Read Sprite (Annabelle's Story Part One) for Free Online Page B

wet lips.
    “Adrian, you’ve described the merfolk, the nixies, and the water fairies. And I’m clearly not any of them… so what am I?”
    “All right, it’s time we visit my grandmother.”
     
     

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Entering the Quad was a lot different this time around. It bustled. Merfolk, selkie, and encantado darted every which way. Many manned stands and peddled goods. Some carried large bundles. Others simply moseyed around.
    Horse-like things even pulled carts. In the front, they resembled a horse, but they had a tail of a large fish. Adrian later filled me in that these creatures were called hippocampus.
    “I, um… this is amazing.”
    “This is pretty much how it is every day. In the morning, merfolk go out in search of food and supplies, and then sell their goods here in the afternoon.”
    “Do we have time to take a look?”
    He pondered, but I dashed off before he could respond how we were “in a hurry.” Perhaps there was some Mami Wata in me because I went straight for the baubles. One stand in particular displayed the most spectacular looking necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Much of the jewelry was fashioned from old fishing lines and various items.
    I supposed anything humans lost at sea became free game for sprites to use. Fishing hooks, broken glass, and even an old watch face were just a few things I identified amidst the jewelry. There were things I expected to see too, like stunning pearls and stones the water smoothed perfectly.
    I was in heaven. “These are so pretty.”
    “Yes, they are,” came an unfamiliar, stern voice.
    I whirled around, creating a cloud of bubbles, inches from a wrinkled face; a face that clearly looked upset. I also noticed Adrian cowered slightly at her presence. The family resemblance was uncanny. Like Adrian, she had pale skin. She also had dark hair, but hers was almost completely gray. And to keep herself decent she wore a white wrap around her torso, very toga-like.
    “Adrianus, where have you been?” she chided. “You were instructed to bring Annabelle directly to me.”
    At the sound of his formal name, Adrian averted his eyes like a little boy being scolded. I hated to admit it, but it came across as incredibly endearing.
    “I’m sorry, YaYa. I didn’t know how long we were going to be here and I wanted to make sure Annabelle saw Tritonis a little.”
    “Very well,” she said, her voice sounding not quite as scary. “But now we must get started.”
    She turned to me before she continued, “Annabelle, my name is Athena, but you may call me YaYa.”
    With that, she swam away. Adrian immediately followed. She didn’t even wait for my response. I was hesitant to leave the Quad. I wanted to explore further, but alas, playtime was over. YaYa, which I’m pretty sure translated to grandmother in Greek, meant business.
    As I followed, I noticed merfolk cleared a path for Adrian and his grandmother. Some bowed out of respect. Others simply nodded and wished them well.
    “What’s going on?” I whispered to Adrian. “Why is everyone jumping out of the way for us?
    “As a sign of respect. Honestly, I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s actually a little embarrassing. When it’s just me, people are more casual, but when YaYa is around they act more formally.”
    “But why?”
    “Um, yeah, I haven’t told you about that yet.”
    “Tell me what, Adrian?”
    He hesitated a moment. “I’m not just any Triton. I told you how some people adopted the name over time. Well, my family and I are direct descendants of Triton.”
    “Are you telling me you’re some kind of royalty?”
    Which, quick side note, helped to clarify why Adrian referred to the Tritons as “his people” earlier.
    “Yes, I’m the Prince of Tritonis and YaYa is the Queen.”
    “Seriously!?” I smacked him on the arm. “That’s too cool!”
    With my outburst, YaYa looked back. I quickly stifled my excitement, my body going still. My momentum was all that carried me