I think Headmaster Crumpet is saying something important, but I'm not paying much attention because Pierce has also noticed Shelly. How could he not, when she's gawking at him like a moray eel? And I don't think I've mentioned she's wearing a minuscule black 'skirt' and a black leather bustier. Her golden-green hair is in a ponytail, exposing her neck like a vampire invitation. Her long legs are bare, and she's practically falling out of her top. Some girls are so desperate, it's pathetic.
Applause punctuates the smoke-filled room as Crumpet introduces each teacher.
I have to warn Pierce about Shelly's predatory ways. Even an evil bloodsucking denizen of the night doesn't deserve to be stung by her vicious tentacles. I wave my arm in front of Pierce's face to break their eye contact. He doesn't turn his head, but I can see his smirk. "Jealous, Waverly?" he whispers.
Maybe I won't help him.
"Poseidon's beard," Shelly says. "His body! Those dimples! Wow!" She's practically drooling. I'm thankful that at least he's wearing a shirt.
I decide it's better to listen to Crumpet than Shelly, so I try to block her thoughts. This is when I hear Crumpet saying something about student cabins being completed right on schedule, thanks to a generous donation from Brack Sharkweather. The room breaks into excited applause as Mr. Sharkweather, Shelly's father, strides in wearing black jeans, a cowboy hat and boots, and a red plaid shirt, which is an obvious kiss-ass move. He makes his way toward the front, shaking hands with people along the way like the politician he is—I mean was. He used to serve on the Merfolk Council but got kicked out for some hush-hush reason.
Wait! Cabins? This is when it sinks in. West Marin Heights is a boarding school, and no one thought to mention this to me before? "Boarding school? What in Hades?" I say telepathically to my dad in my best indignant tone.
"If you paid attention, you would know." He's shaking his head and frowning. He doesn't say anything about me using an expletive because I've trained my parents to 'choose their battles' with me. I find that if I make a big deal about enough things, they can't keep up the energy to fight on that scale. They're pretty old, and they've already raised sixteen fingerlings before me; this is where I benefit from being the youngest. My siblings have eroded their resolve like water wearing away at rocks.
"You're saying you told me it was a boarding school? Because I'm sure I would have heard that."
"Yes, Wave, I did."
"You're going to let me sleep in a cabin with vampires?"
I look over at Pierce. Something is amusing him because he's smirking again. I really hate it when he does that, even if it shows off his dimples in a really adorable way.
Pierce laughs and turns his head to look at me, his dark blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "And what's wrong with that, Waverly?"
"What's wrong with what? I didn't say anything," I insist, but inside I'm totally freaking out. Did he hear what I said to my dad? Holy sea cow.
He shrugs and leans in to whisper in my ear, which—despite the hot room—causes goosebumps to prickle up my neck. "I am full of surprises," he whispers. I pull away. Cannot have him that close to my carotid artery! Pierce smirks that annoying smirky smirk of his. I can tell that this smirk is going to get old fast.
And Poseidon's beard! He has more secrets? Then again, what in Hades do I really know about vampires? So far, my preconceptions are all wrong. I didn't know they could fly. I didn't know they wore plaid. I didn't know they liked poetry. So how would I know whether or not they're telepathic?
And if Pierce is telepathic, can he hear everything that crosses my mind or only the things I broadcast? I can't help running through every thought I've had since I met him—about his body, his kiss, Shelly. I pretty much want to die.
"It's only a temporary side effect because I tasted your blood, Waverly. Should only last a week or so," he says, confirming my worst fear. This is how he knew my name. I'm beyond mad at myself. The only reason he's tasted my blood is because I was dumb enough to perform CPR on a vampire. And then I had to go and pull my mouth away so fast that his fangs snagged my lip.
"The vampires won't hurt you, Wave," Dad reminds me. "Remember, they're trying to improve their reputation." My dad and Pierce exchange glances. Does my dad know Pierce, or is he giving him some kind of non-verbal warning about not snacking on his daughter? "And because I work here, I've managed to get you some great bunkmates."
Dad set up my bunkmates? This is going to be a disaster.
Crumpet clears his throat again, and the room quiets instantaneously. Mr. Sharkweather is standing in front of the podium. "On behalf of West Marin Heights, I would like to thank you for your generous contribution." Crumpet reaches over and shakes Mr. Sharkweather's hand, but I notice a fleeting grimace cross Crumpet's face.
"My pleasure, Headmaster Crumpet," says Brack. "And the Sharkweather family has one more surprise for all of you. Shelly?" He motions for her to join him at the front.
Shelly tosses her ponytail over her shoulder and steps carefully over the gods. She almost trips, and one of them, an Adonis-type, of course, helps steady her. "Thanks." She beams at him. Once she's made it to the front, she nods her head at her dad, Headmaster Crumpet, and the teachers. "You guys are going to be so excited. I'm throwing a party next weekend to celebrate the first week of school, and you're all invited!" The students clap and cheer. "And here's the best part." Shelly pauses for dramatic emphasis and smiles. "It's on my family's new yacht. We sail from the dock at seven. Don't be late!"
The students erupt into conversation and laughter—except for the sullen guy by the fireplace who stoically folds his arms across his chest.
Shelly looks at me like she'd like to exclude me, but I'm freaking going whether she wants me there or not. I have to keep on eye on Pierce, to make sure he does nothing stupid—like fall in the water and get attacked by sharks (again), or by Shelly (for the first time).
"Thank you, Mr. Sharkweather, Miss Sharkweather," says Crumpet. "Alright, students, the remainder of the day will be about getting to know your professors and cabin mates. We've planned some fun activities to teach you about trust. If nothing else, we at West Marin Heights hope that by the end of the school term, you will learn to work together in harmony. Though you all come from different species with different customs, you will find that we have much in common."
"Fairy princess Iridessa, if you would be so kind as to distribute the students their cabin assignments?" The gorgeous fuchsia-haired fairy princess sets down her pipe and rises, and my tongue literally falls back in my throat, preventing oral speech. Somehow, her butterflies remain in crown formation. She clears her throat. "If you will all prepare yourselves ..." Her voice is kind of high-pitched and haunting—like a humpback whale.
Before I can prepare for anything, though, there's a deafening explosion, and then I'm spinning like a whirlpool in a cloud of sparkling fairy dust.
***
Next thing I know, I'm standing inside a wood cabin. My head is still going in circles. I topple backward and hit the wooden floor hard, right on my butt. "Holy crab! That hurt!" My heart is pounding, and I'm having a hard time catching my breath. Fairies can teleport people? And come on, magic shouldn't be sprung on people like that! You should at least have to wave a wand in the air or make up some cryptic incantation.
Someone laughs. It's Shelly, and her hands are on her slim hips.
"Nice one, Fishwater," Shelly says. Should I be at all surprised that she's in my cabin? Pierce is here too, along with five other beings, one of whom is the guy I'd seen by the fireplace. Coincidentally, he's landed next to the cabin's stone fireplace, where a small fire crackles and burns.
These are the classmates handpicked by Dad for my safety? I get to spend my senior year not with my lifelong friends in Pacifica, but with Shelly, my biggest enemy, and with Pierce, who's so far the biggest fan of my blood at West Marin Heights? "Thanks a lot, Dad," I say in tele-speak, but he's probably too far away to pick up the transmission.
The room is cozy, at least, with a plaid couch that matches the curtains. Tiny strands of twinkling white lights crisscross near the ceiling. There's a low table in front of the couch with a platter of pink iced fairy cakes.
Pierce leans over and extends his hand to me. "I don't need your help, vampire," I mumble in kind of a mean way. The truth is, I am more embarrassed than angry.
"I understand," he says. Oh, right, mind-reader. I end up taking his hand and try my best not to think about the surge of molten heat that starts where our hands are joined, then courses through my entire body. I jerk my hand back as soon as I'm upright.
Pierce looks strangely at his hand. What; does he think I've infected him with some weird mermaid disease? He gives me a funny look, and I'm hoping he doesn't know what I felt when we touched. I'm doing my best to block my thoughts. I really need a distraction.
One of my new roommates—a girl with bright-red pigtails, wearing what looks like a blue nightgown—smiles and nods at me. This small act of kindness makes me feel way better than it ought to. A second later, the cabin door creaks open, and Headmaster Crumpet walks in with a stack of envelopes. I want to hug him for his timing, but I also kind of hope he's not about to hand us anything too scary—like math assignments.
"Hello, students," he chirps. I swear he sounds like a fingerling coming over to our cave to ask us if we want to go hunting for sea urchins. "Here are your first-semester class schedules," he says, passing out the envelopes. Okay, that's way better than math homework. I can't wait to read it! I hope the classes are more fun here than at Pacifica. Like maybe: How to Get Godlike Abs in a Week or Underwater Basket Weaving 101. I'd totally ace that! "I trust you've all introduced yourselves to one another?"
"Not yet, Headmaster Crumpet," Shelly says.
Crumpet holds out his arms. "Let's form a circle. Then everyone can say their name and species."
We do as he says. Shelly manages to situate herself next to Pierce. What a shocker.
"I'll start! I'm Shelly Sharkweather," she giggles. "I mean, you already know who I am because of the awesome yacht party I'm hosting next week. I'm a mermaid, but I guess you could tell with the green hair and all."
Pierce grins at Shelly the whole time she's talking, which makes me want to slug someone. Not sure if it would be more fun to slug Pierce or Shelly, though. Obviously, I am a civilized mermaid and would never actually slug anyone just because they annoy me. I hope. "My name is Pierce Knightguard. Vampire." Shelly is gazing at him like he's some kind of celebrity. It's really disgusting.
"Pickles McPhee, fairy godmother-in-training," says the girl in the blue nightgown. She tries to curtsy, but messes it up and stumbles over her own feet. The other fairy grimaces and rolls her eyes, but Pickles laughs. "Yeah, I like to trip on Tuesdays. Well, on all days, but mostly Tuesdays." I like her instantly.
"Thunder Woolfson. Werewolf." I'm standing next to Thunder. My head comes up to his elbow. He has frizzy roan hair that is so voluminous, it's like there's an extra person in the room. He's tapping on the bottom of what looks like a large metal bowl with a long handle.
My turn. "Waverly Fishwater, mermaid. Uh, nice to meet you all." Just because I'm freaking out and my ass is killing me doesn't mean I shouldn't have any manners.
"Lily-Bella, fairy princess-in-training. I like makeup, clothes, jewels, princes on horseback, and the color pink," she says, dropping into a perfect curtsy. Her pale blonde hair is twisted into a smooth bun dotted with ladybugs. She's wearing a rose-colored gown with a huge blood-red jewel pendant around her neck.
Huh? There are two kinds of fairies?
"Cupid. God," Cupid says, sounding a little bored with the rest of us. He has shoulder-length blonde curls and long, sun-kissed muscular legs, which are on full display as his gold-trimmed toga barely covers his thighs. The oddest part of his outfit is a tropical-print bow tie. "God of love, I should say," he adds, looking right at Pierce and Shelly. This god is going to be trouble, I can tell. Also, what? I'm going to school with THE Cupid? How is that even possible? He can't still be in high school.
Pickles keeps looking at the guy by the fireplace. He still hasn't introduced himself, and when a tall flame licks the boy's leg, she gasps and trips over Cupid's foot. "Oops, sorry," Pickles says.
"Hey, watch the booties, fairy-girl."
Pierce helps Pickles up, glaring at Cupid. "How many gold booties do you need, Love God?"
Cupid purses his lips and looks at Pierce's feet. "At least I'm not in loafers, which were last popular when dinosaurs roamed the earth," Cupid scoffs.
Headmaster Crumpet folds his arms across his chest. "That's enough, boys," he says, sounding impatient. You know you're in a weird place when your headmaster, who literally looks like a kid, calls an ancient god a 'boy.'
"Sorry, Headmaster," they both mutter.
"I'm Fintan Byrnes," says fireplace guy, finally chiming in, a bit of grey smoke coming out of his mouth. "I don't know what I am or why I'm here." He stares us all down as if daring us to say anything about him being ignorant of his own species. I wonder if he doesn't know or doesn't want to tell us?
Headmaster Crumpet beams at us and claps his small hands. "Now that you've met your cabin mates, why don't you have a look around before you start working on trusting one another?"
"Your cabin is one of the new ones," Headmaster Crumpet continues. He takes an audible breath. "Smell that fresh wood and turpentine? You can walk around if you'd like. The girls' bedroom is on the right, the boys' on the left. Each has its own bathroom. This is the common area. I must visit the other cabins now, but I will see you in class."
After the door closes behind Crumpet, Shelly grabs Pierce's elbow and leads him toward the girls' bedroom. "Come on, Pierce, help me pick out my bed," Shelly coos.
My fists clench as I watch Pierce smile and follow after her. I feel a sudden wave of nausea. I know I have no right to be jealous, but I am. First, Shelly gets Finn, and now she's totally forgotten about him and has her sights set on Pierce. It's almost like Shelly's biggest goal in life is destroying any chance I have of ever getting a boyfriend.
"Oh, I forgot something back in the courtyard," I lie, rushing out of the cabin before anyone can ask me any questions. What? I did leave something there—my dignity. Now I just have to hope I can leave whatever I'm feeling for Pierce there too.