Rachel's Secret Page 4

  The Queen sipped her tea and then put down her cup. “From what I’ve seen, I agree with your assessment. Their bond is incredible.”

  “Sometimes a strong friendship can be as strong as love,” my dad said. “Wouldn’t you agree, Queen?”

  “I do. I really do,” she said with a smile. “Rachel, you may tell Owen the truth. He can be brought here if he agrees. It is his choice. If he doesn’t agree, he will forget what you’ve told him.”

  “Really?” I whispered. I was in shock.

  “Once you tell him,” the Queen explained, “you must be aware that if he chooses not to be part merman, you will no longer be allowed to visit him. Too much exposure after that may wear off the mermaid magic, and he could eventually remember the truth about you. That cannot be allowed to happen.”

  I loved being a mermaid far too much to give it up. I knew in my heart that being different didn’t mean being bad. If I could tell my best friend the truth and bring him to Neptunia to see my life here, it would be worth all the hassle. I was sure he wouldn’t turn me down. I was so sure, I was willing to risk losing him forever.

  I would tell Owen the truth and offer him a chance to see a life that other humans couldn’t even imagine. The world beneath the sea. Having the four of us together would be a dream come true. Owen, Shyanna, Cora, and me!

  I gulped and nodded at the Queen. She snapped her finger, and a mermaid appeared and gave me a magic pill. It would turn Owen into a merman.

  If he chose to be one.

  Chapter Ten

  The next morning, Shyanna, Cora, and my dad each hugged me before I left to find Owen. I was beyond nervous. I couldn’t believe it was really happening! It was like a dream.

  I found Owen on shore in our special spot. I had sent Owen a text the night before, so I knew he’d be waiting for me. I didn’t know how to tell him my secret, so I just blurted it out. When I finished telling him the truth, and the rules about knowing the truth and the choice he had to make, he didn’t look upset at all. He didn’t even look that surprised. I guess that is a normal boy response to most things.

  “Mermaids,” he said, smiling. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “You aren’t mad or weirded out?” I asked.

  “It’s weird, but I always knew there was something different about you. Not weird different, but magical different.”

  “You did?” I asked.

  “I think that’s what brought us together. And of course I can keep it a secret. You’re my best friend. And of course I want to see your world!”

  My cheeks glowed with happiness. He looked back at me, and I saw that his cheeks were glowing too. He touched his neck, and I noticed he was wearing the shark tooth necklace I got him for his birthday. I touched the shell necklace he gave me, the one that I never took off.

  For a moment I wondered if we’d ever be more than friends, but then I tucked that idea away. I didn’t want to ruin what we had right now. A great friendship was more than I could ask for.

  “Merpeople,” he said as we walked toward the ocean. “I always wondered why you were constantly on the beach, but you would never swim.” He pointed at my legs. “I can’t wait to see your tail!”

  “I can’t wait to see yours!” I told him, and we both stared down at his legs.

  “Me neither!” he yelled, and then he started to run toward the water.

  “Wait!” I called and laughed.

  “You have to take this first,” I said as I pulled out the magic pill the Queen gave me. “You are sure about all of this? You don’t need to think about it longer or anything?”

  He nodded. “Are you crazy? I can’t wait!”

  “Okay. Then take this, and we’ll go to Neptunia to meet my friends,” I said.

  He swallowed the pill. “Tastes like fish,” he said, smiling. He stared down at his legs, waiting.

  I laughed and pulled him into the ocean. My tail spread down, shimmering in the sunshine.

  “Wow!” he said, his eyes sparkling in amazement.

  And then we both watched as his tail spread down until his legs disappeared and a tail took their place. It was a glorious tail, reds and oranges twinkling in the water. He whooped loudly, and then we dove down under a wave. The grin didn’t leave his face. He was an amazing swimmer and took to his fins right away.

  Owen was like a little kid, stopping to admire every shellfish and jellyfish and waving lobster. He played with the dolphins that came to greet us, and the grumpy old whale that swam by and blew a spout of water made him laugh.

  When we finally arrived at Neptunia, Shyanna and Cora were waiting in Walrus Waterpark for us. They looked as happy as me and Owen. The girls hugged Owen like he was an old friend. And it was then I knew that this was the right choice.

  But soon, we weren’t the only merpeople at Walrus Waterpark. Regina and a group of her mermaid friends arrived.

  “Who is this?” Regina asked, swimming closer.

  “I’m Owen,” he said, not intimidated. “And this is my best friend, Rachel, and my new friends Shyanna and Cora. We’re merpeople!”

  We all laughed at his enthusiasm.

  “I know what we are,” Regina said, turning her nose up a bit. But he also intrigued her, I could tell. “Where did you come from?”

  He winked at her. “That’s kind of a secret between friends. Do you mind?” he asked, and then he twirled up and did a double flip turn. “I have to say, I like Neptunia a lot. You’d better get used to seeing me around.”

  Regina was not smiling. I had a feeling I was going to have to deal with her a lot once school started, but I didn’t care. Having Owen here was worth dealing with Regina.

  She swam away, with her friends following behind. I grabbed Owen’s hand. His time was almost up already, and we had to get him back to land. “Come on, Owen, we have to get going,” I said.

  “We’re so glad we got to meet you!” Shyanna said.

  “And we’ll come visit you on shore once we turn thirteen and get our legs!” Cora added.

  We were all excited to add a fourth best friend to our friendship circle. “Come on, Owen,” I said to him. “Let’s go to shore. You can come back and visit soon!”

  “Just try to keep me away,” he said.

  Legend of Mermaids

  These creatures of the sea have many secrets. Although people have believed in mermaids for centuries, nobody has ever proven their existence. People all over the world are attracted to the mysterious mermaids.

  The earliest mermaid story dates back to around 1000 BC in an Assyrian legend. A goddess loved a human man but killed him accidentally. She fled to the water in shame. She tried to change into a fish, but the water would not let her hide her true nature. She lived the rest of her days as half-woman, half-fish.

  Later, the ancient Greeks whispered tales of fishy women called sirens. These beautiful but deadly beings lured sailors to their graves. Many sailors feared or respected mermaids because of their association with doom.

  Note: This text was taken from The Girl’s Guide to Mermaids: Everything Alluring about These Mythical Beauties by Sheri A. Johnson (Capstone Press, 2012). For more mermaid facts, be sure to check this book out!

  Talk It Out

  Before Rachel moved to Neptunia, she was teased at her old school. Teasing is a type of bullying, which is never okay. Talk about a time when you felt bullied. How did you handle it?

  Were you surprised by Cora’s reaction when she found out Rachel’s secret? How about Owen’s reaction? How do you think you would have reacted?

  Friendship is a special type of love. What qualities make a good friend? How are those qualities shown in this story?

  What would you have done if you were Owen? Would you have said yes to Rachel’s request so easily?

  Write It Down

  Pretend you are Rach
el. Make a pro and con list to support your decision to tell Owen your big secret.

  Rachel missed her mom. Write a letter to your mom or an important person in your life. You can choose to give it to them or keep it for yourself.

  Rachel was half-human, which made her different. Our differences are what make us unique. Write a paragraph about your unique qualities and how they make you special.

  Write an alternate ending for the story. Maybe Owen says no to Rachel’s request, or Regina follows Rachel and tells everyone her secret. It’s your ending, so finish the story any way you want.

  About the Author

  Janet Gurtler has written numerous well-received YA books. Mermaid Kingdom is her debut series for younger readers. She lives in Calgary, Alberta, near the Canadian Rockies, with her husband, son, and a chubby Chihuahua named Bruce. Gurtler does not live in an igloo or play hockey, but she does love maple syrup and says “eh” a lot.

  About the Illustrator

  Katie Wood fell in love with drawing when she was very small. Since graduating from Loughborough University School of Art and Design in 2004, she has been living her dream working as a freelance illustrator. From her studio in Leicester, England, she creates bright and lively illustrations for books and magazines all over the world.

  Dive in and get swept away!

  Mermaid Kingdom is published by Stone Arch Books

  A Capstone Imprint

  1710 Roe Crest Drive

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.mycapstone.com

  Copyright © 2015 Stone Arch Books

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available on the Library of Congress website.

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-9694-8 (library binding)

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-9698-6 (paperback)

  ISBN: 978-1-4965-0188-2 (eBook PDF)

  ISBN: 978-1-4965-3969-4 (eBook)

  Summary: Not only is Rachel's best friend a boy, but he is a human boy! Owen has no idea that Rachel is a mermaid and can never find out … or can he? Rachel wants her best friend to be involved in her life, and she is willing to risk everything to make this happen.

  Designer: Alison Thiele

  Artistic Elements: Shutterstock