Read Pretty in Pearls: A Forgive My Fins Novella (HarperTeen Impulse) for Free Online

just totally freezes up like that? As if turning into a statue does anything to help me survive a jellyfish bloom.
    But with Riatus I feel only relief.
    “Thank you,” I say.
    He drops his hands back to his side. “I remember hearing about the attack.”
    Everyone heard about it. My dad was a member of the king’s cabinet. When bad things happen to kingdom officials, word gets around.
    “You must have been, what?” he asks. “Seven?”
    “Six,” I reply. “I was six.” I roll my shoulders, self-conscious of the scars that crisscross my back beneath the veil of my hair. Sometimes I still feel the sting. “My brother—he . . . ”
    My throat tightens and I can’t say the words.
    Riatus nods. “I’m sorry.”
    I bite my lip, keep back the emotion. “Thanks.”
    We fall silent for several long moments. I’m trying to process all the emotion about the past and about what just happened. I have no clue what Riatus is thinking. Hopefully not that I’m the craziest mergirl he’s ever run into.
    “I shouldn’t have followed you,” I say.
    He looks back over his shoulder, back the way we came from. Right. Because not only am I the crazy mergirl who followed him halfway across town and turned into a basket case at the first sign of jellyfish, I’m also the crazy mergirl who ruined whatever plans took him to the Black Kelpforest in the first place.
    Besides, he made it abundantly clear in the prejellyfish conversation that he’s not interested in a relationship—not able, whatever.
    “I should go.” I scan the area, looking for a familiar landmark and finding none. “Where are we?”
    “Halfmoon Harbor is right over that ridge,” he says, pointing to a rocky hill a short ways behind me.
    The suburban neighborhood is on the southeast corner of town. From there it’s a short swim back to my home just outside the palace walls. I can be in my bed, this whole crazy disaster of a night a distant memory, in half an hour.
    “See you around,” I say, even though I really hope I don’t. I’m barely keeping control of my humiliation at this point. I’m not looking forward to testing my resolve.
    He doesn’t say anything, and doesn’t look like he’s going to say anything, so I turn and start for the ridge.
    “Hey, Peri,” he says.
    I whip back around way faster than any mergirl should, especially one who’s trying to act like she doesn’t care that the merboy she’s crushing on is completely uninterested should. Way to play it uncool.
    “Yeah?” My heart is pounding.
    He gives me a tortured half smile. “Swim safe.”
    Seriously? My shoulders slump. Swim safe? That’s the best he can do?
    “Sure,” I reply. “You too.”
    Then, before he can say something else to embarrass or infuriate me, I turn and swim for home. “Swim safe?” I mutter to myself. “Kiss my tail fin.”
    Now, if only I really meant it.
    Being an emissary to a princess isn’t the toughest job in the world. When that princess is your best friend, it’s pretty much the greatest.
    Basically it’s up to me accompany Lily on royal visits to other kingdoms, prepare her with all the background information for the meetings, and step in as a go-between if necessary. She’s going on a goodwill visit to Acropora next month and we’re getting an early start on the prep work.
    Acropora borders Thalassinia to the south, and they have suffered from the effects of ocean warming more than any kingdom. Lily and Quince have masterminded a huge aid network to help all the kingdoms of the western Atlantic cope with the reality of climate change. Since she is bonded—in name only—to Acropora’s prince, Lily takes their welfare extra seriously.
    “I want to be sure to check in on the new aid warehouse,” she says. “It should be up and running at full capacity.”
    “Okay, I’ll add it to your agenda.” I write it down, after the meetings with Prince Tellin and King Gadus, but before the Marine Flora Expo. “Do you want to take any