Megan Sutter watched the darkening clouds from the dock as her cousin started up the white powerboat. At almost eighteen she questioned why she still followed Candace Huntington around. Megan tried to reason it would be fine, they were just going to a party close by, but her cousin’s ideas always sounded fun at first. As kids they explored Candace’s hometown of Hermanville Island, a hidden dot off the coast of southern California. Usually their adventures led to major trouble – like when Candace’s golf cart drove itself off a cliff because they left it running.
In their defense, it was a small cliff and an old golf cart.
This year seemed different. With college looming, Megan felt like they were too old for summer “adventures.” At the very least they should’ve been adult enough to know not to sail in a storm.
Gray clouds rolled in, almost completely obscuring the sun. Wind tugged at Megan’s light red hair and made the warm water choppy. She raised her voice to be heard over the waves. “Come on, let’s drive instead. I don’t like those clouds.”
“It’s a little shower at most. Those weather people always exaggerate.” Candace leaned back in the captain’s chair, the canopy above pink with her initials on the top. “Besides, it’s a going-away party. These friends won’t get to see my new baby here.” She patted the side of the boat, her high school graduation present, like a proud mother.
“I understand, but I don’t feel like being rescued by the Coast Guard.”
“That only happened once.”
“Twice!”
Ignoring her glare, Candace turned to the powerboat’s steering controls. “You can stay here then. Tell my parents I won’t be back for dinner.”
Megan tightened her ponytail as they stared each other down. Candace’s hands gripped the controls, testing her cousin’s resolve. The dark clouds worried Megan more than Candace’s stubbornness annoyed her. If she went out there alone…
Megan would never forgive herself if something happened.
Candace grinned victoriously as her cousin climbed into the powerboat. “For the record,” Megan insisted. “I’m only going because you are a child with no sense of self-preservation.”
“Alright, how about this. If we do need the Coast Guard, I’ll owe you. Anything you want.” Candace pulled away from the dock, strong winds blowing her short brown hair into her face. “I swear, you still act like we’ll get in trouble with our parents.”
“It’s not about that!” Megan insisted, though the argument rang true. Candace did have a lifetime of sailing experience – maybe Megan misjudged the clouds. As they pulled away from the dock, she tried to push down her negative thoughts and enjoy the breeze. Since Candace wanted to be fashionably late they took their time sailing around the island, even venturing out to the open water.
After a while, Candace noticed the lingering anxiety on Megan’s face. “Hey, are you okay? I know you hate it when I push you, but sometimes you need the push.”
“No, it’s…” Megan had been staring at a text from her father, rereading it as if that would change anything. “Dad texted me a few hours ago. He and Mom aren’t flying in to visit this summer. Apparently the hotel is too busy this year.”
Candace hesitated, unusual for her. “That stinks. I’ll miss seeing Aunt Janet and Uncle Owen.”
Considering the rocky history between their parents, Megan thought this was the most generous comment Candace could’ve made. The cousins originally became best friends because their families spent every vacation together. Meanwhile, the hotel run by Megan’s aunt Elaine and uncle Richard became wildly popular, leading to newfound wealth and status. Her parents tried to follow suit by opening a hotel in California but they couldn’t recreate the same success.
The resulting jealousy and resentment ripped the family apart. Megan began flying out alone as soon as she was old enough. Up until this year, her parents at least put on a good show and visited at the end of the summer. Now they couldn’t even be bothered to do that.
“Look, I’m not expecting a miracle,” Megan said quietly. “Things will never go back to how they were. I just thought…with college coming up…they’d put their pettiness aside to spend more time with me. Maybe they’re mad at me for going to college here.”
“Have you talked to them about it?”
“I’ve tried, they deny it like everything else. They won’t even admit they’ve been fighting with your parents for years now.”
Candace hesitated again, stumped by Megan’s dilemma while she steered. “Maybe the distance will do some good.”
Then, Megan felt a raindrop on her arm.
“Uh oh.” Candace grimaced when the drops almost instantly turned into a steady downpour. The cousins huddled under the canopy, which didn’t provide much shelter, but Candace refused to change direction. “The party’s five minutes away! We can make it!”
Megan scanned the shoreline, shocked by the distance – they had to be at least two miles out. “Really? Didn’t you notice the shore’s way over there?”
“You didn’t either!”
Fear made Megan’s voice harsher than intended. “Head for land, now!”
A crack of thunder interrupted Candace’s next protest. Instead, she drove at max speed towards shore, her hair flying as the waves fought against them. Then the motor stopped running, probably because the ride used up more gas than anticipated.
Emergency plans filled Megan’s mind in quick succession – they needed life jackets, to call the Coast Guard. But a fierce wave rocked the powerboat and knocked them both off their feet. The storm beating her down, Megan crawled towards the controls, reaching for the marine radio. Then another wave struck the boat. Megan lost her balance again, crashing into the captain’s chair.
And the storm pulled them out to sea.
#
“Megan!”
Candace’s screech pierced Megan’s subconscious. Her eyes snapped open a split second before she registered aches and pains, all the hurt expected from a boat accident. She managed to prop herself up against the wall, a blanket falling to the side as she took in her surroundings.
Well, she wasn’t on the boat.
Her cousin’s crushing hug didn’t cause as much pain as Megan anticipated. She returned it with nearly equal force, relieved Candace seemed okay aside from some bruises. And she was wearing different clothes than before. “Where are we? Where…where’d you get the shorts and t-shirt? They’re cute.” Candace laughed even as she wiped away tears.
The room began to take shape while Megan fought off grogginess. She’d been lying on a cot against a rounded wall. Based on the desk and shelves full of medical supplies, Megan guessed they were in a doctor’s office. She raised an eyebrow at a tank filled with water next to the door. It rose higher than a typical person’s height but did not reach the ceiling. There was also a regular-sized, closed door in the wall behind the glass.
“Before we get into that,” Candace replied, sitting next to her cousin. “This was absolutely all my fault, and I am so, so sorry. I swear I’ll get you anything you want. How about a pony? Remember when we were ten and you were so jealous I got one?”
“Let me think about it when my head isn’t spinning.”
A woman entered through the same door Candace had used. She looked to be in her thirties, her wavy dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. “Hi Megan, I’m Dr. Maisa Kahele, but call me Maisa. I’m so happy you’re awake! You’ve been out for a couple of hours, how are you feeling?”
The doctor retrieved a box of supplies and began placing them on the desk – aspirin, bandages and the like. She wore a stethoscope around her neck with an outfit that resembled Candace’s. “More confused than anything else,” Megan answered. “What’s going on?”
“We’re underwater!” Candace blurted, her eyes shining with excitement.
The answer made no sense to Megan’s foggy brain. “What?”
“You’re in a research facility,” Maisa clarified, smiling at Candace. “Welcome to the Hermanville Marine Institute, Megan. My colleagues caught sight of your boat, so they brought you down here with our submersible watercraft. We were closer than the shore, but more importantly, they knew I could treat you. The bad news is the watercraft took on some water and needs to dry out.”
Megan shook her head and blinked several times. “Sorry, I think I caught most of that.” She let out a deep breath and focused on the key part of Maisa’s speech. “We’re…underwater? How far down?”
“About a hundred and fifty feet.”
“So is this like a secret or something?” Candace asked. “I’ve never heard of this before, and I’ve lived here my entire life.”
“Yes, we try not to let people know we exist. This place is…very unique. But that can wait. Megan, I’d like to give you a quick check up and clean those cuts.”
Megan gladly took the aspirin Maisa offered. “Thanks. You won’t get any protest from me.”
#
A half hour later, Megan and Candace climbed the stairs into an observatory. The aspirin helped, Megan’s cuts had bandages, and Maisa loaned her fresh clothes. Megan and Candace weren’t the same size as the older woman, so they improvised by tying shirt hems and rolling waistbands.
The closed, two-story observatory had opaque walls that curved like the doctor’s office. Panels with computers and switches lined the circular room. Megan focused on the two new people in the observatory, who both seemed a few years younger than Maisa. Following Megan’s gaze, Maisa made introductions. “Megan Sutter, Candace Huntington, meet the owners of HMI.”
A man wearing a lab coat went over to shake their hands. His neat blonde hair looked like he trimmed it at least once a week. “Dr. Archie Evans. Nice to meet you girls, despite the circumstances.”
His co-owner shook the cousins’ hands, wavy brown hair falling into his face. He wore cargo shorts, a polo and no lab coat. “Welcome to our humble facility. You two can call me Wayne. ‘Dr. Lancaster’ is way too formal for a guy who spent his college years on a surfboard.” Everyone chuckled as he went over to a control panel. “So, how much has Maisa told you?”
Maisa turned towards the cousins, making sure she had their full attention. “You see, ‘Hermanville Marine Institute’ is just our public name. Those of us here call it…the Hermanville Mermaid Institute.”
That couldn’t be right. Megan wondered if she had water in her ears. But her cousin gasped, eyes growing wide. “Wait…for real?” Candace squealed.
Wayne flipped a switch on the panel.
The walls inched upwards from the floor. Megan gaped when she saw nothing but water, dark blue with no light from surface. Fish of all shapes, sizes and colors swam around them. Coral reefs and rock formations dotted the sea floor right below. Megan felt like she was the one inside a tank, with the fish looking in, instead of the other way around.
An orange shimmer in the distance caught her eye.
“No way,” Megan whispered. “I must have hit my head during the storm.”
Candace let out a whoop and hugged her. “You might have, but this is real!”
The mermaid outside their window darted towards the observatory. A shiny tail covered in small scales propelled her forward, bright orange mixing with shades of brown and gold. Fins longer than Megan’s arm angled the mermaid towards the facility. Curly, light brown hair almost reached the tail. The mermaid’s gray bathing suit top must have been standard-issue from the Institute.
Standing right next to Megan, Candace waved, unable to hold back another squeal. The mermaid smiled and waved back. “Oh my God! A mermaid waved at me!” Candace exclaimed. “This is the best day ever!”
“Her name is Ahni,” Wayne said. “She loves working with us. I’d say she’s just as curious about humans as we are about mermaids.”
Megan cautiously stepped forward until her sneakers touched the glass. She gasped when the mermaid turned to her, offering a warm smile. Ahni swam up to the glass and put her hand up against it. Megan matched her hand to the mermaid’s, returning Ahni’s smile.
This had to be a dream. More likely, a concussion-induced hallucination.
#
After the observatory meeting, Maisa led the cousins down another hallway. Before anyone could ask questions she opened the door to reveal a garage that only had room for one vehicle.
The watercraft itself had a navy body that resembled a car, with seats for four people. Meanwhile the edges tapered off to look more like a small boat. Its expanded windshield wrapped around so all passengers could see out. A woman around Maisa’s age waved from the cockpit, surrounded by screens and switches on a dashboard.
Megan absently waved back, wishing she’d been awake to remember riding in the impressive watercraft. “So Candace and I were in…that?”
“Yeah, I remember most of what happened,” Candace confirmed, her brow wrinkled. “Amazing ride. I wasn’t in the right mindset to appreciate it.”
Frowning sympathetically, Maisa waved a hand towards the woman fixing the watercraft. “Well, hopefully you’ll be able to enjoy your ride home. This is Jade Piper, our resident I-T genius.” She finished off introductions after Jade raised the windshield to speak with them.
“I’m working as fast as I can to fix this thing,” Jade assured them, straightening her long ponytail. “So far it’s coming along pretty well. Might even get it done tonight.” She glanced at Maisa. “So they know…”
Maisa nodded. “Yes, they met Archie and Wayne too.”
“Did Dr. Archie bother to remember their names?” Jade asked with a smirk.
Megan shared a curious glance with Candace. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, it’s no big deal,” Maisa quickly assured them, but she narrowed her eyes at sheepish Jade. “He’s just…difficult, sometimes. But I will say he brought a lot of money into the project.”
Her colleague scoffed. “As if that makes up for it. Wouldn’t surprise me if he takes ‘his’ money back, with interest, when Wayne’s not looking…”
“Jade! Why don’t you share your thoughts with everyone else in the world?”
“Sorry,” Jade muttered. “Forgot myself. It’s been like six months since I’ve seen new people.”
Candace jumped at the chance to change the subject. “Speaking of other people, is there any way to contact my parents? They must know we’re missing by now, and if they find the boat…” Candace trailed off as unexpected tears welled in her eyes. “They might think the worst.”
“I’m so sorry, girls.” Maisa truly seemed apologetic, while Jade gave a solemn nod. “I don’t believe we can contact your parents until the watercraft is fixed.”
Megan put an arm around her cousin’s shoulders. “It’ll be okay, Candace. We’ll get back to them soon.”
#
Since dinner would be ready soon, Megan and Candace left with Maisa, while Jade stayed behind to work on the watercraft. Maisa promised to bring Jade a plate before guiding the teens into another hallway. Any tension was forgotten as soon as Megan and Candace caught sight of the stunning ocean view. Thick glass windows to their left offered a close-up panorama of the ocean floor.
To access the dining room they entered a chamber, which stretched ahead several yards to another sealed door. Even then, water seeped in from underneath and spilled halfway down the corridor.
Wait, water?
“Is there a leak?” Megan blurted. She’d been trying to forget that her survival rested on the Institute’s structural integrity.
The doctor gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, this is intentional. Ahni will be joining us for dinner. The facility was designed to accommodate her, and anyone else in her pod, should they choose to work with us.”
Megan nodded, the realization dawning on her. “So that’s why you have a tank in your office.”
“Exactly.”
“You mean Ahni doesn’t just…” Candace trailed off, suddenly embarrassed. “Uh, transform into a human? You know, magically?”
Maisa didn’t laugh at the question. “I wondered myself at first, but no, she doesn’t. Mermaids aren’t sirens either, or at least not the ones we’ve met. But they do have a special connection to the water and other sea life. Now, just give me a second here…”
When Maisa entered a code on a security pad, the door opened to reveal a short flight of descending stairs. Maisa closed the door behind them as the teens took in the so-called “dining room.”
It was more like an indoor wading pool. With a concrete dining table right in the middle.
Water lapped against ten seats with backs, made of the same concrete as the table. Place settings already waited for them. Megan noticed a door on the other side of the table, windows only showing the ocean on the other side. It must have been primarily used by mermaids.
Mermaids.
This still felt like a dream.
“My parents would love this,” Candace exclaimed, her eyes wide. “They’d put it in a hotel and turn it into a fancy restaurant.”
“Excuse me for a second, I just need to open the door for Ahni.” Maisa tilted her head in response to Megan’s anxious frown. “Don’t worry, it works like the chamber we just used – there’s a switch that opens the other side. We’re equally concerned about not letting in the ocean.”
Maisa opened up the chamber.
And Ahni sat on the edge of the doorway. She waved at the new humans, both staring at her with wide eyes. “Hi! I’m glad you’re okay after that storm. Why in the world were you out sailing?”
While Candace grimaced, Megan smirked. “I’ve been asking myself the same question.”
#
After dinner with a chatty mermaid who was just as curious about them, Megan and Candace stopped by the observatory to watch more ocean life. Neither of them said much, both lost in their own thoughts and missing home.
Maisa popped up to let them know the watercraft was ready. On their way to the garage, unnerving shouts made Megan, Candace and Maisa run the rest of the way. All three burst into the garage without a second thought. At first they didn’t see the problem, except that Wayne and Jade stood against the wall, frozen.
Then they noticed the gun in Archie’s hand.
“We’ll come back later,” Megan blurted, grabbing Candace’s arm and turning to leave. She didn’t expect it to work, but…
“Nice try, kid,” Archie snapped. At his indication the teens went to stand next to the others, Candace shaking with fear. Archie held the gun steady in his left hand while he opened the watercraft door with his right.
“I don’t understand,” Maisa whispered, her eyes shifting towards Wayne and trembling Jade. “What’s going on?”
Her voice shaky, Jade managed to reply. “There’s a reason none of us trusted Archie.”
“It’s true then?” Maisa glared at Archie, her nerves pure steel. “You’ve been stealing from us?”
Archie let out a bark of cold laughter. “You’re all a little smarter than I gave you credit for. Guess I only really fooled my old college pal.” He smirked at Wayne.
Wayne’s glared, fists clenched at his sides. “Or maybe I gave you more chances than you deserved. Are you even a doctor?”
“That’s what you’re worried about? Of course I’m not!” Archie shook his head in amazement. “It’s easy to fake credentials, especially when the target is so trusting. I ran into some trouble, so when you contacted me, this sounded like the perfect hideout. Then you granted me access to the Institute’s main bank account. I knew I’d get caught at some point, but who can resist an opportunity like that?” He chuckled. “Mermaids. The world’s a funny place.”
“But why now?” Maisa asked, still trying to make sense of it all. “Why didn’t you just sneak off with the watercraft? None of us would’ve ever known.”
Megan had been inching back towards the door, silently dragging Candace with her. The escape plan fell apart when Archie pointed the gun at Candace.
“There’s your answer,” Archie said to Maisa. “I’m a hopeless opportunist. If I take the watercraft now, I can tell the Huntingtons their daughter is trapped at the bottom of the sea – and only I know where. Nice little ransom payment to top it all off.”
“They’ll never believe you,” Megan spat, protectively stepping in front of her cousin.
“That’s why you’re going to tell me a personal, identifying detail I can relay to them. Or maybe I should save myself the trouble and take her with me now.”
Candace yelped at the threat, both arms wrapping around Megan, as if her cousin’s body weight could save her. “Just go. Please.” Megan was surprised by the steadiness of her words. “We’ll tell you whatever you want.”
Considering this, Archie asked, “Any pets?”
“S-sapphire,” Candace whispered. “She’s an eight-year-old American Quarter Horse.”
Archie scoffed. “Of course the princess has her own pony. I guess that’ll be enough for now, you’re lucky kidnapping doesn’t fit into my plan.”
Tears streamed down Jade’s face. “You’re really going to strand us here?”
“Should’ve gotten that second watercraft like I suggested.” Archie shrugged as he moved towards the driver’s seat.
With no other choice, those left behind watched the watercraft lower to the departure chamber.
Right after Archie took off, Jade slid down to the floor in her attempt to stop shaking. After a second Candace copied her movements. Megan leaned against the wall next to them, numb as she processed their current situation. “We have to get out of here fast,” she insisted. “We can’t let him scam Uncle Richard and Aunt Elaine.”
Maisa glared at Wayne. “Did you have any idea about Archie’s past when you hired him?”
Wayne squirmed as he stared at the floor. The others slowly looked over at him when he didn’t give an answer. “Sometimes I’d hear that he’d gotten into trouble,” Wayne confessed. “And I never thought he’d care when I told him about the Institute. Then suddenly he had all this money from ‘investments.’ I wanted to believe he’d turned his life around.”
Maisa glared at Wayne. “If he’s an ex-con, you should’ve told us before we agreed to move here. I never liked him, you know.” Jade was quick to express her agreement.
“I’m so sorry, everyone,” Wayne said with absolute sincerity. “I shouldn’t have invited him. But I needed the money, so I let our history overrule my instinct not to trust him.”
Candace wiped tears from her eyes before getting to her feet. “Megan’s right. We have to warn my parents.”
“I have the experience to scuba dive to shore,” Wayne announced. “And it goes much faster with Ahni helping me long. Good thing I never told Archie. And I’m sure he forgot about the escape trunk.”
Both cousins stared at him, and Megan blurted, “What’s an escape trunk?”
#
Right after Wayne and Ahni left to find Candace’s parents, Maisa guided everyone to a room next to the pool. It was filled with organized scuba gear and a a hatch inset on the floor.
“This is an escape trunk,” Maisa explained, opening the hatch. A ladder led down a long hole into a circular room that might’ve fit six people. A variety of tubes with metal knobs and tanks covered the walls. “It equalizes the water pressure. While escapees wear the scuba gear, the room fills with water and the vessel ascends to the surface.”
Megan’s heart began to race at the idea. She and Candace had their junior diving certifications, but this… “We have to go in there? While the water rises up?”
“I’m not a fan either,” Jade confessed. “Wayne’s the expert diver. Maisa and I just learned for this job.”
Maisa sighed as she reached for a scuba suit. “I know it’s scary, but we need to leave. Archie could come back at any time. If he doesn’t get the money for whatever reason and becomes desperate…”
Her eyes wide, Megan glanced back at the trunk. “Okay, your way is scarier.”
Ahni showed up less than an hour later, letting them know that the boat had arrived on the surface. Megan attempted to clear her mind as she went down the ladder, reminding herself that worrying about the trunk’s safety would not help at all. She just needed to take the leap.
Water slowly filled the trunk, inching up over Megan’s diving helmet. Both Megan and Candace couldn’t help scrambling when the water lifted them off her feet, but the others’ calm reactions helped them relax as well. The hatch was finally opened and they all swam up into the ocean.
While the HMI crew swam on, the cousins slowed down when Ahni reappeared. Candace held up a hand to high-five Ahni, who hesitated only briefly before catching on and returning the gesture. Ahni then laughed and high-fived Megan. The trio swam upwards as a group, surfacing next to the Huntington’s yacht.
#
Fresh night air filled Megan’s lungs when she took off the diving helmet. Standing on the Huntingtons’ cruiser yacht, the first thing she did was join in a group hug with Candace, her aunt and her uncle. Her parents didn’t bother to buy plane tickets since she had been found. While Megan couldn’t help feeling disappointed, it comforted her to know her aunt and uncle would always be there for her.
Their reunion was interrupted by Ahni’s shout from the water below. “The watercraft!” she exclaimed. “I can feel its signature vibrations on the water – Archie’s still here.” She took off without warning, light from the moon revealing her path. Candace’s mother, though perplexed, grabbed the boat’s helm and took off after the mermaid.
Everyone from the Institute, the teens and Uncle Richard gathered near the front of the boat. Ahni caught up with the watercraft, matching pace with her tail. She paused only a minute to hold out her arms towards the water above it. The waves inexplicably became still, somehow causing the watercraft to slow too, as if an invisible wall had appeared in front of it. Then two other tails broke the surf in the distance. While the humans gawked, mermaids with similar orange tails joined Ahni, spreading their arms to create a circle above the underwater watercraft. It sputtered to a complete halt.
Wind picked up out of nowhere, but only in the mermaids’ circle, spinning clockwise to form a miniature whirlpool. The watercraft spun horizontally with the water, floating closer to the surface with each rotation. It remained in place when it broke the surface. The mermaids lowered their arms, which calmed the wind and returned the waves to their previous state. Ahni’s friends, or family maybe, waved to the humans as they swam away.
Megan and Candace stared at the departing mermaids in complete awe, their family members mirroring their expressions. Even the Institute members looked stunned. “Wow,” Megan whispered.
Eventually they retrieved seasick Archie from the watercraft.
#
The rest of the night went by in a blur for Megan. Once his head stopped spinning, Archie was arrested by the Coast Guard. When the yacht reached the shore, paramedics at the scene gave Megan and Candace clearance to go home – Maisa took good care of them. Candace’s parents booked rooms for Wayne and the others for as long as they needed, on the house of course. Last Megan heard, the group planned to head back in the morning, all relieved to continue without Archie.
She might go back with them.
Just before sunrise, Megan gave up on sleep and wandered back down to the dock. Her thoughts bounced between her parents…and the Institute’s offer. Wayne floated the idea of starting an internship for her and Candace if interested. Megan always liked science, and after this adventure, she’d love to make sea life her career. The internship was paid too since Wayne had one less salary on the payroll. They’d need to include frequent trips to land though, so Megan could earn her regular degree at the same time.
“I’d say a penny for your thoughts, but it seems like a low bid.”
Megan almost jumped at the sound of Candace’s voice. She whirled around, amazed to see her cousin awake so early. “How’d you even know I was here?”
“Couldn’t sleep. This was the first place I looked after your room.” Candace wandered over and sat next to Megan. “Are you going to accept Wayne’s offer?”
“Leaning towards yes. You?”
Candace shook her head. “Nah, mermaids are cool and all, but it’s not a ‘me’ thing. I keep going over the accident…”
“Candace, it’s okay. I know I always blame you for everything, but I’m old enough now to take responsibility for my own actions. And if none of this happened, we wouldn’t have met Ahni.”
“Only because we lucked out.” Candace sighed, staring out at the ocean. “Maybe there’s still room for fun, but I need to take things a little more seriously. I might put off college and working at the hotel. Not forever of course, just long enough to figure out what I want, rather than coasting through college like I planned.”
“I’m happy to hear it. And I’m glad this internship came along too. Before, I never would’ve considered something that was so outside my comfort zone, but now…”
Candace smiled wide, her face full of pride and gratitude. “Hey, you literally saved my life yesterday. I’d say your comfort zone knows no limits anymore – you can handle anything.”
As the sun rose over the horizon, Megan caught a flash of orange through the waves. Ahni popped her head up and waved at them both. Megan and Candace ran to the end of the dock, waving back as the mermaid swam off into the ocean.