Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret by Liz Kessler Read Free Book Online

million times better than it was when all I could do was rattle around in a dark spooky castle with just my mom for company.”
    “And what’s the other thing?” I prompted him.
    He kicked at the sand and carried on walking. Looking down, he said, “Well, you know. I get to hang out with you for a few weeks.” Then he looked up. “I mean, not that you have to spend all your time with me. You’ve probably got lots of friends here that you want to catch up with.”
    Suddenly I realized I was feeling just as happy as Aaron. “Actually, the hanging out with you thing is the best part of it for me, too,” I said shyly. I felt a tiny little flutter in my stomach. What was the matter with me? I’d never been like this with any other friends. What was so different about Aaron?
    “Come on,” I said, pulling off my sandals. I started running along the beach. “Race you to the pier!”
    Aaron pulled off his sandals too, and we ran through the sand. It was still warm from the day’s sun, and even though you didn’t melt into it like on the beaches at Allpoints Island, the softness of the sand on my feet made me want to run and run and run.
    Except for what we ran into.
    “Well, well, well. And she’s got a little friend with her, too.” Mandy stood under the pier, arms folded, sneer fully in place. She must have spied on me and come after us. What did she have in store for me now?
    Aaron marched right up to her and stood facing her. “You must be Mandy, then,” he said, looking her square in the eyes.
    For a flicker of a second, Mandy was thrown off guard. She clearly hadn’t expected that. She recovered pretty quickly, though. “Aww, has fish girl been telling tales about nasty-wasty Mandy Wushton?” she said in a mock baby voice.
    “Actually, she hasn’t been telling tales at all,” Aaron replied. “In fact, she even thought you might remember that you and her made —”
    “Aaron, no,” I said, stepping forward and pulling him away.
    He turned to me. “Why?”
    Mandy was looking at me, too. Her expression had changed a little. There was just a tiny hint of doubt in the sneer. “Made what?” she asked, her tone slightly less harsh.
    “Nothing,” I said. “Come on, Aaron, let’s go. She’s not worth it.”
    I thought for a minute that she was going to follow us down the beach so she could continue taunting and insulting us. But she didn’t. She stayed where she was. “Yeah, run away,” she called after us. “Like the cowards you are.” We didn’t turn around, and she gave up after that.
    “Well, we got off pretty lightly there, I’d say,” Aaron said as we walked up the other side of the pier.
    “Thanks to you, we did.”
    “Don’t be silly,” he said. “Anyway, at least you know what she’s going to be like now.”
    I nodded. Yeah. At least I knew.

    I woke up with a feeling of heaviness. What was it?
    Then I remembered the events of the previous day. Oh, yes. All that.
    Mom and Dad were in the saloon, where we’ve got the biggest trapdoor. They were sitting on it together, Mom’s feet dangling in the water, Dad’s tail swishing gently backward and forward.
    “Morning, sausage,” Mom said.
    Dad looked up. “Morning, little ’un.”
    I sat down to join them. “What’s up?”
    Mom shook her head.
    “It’s what we were talking about yesterday,” Dad said gently. “It’s made your mom think about her parents again. She’s just a bit sad. But she’ll be OK, won’t you, love?” He stroked her knee.
    Maybe this was my chance to find out a bit more about my grandparents.
    “Mom,” I said carefully. “What were they like, Nan and Granddad?”
    Mom turned her sad eyes toward me. She opened her mouth, but before she could reply, there was a sharp rap on the door.
    “Only me!” An uninvited head popped around the door. Mr. Beeston. “Just dropping by for a duty call with my colleague, ha, ha,” he said, winking at Dad. Now that the two of them were working together, he