dream…”

  His eyes lit up. “Dream?”

  My cheeks flamed. “Yeah. I used to have reoccurring dreams about one particular guy.” Now I was searching his eyes to see how he would react to that.

  He rubbed the back of one of his hands and bit down on his lower lip with his head down. I had to know what he was thinking. “What kinds of things did you do with this guy?” he asked gazing down at me now through his thick dark lashes.

  I pulled my knees in closer to my chest and giggled. “Oh, I don’t know—stuff.”

  “Why don’t you show me?” His voice was low and husky.

  “Why don’t you show me? I challenged, emphasizing the “you” and “me”.

  He looked away and ran his fingers down his cheek like he was considering it. “Is that a dare?” His eyes shifted back to mine.

  “I guess you could call it that.” From the way he was talking, I almost believed that he’d had the same dreams, but I knew that wasn’t possible.

  He climbed out of the cubby hole, holding out his hand to me. I took it, relishing in the gentle touch of his body. I was so curious what he had in mind. What were his intentions?

  “Oh, look,” I said, my eyes brightening as I pointed at two blue sea horses swimming over by some purple sea plants.

  “I’m telling you being a mer beats being a human ten to one.” A shoal of pretty silver fish swam past as he was speaking. They sparkled in the dim light of early dawn.

  Still holding my hand, he said, “Dreams are sometimes surreal, so I know just the place to take you first.”

  I tried not to smile when he said, “first” because that implied there would be a second place and maybe even a third place we would go together. Time with Marcel was like magic. I wanted as much as I could have.

  We swam up toward the surface of the pristine blue tropical waters diving hand in hand over the gentle frothy waves like dolphins. I kept laughing as the bubbles from the waves splashed my face each time we dove over. At times we gained such momentum we were practically flying through the air. That was the ultimate, feeling the heat and flame of the sun on our skin like little hot sparks only to be cooled off by the refreshing, tantalizing water caressing our bodies.