30. Team Huddle

30

TEAM HUDDLE

TERESA

T raveling with a siren is a lot different than traveling with Pacari. For one, it's a lot less intimate. Instead of swimming together, Kalixto sings to move us quickly through the water.

"How does that work?" I ask, holding his hand tightly.

The currents are so intense, I am terrified of getting lost.

"It vibrates the waters. Makes them move fast. Lowers density," he explains as if it's obvious.

"Oh, neat," I say.

Listening to Kalixto's song is both relaxing and empowering. With every passing minute, I feel like I can conquer the world—or at least talk things out with the Lantern Witch and save my boyfriend. As we get deeper and deeper, it becomes harder to see—so much worse without Pacari.

The darkness is worse for other reasons too—all the animals we saw on our way down the first time are gone. In fact, without Slugger, we wouldn't be able to see at all. As we go further down, Kalixto sang something that seemed to have brightened Slugger's glow so much it has helped illuminate the nearby waters like a flashlight. The little slug is navigating for us, too, swimming ahead happily.

Or at least, it seems to be happy until deep vibrations reach us through the waters. I can feel them in my bones, and they're fucking terrifying.

"What is that?" I ask Kalixto.

"The Lantern Witch upset the Abyssal Ones. They're fighting," he says.

"The Abyssal Ones?"

As we get closer, I can make out the Lantern Witch's light. It illuminates giant, constantly moving shapes. As another moves around her, I can see the little suckers that can only belong to an octopus. I think back to when we were trying to pinpoint what Anelisa saw in the car, and now I can't help but think maybe that's what she saw.

Oh—I thought it was an octopus. But some of the flashes show almost human-like body parts—chests and arms like ours, though definitely not a head .

"C'mon," Kalixto whispers, pulling me down into a dark cave.

"The witch is over there," I protest.

"You want to get in the middle of that?" he scoffs.

"Then where are we—"

Arms embrace me, lips on my skin.

"Are you okay?" Pacari asks.

I nod back to him, stunned and elated to see him alive. He looks really beaten up—covered in bruises and cuts. My heart sinks, thinking of what the Witch must have done to him.

"It's getting cramped in here," another voice grumbles from behind me.

I squeak, turning around to see a creature with an almost-human face and torso—except not. A crown of red and white surround a pale face with blue eyes. The light from Pacari and Slugger is too dim to make out many of its features. Not much of a nose. A tentacle pushes back a surprisingly luscious head of hair off its face.

"Teresa, this is Cirro," Pacari introduces. "Cirro, this is Teresa, my mate."

The creatures eyes go wide for a moment. "I did not know you could have a mate."

Pacari smiles. "Neither did I."

"You're… like what's outside?" I ask, my voice trailing off as I lack the vocabulary to place these creatures .

"Son of the Abyssal Ones," Kalixto informs, "He's how you're going to speak to the Lantern Witch."

"She is not," Pacari protests. "I was so distracted that she was here that I—How dare you bring her here?"

"She knew what she was getting into," Kalixto counters.

"I did," I say. "Well, mostly. I knew it was dangerous. But I told you it was too dangerous for you to go alone."

"Well, I haven't been alone!" he grumbles.

"Jeez, it's a real boys' club in here," I notice. "I'm sure that's gone over real well with the misandrist sea witch."

They all look around at each other.

"Exactly," Kalixto agrees.

"What is your plan?" Pacari asks. "You wouldn't have threatened her life if you didn't have a plan."

Kalixto grins broadly at Pacari, showing off teeth that aren't quite as sharp as Pacari's. Pacari rolls his eyes before continuing his glare.

"I will calm the waters," Kalixto proposes. "Cirro will pull the Abyssal Ones aside. And your mate—"

"I have a name."

" Teresa will talk the Lantern Witch down."

"What am I supposed to say?" I ask. "I mean, I held my ground with her before, but I don't know what I'm supposed to tell her. "

"Part of my deal with her was to return with information about the Cliffside Lady," Pacari says bashfully.

"The Cliffside Lady?" I ask.

"Zephyr's grandmother," Kalixto answers.

I narrow my eyes. "Who you don't know."

"We do not know each other," Kalixto repeats.

The stakes are too high to deal with this right now!

"If you bring the offering to the witch and tell her as much as you know about her death, it may appease her."

Kalixto pushes the statue into my hands.

"May," Pacari growls.

"It is our best chance," Kalixto offers.

"If it doesn't, I hope the Lantern Witch leaves me alive long enough to murder you for this," Pacari hisses.

"Flirting right in front of me?" I joke.

Pacari blushes.

"Even she sees it," Kalixto laughs.

"I like her," Cirro says, chuckling.

I beam, happy to have the support of Pacari's friends. With the tension broken a bit, we go over the plan one more time, each of them giving me advice for talking to the witch. Another boom echoes through the waters, shaking our cave.

"Now or never," I suggest .

Pacari nods somberly. "You can do this. We can do this."

He presses another desperate kiss to my lips as Kalixto's song soothes the waters. I try to convince myself that this is going to go perfectly.

Fake it til you make it.