Chapter 17
Rescue Repeat
Panic welled in Meeshell’s chest. She frantically looked around. Apple, Ashlynn, and Hunter were standing next to her. The students who ran the Snack Shack were also there, along with a group who’d been playing beach volleyball. Daring and the members of the Surf Club were also safe. It appeared that everyone had avoided the rogue wave.
Except for one person.
“There he is!” Meeshell cried, pointing down the beach where a shape lay in the sand. A mangled surfboard lay a few feet away.
What had she done? She had no idea how she got her legs to move as quickly as they did, but she flew down the beach and threw herself next to him. He lay on his back, his arms and legs splayed, his eyes closed. A crab skittered across his chest. While the others ran to catch up, she put her ear to Humphrey’s chest. “He’s breathing,” she announced as Hunter and Daring knelt beside her. She almost burst into tears of relief.
“He’s stunned,” Hunter said. He and Daring helped Humphrey sit upright. Humphrey took a huge breath, then opened his eyes. “You okay?” Hunter asked.
After a few minutes of coughing, Humphrey reached up and felt his head. “No cracks. I’m okay. But that wave really tossed me around. I thought I was going to be crushed.” He picked a piece of seaweed off his face.
“Sounds like the time in Hero Training when I got caught in the middle of a griffin stampede,” Daring said. “But we survived. Good job, Dumpty.” Then he slapped Humphrey on the back, bringing about another coughing fit. A pair of nurse fairies appeared. They flitted around Humphrey’s head, then gave two thumbs-up and flew away.
Hunter helped Humphrey to his feet. All the other students had gathered ’round. Humphrey glanced at Meeshell, looking more embarrassed than ever.
“I’m sorry,” she told him.
“Why are you sorry?” Hunter asked. “You were the first to reach him. You practically saved him.” Hunter was congratulating her? That wasn’t fair. She’d almost squashed Humphrey with the giant wave she’d created! “You’ve got good eyes. Would you like to join the lifeguard crew?”
“But Meeshell’s afraid of water,” Ashlynn said before Meeshell could reply.
“Afraid of the water?” Hunter asked. “That’s too bad. We really need more help.”
It was definitely too bad, because of all the students at Ever After High, Meeshell knew she’d be a superb lifeguard. She’d be able to conduct rescues underwater, and reach swimming speeds that no land-dweller could reach. If she admitted, right then and there, the truth about being a mermaid, then she could help Hunter save lives!
If she spoke up and told everyone she was a mermaid, and explained that she wasn’t really afraid of water, her new friends would see that she was brave and fun-loving, just like they were. All of the things that must have seemed so odd about her, that they had been so kind and accepting of, would suddenly make sense. Sure, she was a little shy, but she wasn’t yet used to life on land.
But admitting she was a mermaid would mean being treated differently. And that would mean losing a chance at having the authentic experience as a land-dweller. But the urge to tell the truth was overwhelming.
“I… I need to go,” she blurted. As Meeshell hurried away, Hunter blew on his whistle.
“Okay, everyone,” he called. “The rogue wave is gone. You can go back into the water!”
Once again, when she got back to the dormitory, Meeshell collapsed onto her bed. What a total disaster the week had been. Trying to be a land-dweller was really hard. She hadn’t found a club, she’d failed at two team tryouts, and now she’d almost drowned everyone! She reached out to the one person who seemed to understand her.
Seashell: I feel like a total loser.
StoryTeller2: How come?
Seashell: Every time I try to do something, it doesn’t work.
StoryTeller2: Yeah, been there, done that. I feel that way a lot.
Seashell: Do you ever wish you were someone else?
StoryTeller2: All the time.
Seashell: Really? Why?
StoryTeller2: Because I don’t fit in. I never know what to say.
Seashell: I never knew what it felt like to not fit in, but now I do.
StoryTeller2: Like a fish out of water.
Seashell: You have no idea how true that is.
She really wanted to meet her mysterious friend—this prince who wanted to hide his identity. Then it occurred to her that maybe he wasn’t a prince after all. He could be a troll for all she knew. It didn’t matter either way because she didn’t care about his royal status. Or two-footed status. She felt as if she could tell him anything. And that he’d understand and be sympathetic.
Seashell: Will you please tell me who you are?
StoryTeller2: Believe me, you won’t be impressed.
Seashell: Why do I need to be impressed? You’re my friend.
Long pause.
StoryTeller2: I gotta go do something. Bye.
She’d scared him off again.
“Meeshell, can we talk?” Apple had poked her head into the room. Her voice was more serious than usual.
“Sure,” Meeshell said. She set aside the MirrorPad, then pushed a pile of pillows off the bed so Apple could sit next to her.
“As you ran from the beach, I realized something.” Apple took the Welcoming Committee list from her pocket. “When I offered to be your Welcoming Committee representative, I wasn’t thinking about you. I was thinking about myself.”
“Yes, it is. It’s always been very important to me that I do things right, you know? That I meet my goals and succeed. I really wanted to be a part of this committee with Briar because she’s one of my best friends forever after, and because it would look good on my records. But the truth is, it doesn’t matter if I’m on another committee. What matters is that you’re happy. And I think I’ve been putting too much pressure on you. You don’t have to join a club or be on a team to fit in here at Ever After High. You don’t have to belong to anything if you don’t want to. That’s perfectly okay.” She crumpled the list in her hand, then tossed it into the recycling bin. “So from this moment on, I’m going to stop putting pressure on you. You do what makes you happy, Meeshell.” She gave her a hug. “And I hope we can be BFFAs.”
Meeshell smiled gratefully at Apple. She really was one of the sweetest people Meeshell had ever met. “Of course. Thank you, Apple.”
After Apple left, Meeshell walked onto the balcony and gazed out over the school grounds. Ashlynn and a few other cheerhexers, dressed in their uniforms, were walking together across the quad. Some Track and Shield runners were sitting at the edge of the track, laughing about something. A couple of guys from the Tech Club were at a table, trying to untangle a huge pile of cords. At that moment, Meeshell felt very alone. Apple had said that Meeshell didn’t need to join a club or team to fit in. But finding other students who shared the same interests or talents would definitely help.
A figure floated in front of her. Meeshell gasped. “Oh, Professor Yaga, you startled me.”
The elderly woman sat crossed-legged on her pillow, hovering in front of the balcony. “I need your assistance,” she explained. “Come with me.”