Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

the cell for a day convinced me no one could know what happened, especially since I planned to run away. The only person I truly trusted was Dad.
    “ I left Natatoria without permission.”
    “ Ya what? What in the devil’s name possessed you to leave without permission?”
    I looked down. “Rocks.”
    Badger pressed his eyes into slits. “Yer locked up like a convict because of rocks?”
    “ Yup.”
    “ Oye,” Badger said and scrubbed his hand over his face. “You know better than to be leaving without an escort. Who be needin’ rocks?”
    “ I was trying to be helpful. It’s fine, Badge. I’ll explain my stupidity to the King and plea for more community service, until my dad returns of course.”
    Badge held up his hand to stop me. “No! This is serious. They’re real strict about the young’uns leavin’ the gates. Who’d be standin’ up with ya at the trial?”
    I blinked back at him. “No one?”
    “ Ya can’t be havin’ no one.”
    “ What’s the big deal?”
    He let out a groan. “The deal is, you be a loose torpedo, not mindin’ the rules. So, yer gonna need someone to keep watch on ya, put their neck out and swear they’ll make ya mind. Though I’m just a bottom feeder, maybe they’ll let me vouch for ya.”
    “ No, Badge.” I pursed my lips.
    “ What do ya mean no?”
    “ I—I don’t seem to be able to stay out of trouble and I don’t want your reputation tarnished.”
    Badger tilted his head and studied me quizzically. “What else happened up above?”
    I lifted my chin. “Nothing important.”
    He grunted. “Well, until ye get someone to stand up for ye, I think you’ll be here a right long time.”
    My jaw fell. “What? Is that why you’re here?”
    “ You don’t have another male family member who’d do it and you surely don’t have anything valuable they want, so, yeah. I’d be here to bail yer mangy arse out.”
    My head spun, my hopes smashing in front of me. Azor might as well have pulled my beating heart from my chest. This ensured I wouldn’t be able to see Ash any time soon without getting Badger into serious trouble. I wanted to yell and rip the bars apart, but I remained sullenly calm and simply replied. “Fine, Badger. I promise I’ll behave.”
    “ It’ll be all right, lad,” Badge said with a smile. “Let me go tell Azor I’m standin’ in for yer da’. Maybe they’ll let ya out early before the trial to go home instead of stayin’ in this shite hole.”
    I grimaced. Azor wouldn’t dream of letting me out early. I didn’t even think they’d let Badger stand in for me, being a beta-mer and all. I flipped my tail, stirring up the sand and a lowly crab into a forced whirlpool.

32
ASH

    “ Gran’s letting you stay in her room,” Mom said from the front seat. I sat in the back with my bandaged leg stretched out.
    “ She is?”
    Mom looked at me through the rearview mirror and raised her eyebrows. “You’re not going to be able to go up and down the stairs.”
    “ Oh, right,” I chuckled and turned to watch the sparkling water zip by. The pain pills were doing a number on me, making things speed up and my stomach topsy-turvy. “Wish we could have taken the wheelchair home.”
    “ Hmmm,” Mom mumbled and turned on some easy-listening jazz.
    On the floorboard, the flower vases clinked together in time with the balloons bobbing on the ceiling. Mom drove faster than normal or at least it seemed she did. After Callahan left, Georgia and some others from the swim team came by. And with them, oodles of gifts showed up as well. I felt like a coward for lying and not coming clean. Would they do the same if they knew I’d purposefully put myself in harm’s way?
    I leaned back and took a deep breath. “Where’s Gran? She never came to visit.”
    “ She did, but you were asleep. She’s at the store right now. We’re short-handed.”
    “ Oh.” I noted the animosity in her voice. Heaven forbid they close down for a day. She’d probably rather have changed places with Gran. I preferred Mom anyway. Driving with Gran was putting your life in your hands.
    Earlier at the hospital, Mom asked again if my memory returned. I warred with myself as the “not yet” slipped easier off my tongue than the truth. I vowed to confess after the hysteria wore off and Mom was a little less frantic.
    We pulled up to the house and parked out front. I assumed this was so she could make an easy get-away to the store after delivering me. As I waited for