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“Really?” she said.
He nodded. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Ugh, more like a horrible nightmare,” she snorted.
“Nightmare? You can breathe underwater. And probably swim faster, too.”
“Yup, I crushed the other swimmers at the last swim meet and broke the official record.”
“No joke?”
She nodded, remembering her victory and feeling excited about it for the first time.
“When I dove into the pool, it felt like I belonged there. It was the most incredible feeling in the world. . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“I’m guessing there’s a catch?”
“It’s a long story,” she said. “Basically, if I don’t help the sea witch steal the trident from the main exhibit, then this will all become permanent. I’ll turn into a fish for all eternity.”
He blinked at her, taking that in. “Wait . . . the trident? Why would she want that old thing
? You’d better tell me the whole story. Start from the beginning. Don’t leave anything out.”
They waded out of the ocean, onto the beach, and walked back toward the aquarium, and Shelly told him everything from the beginning: Dropping the cup in the ocean. The nautilus and the nightmare. Making her wish and signing the contract, then waking up with gills. When she finished, he studied her.
“Wow, that is some story.”
“You don’t believe me,” she said.
“Oh no, I believe you,” he said, pointing to her gills. “Anyway, that’s too crazy to make up. Plus, like I said, I’ve heard of the sea witch. I just didn’t realize the stories were real.”
“Wait, that’s it!” Shelly said excitedly. “Maybe the old stories can help us.”
“Right, there’s an old myth about her. My grandfather used to talk about it. Something about her haunting sailors who got lost in storms . . .”
“Anything else?” she said.
Maybe he knew about a way to help Shelly that didn’t involve the trident at all.
He shook his head. “It was a long time ago. I’m sorry. I don’t remember very much.”
“Right,” she said, feeling crushed. “Thanks anyway.”
“But I have an idea,” he said, perking up. “There’s a special library at the private college with a lot of history about Triton Bay. Old books, original documents. My brother told me about it. Maybe we can do some research.”
“That’s so nerdy,” she said, nudging him. “And so awesome at the same time.”
“Totally is,” he said with a thumbs-up.
She bit her lip. “Maybe we can find out more about the sea witch—she said her name was Ursula—and why she wants that trident so badly. I don’t trust her. Not one bit.”
He nodded. “And maybe we can find a way to stop this fish transformation from happening to you. I mean, I do love fish and all, but you make a pretty great human—”
Suddenly, the wind whipped up. A bolt of lightning struck the sea. It flashed with bright emerald light—unnatural light. Shelly waited for the deep rumble of thunder that always accompanied lightning. But instead, cackling rose from the waves. The laughter grew louder.
“Did you hear that?” Enrique said, casting his gaze out to the ocean. “What was that?”
Shelly swallowed hard against the sick feeling in her stomach. “That’s the sea witch. She must have been listening to us.”
