Meeshell smiled gratefully at Apple. She really was one of the sweetest people Meeshell had ever met. “Of course. Thank you, Apple.”
After Apple left, Meeshell walked onto the balcony and gazed out over the school grounds. Ashlynn and a few other cheerhexers, dressed in their uniforms, were walking together across the quad. Some Track and Shield runners were sitting at the edge of the track, laughing about something. A couple of guys from the Tech Club were at a table, trying to untangle a huge pile of cords. At that moment, Meeshell felt very alone. Apple had said that Meeshell didn’t need to join a club or team to fit in. But finding other students who shared the same interests or talents would definitely help.
A figure floated in front of her. Meeshell gasped. “Oh, Professor Yaga, you startled me.”
The elderly woman sat crossed-legged on her pillow, hovering in front of the balcony. “I need your assistance,” she explained. “Come with me.”
Chapter 18
Out of Hiding
Meeshell had to walk quickly to keep up with Professor Yaga’s floating pillow. The professor led her away from the main campus, down a path, to a modern building built on a bluff above the sea.
“We have an extensive Beastology program of study here at Ever After High. There is a stable for the hoofed creatures, an aviary for the winged beasts. But this is the Creature Care Center, where injured or sick creatures are treated.” Professor Yaga opened the door and ushered Meeshell into the building. “They receive the best possible care, of course, and we in turn learn a lot from them. And this room is where we treat creatures of the sea.”
Meeshell squealed with delight. She stood facing an aquarium so vast that it spanned the length of the building and reached all the way to the ceiling. She pressed her face against the glass. Inside, eels peered out from rocky burrows, sea horses stampeded across bright coral, peacock fish fanned their tails. A thick kelp forest grew on one side of the tank. It reminded her of home. “This is a class?” Meeshell asked.
“Beast Care and Magicment is a specialty class,” the professor confirmed. “Most of these creatures are here to enrich the curriculum. When their injuries or illnesses heal, they will be released back into the wild. But a few are pets.” She pointed to a strange little fish in the corner that looked to be made out of candy. “Ginger Breadhouse insists on bringing her gummy fish here for playdates.” The fish waved at Meeshell. Meeshell waved back.
Professor Yaga got off her pillow, then led Meeshell to a section of the aquarium where a small cave was set in a coral reef. “Yesterday, one of the students found an octopus on the beach,” she told Meeshell. “The creature appeared disoriented and had suffered some trauma. We set her into this tank, and we were going to conduct our examination today, but she seems to have disappeared.”
“You think she escaped?” Meeshell asked. She noticed that the aquarium didn’t have a cover, so it was open.
“That is doubtful. I placed a magical spell on this aquarium that doesn’t allow the injured creatures to escape. We want to keep them here, at least until they are well again.” The professor peered through the glass. “No one has seen her since last night.”
Meeshell looked carefully. She had an idea as to what was going on. “She is probably using her powers of camouflage to avoid us. Octopuses are very shy creatures. I can try to go in and communicate with her, to let her know we only want to help her, but I can’t guarantee success.”
“I understand. But we must try. If she doesn’t get help, she might perish.”
Professor Yaga and Meeshell pushed a stepladder across the floor, then rested it against the tank. Meeshell climbed the steps until she reached the top of the aquarium. She looked down at the professor. “We’re alone, right? No one will see me?”
“Correct.”
Meeshell climbed into the tank. Just as she began to tread water, her legs twitched, then turned into a tail. She swam directly to the cave, then stuck her head into its opening. It was empty. She swam around the tank, her eyes peeled for signs of tentacles, but Meeshell knew that if the octopus wanted to stay hidden, no one would be able to find her. So, once she reached the center of the tank, she began to speak in the language of all cephalopods. Using the tip of her tail, she tapped against a rock. It was a complicated language, but one she’d recently mastered. Do not worry, she tapped. These land-dwellers are not going to eat you. They want to help you.
The octopus did not appear. Was it possible that she had escaped, despite the magic spell? It wouldn’t surprise Meeshell, for octopuses were among the most intelligent creatures in the sea.
She swam to another section, where the coral reef ended and the kelp reef began. The feel of the kelp against her skin was lovely. Homesickness washed over her. She found another rock and began tapping again. The land-dwellers want to help you. You’ve been hurt and they can help make you better. Please come out of hiding. She waited, her gaze still searching, looking for any shape that seemed unusual.
A tapping sound followed. Do you promise they won’t eat me?
She tapped back. Yes, I promise.
What had looked like a gray rock, resting in the sand, slowly turned orange. The octopus stretched out her seven tentacles. The eighth, however, she held close. It appeared to have suffered a gash.
Meeshell swam up to the octopus. She was larger than most, which meant she was advanced in years. Meeshell tapped again. How are you feeling?
My tentacle got caught in a net. It is damaged.
Meeshell gently reached out and examined the injured tentacle. The gash was deep. She looked over at the glass, where Professor Yaga stood. The professor pointed upward, to an examination station that was built at the top of the aquarium.
We must go to the surface so your injury can be treated. Do you need my help? Meeshell tapped.
Yes.
Meeshell stretched out her tail. The octopus climbed on and held tightly as Meeshell slowly swam to the surface. Professor Yaga, thanks to her unique mode of pillow travel, met them and helped transfer the octopus onto a smooth platform. The creature quivered. Meeshell held one of her uninjured tentacles. Do not be afraid, she tapped. This land-dweller will help you.
Meeshell watched while the professor mixed a potion and applied it to the injury. “Is that magic?” Meeshell asked.
“It is not magic,” the professor explained. “It is an ointment that will help keep the infection from spreading.”
“Does it contain powdered urchin shell?”
Professor Yaga raised her gray eyebrows. “No, it doesn’t.”
Meeshell wasn’t trying to tell the professor what to do, but she thought she should share this important information. “In the Merkingdom, we use powdered urchin shells to thicken our ointments so they will better adhere to the wound.”
“That is most ingenious.” The professor floated to a cabinet, searched around until she found a small vial, then brought the vial back to the examination platform. “Perhaps you would like to instruct me?”
Meeshell mixed the powder into the ointment, then applied it to the wound. Then she took a clear, waterproof bandage and wrapped the tentacle. The octopus held perfectly still, watching with her big, watery eyes. Does it hurt? Meeshell tapped.
No, the octopus replied. It feels much better!
Then Meeshell eased the creature back into the water. “Please tell her that she will need to stay here for a few more days to recover,” Professor Yaga said.
Meeshell told the octopus. The creature thanked her, then glided back to the cave.
Meeshell took one more swim, then sat on the platform. Professor Yaga mumbled a magic spell and Meeshell’s tail and clothing instantly dried. Two-footed once again, she climbed down the ladder. She looked back into the aquarium. The octopus peeked out of her cave and waved.
As they left the aquarium, Professor Yaga floating on her pillow, Meeshell walking alongside, the professor asked Meeshell how she was doing. Meeshell took a long breath. “Not very well,”
she admitted. “Everyone has been really nice to me, but… but I’m not sure what to do with myself. I mean, everyone seems to have found a place where they belong. But I haven’t found that yet. I don’t know what else to do.”
Professor Yaga pressed her fingertips together. “Perhaps the best way to solve your dilemma is to think about the octopus.”
“How so?”
“Camouflage helps the octopus hide and survive predators. But when she takes on the color of a rock, she doesn’t pretend to be a rock. When she takes on the color of an electric eel, she doesn’t pretend to be an eel. She is always herself. Do you see what I’m getting at?” Meeshell shook her head. The professor spun around on her pillow so she was facing Meeshell. “You are having trouble fitting in because you are trying to be what you are not.”
“But if I pretend to be a land-dweller, then people will treat me like one. And then I’ll have a real, land-dwelling experience.”
The professor smiled knowingly. “The only real experience, my dear, is the experience in which you are your real self.” Then she turned back around.
As Meeshell and the professor made their way back to campus, Meeshell realized that she had a lot to think about.
Chapter 19
The True Tale
After leaving the professor, Meeshell stood in the center of the quad. The other students were inside the Castleteria, eating dinner. The sky had not yet darkened, so the twinkling above her head was not from stars but from a procession of cleaning fairies who were leaving the school grounds, heading to their forest homes. As Meeshell wiped specks of fairy dust from her face, she thought about the professor’s words.
The only real experience is the experience in which you are your real self.
Was that true?
She felt fidgety again. She couldn’t think clearly. Was her confusion a side effect of all the air she’d been exposed to? Even though she’d just had a lovely swim in the aquarium, she wanted more time in the water. Time to be herself and think.
She ran down the narrow path, all the way to the lake. When she got there, she jumped straight in. The golden cranes made room for her as she swam. As her tail beat a rhythm, her doubts washed away. She stopped worrying about wanting to fit in. She felt great—so great that she stuck her head above the surface and sang. How good it felt to sing! How she’d missed it. Then, when she reached a high note, she leaped out of the water.
And that’s when she noticed Apple, Maddie, Ashlynn, and Briar all standing on the bank, watching her with mouths wide open. The girls were stunned silent. For a long, tense moment, Meeshell waited to hear what her friends would say.
“Meeshell! You’re a mermaid!” Ashlynn blurted out. The girls laughed, and just like that, all the tension was gone.
“Yes, I am a mermaid. So I’m not really afraid of water. I’m so sorry I lied to you. My legs turn back into my tail when I touch water. That’s why I acted so strangely.”
“I knew it,” Maddie said. “How could anybody not like my hat?”
“Why were you pretending to be someone else?” Briar asked.
“Because…” Meeshell looked down at her tail. “I’m just not very confident around people when I’m on land. I’d never really been around people before coming to Ever After High.”
“I think you’re doing a wonderlandiful job of being around people on land,” Maddie replied. Meeshell smiled appreciatively.
“You all have made it so easy for me. But I also hid who I was because my future is living on land, without my tail, and without my singing voice. I wanted to see what that would be like. To see if I could make it work.”
Apple sat next to her, a look of absolute understanding on her face. “Meeshell, we each have futures waiting for us. But what I’ve learned is this—that we can’t control them. Yes, there are things that we’re supposed to do. Things that are expected and foretold. When I first got to Ever After High, I tried to live for my future life. I tried to convince Raven that she had to be someone other than who she really is, just to fit this future life. But what I’ve figured out is that we can’t live for the future. We have to be our true selves right now. In this moment.”
Briar, Maddie, and Ashlynn all nodded. The little mouse peeked out of Maddie’s hat, and he nodded, too.
Then Apple put an arm around Meeshell. “The Little Mermaid is my favorite fairytale ever after. Now it makes sense. I couldn’t help you find a club because I didn’t know the real you. You would be a spelltacular fit for the Happily-Glees!” She stopped smiling and withdrew her arm. “But of course, only if you want.”
Meeshell laughed. “Yes, I’d really like to join the Happily-Glees! I’ve wanted to join since I first saw them in the quad.”
“Since you’re a mermaid, I think you should also join Hunter’s lifeguard squad,” Ashlynn said. “You’d be the best lifeguard Ever After High has ever seen!”
“And what about the swim team?” Briar asked. “A mermaid would set some records for sure.”
“I think you should join the Teapot Club,” Maddie said. They all looked at her quizzically.
“I don’t get it,” Briar said. “What do mermaids and teapots have in common?”
“Oh, a riddle!” Maddie said, clapping her hands. “I don’t know. What do mermaids and teapots have in common?”
Briar peered over her crownglasses. “Uh, I was asking you.”
“Well, how am I supposed to know the answer? It’s not my riddle, you silly.” Then Maddie took a crumpet from her teapot hat and began feeding the golden cranes.
Meeshell couldn’t believe how relieved she felt. Yes, they all knew she was a mermaid. Yes, they were treating her differently. But that was okay. Because right now, this was who she was—a Mergirl going to Ever After High. She hadn’t yet given up her voice. She hadn’t yet given up her tail. That was in the future. And when that time came, she’d be that girl. She couldn’t live trying to be her future self. That didn’t make sense. In the end it didn’t matter what anyone thought of her, it only mattered what she thought of herself. She had to be her true self to be happy.
Just as Meeshell’s tail dried and her legs reappeared, a nearby mirror lit up. Blondie Lockes’s face appeared. “Listen up, my fellow fairytales, have I got a very hexciting scoop for you. It turns out that our newest student, Meeshell, is actually a mermaid!”
Wow, that girl was good.
Chapter 20
The Happily-Glees
Meeshell and her fellow Happily-Glees stood in the wing of the Charmitorium’s stage, waiting to be announced. The air around them sizzled with nervous energy and excitement. It was the night of the annual Ever After High Talent Show. The Happily-Glees were one of dozens of acts scheduled to perform in front of the entire student body. Duchess Swan and her pet swan, Pirouette, were waiting to dance a pas de deux in matching tutus. Ginger Breadhouse had prepared a magic trick with singing sprinkles and flying moonpies. And Sparrow Hood and the Merry Men were currently on stage, playing the school’s anthem to warm up the crowd.
Meeshell went over her lyrics in her head. The choir had practiced all weekend. Meeshell had learned the solo part, while the rest of the choir had learned the harmony. With Meeshell’s voice taking the lead, the other singers grew more confident, and the whole choir began to sound better. Melody decided to cut back on the choreography, instead focusing entirely on the music. The transition in her choir was amazing. “I’m so proud of each of you,” she whispered as they huddled together. “Let’s go out there and give them a performance they’ll never forget.” Then she paused, probably remembering the last performance, which had yet to be forgotten. “I meant that in a good way.” They all chuckled.
Meeshell peeked past the stage’s curtain. There were no empty seats in the Charmitorium. Even the balcony was full. Tech Club members busily worked the lights, the sound system, and cameras. Humphrey stood behind one of the cameras. He glanced at Meeshell. She waved at him, but he didn’t wave back. He quickly looked aw
ay. Why was he acting shier than usual?
She hadn’t heard from StoryTeller2 in a few days. Was he sitting in the audience? Her gaze flew across the gilded seats, looking for boys wearing crowns. She found Daring and his brother, Dexter. Hopper was seated in the third row. Another crown caught her eye, but then the curtains closed, blocking her view. Someone tapped on her arm. She turned around. It was Melody. “Okay, it’s our turn. We have a surprise for you.”
What did Melody mean? But before Meeshell could ask, a rumbling sound arose. Two giants pushed an enormous aquarium onto the stage. Meeshell looked at Melody with confusion. “It’s for you,” Melody said with a laugh. “So you can be your true self.” Then she turned to her choir. “Follow me. And everyone, break a leg. Or a tail.”
The Happily-Glees followed their director onto the stage. Meeshell wasn’t sure what to do, but then one of the giants offered her his enormous hand. She stepped into it and was lifted to the water’s surface. She dived in, instantly changing into her mermaid self. Most of the students hadn’t yet seen her in this form. Even though she was in the water, the one place where she felt most at home, her heart pounded with nervousness. Would this go okay? “Everyone ready?” Melody asked. The choir nodded. The curtains opened and the audience gasped in unison at the vision that greeted them.
Floating with her head above water, Meeshell began to sing. Very few in attendance had ever heard mermaid singing, and once heard, they would never forget. So lovely was the sound, so enchanting, if asked later, no one would truly be able to find words to describe it.