Fire and Fantasy: A Limited Edition Collection of Urban and Epic Fantasy Read online

  Liana squinted toward the crowded beach ahead. “Except last night. Did that big crack of thunder wake you up?”

  “That big crack of thunder?” I repeated. “You mean the two-hundred cracks of thunder?” I thought back to Tristan, how I’d walked this same path last night only to find him on the beach in front of me. It almost didn’t seem like the same place. Last night, it was so quiet, so secluded. Now you could hardly see the sand through the crowd, and you could hear the laughter all the way from my house. It almost had me questioning if it all had been real. Almost.

  Liana shrugged. “Whatever. I’m kind of looking forward to the summer being over. I just mean, I’m excited about college. Living with you in the dorms will be fun, don’t you think?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, but I’m nervous for classes to start next week. I’m so not ready for the summer to be over.”

  “Well.” She dragged out the word while wiggling her eyebrows at me. “We still have a week left. Let’s make the most of it. Race you!” Before I could fully process her challenge, she had already taken off sprinting toward the beach.

  “Not fair!” I called after her, racing just fast enough that she maintained a fair distance ahead. After calling her a sea horse earlier, I supposed I could spare her a win in the speed department.

  Liana hit the swimming area first. She dropped her beach bag to the sand and raced toward the water, not wasting a second to dive into it. I followed right behind, tossing my bag next to hers and hitting the water in the same place she did. I splashed her as soon as she stood.

  “Hey.” She retaliated.

  The cold salt water felt refreshing on my skin.

  Without saying another word, Liana disappeared under the water. I followed. Under water, it was like an entirely new world. Everyone was off for summer vacation, which meant that children, teens, and young adults of all ages were swimming today. Since Sea Haven Beach was the best spot in the area for a swim, you couldn’t look anywhere without seeing a swarm of people. Right, left. Up, down. It didn’t matter.

  I inhaled the salty water. It was like a breath of fresh air, like somehow I wasn’t breathing properly until now.

  Liana kicked in front of me, sending bubbles in her wake. I followed the trail until we found an open area at the edge of the crowd. She claimed the spot by flipping over and summersaulting backward. I joined her with a front summersault. She gave me a thumbs-up and then signaled to a rock a good forty yards away.

  I sighed. This time, I deserved a head start. I kicked off and sent a thumbs-up behind me. Water swished by my foot as she attempted to reach out for my ankle to slow me down. But she didn’t manage it. I tagged the rock before she could grab onto my foot.

  She narrowed her eyes at me jokingly. I simply smiled back in triumph.

  We spent the next several hours in the water, soaking in the most fun we could before we started college. Luckily, my classes didn’t sound too difficult. I was still undecided, so I figured my best bet was to get my introductory English classes over with first. I also had a psych class I was looking forward to taking.

  I did my best not to worry about all that today. It didn’t take much effort to shut it out of my mind, though, not when green scales continued to dominate my thoughts. I continuously found myself scanning the ocean as far out as I could see, almost like I expected to see more merpeople follow Tristan to Sea Haven. He wasn’t even supposed to be alive, so where did he come from?

  Liana waved her arms in my direction, attempting to get my attention as I squinted into the ocean’s depths once again. I reluctantly tore my gaze off the hazy blue water in the distance. She signaled toward the surface, and I followed. Once our heads emerged out of the water, we could speak again.

  “I’m getting really hungry,” she said. “Do you want to take a break and get some lunch?”

  Only then did I realize how hungry I’d become. “Sure. My mom made lasagna last night if you just want to do leftovers.”

  She shrugged. “Anything is fine.”

  At the beach, we scooped up our bags and wrapped our towels around ourselves. Liana discussed her ideas for decorating our dorm room on the way back, but I didn’t process much of it. My attention remained locked on the horizon.

  When we entered the back door, I was shocked to find my father sitting at the kitchen table.

  “Dad, you’re home. Why aren’t you at work?”

  “Hi, Mr. Waters,” Liana greeted.

  My father folded his newspaper and gazed up at me past his reading glasses. His graying hair appeared unkempt, which made him look grouchy. “I took a half day.”

  “Okay.” I crossed around the counter and opened the fridge.

  I did my best to keep my voice even, but my dad only ever took off work when he was sick. What could it mean that he was sitting at home in the middle of the day on a Monday? He didn’t look sick, just grumpy. Was he going through some kind of male menopause?

  “Liana and I were just going to have leftovers. Want me to heat some up for you?” I asked.

  “No, thank you.” He cleared his throat. “After you two are done eating, though, I’d like your help with something, Bree.”

  I closed the fridge, the tray of lasagna in my hand. “Can I help you later, Dad? We’re going to head back down to the beach when we’re done eating.” Liana was right; our dip in the ocean had helped wake me up.

  “No,” he insisted. “I need your help while I’m off work.”

  “Okay.” Somehow, I knew this wasn’t going to be good.

  I ate slowly, stalling whatever it was my father needed me for. I didn’t want to be alone with him. He’d just go on pretending like nothing happened, and I’d be sitting here anxiously wanting to ask him about it.

  But I couldn’t stop the inevitable from happening.

  “I’ll see you later,” Liana said after setting her dishes in the sink. “I’ll be down at the beach whenever you’re done if you want to hang out.”

  “Okay.” I waved. “See you later.”

  As soon as the back door slid shut, I whirled toward my father. Whatever he needed help with better be good.

  “Why don’t you go change?” he suggested, gesturing toward my swimming suit.

  I planted my feet on the tile floor. “First, tell me what this is about.” I knew I came off sounding rude, but after what happened last night, my paranoia was working in overdrive.

  My father stood and cleared his throat. And then the last words I would have expected to hear came out of his mouth. “The council wants to see you.”

  Three

  I didn’t bother to answer as a wave of anger swept through me. Instead, I stalked into my room and slammed the door behind me. I changed my clothes as my father instructed, slipping into a pair of jeans and a blue tee before brushing out my hair. The whole time, my mind raced with questions. Are they going to tell me the truth about what they know, that our ancestors are still out there? Why is this even a secret? Why can’t they tell people? If I’m in danger, why didn’t my dad lie to the council members about my involvement? How do they even know I saw anything? Is it so top secret that they’ll somehow wipe my memory of last night?

  Calm down, Bree, I told myself. You’re taking things a little too far. They’re not going to brainwash you. This may not be about Tristan at all.

  Except, I knew it was. No one could discover something so amazing and expect to go on living like nothing ever happened.

  Leave it to me to always expect the worst. I’m too quick to anger. Maybe they just want to know if he said anything to me before I went to go get help.

  By the time I emerged from my bedroom, my blood was boiling. I couldn’t hold back my inquiries any longer.

  “This is about Tristan, isn’t it?” I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned against the doorway to the kitchen.

  My dad twisted in his chair to face me. Shock momentarily crossed his face. “I think you need to hear what the council has to say.”

  “I d
on’t get it, Dad. You knew about our ancestors. You know they’re still out there. Why doesn’t anyone else know?”

  His gaze fell as if ashamed. “I’m not allowed to talk about that.”

  My voice rose. “Well, I know now. You can’t just leave me hanging like this.”

  A silence stretched between us. I couldn’t stand it.

  “I deserve to know something. I’m the one who found him.”

  My father’s voice remained calm, but I noticed him fidget in his chair. “It’s not that simple, Bree.”

  “What else have you guys been hiding from the rest of us?”

  Reality hit me. I’d been spending so much time picturing Tristan’s tail and wondering where the other merpeople were that I hadn’t had enough time to focus on these questions about what the council knew. Was my father the bad guy?

  No. Even as I gazed at him in anger, I couldn’t let my emotions lie to me. My father was good through and through. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t working for the bad guys.

  He stood and reached out for me. I fell into his embrace out of habit.

  He soothed down my brown hair. “Bree, honey. I can’t find the words to explain any of this to you.” He pulled away, and tears glistened in his eyes. “I just need you to come with me to City Hall.”

  I swallowed hard. That didn’t sound good. My eyes began to water, mirroring his. “Am I in trouble?”

  He pulled me back to his chest. “No, honey. You’re not in trouble. They just…need to ask you a few questions.”

  If it was just a few questions, why was my father so emotional? His words seemed innocent enough, but the tears in his eyes told me there was more to it than that.

  “I don’t have a choice, do I?” I asked against his chest.

  “No, honey. You don’t,” he said quietly, almost apologetically.

  My body remained tense the whole ride to City Hall. After he parked the car, my father turned to me.

  “It’s going to be all right, Bree,” he promised. The look in his eyes wasn’t very reassuring.

  We walked up the stairs side by side, but neither of us said anything. The cool air inside the building hit me when we stepped through the doors. It was like walking through a portal to another climate. A woman’s heels clicked against the tile, echoing down the hall. I glanced down at my sandals, wondering if I was underdressed.

  “This way.” My father gestured for me to follow him.

  We took a turn down the hall to our left. He stopped at the door on the end and knocked.

  “Come in.” I recognized Carson Ray’s voice. He was head of the council and my father’s boss.

  My father opened the door but stepped aside so I could enter first. Hues of brown bathed the wide room. The walls were wood grain, and so were the book shelves that stood along the right side of the room. Two leather chairs, both also brown, were situated in front of Carson’s desk. The chair behind his desk had a taller back and swiveled when he stood, but the material matched the other two. The hardwood floor was a slightly lighter color than the walls but still in the “brown” spectrum. A small tabletop fountain sat on the wide windowsill behind his desk between two jade plants. It filled the room with the trickling sound of water that perhaps would have helped ease my nerves if I didn’t feel like I was walking into a court room.

  I plastered a fake smile on my face. Maybe there was still hope that this meeting wasn’t bad news.

  “Hello,” I greeted in my best prim-and-proper voice. The obvious fakeness to it made me want to puke, but neither Carson nor my father seemed to notice. I shook Carson’s outstretched hand. At least he seemed in a good mood.

  “Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the two chairs opposite his desk.

  My father and I sat. After a moment, I noticed how tightly I was gripping the arm of the chair. I placed my hands in my lap, forcing myself to relax.

  Carson straightened his tie as his sat. “Ms. Waters.”

  “Bree,” I corrected automatically. Woops.

  “Bree.” Carson said my name slowly, as if testing it out on his tongue. “I asked you and your father to meet me here today because I have some good news for you.”

  Good news? If it was good news, why had my father been crying earlier? I looked to him for an explanation, but he kept his gaze locked ahead on Carson. I wasn’t sure how he managed that considering the bald spot atop Carson’s head—bordered by a thin line of graying hair—was practically blinding.

  “Good news?” I asked.

  “Yes.” He smiled. “My wife put in a recommendation for you at a college that has an excellent journalism program.”

  I furrowed my brow. “Mrs. Ray? My English teacher?”

  I found that hard to believe considering she didn’t even like me. On my final paper senior year, one of her comments read, “Lacks depth and creativity.” I think she had a thing against me ever since I came to her class the first day of school chewing gum. And then there was that time I pointed out her error on the board in using your instead of you’re. And that other time when…yeah, okay. Mrs. Ray had plenty of reasons not to like me.

  Carson nodded, his smile not wavering.

  “What makes her think I want to go into journalism?” The idea of being a journalist made me want to gag. I didn’t know what it was about the profession; it just wasn’t me.

  Carson’s smile faded. He quickly flipped through the stack of papers on his desk until he found what he was looking for three pages down. “Her recommendation here says you were one of the best writers in her class. She told me personally that you wrote several inspiring poems during your poetry unit.”

  The confusion in my expression deepened, and I spoke slowly. “Yeah, but that’s poetry, not journalism.” A beat passed before I spoke again. “I don’t get it. Why are you the one telling me this?”

  Carson folded his hands across the stack of papers in front of him. “My wife is very busy this week, so she asked me to deliver the news personally. We’re very proud of you, Ms. Waters.”

  My mouth hung open. This was all so confusing that I could hardly get the words out. “You’re…proud that…I wrote some good poems in high school?”

  When Carson laughed, his whole chair shook. “We’re proud that you have the opportunity to attend such a wonderful college.”

  I narrowed my eyes, trying my best to look past him so I wouldn’t go blind looking at his shiny bald head. I thought I was coming in here to answer questions about last night, about Tristan. What did any of this have to do with him?

  I forced my voice to remain strong. “I’m going to school in Sea Haven, just like everyone else.”

  “No, honey.” I was surprised to hear my father speak for the first time since we walked into Carson’s office.

  My gaze fell on him. The look in his eyes said it all. They were sending me away.

  I looked back to Carson, my nostrils flaring. “So, I just got into another college just like that?” I snapped my fingers. My word spilled out of my mouth quickly as if I could somehow reason with him about how much this didn’t make any sense. “I didn’t even apply! It’s only a week until classes start. Application periods are over. How could I have gotten in on such short notice?”

  Carson shrugged like he wasn’t sure how it happened, but he smiled like it was a happy accident. “The school was very impressed by the recommendation my wife sent in.”

  Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. I gripped the ends of the armrests again until my knuckles turned white. My breath grew hot, making it feel like I was breathing fire onto my upper lip. The water in the small fountain behind Carson’s desk began to drip at an irregular rate.

  They’re going to kill me for what I know! They’re going to tell everyone I went off to journalism school, and they’re going to kill me! I knew this had to be bad. I knew it. Is that what happened to everyone else who left? Was it because they saw something they shouldn’t have? Why are they hiding the truth about our ancestors? Why is it so important that
we don’t know?

  I managed to get past my anger and speak without blowing up. “Where is this ‘school’?” I couldn’t keep the sarcastic tone out of my voice when I said the word school. There probably wasn’t one. It was all just a ruse to shut me up, to lock me in a jail cell or smother me in my sleep.

  Carson handed the top paper on his stack over to me. I leaned forward in my chair and snatched it out of his hands. It took me a second to find mention of the location, but when I did, I shot out of my chair. The water in his fountain began a reverse course. I was kind of scared for my life here; I couldn’t exactly help it.

  “ILLINOIS!” I exclaimed so loud that I was sure I heard the word echo down the hall despite the door being closed.

  My father reached out for me to get me to settle down, but I shrugged him off. Carson’s smile completely faded, but I could have sworn he looked amused by my outburst.

  “But—but,” I stammered. “That’s in the middle of the country! The ocean! I—I need to be by…” My words trailed off as I collapsed back into my chair. My whole body grew hot. The ocean doesn’t matter when you’re dead.

  “Bree, honey—” my dad tried, but I cut him off.

  “No.” I straightened in my chair and looked Carson Ray dead in the eyes. “Why don’t we talk about what this is really about?” My eyebrow twitched, challenging him.

  “It’s just about your academics, Ms. Waters,” he replied calmly.

  My eye twitched this time. Woops. I didn’t mean to do that. “Really? So you don’t want to ask me any questions about a certain someone I met last night?”

  Carson swallowed hard, and my father’s breathing rate increased.

  “I think it’s best if we don’t speak of it,” Carson said, never breaking eye contact with me.

  Anger boiled in my blood again. My gaze flickered between my father and Carson. My dad sank in his chair like there was nothing he could do, and Carson stared back to me with a hard gaze.