Mermaids And The Vampires Who Love Them

14. SUPERNATURAL BIO & REPRODUCTION

"Ugh!" Big eye roll here. He glares at me. "I promise!"

"Good, now off to class."

"Just tell me one thing," I say, just because I am terrible at giving up on an argument.

"Waverly Marie Fishwater!"

There it is. When a parent calls you by your full name, it is a warning they're about to lose it, like when a rattlesnake shakes its rattle. But I don't care. I just keep thinking about Beau. "Dad, is the problem only in the bay, or is the ocean affected too? It's important. I have to know."

"So far, it's confined to the bay. Now that's it, Wave. No more. You need to go to Biology now."

"I'm not feeling well, Dad. Could you write me an excuse to get me out of class?"

"You're sick?" He looks worried. Even though I want to say, 'yes, yes, I'm totally sick,' I can't do that to him.

"No. I'm okay." But why am I okay? How come everyone else who's gone in the bay is sick? Except for me, and Pierce, and I guess my dad. I want to ask him about this, but he's already called me by my full name once; if I make him do it twice, he'll probably find a way to make me take Biology every day for the rest of my life. There is an answer, and I'll figure it out.

"Good. The best thing for you to do right now is to go to Biology and act normal. Not too normal, though. We don't want to raise any suspicion."

"Hilarious, Dad," I say.

He kisses my head. "Full moon tonight," he says.

I totally didn't realize it was a full moon. This means we have fairy dance class and get to dance until our feet are bloody. What a fantastic way to spend an evening with a bunch of bloodthirsty vampires!

My soggy flip-flops make a squeaking noise with every step as I trudge up the path to the Craftsman bungalow classrooms that sit perched around the meadow in the center of campus. While I walk, I'm plotting my own investigation. You'd think after seventeen years of living with me, my father would know I never give up an argument this easily.

I get to Bio, but apparently Headmaster Crumpet hasn't started teaching yet. I know this because the kids are chattering and launching paper airplanes at the really high ceiling. Because this is no ordinary school, the planes make buzzing sounds, like oversized mosquitoes, and perform all kinds of fancy maneuvers—loops, rolls, the occasional dive-bombing of another student. One of the more erratic planes has a sparkly contrail. Pretty sure this one belongs to Pickles. Two of the planes are shooting little blasts of chalk at one another. Headmaster Crumpet is grinning at the chaos, like he really is twelve.

"Welcome, Miss Fishwater. Glad you could join us. I've been waiting for you before beginning the unit on Divine Reproduction."

Lucky me! I'm thinking, but because I'm supposed to act normal, I say, "I'm sorry I'm late." I manage to say this so casually, I really impress myself. I am good at this! I can pretend to be ignorant, I mean uninformed, all day long.

For some reason, Pierce is sitting at the teacher's desk in the front of the room. Why is he sitting apart from the other students? Has he already gotten in trouble?

He gives me a funny look and mouths, "Are you okay?" I wonder if he can still read my mind, because I gave such a convincing performance of my okayness when I walked into the room. I cannot understand how else he would guess something was wrong. I smile totally casually at him. He mouths, "Meet me after class." And he looks super serious and almost adultish. I don't like this at all. Frankly, there are too many serious adults in my life as it is. Still, even though I can't tell him anything about what happened with my dad, just the idea of being close to Pierce makes me feel a little better.