Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

her shoulder. “Isn’t your sister lovely?”
    Lucy’s sallow skin matched her sour expression as her eyes raked over the fur. She reluctantly nodded. I held my shoulders up and smiled, enjoying every second of the attention.
    “ I’m done,” Mom said. “Go ahead and carefully take off your dress so I can sew it before the weekend.”
    I gingerly pulled the edge of my dress off the floor and did a Miss America wave. “Thank you everyone for voting for me.”
    Mom chuckled and looked to me with pride. “I can’t wait for your father to see you.”
    “ Me, too.” And Callahan. I bit my lip and grabbed the garment bag before floating upstairs on a cloud of glee. Would I really be doing that the night of the dance? Did I have a chance to win?
    In front of the mirror, I held up my hair to simulate an up-do. Georgia had offered to practice hairstyles on me Friday night since my little stash of cash was all gone. “Tiara hair” she called it.
    What would Fin think of me now? No longer the plain girl next door. I smirked, wishing he’d be home when the limo pulled up and I walked out, drop-dead gorgeous on another guy’s arm. I peered out the window towards his house, plotting my evil deed and spotted Colin pacing back and forth in front of Fin’s Jeep, tapping something on the palm of his other hand. I gasped as he shoved the tool down into the window slot and pulled upward, a Slim Jim. With a flip of the handle, he opened the door.
    “ Don’t you dare mess with Fin’s Jeep,” I said and positioned my index finger and thumb so I could pretend to squish his head.
    He turned, looking down the street toward my two-story window as if he heard me. The hair prickled on my neck as I moved out of view. Through my chiffon curtains I watched him stare with a peculiar smile. He proceeded to crawl inside and dig around for something on the floor boards before he slammed the door and walked back into the house.
    My breath came out choppy for a moment, feeling caught. How could he have heard me? I stayed rooted to my spot, wondering why he was breaking into Fin’s Jeep. What was he looking for? If Fin knew he’d touched his Jeep, let alone broken into it, Colin would be dead.
    I bit my lip, remembering how beautiful his eyes were—clear and blue like Fin’s. And that an overwhelming desire to kiss him had flooded me. How could that have slipped my mind so easily? But did he actually say he hoped Tatchi didn’t come back?
    Suddenly, my blood boiled and I wanted to smack his sassy smirk right off his face. He knew where the family was and if I didn’t hear anything from Tatchi tonight, I’d be paying him a visit tomorrow.

16
FIN

    I dropped off Tatch and headed straight over to the practice field. Chauncey mentioned yesterday we’d get to drill with actual weapons today and I needed to hurry before everyone picked over the armory selection. My chances of defeating Badger could improve with something like a sword in my hand.
    I tried to clear my mind and think only of the upcoming duel like Badger had instructed, but Tatch mentioned wanting to tell Ashlyn about what happened with Azor, which ended our jovial morning. At the mention of her name, my craving rekindled for the outdoors and the sun along with the desire to go home.
    “ Aye, yer late. Get over here before I give you a wallopin’,” Badger said and threw me into a headlock, rubbing his knuckles into my skull.
    “ Hey.” I wriggled free and took a fighting stance, barbs out. “Who made you my keeper? I had something I had to do.” Like babysit my sister.
    “ Yer da’ would want me to be keepin’ watch over ye, and I don’t want ye to be gettin’ no demerits.”
    “ Demerits? Ha! I wouldn’t worry about that today.” Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a black tail zip by—Azor returning from our house with a wounded ego, no doubt. “So where are the weapons?”
    Badger winked at me and took out a trident from behind a nearby rock. My smirk disappeared off my face. He continued to grin as he pulled out a golden javelin too. He snagged two? My hands ached at the sight of such fine pieces of workmanship, surprised the armory held weapons of such caliber.
    “ Aren’t you a greedy charlatan,” I said quickly, while clenching my jaw, figuring I’d probably end up with a wooden sword or worse—nothing, if everyone took more than one.
    “ You underestimate me, lad,” he said, holding both pieces out toward me. “Pick yer