"Sir, the book you requested has arrived," Benjamin says, bowing as he steps inside my room. I wave him over and he places the book on the desk in front of me. "Will that be all, your Highness?"
"Yes, thank you, Benjamin," I nod and he's off, shutting the door behind him. Today was ruthless. I had to spend 2 hours with each girl on a date. Though all of the girls are kind, each moment with them was a moment away from America. A moment lost to our dwindling time before my inevitable marriage.
I've narrowed it down to three girls: Celeste, Kriss and Marlee. Hopefully that will please my father and maybe even by me more than a week to choose. And maybe that won't even be necessary - maybe all the answers I seek are inside of this book.
I open it up, my fingers shaking as they flip through the pages, anxious. The book starts off talking about marine life, different fish species and rare plants. And though it's actually quite interesting, I don't have time for it. I skim through the pages till one word catches my eye: siren. I carefully read the passage, holding in my breath.
And there it is.
Right in the middle of the page, the author discusses how a specific cave has been rumored to be magical. Mermaid sightings accompanied by "strange bursts of light" seem to have been spotted at this location. I pull up a map and scan the ocean for any mention of the cave, but it's mysterious. The location of it is not mentioned in the novel, but I'm sure Mer will know how to find it. Siren's Bay. I memorize the name, slamming the book shut and rushing downstairs.
The guards barely even notice me as I slip through the dark halls, anxious to get to Mer. I'm in the water before I know it. The water stings my sore back, but I keep swimming, my excitement overpowering the pain. When I finally reach the cave, I feel my way through it until I come to the little opening. Our spot.
I see her hair spread out across the water, her back to me. "Mer!" I call, but when she turns around, it's not her.
It's Marlee.
"Maxon?" she gasps, utterly confused. We both stare at each other for a solid minute, trying to figure out what's going on. "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" I throw back, more concerned for her safety. It's unsafe for her to be out this late. She should be in the palace, asleep, under the careful watch of our guards. But then again, so should I.
She looks shy, embarassed, and struggles to speak. "I, uh, I couldn't . . . I couldn't sleep," she lies, but I don't call her out. She's a sweet girl; I'm sure she has her reasons. "What are you doing here, though? And who's Mer?" she asks, her eyebrows furrowing as she tries to piece it together.
"Um, it's the name of this . . . cave! Mer Cave. I used to swim here when I was a kid," I lie, and I know she knows it. But neither of us object to our terrible cover stories. "How'd you find it?"
"I just thought a swim would be relaxing, you know? And then I accidentally got lost and ended up here!" she shrugs as if it's no big deal. I'm silent, unsure of how to respond. Should I tell her to go home? Should we both leave? But what about Siren's Bay? I don't think I can wait till morning.
"Well, I think we sho-"
"Maxon, what are you doing here so late?" someone says. I whip my head around to see America pop out of the water, sheer glee on her face. Marlee's jaw drops and my eyes bulge. I wonder if she can see Mer's tale in the dark. Probably not, but how do I explain the mysterious girl showing up? "Oh. . . . Hello," she swallows, realizing her mistake a bit to late. You'd think with all her enhanced mermaid senses she would have realized there's another person here.
"Maxon?" Marlee squeaks, her face a mix between confusion and fear. "What's really going on?"
I hate to say it, but it's all I can think of: "I could ask you the same."
She looks between me and America, weighing her options. But in the end, she's too sweet to keep lying, especially to her prince and possible fiancé. "I came here to meet someone."
"Oh," I say, not expecting that answer. At all.
"I know I'm in the Selection, and I really do like you, Maxon, but this just kind of . . . happened and now . . . oh God, you can send me home, I totally understand. Just please don't hurt him, okay? I'm sorry for betraying you I just-"
"Marlee, it's fine," I say, shocking myself.
"What?"
"I understand," I say, touching her shoulder gently. She sighs with relief. "I won't punish you or anything. Just please . . . please get back to the palace and go to bed. Pretend this never happened. I can't send you home immediately or it will raise questions, but I'll do so as soon as I can."
"Thank you, Maxon. Thank you so much," she sobs, covering her mouth.
"It's fine. Just please go home." She starts to swim towards the exit and I think we're in the clear, but then it finally hits her. She whips around, realizing how quickly I distracted her from America.
"Wait . . . you never answered me." She narrows her eyes, her sweet-face molding into a more manipulative one. I know I don't owe her answers - I'm her prince and she's just broken a law, technically - but I can't help feel guilty for lying to her when she's told the truth.
"I'm here to meet someone, too," I shrug, cocking my head towards America. She, wisely, stays silent.
"But you have the Selection . . ."
"And just as that isn't working for you, it's not working for me either. But she is," I smirk, unable to hide the rush of love I feel for America, my cheeks growing red.
"So why don't you call the Selection off? Marry . . . " She waits for Mer to fill in her name. You'
"America."
"Marry America instead?" Marlee finishes.
"It's not that simple," I groan, wishing it were. America places a hand gently on the back of my neck, massaging it softly.
"But you're going to be king, soon. Can't you do whatever you want?"
"Yes, but there's a . . . um . . . complication." How do I say this without blurting out the fact that America has no legs? Part of me wishes it were bright enough in here for Marlee to see Mer's tale, just so she would understand.
And though I internally wished it, I was not expecting America to grant it. She leans onto her back and flicks her tale out of the water, her fins coming up just next to Marlee's face. "Just a minor complication," America smiles, staring at Marlee's shocked expression.
"Ames!" I scold, unable to believe she just did that. Surely there was a way out of this situation - a way that didn't involve America exposing herself.
"Oh my god . . . " Marlee chokes, swimming backwards, whether in awe or in fear, I don't know. "You're . . you're-"
"A mermaid, yes. And sadly, that means that Maxon and I are not currently in the best situation."
Marlee flicks her eyes to me, a silent question, but all I can do is raise my shoulders. "You wanted the truth."
"Yes, but I was expecting her to be from another country . . . or a servant . . . or already married! I don't know, just some normal, human obstacle that would prevent you from marrying her! Not . . . not this!" she shrieks, swimming around the cavern frantically, almost like pacing.
"Well, I also am engaged, so that's a 'normal' problem," America murmurs, trying to lighten the mood. While I expect her to scream, Marlee actually laughs. She laughs. A loud, slightly obnoxious giggle that echoes through the cave.
"What?!"
"I'm engaged - to a merman, obviously," America explains casually. "And Maxon is engaged to like 3 girls, including you. So we have normal problems, too. It's just that the difference in species is our main problem."
Marlee laughs again, holding her head in her hands, trying to sort this all out. I stand there between the two of them, utterly confused and astounded by how this is playing out.
"Wow," Marlee finally says. "That's . . . something."
"Indeed."
"So, what now?" she says. It's amazing how quickly she recovers from the shock of all this. She's already planning the next step, trying to figure out where we go from here.
"What do you mean?" Mer asks, looking to me.
"Um," I start, struggling to compose myself. I was not prepared for this. "For one thing, discretion would be most appreciated, Marlee. And in return for keeping our secret, I'll ensure that you are sent home from the competition as soon as possible. As for Mer and I," I say, taking her hand. "I think I've figured out something."
"What?"
"Siren's Bay. I read about it in a book, and I think it might hold the magic necessary to transform you."
America's face pales and I stare at her, scared. Even Marlee seems concerned for the mermaid she just met. She swims slightly closer, intrigued. "What is it?"
"I know where that is."
"And?" the two of us ask, anxious.
"It's not far, but it's not exactly a pleasant trip. And we can't do it alone," America says, locking eyes with me and then settling on Marlee. "We're going to need your help."
"I'm in!" she cheers, almost too excited, considering the terrified look on Mer's face. "That's it?"
"And Aspen," she whispers, looking to me. "We need Aspen's help."
Okay sorry guys for the long wait and the not-so-great-update. I've had a crazy week but I wanted to get something out. I know this isn't the best writing I've done, but I needed to further this plot along. Next chapter will (hopefully) be better !