CHAPTER 9

  Time slipped through the rest of September, wearing into a groove. School; the internship at the hospital; regular study groups after school on Tuesday and Thursday; and sometimes just Wynn and me doing homework at her house. Well, Wynn, me, and Aedelin. Her little sister got a twisted pleasure out of pestering us, so whenever James joined us, we studied at my place, since he could drive Wynn home afterward.

  I barely noticed the passing weeks until one Monday morning I found the front tire on my bike completely flat. I called James to pick me up. He drove me to school every day after that. The next Friday morning in the truck, he asked if I wanted to join him Saturday for a long ride. It was Homecoming, which meant Wynn had a date, and Lucy had a swim meet in Jacksonville.

  James went to her meet the weekend before and told me I had to watch her swim. My curiosity offered poor competition for my depression. She could swim fast. So what? It seemed like an excuse to gawk at the gorgeous girl in a swimsuit. In any case, I couldn’t muster much interest while Wynn was off on a date with Terrence. Later they’d be dancing. Touching. Wrapping arms around each other.

  Maybe I wasn’t depressed, maybe I was angry. A little bit of both? Jealous. Definitely jealous. I sighed and James gave me a purposefully annoyed glare. Realizing I’d been sighing a lot today, I made a conscious effort to stop.

  “Sorry. I’ll try and focus.”

  He grunted his gratitude for my sacrifice.

  The metal benches were a sacrifice. Not to mention the noise. The Cecil Field Aquatic Center flooded with people. I imagined a usual swim meet between two small counties would be fairly empty of onlookers. With Lucy here, in a swimsuit, nearly half the boys from the prep school tagged along. Several had the gall to bring their dates.

  The crowd swelled with more than Lucy’s high school fan club. Some of the swimmers on the way in chatted excitedly about the significant number of scouts from local colleges attending the event. Those scouts also showed up to watch Lucy, though for different reasons than the students. Or at least additional reasons. It was admittedly difficult to ignore the girl’s beauty.

  Her perfect form swayed seductively as she exited the women’s changing room and walked toward the pool. Though I sat on the edge of a bench full of other kids, she locked eyes with me. I’d subconsciously started gawking along with the others. I tore my attention away from her, only then noticing the deafening roar of cheers from the prep schoolers.

  Even intentionally avoiding it, I kept glancing her way. It didn’t help that she held her hands up behind her head, twisting braided red hair into a bun to hide under a swimming cap. The effort made her chest stick out, and from the sly smile she flashed at me and the cheering, whistling audience, it wasn’t an accident she’d waited until leaving the changing room to do it.

  Prying my attention away, again, I glanced around the room. Everyone watched her, though most of the girls glared with murderous intent.

  “What I wouldn’t give,” James mumbled.

  I ignored him. There was more to a girl than her body. Far more important things. A decent heart, stable brain, and self-respect, for starters. Shamelessly flaunting herself meant she didn’t possess at least two of those qualities—take your pick. As I scanned the room, my thoughts briefly returned to Wynn before being interrupted by a new pair of eyes staring straight back at me, bringing my brain to a screeching halt.

  I nudged James.

  He didn’t respond.

  “James,” I hissed, poking him again.

  “What?” he growled, seriously annoyed now.

  “Over there.”

  He sighed. “Where?”

  “Other side of the pool, two o’clock. It’s him.”

  The stranger continued staring at me, unconcerned I noticed.

  “Who?”

  The man I saw watching James at the wolf preserve almost three weeks ago now glared at me. He stood behind a row of swimmers, near large rolling doors, open to the air. “By the doors. Black hair. Goatee. Tight shirt. Camo cargo shorts.”

  James snorted. “Is that Florida Man?”

  I might’ve laughed if I didn’t feel so tense. “It’s the same guy who watched you and Apollo at the preserve.”

  James grunted and returned to watching Lucy.

  “Should I go talk to him?”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Look at him, James. He’s staring at me the same way he stared at you. I think he wants to talk to us.”

  The man jerked his head back, beckoning me over.

  “See? What if he knows something about… your connection with Apollo?”

  My friend sighed. “If he offers you candy from his big white van, bring some back for me.”

  I nodded absentmindedly, only getting the joke after I climbed down from the stands. The stranger’s eyes followed me as I made my way around the pool, but he slowly walked outside as I approached. He didn’t try to get away or hide, only moved onto the grass beyond the tabled patio. I couldn’t help notice the man intentionally stood out of earshot of the crowds while remaining in plain view of witnesses.

  Pausing in the moist sunshine, I glanced back at James. He remained distracted by his red-headed obsession. Taking a deep breath, I walked across the patio and onto the lawn, trying to convince myself I wasn’t completely crazy and stupid. The stranger didn’t pose any real danger at the moment. He wouldn’t kidnap or attack me in public with so many people around. Horror stories fueled those fears. Completely unrealistic. Right? Still, what would I say to the man? Who was he? Why was he here? Why did he follow us to the wolf preserve, and now to Jacksonville? Did he know what James could do? I wanted answers.

  Stopping far enough away to hold a conversation without being in easy reach—it didn’t hurt to be careful—I waited for him to say something.

  The man’s hands rested in his pockets. Relaxed. A slight smile. Eyes focused on mine. Where he stood, how he stood, all struck me as an attempt to bring my guard down by appearing as harmless as possible. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “Hello, Micah.”

  My chest tightened and my brain froze.

  “Fearless, aren’t you?”

  I almost laughed. My palms sweat as much from nerves as my body did from the heat of the Florida autumn. How did this man know my name?

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Who are you?”

  He did laugh. “I’m sorry, I thought maybe—” He stopped mid-sentence, shook his head, then reached out a hand. “Name’s Jack Morris.” His hand hung there, large, muscular, rough. It matched his rugged face.

  I didn’t shake it.

  After a moment of silence, he shrugged, then returned it to his pocket.

  “Why are you following us?”

  The man laughed again. Dismissive. The kind you gave a child asking a silly question. “I know that’s how it looks, but I promise, this is a coincidence.”

  “You know my name.”

  “I did a little research after seeing you at the preserve.” As he spoke, his accent shifted. He wasn’t a native Floridian, and the itch in the back of my brain flared into overdrive. “I didn’t actually come here to see you, though I’m glad I did. Whether it’s braveness or stupidity, I’m glad you’re fearless enough to talk to a stranger.”

  “Where are you from?” I asked, needing to satisfy my brain.

  His smile grew, and he nodded. “I knew it,” he said in a near whisper.

  “What?” My legs tensed, ready to run. Something about his smile felt wrong.

  “Micah, I know what you are. And your big friend. Maybe your beautiful friend, too.”

  My blood froze. Could it be true? If so, then was this man, Jack, like us? I’d already considered we couldn’t be the only people in the world with strange abilities, but until this moment, some part of my brain remained convinced I’d discover a reasonable explanation for James’ ability, and even mine. Maybe I still would. Maybe I misunderstood what he meant. I had to be extra careful now.

  Clearing my throat, I shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Not a lie. After all, I didn’t know what I or James really were, let alone this third person. Beautiful friend. Lucy. It had to be her. Which explained the stranger’s—Jack’s presence. But what, beyond her supernatural beauty, made her different? Did she possess some power like James and me?

  Jack’s smile faded, and his focus wandered around the people not far from us. “I understand your need for secrecy. I share it. We need to trust each other now.”

  An aggressive request, coming from a total stranger. Without being blunt, and risking sounding insane, how could I even be certain we were on the same page? “I still don’t know what you mean.”

  “Micah, you don’t need to do this. I’m here to find you. It’s what I do. I find covens. I get to know them so I can share their existence with others who need to know.”

  Covens? Like, witches? “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” Maybe the man truly was crazy, and only latched onto James and me by coincidence. “Answer my question. Where are you from?”

  His too-large smile returned. “Ah, see, I did that on purpose. A little trick. I thought I knew what you were but needed to make sure. You didn’t notice I switched languages, did you?”

  My frozen blood curdled. He did know. We’d both been speaking Spanish, and it came as naturally as Greek or Latin, so that I simply registered a change of accent.

  “Honestly, I’m honored to meet you, Micah. Even among mythics, you’re a rare breed.”

  “Enough,” I hissed in English. The man would drive me crazy. Even if he did know what I could do, why should I trust him? “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And you’re not answering my question.” I turned to leave.

  “Colorado,” he said, returning to English again. “I’m from Colorado. Yours is the seventh coven I’ve found.”

  I paused, looked him in the eye, and discovered something there which startled me. Desperation. Shifting my weight, I glanced around to make sure no one wandered closer before asking, “What’s a coven?”

  Nodding slowly, Jack said, “I understand now. Well, this is a first for both of us, then. I’m sorry, I should’ve figured it out sooner, but I’ve never met wilds before.”

  I raised an eyebrow, and he raised a hand.

  “I’ll explain. A coven is a group of mythics. Mythics are people with... unique abilities. They live in secret, of course. Usually near small towns like Madison. They keep to themselves. Track their abilities through generations.”

  Pausing, he stared at the ground, lost in thought for a moment before finally continuing. “We always suspected there might be wild mythics—people who don’t know what they are—but you’re the first I’ve ever met. Seems you’re figuring things out, though.”

  “There are others like us?” I couldn’t believe I actually said that out loud. Without thinking, I admitted to being what he called a “mythic”. My desire for information overcame my better judgment. Did it matter? He already appeared certain. Besides, how could I not believe him now? Who’d make such claims unless they already knew?

  “Yes, though few and far between. You’re the first wild mythic I’ve met. And the first vampire.”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  My heart stopped. Then I laughed. After a quick second, I regained control. “What?” I asked, barely able to keep myself from laughing again. Vampire? He couldn’t be serious.

  “Right,” he said, with a bit of a laugh himself, “you don’t know what you are. I thought your memory might’ve told you, but to be honest, I don’t really know much about how your ability works. Like I said, you’re a rare breed.”

  “I’m not a vampire,” I said, laughing again at the word. How absurd. I glanced at the bright sun and raised an eyebrow.

  Jack didn’t try to hide his chagrin. “I know it sounds silly, believe me, but it is what you are. You’re no Dracula, but James isn’t Scott Howard either.”

  Scott Howard? The itch flared, bringing vague memories of the character Michael J. Fox played in an old movie about a werewolf. James was a werewolf, then. If my memory knew that, why couldn’t I remember what I was? Why didn’t my brain confirm the vampire claim, for that matter? Then another question occurred to me.

  “What’re you?” I asked.

  “I’m a hunter,” he said without hesitation.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I’m really good at finding things. People, specifically. That’s why it’s my job to search for covens.”

  “You said covens track their abilities through generations. It’s genetic?”

  “Of course. But it’s… complicated. There’s a reason we keep track of it. But let’s not go into those details just yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t know if I can trust you.”

  “Me? Why should I trust you?”

  “Look, you’re a good kid, but you’re also wild. Part of my job is keeping secrets, and I take it very seriously. You want to learn, and so do I. We have practically no records on vampires.” He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, took out a business card, then reached into one of the side pockets of his shorts, retrieving a pen. “I’ll tell you what, I’m a very patient person and I’ll be around Madison at least until the end of the year. When you’re ready to get answers—and share some—you call me.” He wrote on the back of the card and offered it to me.

  My brain struggled to take this all in. Overwhelmed with questions, I needed at least one answered before he walked away. “You said James, Lucy, and I are mythics. If I’m a vampire and James is a werewolf, then what’s Lucy?”

  “You don’t know?”

  I shook my head.

  “She hasn’t told you anything she can do?”

  “We’re not even friends.”

  Shrugging, he looked toward the pool house. “Well, I haven’t figured it out yet. Honestly, I could be wrong, kid. She might not be a mythic. It’s possible she’s just a really good swimmer. She’s why I came to Madison, but she might not be what I came to find. I found a werewolf and a vampire, after all.”

  Satisfied with his blunt honesty, I grabbed the card.

  He gripped it tighter. “One final thing. A free warning because you’re obviously ignorant, and I want to see you again.” His friendly smile turned to a grimace, eyes narrowed, and voice became a harsh whisper. “Be careful with your appetite. If you ever drink the blood of another mythic, it will kill you.” His intense glare turned abruptly back to a grin, and with a nod he released the card then turned away and said, loudly, “See you around, kid!”

  I watched as he strolled across the south lawn and into the parking lot. My brain overloaded. Drink blood? Why would I drink anyone’s blood?

  Vampire.

  No. I wasn’t a vampire. My neck didn’t feel even the slightest prickle from the word. He admitted he could be wrong about Lucy, then why not me?

  The expression on James’ face the day I pulled glass from Apollo’s paw in the woods glared from my memory. I shook my head to clear it, then examined the card. Just a phone number. Turning the card over, I read the business details. Jack Morris, professional hunter, taxidermist, wilderness guide, and another phone number that didn’t match the one he wrote on the back.

  Vampire.

  The word echoed in my mind. But why no itch confirming it? My brain could tell me practically anything except for why it worked the way it did. With James, I’d at least gotten the word werewolf, though that took time and additional clues. Yet Jack confirmed it. Should I trust the man? How could I not trust him when he might be my only source of answers?

  Sighing, I slipped the card into my pocket and turned back to the pool house. Speakers blared the announcer’s words, but I only understood a few. Apparently, the first event was about to start.

  My brain continued wrestling with the new information and dozens of questions which came with it. I forced my way around the pool, only vaguely realizing the crowd had grown to standing room only, while remaining mostly high school boys. I didn’t recognize any of the newcomers. Were swim meets usually this popular in Jacksonville? At least James saved my spot. When I reached the benches, he reached down, easily pulling me up next to him.

  “What, no candy?”

  “I’ll tell you about it later.”

  He grunted, then shifted uncomfortably.

  James wouldn’t appreciate someone knowing about us. And a stranger at that. But if more so-called mythics existed, that was good news. Right? What did he call them? Covens? What an ominous name.

  Jack’s words echoed in my mind. “Yours is the seventh coven I’ve found... you’re the first vampire I’ve ever met.” Even among mythics, I was a freak.

  A loud buzz, followed by splashes, broke through my contemplation. I looked up, remembering where I sat and why. Lucy. Like James and me. Mythic. Or not? The man, Jack, didn’t seem sure. With new interest, I searched for her in the water but frowned when I found her standing on the side of the pool, watching the other swimmers.

  “Lucy isn’t swimming?”

  “Not yet,” James said, pointing to the paper he held. It listed the eleven events of the swim meet, each one separated by gender, with girls swimming first. “She only does the fifty freestyle, hundred freestyle, and four-hundred freestyle relay.”

  “Why not the others?”

  He shrugged.

  Bright green eyes connected with mine. I’d subconsciously stared at her again. The corner of her lip rose, stoking the heat building in my chest. How was she so impossibly appealing? Even with a swimming cap on, she stood apart as the most attractive girl in the building. I blinked and intentionally examined the other female swimmers.

  To be blunt, Lucy stood out because of her curvy physique. If not for the difference in swimwear, I didn’t think I’d be able to tell most of the skinny teen girls from the skinny teen boys. Only Lucy possessed a distinctly feminine form. Once I noticed, it became impossible to ignore the implications.

  Wouldn’t her body be a serious disadvantage in the pool? Physics were not in her favor. I tried to think of something else. What did the girl’s beauty distract me from, anyway?

  Jack. Vampire. Right. Maybe I didn’t want to go there right now. There’d be plenty of time to talk that problem out with James on the ride home. I tried focusing on the current swimmers. The girls finished their first event—a relay of some sort—and the boys filled the deck for their next race. Lucy stared right at me.

  Glancing away, I forced myself to pay attention to the racers, examining how their bodies moved in the water. When her emerald eyes connected with mine again, I quickly checked the large electronic board displaying the lanes, places, and times of the swimmers. I compared the times with the board next to it, which kept records for this pool, including the name of the event and racer. There were also those bright green eyes.

  I buried my head in my hands. She was watching James. Not me. Right? Something stirred in me. I didn’t want her watching James. I clenched my teeth. I did want her watching James. I did not want her watching me.

  I tried again, reading each name and time on the record board. It didn’t surprise me all the male records were faster than the female, but I didn’t expect such large gaps. Many of the boys’ times came in ten to twenty seconds faster. What really perplexed me was how easily I got completely lost in Lucy’s eyes.

  Wynn. I conjured an image of the short, black-haired, freckle-faced girl of my dreams, with her deep blue irises. If I’d showed half as much courage in asking her out as talking to a strange man, I could be with her. We’d be dancing in a few hours. Instead, I sat on hard metal benches, watching people swimming, and utterly failing to avoid Lucy’s incessant, captivating gaze.

  “This is stupid,” I mumbled.

  James looked down at me and raised an eyebrow.

  “I should’ve asked her to the dance.”

  His expression turned to a glare. “Do you see where we are, Micah? She turned everyone down because of this meet.”

  “I’m not talking about Lucy!”

  “Oh. Right.” He shrugged. “Terrence beat you to it.”

  I frowned. “Are you asking Lucy to the next dance?”

  “She said she’d ask someone, remember?”

  “Right.”

  The Winter Dance was free-ask. That sobered me right up. What if Wynn didn’t ask me? Should I ask her? Didn’t I just berate myself for not asking her to Homecoming? Then why did my palms sweat just thinking about it? What if she asked Terrence? What if they were falling in love right now, while I sat in this uncomfortably warm, smelly, loud, pool house, trying to keep my eyes off Lucy?

  What if Lucy asked me to the dance?

  I gulped and glanced at James. “Think she’ll ask you?”

  He shrugged, eyes narrowing. “Maybe she’ll ask you.”

  “What?” I meant to sound dismissive but heard interest in my voice. Girls were stupid. Love was stupid. I was stupid.

  “She keeps staring at you.”

  I shifted uncomfortably on the hard bench. “I thought she was staring at you.”

  “Liar.”

  I sighed. “You know I’m not interested in Lucy.” It took every ounce of my willpower to not watch her.

  “Not sure that matters, Hot Stuff,” he teased, but a rough edge tinted his tone.

  I rolled my eyes. “James, come on. You know I like Wynn. As far as I’m concerned, Lucy is officially all yours.”

  He studied me, judging my sincerity.

  “The only person you have to convince is her. And about a thousand other boys.” I gestured around the room.

  He chuckled. “If she asks you to the dance, you’ll tell her no?”

  “I said I’m not interested in her. I didn’t say I’m gay.”

  James let out a real gut-busting laugh.

  “But,” I continued quickly, “if it means that much to you, yeah, I’d tell her no. Not that it’ll ever happen.”

  “Because you’re going to ask Tylwynn.”

  “Right. Exactly. I’m going to ask Wynn.”

  “Liar.”

  I sighed.

  “She’s staring at you again.”

  I didn’t take the bait, making a big show of whistling and looking the other way. It was easier after talking to James. My feet found solid ground again. I loved Wynn. My friend obsessed over Lucy, not me. The world was whole again.

  Vampire.

  And there it went shattering.

  Grinding my teeth, I stood up. “I need a drink.”

  I didn’t recognize my mistake until I climbed down the side of the benches. The drinking fountains hid behind all the swimmers gathered around the kiddie pool, waiting for their next event. I would have to walk right by Lucy. I seriously considered climbing back up the bench, but my pride didn’t let me. I just wanted a drink.

  Making my way to the back wall, I followed it around the smaller pool and into the bathroom area. I managed to do it without making eye contact with anyone. The warm fountain water was less than satisfying and tasted slightly of chlorine, but I drank deep, not wanting to need to return before the meet ended. James told me it could be as long as three hours or more, depending on how many swimmers showed up. A lot of people showed up for the meet, but not many swimmers, so I hoped for three hours or less.

  “My-kuh Sep-itch.” Lucy switched from teasing to seductive as she continued, “Hi, Hot Stuff.”

  I growled as a fire ignited in my chest, hating how easily she did that to me. I kept drinking, intentionally ignoring her. Maybe she’d go away if I pretended to not hear her. Considering the noise in the pool house, it seemed perfectly plausible.

  “Did you come to watch the meet, or me?”

  The world spun, her silky voice clouding my thoughts. From the corner of my eye, I saw her take a couple steps toward me. Ignoring her wouldn’t work. Drinking for a few seconds cleared my mind enough to respond.

  “Actually,” I said, refusing to make eye contact, “James came to watch you. I’m just here because I’ve got nothing better to do.”

  She giggled, drawing my eyes to her.

  Lucy stood with one leg in front of the other, leaning slightly back on one foot, hands clasped behind her. The girl regularly stunned me without even trying, but with a little effort in her pose, she devastated my resolve. At least I spoke before looking at her. My chest became an inferno, disintegrating my lungs.

  “You certainly know how to flatter a girl,” she teased with a smile and a wink. Temptation vanished from her voice, replaced by playfulness. Her smile slipped from sly to friendly, showing off stunning teeth. A real, unpracticed, smile.

  I blinked. Lucy may flaunt herself, but that grin revealed an unexpected side to her nature. Purity. Did this angelic creature sit next to me every day in calculus? If she hid a decent heart behind all this spectacle, that meant she lacked a stable brain and self-respect. Or I completely underestimated how complicated girls could be.

  “I’m up next. I hope your day isn’t a total loss. Perhaps if you pay attention,” she paused, gaze sliding up and down my body before finishing with a sensual tone, “you’ll see something you like.” Spinning gracefully on her heels, she walked away, hips swaying.

  I quickly turned back to the drinking fountain. After another long drink, the buzzer once again preceded a splash of swimmers. Oddly, the continual splash of their movements didn’t drown in the unending murmurs from the audience. I made my way over to the pool, shocked by the placid atmosphere.

  With the crowd, I could barely make out the swimmers and had no idea which one was Lucy. I checked the board. Lane three showed first place, and when the timer stopped at 21.87 seconds the building erupted in cheers and whistles. I glanced at the record board. For fifty yards, the current female record for the aquatics center was 23.10, and the men’s was 21.21 seconds.

  As I moved around the kiddie pool and toward the benches, I overheard a man and woman holding clipboards.

  “She’s Olympic material, all right.”

  “Just shy of the national record,” the woman responded.

  “Too bad she’s got so much working against her.” The man barely mumbled it, but the woman slapped his arm with her clipboard. “I’m just saying.”

  So, Lucy could indeed swim abnormally fast.

  When James lifted me up onto the benches, he asked, “Did you see that?”

  “No, but I noticed the time and overheard some impressed scouts. She’s quick.”

  “It isn’t about her speed.”

  “Well, I’ll pay attention to the hundred yard.”

  It took a minute until the pool house calmed enough for the announcer to be discernible, but the next race started off with much less interest. I felt bad for all the swimmers who weren’t Lucy. It must be difficult to perform your best, knowing this audience didn’t come here for your benefit. Still, the students appeared to put everything they had into it. A lot of scouts meant a rare chance to get noticed, and several students set new records for the pool.

  “What did she say?”

  I cringed. “You saw?”

  He grunted.

  “Don’t worry, I made sure she knew this was your idea.”

  James held up a clenched fist and I bumped it with my own. A minute later a wave of whistles pierced the air as Lucy took her place on one of the blocks for the hundred-yard freestyle. I’d actually managed to not look at her once for several minutes, but now she bent over, ready to dive, on the opposite side of the pool, and though she wore goggles, I felt her eyes peering into mine. The room once again went silent as the buzzer sounded.

  The swimmers dove into the water, and in that small act alone Lucy was unique. Her dive seemed different. More… natural. The girl took the lead as she sprinted across twenty-five yards of pool, though several others followed close behind. They all hit the side closer to me at nearly the same time. All the girls paused briefly as they flipped to reorient in the water and kick off the wall, except Lucy, who took the turn with breathtaking, fluid grace. Instantly a full body behind her, and with two additional turns to go, the others didn’t have a chance.

  This alone set Lucy apart from the others, but something else tugged at my brain. Every swimmer used the same strokes, yet something about the way Lucy moved felt like watching a creature instead of a person. She was majestic.

  “Have you noticed?”

  “What?” I whispered without taking my eyes off her.

  “Watch the other swimmers.”

  I grudgingly obliged. While not immediately obvious, it didn’t take long to discover what James meant. Every two or three strokes, the other girls turned their heads to take a breath. Lucy’s face never left the water.

  “She’s holding her breath,” I said.

  He nodded slowly.

  “Is that normal?”

  He shrugged.

  Between her impressive lung capacity, smooth strokes, and quick turnarounds, Lucy reached a lead of half a lap ahead of second place when cheers and roars broke the reverence prematurely. The race continued, but the tense atmosphere couldn’t maintain silence in the presence of such overwhelming superiority. When Lucy touched the edge of the pool her timer stopped at 45.60 seconds. She beat both the women’s and men’s records for the pool.

  While the onlookers roared, I whispered into my friend’s ear. “James, that man said Lucy might be... like us.”

  Eyes wide, he stared at me. “He knows?”

  I nodded and scrutinized the people close by, but every eye focused on the champion climbing out of the pool. “What if she’s, I don’t know, a mermaid?”

  He raised an eyebrow and considered the girl with increased interest.

  No doubt Lucy was more than a talented swimmer. She may or may not be a mythic like James and me, but either way, my mind already came up with a plan to find out.