A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Book 2 of Salt Kiss series)

Nothing Fancy

I was getting exhausted. These maids had been all over me for hours now, tugging at my hair, wrapping things around my waist, chest and limbs. They chattered away in Mermese and I did not have a clue what decisions were being made.

At one point they had appeared with a handful of pearls and crushed them with some kind of upside down mortar and pestle. Another maid then hovered above the mortar clasping a transparent sap-like substance in her hands. The pearls had then been allowed to float out of the mortar so that the splinters became submerged in the gloop, which in turn, formed a shimmery white paste. I watched as they circled me, the substance as thick as the tree sap Nephys had gathered that day, albeit not a garish red. This pearly paste was then slapped all over my eyelids and shoulders.

They swished backwards, for the fifty-fifth thousandth time, and studied me. Not content, they swarmed around me again, now with some shells in their hands.

Eventually, they appeared to be done, and two of them whipped off and, after a moment, they reappeared lugging a huge mirror over to where I sat on my bed.

I watched in anticipation but I was unable to ignore a throbbing sensation in my tail. It had been folded beneath me all this time, and I realized that I had a bad case of pins and needles. I eased myself upwards so that I floated above the bed and my poor tail was able to stretch out slowly.

Ahhh, painful but necessary.

As I hovered and winced, I suddenly caught sight of my reflection. I did a double take at the mermaid before my eyes. She was near unrecognizable.

My hair had been twisted and plaited so that it was piled on top of my hair in a messy but elegant mound, while the pearly white substance was artfully smeared over my eyelids in a thick shimmering layer.

I gazed admiringly at my eye-makeup for a while; it really brought out the blue in my eyes. They had dabbed a thinner layer of the paste onto my cheeks and shoulders, like a frosty glaze, and against all odds, it had set just fine under the waters. This was not just water-proof makeup; it was mermaid-proof makeup.

I looked down at the rest of my body and slapped my hands over my mouth.

Two white, diamond-encrusted oyster shells covered my boobs.

I'm actually wearing the seashell bra! OMG! OMG! I tilted my head to the side. Hang on, how are they attached? I swivelled my body around now, keeping my head fixed on the mirror. There are no strings... nothing!

I bounced about unsure, testing the sturdiness of their grip. I did not want one to float off at dinner and have another mortifying experience in front of a whole new kingdom. After a lot of movement, I was relatively satisfied that these shells were not going anywhere. They did not budge an inch.

"Tar," a maid explained. "We gather it from the beaches of the ports at night."

These mermaids seem to have a bit of a thing for our waste, I mused. Maybe when I was human again I too could prowl around the port after dark, and flog a load of tar to celebrities. There would be no red carpet disasters with this gunk stuck beneath their dress necklines and slits. I would tell them it was something else, of course, and put it in pretty packaging. Hmmm, Rosie might not be the only entrepreneur knocking about Starfish.

I smiled happily at my reflection. They really had done an incredible job; I looked like a pearly sea-princess.

"We thought this costume would suit your name perfectly," said one maid, as they swam around me, "Crystal White, so beautiful."

I beamed at them.

"Thank you," I replied. "My mother, she..." I trailed off suddenly, thinking wistfully of Mum. "She called me that because she used to dream about crystals and gemstones every night when she was pregnant with me," I explained, looking down.

Don't think of Mum and Dad, I willed myself. You have to stay strong.

"Maybe she had a premonition," suggested one of the maids, as they shuffled off with the mirror.

"A premonition?" I echoed, looking up.

"Well, you were the Prince of Jewel's love, after all," she chirped.

My mood blackened as I realized she meant Llyr. "Supposedly," I muttered.

They all froze in their strokes. "Wavia!" scolded Cresstina. "I'm sorry," she replied, turning to me. "We have overstepped boundaries."

I held up my hand, snapping out of my anger. "It's okay," I said. I forced a smile at the loose-tongued maid who was blushing ashamedly. "Honestly, it's fine..."

Suddenly there was the sound of some familiar swooshes and Nephys appeared. My mood rocketed as I saw her; she had had a makeover too!

I squealed and swam over to her, where we bobbed about examining each other and clasping hands.

Nephys was in full Evergreen attire. She too wore Oyster shells, I realized excitedly, but hers were a beautiful pale green and embellished with emeralds. On her head she wore a colourful wreath of flowers and silky braided seaweed, and her eyes had also been made-up, albeit with a thick forest-green substance.

"You look wonderful!" I breathed, looking her up and down.

"Oh Crystal," she cried back. "You look like an angel! But my goodness, did we not deserve a pampering after all our woes?"

I nodded wearily. We certainly did!

She held out her hand, and I saw two little camuls nestled in her palm.

"Will you join me for a pre-dinner drink?" she asked, an eyebrow raised invitingly.

I giggled and took a capsule.

"With pleasure," I said, holding my capsule up to hers. "Cheers."

Nephys laughed. "Cheers!" she said brightly. "Georgie taught me all about 'Cheers,' you know."

I smiled happily. Finally, my 'human' talk didn't confuse the hell out of someone.

"Oh, speaking, of Georgie," said Nephys, "I saw him earlier..."

My heart skipped a beat. "What did he say?" I asked anxiously. I so hoped everybody above wasn't going out of their mind with worry.

"It's good news," said Nephys. "Your parents think you are off having fun, with no telephone communication, as per plan, and your island friend... Posy?"

"Rosie," I said quickly.

"Yes, Rosie. George told her the truth about your transformation, and she has been... well most surprised obviously..."

I let out a high-pitched squeaky noise as I imagined Rosie hearing the news. My mind then flashed to Jemima, who must have been left in the dark.

Nephys zoned in on my concerns.

"Oh, so apparently, Rosie has been coming up with all kinds of convincing tales to explain your whereabouts," she said. "I'm not sure what exactly, but you have nothing to worry about. She has your back."

I nodded gratefully and felt a wave of relief flood through my body. This was one of many weights off my shoulders.