Secrets of the Sea

xv. the full moon

"Hurry!" They're looking the other way!" Callie hissed, peeking around the couch was was kneeling behind.

The three mermaids swam through the dark waters and across the Sitting Room as quietly as they could. They all wore black, to try and "blend in." Although Callie thought it probably just made them look like strange black blobs. Whatever.

The praepostor, Alicia and Yuro, leaned slumped against the wall outside the door of the sitting room, "patrolling" the area for runaway mer.

"This is boring!" Yuro said grumpily. "Can't I just go to sleep? Isn't that why there's such a thing as nighttime? I wanna sleep!"

"No, you dumb boy!" Alicia huffed. "It's the full moon, the headmistress ordered all the praepostor to patrol their dorms! And as the praepostor of the First and Second Level girl and boy dorms, we have to guard it! In fact, earlier, I caught a few Level Ones students lingering in the Sitting Room, but I ushered them to the girl's stairway. You're lucky they weren't boys, because after I would've kicked them to the boy' stairwell, I would've reported you! Honestly! How did you even get this job, huh? I worked my butt off having a clean record and getting perfect grades, and then you come in with average grades and like 500 detentions! Tell me, how ddi someone as lazy as you get this responsibility?!"

"Dunno, don't care," Yuro said, shrugging carelessly as he rolled back his shoulders. "I'll be sleeping here, you watch the annoying Level Ones and Twos, if you're so high and mighty, Alicia. Good night."

With that, the boy praepostor slumped down and began snoring loudly as his head slid down the wall.

Jolie, Daryah, and Callie exchanged excited glances. Things were looking up for them. One praepostor down.

"For Oceana, you stupid boy!" Alicia growled, whacking Yuro with a loud smack that made the trio wince. "Get up, you lazy, retarded little squid!"

Yuro didn't budge, snoring on. Alicia clenched her fists, her pale face slowly tinting red. "Yuro!" she screeched.

"He's even worse than you!" Daryah giggled to Callie. "Usually a good hit with a pillow gets you awake and complaining!"

"Shhhh!!" Jolie whispered.

They watched as Alicia stormed down the hall, likely to report Yuro's incompetence to Cordiaffus, muttering about good-for nothing boys all along the way.

"Perfect. Let's go!" Callie whispered. The three snuck out the door, tails whipping through the waters as fast as they could.

"I wish we had started Calisthenics!" Daryah groaned, clutching her side. "The teacher teaches us how to properly use our super-speed and super-strength! My tail and tummy feel so tired right now."

"Wow, Cool!" Callie breathed. She really couldn't wait to learn that.

They reached the door to the courtyard, which was barred shut, with three, large locks clamped onto the metal bars blocking the door.

"Um, does anyone have the keys?!" Daryah asked, looking at the two of them doubtfully.

Both shook their heads.

"Great," Callie sighed.

"Here, hold on," Jolie said, sliding a small, gleaming crystal hairpin out of her messy pink ponytail. The bottom of the clip as slightly more more wavy the the usual hairpin, and the ends were twisted in a strange shape.

She stuck it into the first keyhole and twisted it expertly around, until a faint click sounded. She grinned triumphantly. Then did the same to the last two. The metal barring the door slid aside, and the three mermaids swam to the door, then carefully opened it, swimming out into the cool waters of the courtyard.