Chapter 3
Watery Witch
The events that led up to Meeshell’s journey happened as quickly as a riptide. First, Headmaster Grimm’s message arrived in a bottle, carried by United Manta Ray. Her parents read the message, then they summoned her. “Meeshell,” her mother said. “We have news. You are going on a trip tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow morning?” Meeshell asked, both surprised and confused. “But I’ve got school.”
The family had gathered in the castle’s main room. Meeshell’s mother and father were the queen and king of the Merpeople, which made Meeshell a princess. But their palace was not a sprawling fortress. Unlike land-dwellers, the Merpeople did not build immense structures. Rather, they lived in harmony with their surroundings, down deep where fishermen’s nets and lines did not go. This castle was an elegant cave, lighted by magical jewels that were embedded in the walls. Hermit crabs made little trails in the sandy floor, and butterfly fish swam gracefully near the entrance. Storms did not rage that deep, and sharks did not prowl. It was a lovely, peaceful place, with no dangers to speak of.
Well, except for the Sea Witch.
But she lived in her own cave, on the other side of the kelp forest. And she’d made a pact with the king and queen. She would not bother them as long as they stuck to the story and gave her their firstborn daughter’s voice. Meeshell’s voice.
Meeshell’s mother was the famous Little Mermaid. As a young woman, she’d agreed to give her beautiful voice to the Sea Witch in exchange for legs and the chance to live on land. And so the deal was made, and the Little Mermaid went to live among the land-dwellers, leaving behind the most beautiful singing voice in all the Merworld. But as is true in many fairytales, there is often a way to elude a witch’s dark magic: true love. In the Little Mermaid’s case, when she found the true love of a prince and he agreed to live beneath the sea with her, the curse was broken. Her voice returned to her.
Which left the Sea Witch without a beautiful mermaid voice to complete her collection. This sent the witch into such a rage that the sea roiled and frothed like a witch’s cauldron.
So now the Sea Witch had to wait for the day when the Little Mermaid’s firstborn daughter would live the story her mother was supposed to have lived—to permanently exchange her voice for legs and life on land.
And wait the Sea Witch did, counting the days until she got Meeshell’s voice.
“You will not be going to Merschool tomorrow because you will be going to a different school,” her mother explained.
“You have been invited to attend Ever After High,” her father said, a proud smile on his handsome face.
Meeshell pondered this news. Ever After High? Her father often spoke of the school he’d attended. He’d loved it. She remembered many bedtime stories about his days fighting dragons in Dragon-Slaying class and climbing towers in Hero Training class. How he’d been co-president of the student body, and captain of the Track and Shield team. The world above the waves was so very different. For Meeshell and her Merfriends, school studies focused on learning about the other creatures that inhabited the sea. There were no class presidents or clubs or teams. Her people considered themselves the guardians of the waters, and thus, taking care of other creatures was of the utmost importance.
“But Ever After High is on land, and I’m not supposed to go onto land until I’m older,” Meeshell said. “My story isn’t supposed to start yet. Is it?”
Her mother swam over and handed Meeshell the message-in-a-bottle. It had been written on waterproof paper.
From the desk of
HEADMASTER GRIMM
Dear Philip and Pearl,
I believe it is in your daughter’s best interest to begin her studies, posthaste, at Ever After High. While Merschool is suitable for those who will live out their lives in the sea, I believe it is not the best choice for a young princess whose destiny is to eventually live on land. Ever After High will provide Meeshell the everyday experiences that will prepare her for her future life as a land-dweller. Fall quarter begins in three days. A dormitory room shall be waiting for her.
Yours ever after,
Headmaster Grimm
PS—I have sent an urgent message to the Sea Witch, asking her to help with Meeshell’s transformation.
“The Sea Witch?” An icy feeling darted up Meeshell’s spine. The scales on her tail shivered.
“Unfortunately, she is the only one who possesses the magic to give you legs,” her mother explained.
“I know but…” This was all so very confusing. When Meeshell woke up that morning, she’d been looking forward to learning stingray songs. But now her life was being turned upside down. “But…”
“Sweetheart, I know you must feel like you’ve been hit by a tidal wave,” her mother said gently. She took Meeshell’s hand. “But this isn’t bad news. It’s good news. This is a wonderful opportunity. When I went onto land, I barely knew anything. I’d only observed people from a distance, so it was very difficult for me. But you’ll get the chance to live with people, to learn directly from them. And when you make that final transition to living permanently on land, it won’t be so shocking.”
That all made sense, but it didn’t change the fact that Meeshell wasn’t ready to leave. “But that means I have to go away.” She tried to bravely hold back her tears.
“Only for a while. You’ll have long weekends and holiday breaks to come home. And there’s summer, of course.” Her dad took her other hand. “You’ll have so much fun, the time will fly by.”
But how could she have fun without her friends? And then another thought struck her.
“What about Finbert?” Meeshell asked. She reached out her hand. A tiny narwhal swam over. She stroked his back. Finbert had been her beloved pet since she was a baby. She couldn’t stand the thought of them being apart for such long periods of time.
“Finbert can join you after you’ve settled in,” her father replied with a smile. “You will see that several of your classmates at Ever After High have pets.”
Well, at least that was something. “Did you hear that, Finbert?” she asked. “You can join me later.” He nodded, then chased after a puffer fish.
Suddenly, the water turned cold. A sharp current shot through the castle, swirling around Meeshell and her parents. The hermit crabs tucked into their shells. The butterfly fish darted into a crevice. Something was coming.
The Sea Witch entered. Her tail differed from most of her fellow Merpeople. Not made of glistening scales, it was built of red armor, like a crab’s shell.
At the sight of the witch, Queen Pearl pulled her daughter close. King Philip grabbed his trident and rose into a protective stance. The Sea Witch stopped swimming and waved a hand at him. “Oh, calm down, Philip. I’m not here to stir up the waters. I got a message from Milton Grimm, same as you.”
The king lowered his trident. “You’ll help us?” he asked warily.
“Help you?” She cackled as all witches do, whether on land or in water. “I’m not here to help you! You two and your true love kept me from adding a beautiful mermaid voice to my collection.”
“If you’re not going to help us, then why are you here?” Queen Pearl asked.
“I’m here to help myself, of course!” Her voice was as rough and scratchy as sand. Her long, tangled black hair floated around her head. A few crabs peeked out from among the tangles. She pointed a finger at Meeshell. “If I give you legs, and you go to school, and you make lots of friends, and you meet a dashing prince, blah blah blah, then you will fall in love with living on land and you will embrace your destiny. And I will have your voice!” More cackling.
“You can’t have her voice until she decides to stay on land permanently,” Queen Pearl pointed out. “And that won’t happen until after she’s graduated.”
“Yeah, yeah, details, details. Whatever.” The Sea Witch rolled her black eyes. “I only care about one thing: completing my collection!” Then she hollered, “Coral! Where are you?”
Another mermaid swam into the palace. Coral, daughter of the Sea Witch, was a few years younger than Meeshell. She had dark, blue-black hair and a red tail like her mother.
“Seeing as this is a special request, I’m going to let my daughter cast the spell. She could use the practice.”
Coral smiled nervously. “Yeah, my last spell didn’t go so well.” Meeshell’s parents shared a troubled glance. Coral’s botched spells were well-known in the Merworld.
The Sea Witch chuckled. “Never mind that, darling. That stupid shark seems fine with his new head of hair. We all make mistakes. That’s part of learning.” The Sea Witch patted her daughter’s head.
“Do you think this is a good idea?” King Philip asked the witch. “Shouldn’t you be the one to cast the spell?”
“Of course it’s a good idea!” the Sea Witch bellowed. “Coral is perfectly capable of replacing a Mertail with two human legs. Right, Coral?”
It took Coral a few moments before she nodded, and even then, she didn’t look confident. Meeshell gulped. Her hand flew to her tail, to its soft, blue scales.
The Sea Witch spun around, then swam toward the entry. “Meet us at dawn, on the shore of Turtle Island.” And with another blast of cold current, she was gone. After a little wave good-bye, Coral followed.
“Is this really happening?” Meeshell asked her parents.
“Yes,” they both said. Which was not the answer she’d hoped for.