The Merworld Water Wars - Finned Part 5

"Something like that," he said, backing away. "Anyway, I had a bad feeling the week Earl moved. I just couldn't zero in on anything specific."

"Did your granddad talk to his parents about it?"

"He didn't have parents. Earl lived with his aunt. Normals don't have two-parent families. Meikle lives with her mom, Polly with her mom, and Ophelia and Odette lived with their older sister."

"And I live with my mom."

Trey nodded.

I sat there, staring blankly at my napkin, quietly trying to digest this high cholesterol information, when I felt a hand in my hair. I whipped around to find Troy removing a strand of hay from behind my ear. Once again, the eye contact felt otherworldly-deep, dark, and a little frightening. I could hear Ula's bell-like voice, but she sounded miles away...or maybe I was miles away.

"Would y'all like some dessert?

"Oh, G.o.d, yes....I mean, NO!" I said that much too loudly.

"Uh, okay. Would you like one of our take-home treat bags? We have chocolate, lollipop, candy corn-"

"CANDY CORN!" Geez, hyper much? "I'm so sorry. I just really, really love candy corn. Would have a bag a day, if I could." There goes my nervous laughter; I can't control it to save my life. Ick. I sounded like a demented hyena.

"All right," said Ula slowly.

"You want to go to the beach?" asked Trey.

"Sounds good," I said, nervously wringing my hands together, desperately wis.h.i.+ng Ula would return with the candy corn. No doubt, I'll have the bag eaten by the end of this date.

When Ula returned with our candy bags, Troy whispered over his shoulder, "Looks like we have something in common-candy lovers."

I didn't even acknowledge him. I grabbed my candy corn, tore open the bag, shoved a handful in my mouth, grabbed Trey's hand, and virtually dragged him out of Harbor Haunts. By the time we reached the beach, all of my candy corn was gone, and I was feeling ga.s.sy.

"So, here we are," said Trey, leaning closer, the full moon and stars sparkling off the water like thousands of twinkling Christmas lights.

Dear G.o.d, he wanted to kiss me. I haven't done this in a while, and I'm not convinced I was any good at it to begin with. Besides, every kiss I've ever had (which amounts to, like, four) leaves me looking around the room, wondering when it will move me. Aren't you supposed to close your eyes when you kiss? Wasn't the perfect kiss supposed to make you forget where you are? Yeah, I haven't had one of those.

Oh, h.e.l.lo, Trey's mouth! c.r.a.p. My eyes weren't closing. I was busily looking at the moon...and the ocean...and the waves...and-uh-something huge flipping out of the water.

"Did you see that?" I yelped, pulling away.

"No. I was kissing you," said Trey. Thankfully, the dark concealed my reddening skin. "What did you see?"

"Well, I saw a fish tail and...I don't really know," I said, shaking my head. "It was large, long, lean-"

"It was probably just a dolphin."

"Or a mermaid," I said gleefully, clapping my hands. Am I seven? Idiot. "Uh, I mean, my imagination is working overtime, I guess."

He looked like he didn't know whether to pity me or laugh at me. "So, my kiss sparked your imagination, huh? Well, that's something," he said, working his hands through my hair, tenderly kissing me.

That must be it! His kiss ignited my imagination! What a relief! Enough, Marina. Focus on the joy of kissing Troy...er...Trey. Oh, no.

Chapter Five.

Halloween Freak Outs.

Growth, thy name was b.u.t.t. Seriously, I could feel it stretching. I'd call it an a-hole, but there's just too much irony there. I've been eating-more like inhaling-candy since my date with Trey. What was I supposed to do? Every morning since our date, a bag of candy corn has mysteriously appeared in my locker. Though Trey denies being my candy corn enabler, I'm certain he holds the t.i.tle of Sugar Culprit. He's so sweet (pathetic pun intended).

Trey and I have been officially going out for a little over a week, and I adore him, really. But, there was no life changing, heart-stopping pa.s.sion. Maybe that was asking too much at sixteen. The kissing was nice, but shouldn't my mind race, almost maddeningly, until the next time I can feel his lips on mine? Still asking too much, I guess. Trey was just so comfortable. Everything was so uncomplicated that, at times, it felt like a complicating dullness. I'm fairly certain he feels the same about me-comfy, but nothing befitting the "wow" category. And now, just to p.i.s.s off my brain, my hormones were busily brewing a pesky crush for that arrogant Neanderthal, Troy Tombolo.

What am I doing? Here I am dating the gentlest soul imaginable, yet I cannot stop thinking about a boy whose soul was so guarded and disguised that it posed an almost terrifying risk to anyone trying to reach inside.

Well, it was all moot now anyway because tonight was HALLOWEEN! Hurray! Of course, I'm exactly two months until dip-c.r.a.p death comes for me. Boo-hiss (Boo-get it? Yeah, I'm lame). Tonight, Katrina Zale hosts her annual Halloween Masque. Yeah, I received an invite from the queen herself. Imagine my shock when she shoved the bat-shaped invitation into my hands after cla.s.ses yesterday. Apparently, Trey and I were the only Normals invited. Naturally, I didn't have time to get a costume, so I'll be going as me. Thrilling. Since the Ravenflames loathe me, I reckon they'll find my non-costume sufficiently scary or terribly offensive. Either way worked for me.

"MARINA! Trey's here!" called my mom. Trey and my mom seemed to be getting along really well by the time I walked into the living room. "About time," she said reprovingly.

"Hey, ready for this party?" Trey looked hot in his white s.h.i.+rt and blue jeans.

"Think so. A night with the Ravenflames...should be interesting."

"You two have fun. Marina, remember curfew."

"Completely curfew conscious. Bye, Mom!"

"Night, Mrs. Valentine!" When Trey and I climbed into his jeep, he quipped, "Wait until you see Katrina's house."

"What? Is it covered in poison thorns and gargoyles?"

"Not exactly," he said, winking.

"I feel bad Polly and Meikle didn't get invited."

"Don't. Polly's avoiding partying demon souls by hiding under the covers until tomorrow, and Meikle's trying to unlock a portal to the other side of the blue crest, whatever that means," said Trey, rolling his eyes.

After about twenty minutes of coastal driving, we finally reached Trinity Lane, a gated road guarded by two burly Ravenflame security officers.

"Invitations," said the burlier of the two. Trey handed him our invites, but after carefully inspecting them-even scratching at the seals-the guard muttered, "Wait here."

"Where can we go? There's a gate blocking us," Trey said.

The guard grudgingly returned to the security booth to call the main house. "Yeah, Miss Zale, I have two Normals here named-yes, that's them, so should I-as you wish, Miss Zale." Returning with our invitations, he said, "Drive up the road, give the parking attendant your keys, and hand the invitations to the butler. Can you remember that, Normal?"

"Oh, wow, I dunno. Maybe I should write it down," said Trey.

The guard looked beyond homicidal.

"Just go," I urged. "Guess that would be our first monster encounter tonight."

"Good as," said Trey, carefully maneuvering his jeep along the winding road.

Another ten minutes and we reached Katrina Zale's mammoth castle with its lonely towers and turrets. Instead of ivy-covered walls, seaweed blanketed every tower and arch. Rather than gargoyles, a bevy of vicious-looking stone mermaids, sharks, and squid lurked in the shadows.

"Weird, huh?"

"I'll trade you a creepy and raise you a disturbing." I imagine the castle could be beautiful, and it probably was at some point, but now it looked cold and uninviting.

After leaving his jeep with the clumsy parking attendant, Trey and I approached the intimidating double front doors.

"Doorbell or knocker?" asked Trey.

"Aw, let's be wild. Go with the doorbell." When Trey pushed the seahorse-framed bell, my jaw dropped: their doorbell sounded like seagulls suffering a ma.s.sive slaughtering.

Two seconds later, the door opened and an eerie Ravenflame butler appeared. "Have you the invitations?" he asked with a measuring eye.

Trey silently shoved his invite into the butler's vein-covered hands.

"Here ya go," I said cheerily, handing him my invitation. "That's one sinister doorbell you've got. It's a great touch for Halloween. Where'd you get it?"

Eerie-butler-man can definitely deliver an effective Halloween glare. "That is the standard doorbell."

"Oh. I just a.s.sumed it was for Halloween. I mean, the sound of slaughtered seagulls doesn't exactly scream Ho, ho, ho, or Hip-hop-hooray, Easter's on its way." He was so totally appalled by my bluntness.

"How about you tell us where the party is," said Trey.

"Through the doors at the end of the hall, in the ballroom," he said.

"Thanks," said Trey out of the corner of his mouth.

We walked hand-in-hand down the dank hallway. Locked doors seemed to watch us, whispering inaudible warnings as we pa.s.sed.

"You okay?" asked Trey after I shuddered.

"I'm just all goose-b.u.mpy," I said warily.

"You'll be fine...I've got you. And I've got my lucky charm to protect us both."

"Aw, your silver owl charm," I said, giggling.

"Yep. Never leave home without it."

"Better than a credit card. I can't believe you don't sense anything. You're all laid back, and I'm totally wiggy about something happening tonight."

"You mean like me suddenly kissing you?"

And so he did.

"Caution, Normals approaching," said a cowboy-clad Benji, opening the French doors to a lavishly decorated ballroom. "Unwelcome to the party."

"You know, if I wanted to listen to an a.s.shole, I would've succ.u.mbed to gas," said Trey. I surrendered to nervous fits of laughter, snorts and all.

Benji wasn't nearly as amused. "Welcome to h.e.l.l."

"Original," Trey quipped.

"You mean like your costumes?" Benji countered, marching off.

Looking around the packed room, I said, "Clearly, this is strictly a Ravenflame affair. Except for booger Benji and the servers, I can't see any other Fairhairs."

"There's Tombolo."

"Where?"

"Back corner."

"Surprised to see Troy here." If only my stupid heart would stop racing, and I could do without that wiggly feeling in my gut that only a set of raging hormones conjures up. Note to self: Mustn't ever give him the satisfaction of knowing the effect he has on me.

"Well, he's probably here with the wicked witch herself," said Trey.

"Hmm." I forgot about Katrina. s.l.u.t.

"What's he dressed as anyway? A cloaked goon?"

"The Phantom...from The Phantom of the Opera."

"How stupid is that, dressing up as a scarred theater lunatic?"

"Actually, the Phantom is one of the most complex, pa.s.sionate, romantic, spine-tingling characters ever created. Yes, he's dark and a little twisted, but he's also sad, lonely, and hurt by the way the world has treated him. He's misunderstood. All he really wanted was love." What am I, a student study guide?

"I don't get the attraction you girls have with a murderous opera buff. You don't see men getting all wobbly-kneed over some psychotic broad with a cape and mask."

"Crab puff or crab cracker?" A server unwittingly shoved a tray of crab under my nose.

Oh, G.o.d, it smelled so bad.

"Uh, no thanks," said Trey, looking at me worriedly. He could see me turning green.

"For you then, Miss?" she asked.

"She's taking this whole crab thing a little too seriously...and it's about to get really serious because I'm going to puke on her tray," I whispered, desperately trying to control my gag reflex.

"She's good, thanks."

She lifted the tray closer to my nose. "Are you sure? They're freshly caught and so tender they just melt in your mouth like mousse."