Chapter 18

"Come forth, ice!" Deuce shouted. "HYAH!" Ice shot out from him, but it was deflected away from the twins.

"Might wanna try upping the ante there, bud," said Floyd.

"Hey, Deadeye Deuce," said Ace, "here's an idea: try actually HITTING with one of those shots! Hyah!"

"Heh heh heh. Come, now," said Jade as Ace's shot missed him. "Put in some effort."

"I don't see you doing any better over there!" Deuce shot back.

"No way," said Ace. "How could I miss like that..."

"Tch. Step aside," said Jack. "I'll handle this! RAGH!" However, his shot did not do any better. "What?! My spell swerved before hitting them!" He paused. "I see what's goin' on..."

"At least Sea Urchin knows how to pay attention," said Floyd.

"I shouldn't be surprised that a land beast has a keen eye," said Jade.

"Since I'm a nice guy, I'll do you a solid and explain why none of your spells are hitting us. I've got this signature spell, Bind the Heart, see? It's a handy little number that interferes with your magic to ensure it fails! Ain't that just neato?"

"That ain't 'neato' at all!" said Grim. "It's cheatin', is what it is!"

"It's no more cheating than anyone else's signature spell," I said. "And, to me, all magic seems like cheating."

Grim shot me a look. "Who's side are you on?"

"I'm just saying..."

Jade sighed. "Floyd, do you really have to spell out your entire signature spell gimmick to them?"

"What's the big deal?" said Floyd. "Knowing isn't gonna help 'em any."

"Fair enough. At least your magic is in good form today. If only you could be more consistent about it. When you're not in the mood, it never works at all. That's rather hard to plan around, you know."

"You know, you're revealing as much as he is, Jade," I said. Although, their conversation was rather interesting. It confirmed what I already suspected: Floyd was the much more open and straightforward twin. Perhaps it would not be too difficult to get the truth from him... if I got him alone and approached it right.

Jade gave me a toothy grin. "Am I? Forget I said anything."

I rolled my eyes. "Right."

Floyd looked around at my friends. "Better run, kiddos! If I catch you, my tailfin's gonna wring you out like a dirty dishrag! Now, who should I squeeze first...?"

"This is nothin' more than a game to them," said Jack. "If we don't get outta here, they're gonna hang us out to dry! Time for a temporary retreat! We'd better work out a new plan!"

"Aha ha! Come back as many times as you want. It won't make a lick of difference! With those sorry legs of yours, you'll never outswim mermen."

"We'll be waiting for your next visit," said Jade.

"Rgh, this stinks!" said Grim. "I'll remember this, okay?!"

We retreated to the Mirror Chamber. As soon as we were on dry land, we were able to breathe. That potion was actually pretty neat. We took a minute to wring out our clothes to the best of our abilities.

"You guys okay?" said Deuce.

"I think so..." said Ace.

"I wasn't expecting them to actually be mermen..." said Jack. He glanced at me. "Are you sure you didn't know?"

I gave him a look. "If I knew, don't you think I would have told you?"

"It was almost a feedin' frenzy there—with us as the chum!" said Grim. "Swimmin' that fast ain't fair!"

"Well, yeah," said Ace. "Merfolk are literally in their element underwater."

"It was pretty cool," I said. Grim glared at me, and I smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Not the time."

"But we gotta get that photo fast," said Grim, "or they're gonna confiscate Ramshackle Dorm..."

"We need to rework our plan here," said Deuce.

"Yeah," agreed Ace. "Cater likes to say he's got his finger on the pulse of the community, so why don't we get some input from him?"

"It'd also be a good idea to go back to Savanaclaw and see what Ruggie and the others have to share," said Jack.

"And I should take Ruggie's advice and talk to Floyd alone," I said.

"You're going to take advice from Ruggie?" Ace said incredulously.

I shrugged. "He made some good points. And didn't you also suggest I try to win him over?"

Ace rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, yeah, but do you really think you can do it?"

"I won't know until I try."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Jack asked.

I shook my head. "No thanks. I'll be fine. I have to do this on my own."

I stood in front of the Mostro Lounge, taking deep breaths. I could do this. I had to do this. I needed to know what was going on with Floyd. I had to find out if the time we spent together was just a game together. If it was, I could admit my friends were right the whole time and just move on. If not... Well, then I had a decision to make.

I walked inside. I hoped to spot Floyd and speak to him before someone could stop me. Unfortunately, I did not get two steps before Azul blocked my path. "Ona," he said with a fake smile, "what a surprise to see you. Are you here to dine?"

"Uh, no," I said. "Actually, I'm here to see Floyd."

Azul's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "I am afraid he is busy right now. Why don't you come back some other time?"

"It will just take a minute." Instead of waiting for a response, I ran past him into the restaurant. I heard him behind me, so I had to be quick. I moved towards the first tall, teal-haired guy I saw. "Hey!"

Jade turned around and looked at me with his neutral, polite expression. "Can I help you, Ona?"

"I need to talk to Floyd. In private. Please."

"Are you going to yell at him some more?" His expression did not change, but I understood the implication. Was that why he wouldn't leave Floyd's side last night? Did he worry I would hurt his brother? He cared deeply for him, that much was clear. Maybe I could use that to get him to go against Azul's wishes this one time.

"No. I'm sorry about that. I was frustrated and hurt, but now I'm ready to really talk. Please. You've got to give me a chance to fix this." I gave him a pleading look, allowing some sadness to show through.

"If you are not going to buy anything, I must ask you to leave," Azul said from behind me.

Jade glanced at him before proceeding to study my face. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to find, for he smiled and said, "Please, come with me." I glanced back to see Azul scowl, but he did not stop Jade from leading me away. "You may wait in the VIP room. I will see if Floyd wants to speak with you."

"Okay," I said. "Thank you, Jade." He nodded once before walking off. I entered the room and took a seat. I let out a heavy sigh. Now it was time to wait. Would Floyd even want to see me? Maybe we was finally done with me.

Suddenly, the door swung open. I jumped to my feet to come face-to-face with Floyd, grinning at me as per usual. Why did he always have to look so pleased to see me? "Little Shrimpy!" he said happily. "I almost didn't believe Jade when he said you came here to see me, but here you are!"

I crossed my arms and pursed my lips. "Yes, I'm here."

Floyd's smile slowly faded. "And you're still upset."

"Yes, I'm upset, but... I'm willing to talk... if you're willing to listen."

Floyd titled his head to the side. "Okay, let's hear it."

I had decided that, if I wanted him to be open with me, I had to be open with him first. "You understand why I'm mad at you, right?"

Floyd rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, you're concerned about your friends. But they're the ones who got themselves into this miss. Can't you find better friends?"

Instead of giving into the impulse to get angry at his response, I chose to be patient and explain myself. "It's not that easy. Listen, back in my own world, I was not great at making friends. I could get everyone to like me, but I did not have any deep relationships... aside from my family. They were everything to me. And when I ended up trapped in this world, I did not know how I was going to survive without them. I was alone, and I hated it.

"But then Grim, Ace, Deuce, and I went through an extraordinary adventure together, and we became friends. Suddenly, I was not alone anymore. It didn't matter if I was trapped in a strange world without much hope of ever returning home. I had people to care about... and who cared about me. But now... They have been taken away from me. If Azul continues to basically own them, I'll barely see them. I'll be alone again. I can't go back to that, Floyd. And don't say I can just make new friends. It was a miracle I did it in the first place."

Floyd's expression changed to... sadness? "That's not going to happen, Ona. I won't let you be alone." His use of my real name surprised me, but I knew it meant he was being serious.

"You want to to cause damage to my life and then help me pick up the pieces?"

Floyd winced. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know. Honestly, it wouldn't be a bad thing if you were actually sorry..." I sighed. "Do you get why I'm more mad at you than Jade or even Azul? It's because I thought you were my friend. The time we spent together meant something to me, and I thought it meant something to you too. Seeing you act so cold now... It feels like betrayal. And then you're always smiling and being friendly to me when you see me... like you're not wrecking my life. Am I just a joke to you? I mean, you left me out in the cold last night. If you don't care about me, just tell me. If this whole thing has been a game, please let me know. Tell me how you actually feel about all this... about me. I deserve that much, don't I?"

Floyd's eyes swam with competing emotions. Finally, anger took over. He turned to the wall and pounded it with both fists. Startled, I flinched. I was surprised to see no damage to the wall... or hear Azul rushing in to see what was wrong. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. I didn't mean..." He looked at me, and I saw his anger was not directed at me, so I relaxed. "I told Azul we couldn't take your dorm away from you. I told him we couldn't leave you without a place to go. It wasn't fair. You aren't used to the cold, and you wouldn't do well. It was going too far. Azul said not to worry because your friends would help you out. And they did, didn't that? I watched you last night to make sure you were fine."

"R-Really?"

Floyd lowered his arms and turned to face me fully. "If your friends did decide to be jerks, I would have sneaked you back into Ramshackle Dorm. Jade would have kept it a secret. He would have understood. I wasn't going to leave you out there. You gotta believe me."

The revelation shocked me, but I did believe him. "Okay. Why didn't you just tell me that last night?"

Floyd frowned. "Because Azul told me something else. He said I was foolish to get attached to a potential client... and he was right. I knew better. It's just... It's never been a problem before. There are some people who enjoy having a good time, and I can leave them without thinking about them again. Everyone else... They run away from me, and I don't have to worry about them. But you... You didn't run. You weren't afraid of me. You stayed. I should have tried harder to scare you off, but... I didn't want to. I liked being around you."

I swallowed hard. "Floyd..." Ruggie was right after all. He didn't have any friends aside from Jade and Azul. And he did care about me.

Floyd balled his hands into fists and turned away. "I'm sorry. I never wanted you to see this side of me. I tried to hide it from you. I knew you wouldn't approve, and I wanted you to stay. I didn't lie when I said those things about protecting you. I wanted to be the one you turned to... not Sea Urchin. But I shouldn't have made promises I couldn't keep. This is all my fault. It would have been better for both of us if we never met on the cliff that day."

"No." The force of my tone surprised me too. "I'm not sorry I met you. I like being with you too. I just don't understand why you have to do this. If you don't want to hurt me, why can't you go against Azul and Jade on this?"

"You won't abandon your family even when they're wrong, but you're asking me to do it?"

"I - I never thought about it that way."

Floyd stepped closer to me. "I can't do anything to interfere with the contract, but I won't just leave you alone. If you fail to do your part, I'll try to help you the best I can. I'll convince Azul to take it easy on you. I'll be there with you. You won't have to be alone. Unless..." A troubled look crossed his face. "If you want me to leave you alone, I will. I understand if you hate me. Tell me to avoid you and I'll do it if I can help it. The reason I'm always smiling around you is because seeing you makes me happy. I can't help it. But if it really bothers you, I'll try to control it. You should just leave and forget about me. I'm sorry for everything, Ona." He turned partly away again, his head lowered and his expression sad.

The amount of information he was willing to share with me shocked me. He really was straightforward... or maybe he just trusted me. I knew I had a decision to make now. Did I want this guy in my life or not? No one would blame me if I walked away. They would say he didn't deserve my compassion. But this was not about what he deserved. It was about the kind of person I wanted to be. After seeing the detrimental effects of a lack of love all over this school, the answer was easy. I took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I need to know one thing... Who is the real Floyd, the one I used to hang out with, or the one I've seen the past few days?"

"Both of 'em."

That was what I thought. "Well then... I'll just have to accept both sides of you."

Floyd lifted his head and looked at me in surprise. "What?"

"It's alright. I accept you as you are, Floyd."

His expression turned to wonder. "You mean... you still want to be my friend? Even after knowing everything? After what I've done?"

"Yes. I forgive you." I dug my hand into my pocket and pulled out my closed fist. "And I can't forget you." I opened my hand to show him the two seashells he had given me. I smiled at him and returned to the shells to my pocket. "Ohana is an expansive term, referring to everyone who is important to you, both family and friends. If you want, you can be a part of mine. I'll teach you how it works. And we can learn how to be friends together. What do you think?" I held out my right hand.

A wide smiled spread across Floyd's face. "You're amazing, Ona." He grabbed my hand and pulled me into him. I instinctively wrapped my arms around him. Something about this seems familiar, but I could not place it. He held me securely, just loose enough to not hurt me. "Thank you." He nuzzled his face into my hair.

For the first time in days, I felt happy. It was counterintuitive, but I sensed I was safe with Floyd. Maybe there was more to him than I originally thought, but that did not take away from the good I still saw in him. What I said to Riddle once still applied. If I wanted to make friends only with people without baggage at this school, I would end up alone. The least I could do was choose those who proved they cared about me... like Grim, Ace, Deuce, Riddle... and Floyd. All the rest, we could figure out together.

"You know," I said, "if I succeed in the contract with Azul, I'm not going to just abandon him or this place. I'll help you guys out. I'll show you how to really run a business so it benefits everyone. I'll help you be more successful to make up for what will be lost." I pulled away from Floyd to look at him. "I think it would be nice if all four of us could be friends some day."

Floyd chuckled. "All of us friends, huh? You really do dream big." He smiled. "But I do like the sound of that."

I smiled back at him. "Good. That means I've got a lot of work to do if I want to beat you."

Floyd grinned. "Give it your best shot."

I heard a knock at the door. "We should probably go."

Floyd frowned. "I don't wanna." He tried to hold me again, but I slipped out of his grasp.

"Don't worry. I'll see you later." He reluctantly followed me to the door. I was relieved to find it was Jade on the other side.

"I trust everything went well?" said Jade, looking from me to Floyd.

"Yep. I was just going to head out."

"Excellent. Let us escort you." Jade and Floyd walked with me through the Lounge. This time, it felt like they were protecting me. Fortunately, we did not run across Azul. The twins stopped at the door. "Feel free to visit any time, Ona."

"See you tomorrow, Little Shrimpy," Floyd said with a grin.

I smiled at Floyd and then at Jade. "Thank you, Jade." Jade nodded at me. I waved at them and stepped outside. I stopped to take a deep breath, letting it out with a contented sigh. Finally, a success.

"You look like you're in a better mood," Jack said when I entered the Savanaclaw lounge. I sat between him and Grim. Leona and Ruggie lounged on the couch across from us.

"Yeah," I said. "I finally got to talk to Floyd alone."

"I'm assuming it went well," said Ruggie. "Is he going to help you?"

"No."

Ruggie frowned. "I take back all the nice things I was thinking about you."

"If you didn't succeed, what's with the dopey smile?" said Leona.

I tried to hide my smile but failed. "Floyd and I worked things out. You were right, Ruggie. He does care about me. We decided we want to work on being friends."

"That's great for you," Grim muttered. "If you're such great buds now, why won't he help you?"

"Because he's still closer to Jade and Azul. I can't just get between them like that. I believe in building up relationships, not tearing the down."

Ruggie sighed and shook his head. "You're hopeless."

"It was not a total loss," said Leona. "Floyd is not someone you want as an enemy. Even if you don't get much out of it right now, there will be benefits down the line for staying on his good side. Not bad, herbivore."

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Leona! At least someone gets it."

"Okay, that was a bust," said Ruggie. "What else happened today?"

"Well," said Jack, "it went down like this..." He explained out little morning adventure and how it had ended in failure.

Ruggie's eyes grew wide by the end of the story. "What? You guys actually went to the Coral Sea?"

"Hah!" said Leona. "How stupid can you get?"

"Mrah?! But you're the guy who said to 'get the ball rolling' right now!" Grim shouted.

"Hmph. I never said anything about diving headlong into the sea. Your time's limited. What I was suggestin' was that you use your head and find a worthwhile use of your time. Challenging merfolk head-on in the water is a losing proposition no matter how you slice it. It's like walking into a carnivore's mouth."

"Wait," said Jack. "Did you guys know the twins were actually mermen this whole time?"

"Maybe."

"I saw Floyd in his natural form at a joint swimming class last summer," said Ruggie, "and boy, let me tell you... If that guy came after me in the water, I'd be done for. End of story."

"You have summer swimming classes?" I said brightly.

"Not the time, Ona," Jack said glowering at Ruggie and Leona. "It woulda been nice to know this beforehand!"

"Last I checked, you were the guys who ran off half-cocked without bothering to gather any intel," said Leona. "I would've been happy to share it all in detail if you'd asked."

"Yeah!" said Ruggie. "You gotta cover your bases before you start pickin' fights, y'know? Shyeheehee! Back at the Savanna, you gotta tread carefully if you don't wanna end up as someone's dinner."

"Well, in my world, that's rarely a concern," I said.

"Grrr... You're the same couple of scheming jerks as always!" said Grim.

"Does this mean Azul was planning on interfering from the start when he made the offer?" said Jack.

"Uh, duh?" said Leona. "Obviously?"

"The Leech brothers are Azul's top men," said Ruggie. "They're known for collecting all collateral and compensation from his contractors. And rumor has it they run interference to make sure the contract terms can't be met."

"What a bunch of low-down, dirty cheaters!" Grim growled. He turned to me, arms crossed. "How can you be friends with someone like that?"

"It's complicated," I said.

"Urgh...If Ona loses, am I gonna be stuck workin' day and night for Azul forever?"

"I'm sure we'll manage something. Pretty sure, at least..."

"Leona?" said Ruggie.

"Azul's signature spell is a golden contract scroll called It's a Deal," said Leona. "It enables the caster to take one power from a target if that target signs the scroll. In addition, in the event of a contract breach, the breacher is compelled to obey Azul's every command to a T."

"They say spells with tricky activation requirements are especially potent, but man... Isn't that messed up?"

"When the power gets taken, it's sealed inside the contract and made available for Azul to use as it suits him."

"Wait, so all those times Azul busted out different sortsa high-difficulty spells like it was nothing..." said Jack.

"I'd bet you anything that those were powers he swiped from contractors as collateral," said Ruggie.

"That's nuts! That means he's cheating at everything!"

"Technically, no. As far as signature spells go, his is crazy high-level. Guy's gotta have some chops to pull something like that off."

"I've never put my power up for collateral, so I've got no idea how it works, myself," said Leona.

"Wait, then what DID you put up for collateral?" said Jack.

Leona's eyes narrowed. "Grrr... What's it matter? It's all in the past anyway. ANYWAY. Contracts with him'll last as long as that special scroll is around. Which is why Azul makes very carefully worded offers."

"And then gets suckers to sign on with terms they can't possibly meet," said Ruggie.

"The only way to win against Azul is to not make a contract at all. Heh."

"Mrooow... What are we supposed to do?!" Grim wailed.

"We can't afford to lose, but this looks bad," I said grimly.

"How about you try using your head, dimwit?" said Leona. "How do you win against someone stronger than you? You use your noggin. But, hm... If I were in your shoes... I'd start by brainstorming a way to shred the contract document itself."

"But it's invulnerable!" Grim protested.

Leona sighed. "You guys are seriously peabrained."

"You're like a scammer's dream come true," said Ruggie.

"Mrah?!" Grim exclaimed.

"Let's start with the basics. Why would you take Azul at his word when he said his contract was 'completely unbreakable?'"

"What?" said Jack. "I mean, none of our attacks did a thing to it..."

"Have you considered the possibility that was an on-the-spot demonstration put on as a bluff?"

"All magic's got a loophole," said Leona. "Remember that pampered little redhead Riddle's signature spell and how it sealed magic? It seemed unbeatable at first, but it still had a weakness. Even the best magicians can't sling spells willy-nilly. So the idea that Azul's golden contract from It's a Deal is indefinitely unbreakable... is preposterous. Flat-out."

"That makes sense," I said.

"So, there's a way to beat it after all," said Jack. "Challenging the Leech brothers underwater is a losin' proposition, no matter how you slice it. We'd be better off trying to find a chip in the contract scroll's proverbial armor on land instead. I see what you're gettin' at. I dunno, though. That sounds an awful lot like playing dirty."

"Come on, Jack..." said Ruggie. "Your principles are great and all, but you guys already took a fair shot against Azul and his boys on land. Remind me again how that went?"

"Rgh..."

"Let's be clear here," said Leona. "These guys are scoundrels that swindle doe-eyed herbivores and take them for everything they've got. Why should you play fair when they don't? So what if it's underhanded? So what if it's taking the fight off the playing field? As long as the contract is annulled, you win. End of story."

"Oooh, that's our Leona!" said Ruggie. "The duke of dirty plays; the tyrant of technical fouls!"

"Was any of that supposed to be a compliment?!" I said.

"Hey, it's like I said before," said Leona. "I do whatever it takes to win."

"Well, in any case, according to my morals, those contracts should be null and void to start with. We would only be doing what the government here should be doing in the first place. It's not our fault rights aren't respected here."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Fine," said Jack. "Let's spend the next two days staking Azul out and looking for our chance to shred that contract scroll!"

"We're all in this together!" I said.

"Well, good luck with that, froshes," said Leona.

"Whaaa?!" said Grim. "After all that talk, you're not gonna help us?"

"Why should I? I practically wrote the answer for you in crayon already. You guys can figure the rest out yourselves. Later." Leona stood up and walked off.

"On that note, I'm out too," Ruggie said, hopping up from the couch. "Good luck, guys!"

Grim appeared dumbstruck. "Th-that's just heartless!"

"We'll be fine," I said. Hopefully.