We were the last ones to arrive at breakfast, and judging by the looks we received, it wasn’t the best way to make a first impression. The large open room boasted windows on three sides and a high ceiling with decorative lantern-like chandeliers hanging above us. Four empty seats dictated our arrangement at opposite sides of the table. Kain and I sat down in the closest chairs and tried to make as little noise as possible.
In front of us, on the dinner plate, was a hand printed itinerary of the weekend’s events. The gold flecked paper was thick and natural and the calligraphy writing looked beautiful. I didn’t even want to touch it, but once I started reading the schedule I couldn’t help but snatch it off of the plate.
“Ridiculous, right?” the boy sitting next to me whispered with a smile. “I thought this was supposed to be fun.”
From sunrise to sunset each day, every hour was planned. Today did look like the worst one, just as Brinsley had warned, but I didn’t really see that it got much better through the weekend. Listings for interviews, manners, public speaking, and strategy filled the paper and I suddenly felt overwhelmed and incredibly homesick.
“No kidding,” I replied. Turning my head to see who spoke to me, I saw a guy around my age and more primped than Kain. He had short auburn hair, large brown eyes, and a cute smile. Something about him seemed gentle and I felt instantly drawn to his presence. “I don’t even know what half of this stuff means.”
“Me neither, but I heard some of the others talking earlier. Apparently, we’re here so they can teach us how to be perfect little soldiers.” He pointed to one of the lines on my itinerary. “In the interview sessions, they make you answer all kinds of questions on the spot with a microphone. Just like Miss America.” Twirling his hand around in the air, he giggled. “I’ll be good at that one.”
“I won’t,” I mumbled. Public speaking was definitely not for me.
“And the one that says manners means you learn proper etiquette for holding business dinners and entertaining other important families.” He practically leaned on me as he explained.
“When do we get to go swimming?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s right there. Each night at dusk for two hours.”
I looked back down at the paper where he pointed and wrinkled my nose. “But that says physical fitness.”
“Yep,” he smiled then held out his hand. “I’m Daniel Zane by the way.”
I shook his hand. “Eviana Dumahl.”
“Nice to meet you, Eviana,” he said with a sincerity that appeared natural and comforting. Daniel and I were going to be friends by the end of the weekend, no doubt. But before I could say anything else, someone cleared their throat.
“Welcome to Cotillion syrenkas. My name is Pegotty Moranis and I will be heading this year’s ceremonies.” Pegotty was an older lady, perhaps in her sixties, with long graying hair that curled from her shoulders to her waist. She wore a velvet green gown that had black lace trimmings over the bodice and down the front of the skirt. I couldn’t imagine how hot she must be in this Florida humidity.
“Our activities will commence in twenty minutes and on your itineraries you will find the locations of each session. We expect you to be courteous and prompt. Punctuality is essential in a leader.”
I caught Vance’s eyes across the table as he mouthed the words “told you” and smiled. Shaking my head to hide my reaction, I looked around the room. There were about twenty of us, both first and second year syrenkas. The group seemed evenly mixed with males and females, and it was obvious who the novice students were. We all wore a look of fear and distress, anticipating the worst.
Kain nudged me in the shoulder and waved me closer. “Eviana, meet Lily Shannon from North Carolina. She’ll be in our group most of the day.”
Lily reached across Kain with a wide smile and too much enthusiasm. “Eviana, I’m so glad to finally meet you and Kain. Congratulations on your engagement.” She looked up at Kain, which was kind of hard considering that she was pretty much laying in his lap. “You’re so lucky,” she said to me. Realizing what she’d just implied, she hastily jumped back, knocking over a glass of water with her elbow.
“Oh crap. I’m such a klutz!” She grabbed a napkin and tried to wipe up the liquid.
“Here, let me help,” Kain said and I saw her blush when he touched her hand. I just sighed and sat back in my seat.
Across the table, glaring at me with a look I couldn’t quite interpret, was one of the most beautiful girls I’d ever seen. Tall and slim, she had short black hair cut to her chin, large earrings, and a halter top that showed off her protruding collar bone. I think she must have been at least part Asian. Her legs were crossed and I could see that she wore knee high black leather boots that accentuated her long legs. I didn’t want to cower under her scowl, so I raised my eyebrows to silently ask her what her problem was.
Catching my signal, she shrugged and nodded toward the Kain and Lily spectacle. I didn’t know what she tried to imply, but when I turned back toward her, she was talking to another boy. Even though curious, I still made a promise to myself to steer clear of her as much as possible.
In no time at all, Pegotty stood and announced that Cotillion had begun. My stomach fluttered with nerves in anticipation of what was to come next but when I stood, I tried to exude confidence. We made our way into the small group sessions and the rest of the day flew by in a blur. All of the interviews, etiquette lessons, how to speak, how not to dress, what fork to use first when you’re at a council dinner, all became a fog by the end of the day. Kain, Lily, Daniel, Carissa (the tall girl giving me looks at the table), and I were in a group for all of the sessions. Aside from a few hours here and there, we’d be sharing in the embarrassment together the entire weekend.
Carissa tended to stay by my side most of the time, which surprised me. She didn’t say much to me, but her company felt oddly reassuring. I discovered that she worked as a model in New York, not an uncommon profession for mermaids, and she had her sights set on Milan. Attending Cotillion was the last thing she wanted to do since her entire summer booking schedule had to be rearranged.
Although the same age as me, she already had a career in place. Granted, I had the fiancé, but neither of those things were really part of my life plan. I just wanted to run away with Brendan. Carissa seemed to have it all figured out. She was sure that she’d be promised to someone by the end of the weekend and she actually seemed to be okay with that prospect.
Daniel was gay. At least I was pretty sure he was, even if he didn’t quite know it himself. We paired up a lot of the time, not only because we got along well, but also since Lily and Carissa did their best to partner up with Kain every chance they got. I should have been jealous and maybe I was a little bit. Especially when Carissa was around. But ultimately I hoped that Kain might take some interest in one of them.
“Aren’t you excited for the ball?” Lily asked me during one particularly boring etiquette lesson.
“Hmm?” I tried to at least look like I was paying attention to the teacher.
“Tomorrow night silly,” she nudged me in the shoulder. Her face beamed and it made her look several years younger. “At least you’re already promised.” She sighed and gazed blissfully at Kain who was getting too much personal attention from the teacher. “I think my family is hoping to get me married off this year. There are a few interesting guys here,” she shrugged her shoulders, “so maybe it will work out. Regardless, I can’t wait to get all dressed up.” Her smile was back and I couldn’t help but share in her enthusiasm.
“Yeah, it should be cool. I don’t think I’ve been to a fancy event in quite some time.”
It would be fun to pamper myself; I just had to play dutiful fiancée the whole time. Looking across the room at Kain smiling and nodding at his instructions, I realized it wouldn’t be such a hard task after all. As though sensing my gaze, he turned his head toward me and winked when he caught my eye. I felt a slight blush creep up my cheeks and quickly tried to suppress
those feelings. I really had to get a hold of myself.
Lily continued to babble on about the ball and her hopes of coming away with an arranged marriage. It still seemed so odd to me. I constantly fought the system while Lily and Carissa had not only accepted their fate, but they also seemed to be genuinely excited to become young wives. Lily was the only female in her family and Carissa didn’t have any siblings. Maybe that’s why they behaved this way.
But as the day dragged on, I continued to ponder the importance of uniting the Dumahls and the Matthews through our marriage. It did make political sense. We’d be the largest and most powerful family unit. Kain was cute enough and nice enough, so why couldn’t I just accept my fate? My head began to hurt and by the time I had to stand up in front of everyone for my interview session, I pushed all of those depressing thoughts to the side.
The best part of the day came at dusk. Even though our swim time technically counted as physical fitness, Pegotty announced this was the reef trip Kain had signed us up for already. I was surprised to see that only half of the syrenka’s were going, but when we got to the end of the dock with the awaiting boat, I understood why.
“Where are we supposed to fit?” I asked Mr. Miller who stood behind the wheel. The small boat was loaded with coolers and dive equipment. Only Brinsley and Vance were on board and the rest of us were standing there like idiots. Mr. Miller laughed.
“You’re not. You guys are swimming and we’ll meet you out there.” The mischievous grin on all of their faces let me know they must play this trick every year on the newbies.
“What?” Carissa gasped. “It’s like five miles to the reef. I thought we were done with all training today.”
“Training is never over,” Mr. Miller replied seriously.
“It’ll be fun guys,” Lily chimed in with her annoyingly peppy voice.
“It’ll be exhausting,” Daniel added with a sigh.
Vance was still laughing when he waved his hands at us. “Oh stop being such babies. The water’s nice and the swim will be worth it. Trust me.” He patted one of the coolers. “Refreshments are on us when you arrive.” I figured it was probably just water and fruit.
“What’s with the dive gear?” I asked.
Mr. Miller looked around the boat at the scattered tanks and vests as though noticing them for the first time. “We have to pretend we need these, otherwise the humans might get a little too suspicious.”
I looked up at Kain who stared off at the distant horizon. Pushing into him a little bit to get his attention, I nodded my head toward the dock by our boat house. He got the signal and started to jog in that direction.
“Where are you two going?” Daniel asked with a squeak.
“Swimming,” I yelled back behind me. Kicking my shoes off, I tried to untie my dress while chasing after Kain. I heard the footsteps behind us followed by laughing and teasing as the others also attempted to disrobe. In no time at all, we dove into the water.
Just like the night before, my transition was relatively quick and smooth. I heard the boat overhead and we all began to swim after it. The five of us stayed in a little group, oblivious to the few stragglers who refused to take part in our childish games. Kain and I took the lead with Carissa close by my side and Lily and Daniel bringing up the rear. The shallow water we encountered first made it rather difficult to stay completely submerged. We wanted to avoid the boating channel for obvious reasons, but we still needed to skirt the edges to find deeper water.
After about half a mile the shelf dropped off and the water got bluer. Several sea turtles dodged out of the way, not quite knowing what to make of the five of us. Daniel grabbed onto the shell of one of the larger turtles and tried to let it carry him for a while. The turtle wasn’t thrilled with Daniel’s game, so it repeatedly slammed his hands with its flippers until he let go.
We surfaced to breathe as a group so that we could all watch out for boats. After one of our breaks, we noticed we were no longer alone in our activity. Kain grabbed my arm and directed my attention out to our left. The rest of the group swam by us, since we’d stopped so suddenly, but they hurried back when they saw what Kain pointed to.
About fifty feet away, swimming around our perimeter, was a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Kain’s face beamed and although I gave him a hard time about this before, he was right when he said that our dolphins were not the same as these. Our dolphins, or porpoise as Kain had corrected me, were much smaller and darker than these beautiful creatures in front of us. I counted at least ten and it was easy to see that three of them were babies.
Carissa came up beside me since we’d all settled down against the sandy bottom to get a better view. I looked at her and saw how enthralled she was. Reaching a hand out toward one of the larger females in the group, she beckoned it to swim closer. I watched the dolphin dart in and out around us; testing to see how much of a threat we were. Nobody moved for the longest time. At home, it always seemed that if I stayed still, the animals would decide that I wasn’t scary and treat me as part of the scenery.
Apparently, that tactic worked for bottlenose dolphins as well. Once the pod swam closer to us, they allowed a gentle touch or subtle movement. We all started to swim together as one big group out toward the reef. The dolphins flanked us on either side and one adolescent male took a particular liking to me. He kept nipping at my tail in an attempt to get my attention. At one point, I had to push him away to let him know that the biting was getting a bit hard, but he just continued to bump into my side at every opportunity. When Kain and I surfaced together, he warned me that the male seemed to have a crush on me and that I should be careful he doesn’t try to take it to the next level. That freaked me out and even though Kain winked, I didn’t know if he was entirely kidding.
The reef looked wonderful and we spent almost three hours in the water that night. Vance and Brinsley joined us and the dolphins stayed around as well. Carissa caught my attention several times simply because she swam so graceful underwater. Even though her hair was short, her body appeared to move like an extension of the tresses. Several of the guys in the other group followed her everywhere, but she didn’t seem to notice.
Daniel and Lily paired up and explored the rock formations. They told me later that they were looking for lobster. Kain and I swam together the entire time, sometimes holding hands. As it got darker, we made sure that we didn’t lose sight of each other because this was the time of day when all of the really cool creatures start to emerge. Even though I searched for them, I didn’t see any sharks.
Mr. Miller blew the boat horn and told us that we should follow him in for dinner. They’d packed fruit punch and pineapple slices, but my stomach growled so I didn’t feel too bad about leaving.
Dinner proved to be as uneventful as the following day. There were no more embarrassing moments in the bed, and since we’d been swimming so much, I’d fallen to sleep before Kain even crawled in. Saturday’s sessions were basically a repeat of the day before but with the instructors expecting us to remember everything. The interview questions were grueling and the political history lessons bored me to death. Just before we finished, they gave us a list of everyone who’d be attending tonight’s ball along with a photo and a brief description of their political platforms. I rolled my eyes when they told us to study up and gave us thirty minutes to cram before an oral examination.
Carissa, Daniel, and I worked together quizzing each other and creating silly names for each person to help us remember them. Lily and Kain sat at the far corner of the table where we heard more laughing and talking going on than studying. I must have been staring at them because Carissa kicked my leg.
“Why don’t you go over there and stop her?”
“What?” I asked, trying to act like she didn’t just catch me.
“Please girl. She’s been all over him since yesterday. You shouldn’t let her get away with that.”
I shook my head and picked up another flash card that we’d created. “I’m no
t worried about Lily.” And I really wasn’t, but probably not for the reason Carissa suggested.
She sat back in her chair and shrugged. “Whatever. It’s your marriage.”
“We aren’t married yet,” I grumbled and began quizzing Daniel so Carissa would drop the subject. It took a lot of self-control not to look over at Kain every time I heard Lily’s squeaky giggle.
An hour later, we’d completed our exam and were dismissed to prepare for the ball. All five of us were staying in the boat houses, so we walked back together and made plans to meet on the front patio just before dinner. Brendan and I exchanged a few quick texts. I missed him and let him know that. He was busy with work, but promised he had a surprise for me when I got home.
I felt so exhausted that I asked Kain if I could take a shower first. Well that, and also because I knew if he got in there before me, there wouldn’t be any hot water left. He obliged, and I let the smell of the soaps and lotions carry me away to my happy place so that I could get through this evening.