FINNED (The Merworld Water Wars) Read Free Page A

okay?”
    “Sure,” I said. “Uh, what does that mean exactly?”
    Mr. Jeepers had already slammed the door shut. Strange man. Not really knowing where to go, I wandered around until I spotted a couple of blond students walking through a little door down the hall. Above the door was a blue sign with the prettily painted words, Fun, Feast, & Food Line .
    I walked on in and wanted to gag: all fish. “That’s why he wanted me to go to the far end of the line,” I said, trying to suppress the gags as the smell reached my nostrils.
    A stout black-haired woman tried to serve me a spoonful of what I must assume was some kind of tuna soup. GAG. And she wasn’t wearing the ever-so-stylish hairnet. Highly unsanitary. Note to self: Always check food before eating.
    “Um, excuse me, but where’s the non-fishy food?” Er. Being on the receiving end of Lunch Lady Hairnet-less and her frightful face wasn’t fun.
    “Food for the Normals is at the end of the line,” she said scruffily.
    “What are Normals?” Whoa. Ms. Hairnet-less wanted to kill me. “I’ll, you know, just go down here.”
    Down the line, a boisterous lunch lady with cream colored hair sticking out of her pink hairnet—hurray, safe food—was busy staffing an empty station of fried chicken, corn on the cob, and chicken fried steak with white gravy. When I stepped up, she couldn’t have been kinder.
    “Well, hello there! You must be our new girl!” Her pale blue eyes and cheery smile were warm and welcoming.
    “This looks fantastic, Mrs.—”
    “Thank you, peaches! You can call me Ethel. What’ll it be?”
    “Chicken fried steak, please.” I could eat this all day, every day, end up the size of a walrus, and be perfectly content.
    “Here you go. Enjoy, Marina,” said Ethel cheerfully.
    “Um, Ethel? The lunch lady down there said this is food for the ‘Normals.’ What did she mean?”
    Ethel’s rosy cheeks drained of color. “She gets pretty annoyed by anyone who doesn’t want her fishy dishes. You go enjoy that before it gets cold, ya hear?”
    Smiling, I entered the cafeteria. I’m truly shocked I didn’t drop my tray. The entire room was one large aquarium…literally. Coral tables sat against large glass windows where sharks, dolphins, eels, and colorful fish darted about playfully. Was it weird? Absolutely. Was it beautiful? Absolutely. Was I a little freaked out by it? Absolutely…yes…positively…no doubt.
    The student body was another matter entirely. I must have entered some alternate universe where every redhead’s worst nightmare lived and breathed: a room full of tan-skinned blonds—light, dark, medium, curly, and straight haired blonds.
    “Marina! Marina!” Running for me with his arms wide open was Trey Campbell, my best friend from the institution. Trey’s an intuitionist, meaning he can see truth behind lies and sniff out secrets better than a scent hound.
    “Trey!” I struggled to hold my tray when he hugged me. “I’ve missed you so much!”
    “Me too, Squiggle, me too.” Trey nicknamed me Squiggle ages ago; he says my mind resembles a squiggle line, never following a straight path. I’m fairly certain that was his way of saying I’m scatterbrained, but, you know, I let it slide.
    “Marina! You look…really awful, but in an I just survived hell kind of way, which adds some merit.” Polly Purdue had bubblegum pink hair, steel blue eyes, and was socially inept. Of course, this wasn’t really her fault. As a demon soul swapper, Polly tended to lose parts of her human soul and bring back demon replacement bits. We choose to find it endearing.
    “Thanks, Polls. Can always count on you to say exactly what you think,” I said, hugging her.
    “Thank you! You’re welcome!” she said perkily.
    “Where’s Meikle?” I asked.
    “At the table,” said Trey. “She’s still not much of a hugger.”
    As they led me to their cramped little corner table, I looked again at all the blonds, staring at us like we had