Part 26 (1/2)

”Even the girls!” another girl says.

”It's so unfair,” a third girl adds. ”At least there's finally more eye candy than Tristan.”

”I always though Tristan was just a man-s.l.u.t who thought he was too hot for everyone.”

The girls laugh. Layla doesn't say anything in my defense. Do they know that we kissed only minutes ago? Would she even tell them?

”I don't think you're too hot for everyone,” Gwen jokes, elbowing me in the side.

”Har-har.” I wish I had a bucket of water to dump on them.

Cindy gasps, like she just got hit with the mother lode of ideas. ”You should go talk to Kurt, Layla.”

”Why?” she says defensively. ”It's not like I haven't talked to him before.”

”Yeah, but you said you think he's hot. So you need to go ask him if he has a girlfriend.”

”He doesn't.”

”Did you ask?”

Layla groans. ”No, but he never talks about one.”

”Guys never say it unless you ask. It's like they think they can get away with it if you don't ask. So it's technically not lying.”

Girl Number Two chimes in, ”Yeah, I hate when they do that.”

”He's not like that,” Layla says, and I hate that she comes to Kurt's defense and not mine.

She stands up with protest, taking time to smooth out her tank top. She pulls her ponytail loose and shakes her hair out. The lifeguard girls whistle.

Gwen laughs. ”Ugh, I can smell their humanity. It's like a burning tar pit.”

I force myself to laugh, because my skin is on fire as Layla walks up to Kurt and Thalia. Thalia says something and points to the house. Layla shrugs and Thalia walks away, handing Kurt her backpack. I bet they're asking where I've gone. Kurt adjusts the bag on his shoulder. Even with his human clothes and surfer-dude hair, his violet eyes stand out. People take turns stealing quick looks at him. He catches himself bowing at Layla when she stands in front of him and smiles at his feet.

She tucks her thumbs in the pockets of her skirt and s.h.i.+fts her entire weight to one side. I've never seen her flirt before. Not really. It's not that she thinks I'm making her like me; it's that she doesn't want to tell me that she wants him. Of course, Tristan. How could you be so stupid? I want to puke. I want to jump over this railing and toss him in the water, rip his face off for talking to my girl.

Gwen stands up. ”Boring. I'm getting hungry.” She loops her arm through mine and kisses my cheek with her glossy lips. ”Cheer up, little merman.”

”Huh? I'm not upset.”

”Sure you're not.” She says this matter-of-factly.

I'm glad she doesn't pry. I decide I like Gwen. She's like the friend who is brutally honest with you even when you want someone to help you nurse your wounds.

”You're a prince, Tristan. You should learn to keep your emotions from your face.”

I open the door. She thumbs my cheek where her sticky pink lipstick must have left a trace. Someone b.u.mps into her, slos.h.i.+ng a cup full of beer all over Gwen. Her gray eyes darken like the sky getting ready for a thunderstorm. A thunderstorm directed right at Maddy, who stands in a white David Bowie T-s.h.i.+rt and a long black skirt. Her eyes are drunken headlights as she pats Gwen's hip where the beer sloshed.

Maddy laughs and hiccups. She slurs an apology. Then she sees me. Her eyes fall to where my cheek is pink with lipstick. I wonder how many things could go wrong all at once without me even trying.

”Maddy.” When I say her name, her eyes focus.

I hold on to Gwen's hand to appease her, and her eyes go back to their unstormy gray.

”Your cousin?” Maddy says. ”The one with the green hair? You know? She said I needed to come see you.”

She wobbles where she stands. She pulls her braids off to one side, and when she does so, her necklace gets caught. She pulls too hard and the chain breaks. It slides down her s.h.i.+rt. She cups her hands over it to stop it.

”What is that?” I don't care that I'm yelling.

Maddy shakes her head, but she loses her balance and gropes at the air. The necklace keeps sliding. I hold on to her by the waist. The Venus pearl falls to the wooden floor with a thud.

”You lied to me,” I say.

”You cheated on me!”

Thalia ascends the staircase and takes in the sight of us. I don't know who she's more surprised to see, Gwen or Maddy.

”Let go of me!” Maddy pushes me off her, and we both grab for the necklace at the same time. Her fingers clamp around it. I'm flas.h.i.+ng back to junior high football when we had a coed team for about a second. I always lost the ball, because I didn't want to hurt the girls. She elbows me in the gut and steps on my feet.

”Maddy, you don't know what you're doing. I need that back.”

From outside the house there's a cras.h.i.+ng noise, like windows breaking and things falling into the pool. Gwen doesn't miss a beat and grabs hold of Maddy's arm. The three of us run down the carpeted stairs.

”Ryan.” Thalia pushes girls out of her way and runs ahead of me.

”What is that smell?” Gwen covers her mouth with her free hand.

I can feel the heat of my dagger, like it's burning its way through the backpack. Kids race past us out of the house as we run toward the backyard. The music is still blaring, masking the screams.

In the kitchen the floor is covered with broken gla.s.s. Some guy has a phone shaking in his hands as he tries to dial 911 but messes up every time. Outside, anyone who couldn't run away is hiding behind lawn chairs, bushes, and garbage cans.

Gwen lets go of Maddy and rushes to the poolside. Princess Violet is lying with her hand against her chest. There's a shard of gla.s.s sticking out from it. The girl's green eyes are full of tears. Gwen pulls out the gla.s.s and helps her stand up. Angelo swims out of the pool. He doesn't notice the b.l.o.o.d.y cut on his shoulder, or he doesn't care. He just drapes the princess's arm around his neck and helps her inside.

The lights in the house go out, which only leaves the mosquito torches that line the backyard. The darkness is still. The merrows are hiding.

Kurt pulls out a thin bow, and the metal symbols on it catch the firelight and glisten. I fumble with the zipper to my backpack. The blade of my knife glows in the dark. Thalia brandishes two long and thin swords.

”I shouldn't have come here,” I say. ”I should've known.”

Layla looks at me and speaks. But as a scream rips through the scared silence of the backyard, I can't even hear her.

The merrows seem to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

One with yellow scales along his arms seems to be more human than fish. Then he bares his rows of shark teeth. He smells the air and lets loose with an angry wail.

”Stay down,” I tell Maddy, pus.h.i.+ng her as gently as I can behind a patio chair.