The only thing I know about “three o’clock” is that there are fewer people in the audience. They fan themselves without cheering as Niku and I enter the arena, and when I pop my head out of the water to say hello, my eyes burn with the heat. At least it makes the water warmer.
With my tail ripped into ribbons, I can’t swim as fast and I’m constantly behind. Niku helps by letting me hold his fins whenever we’re close enough, but I know I’ll be shocked for this later. If it wasn’t for my desire to protect him, I’d quit swimming right now and curl up in the center of the tank until they foamed me.
I’m behind again. Niku’s on the other side of the tank. I kick my tail hard to catch up and it splits all the way into the flesh. The pain is so jarring, I yelp and stop swimming. A thin ribbon of blood streams from the wound.
“Princess?” Niku swims to me. “Are you okay?”
The crowd makes noises of agitation—far be it for me to ruin their show. My shoulders sink as blood stains the water pink. “I’m fine,” I lie. Niku can’t do anything to help.
From the speakers surrounding us, I hear Sergio’s voice. “Maddy, no. Not in front of the audience.”
My head snaps up—Maddy sticks the loop in the water and anger rises in me so fast that I can’t hold it back. I swim to the surface and point at the audience. “Go ahead, Maddy. Show them how you treat me when they aren’t here.”
She gapes as the audience grows silent. Sergio shakes his head, trying to get me to shut up, but I don’t care. I’m a princess, and I’m not doing tricks for them anymore.
“That’s right.” I turn to the audience. “She electrocutes me whenever I make a noise, until my tailfin is in ribbons and I can’t swim anymore. Well, guess what? I’m never swimming for you again!”
“You little—” Maddy says.
I spin to face her. “Do it! Shock me until I foam!”
Niku bumps me. “Princess, you shouldn’t—”
“Maddy, stop!” Sergio shouts.
She doesn’t listen. Before I can yell at her again, searing pain rips through my scales. My tail is being ripped in two—I’m being turned into a landfolk by the electroshocker. When the current finally releases, my entire body droops. The audience is utterly silent, except for a few young children sobbing into their parents’ shoulders.
“Erie,” Niku croaks.
Only half of my gills are underwater, and my eyesight’s blurry. Foam eats my tail—soon, it will move all the way up, splitting it in two like a real Ariel.
Niku recovers first and pushes me underwater, swiping at my foaming tail with his chin. I want to tell him not to bother, but my vision clears and foam streams from the corners of my eyes.
“Neeky.” Panic tinges my voice as I wipe at the foam, but it won’t stop. “Neek!” My chest contracts in a sob, and then I’m crying—actually crying. Where water streams from landfolk eyes when they cry, seafoam streams from mine.
“It’s okay, Princess,” he says and wraps one flipper around me as well as he can. I give up and sob into the scars on his side.
By the time I’ve finished crying, the audience is gone. So is Maddy. Sergio stands at the side of the tank, arms crossed, a look of repentance on his face. He doesn’t say anything as I swim to him and put a hand on the glass. It’s a long moment before he covers my hand with his own. “Tag,” I whisper.
His eyebrows pull together, and he pulls his hand away as the door behind him opens. I swim back to Niku, pain shooting through my tail at every kick, as Delmara walks in.
She joins Sergio at the glass. “I want her gone.”
He glances at her in alarm. “We can’t foam her—she hasn’t attacked anyone. APHIS—”
“I’m not talking about foaming her—I’d never get the insurance money. Sell her. That ugly dolphin, too.”
“Sell them?” It’s a moment before Sergio says, “Finn would buy them.”
Every part of me inflates with hope. I don’t know what “sell” or “buy” means, but if Finn’s involved, I want to be whatever they mean.
“No.” Delmara’s voice cuts through me like the foam through my tail. “Anyone but Finn. There are parks opening in Asia—sell them there.”
Sergio’s face pales. “The parks aren’t finished.”
“Yeah, well, the park being built in California won’t buy a PR nightmare like her. Finn’ll be all over today’s footage, trying to convince the public he’s in love with her.” Delmara spits, as if even the words taste bad. “Sell her to China. Japan. I don’t care. Just get her out of my park so I can find a new act.”
A new act—that means they’re going hunting again. They could catch anyone—my father, my brother and sisters, Grandmother.
“No,” I say, voice rasping. “No hunting. No more acts.” No more blackened shells.
Delmara’s gaze snaps to me, and she sneers before turning it on Sergio. “I told you to do whatever you had to, or I’d find someone who would.”
“Aunt,” Sergio pleads.
“I will not be made a fool of again. No one believed in mermaids before me—I won’t let this . . . fish undermine everything I’ve achieved. Do you understand?”
She stares him down until he presses his lips together. “I understand.”
“Good. I need you online to help divert this. Madison can get her back in her tank, and then I’m suspending her until this dies down. Honestly, shocking a dolphin in front of all those children . . . it’s a worse PR nightmare than Finn’s become.” Delmara turns on her heel and leaves.
Sergio faces me. “Don’t worry—I’ll call Finn. He’ll figure something out.” I swear he says “I hope” under his breath as he walks away.
I decide at that moment that I don’t care what “sell” or “buy” means—I refuse to leave this tank until they foam me or Finn comes to get me.