snarls. “Who am I going to play it with? Samuel doesn’t have hands. If you have nothing else to offer, I think we’re done here.”
A lightbulb goes off in my head. She doesn’t want Kadima paddles . She wants someone to play Kadima with .
Before I thought no one could love her because she was mean. But maybe she’s so mean because no one loves her.
I know how to save Lana.
“Would you consider reversing the spells on Lana in exchange for a date?” I blurt out.
Nelly blinks. “Excuse me?”
“A date,” I repeat. My mouth feels dry. This has to work. It just has to.
Nelly blushes and looks down at the sandy floor. “A date with whom?”
I glance at the king. His cheeks are just as red as Nelly’s. He’s just as lonely as Nelly.
He swims forward. “With me,” he says.
Their eyes meet across the room.
“Really?” she asks softly.
He nods. He takes another step toward her. “Would you like to go out sometime, Jelly Nelly? Or I can just call you Nelly.”
“Just Nelly is good,” she says. And then giggles.
Yes! This is going to work! Way to go, me! Speaking of going — we have to get a move on.
“So do we have a deal?” I ask. “A date in exchange for reversing the spells? You can go to Salties!”
“What if she hurts our dad?” the youngest mermaid cries. “She’s a witch, and he’s all we have left!”
Good point.
“Can you give us some sort of collateral?” the oldest mermaid asks, running her fingers through her short hair.
Nelly nods toward the shark. “You can keep Samuel as a pet until the date is done. He needs a babysitter, anyway. He eats the couch when he’s lonely.”
Better the couch than me.
“So,” I ask again. “Do we have a deal?”
We all hold our breath.
Nelly and the king nod. “Deal,” they say simultaneously, and then they both laugh and turn red again.
“Let’s shake on it,” the king says, putting out his hand.
“Abby,” Jonah says, tugging at my sleeve.
“One sec, Jonah,” I say, wanting to see how this ends.
Nelly takes his outstretched hand.
We wait for them to shake, but instead, they both just stand there, holding each other’s hands. And holding.
Still holding.
All righty, then.
“Abby,” Jonah says again. “I don’t feel so good. My chest feels heavy.”
I glance at my watch. The potion is going to run out in two hours! We have to go.
“Abby,” Jonah says again, and crumples into a heap on the sandy ground.
I lunge after him. But before I can reach him, the room starts to spin. I feel intense pressure on my chest. Like someone’s sitting on me. Or like I’m underwater and I can’t breathe.
Oh, no.
The potion ran out early.
“Jonah!” I try to yell — but nothing comes out. The people around me look murkier and murkier until I don’t see anything at all.
A bby, Abby. You have to get up.”
The next thing I see is light. A very bright light.
I open my eyes. Where am I? What happened?
I sit up, cough, and notice Lana kneeling beside me.
“Finally,” she says, her eyes squinting in concern. “How do you feel?”
The last thing I remember, we were underwater. And now it’s just me and Lana on the beach. I’m so confused. “How did I get here?”
“My family brought you up, and then I pulled you onto the beach.”
I’m still a bit dizzy and disoriented.
Wait a sec. I’m on the beach. Jonah’s not. Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. “Where’s my brother?”
She hesitates. “He’s, um …”
My heart stops. He drowned. He drowned, and it’s all my fault. Plus I was so mean to him today. I was awful. He was just being his totally awesome fun self, and I yelled at him. I try to breathe, but I can’t.
“… There he is,” she says.
What? He’s alive? I jump to my feet and spot him hopping his way down the beach.
“Jonah!” I shriek. “You’re alive!” I throw my arms around his neck.
“Of course I’m alive,” he says. “I was just getting myself a snack. I’m starving.”
A lightbulb goes off in my head. She doesn’t want Kadima paddles . She wants someone to play Kadima with .
Before I thought no one could love her because she was mean. But maybe she’s so mean because no one loves her.
I know how to save Lana.
“Would you consider reversing the spells on Lana in exchange for a date?” I blurt out.
Nelly blinks. “Excuse me?”
“A date,” I repeat. My mouth feels dry. This has to work. It just has to.
Nelly blushes and looks down at the sandy floor. “A date with whom?”
I glance at the king. His cheeks are just as red as Nelly’s. He’s just as lonely as Nelly.
He swims forward. “With me,” he says.
Their eyes meet across the room.
“Really?” she asks softly.
He nods. He takes another step toward her. “Would you like to go out sometime, Jelly Nelly? Or I can just call you Nelly.”
“Just Nelly is good,” she says. And then giggles.
Yes! This is going to work! Way to go, me! Speaking of going — we have to get a move on.
“So do we have a deal?” I ask. “A date in exchange for reversing the spells? You can go to Salties!”
“What if she hurts our dad?” the youngest mermaid cries. “She’s a witch, and he’s all we have left!”
Good point.
“Can you give us some sort of collateral?” the oldest mermaid asks, running her fingers through her short hair.
Nelly nods toward the shark. “You can keep Samuel as a pet until the date is done. He needs a babysitter, anyway. He eats the couch when he’s lonely.”
Better the couch than me.
“So,” I ask again. “Do we have a deal?”
We all hold our breath.
Nelly and the king nod. “Deal,” they say simultaneously, and then they both laugh and turn red again.
“Let’s shake on it,” the king says, putting out his hand.
“Abby,” Jonah says, tugging at my sleeve.
“One sec, Jonah,” I say, wanting to see how this ends.
Nelly takes his outstretched hand.
We wait for them to shake, but instead, they both just stand there, holding each other’s hands. And holding.
Still holding.
All righty, then.
“Abby,” Jonah says again. “I don’t feel so good. My chest feels heavy.”
I glance at my watch. The potion is going to run out in two hours! We have to go.
“Abby,” Jonah says again, and crumples into a heap on the sandy ground.
I lunge after him. But before I can reach him, the room starts to spin. I feel intense pressure on my chest. Like someone’s sitting on me. Or like I’m underwater and I can’t breathe.
Oh, no.
The potion ran out early.
“Jonah!” I try to yell — but nothing comes out. The people around me look murkier and murkier until I don’t see anything at all.
A bby, Abby. You have to get up.”
The next thing I see is light. A very bright light.
I open my eyes. Where am I? What happened?
I sit up, cough, and notice Lana kneeling beside me.
“Finally,” she says, her eyes squinting in concern. “How do you feel?”
The last thing I remember, we were underwater. And now it’s just me and Lana on the beach. I’m so confused. “How did I get here?”
“My family brought you up, and then I pulled you onto the beach.”
I’m still a bit dizzy and disoriented.
Wait a sec. I’m on the beach. Jonah’s not. Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. “Where’s my brother?”
She hesitates. “He’s, um …”
My heart stops. He drowned. He drowned, and it’s all my fault. Plus I was so mean to him today. I was awful. He was just being his totally awesome fun self, and I yelled at him. I try to breathe, but I can’t.
“… There he is,” she says.
What? He’s alive? I jump to my feet and spot him hopping his way down the beach.
“Jonah!” I shriek. “You’re alive!” I throw my arms around his neck.
“Of course I’m alive,” he says. “I was just getting myself a snack. I’m starving.”
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