The Atlantis Queens by M S Kaminsky

Author:M S Kaminsky [Kaminsky, M S]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: young adult, mermaids
Publisher: Boerum Hill
Published: 2019-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 48 - ALLIE

THE CAPTAIN FREAKED when he learned Mom operated the boat in the middle of the night. Alysa promise she’d arrange a massive bonus from Lauren. That calmed him.

At dawn, we arrived. Well, it seemed to be dawn. Fog loomed from every direction. The strange tone moaned. Through the murky gloom sat an island. A rocky, desolate version of Alabaster Island. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something different. A lush, tropical island. The island Mom grew up on. Alabaster Island.

It looked like the same place I’d visited with JR back in Adria. That day felt like three forevers ago. The strange tone made me queasy. Mom, Alysa, Jerryd, and I were the only ones who could hear it.

Alysa, Mom, and I surveyed the murky water. My sister gave me a shaky smile and put her arm around me. Despite everything, she seemed happy. There hadn’t been time for her to say much, but I found out that she and Jerryd had cleared things up. Awesome. She deserved love.

“Gosh, Alabaster Island looks different from what I remember,” Alysa said.

“Mermaid Island,” I said.

We shook pinkies. Yup, that’s what we’d called it, back then. Mermaid Island. “You were going to be her queen,” Alysa said.

“Actually, I think I wanted to be the king with you as my queen.” We laughed together.

Mom pointed at the island. “Remember, this isn’t the Alabaster Island where I grew up or you visited as a child. Can you see it flicker? Wavering. The worlds are mixing.”

“Like cake batter,” I said.

Mom flashed a rueful smile. “Yes. Only a layer of frosting separates one from the other. And the frosting… is melting. See there? That’s where the lighthouse stood—on our Alabaster Island. Do you girls remember the lighthouse?”

“You’re diving now?” Jerryd grabbed Alysa’s hand. His cheeks were streaked with tears. “What about—?” He turned to Mom. She’d spoken to him alone about his dad. I wasn’t sure what she’d told him.

Alysa wrapped her arms around Jerryd, and he buried his face in her shoulder. It surprised me to feel a twinge of jealousy. Just a twinge. It made me miss Nate like crazy. Alysa opened her mouth to answer and turned to me. I looked at Mom.

“Allie, do you feel strong enough to dive?” Mom asked.

I nodded. “I can do it.” Alysa had strengthened me. Part of me feared I might dissolve away again. Somehow, I knew I wouldn’t.

“Alysa?”

“No. Maybe. I—I don’t know. Yes. I’ll do it. But I don’t know if I can. So how long will I have to hold my breath?”

Mom chuckled. When Alysa didn’t share the laugh, Mom turned to me.

“Wait. You didn’t tell her?” Mom asked.

“Partly,” I said. “It’s better to do it without knowing… the details.”

“Yes, probably right,” Mom said with a small sigh.

“Do what?” Alysa asked.

I brushed the hair from her eyes. “Become a bad-ass mermaid.”

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