The Twice Lost by Sarah Porter

Author:Sarah Porter [Porter, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: General, Love & Romance, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Friendship, Violence, Paranormal, Action & Adventure, Social Issues, Girls & Women, Family, Physical & Emotional Abuse, Visionary & Metaphysical, Alternative Family, Emotions & Feelings, Values & Virtues, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
ISBN: 9780547482521
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2013-07-02T07:00:00+00:00

23

The Letter

Just after midnight the little-girl mermaid who’d been appointed timekeeper came rushing up excitedly, saluting everyone she met as she told them their shift was over. One by one the mermaids under the bridge were replaced by fresh singers just returned from sleeping in odd corners of the bay. Then a few of the smaller girls returned from the south bay with their nets bulging with shellfish and promptly got into a squabble over whose turn it was to have the honor of giving the off-duty lieutenants their dinner. The little mermaids looked abashed and stopped bickering as soon as Luce smiled at them.

“So,” Yuan said, “got plans tonight? I heard about the new ambassador, Luce. I know we don’t have a ton of options, but the dude does sound like kind of a joke.”

Luce felt an unexpected impulse to defend Seb. “I think he’ll do fine, actually. At least you should give him a chance before you go around calling him—”

“Hey, general, I wasn’t trying to piss you off! Okay, he sounds outstanding. Better?”

“We do have plans,” Luce said shortly. “I need as many of the lieutenants as you think we can spare, Yuan. Because we have to write the humans a letter, and I want to make sure—that everybody basically agrees on what we should ask for.”

“I thought that was the easy part,” Yuan observed sardonically. “Like, oh, ‘We’d be ever so obliged if you gracious humans might consider, perhaps, refraining from making lethal holes in us with pointy objects? Thank you quite a lot, The Mermaids.’”

“I think . . . it shouldn’t be just about us. I mean the war.” Luce looked off at the skyline. Slices of their giant wave were reflected on the glassy sides of skyscrapers, creating the illusion that there were waterfalls frothing brightly in the center of downtown.

Yuan looked befuddled. “What else is it about?”

“I think . . . that’s why I need the lieutenants to come with us tonight. Because it’s a really big decision.”

Yuan flashed Luce a strange, skeptical smile. “You’re about to do something totally crazy and reckless, aren’t you?” She grinned, pausing for one long beat. “Well, you can count on me to help!”

Luce laughed gratefully; she was amazed to realize how much Yuan truly meant it. “Hey, Yuan? I’m sorry I snapped at you. About Seb.”

“Oh, ’sokay. I know you identify with rejects like that. Even though you’re so totally not that yourself!”

Luce opened her mouth and found she couldn’t answer. She wasn’t sure which part of Yuan’s observation surprised her most.

“Hey,” Yuan continued. “Do you want me to ask Catarina to come with us? It would be easy not to, like I could just make a big thing about leaving her in charge here. If you’d rather not deal with her.”

Luce was startled all over again. “Of course she should come with us! I mean, why wouldn’t I want her to?”

“I don’t know, because she seems like she’s always arguing with you? Like first she

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