Always Remembered Read Online Free PDF

bit her lip as she
struggled for the words to explain. “I suppose you would say it’s
the closest we get to living like humans. We grow some food in
there. We also have a library, a bowling alley —”
    Intrigued, Evan interrupted. “You have a
bowling alley?” The thought made him grin. Of all the human things
they could do, bowling was a preferred sport for merpeople. Who
knew?
    “Y-yes.” She chewed her bottom lip. Did he
make her nervous? Glancing down at the sea floor, her cheeks turned
a pretty pink. “You think this is stupid, don’t you?”
    “What?” He was shocked that she would think
that. Moving closer, he placed his hand on her arm. “No, not at
all. I’m surprised that Sirens bowl, but I would never say it’s
stupid. I definitely wouldn’t call you stupid.”
    She raised her head. The look she gave him
had his heart speeding up. “Do you want to then?” she asked.
    Evan couldn’t take his eyes away from her
mouth. “What?”
    She caught his eye, her lips curling up in a
slow smile. Clearly, she realized the effect she had on him as she
clarified, “Do you want to go inside?”
    A quick toss of his head cleared his addled
brain. What was the matter with him? He gestured to the dome and
said, “Lead the way.”
    She pointed to a tall door. “We need to enter
one at a time. You can go first. It’s a drying chamber. I’ll meet
you on the other side.”
    Instinctively, he trusted her. He opened the
door and swam into the chamber. As soon as the door closed behind
him, the water level lowered in the room until he was standing on a
wet stone floor. The air grew hot and, within minutes, his hair and
clothes were dry. One glance told him that he hadn’t changed back
to human form. Thankfully, Blue Men had legs and not a tail, so it
was more or less irrelevant. He missed being human, though. In this
state, he felt like the not-so-jolly blue giant. Big and clunky,
especially on dry land.
    Stepping through the unlocked inner door,
Evan found himself in a wide hallway. The hall was empty, the
lighting dim. Music played softly, the instrumental kind heard in
elevators and doctor offices.
    A moment later, the door squeaked and Deanna
came through. She wore fitted blue jeans and a pale pink tank top.
Her long hair hung down her back in a braid.
    “You changed form.” Once again, Evan berated
himself for being king of the obvious, but Deanna didn’t seem to
mind.
    She frowned at him and bit her lip. “You
couldn’t change, could you?”
    “No.”
    With a look of sympathy, she leaned close and
whispered. “I was worried about that. Ken did something to you,
trapping you in this form.”
    “So, I can’t leave.” The dismay was clear in
his voice.
    “So you can’t leave,” she repeated.
    “I’m a prisoner after all,” Evan murmured.
How long was Ken planning to keep him? Would he be stuck here
forever?
    “You’re not in a cage,” Deanna pointed out.
“And Belle Trésor is quite large. You shouldn’t get bored.”
    “It’s not that. I want to go home and see my
family.” His mom was probably frantic with worry. By now, she would
have called the police and search parties would be looking for him.
It wouldn’t do any good. They’d never think to look underwater.
    “I’m sorry, Evan.” Deanna gently took his
arm, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow. “This is not the best
place to talk. Perhaps back at your room later?”
    Ignoring the sparks that flew when she
touched him, Evan let Deanna lead him down the hall.
     

 
     

    A cavern full of
Selkies stared at me, expectant expressions on their faces. My
people. From the sheer number present, I guessed almost everyone
had come to hear what we had to say. It was hard to believe that I
stood in this same spot three months ago, frozen in fear, preparing
to meet everyone for the first time. Today I felt confident,
although I did worry about their reactions to our proposal.
    “Do you want to speak or should I?” Kieran’s
voice