Sixteen

Mary

Underwhere looked different, somehow. Bigger than she remembered. More beautiful and magical than she'd thought when she'd lived here, with its brilliant coral buildings, shining mother-of-pearl streets, and intricate rock gardens. The city was so full of life, with hundreds of Mer swimming about their daily lives, schools of fish flashing in the watery light, and plants wafting in the gentle current.

How had she never seen it before, the absolute wonder of her home? How had she missed it all those years?

The group kept to the outskirts of town, swimming in the shadows. The last thing they needed was to get caught. Mary couldn't imagine how her father would react finding her here—and with a human, no less.

What was the single biggest rule in all of Underwhere?

Don't interact with humans.

Whoopsie.

But she wasn't her father's subject anymore.

Still, as they swam toward the far edge of the city—the place where the seafloor dropped straight into the abyss—Mary couldn't help but stare at the palace. It stood in the center of the city, tall and proud, with its windows thrown wide open. She imagined she could see her father on his throne, making important decisions, and—occasionally—checking how much longer before the full moon. And Karen, of course, flitting about her business. And everyone else's business. Her hair would have grown back by now, Mary thought, after she'd cut it to pay Aunt Witch for the knife.

She had missed them, she realized. A little, anyway.

Jack touched her arm. "Come on. There's no time for that now."

Mary set her jaw and gave a mighty kick—though swimming with legs wasn't nearly as good as swimming with a tail. As far as Mary was concerned, swimming as a human was absolute whale rocks. Tobias, too, was clearly struggling.

Meanwhile Jack was swimming circles around them, grinning.

"I always was the superior swimmer out of the two of us," he teased. "But now there's no question."

"Oh, be quiet, you, and help us."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Jack took their hands and helped tow them through the water. At last they made it to the grotto where Mary and Jack had spent half their childhoods loitering about.

She sent another school of lantern fish in ahead of them. She felt stronger in the ocean, more connected to the currents. The sea creatures listened to her, obeyed her, because she was the daughter of the Sea King.

She'd forgotten that, too.

The cavern was just as Mary remembered. She couldn't help but smile as she spotted the cannonball they'd discovered one afternoon. And there was the old, rotting box of pots and pans they'd collected. "Jack, look!" She pulled a busted spyglass out of a different box. "Remember when we didn't know what this was for?"

He grinned. "Your best guess was that they used it in gardens!"

She laughed and shoved the spyglass back into the box before moving on. "And our collection of silverware!" They'd been really confused about what spoons were for. The knives had made sense—they were sharp, clearly for cutting—and the forks were obviously for stabbing, but spoons? They'd seemed so unexplainable at the time, more like digging tools than cutlery.

"Mary." Jack's voice went soft, even though Mary was literally the only other one who could hear him. "Something's wrong with Tobias."

Following Jack's gaze to the cavern entrance, Mary saw Tobias treading there, not quite in, not quite out, wearing a pensive expression.

He didn't want to come in. (And can we blame him, dear reader, for not wanting to enter a dark cave at the bottom of the sea? No, no we can't.)

Mary frowned, realizing suddenly that Tobias had been distant since he'd seen Jack transform earlier. His face had gone ashen, and he hadn't spoken much. It was one thing to hear that some of your friends were magical sea creatures—and another thing to see it with your own eyes. Perhaps it was too much for him.

Mary swam to him and held out her hand. She wished she could speak to him, wished she could make him understand that she was the same person she'd always been. Nothing had changed. Not really.

She was startled when Tobias reached out suddenly and took her hand. He squeezed it. And then he managed a faint flicker of his usual, crooked smile.

Show me , he seemed to be saying with his eyes.

Mary felt a flutter of nervousness, the way a girl might be flustered to show the boy she liked the inside of her bedroom, with her stuffed animals on the bed and her old posters on the walls. It felt... intimate. But she drew him into the cave anyway, to the shelf full of the old bottles she'd found on the seafloor. There was an array of styles, colors, and shapes; some even had scraps of labels still on them. She pulled out her favorite one—a round pinkish bottle with tiny handles you could barely stick a finger through on either side—and handed it to Tobias.

Clearly confused, he took it. Gave it a little pat. And then replaced it on the shelf. But he was smiling, amused.

They swam from shelf to shelf, perusing the things she and Jack had collected over the years. With a grin, Mary pointed out various trinkets and treasures—rather, things she'd thought were treasures, back when she'd been little. Now it was clear the large metal hooks were incredibly common pieces of ships, while her waterlogged compass was a relatively normal item.

So most of it was junk. But it had been her junk. (And Jack's.)

That's when she found the necklace.

She took it from its velvet-encased box and brought it over to a lantern fish so she could inspect it. It was as striking as she remembered, a necklace like she'd never seen, before or since. The huge blue jewel, cut into a heart shape, was bordered by smaller, clear diamonds that glinted in the dim light. Even underwater, the piece had heft; on land, it would be downright heavy.

It probably wasn't enough to win the Pirate King contest, but it was something.

She held it up for Tobias to see. His eyes grew round as he mouthed what might have been, Holy crabs!

Mary nodded.

Gently, Tobias took the necklace from her, fussed with the clasp, and then swam around behind her. His fingers grazed the back of her neck as he brushed aside her hair, then—quickly, before her hair could float back—he placed the necklace around her neck and clasped it.

Mary took a small hand mirror and gazed at her reflection. The necklace looked nice on her, she thought. It made her eyes stand out, and all the tiny facets made her sparkle as the lantern fish swam around.

She glanced up. In the foggy glass next to her, Tobias was watching her in that thoughtful and admiring way that always made her heart pound. It felt good and warm and a little overwhelming, to be looked at like she was the treasure.

Mary placed the mirror back on the shelf, blushing. Tobias picked up the next item: a small, leather-bound volume with gilding on the front cover. It was a stunning example of human craftsmanship, though many of the pages had disintegrated. Too many pages.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare , read the cover.

Mary bit her lip. This had been one of the most precious pieces of the whole collection.

She took the book from him and carefully opened it to the story of Romeo and Juliet , the drawing of the star-crossed lovers as they gazed into each other's eyes.

This had been her whole understanding of love for so long. She'd looked at Charles, and she'd seen Romeo, and later resented him because she hadn't turned out to be his Juliet. And when she'd seen the play after they'd captured the Jester , she'd thought the story simply a warning about the dangers of falling in love. But now, looking at the book in her hands, she wondered if she might have been wrong about it again. The love Romeo and Juliet had for each other had been true. Yes, they'd died in the end (an absolutely rotten ending, if you asked her), but didn't that say something about the strength of their feelings? Their devotion?

They only died , she thought sadly, because their families wouldn't get along .

It wasn't love that had killed them, but the lack of it.

Mary didn't realize her hands were trembling until Tobias pulled the book away, closed it, and placed it back on the shelf.

She touched his arm. His fingers brushed her cheek as he smiled, a little sadly, a little hopefully.

Things could be different between them now that everything was out in the open.

Her gaze dropped to his lips. They were perfect, she noted.

"AHEM!" Jack said from the other side of the cavern. "I found some coins and a pair of candelabras." He showed off a palmful of gold in one hand, and a pair of (very tarnished) silver candelabras in the other. "We should go before that last kiss wears off. Unless you want me to do it all over again."

"Right. Yes. I mean, no, no more kissing." Mary's cheeks felt red hot, like she'd been caught doing something illicit. Tobias, too, looked a little bashful.

Jack pulled a face. "You're not the only one who's uncomfortable with this situation. But maybe you'd rather be kissing someone else—"

"Shut up, Jack!" Mary kicked her way toward the exit, but then stopped short.

Because outside was one very angry Karen.

"Well, well, well—if it isn't the littlest princess," Karen said. "And Son of a Witch." Her eyes flickered from Jack to Tobias. "And who is this? A human? Littlest! You know the rules!"

"Hello, Big Deal." Mary moved in front of Tobias, like she could somehow shield him. "My name is Mary now. Don't call me Littlest anymore."

"Oh, right, your human name." Karen rolled her eyes. "And I suppose Son of a Witch has one, too? He was always such a landlubber. Is that still true?" Karen looked at Jack. "Do you still wish you were human?"

"Go swim with the fishes, Karen," said Jack.

"Leave him out of this," Mary said. "I don't see why you care so much if he's interested in humans. It doesn't affect you at all."

"It's unseemly." Karen sniffed. "But anyway, I suppose I'm glad you're not sea foam. I was so surprised when Dad informed me that you were still alive. And I see you kept those." She pointed at Mary's legs. "How can you swim like that? And why aren't you drowning?"

"It's the mermaid's kiss." Mary tried to tuck her floaty hair behind her ear and failed.

Karen's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Ew!"

"We just came by to get a few things," Jack said, swimming up beside Mary. "We'll be on our way."

"You have no right to be here anymore," Karen said. "You gave up all your toys when you left Underwhere. And if you don't want to be here, you shouldn't have returned. Father was so upset for days after he visited you. Not to mention how upset he was when he thought you were dead. You're so—I don't know—selfish."

She was correct, Mary thought, but the words stung. She gripped the blue diamond necklace (which she was still wearing around her neck) in her fist. "You can't kick me out of my own secret hideout. You're not the boss of me."

Gah, she really had to come up with something better than that.

"Actually," Karen said, planting one hand on her hip, "I am. Or I will be very soon."

Mary went still. "What do you mean? Is Father—"

"Oh, he's fine. He wants to retire. Then I'll be the Sea Queen." Karen's eyes flickered to the top of Mary's head. "But before I can take over, I need the crown. I believe Dad ordered you to give it back to me."

Mary sighed—which underwater was basically a burst of bubbles. Not this business with the crown again . "And I told him that I looked for it, and I didn't find it. It's gone."

Karen scoffed. "That crown wasn't even yours to begin with—it was both of ours—so you taking it was technically stealing."

"I didn't steal it," Mary said. "I brought it Above with me as a way to remember my family."

"I'm still going to need it back. For the coronation, you see."

Impossible. At this point, the crown could be literally anywhere. "I can't give it to you. I don't know what more you want from me."

"I want you to look harder!" Karen glanced at Jack and Tobias. "How about you go Above and look for it, and in the meantime, I'll keep those two here. To ensure you come right back with my crown."

"I can't leave them here. Tobias will drown!"

The corner of Karen's mouth turned up in the hint of a smile. "Oh, don't worry. I'll kiss him. Even though I'm sure it will be gross, I have to admit I'm curious."

Over Mary's dead and drowned body was that ever going to happen. But how could she resist Karen down here? All her sister would have to do is scream, and she'd alert hundreds of nearby Mer, and her father would probably take this opportunity to just keep Mary home for good, Pirate King contest or not. "Just let us go," Mary pleaded. "I'll get your crown back."

After the contest. Maybe. If she ever saw Charles again. (And she really hoped she never would see him. What a codfish . She was so over him.)

"Why should I trust you to keep your word?" Karen asked. "You were always so needy, Littlest. But now I need something. You can collect your human once you've brought me the crown. I'll take him back to the palace and that Son of a Witch can kiss him every now and then, too. I think that's very reasonable of me," Karen added. "Considering."

It might have been reasonable if Mary had any earthly idea where the crown was. But she didn't. She would have to find another way out of this.

"Get ready, Jack," Mary whispered only to him. "Grab Tobias. We're going to have to swim for it."

Then Mary sent the school of lantern fish swarming around Karen's head.

"ARGH!" Karen waved her hands around her hair (which had, indeed, grown out), trying (unsuccessfully) to shoo the lantern fish away.

While Karen was distracted, Jack linked arms with Tobias, who linked arms with Mary, and they pushed out of the grotto and started up toward the surface.

It didn't matter. Because Karen—who was also the daughter of the Sea King and therefore also had some influence over the ocean—suddenly called out, "Yoo-hoo, sharks!"

In response, seven large hammerhead sharks wove through the water toward them, teeth red with whatever they'd eaten last. Now, it was Mary's experience that sharks were generally more afraid of you than you were of them, but that didn't mean they weren't still really freaking scary.

"What the fish?" Jack shouted. "Why would she—Is your sister really trying to kill us? That seems a bit extreme!"

"Uh, maybe? Swim faster!"

Jack swam faster, shooting up and up toward the brighter water above them. Mary glanced behind. Karen was metaphorically right on Jack's literal tail.

"Faster, Jack, faster!" Mary yelled.

"I thought I was going faster."

"You're supposed to be this superior swimmer, this great legendary thing! And yet she gains!"

"Well, I am carrying two people, and she's got only herself."

"I do not accept excuses, Jack! I'm just going to have to find myself a new cousin, that's all."

"Don't say that!"

Mary glanced down again. The lantern fish had spotted the sharks and were swimming away in a different direction. But the sharks had gotten distracted by the fish—so they were swimming away now, too.

And then there was Karen, now literally on Jack's tail. Her hand closed around Mary's foot, yanking her down.

Mary was still hooked to Tobias, though, and Tobias was still hooked to Jack. Their ascent came to an abrupt halt while Karen tugged on Mary.

"Stop! Being! So! Selfish!" Karen shouted. "I need that crown!"

Mary did the only thing she could think to do: she wiggled her toes in Karen's face. The tips of her toes brushed Karen's nose.

"Ew, it's so gross!" Karen shrieked, and let go.

"Sorry, Big Deal!" Mary said as she kicked upward. She heard a scream of outrage and glanced over her shoulder to see Karen frantically wiping at her face.

"I'll get you for this, Littlest!" Karen yelled. "And your little human, too!"

"Don't call me Littlest!" Mary yelled back.

Mary spared a glance at Tobias to make sure he was all right. She wanted to tell him that they were safe now—the sharks had moved off, and Karen was too busy gagging to come after them—but just then, his eyes widened in panic and he began to clutch at his chest.

"Jack!" Mary cried. "The kiss is wearing off!"

Jack was already swimming as fast as he could, but towing two people was clearly taking its toll. Two people who were in the process of drowning? Worse.

Wait.

Only one person was drowning. If Jack had kissed her immediately after kissing Tobias, shouldn't Mary be drowning a little bit now, too? But she wasn't.

Mary let go of Tobias.

He thrashed, reaching for her, clearly thinking he'd lost hold of her, but Mary shook her head.

"Go, Jack!" she called, kicking after him.

Jack went—and went faster now that his load was lightened.

Mary only hoped it was fast enough.

Slowly, so slowly with these bad-for-swimming human legs, Mary rose up to the surface, finally reaching the bright blue of the world above.

Jack and Tobias were already up, coughing and sputtering.

Tobias lurched toward Mary as she wiped water out of her eyes. "I thought I'd lost you!" He threw his arms around her. "I thought—"

"I'm fine," she said out loud. "I can—I guess I can still breathe underwater."

That would have been helpful to know when she'd jumped off the Fancy .

"So I kissed you for nothing?" Jack made a gagging noise.

Mary leaned her forehead against Tobias's shoulder, letting the heat of his embrace spread through her. But only for a moment. "We should go," she said.

"Come on," Jack said. "I'll pull us in."

They chained up again, kicking while Jack took everyone toward the nearest spit of land: a beach with a thin forest behind it. At the northern end, a ribbon of smoke trickled upward.

Legs burning with exhaustion, they struggled up the sandy slope and onto the beach, and—when Jack could go up no farther—the two with legs hauled him up as far as they could.

"I can't believe," Tobias panted, flopping onto the beach, "that we were just attacked by a killer mermaid. Jimmy Silver was right."

"Fortunately, she wasn't actually going to kill anyone." Jack threw dry sand over his tail.

"Then what was all of that about?" Tobias burst out.

Right. He hadn't been able to hear any of her conversation with Karen. To him, it had once again looked like an extremely intense staring contest.

Jack explained: "Karen wanted a crown that Mary took two years ago. She wanted to keep us down there until Mary gave it back."

Tobias's brow rumpled. "A crown?"

Mary shrugged. "I lost it a long time ago, so you would have been down there indefinitely. And Jack would have had to kiss you to keep you alive," she added. "Every twenty-seven minutes."

"A fate worse than death," said Tobias gravely.

"Hey now," said Jack. "I've been assured that I'm a very good kisser." Then he looked sad.

"That mermaid's name is Karen?" Tobias asked.

Jack shuddered. "She's the worst ."

"She's my sister," Mary admitted.

"Oh," said Tobias awkwardly. "Well, I'm glad I got to meet some of your family. I'm sure she's a delightful person under different circumstances."

"You don't have to be nice about it," Mary said with a laugh. "I hate that beach."