OVERFALLS (The Merworld Water Wars, Book 2) (18 page)

“The wish,” said Doctor Tenly. “Any help we can provide is limited, I’m afraid. Upon the moment the wish is granted, it’s yours and yours alone. You’ll take our suggestions, mix them with your own ideas, and then your mind will craft a wish from them. From there, your heart will translate your wish. Only then, will the wish be accepted as true.”

“It’s not fair, though,” I said. “We should all make this wish together. When the outcome is for all of us, it shouldn’t be left to one.”

Doctor Tenly and Jex smiled at each other. “You think so far outside of yourself, it’s almost unbelievable,” said Jex.

“Personally, I would wish for Normals to have the power of power,” Polly offered.

“Unlike that one,” said Jex.

“What do you mean, Polls?” asked Meikle.

“Well, we have powers we can’t technically use, at least not back in our world. I’d like to see those with powers be able to use them and send ruthless lawmakers to the depths of hell,” she said. “Obviously.”

“Okay, then,” said Doctor Tenly, “anyone else?”

“A life of dreams coming true might be nice,” said Maile. This time she was talking to a teapot on Doctor Tenly’s desk.

“Can’t you do something for her day vision?” I asked. “Did Maile tell you about it suddenly vanishing one day…while at the institution?”

Doctor Tenly widened his eyes knowingly. “She did, and I’m working on it. Almost got something for her.”

“My wish would be to end discrimination towards us,” said Ophelia. “No more discrimination. No more name-calling. Give us equal footing.”

“Yeah, and I’d vote for freeing the Normals from Zale’s network,” said Trey.

“I’d like justice on all of those who outlawed us,” said Meikle.

“Oh! Oh! I have one,” Gully squealed, waving her hand in the air. “I’d like for it to be Christmas year-round!”

Polly’s eyes went black for a split second.

“How would that help Normals, Gully?” asked Jex.

Biting her lip and thinking hard, Gully said, “Well…if it’s Christmas all the time, people can’t hurt you, and they have to be nice to you. It’s a rule. That’s what Christmas is all about, feeling safe.”

Bless her. Even Polly couldn’t flame on her for wanting to feel safe.

“All excellent suggestions,” said Doctor Tenly. “It’s up to you, now, Marina.”

Hurl. I wanted to do the right thing for Normals all around the globe, but…how do I do that?

Jex placed a hand on my shoulder. “Stop thinking. The time for that is over. Your brain has all the options tucked away. Now, your heart will find the right answer. Trust it. Trust yourself.”

I nodded, hoping the slightly shady member of God’s holy heaven was right.

*****

When the limo dropped me off at home, Mom was already there, cooking my favorite, spaghetti and meatballs.

“Hi, Mom,” I said, expecting her to be all upbeat after her first day of baking and selling. But when she didn’t respond, I quietly put my stuff on a barstool and watched her for a minute. When Mom frowns at her food, calls a tomato an ass-head, stirs the meat sauce with short, vigorous, white-knuckled movements, and chops a head of lettuce like she was a human guillotine, we have a problem. “Mom?”

Whipping around with a butcher knife in one hand, she said, “Oh, hi sweetie. I didn’t hear you come in. How long have you been here?”

“Long enough to see you verbally attack a tomato and behead the lettuce. What’s going on?”

She pulled a face. “Nobody bought my cookies.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. I was worried about that. The merps aren’t exactly looking to support Normals right now.”

“I know. I guess I hoped they would find them fun and not think of them as human- made.” She grabbed a large pink box, untied the pale yellow ribbon, and showed me her creations. “Are they ugly?”

“They’re incredible!” Her cookies were like edible works of art. “Whoa! Did that candy just blink…and wink…oh, and smile!”

Grinning, Mom said, “Yep. It’s kind of nice to have a boss with powers. She and I made the candy, then she asked what I’d like to see happen with it, and I came up with fun faces. Remind you of anything?”

“Aww, those smiley face cookies you used to make when I was a little girl, before…”

“You were my inspiration,” she said. “How your eyes twinkled…and that darling belly laugh of yours when I made the cookie talk…I thought they would make people happy, maybe even open their minds a little.” She took a deep breath. “Well…screw them if they don’t have a sense of humor. Anyway, it wasn’t a complete waste. Troy, Airi, Benji, and Bobby dropped by and bought some before their team meeting. The rest were either purchased by Eva and Doctor Tenly or came home for us to hog on.”

“They’re perfect. Things will get better.”

“Yes, they will,” she said, somewhat distantly. “Well, now, you have a present on your bed. Go take a look.”

I ran to my room and saw a large silver box sitting in the middle of the bed. Untying the blue ribbon and removing the tissue paper, I found a beautiful, flowing dress with cascading tiers in various shades of aquamarine.

“Eva and I thought you needed something special for tonight. The blues reminded me of the water—thought it could be a symbol of your friendship with Airi, Troy, and even Benji and Bobby. Even though you have to compete against them, you’re still on the same side,” said Mom, leaning against my door.

“It’s beyond perfect. Thank you,” I said, hurrying to hug her. “You and Mrs. Waterberry are too much. I’ll have to do something nice for her.”

“She figured you’d say that, and she did have a request,” said Mom.

“What’s that?”

“Win.”

*****

Mom and I ate our dinner, but it was hard to savor anything. It was one of those meals that stayed stuck in your throat like a big wad of gunk because your stomach was too dang nervous to accept visitors. As I brushed my hair in the mirror, my eyes fell upon the pāua shell necklace Troy gave me last Christmas. I never take it off; it was as much a part of me as Troy himself. But, in that moment, I knew I had to remove it. With it on, I felt him, all of him, every second of every single day. With it off, I was naked and empty, but I was also just me. To make this wish—to make it right—it was necessary for me to be all-Normal without anything else draining my mind and heart. Setting my necklace on the dresser, I slipped on my new dress and Mom and I left our house to start the long walk down the beach. I had suggested taking the car, but Mom’s gut thought walking would do my mind and super-knotty stomach some good. As always, she was right. By the time we reached the beach behind the library, my stomach had completely relaxed, apart from the slightly nervous, gassy bubbling taking place in my lower abdomen. That would be unfortunate—dropping a stink-bomb in front of everyone in such a pretty dress. Ew. Please, God, don’t let me do that.

Hundreds of lightning whelk created a glowing pathway to two crystal stands filled with students, teachers, and townsfolk. The curvy stands were situated like bookends, and in the middle were two large rock formations with a simple Mason jar sitting on top of each.

Mom, surveying the scene, reached over and squeezed my hand; it was both comforting and unsettling. Finally, I spotted Jex, who quickly fluttered over to us.

“God, he even flies sexy,” said my mom out of the corner of her mouth.

He flashed us a sexy grin. “Mrs. Valentine, good to see you. Fletcher’s waiting just there, in the first row, closest to the request rocks.”

“Thanks, Manakel…Jex. That’s going to take some getting used to,” she said, kissing my forehead. “Right. I’m leaving. See Mom leave.”

As she lingered, still holding my hand, Jex whispered in her ear, “I’ll take care of her, don’t you worry. Angel, here, remember?”

Mom released a flustered, teenager-type giggle and reluctantly released my hand. “This is called leaving. What you can’t see is the piss-fit going on underneath. And now I’m walking.” She nodded once more and joined Mr. Gibbs in the stands.

“She’s a hoot. You look…quite lovely,” he said. Did he just blush? Nah, snarky, horny angels don’t blush. “So, ready, Savior?” he asked, putting his arm around me.

“Uh-huh. Yep. Sure.” Nope. No. Not.

He squeezed me into him as we passed behind a rather intimidating table set right at the edge of the stands. The table was bronze with emerald inlays and resembled a wild seaweed bed with its tall, twisting pieces hovering above its occupants. Madame Helena, sporting another insane suit, this one with screaming yellow faces on white taffeta, sat between Luxton Vipor and Principal Jeepers.

“Love your dress,” said Maile as I approached.

“Thanks. Bet you’re glad it’s nighttime.”

“Lord, yes!” she said, rolling her eyes.

Meikle flipped her bag over her shoulder. “Know what you’re doing?”

“No,” I said. “But I’m assuming my brain and heart know.”

“Whatever you do, just be careful of that divot right behind our request rock,” said Maile.

“Uh, what divot?” I asked.

Maile pointed it out. “It’s about three feet behind our rock. You could twist your ankle bad if you catch it. I better get back to the stands. Good luck, and watch that divot!”

I still couldn’t see it. Obviously, her night vision picks up everything. “Thanks, and I’ll watch for it.”

“I thought there’d be a band,” said Gully. Tonight, her hair was tied up in a really high ponytail. “Maybe like a college band to get everyone geared up. You know, like how a certain Bengal-band from the bayou does? We need that for the Normals. Coach Jex, could you put a request in for a band? Ooh, maybe for the bayou band themselves! How cool would that be?! Da, da, da dum! Da da da—”

Polly simply reached over and yanked on Gully’s ponytail; though Gully frantically felt around her hair tie, pulling and tightening it, she immediately fell quiet.

“Works like a light switch,” said Polly. Polly’s demon traits were a bit unruly at night.

“A rude light switch,” said Ophelia under her breath.

“Where is team Merpeople?” I asked, looking around.

“My best guess? Katrina and her obnoxious coach want to make a grand entrance,” said Jex. “And here they come, now, just as I said.”

Troy, Airianna, and Benji walked well behind Muriel and Irving, who were holding the long train of Katrina’s orchid-colored gown like servants. Leading the lot of them was their coach, Margaretta, who wore a daring black lace gown.

Eyeing Katrina’s gown, I said, “Okay, now, come on! It’s a purple-ish color. Purple is the color of the Ravenflames. How is that a show of merperson solidarity? And listen to the stands! They’re going ape. The Fairhairs have issues.”

“Patience, Savior,” said Jex. “If there’s one thing I’ve seen in my many years flying above life, it’s that dishonorable creatures have an ugly way of revealing themselves. It just takes time.”

“Yeah, time…the real enemy,” I mused as Madame Helena began quieting the crowd.

“Welcome to the wish ceremony, everyone!” The raucous applause was enough to awaken whatever sleeps in the deepest depths of the sea. “Please welcome our teams. Team Merpeople!”

Margaretta held her arms to the side, permitting Katrina to lead the team. The merps went absolutely crazy, cheering, chanting, and applauding. Caught up in the madness, Muriel skipped a little ahead of Katrina. When she did, Katrina placed her hand on Muriel’s shoulder, and sternly said, “Behind me. Always.” Muriel smiled meekly and fell in line.

I never have to worry about Troy finding my eyes. We exchanged small smiles, but our eyes shared a conversation. He was in hell with Katrina as their captain, but even more alarming was his concern over her wish.

“Airi might puke,” said Trey.

“And you can tell this how?” I asked.

“Oh,” he said, smiling softly. “We’ve come up with our own language. She rubbed her stomach, thumped her throat, and stuck out her tongue. That means she might barf.”

“And, uh, how would you translate two fingers pointed at you, followed by a hand floating down the front of her body?” I asked, smirking at him.

Crossing his arms and puffing out his chest, he said, “I look hot.”

Shaking my head, I just laughed. “You two might be my very favorite couple, well, apart from me and Troy.”

“Yeah, you and Troy are…really not my favorite pairing,” he said, and I punched him in the arm. “But, he obviously loves you, so…yeah.”

“Miss Zale, if you would step up to the rightmost request rock,” said Madame Helena.

“Hey, she forgot to introduce us!” I said.

“Absolute hag of a woman,” Polly groaned.

“Miss Zale, stay where you are,” said Vipor. “Everyone, please give a warm welcome to team Normals!”

“Here we go! Marina, lead us out,” said Jex.

“No. Arm in arm, in a row, as one,” I said, looping my right arm with Trey and my left with Meikle.

Polly quickly connected with Meikle; to Polly’s extreme dismay, Gully bouncily hooked arms with her.

Linking with Trey, Ophelia whispered, “In case I faint, I trust you’ll catch me. Pretty sure Gully would think it’s a joke, laugh, and miss me.”

“Let’s go,” I said.

We walked past Luxton Vipor, Madame Helena, and our friendly principal, and into a very quiet arena. Apart from some subtle boos, there were a few obligatory claps. Mom, as always, could blow a light bulb with the booming voice she hides beneath her gracefully comical exterior.

“Miss Zale, Miss Valentine, please approach your request rocks,” said Madame Helena.

Though we walked opposite each other for the same purpose, our gaits couldn’t be more different. My stride was brisk, strong, and determined, while Katrina’s had a lethal slinkiness. I barely missed the divot Maile warned me about as I approached my request rock and turned to face Madame Helena.

“Now, then, please retrieve your jars and remove the lids,” she said. “Be careful not to break them. If you do, the wish goes to your opponent.”

Katrina had her lid off before I even had my jar in my hands. Carefully removing the jar from the top of the rock, I slowly turned the lid and placed it on a lower part of the rock.

Madame Helena watched me with an annoyed expression. “Very well. When you are ready, step up to your rock, find the star that speaks to you, and make your wish. When the wish is made, place the lid back on and tighten it. Once the lid is on, the wish is irrevocable.”