"They're my cousins," Luca starts, breaking the strained silence.
April looks at him, eyebrows raised. Really? He looks at me and shrugs slightly, as if saying It doesn't hurt to try.
"Does someone want to explain to me why there are.... why they are under my deck?"
I open my mouth to answer, but nothing comes out. What do you say to that? I remember what it feels like, though. To see the impossible. To not know if you're seeing the truth or not.
"And don't act like you don't know," she points to me. "I know you know something. That night you asked me about experimentation and crap? Yeah, I remember. I'm on to you." She stumbles back.
"April-"
"I'm freaking out right now, Jules."
"I gathered that. And I can explain... just not now."
"Not now?" she leans forward incredulously. "There are freaking mermaids five feet away from us and you can't explain?"
"It's a complicated situation."
"Uncomplicate it!"
"Julie," Luca cautions, looking off into the horizon. I follow his line of sight. "Is that his boat?"
"He followed them here."
"What?" April interrupts. "Who?"
"I'll explain later."
Luca and I brush past her and jog forward.
"What do we do?" he breathes. "He knows they're here."
Mr. Kriss rows forward in a red inflatable boat. He'll be here any minute.
"I-" I start. "I don't know."
Then the right end of the raft jumps.
"What was that?"
"Who is that?" April demands, coming up next to us.
"A long story."
The raft jars again.
"What the hell was that?!"
Kriss stabs his oar into the water frantically, but it's no use. The boat flips over.
"Sebastian."
YOU ARE READING
Beached
FantasyWhen a girl swims out to sea to rescue a figure in distress, she quickly realizes that the reason as to why he was in distress was quite different from the reason she had in mind. He wasn't drowning. Julia finds herself tethered to the mysterious st...
