The Mermaid and the Heiress (A Retelling of The Little Mermaid)

8

Nate's room was full of things that fluttered, hovered, and flashed.

There were images on his walls, mostly of Brook and Victoria, but I spotted some of my beaming self—mid-run, on the ground, or with family and staff. One was of Nate and I, wide-eyed after a failed cooking session in the kitchen, its previously pristine walls decorated with blackened food. (Victoria had snapped it just before Nate had promised to clean up, and I'd nearly snapped my neck nodding. Head-of-staff Olivia had screamed murder, either assuming one had been committed or committing to one in the future. Annette had claimed she would faint, but recovered admirably when no one stepped forward to assist her.) More images showed our row of smiling faces at the beach, Nate and Brook braiding my hair, and myself alone—or thinking I was—raptly watching my screen-in-the-wall.

Nate, strapping into his "walking suit", said, "Come on, breakfast time."

Roppo the pup yipped and hopped around my ankles, wagging his tail excitedly. We'd all decided on his name together, even Annette, though Victoria had said he was mine now.

Down in the kitchen, our every move was watched by a beady-eyed Olivia. Two brown-haired girls talked quietly in a corner.

The taller one broke away, seeing me. "I'm going to see what my girlfriend is doing. Brooklyn hates it when I leave her side." Laughing nastily, she snarled, "Freak!" as she knocked past me.

I didn't have to ask who she was.

Nate, scowling at the other girl, shifted closer to me.

"I'm sorry," she said. She looked exasperated. "Look...if you met Gwen's parents...well, you'd get that she never had a chance. I think she's good deep down—like, deep down. She doesn't think so, though. She thinks she has to be awful to get anywhere, and that there's no other way. This'll all be a good lesson for her, in the end. Oh, and, um," she added to me, as she moved to follow her friend, "they're not together yet, no matter what Gwen says. Love the hair!"

As we were left with a nervy Olivia, the word "yet" echoed distressingly in my mind. And what had that meant, "a good lesson in the end"?

"That was Kacey," Nate said, not relaxing one bit. "She's okay, but this won't be fun—Gwen sees you as a threat. She should, you're way nicer than her...prettier, too."

He led me outside, into the morning sun, to a beautifully set table.

Indeed, breakfast was not fun.

Sitting at Brook's side, Gwen stared at me as I ate. I forced myself to meet her sneer rather than look down, even as my free hand twisted on my leg. A hand covered mine. At my own side, Nate smiled at me. But he jerked as his mother spoke.

"Must she eat with us?" Annette hissed in my direction. "This is getting ridiculous—how long are we going to keep her here?"

It must have taken an extraordinary effort for Gwen not to smile.

Brook and Victoria reddened, but Nate was quicker in his anger. He stood up, eyes blazing. Silence fell at the screech of his chair, and the flowers around us seemed to shrink back.

"This isn't even your house—Dad left it to Vicki!"

Annette went pale. "I am your mother," she growled.

"Since when?" he scoffed, and abandoned the shocked table.

I stood to go after him, but was stopped by two things. Annette's words as she turned on me: "This is your fault, you've been stirring him up—" And my body, suddenly spasming. I tried to act as though nothing was wrong, to hide it, to leave with quick calm steps, but the pain was excruciating. Not yet, I thought. Not yet!