When Life Gives You Fins by Elaina H (classic books to read txt) 📖

275 pounds. At his side is, no not a Trident, a large sword. The sword is engraved with golden writing and is about four feet long.

            Then you notice these people in this order: a beautiful women with black hair wearing a white dress that ends about mid thigh, amazingly attractive but absolutely annoying Prince Zak, a younger girl about my age with an aqua tail and an aqua top, finally a younger boy who is maybe only six or seven wearing a black vest to go with his onyx tail.

            At this time the King addresses us, “Haden, you may leave now!” he bellows.

            I glance at Haden, willing him to stay, but he frowns because he knows he can not disobey orders.

            When I turn around I catch Prince Zak’s angry expression, for what I don’t know.

            “Young girl, state your name! State your plans!” he yells.

            My plans? Well I can do my name, “My name is Celia Jane Kendal, but you can call me CJ,” my voice comes out very shaky, “my, um, plans are to learn from you, I guess,” at this Zak smiles.

            “You guess? Is that a yes or a no?” he screams.

            I feel the prick of tears in the corners of my eyes. I swallow hard and feel the corners of my mouth start to turn down.

            Seeing this, the girl in the aqua shirt smiles a sick smile, almost as if she’s won something.

            “Yes!” I say firm, so only a few could here my terror.

            “Good. This is what I have to say. Unless anything changes you with be here for five weeks and two days, this is because you are two days early. You will be considered wealthy class while you stay here. You will be provided a room in the palace.

            Your training will start in two days and it will consist of learning our history, learning or government, our economy, and finally our source of trade and war routes. The time remaining, approximately two weeks, is the time you will use to live your life here as an everyday citizen.  

            Haden, the boy who brought you here, will be what you might call a guide for your five weeks unless anything changes.” He finishes with that. He picks up his sword, takes his wife’s hand, and dismisses me will a wave of his hand.

            What a nice way to give a lecture, end it the same way you start it.

            Prince Zak gives me a smile, the girl gives me an awful glare, and the young boy swims up to me.

            “You’re different, you know.” And with that they all leave.

            As I follow a servant girl up to my room I realize these things: 1) The little dark boy creeps my out, 2) I don’t like the King or his snotty daughter one bit, and 3) I am at the very most top of the castle, so I do not leave with out orders from someone higher up than me.

            When the servant girl turns to make sure I’m still here for the third time I ask her, “Why do you keep checking me, I came down myself. I’m not going anywhere.”

            Her cheeks grow bright red, and she looks at her feet. I believe she is embarrassed by the words I have said, then I hear him.

            “Hello, CJ,” Prince Zak grabs my hand and kisses it, “Mira, I will be glad to assist this lovely lady to her rooms.” Mira doesn’t need to be told twice, she leaves.

            Dang that Mi n  ra! I glance at Prince Zak and turn my eyes back to my fin.

            It feels strange to have a fin and not legs; it also feels strange to be swimming next to a guy with fins, well, there’s not much else on him.

            “So CJ, what did you think of my father?” Prince Zak says these few words in a mocking tone.

            I look at him and say nothing. What am I supposed to say to that?

            “I see,” he goes on without my reply, “he’s, um, very bold and large. Yes, bold and large,” he reassures himself.

            “Okay, well thanks for taking me to my room.”

            “No problemo!”

            “Oh nice, merpeople speak Spanish too!” I joke.

            He smiles then glances around me at my door, he takes a deep breath. “Hey, maybe you want to go down to the market outside the castle. You could, I don’t know,” he rubs the back of his neck in a nervous gesture, “buy some jewelry or something?”

            I raise an eyebrow a his question, and from somewhere deep inside I get a spark of boldness, “Are you, Prince Zak, asking me on a date?”

            Prince Zak stumbles over his words before he comes up with an answer, “As friends.”

            “Okay!” what possesses me to be so peppy? The world will never know.

            “Okay? Okay!” he says.

            “Yeah sure, oh shoot,” I mean to say this in my head, “never mind.”

            He looks at me like I said a foreign phrase, which I probably did, “Everything alright?”             “Yeah, listen, I would love to go shopping, but I have no money. So maybe we could go shopping after I make some money.”

            “Okay, or I could just lend you a few Clam Shells.”             “Clam Shells? Anyways, no, I couldn’t borrow any money from you. We’ll just postpone it, okay,” I turn around and start to open my door.

            “Actually it’s not ‘okay’ you are going to do something fun on your first day, and,” he digs his hand into the pocket on his vest, “here,” he shoves a fist-full of golden coins imprinted with clams.

            “Are you sure?”             “Positive!”             “Okay, we can go,” he starts down the hall before I finish, “But! I am going to pay you back.”

            Smiling, he shakes his head and responds, “That is the first time I have heard those words from anybodies’ mouth.”

            He wraps his arm around my shoulder, and I remove it. He chuckles to himself.

            “Hey!” the voice comes from behind us.

            Prince Zak turns around and “the voice” aka Haden apologizes.

            “Hi Haden, do you want to come with us to the market?” Prince Zak’s smile slips, but only for a moment. But it doesn’t disappear fast enough because Haden catches it.

            “That’s alright, I’ll stay here,” he goes to turn, but I shout.

            “Haden, no, come with us! It’ll be fun, please?”

            He checks Prince Zak’s expression then speaks, “Okay, I guess.”

            “Yay! “I shout apparently too load because Haden’s hand covers my mouth. I glare at him, and Haden smiles, Prince Zak frowns.

            I hook my arms around both of theirs and we head back down the long staircases and hallways until we finally made it to the bottom floor and we head to the gates.

            As soon as we made it down Prince Zak releases my arm and gives me a shy smile. On the hand, Haden continues to hold my arm.

            Without any words spoken the guards open the gate and let us out. When we step out I let Haden’s arm drop and stare in awe at the market that wasn’t there this morning.

            “Wow!” I swim away from the guys and go straight to a fabric counter. There lie a wide variety of fabrics. A gold fabric catches my eye and I feel it.

            Instead of feeling heavy and coarse it feels soft and light. I hold it up to myself and notice how well it goes with my hair, my tail, and my skin. I look up at the sales person, “How much does this fabric cost?” I ask.

            “For you, eight clams.”

            “Oh,” I count the coins Prince Zak, seven, “never mind then, I only have seven.”

            “Here,” I look and there stands Prince Zak’s younger brother. In his hand is a single golden Clam.

            I smile at him, ‘Thanks…”

            “Destin.”

            “Thank you,” I reach for the coin, but Destin drops it. I watch it fall almost in slow motion. I stare at the coin and then it stops moving.

            The golden Clam has frozen in midwater and I break my gaze and look up at Destin and he has a wicked grin across his face. Then I hear the clink of the coin hitting the ground.

            “Destin? What did you do?” my voice shakes with nerves.

            “I,” he looks at me, “didn’t do a single thing, CJ.”

            “Hey!” Prince Zak swims up and looks at my face and Destin’s, “what’s going on Destin?”

            Destin looks at Prince Zak and stares, “Zak, remember the other day when I told you that story from the book I read? Well, I need to do more research                              

            so I need a pass for the palaces library! Please!!” this Destin is very different from the Destin I just talked to. He’s acting more like a little brother looking up to an older brother.

            At this Haden swims up with something in his hand, “Here,” he reaches out and puts his hands around my shoulders, I stiffen.

            Around my neck he places a necklace. The necklace is silver, but the minute it touches my skin it turns purple and black. The necklace is shaped like a large pearl with the shape of a starfish burnt into it.

            I turn and look at Haden and stare into his eyes. Out of the corner of my eye I see a gold Clam flying toward Haden’s head. I look at it and it freezes in water again no less than three inches from Haden’s head.

            I rip it from its frozen state before anybody notices. I ignore Haden, Prince Zak, and Destin’s confused stares.

            I look at the gold fabric again and give him the money for the golden fabric.

            “I think I’ve had enough shopping.”

            All three boys nod.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                  

 

 

The Point is that You Can’t go to The Point

 

            After I grabbed the fabric and left the market I asked Haden where the Seamstress was and he told me how to find her.

            I thanked Prince Zak and Destin for the money and promised I’d pay them back.

            I looked for some sort of clock, but I couldn’t find one so I had to ask a servant, he gladly told me it 4:56.

            Strangely though, it felt like it was 7:00 at night. I guess it’s because the water is dark at 4:00 and maybe the time is different underwater.

            I swim to my door and open it. Inside the room is very clean.

            The walls are aqua blue and the bedspread is a yellowish-tan color. I look into the left corner of the room and see a vanity complete with a brush, mirror, and clips.

            I rest on the stool with my fin curled underneath me; I look at my reflection. I haven’t looked at myself since I’ve been down here. My hair is even more vibrant underwater. To compare my hair looks like a toned down version of Arial’s from The Little Mermaid.

            My eyes are a deep green, unlike anybody else’s down here. Blue seems to be a popular color.

            I’m still wearing the green seaweed bra-top thing, it hasn’t even wilted.

            I look at a rigged system to tell time on my vanity, but it says 5:12.

            After my eventful day I decide to call it a day. I swim over to the bed and look around it trying to find where I am supposed to lay.

            I here a giggle from behind, and I turn around, standing there is a small, petite, brown haired girl. She shakes her head and switches a button on the bed. The bed opens like a clam. Inside is plush, white, cotton bedding; I sit down a bounce. The bedding is so nice, it’s like a cloud.

            Sighing, I lie down and close my eyes. I here a small cough and realize the girl is still here.

            She points