Page 78 of Oceansong
Angie laughed, drawing the attention of some passing dock workers. “Uh, I don’t know.” She stopped there. It was too strange to use the termboyfriendto describe Kaden. Despite their closeness, she had no idea what they were, or what she was to him.
“I wanna see mermaids!” Rosie exclaimed, jumping up and down and clapping her small hands, her bracelet jangling. Angie thanked her ancestors that Rosie hadn’t yet seen the murdered mer, innocent to the death and carnage.
Mia shushed her. “A little quieter, please? Tian, she has not stopped talking since I got her from camp. Must have eaten too many candy bars.”
“Sorry, Mama,” Rosie muttered.
“So, where’s this mystery guy? You meet him here at the docks? In college?” Angie caught Mia’s sharp eyes lasering in on all the young looking men.
“At the docks. And sorry Mia, we have to walk a little bit.” Angie motioned with her head toward a desolate stretch of beach. Mia’s eyes burned a hole through her back as Angie led them further from the busy part of the docks.
“Angie,” she piped up after several minutes. “Where exactly are we going? Utqiagvik?”
Angie chuckled. Utqiagvik was Alaska’s northernmost city.
“My feet are tired,” Rosie whined.
Angie glanced over her shoulder.
“Just hang in there a little longer, okay, sweetheart?” Mia grabbed Rosie’s hand.
After another ten-minute walk, she stopped where Kaden had asked her to meet him. “I was kidding about Utqiagvik, but maybe you did lead us there,” Mia grumbled. She mumbled something else under her breath while fumbling around in her purse and taking her phone out. “One second. Nick’s calling.”
“Papa!” Rosie called out, turning around to face Mia, standing on her tiptoes and pulling down on Mia’s tucked in blouse, rendering it untucked.
“Honey, wait, I can’t hear you. Let me go somewhere with better reception.” She turned and walked back the way they came, still on the phone, and Rosie bounded after her.
Angie rolled her lips between her teeth, watching after them. Leave it to Nick to ruin this moment.
A splashing and sloshing noise caught her attention.
Kaden awaited, partially submerged in the water so only the top of his head and shoulders were visible.
Her smile faltered when he didn’t return it, his expression as frigid as the winter seas.
“Is everything okay?” Angie walked toward him, but he held up one hand. Why wasn’t he happy to see her? Had something happened with his family, in his queendom? Or…
The image of fish at the barbecue last night came back to her.
“Tell me something,” he started, moving toward her enough so she could hear him, but far enough so that she couldn’t touch him from where she stood. His tone was abrasive, yet carried a doleful undercurrent. “The sanctuary was raided. The same one I showed you.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, the punch of realization striking her and hollowing out her chest. “Kaden, wait.” Her voice cracked with emotion under his unhappy visage. “It’s not what you think. Hear me out for a second, okay?”
“There’s no other explanation, though. You’re the only person who knows their location. Did you tell your family? The dockworkers?”
“Kaden, I didn’t say anything to anyone. My dad put—”
Before she could saycameras, Rosie’s boisterous voice came from behind her. “Angie ayí! You have a mermaid friend?”
Angie drew her mouth into a straight line and bit her lower lip. Maybe this wasn’t a good time for them to meet Kaden.
“Oh, no. No, no, wait, let’s go back!” Angie whirled around and ran intheir direction, but Rosie, smaller and more agile, zipped past her and ran toward the water where Kaden was.
Kaden’s eyes widened, and he looked from her, to Rosie, and then back to her, and she took solace that he didn’t leave.
Mia was at Rosie’s heels, stuffing her phone into her purse, and when she was close enough, grabbed Rosie’s hands to keep her from running. Rosie was staring at Kaden, open-mouthed.
“Sorry, Angie. Nick just wanted to know where we were and when we could—” Mia looked up to where Rosie stared and screamed. “There’s mer here! Kill it! We have to get out of here!” Panic surged in her voice, and she reached into her purse and pulled out a pocketknife, unsheathing the blade and flung it in Kaden’s direction.
