The Rules of the Red - 2014 Watty Award Winner |✓|

Chapter Twenty-One - Part Two

The face had small, dark green lips, and black eyes without pupils. A small, button nose sat above a friendly smile, and all my surprise was replaced by intrigue as I noticed the jade green fin that lazy slapped at the water. 

This was a Mermaid – a real, living Mermaid.

The Mermaid smiled, without showing its teeth, and swam up to the edge of the fountain. It was girl, young, and barely entering puberty it seemed. Her dripping hair was long, and just as green as her skin, trailing into a hidden depth beneath the water.

"Are you... seeing this?" I said, turning backwards to look at Ethan for confirmation. But his reply was wordless, because his tongue didn't seem to work anymore. His jaw moved, but was generally useless as he was frozen by his own surprise.

I turned back to the Mermaid and she looked at me from her black, alien-like eyes, bringing one green hand up from the water as she beckoned me closer to her. And without hesitation, I obliged, meeting her at the fountain's edge.

"I can't believe what I'm looking at is really... real," I said faintly, leaning in just a little closer as the Mermaid's smile widened. And the next second, the thing spit a stream of fountain water into my face, cackling harshly and finally revealing yellow, pointed teeth.

"Well, now I believe it," I muttered, wiping the water from my face, as behind me Ethan cracked up in laughter.

"Ahem. This way, if you'd please..." The butler drawled, standing patiently beside the doorway at the far end of the room. So with sheepish looks, Ethan and I hurried to catch up.

We reached what was clearly to be our destination after that, with the short walk ending in a long, rectangular room of a dreary, brown color. The floor was made of a smooth wood, polished to a high sparkle, but several soft and real bear rugs were scattered for effect. There were several pieces of dark, uncomfortable looking furniture spread throughout the room, including chaises, couches, and love seats – some occupied, others not. And I noticed, with some comfort, that the room was far from crowded. It was filled with maybe twenty or so other people that generated enough buzz to keep the room comfortably humming, while beneath that the smooth tones of Lorde's Royals played in the background. I hadn't noticed, until now, that the music hadn't been audible until we were actually standing inside the room – which then led me to conclude that the walls of Ripley Hall were apparently all sound proof.

"Do you recognize anyone?" I said in a low voice, looking around us for any signs of a familiar face. But all I saw were many pale-faced men and women, dressed to their nines, and all sporting goblets of a questionable, red liquid.

"Nope, I don't," Ethan murmured in reply, standing protectively close at hand. "And I don't know what the other Council members look like, besides the Romaines."

"Thank you, again, for being here by the way," I said, not looking at him, but bumping his elbow slightly with mine. "It means a lot to me."

"I'm your Champion." he said back, quietly, still surveying the party. "It's kind of what I do."

A moment later, the comfortable silence that had fallen between Ethan and myself was effectively broken.

"Naomi Noble. Finally, tonight's most important guest has decided to arrive." A smooth voice was saying, and suddenly Johl Romaine was standing before us – a speeding blur from seemingly nowhere that suddenly turned corporeal. And he was looking suave that night in a dark blue, long sleeved, dress shirt. It was open at the cuffs, and left stylishly untucked from his dark jeans.

"And fashionably late, might I add – I like that. But Naomi, you naughty girl, you've brought along a furry friend. Hmm, I don't remember adding plus-one's to the guest list. Unless, he's here for dinner of course..."