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“Sounds good, I’ll take it,” said Carlos.
Jay leaned over the counter. “What about that one?” he asked, motioning to a dark-colored flavor.
“Oh, that’s anemone. It tastes like chocolate.”
“Nice, I’ll go with that one,” said Jay, nodding to the merman working the counter. He watched as the merman scooped up a hefty roll, placed it between two crusty pieces of bread, closed it up like a clam and tossed the entire thing into the fryer, then stuck it on a Popsicle stick and handed it to Jay to eat.
Jay bit into it and smiled in satisfaction. “Wow, how does it keep from melting?” he asked.
“Magic,” said Evie. “Kidding. The bread keeps the heat away from the ice cream like a shield. It’s simple chemistry.”
“Which one do you want, Mal?” asked Ben. “My treat. Let me guess. Purple starfish!”
“Good guess!” she said, squeezing his hand.
“One purple starfish coming right up,” he said with a smile. “I’ll have the same,” Ben told the clerk.
Mal took a bite. It tasted like lavender and honey. Delicious. Evie and Arabella chose the whitecaps flavor, which Evie reported tasted just like vanilla except with a little more sea salt. The group left the ice-cream counter and slowly made their way through the crowded aisles of booths, admiring colorful pieces of sea glass and scrimshaw sculptures.
“Hey, what about this?” said Carlos, picking up a T-shirt that proudly proclaimed, “I Went to the Seaside Festival and All I Got Was This T-shirt.”
“Perfect,” said Evie. “Especially since it’s in black and white.”
“Of course!” said Carlos, tossing the shirt over his shoulder.
The next booth sold CDs of blue-whale songs, and Carlos picked up a set of headphones to listen. “I wonder why they haven’t switched to offering it on a digital streaming service yet,” he said.
“Oh, you know blue whales, they’re a little old-fashioned and set in their ways,” explained Arabella. “But you guys should head back to the aquatic auditorium to catch the start of the one-million-meter butterfly. The mermen swim so fast you can’t even see their fins! They’re just blurs in the water!”
“You’re not joining us?” asked Evie.
“I have to say hi to my family. My grandfather’s hosting a reception under the sea,” said Arabella. “I’ll catch you at the free-fin race.”
The mer-games were just as thrilling as Arabella promised, and Mal cheered with the rest of the crowd as the merfolk showcased their speed and strength in a number of races and competitions. Evie decided she liked the synchronized fin dancing best, while the boys enjoyed the underwater boxing matches, which were projected on a screen since the other audience members couldn’t actually go underwater to watch them like the mermaids did. The free-fin race was just about to start when a flash of lightning forked the sky and a crash of thunder rolled, booming so loud it echoed all over the open-air stadium.
Ben looked up with a frown at the suddenly dark skies. “Huh, that’s weird. All the weathermen predicted sunny skies for today,” he said.
“But isn’t it always sunny in Auradon?” asked Mal.
“Not today,” said Carlos, as seemingly out of nowhere, an angry storm gathered above their head
s, turning the clouds black and sending sheets of rain all over the colorful tents and booths and drenching everyone seated in the auditorium. The merfolk dove into the sea while everyone else rushed to the exits.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Ben, removing his jacket to use as an umbrella over their heads. “Follow me to the limo!”
They ran out toward the parking lot, where cars and carriages were gridlocked as everyone tried to get out of the rain and leave the festival at the same time. The five of them piled into the royal limousine, drenched and shaking from the cold, wet droplets soaking the leather seats.
“Where did that storm come from?” said Evie, her bangs plastered to her forehead. “There were blue skies just a second ago.”
“Where’s Arabella?” asked Carlos.
“She texted me earlier. She said she was going to stay a little longer at her grandfather’s party and not to wait,” said Evie, checking her phone again. “She’s with her family.”
“We need to get home before it gets any worse,” said Ben.
Mal agreed. “Yeah, let’s go.” Outside, rain lashed the windows and a furious wind howled, rocking the car. The exuberant celebration of underwater life had ended, literally, with a wash.
“So much for the festival,” said Jay.
