Tangled Tides (The Sea Monster Memoirs) by Karen Amanda Hooper Page A
Authors: Karen Amanda Hooper
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don't remember seeing you on the island."
She pursed her lips and glanced at Kai. "Um, well—"
Kai interrupted. "Many times new merfolk forget things when they are turned."
"Hmph, well, I'm sorry I don't remember. I've seen so many tourists over the years. Anyway," I continued, "I don't exactly know where my boyfriend lives, but I need to find him. Do selkies live together like we do?"
Kai shook her head. "No, ma'am, but they spend a lot of time at the frosty bar."
"Frosty bar. Will you take me there?"
"No way," Koraline chimed in. "Not a good idea. We need to get you back to Solis."
I drifted closer to her. "Koraline, do you know what it's like to love someone?"
She hesitated and her cheeks went pink. "Of course. I love my family very much."
"Exactly. My boyfriend is one of the only two people I care about in this whole world. Please, imagine if you wanted to talk to someone you loved and nobody would take you to see them."
Koraline fiddled with her necklace again.
"Miss Koraline." Kai reached over and held Koraline's hand. "If Miss Yara needs love and her boyfriend has it for her, how can we say no?"
Koraline sighed, tugged on one of her dirty blonde pigtails, and sighed again. "Fine, we'll go to Jack Frost's. But if your boyfriend isn't there then it's back to Solis. And if he is there, you can stay an hour at most."
"Oh, thank you, Koraline!" I squealed, splashing water as I hugged her. "What about clothes?"
"We keep clothes hidden under many piers," Kai replied. "There will be no problem finding something for you, Miss Yara."
"Why do you call everyone Mister or Miss?" I asked. "You don't look much younger than us."
"I'm from the Ketokys tribe. We have different customs. Anyone better off than me is Miss or Mister."
"Better off? I'm no better off than you."
"You are Yellow. I recently became Orange. You swim higher than me."
I shook my head in confusion, but Kai just smiled and grabbed my hand. "Come, Miss Yara. We will find your selkie sweetheart."
Koraline didn't look too happy, but the three of us dove beneath the water and swam toward Jack Frost's.
W e stood outside, looking through the windows at everyone in the bar.
I watched Rownan sip his drink at a table in the corner. "He's the one in the white coat."
Koraline grunted, "Of course he is," and turned away.
"No," Kai said, "Cursed White Coat has a beard."
Cursed? Cursed with good looks, maybe. "It's a goatee," I corrected. "I love how rugged it makes him look."
"Miss Yara, he is a scruffy face. Scruffy face means a selkie is married."
"What?" I laughed. "He's not married."
"I cannot lie. Scruffy face on a selkie man means he has a mate."
I whipped around, glancing between Kai and Koraline. Neither of them looked like they were kidding. "No, he would've told me."
Koraline kicked a rock across the parking lot. "Yara, do you know much about Rownan?"
"Of course. We've been together for weeks. He tells me everything."
Kai snorted. "He tells you what you want to hear. Most of what the icy ones say is lacking truth."
"Did he tell you why his coat is white?" Koraline asked. "Why he has the
only
white coat in a sea full of dark selkies?"
"No, but—" I glanced at Rownan again. Why did I know so little about him? My hands felt shaky. I clenched the sides of my sundress and took a deep breath. "Come on, we're going in."
"No, no." Kai stepped back. "Our kind is not welcome in frosty place."
"Fine. I'll go in by myself."
"Wait." Koraline grabbed my arm. "You can't walk in there blind. I wouldn't dare go with you, but it's my job to prepare you." She exhaled, eyeing the bar's tinted windows. "The place is freezing. Everyone in there is a selkie. They all know who and what you are. I don't know what happened between you and Rownan, but I'm guessing it was all an act."
My breath shot out of my lungs like someone had punched me in the stomach. "An act? Why would you say that?"
"Because they wanted you to be one of them, but Treygan
She pursed her lips and glanced at Kai. "Um, well—"
Kai interrupted. "Many times new merfolk forget things when they are turned."
"Hmph, well, I'm sorry I don't remember. I've seen so many tourists over the years. Anyway," I continued, "I don't exactly know where my boyfriend lives, but I need to find him. Do selkies live together like we do?"
Kai shook her head. "No, ma'am, but they spend a lot of time at the frosty bar."
"Frosty bar. Will you take me there?"
"No way," Koraline chimed in. "Not a good idea. We need to get you back to Solis."
I drifted closer to her. "Koraline, do you know what it's like to love someone?"
She hesitated and her cheeks went pink. "Of course. I love my family very much."
"Exactly. My boyfriend is one of the only two people I care about in this whole world. Please, imagine if you wanted to talk to someone you loved and nobody would take you to see them."
Koraline fiddled with her necklace again.
"Miss Koraline." Kai reached over and held Koraline's hand. "If Miss Yara needs love and her boyfriend has it for her, how can we say no?"
Koraline sighed, tugged on one of her dirty blonde pigtails, and sighed again. "Fine, we'll go to Jack Frost's. But if your boyfriend isn't there then it's back to Solis. And if he is there, you can stay an hour at most."
"Oh, thank you, Koraline!" I squealed, splashing water as I hugged her. "What about clothes?"
"We keep clothes hidden under many piers," Kai replied. "There will be no problem finding something for you, Miss Yara."
"Why do you call everyone Mister or Miss?" I asked. "You don't look much younger than us."
"I'm from the Ketokys tribe. We have different customs. Anyone better off than me is Miss or Mister."
"Better off? I'm no better off than you."
"You are Yellow. I recently became Orange. You swim higher than me."
I shook my head in confusion, but Kai just smiled and grabbed my hand. "Come, Miss Yara. We will find your selkie sweetheart."
Koraline didn't look too happy, but the three of us dove beneath the water and swam toward Jack Frost's.
W e stood outside, looking through the windows at everyone in the bar.
I watched Rownan sip his drink at a table in the corner. "He's the one in the white coat."
Koraline grunted, "Of course he is," and turned away.
"No," Kai said, "Cursed White Coat has a beard."
Cursed? Cursed with good looks, maybe. "It's a goatee," I corrected. "I love how rugged it makes him look."
"Miss Yara, he is a scruffy face. Scruffy face means a selkie is married."
"What?" I laughed. "He's not married."
"I cannot lie. Scruffy face on a selkie man means he has a mate."
I whipped around, glancing between Kai and Koraline. Neither of them looked like they were kidding. "No, he would've told me."
Koraline kicked a rock across the parking lot. "Yara, do you know much about Rownan?"
"Of course. We've been together for weeks. He tells me everything."
Kai snorted. "He tells you what you want to hear. Most of what the icy ones say is lacking truth."
"Did he tell you why his coat is white?" Koraline asked. "Why he has the
only
white coat in a sea full of dark selkies?"
"No, but—" I glanced at Rownan again. Why did I know so little about him? My hands felt shaky. I clenched the sides of my sundress and took a deep breath. "Come on, we're going in."
"No, no." Kai stepped back. "Our kind is not welcome in frosty place."
"Fine. I'll go in by myself."
"Wait." Koraline grabbed my arm. "You can't walk in there blind. I wouldn't dare go with you, but it's my job to prepare you." She exhaled, eyeing the bar's tinted windows. "The place is freezing. Everyone in there is a selkie. They all know who and what you are. I don't know what happened between you and Rownan, but I'm guessing it was all an act."
My breath shot out of my lungs like someone had punched me in the stomach. "An act? Why would you say that?"
"Because they wanted you to be one of them, but Treygan
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