Seaweed (26 page)

“Ky talked me into cutting class. I don’t know what made me do it. We took Luke’s dirt bike.”

“And you got lost?” Becca said this like she didn’t believe it for a minute.

“Sort of. Becca, I know this is going to be hard for you to hear, but Ky is not a good guy, trust me. If it weren’t for Tor…”

“Tor?” Samara said. “Wait a minute, is he back?”

“Yeah. Ky and I kind of ran into him and it gave me a chance to get away from Ky.”

“So you didn’t get lost with Ky?” Samara asked.

“Well, I did.” At least figuratively. “But then I left with Tor and, uh, we got lost.”

“But everyone’s saying you got lost with Ky,” Becca whined. “They’re blaming him.”

“I did get lost with Ky. He’s the first one I got lost with.”

Samara and Becca both looked at me like I was lucky or crazy.

“Anyway, Ky left.”

Becca said, “What’d you mean?”

More story to weave. “He left with his family. They’re cruisers, right? He always said he wasn’t going to be around for long.”

Thankfully, the bell rang before they could ask me anymore questions, before I could paint myself farther into a corner with half-truths.

Tor arrived at lunch time. I found him in the office registering for class. I pressed into him. “Hi.”

He muttered into my ear, “You know I’m only putting myself through this again because of you, right?”

I laughed. “You won’t be sorry.” Or at least, I hoped not. You never knew around here anymore.

“Well, actually, I do want to get an education, so I suppose you’re worth the trouble.”

He was in my biology class now, instead of Ky, which suited me just fine. We walked the halls hand in hand. People seemed surprised to see Tor again, some of them giving shy waves or shouting out welcome back. Sawyer and Mike fist bumped him. Samara smiled knowingly, Becca begrudgingly. Tiffany just rolled her eyes.

I admitted to having a hard time concentrating on the lecture, knowing that it was Friday and this was all I would get of Tor until Monday morning.

He emailed me that night. He had their computer set up in the cave again. Tor said he had errands to run for Dex, so he wouldn’t be moping around the cave all weekend. He ended his email with
…
but I wish you were here.

I wish I were there too!

I wondered what kind of errands he was doing, and imagined it had something to do with tensions in the merfolk world. I smiled smugly when I pictured Prince Mol finding out we had escaped. I felt for the poor Lars who had to break that news.

The weekend went by blissfully uneventful. I slept most of Saturday and got caught up on my homework Saturday night.

Sunday morning my mom knocked on my door to announce that we were going to church.

“But we never go to church.”

Mom sat on my bed. “Dori, when you went missing again, well, I just couldn’t bear it. You don’t know what it’s like to be a mother and to worry about your children. It’s like a rope in my whole being gets tugged every time I think of you and when I’m afraid for your life, this rope is pulled on so hard, I think it’s going to snap.

“I got on my knees for you. And you’re back. Safe and alive. So get up. We’re going to church.”

I was grounded so I couldn’t argue, but it actually sounded like a good idea to me.

We went to a small protestant church, a wooden building with narrow siding that had been repainted several times— blue, yellow and now white. A narrow steeple above the solid double doors pointed to the sky. A simple iron cross sat on top.

I was surprised to see Nana there. So, Nana was going to church now, too? Mom slid into the pew beside her and I was kind of glad to have her body between us.

There was nice singing. A pastor read from the Bible and recited words of wisdom for us to apply to our lives. I zoned in and out a lot. I was still really tired, and I had a lot on my mind.

Afterward Nana asked Mom if she could take me for lunch. Mom hesitated and I sort of hoped she’d say no. I was grounded, right? But she agreed and left me standing in the square on Main Street alone with Nana.

“Come,” she said. “Let’s go to the Tea House.”

The Tea House was a British style establishment which had pictures of the queen, and the royal kids hanging on the wall. A Union Jack flag was pinned up over the door, and the booths had vinyl seats in royal blue.

They served every kind of tea and the best scones that were simply to die for when you smothered them with Devonshire cream and raspberry jam.

I ordered Earl Gray and two fresh baked scones.

“Dori, honey, I know you’ve been upset with me, and I think I know why.”

I didn’t know what to say, so I took another bite of my scone.

“And I think I know where you’ve been these two times you’ve been missing. Shall we just be honest for once and get it all on the table?”

She took a sip of her tea and I did the same. “Yeah, Nana. I think it’s time.”

“I guess it’s only fair that I start. I met Dex Riley when I was twenty, so a bit older than you are now. Benjamin–he was American, you remember, and was fighting in Vietnam at that time–and I had an understanding. Nothing official, we weren’t engaged. He would be gone for months at a time. It’s easy to drift apart when you don’t see someone more than two or three times a year.”

I’d seen pictures of Nana when she was younger. Her blond hair was long and wavy, not unlike mine. She had been pretty. She still was beautiful in a graceful, elderly way, and it didn’t surprise me that she’d had men interested in her.

“I met Dex on the beach, much like I expect you met your friend?”

I nodded slightly.

“It started simply enough, just a friendship, but after awhile, we both started to feel more. I’d decided early on that when Ben returned I would end it with him. I felt horrible, because I knew he was off fighting a terrible war and I was home having the time of my life. I couldn’t help that I had fallen in love with Dex.

“One day Dex said he had something to tell me. His story was so wild, I couldn’t believe it. Then he showed me. I dove into the water to be with him and I was wildly enamored. It was so fantastical and romantic.

“We had the most amazing summer. I spent every spare minute with him, either on land or swimming. It was a terrible chore to keep such a secret to myself, but who could I tell? You must know what I mean?”

I did.

“And as time went on, Dex had to return to the sea, sometimes for long stretches. I wondered where he went. He tried to explain things to me, what his family was like, how they lived, but I couldn’t imagine it. I realized I would never be a part of Dex’s other life.

“Then the war ended. I knew that Ben would be coming back to Maine and that he would want to make things official and get married. With Ben I could have a normal life, a husband who would stay home, children who could know both of us equally, and a comfortable community.

“Plus, I knew if I stayed with Dex there would be the possibility that our children could take after him, and I couldn’t take that chance. So, I said goodbye to Dex and yes to Ben.”

“You didn’t know you were already expecting my mom?” I said.

Nana shook her head. “No. I’ve lived with this secret my whole life. What good would it have done to tell her the truth?”

“Besides, I never saw Dex again. I had no way of telling him. He didn’t know about your mother, and Ben didn’t know about Dex. And as you know, Ben and I never ended up having our own children. Your mother is the only one.”

Nana took a sip of her tea and gazed out the window. The ocean waves capped and crashed onto the beach.

I’d judged Nana for what she did, but I understood now. If Ky hadn’t come after me, Tor would’ve stayed away, and I would’ve chosen Colby even though I still loved Tor. Benjamin was Nana’s Colby.

“I stopped going to church years ago because I believed that what I had done was unforgivable. Now I know that nothing is unforgivable. Things turned out they way they should have.”

“I’m sorry, Nana, for being so hard on you.”

“I’m sorry, too, dear. Now, are you going to tell me your story?”

I told her how I met Tor and what really happened that night at the bonfire. I explained how being around him had affected me physically and how Tor figured out I had merfolk blood in me.

“He’s the one who told me about you, but I didn’t find out about your connection to Dex until recently.”

I told her about Crazy Jim hitting our sailboat and I got caught in his net, and how that if I hadn’t been merfolk, I would’ve drowned that day. I went on to tell her about how I’d met the clan of Rai, and Tor’s family. She laughed when I told her about Barnaculoese, and frowned when I told her why the Lars clan wanted me. I told her it was Crazy Jim who shot me when he saw my tail and how Tor had saved my life.

I told how I fell in love and had my heart broken.

It was difficult to tell her the parts about Ky and how I’d let him manipulate me, and how Tor had rescued me. Again. And then how it was my fault we were caught.

She scowled when I described Prince Mol and teared up when I told her that Dex had abdicated because of her.

“But it’s fine now, Nana, he’s king again.”

“He never told me he was merfolk royalty.”

“He is, and well, you know what that makes me?”

“What?”

“A princess.”

“A princess?”

“Yes, the king is my grandfather. And I’m the sole heir. Well, the only one who can grow a tail.”

Nana grew very quiet.

“You’re not safe, here, Dori.”

“I’m safer here, than there, and here is where I plan to stay for a long while.”

“I’m glad to hear it. It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?”

I agreed. We finished our meal in silence.

Nana put her arm around me as we walked home. It felt so good to be on her side again.

“Promise me something,” she said when we reached my house. “Promise me you won’t keep any secrets from me. You’ll tell me if you decide to go back, for whatever reason?”

“I promise.”

It was a promise I had to make good on before the night was out. I had an email waiting for me from Tor. The Lars had declared war.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Tor texted and said he would meet with me at “our rock” when I took Sidney for his walk. I smiled when I saw those words,
our rock
. I was glad to reclaim that landmark as a happy place.

The wind off the ocean could be chilly this time of year, so I chose a warmer coat and pulled a toque on my head. Sidney wagged his tail and yipped, overjoyed that we were finally headed to the beach again.

We crunched through the pebbly sand, staying well away from the water line. We climbed over the jagged rocks and Sidney barked like a mad dog.

“It’s just Tor, Sidney. Chill.”

He leaned up against the rock all stoic and handsome and a burst of warmth filled my chest.

I was about to run and throw my arms around him when I saw movement on the other side of the rock. A large, broad shouldered man.

“Dex?”

Last time I’d seen Dex, we we’re both fashioning tails and I had thrown myself at him like a clingy fanatic. That was before I knew he was the king. That was before I knew he was my grandfather.

“Dori, please, come give an old man a hug.”

I responded happily, “I don’t know what to say. It’s so good to see you!”

Dex held me back with his strong hands and stared at my face. “A granddaughter. I had no idea.”

I held him tight again. “I know. Isn’t it crazy?”

I had Tor and I had my grandfather. I felt unbelievably happy. Until the bombshell.

“We have to leave tonight,” Tor said.

“What?”

“The situation under the sea is very unstable. Uncle Dex wanted to leave early this morning, but I convinced him that we needed to see you first.”

“He was right. I’m glad we came,” Dex added. “I’d hate to think I didn’t get a chance to see you….”

I felt panic squeezing my chest. “What’s happening?”

“The Lars are encircling the seamounts. We expect they will attack within a couple days.”

“But why do you have to go?” A desperate foreboding made me feel faint. “Aren’t there enough other Rai to deal with this?”

Tor reached for my hand. “You know that they outnumber us. We need every man.”

“And I’m their king,” Dex said. “I have to be there to raise the morale.”

“Well, don’t you need every woman? I should go, too.”

“No!” they both said, scaring me.

“Dori, dear,” Dex began, “you must realize that it is of vital importance that the heir to the throne be kept out of danger.”

“In case something happens to you?” I was incredulous. “What would I do? I don’t know how to rule a kingdom. Are you kidding me? Nothing can happen to you!”