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The next day after school, I’d just parked in the driveway when my phone rang. Club activities had run late, so I expected it was Mom. I turned off the car and reached for the phone. My eyes widened when the name above the flashing call signal was Pap.
I tapped to answer. “Hey, Pap!” I said.
“Hi there, Hazel. Sorry to bother you on a school night, but the strangest thing just happened.”
“News about the pearl jewelry?”
“Not quite.” He paused. “Let’s just say that Perlnaut friend of yours paid me a visit.”
“Paid you a visit? You mean Kai came to your house?”
“I was in the bathroom shaving and he— Well, he popped up out of the toilet.”
“What?” I shrieked. “How’s that even possible?”
“Surprised me, too. But then I guess it makes sense seeing how he was able to visit you at the creek. They use the world differently than we do.”
“Is he still there?”
“No. He didn’t stay long.” Pap exhaled. “He seemed surprised to see me, too,” he said, his voice tinged with suspicion.
“What did he want?”
“I wasn’t able to determine that, and he wasn’t able to tell me. I thought I’d let you know.”
“Something must have happened.” I glanced at the clock on the phone. “I’m already in the car. I’ll be right there.”
After ending the call, I texted Mom that something had come up at the lake, and that I’d be home after dark. I wouldn’t be able to walk Marshmallow.
***
I DROVE TO PAP’S HOUSE immediately. I didn’t even knock on the door to say hi before marching to the lake. It was getting late, and I was tired.
I rubbed my eyes. Kai must have found new information, or maybe his kingdom was in greater danger. Why else would he be acting like this?
Showing up inside Pap’s house? If Kai needed to see me, he could have traveled to the creek. Granted, if he reached the creek, there was no way for him to contact me so that I could go to him. Perhaps his instincts were correct to have gone to Pap, instead.
Either way, I had to find out what was going on.
I stomped down to the lake. The sun was already starting to set. I wanted to get this over with so I could go home and go to bed. Squinting, I yawned. I was exhausted—something Benton had been noticing about me before I had.
I checked my phone for messages. There was one from Mom: Before dark? It’s a three hour drive! Stay the night. I’ll contact your school and say there was a family emergency, and that you’ll be there in the afternoon.
I sniffed. A family emergency was one way of putting it. I thought I could drive home safely and make it to school the next morning. I planned to see how the discussion with Kai went first.
“Oh no,” I said when I reached the water.
I hadn’t gone inside my house before or after Pap’s call. I’d left home from the parking lot. My spare swimsuit was at school in my locker, and I didn’t have my goggles or snorkel with me.
I pulled off my jacket, shoes, and socks, and then sighed. I was in for a damp evening.
I flashed my phone’s light at the water, on and off again, hoping it would attract Kai’s attention. When that didn’t work, I shoved the phone in my jacket pocket and started tossing rocks that I found along the lakeside.
“Come on, Kai,” I said, creating another splash in the water. I was growing more annoyed the longer I waited. He would have returned to the lake long before I arrived at Pap’s.
The setting sun dimmed until there was the faintest sliver of it left along the horizon.
A ripple formed on the lake’s surface, as if Kai had tapped it from below. His head and shoulders emerged from the water.
“Pap said you paid him a visit,” I said. “What’s going on?”
Grinning, he motioned for me to join him in the water. I dove in, staying below the surface and waiting for his response. It was dark, except for the soft glow of the pearls on his wrist cuff and diadem.
He smiled at me. “I’ve been here for some time watching your tantrum.”
Okay, creepy. I scowled at him. I was in no mood for stupid pranks, let alone dipping in and out of the water to have a conversation with him in the chilly, dark night.
Frowning at my response, he quickly added, “I apologize. I was waiting for the sun to go down. It’s safer for my skin—keeps it from drying out.”
I pointed up, lifted myself to the surface, and drew in a breath. I’d driven to the lake immediately, and he was delaying the conversation because he was worried about his skin? I hoped he hadn’t gotten sick in some way, but I would be furious if I’d made the long drive for nothing.
“You can’t show up inside Pap’s house like that! It’s trespassing. A huge intrusion on his privacy.”
Kai averted his eyes, but he didn’t disagree. I’d expected him to be surprised that such a thing would bother humans. But it was as if he already knew, and yet he’d done it anyway. I was so disappointed in him, I wasn’t sure what to do.
“What did you want?” I said. “I’m going below the surface one more time, and them I’m leaving. So make it quick.”
His eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and pain.
I lowered myself so my head was underwater. The added weight of my wet clothing was making it difficult to stay afloat.
“I will make this up to you,” he said. “Mostly, I wanted to see you again.”
I gave him a moment, and then motioned for him to continue, hopeful he’d at least learned something that would help solve the L’even pearl ownership issue.
But he just stared at me.
My brows furrowed. Was this whole thing a joke? Had Kai been spying on Pap to try to find the pearl jewelry, and to take it all back without us knowing? I never thought he’d have done such a thing after meeting Mom and me at the creek, and then meeting Pap at the lake. We were seeking the truth and a fair solution. My head buzzed with confusion. I’d thought we were working toward that goal together.
Without warning, I darted to the surface and got out of the lake. I squeezed the excess water from my shirt and pants before putting on my jacket, socks, and shoes.
Shivering, I looked back at Kai.
“I can’t come over here whenever you want me to,” I said. “I have school and club activities. We can talk again this weekend. Saturday morning. Three days from now.”
He nodded with an obnoxiously condescending flourish.
I wrinkled my nose. A sudden, eerie thought entered my mind. The Perlnaut in the water wasn’t acting or speaking like Kai. He looked like him; his voice was the same, as far as I could hear it underwater. But his words and actions suggested that something was off. It all felt wrong.
Shaking my head, I turned and walked to Pap’s house. I needed a hot bath, and then sleep. I decided to abandon my plans to drive home, and take Mom’s suggestion to stay at Pap’s overnight.