As we pull apart, he grins. “Well, that was a start.”
I laugh and look down, realizing he’s still wearing his orange shorts from the pool. “Did you just get off work?”
He peeks down at his attire then back up at me. “Yeah, long day.”
More than happy that we’ve changed subjects, I remember an earlier discussion of ours. “I thought you mentioned that you worked at the marina.”
Alec nods. “I do, a few nights a week. This lifeguarding gig is only two days a week. I really just do it for the discount. Work on the island, you get forty percent off all retail and meal purchases.” He raises his arms as if he’s just sold me a prize.
With a grin, I remember playful Alec, and I like him a lot. “Wow, that’s quite the deal. What do you plan to buy next?” I humor him.
He flashes a mischievous grin, and I almost regret asking. “If you play your cards right, I just might buy you dinner.”
“Look at you, forgiving me already.” Despite our playful conversation, a flashback of the last time we hung out plays in my mind and triggers an image of Iris, her hair burnt, scalp red and blistering. I frown at the unwelcome memory. “Hey, how’s Iris?”
His expression darkens, but he sighs. “She’s surprisingly good. Shaken up, but she’ll be okay. She’s happy that her hair is growing back fast.”
I hold back a smile, thankful that the magic Rose, Charlotte, and I evoked worked on her as intended. “I’m so glad she’s going to be okay. Things got pretty scary that night.”
Alec nods. “You’re telling me. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy she’s okay, but I guess I expected her to be worse with how everything played out. She seems to have turned a new leaf and everything.”
I tilt my head. “Why do you say that?”
“She just seems… happier lately. She even talks about you and how grateful she is to you for being there for her that night.”
The news is surprising, but it makes me happy, nonetheless.
Alec’s eyes catch on something at my waist level. I peer down to see the mermaid flyer in my hands. He takes it from me and scans it. At first, I panic, but then I remember that the flyer is meant for the public. The Valli sisters are entertainers. No one realizes they are actual mermaids too. I groan inwardly.
“This looks like fun.” His voice is filled with intrigue, as if the flyer solves a problem. “I’ve heard of this place. The Springs near Tampa. It’s a bit of a drive, but if we leave super early and come back late, we can do it.”
I laugh. “What are you talking about?”
His eyes light up. “Tomorrow. You said Trisha invited you, right? We hadn’t decided what we were doing, but now…” He waves the flyer. “Guess we figured it out.”
“You really want to go to Weeki Wachee?”
“Why not? There’s a ton to do there.”
There’s no way I’m disappointing Alec after he’s been so forgiving. Plus, the idea of hanging out with him again, away from Apollo Beach, sounds better than okay. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Where did you get this anyway?” He hands the flyer back to me.
I can tell him the truth. “I met these girls tonight. Rose knows their father.”
Alec inspects the flyer another second, and I’m worried he’s going to ask me something I’ll have to lie about. “You mean at that carnival meeting everyone’s walking out of?”
I snap my heard toward the tall walls around the theater to find the Invited exiting. “Um, yeah.” I guess that isn’t a lie. “We’re all volunteering at the carnival coming up. You should sign up too.”
Alec nods. “Okay, I will. My parents mentioned something about that.” His eyes flicker up above my head, and he lifts his chin. “Speak of the devil. There they are.”
I turn to see a smile plastered on Mr. and Mrs. Stone’s faces as they gaze up at us from below the stairs. “Hey, Alec. Ready for dinner?”
Mr. Stone regards me cautiously, and I try to give him a smile that tells him I won’t spill his secret—our secret.
“I better get going too,” I say with a forced smile. “I should find Rose. See you tomorrow?”
Alec nods. “Can’t wait, Summer Girl.”
“Why didn’t you two tell me that there are mermaids out there?” I ask Rose and Charlotte as soon as we’re safely back in the SUV.
“Of course there are mermaids,” Rose says, waving away my frustration, as if my concerns are devoid of reason.
Heat seeps into the walls of my chest. Does she think I should have known this bit of information? Is she forgetting how new I am to all of this?
Rose speaks much more calmly than I feel, but I choose to listen rather than argue. “Descendants of Triton have been long-standing friends of Solstices in Apollo Beach. We’ve worked together for centuries, helping each other protect water and land.”
“That’s great, Rose, but you could have warned me.” I shake my head. I’m going to try to explain, because I really want her to understand where I’m coming from. “It was hard enough to get used to this new life with my mom… gone.” I pause, but not long enough to let Rose interrupt me. “And I’m not just talking about life as an Enchanter, but life here, in Apollo Beach, with you and Charlotte.”
My words are harsh, but Rose has got to see what her secrets are doing to me.
Charlotte looks as if she’s evaluating everything I say with a measuring spoon.
“I just want transparency. You did a great job telling the entire community the story of the violence and destruction that occurred nineteen years ago—but you never told me that. Not even after what happened on Fourth of July. I don’t get it. Don’t you think it’s important that I’m aware of these things?”
Rose raises her eyebrows, challenged by my question. “If you didn’t notice, it was a long-winded speech, Katrina. I prefer to tell it as few times as possible, and it was important that the entire community heard what I had to say.”
“I get it. That isn’t what bothers me the most, though. It’s all the secrets, and then me finding out from Arabella that mermaids are real.” I let out a laugh, though I’m not amused at all. “Do you recognize how ridiculous it all sounds to someone who’s new to this life? I think you’re forgetting what it’s like.”
Rose stares at me in the rearview mirror for a long moment before she responds, but I can tell she’s processing every word I say.
“Okay,” she says. “You are right. So, I’ll tell you now. The Daughters of the Sea have always been close friends of our family. I grew up with their father, Isaac, here in Apollo Beach. He is their leader, and Arabella is their messenger. She’s the youngest daughter, but she’s also the one that he confides in. That is why you’ll find me speaking directly to Isaac or relaying messages to Arabella. We consult often while making important community decisions and solving problems that arise.”
As always, Rose has me hooked on her story.
“As Enchanters, we have ties to all earthly things. We seek out the protection of nature’s creatures on land, sea, and air. During the violence that occurred a decade ago, such awful things were happening in the bay.”