25. Chapter 25
Jayna watched in awe as Brianna manipulated the video clips. She had been right about the quality of footage from the ship’s cameras.
Brianna paused and studied the recording for a moment. “By any chance, did you bring your tail?”
“No,” Jayna said.
The disappointment on Brianna’s face sent Jayna’s mind searching for options. “I might be able to get one, though. The Manutai Mer-school rents tails, and they have a boat they use for merscursions.”
Brianna’s face lit up. “Would they rent me a tail?”
Jayna shrugged. “If they have one available, I don’t see why not.”
Brianna grabbed Jayna by the shoulders. “Call them. I’ll rent every tail they have. When the rest of Peter’s guests get here, we’ll turn this boat into a giant mermaid party.”
By the time Jayna finished talking to the Manutai Merschool, two-dozen mer tails were enroute to the Ghidorah, and Brianna had finished work on the clip she had been editing.
“What do you think?” she asked.
The video had amazing footage of Jayna’s dive, and hilariously exaggerated Sid’s reaction. “I love it! How did you learn to do that?”
Brianna grinned. “When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a YouTube star. That’s what streamers used back then. The platforms may be different now, but the basic skills are the same.” She posted the video with a wave of her hand. “There! That should get some traction.”
“Thanks,” Jayna said. But worry gnawed at her insides. “Do you think Sid will be okay with that clip?” She needed to capitalize on her exposure while she was still fresh and exciting. But she didn’t want to jeopardize her relationship with Sid in the process, and the clip’s humor came at his expense.
Brianna winked at her. “He’ll hate it. But it’s posted to my stream, so he won’t have any reason to be upset with you. Besides, we’ll follow it up with mermaid party videos once those tails get here, and he’ll forget all about it.”
It was fun to see Brianna’s excitement about becoming a mermaid for the day and sharing the experience with the rest of Peter’s guests, but Jayna wasn’t reassured. “You don’t think the first video will hurt his reputation score, do you?”
Brianna pursed her lips and gave Jayna an appraising look. After several long seconds, she looped her arm through Jayna’s and said, “Let’s get some air.”
Instead of leading Jayna out onto the deck, she waved her free hand and the wall of the cabin split in two. It unfolded outward from the side of the hull and a balcony formed. Brianna seated herself on the integrated contoured bench and patted the spot next to her.
After a moment’s hesitation, Jayna dutifully sat.
“What do you know about the Cerulean Order?”
“They’re a philanthropy group,” Jayna said. “We’ve applied for financing through one of their programs that might help us with the employee buyout of Realms, and they sponsored a couple of Jubilee Service Day activities.”
Brianna nodded. “I’m impressed you convinced Obsidian to host the mermaid day instead. I enjoy seeing that fun-loving side of him, but he usually hides it now. I think he’s worried the Cerulean Order won’t approve. For as long as I can remember, Obsidian has wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and be part of the Order.”
“Ah,” Jayna said as the pieces fell into place. “He needs to improve his reputation score before he can apply.”
Brianna’s response practically overflowed with dramatic sarcasm. “One does not simply apply to the Cerulean Order. One must be invited.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s what made it so hard when he learned an invitation had been approved and then rescinded.”
“What happened?”
“You’ve heard of Crystal Hadden-Steen?”
Jayna’s gut tightened at the memory of her ‘interview’ with Crystal the night before. “Let me guess—Crystal’s attacks got his invitation cancelled.”
Brianna nodded. “The way she trashed his reputation and cost him membership in the Order hurt more than her relationship with Peter.”
Jayna’s eyes widened. “You mean, Crystal and Peter…?”
Brianna nodded again.
The animosity between Sid and his stepbrother suddenly made a lot more sense.
The sound of a motor and shouts of greeting filled the air. Brianna stood and pulled Jayna to her feet. “Come on. It’s time for you to meet some people.”
She led Jayna out onto the yacht’s rear dock where a group of young, beautiful people were exiting a water limo. Jayna’s eyes went wide as she recognized several as upper-list celebrities. Brian Robson, Violet Turner, Rémy Leclair, and a half-dozen other equally glamorous people boarded the yacht, greeted Brianna, and only gave Jayna the briefest acknowledgment before ignoring her.
A second limo pulled up alongside the yacht, and the process repeated itself.
Feeling awkward and invisible, she was about to slip away from the growing crowd when she heard a woman say, “It’s Mermaid Aaramere!”
Jayna turned to see Viti Sachar headed straight for her. The woman was just as beautiful in person as she was in her films, with deep brown skin and long flowing black hair pulled into a tall ponytail.
Viti stopped just short of Jayna and raised an eyebrow. “You are Mermaid Aaramere, aren’t you?”
The experience of being recognized by someone as famous as Viti Sachar was surreal. “Yes, I am.”
Viti squealed and gave her a hug. “You are amazing!”
“Thank you,” she said, still feeling a bit starstruck.
Viti turned to the others and said, “Guys! This is Mermaid Aaramere, queen of the sea!”
Jayna wasn’t sure what to make of this introduction, but when the others noticed Viti’s interest in her, they became interested as well. She met actors, musicians, athletes, and streamers.
A beautiful model named Mae Mirae cocked an eyebrow and asked, “If you’re a mermaid, where’s your tail?”
As Jayna was about to answer, the Manutai Mer-school boat pulled up alongside the Ghidorah. “Right down there,” she said. “There’s one for you, too. If you’d like.”
In less than thirty minutes, all the women and several of the men were at the pool, lounging, swimming, and—most importantly—streaming themselves wearing brightly-colored tails. Mermaids were having a moment, and Jayna was going to ride that wave as far as she could.
More than an hour later, Brian Robson stood from his lounge chair, “Hey, Violet. The race is about to start. Take that thing off and let’s go watch.”
“Forget it,” she said. “I’m a mermaid now. If you want me to come watch the race with you, then carry me.”
“As you wish,” he said. Then he scooped her up from the side of the pool and carried her towards the rear deck. Soon, the remaining men followed, each with a mermaid or merman of their own.
Jayna searched for Sid, hoping he would carry her. It was then that she realized he wasn’t with the rest of the group. She had been so wrapped up in socializing with the others that she hadn’t even noticed he was missing.
After a few minutes, the men returned to finish the job. In addition to Jayna, there were three other mermaids and rugby sensation Reinhard Weiss, who required three mertenders.
Jayna felt a touch of panic when Peter picked her up. She ordinarily would have enjoyed being carried by him, strong and handsome man that he was. But that was before she’d known what had happened between Peter and Crystal.
She didn’t want to make a scene, however, so she allowed herself to be carried and hoped Sid wouldn’t get the wrong idea.
As the Manutai Jubilee Regatta racers passed the Ghidorah, twenty-seven mermaids and mermen lined her decks. Their waving and cheering caught the attention of several streamer drones following the race, and Jayna felt a rush of satisfaction as one of the drones circled back to take a slow second pass.
Once the streamer drones finally disappeared, Jayna searched for Sid one more time. When she didn’t see him, conflicting emotions warred inside her.
She found it ironic that Sid was the one who had distanced himself from the rich, beautiful, self-important people, while she had embraced them and welcomed them into her world.
She didn’t regret her choice. She had just won the Merathlon and was at the top of her professional game. Her popularity was high, and an amazing opportunity to build on that had fallen into her lap. Being seen with beautiful toppers, many of them dressed as merfolk, was an incredible social coup. It had been the right thing to do, both as a mer-ambassador and as a guest of Peter’s.
But despite the huge boost to both her dropper and her ego, the experience felt tainted. Many of these people were all the things she disliked about toppers. Peter especially was exactly the kind of rich, handsome, self-important jerk she had expected Sid to be.
She didn’t think Sid would be upset that she’d spent time with Peter and his pretty people, but it was time for Jayna to resume her role as his new girlfriend.
She excused herself and dived into the ocean.
Jayna watched for Sid as she made a slow circuit of the water around the yacht. She found him sitting alone, his feet dangling over the edge of a balcony near the bow of the ship. He looked sad sitting there, and she again felt guilty for having been so wrapped up in being popular that she’d failed to realize he wasn’t with everyone else.
No, he’s the one hiding himself away,she thought. But this must be hard for him. Knowing his history with Peter made his distance easier to understand.
The least Jayna could do was spend some time with him and offer her support, especially now that the regatta was done.
She swam to the balcony and rested her elbows on the edge. “Is this seat taken?” she asked, putting as much cheer into her voice as she could.
His smile was warm, and some of her guilt melted away. “I’m saving it just for you.”
She pulled herself up and sat next to him. She held his hand and leaned against his shoulder. He rested his head on hers, and the feeling that they had always known each other rushed through her.
The tropical sun hung low in the western sky, gentle and warm. A soft breeze brought the smell of grilling fish and the sound of laughter, but they were far enough from everyone else that they could hear the gentle lapping of waves against the hull.
They sat in comfortable silence, and the feeling of his body close to her side warmed her, just as it had when they’d pulled the chariot together. She had wanted to kiss him that night, but she hadn’t dared. Now, she gently removed her head from his shoulder and with her left hand turned his face towards hers.
Their lips met, warm and soft. Sid put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her gently. Then he touched his lips to her forehead and then pulled her to him, nestling her head against his collarbone.
“Have you enjoyed the day?” he asked quietly.
“I have,” she said. “How about you?”
Sid let out a soft grunt. “I’ve had better.”
“Peter?” she asked.
Sid tensed, tightening his arm around her. “Of course.”
Jayna put her hand on his chest and was surprised to feel how fast his heart was beating. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Sid craned his head to look down at her. “Talk about what?”
“Anything.”
There was pain in his eyes, and Jayna wanted to help. He took a deep, steadying breath, as if he were about to unload some major hurt. But then he sighed, shook his head, and said, “Maybe another time.”
“Whenever you’re ready,” she said, and kissed him lightly. “Thank you for bringing me.”
“Ha. My mom made Peter sail halfway around the world so she could meet you. I didn’t have much choice.”
Jayna sat up. “Wait. Your mom came here just to meet me? You mean they weren’t already here for the Jubilee?”
Sid shook his head. “No. She saw the streams from the Service Day, and she knew we were going to be together.”
“How did she know? We didn’t even know.”
Sid shrugged and gave her a weak smile. “Mothers, huh?”
“Well, your mother, anyway. She makes an excellent mermaid, by the way. Now I know where you get your amazing merforming ability.”
She had hoped the comment would get him to smile, but instead he stiffened and pressed his lips together.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Sid shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
Jayna remembered her earlier conversation with Brianna. “Does this have anything to do with Service Day and the Cerulean Order?”
His eyes flashed, and she knew her question had come close to the mark. But instead of answering, he stood quickly and then scooped her up into his strong arms. “Let’s go see if the food’s ready. I’m starved.”