Secrets of the Past- Year 1 Read online

  At the mention of Coral’s father, both Cassandra and Coral paused. Flashes of grief streaked across Cassandra’s face and Coral instantly felt uncomfortable. They tried not to mention her dad. It was too painful for her mom. Coral missed her father so much. She couldn’t imagine what her mom must be going through.

  Coral reached up and stroked the earring she wore. It was a gift from her father. One of the last things she remembered getting from him before he disappeared. That was almost ten years ago.

  “You go to the trenches without me,” her mom said. “I’ll close the shop and head home. I could use the rest.”

  Coral looked at her mother. She looked so frail in that moment. Coral didn’t know what to do or say, so she just hugged her mom and said, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. You go on without me. Besides, you’re young and interesting. You don’t need your mom cramping your style.”

  Coral grinned at her mom’s attempt at humor and squeezed her tightly. “I’ll be back before dark.”

  Cassandra gave Coral a kiss on the cheek and let her go.

  Coral grabbed her satchel and swam out the door. She swam as fast as she could towards the trenches. They weren’t very far from the shop. As she swam, multitudes of Oceanids rushed past her at breakneck speeds towards the selection ceremony. Coral stared at the Mermaids and Nymphs as they swam past. Most swam in groups but occasionally you’d see someone swimming alone. As much as she despised them, they each were truly mesmerizing. Nymphs especially.

  A male Nymph swam just overhead, and Coral got a brief glimpse of him as he rushed past. Being in his presence, even just for that second, made the ocean feel so bright and beautiful. His broad torso was tan and sculpted. He exuded confidence and charisma that seemed to permeate the water around him. His strong, muscular legs didn’t thrash in the water as she expected. Instead, he was propelled forward in the water by an invisible force that left ripples in the ocean as he passed. As those ripples washed over Coral, she forced herself to look away from the distraction.

  Coral looked down and realized she was on top of the trenches. It had only taken her about twenty minutes to arrive. She slowly descended into the trenches and carefully made her way towards the floor. Coral sat on the ocean floor watching as the ocean life swam past her. She closed her eyes and tuned everything out except the whispering of the sea life around her. She could hear the different fish as they swam past, chirping to each other about staying in formation. Although she didn’t see it approach, she could hear an electric eel slinking through the trench, fixated on his next prey. The eel’s thoughts were so focused. She didn’t expect that.

  As she enjoyed watching a group of crabs who ventured close to where she sat, she was ambushed by two no-good Adaro.

  Chapter Two

  Coral watched the two Adaro swim away with her satchel. She had had enough. She just couldn’t sit by and be taken advantage of this way. Not again.

  Anger filling her gills, she launched herself through the water as fast as she could muster towards the thieves.

  The Adaro had the advantage. They were much more powerful swimmers. But they obviously underestimated Coral’s determination. She pressed forward with all of her strength, focusing all of her energy into catching up.

  After several minutes of hard swimming, she heard what sounded like a crowd of people cheering. As she got closer, the noise got louder and louder.

  She couldn’t believe it. Those Adaro swam right into the selection ceremony. It was the perfect getaway since there wouldn’t be a single Octopod amongst the group. They must have assumed she wouldn’t follow because she was going to stick out like a blooming sea anemone in this place.

  Coral’s frustration grew.

  She had wanted to find them quickly and get her things back without too much trouble. But now she was going to have to sneak around.

  Urgh! This day just couldn’t get any worse, Coral thought.

  Coral swam to the edge of Glimmerfalls’ public square. She swam around the perimeter, being careful to hide behind the bigger groups of coral that grew in a ring around the square. The coral colony created an arena feeling to the public square. Coral noticed a large stage had been erected on the far side of the square against some of the reef.

  Coral looked away from the distraction and thought carefully about how she was going to get her property back. She would have to avoid any direct contact with the gathering Oceanids to have any chance of finding her satchel. She crawled silently around the perimeter watching for the Adaro who attacked her. Before she could find them, a loud trumpet sounded from across the square and two stunning Nymphs floated into view.

  Bless my beak, Coral thought. That was the Nymph King himself. She had never seen him before. Truthfully, she never thought she would ever see him in person. She was a lowly Octopod. No one she knew had ever had this honor.

  The King was close to six feet tall with broad shoulders and a fair complexion. His eyes were light blue and piercing. She could only imagine how many foes stared into those eyes before being vanquished or how may lovers were drawn in by the mystery in his eyes.

  She could have daydreamed about his beautiful eyes all afternoon, but the King’s royal yellow tunic caught her eye as he descended to the stage to address the public. One of the King’s shoulders was exposed just like the lower parts of his brawny legs. He stood with a commanding presence.

  The King took his time surveying the crowd, letting everyone take in his glory. He wore a golden crown on his head, propped up by his alluring blond hair. His hair shifted slightly in the water. He was so perfect, he seemed to glow. She had a hard time reconciling the bitterness she felt towards Nymphs in general when facing the King’s magnificence.

  Coral tried creeping on to locate the thieves who had brought her here, but she failed miserably. Try as she might, Coral was unable to tear her eyes from the spectacle unfolding before her. The Queen made her entrance onto the public stage.

  The Queen was even more stunning than the King. She had the most exquisite white hair that was almost as long as she was tall. Her thick shiny hair swayed gently in the water, caressing and accentuating her curves. The Queen’s skin was a perfect tan color and was adorned with gold bands, shells, and other fine jewelry. Her beaded necklace fell between her breasts which were barely covered by a pair of blue clamshells. The necklace bounced as she tiptoed around the stage, showing off to the crowd.

  Coral gawked at the Queen’s legs. Her legs were long and slender with just enough muscle tone to make every girl jealous and to make every boy swoon. Coral guessed she was obsessed with legs because she didn’t have any. She just had long, lanky tentacles. She would die to have a killer pair of legs like the Queen’s.

  Breaking her fixation on the Queen’s legs, Coral took in the rest of the Queen’s spectacular ensemble. The only other covering the Queen wore was around her hips and it draped just over her pelvis. Of course, it was made of gold.

  Coral realized that the only feature that distinguished this woman from a human was her long, pointed ears that flowed back against her head and were lost in her hair. Coral didn’t think she had ever seen someone or something so stunningly beautiful in her life.

  Coral’s ogling was interrupted by the King’s entourage shouting, “Hail to King Magus.” The crowd chanted it back in response. The King’s entourage repeated the chant a second time and the crowd responded in kind. Coral scanned the group and couldn’t help but feel impressed. There were about two dozen people in the entourage—all different races including Nymphs, Merfolk, and Adaro. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t see any Octopods up there. The group was adorned with similar royal apparel and they stood in a semi-circle just behind the King and Queen. They must be the Royal Court, Coral thought.

  The King spoke. His voice was firm and deep.

  “Welcome one and all on this very special day. Selection Day.”

  He paused as the crowd gave a collective cheer. Candidates and their friends and family hugged and cheered at the start of the selection ceremony. The King waited for the excitement to dim before addressing the crowd again.

  “This is an important tradition for Glimmerfalls. Each race has been blessed with magical talents. Not every Oceanid can claim these talents. Only the blessed end up manifesting the gifts. These gifts were meant to benefit the entire ocean, which is why the Queen and I created the Ocean Academy—to foster the development of magic in our emerging youth. This development is important not only to create well-rounded individuals, but to maintain the stability of our way of life.”

  The crowd clapped eagerly at the King’s remarks.

  “Every four years, we open the doors to the Academy to a new group of students who we feel can help shape our culture, economy, and community for the better. Make no mistake. A life at the Ocean Academy is hard. But succeed in school and the life that could be yours—a life on the Royal Court—is a life every Oceanid dreams of attaining.”

  Again, the crowd of people cheered.

  The Nymph King continued. “One Merman has been at the helm of the Ocean Academy for the last two decades and has trained many of the powerful Oceanids in our Court today. May I present to you Jareth, the headmaster of the Academy.”

  Once again, the crowd cheered wildly as Jareth swam out from behind the stage. Jareth was a tall, thin Merman with a great, white flowing beard that mixed in with the white hair coming down past his shoulders. He bowed gently to the crowd and swam down off the stage and in front of the eager candidates.

  “Although we would love to stay to watch the ceremony, we must attend to other business. So, we have commissioned Jareth to oversee today’s selection ceremony. We give our blessings to each and every candidate and wish you all good luck!”

  At the
King’s pronouncement, the candidates all started waiving to the crowd and looking very proud of themselves. The audience clapped and cheered for their favorite candidates.

  Having made their official statement, the King waved at the crowd and the Queen blew kisses. Afterwards, the two swam away gracefully, with their guards following close behind them. Before long, they were completely out of sight.

  Jareth took a prominent position above the candidates and addressed them.

  “The Ocean Academy is the most coveted institution in all of Glimmerfalls. If you are accepted into the Academy, you will train to become part of the Nymph King’s Royal Court.”

  The candidates began whispering their excitement and amazement at the thought of being part of something so grand.

  Jareth continued. “In order to qualify for selection, you must impress one of our professors by demonstrating a powerful magical ability. Parlor tricks will not suffice. You have to truly be dazzling to earn your place. Our professors will take their places in the square and each of you will have one chance to perform. Succeed, and the most coveted and amazing opportunity awaits you—to study with the brightest magical minds of this century, and to train to become part of the ocean’s royalty. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”

  A group of professors descended among the crowd to begin interviewing each one of the candidates. There were five of them, each with a completely different look. Coral would never have guessed that they all taught at the same Academy.

  Once the professors had inserted themselves into the crowd, Jareth exclaimed, “Let the selection process begin!”

  Like a school of fish swarming around food, groups of potential students pushed past each other to get to the front of the line for their chance to impress one of the professors. Coral sat hidden in the reef watching in amusement at the whole spectacle.

  To her left, one candidate—a younger Merman with a short choppy beard—began showing off his speed by zipping around the other candidates floating behind him. He swam in concentric circles with such speed that a vortex began forming around them. The professor he was trying to impress was a Nymph as tall and stately as the King. He didn’t have as much hair and his skin was a lot darker, but he was still breathtaking. The Nymph nodded in satisfaction as the young Merman forced the vortex into a tight dome around the other candidates. Satisfied that he had impressed the professor, the young Merman stopped and the vortex slowly dissipated.

  Next to him was a Mermaid who was singing a song to one of the Nymph teachers. Apparently, the Mermaid was testing out her ability with the siren’s song but her attempt to set the male professor in a trance did not work. The professor shook his head in disappointment and the Mermaid swam away blubbering like a baby. Coral chuckled at the Mermaid’s misfortune.

  Coral looked over to another group and spotted a young Adaro floating in front of a curious-looking Mermaid with curly green hair and two translucent pectoral fins hugging her hips. The fins had a pinkish hue and complemented her rose-colored tail. Thick goggles hung loosely around her neck. Coral wasn’t quite sure what she used them for, but they did make her look scholarly.

  The young Adaro waved his hands in the water as if weaving a thread through cloth. The Adaro’s movements became more deliberate. He concentrated on a point in the middle of his hand waving for a few moments. Then, all of a sudden, the water in front of him began to coalesce into a shape. This was hydrokinesis, Coral thought in excitement. She had never seen anyone perform hydrokinesis before. It was surprisingly satisfying. A wide grin spread across Coral’s face as the Adaro manipulated the water to form a miniature dolphin. The dolphin danced around the Mermaid professor, swishing past her shoulders and fluttering through her curly hair. The professor clapped her webbed hands in approval and the Adaro beamed with pride. Taking his focus off the dolphin, it gurgled out of existence.

  Coral found herself clapping as well. She couldn’t help it. The magic was impressive but also endearing. She wouldn’t have thought an Adaro could cause her to feel that way. However, staring at the clever Adaro reminded Coral why she had originally come to the selection ceremony in the first place. She needed to retrieve her satchel.

  Coral tore her eyes away from the displays of magic in the center of the square to focus on the outskirts of the crowd where the Adaro who attacked her might be hiding. It took her several minutes of lurking inside the coral colony and peering into the crowd before she spotted one of her attackers. He had found a spot towards the back of the crowd and was rifling through the contents of her satchel. Her lipstick lay on the floor along with a hair pin and some bracelets. He clearly wasn’t interested in those. Probably wouldn’t fetch him much of a price. Coral looked more closely at the Adaro and realized he was holding up a rather large black pearl. Coral cursed softly to herself. She had saved for weeks to get that pearl. It was going to help her and her mom travel to their homeland during the summer. The thought of losing her pearl sickened her.

  Coral couldn’t delay any longer. She had to catch him by surprise and recover her things or she could pretty much say goodbye to her pearl and her vacation. She used her tentacles to pull herself silently along the reef until she was just behind the Adaro. Her breathing elevated. Her heart began pounding in her chest. It was now or never. I’ve only got one chance at this, so I better make it count, she said to herself.

  Coral grabbed the reef with her hands and twisted her tentacles around herself, winding up like a top.

  One.

  Two.

  Three!

  Chapter Three

  She sprang off the coral reef and launched herself at the Adaro. At the same time, she pivoted her hips as hard as she could. The force sent her spinning through the water. The Adaro didn’t have time to react and was met by the full force of Coral’s attack. Each one of her tentacles uncurled and went flying into the Adaro. Coral had clenched the ends of some of them so that they acted like great big bludgeons as they slammed into the Adaro. Coral’s tentacles slapped across his head, shoulders, and side, beating him like a drum. The Adaro went whirling away, helplessly trying to shield himself from any further strikes.

  With the Adaro distracted, Coral bolted for her satchel and began collecting the items strewn about the ocean floor. As she got the last of her items into the bag, she heard the sound of rushing water coming towards her. She threw some tentacles up to create a shield and lunged her body to the side to avoid any oncoming threats. Her gambit paid off. The second Adaro banged into her tentacles but missed her body. Her tentacles gave way as Coral used the Adaro’s momentum against him. She gripped his body tight with the suckers on her tentacle and spun around, flinging this Adaro into the other one. He slammed headfirst into the other and they both jetted further away from her.

  She should have been satisfied with her luck so far. Not only had she retrieved her bag, but she had managed to get in a few blows and embarrass the two thieves. Everything inside her screamed for her to get away. Now.

  But she still didn’t have the black pearl. It was too precious to give up on. It represented a much-needed break for her family. That, and she was sick and tired of being picked on. She just couldn’t bring herself to leave the fight. Against her better judgment, she swam after the Adaro demanding the return of her pearl.

  “Give me back what’s mine! Don’t make me embarrass you any further.”

  The two Adaro flicked their tails in unison to stop their aimless drifting and turned sharply around to face her. Hatred filled their eyes. It was clear these boys wanted revenge. Coral bit her lip and braced herself for the inevitable onslaught.

  The two Adaro attacked simultaneously, this time bearing their razor-like claws to inflict maximum damage. The first swam hastily by her torso and slashed at her. Fortunately, Coral used one of her tentacles to tip the Adaro’s tail so that his center of gravity shifted, forcing him to miss. The second swam upwards above the fight and then sharply down towards her head. She tried to lunge forward as fast as she could, but the Adaro was the faster swimmer. His powerful tail propelled him through the water. He came in tight and raked his claws down the length of her back. He spun away from her just before hitting the floor. She didn’t even have time to react.