Real Mermaids 2 - Don't Hold Their Breath by Helene Boudreau Read Free Book Online

pool?
    Yes, I replied, making a sweeping motion with my arms to try to explain. Water pool. Tides. In and out.
    Reese nodded and grasped the strap of his satchel, then swam up to the mouth of the canal. The sentries swam up to meet him, holding their spears across their chests. Uncle Alzear put a hand on Reese’s shoulder while the other one yelled at him.
    Restricted. You cannot be here!
    I flinched at the sound of his piercing ring but tried to stay hidden while peering through a clump of swaying seaweed. Uncle Alzear put his hand up to stop the other sentry, then spoke quietly in Reese’s ear. Reese shook his head as if to say he wouldn’t go, then turned to the other sentry. He offered him several things from his satchel but none seemed to be of any interest. Finally, Reese unclasped my watch from his wrist and held it out to him.
    Geesh, that was a forty-dollar Timex, I muttered.
    The sentry smiled with all four of his teeth, attached the watch to his spear, then swam back up the canal, but not before glancing back to flash Uncle Alzear a warning look.
    Reese and his uncle spoke, but their backs were turned, so it was hard to tell what they were saying. Uncle Alzear shook his head a lot but Reese persisted. Finally, Reese motioned in my direction. I ducked behind a large clump of swaying kelp to avoid being seen. By the time I had the nerve to risk a peek a few minutes later, Reese was swimming to my side.
    Are you crazy? He could have seen me, I whispered in a low ring once he slipped behind the kelp with me, hidden from view.
    Reese fiddled with the closure of his satchel. Did not see you.
    So, what did he say? Does he know about the tidal pool? I asked. But from the smile on Reese’s face, I could tell the answer was yes. I put a hand to my mouth. Could it be? Was I that much closer to finding Mom? Where? Where is it?
    Reese glanced around to get his bearings, then turned to the western coastline, past the canal and away from Toulouse Point.
    Can you take me there? How far is it? I asked, trying to keep my tone low despite my growing excitement.
    Reese let out a series of rings, none of which I could understand.
    Whoa. Slow down. What are you saying?
    Reese fumbled around in his satchel and pulled out a Happy Meal toy still in its packaging, pointing to the large M emblazoned on the plastic packaging.
    I turned the toy over and examined it. Seawater had seeped into the package but the blue plastic figurine inside was still intact. I recognized it from a movie I’d seen advertised the spring before.
    There was only one McDonald’s anywhere near Port Toulouse. I looked at Reese and raised an eyebrow. The McDonald’s by the mall?
    Reese pointed at the toy again, as if he figured I hadn’t understood.
    No, no—I get it. Okay, the mall it is. Let’s go!
    Go-rshh. Reese stuffed the toy back in his satchel and smiled, then took my hand to head westward.
    I glanced over my shoulder and quickly turned away when I saw Uncle Alzear watching us swim off, his spear held loosely by his side.
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    We swam for miles—nautical miles, which I was sure were ten times farther than actual miles.
    The thought of Mom kept me going despite how big and scary the ocean seemed compared to Talisman Lake. The whole saltwater experience had its pluses, though. I could see better, hear better, and actually understood what Reese was saying more and more as he gave me a guided ocean tour. We stuck to the coast, where the kelp was thicker to hide me from view, and swam along the ocean floor, around outcroppings of rock covered with mosses and crawling shellfish. I saw a humongous green lobster the size of a preschooler snatch a passing mackerel in its massive claw.
    Note to self: Stay away from scary, snapping lobsters.
    We followed a school of mackerel for a while, which was kind of cool, until I realized the floaty bits swirling behind them were probably chunks of uneaten flesh or digested