“Chase you? For dinner?” Saul sounded more bemused than angry now. “Did you really think that?”
“I . . .” I began. What could I say? That was exactly what I’d thought. I suddenly felt ashamed to have gotten it so wrong.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
Saul sighed and turned to Joel. “Do you want to explain what’s going on here?” he asked.
Joel stepped forward. “I found her in the eastern forest,” he said. “I don’t know who she is, how she got here, or anything. I was going to bring her to you. I was planning to find out more about her first.” He gestured at the others. “They just got us here a little faster.”
Saul turned back to me. “So we know nothing about you?” he asked. As he spoke, he edged closer. So close I could see the beads of sweat on the top of his head.
So close that I could see his necklace.
The one that Joel told me about. What had he said? That the necklace had a picture of the thing Saul believed was going to save them all.
As I looked at the pebble hanging around Saul’s neck, I couldn’t help gasping. I clapped a hand over my mouth. No. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t!
“What’s wrong?” Saul asked, stepping back. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t find words. All I could do was hold out a quivering arm, stretch out my hand, and point at his necklace.
The picture on the pebble — it was a person. Kind of.
It was a girl with shortish hair. She was waving as she swam in a lake.
And she had a mermaid’s tail.
My stomach turned over as my eyes confirmed who I was looking at.
The person who Saul believed was going to save them all — it was me.
I tried to find my voice. It wasn’t there.
“What? What is it?” Saul asked.
I cleared my throat and swallowed as I gasped at the air. My heart was thudding into my throat so hard I could barely breathe.
Saul turned to the men who’d brought us here. “Get her some water. She looks like she’s about to faint.”
The man returned a minute later with a cup made from a coconut shell. “Here,” he said. “Drink.”
I sipped the water and gathered my thoughts. Tried to, anyway. They were scrambling about all over the place. The one that I kept coming back to was the fact that I couldn’t exactly tell Saul I was a mermaid. I mean, it was obvious that I wasn’t a mermaid. Where was my tail? He might have been reasonable so far, but I wouldn’t like to bet on him taking kindly to what would only sound like a child’s fantasies.
“Speak,” Saul said when I finished drinking. He was starting to sound impatient. “Explain, please. Who are you? Why are you here? How did you get here?”
Everything Joel had told me was still whizzing around in my head. The earthquake that threatened us all. Actual lives were at stake. And if I was the one who could help, then I had to tell them.
In fact, I had to do better than tell them. I had to show them.
I took a deep breath and summoned up all the courage I had. “I’ll answer all of your questions,” I said. My voice came out more steadily this time. “But first, will you do something for me?”
Saul had a glint of laughter in his eyes. “You show up out of nowhere, in my land, and demand favors?” he asked.
I nodded. After gulping down my fear, I spoke quickly. “Take me to the well,” I said.
“The well?” Saul echoed.
“Blue Pool,” Joel said.
“Yes. Blue Pool. Take me there,” I said. “I need to show you something.”
Saul stared at me. “Why?” he asked.
“Do what the girl says.” A woman’s voice came through the gap in the hut before I had a chance to answer. She walked inside and came right up to Saul.
“What harm will it do?” the woman asked him. Her voice was so gentle, I already felt better for her being here. That’s when I realized whose voice it was. She was the third voice I’d heard yesterday.
Saul and the woman held each other’s eyes for a moment. Their gaze was like a high wire, stretching across the space in a dangerous game of truth or dare, and it locked everyone else out.
Eventually, Saul shrugged. “Very well,” he said. “We will do as Ella says.” Waving a hand toward the doorway, he indicated for me to leave. “To Blue Pool,” he instructed. “You, too, Joel. Let’s see what this is all about.”
Joel and I retraced our steps through the forest. Saul followed behind with Ella.
“Want to explain what’s going on?” Joel asked as we walked.
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“Fair enough,” Joel said.
“Tell me about Ella,” I said.
“She’s a good influence on Saul. Helps him make the right decisions.”
“Is she his wife?’
“Ex-wife. They’re still good friends. She’s kind of his second-in-command. She helps keep his head straight.”
“She’s in his faction?”
“Ella doesn’t believe in the factions. She floats above all of it. Never takes any sides. Never makes any enemies. Never raises her voice. She’s like the thread that holds us all together.”
“Why isn’t she the leader?” I asked.
Joel shrugged. “Good question, I guess. We’ve never had a woman leader.”
“Well, maybe it’s time you did,” I muttered.
We’d come to the hole in the earth that led down to the pool. “We’re here,” Joel said. “You ready?”
“I guess,” I replied, and the four of us carefully picked our way down the rocks to the pool.
Something twitched inside me as we reached the bottom and I looked at the water. A mixture of excitement and fear, I guessed. Excitement because, no matter what else happened, the thought of diving into that beautiful pool and transforming into a mermaid made me feel calm.
Fear because I had no idea how they were going to respond.
How was anyone supposed to respond? First a girl turns up out of nowhere in a land that’s supposedly impossible to reach, then she dives into water, and comes back up with a tail? They might lock me up for witchcraft or something.
I hesitated by the side of the pool.
Then I remembered the words I’d overheard, the story Joel had told me, and the picture around Saul’s neck.
If there was even the smallest chance that I could help save all of them, all of us, and goodness knew how many thousands more, I had no choice. I had to do it.
I turned away from them, looked down at the clear blue water — and dived in.
As I swam, I felt that familiar feeling start to spread through me from my toes to my knees, electricity running all the way up my legs as they fizzed and tingled . . . and finally turned into my tail.
My heart was leaping around in my chest like a fish gasping for survival on a shore. This was it. Make or break time.
I flicked my tail to get some momentum. Then I kicked as hard as I could, propelled myself high above the water, and dived back into the pool with a splash. As I dived down, I flipped my tail into the air as high as I could, swishing and twirling it around, to make sure they would see it.
For a minute or two, I let myself luxuriate in the feeling of being in the pool. When I was in water, it felt like I was whole. Like I was home. Being a mermaid was what completed me.
For a split second, it crossed my mind that perhaps I could just stay down here. Swim around under the water until they gave up on me and went away. Then, somehow, get through the death chute again and get back to the hotel. Back to the vacation I was meant to be on.
I could do it.
Except that meant I’d have to pretend that I hadn’t been told everything I’d been told.
The Prophecy predicted that I would come — and I had. If it also predicted an earthquake that threatened destruction on a scale like Joel had told me, then I had no choice. People’s lives were depending on me.
N
ot just all the people here on Forgotten Island, but on Majesty Island, too. My family, my best friends — and thousands more on the other side of the ocean.
I couldn’t leave all those people to die.
So I swam upward, toward the light.
As I broke through the surface of the lake, I wiped my hair off my face and spun around to face the others.
This was it. The moment of truth.
Saul and Joel had identical looks on their faces.
They looked like they were competing to win gold in a who-can-stand-still-with-their-mouth-open-wide-enough-to-catch-the-most-flies-in-it competition.
Ella was the only one who didn’t look completely shocked. While the others stood there, staring, sputtering, and saying things like “How?” and “B-but that’s imposs . . .” she walked down to the edge of the pool and sat next to me.
My tail flipped and flicked as I pulled myself out and sat on the rocks. Bit by bit, the flicking lessened, the scales melted away, and my legs returned.
“I had the feeling it was you,” she said.
“What was me?”
“That you were the one,” she said.
I looked at her. “Really? Why?” I asked.
She smiled as she replied, “I gave him that necklace.”
I swallowed. “I just hope I will be able to help,” I mumbled.
“You will, little one. I’m sure. But things aren’t as simple as they might seem.”
I wanted to point out that, frankly, things didn’t actually seem simple at all. She went on before I had the chance.
“There are other things to account for,” she said. “And other people. We have a long way to go. A lot of people to convince and others to find. Do you understand?”
“Um. Not really.”
Ella smiled. “I’ll explain on the way back. Come on.” She reached down to help me up.
I brushed off my legs. As I stood up, Saul indicated for me to approach him.
I stood in front of him and looked up into his dark eyes.
He stared at me for a long time. Eventually, he spoke. “I don’t even know your name,” he said.
I cleared my throat. “It’s Emily.”
“Emily. You should have had a better welcome,” he said. “Will you forgive me?”
I nearly burst out laughing. I’d turned up on this island and thought he wanted to chase me for dinner, lock me away, and guard me with weapons — and he was asking if I would forgive him?
“Of course I will,” I replied. “Don’t worry about it.”
Saul grinned widely and beckoned us all to get moving. “Come,” he ordered, a strong ruler again. “We have no time to waste. Gather all the others. The day has come. We have plans to make.”
Joel stopped him. “Saul,” he said.
Saul turned to him. “What is it?”
“I . . . I’m sorry,” Joel said. “I was wrong. We were all wrong. We should have trusted you. We should have supported you, believed in your leadership.”
Saul reached out to pat Joel’s arm. “You do now,” he said softly. “That’s all that matters.”
Then he turned, and we began to walk back to his house.
Saul and Ella walked on either side of me.
“I should have known — I should have thought. I can’t believe I didn’t even stop to think,” Saul muttered as we walked.
“It’s not your fault,” Ella replied. “You have many things to think about. You cannot always be expected to see everything.” She looked across me to smile at him. “That’s why you have me,” she said.
Saul smiled back at her. “Do I?” he asked.
“Always.”
Saul went quiet as we continued to walk. Then, a little way farther down the path, he stopped. After turning to me, he held out his necklace. “I have carried this carving around my neck for five years,” he said. “The Prophecy brought you here. You have proven me right. The Prophecy will save us all.”
Ella touched Saul’s arm. “It didn’t bring her here,” she argued. “Perhaps it foretold of her arrival. Perhaps, still, it may be coincidence.”
“Coincidence?” Saul burst out. “You can’t seriously be —”
“I’m just saying, let’s take it a step at a time,” Ella urged. “Maybe Emily is the one to help us. But even if she is, you know as well as I do that we still have a huge task ahead of us.”
We’d reached a large clearing with a round hut in the middle of it. “Come,” Saul said. “We are here now. Let’s go inside. We will tell you more of our story and show you the rest of the Prophecy’s drawings.”
He led the way into the hut. “And then,” he added as he waved me inside, “between us, we will work out how you are going to help us.”
I followed Saul and Ella inside. Joel was sent to gather the rest of the community.
As we took our seats and Saul disappeared to get the things he wanted to show me, I tried to slow the thumping in my chest. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or excitement. Maybe a bit of both.
Either way, when Ella handed me a drink and said, “Root of chamomile. It helps calm nerves,” I gratefully took it from her and gulped it down.
If my shaking knees were anything to go by, it was exactly what I needed.
One by one, people entered the hut. One by one, they turned to look at me, did a double take, then either scowled or smiled in my direction. I tried to smile back at them all, regardless.
I kept reminding myself that I wasn’t being held prisoner. I wasn’t here against my will. I was here as Saul’s guest.
And every time I felt like running away, I reminded myself of what I knew: that there was an earthquake coming, and no one outside of this island knew about it.
How many people would be killed if we couldn’t stop it?
If I was the only one who could help prevent this from happening, there was no way I could turn away from that. I just couldn’t, and I wouldn’t.
Saul was coming back to the group. His arms were full of large, smooth rocks, pieces of bark, and smaller stones.
One of the newcomers jumped up to help him. Together, they placed the objects on a plinth in the middle of the hut.
Saul raised a hand, and the room hushed. “Thank you for coming, all of you,” he said as he slowly turned, making eye contact with each and every one of us. “Today is a special day.” His turning came to a stop as his eyes reached me. “We have a visitor. A very important visitor.”
I squirmed in my seat and looked down.
“Not all of us have been of the same mind these last months,” Saul went on. “But that does not matter now. The debating is over. The talking is finished. Now it is time for action.”
He reached around to the back of his neck and undid his necklace. Holding the stone out in front of him so everyone could see the picture on the front, he said, “The girl shown in the Prophecy. The one of land and water . . .” After turning back to me, he said in a deep voice, “She has come.”
Saul paused while some gasped. Others did more scowling. One person spoke up. “Saul, what do you mean?” he asked, pointing at me. “The girl of land and water — you’re saying this is her?”
Saul nodded. “I’m not just saying it. I have seen it.”
The room broke out in grumbling and mumbling, people all talking over one another until Saul held a hand up. “Ella,” he said. “Tell them.”
Ella stepped forward into the center of the hut. She nodded. “It’s true,” she said. “She’s the one.”
Another outbreak of mumbling and talking.
Saul started to raise his hand again, but Ella stopped him. She walked over to the objects on the plinth. After picking up a rock, she held it up and slowly turned so we could all see it. I craned my neck to look.
It was a picture of the island, the waterfall raging down over the cliffs. At the bottom, clearly visible, was a person. Someone coming through the falls.
I swallowed. The room hushed again.
“Emily is a g
irl of land and water,” Ella said. “She came to us through the falls and again through the chute of water in the tunnels. No one has ever achieved this before now.” She held up a hand to quell any more interruptions. “Saul is right,” she went on. “He’s always been right. We must follow the Prophecy. And we need to move quickly. Every moment we hesitate is a moment lost to nature’s ticking time bomb. You all know it as well as I do. Every pause gives the earth longer to rumble and shake and crack.”
“What are you proposing?” someone called out.
Ella spoke calmly. “I propose we study the drawings of the Prophecy before deciding, together, what to do next.”
Once again, the hut was ablaze with noise. Arguing and mumbling, questioning, answering.
Ella went on. “If you are not willing to put your faith in Saul yet, will you put it in me?” she asked. “Will you at least stay and listen, be prepared to change your views when you have heard more?”
The grumbles gradually ebbed away. “We will keep an open mind for now,” someone called out. “But it is up to you to convince us.”
Saul took a breath and stepped into the center again.
“Thank you,” he said. Then, standing next to the row of objects, and pointing at each one in turn, he added, “First job is for me to enlighten Emily — and some of the rest of you — as to the significance of these drawings.”
A man came forward to hold the artifacts while Saul talked. Joel changed seats with someone else so he could sit next to me.
“You OK?” he asked.
I held my hands out in a questioning shrug. “I guess,” I said.
And then Saul shushed the room again, and in a voice that sounded more regal, more confident than it had before, he told the story of the Prophecy.
For many, many years, the pictures we found were passed off as idle sketches,” Saul began. “Pretty drawings that no one questioned or analyzed. It was assumed that people had simply drawn what they saw.”
He held up a rock with a picture of a bridge across a swirling river, woven into an arch that seemed to be made of tree roots. Just like the one I’d seen.