Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“Playful? Juna? The same Juna who used to use her toys to hold court? That Juna?”
“He got her to jump on the backs of dolphins and race for bragging rights. And ‘borrow’ the royal chariot. Only to get caught making out in it. Oh, and he got her to play a game of Truth or Dare. And she had to sing opera in front of visiting dignitaries.”
“But Juna can’t sing.”
“No, no she can’t,” Shelly said, eyes and smile warm.
“I’m sorry I missed that.”
“What have you been up to?”
“Trying to ruin my engagement,” Iris found herself admitting.
“Is he that awful?”
“No. No, he’s not awful. He’s just …”
There was a loud giggle coming from Juna’s room, then a shushing sound.
“Oh,” Iris said, pressing a hand to her mouth, her cheeks feeling warm at the idea of her sister having a man in her room.
“You have no idea,” Shelly said, wincing. “I needed to make makeshift noise-canceling headphones out of giant clamshells. That whooshing sound almost drowns out the … other sounds. Almost.”
“I’m happy for her.” She was. Juna deserved to be loved for who she was, while also having someone at her side who could show her depths to herself that she might not know existed otherwise.
Iris couldn’t help but feel a little envious.
That lack of connection was why she was back home in the first place. She didn’t have that with Finn.
“Me too. But tell me why I can’t be happy for you too.”
“He’s just … he’s all surface, no depth. And you can never know if he’s being real or not. He’s been so coached all his life that I’m not sure there is anything about him that’s genuine anymore.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? That’s all you have for me?”
“Well, I have more. I just don’t know if you’re ready to listen to it or not.”
Iris sighed, making a trail of delicate bubbles spiral upward like tiny pearls, shimmering near the ceiling before they popped.
“I feel like it’s wrong to be getting advice from my baby sister. But, sure, I’ll listen.”
“The way I see it is … you’re happy for Juna because Osiren saw the parts of her that even she couldn’t see, and he put in the time and work to bring those parts out.”
“Yeah …”
“But you’re not willing to do that for Finn.”
Oof.
That was unexpectedly astute.
“It’s different.”
“How?”
“Because I don’t think there are those parts of Finn.” Even she didn’t fully believe the words as she said them, though.
“If I didn’t tell you today, would you have believed that Juna would be capable of singing opera in front of some very important people?”
“No.”
“Exactly. Look, I’m not saying you can change someone. I don’t think that’s possible. But maybe you aren’t seeing beneath the surface because you aren’t looking.”
“Maybe.” She had been focused on finding fault in him because she desperately didn’t want to be condemned to a life on land.
“So, now the question is: are you choosing not to delve deeper because you genuinely don’t care for him, or because you’re afraid you could want him and a future on the surface with him?”
Huh.
“When did you become so wise?”
“Mother has focused on me now that you’ve been gone, and Juna has been … indisposed.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about that.”
“Well, she’s training me to become a possible land liaison.”
A land liaison. Iris had never given the position a second thought before, let alone wondered what kind of mermaid would be right for that job. But as soon as her sister told her, she knew that Shelly was the perfect woman for the job. Even if her heart pinged a little at the idea of her baby sister being suddenly old enough to be considered for such an important role.
Perhaps she’d never given her mother enough credit in the past. She’d been aware of parts of her daughters that even they might not have seen. How her eldest needed a man like Osiren to bring out a buried, playful side. How Shelly couldn’t go live on the surface because she would be a vital bridge between the deep and the land. And, yes, how her middle daughter who never saw a future outside of the ocean would come to love so much about the world above.
“That is the best of both worlds,” Iris said.
“Exactly.”
“Can I tell you something that I’m almost a little afraid to admit to myself?”
Shelly mimed locking her lips. “You can trust me.”
“There’s a lot about land life that I’m beginning to enjoy.”
“Told you!” Shelly said, shoving her shoulder. For just a second, she was the little sister Iris remembered. “It’s totally the books, isn’t it?”
“I’m not going to lie, that’s a big part of it. I’ve been reading like eight books a week. Did you know Caprica Coraline moved to the surface and has been writing like crazy ever since?”