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“You think I want to risk my second chance at life by getting arrested? I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t have to.”
He wasn’t wrong. I knew what it was like to be forced into something wrong in order to do the right thing. Like lying to McKenzie. Or when I had to make Dad believe I’d given up on him and Mom. But no matter how much I understood, something kept me from telling him that. So, I was silent as he walked out of the helm station and went to secure the sail into the sail bag up top.
I looked out at the water ahead. Six days of this. And once we got there, then what? How would we even know where the trident would be and how would we get to it?
I heard the banter of McKenzie and Noah below, and I knew I couldn’t avoid them forever. I hurried back down to them, watching my step as the waves of the open ocean danced beneath me. They watched me with suspicion as I approached timidly.
“It’s only fair that I explain to you both what’s going on.”
“Please do.” McKenzie crossed her arms.
I asked them to sit down, because I knew there was no possible way I could give an explanation that didn’t make me sound like I’d lost my mind, and I knew I’d talk in circles trying to do it. But there, as the sun rose higher in the sky and cast its glittering white diamonds across the sea’s surface, I told them how I’d uncovered a mermaid’s curse on an undead pirate crew last semester, and also how I broke it, and how now Cordelia was still alive and ready to take out her vengeance on the world. And I made sure to explain how we were now in a race against her to find the trident. Though I did leave out the part about me possibly being a mermaid.
“Wait,” McKenzie looked down at her lap, holding out her pointer finger as though she was connecting the dots on an invisible piece of paper. “So, all those times you were out at night so late…you were meeting ghosts by the ocean? Bellamy was one of them, too? And those men who chased us downtown were…pirates?”
I nodded. “In a nutshell, yes.” Noah hadn’t said a word, but his wide eyes and disgusted expression were enough to tell me he didn’t believe a word of it.
“You mean to tell me you actually believe her?” He turned to McKenzie.
“Well…I mean yeah, it’s a little out there…but it technically makes sense. That necklace was pretty freaky. And besides, who are we to say we know what’s out there? Pirate ghosts and mermaids could be entirely possible. I always say there’s a reason for the stories.”
“This isn’t Pirates of the Caribbean, McKenzie! Your friend is just on some hard drugs.” Noah stood up and began jogging up to the deck. “I’m taking this boat back right now.”
“Noah, no!” I cried, shooting to my feet and running after him. The floor beneath us bobbed and rolled, making for difficulty going faster than a quick walk.
He took off, sprinting up to the control cabin. When he grabbed the wheel, I lunged forward, using the railing along the boat to pull myself forward faster. Reaching the helm, I tried to pry him from the steering wheel.
“Stop, Noah! I know it sounds impossible, but it’s true! You don’t understand how important this is!” I cried.
He shoved me off him and I stumbled into the control panel. I went for him again and knocked his hand from the wheel just as he had begun to turn the boat, sending us rocking and flying off balance before he regained his grip. A thud startled me as Milo leapt down from the masts and landed in front of the cabin doorway with skilled agility.
“You have to stop.” His voice boomed in an authoritative way I’d only heard before when he stopped Bellamy from taking my necklace on the beach. He stepped in front of the wheel to readjust it as Noah held on tightly and resisted.
Noah flinched. He shoved Milo backward in a panicked motion. Milo shook his head as he stepped forward without losing his balance. “Calm down.”
“Calm down? I need to calm down? You’ve kidnapped us!” He yanked the wheel to the side, tossing our boat and making me slip and tumble into the wall. When Milo pulled back on the wheel, Noah threw an unexpected punch at Milo’s jaw. He then went to throw another jab. Though the first blow had caught him by surprise, Milo caught the second swing in in his palm with ease, closing his hand around Noah’s fist. He pulled Noah’s arm around, putting him in an armlock that left Noah grimacing.
“I said, you need to calm down.” He loosened his grip on Noah after turning him around to face him, and then gave him a light shove backward. I stood tense, bracing against the doorway threshold as I watched.
“If you think you still have a home in the shop loft, think again,” Noah hissed.
“Whatever you need to do, Noah. But here’s the reality. You’re stuck on this ship anyway. If we get to our destination and it turns out there’s no trident and we’re all insane, you can call the police. Send me to prison. I’ll accept my punishment, however severe. But leave Katrina out of it.” He looked at me as he smoothed back some stray pieces of hair falling across his eyes, only for them to fall right back. “Agreed?”
Noah’s nostrils flared as he met Milo’s gaze. I could see the veins in his neck as he tightened his shoulders and jaw. “Agreed. For now.”
Milo stepped back, surveying the ocean before us. McKenzie had made her way up the control cabin now, a look of fear frozen on her face. I’d never seen her look so undone.
“How long are we going to be on this boat?” Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper as she hugged herself in the cold open wind.
“A few days.” I shuddered.
“I think I need a minute.” She turned away, making her way down into the lower cabin belowdecks.
I looked at the two men before me, my gaze catching on Milo as he stood firm, still breathing hard from the altercation. “Please stop fighting,” I said.
With heavy steps, I trudged out of the helm area and followed McKenzie. Once I entered the interior below, I examined our living quarters for the next week. A high-end kitchenette wrapping along the length of the left side of the boat gave way to a small table and bar, where McKenzie sat with her head in her hands. As I made my way to her, I caught a glimpse of the sleeping area around the corner.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this.” I told McKenzie, taking a seat next to her softly. “It was just too fantastical of a story.”
