“I thought you said he was a teacher,” said Cordelia.
“He is,” replied Lana between mouthfuls of food. “He’s a man of many talents.”
“Is your mother here too?” asked Cordelia.
“No, she’s back home with my brothers and sisters.”
“Lana’s one of twelve,” said Nerissa. “I’d love a big family like that one day.”
“Twelve? Do you have siblings here?” asked Cordelia.
Lana shook her head. “Not yet.”
“This school isn’t for everyone,” said Masika, “they only accept the best.”
Cordelia’s eyes reverted to the boys who’d been unkind to her. They were whispering and laughing at her.
“Ignore them,” said Lana, eyeballing the boys.
“That’s Rafferty Hurley and Maxwell Jordan,” said Nerissa. “Rafe and Max to their friends.”
“They think they’re something special, but they’re not,” said Masika.
“Rafe’s father was the captain of the swimming team when he was here,” said Nerissa. “Something of a legend by all accounts.”
“He’s got it into his head that just because his father won a trophy or two, he can do whatever he likes,” said Masika.
“Someone else said that earlier,” said Cordelia. “said she could do whatever she likes and burnt my clothes on the fire.”
“Do you know who it was?” asked Lana.
“No, she disappeared through the wall. I’ve no idea where she went.”
“That’ll be Nixie,” said Lana. “She’s a water dwelling spirit but she sometimes likes to come into the caves if she feels left out.”
“She likes to get up to mischief,” said Nerissa.
“Is she a ghost?” asked Cordelia.
“Yes, but not just any ghost, merghosts are very rare,” said Lana.
“I thought mermaids couldn’t drown.”
“They can’t,” said Masika abruptly, “but even some fish are not survivors of nature.”
“She hit her head on the rocks,” said Lana.
Their conversation was ended by Triton standing up and banging his silver topped cane on the floor three times. The noise echoed around the room and the voices fell silent.
“Mazu and I are going away for a while. Mazu is needed in the East and I have other matters to attend to. In our absence we hope that you will continue to learn and develop into outstanding merfolk. This is the school of the elite and we hope that you will become guardians of the seven seas and the Kingdom of Meren. We are always watching so work hard and be kind. Until we return we shall leave you in the good hands of Morwen and her team.”
Cordelia’s heart sank. She was just getting to know these people and already they were leaving. She cast her eyes along the table where the adults were sitting, wondering if they were all as kind as Mazu.
Morwen rose to her feet and raised a goblet to Mazu and Triton. “May the tides be always in your favour.”
“Hear hear,” said the staff as they too raised their goblets.
“Students, you are dismissed,” said Morwen.
Having finished their lunch, Cordelia had the rest of the day to herself and returned to her chamber. She wondered, having never been to school, what lessons her friends were attending. Once again she studied her own reflection in the mirror. There hadn’t been a full-length mirror on the boat and she wasn’t used to looking at herself in this way, but she knew the clothes made her look different; she felt different. Cordelia was truly grateful to Mazu for the clothes and she knew she looked just as well dressed as any of the ladies in town, but it wasn’t her. ‘How am I supposed to climb about the rocks in these long skirts?’ she thought. Cordelia tugged at the frills and ruffles of her outfit as she looked at herself from different angles and her cheeks turned red in fluster.
“Be careful doing that. You’ll rip your clothes.” It was Nixie.
“What do you care?” asked Cordelia. “You quite happily burnt my clothes on the fire this morning.”
“Sorry,” said Nixie. “I was only trying to help. You’d been wearing those clothes all week.”
Cordelia realised that Nixie made a valid point. “Well perhaps you could help me with these, they’re too fussy.”
“Too fussy?”
“Too frilly. Too pretty.”
“Too girly?”
“Perhaps. Will you help me or not?”
“Wait there.”
Nixie disappeared through the wall and came back moments later with a sewing box filled to the brim with needles, thread and scissors.
“Where did you get that from?” asked Cordelia.
“Morwen Vanora, she’s always mending things. Make do and mend is her motto.”
“Does she know we’ve got it?”
“I’m sure she won’t mind, we’ll have it back before the end of afternoon lessons.”
Cordelia and Nixie spent the afternoon altering Cordelia’s clothes until she was comfortably satisfied with her new attire. They’d cut the front out of every skirt and dress, leaving them long at the back and much shorter at the front and chopped the frills off everything, including Cordelia’s bathing costumes. With her hands on her hips, Cordelia admired herself in the mirror. Her dress sat perfectly above the knee and showed off her lace up boots beautifully.
“There’s something missing,” said Nixie.
Cordelia looked closer at her reflection and a look of panic appeared on her face.
“How about a jacket?” asked Nixie.
“It’s gone!” gasped Cordelia, holding a hand to her collarbone. She inspected the floor and paced the room, upturning everything that she laid her hands on.
“What’s gone?”
“My necklace,” replied Cordelia. “Flynn gave it to me.”
Cordelia paused. She realised that she hadn’t seen it since the storm. She’d been so upset about the whole ordeal that she hadn’t noticed it was missing.
“It belonged to his wife.”
“And now it belongs to you,” said Nixie. “I’m sure it will turn up.”
“Like Flynn?”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
Cordelia sat and observed the ghost standing in front of her. ‘A ghost.’ She thought. ‘How could I be so thoughtless? At least I’m alive.’
“What happened to you Nixie?” asked Cordelia, having realised she wasn’t the only mermaid around here with problems.
Nixie sat beside Cordelia on the edge of the bed. “I was the captain of the diving team. I won every competition since I started here but one-day, things didn’t
