How to be a Mermaid (The Cotton Candy Quintet #1)(2)
“So many good questions!” she exclaimed. She flashed what I like to call her PR smile. The kids instantly warmed up to her. Even though she was in a turquoise polo shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, she could still command an audience with her ethereal grace like she was wearing her costume. “But Mermaid Tara has to go get ready for her performance at two o’clock.”
There were quite a few disappointed groans in the crowd, and that made me smile despite the fact that I was about to tear up.
“Aww, we’re sad to see you go too,” Christine said, feeding off the crowd. “But we are excited that Mermaid Tara and her friends will be performing a special show just for you right before the dolphin tale show at two o’clock. It’s in the Dolphin Stage Arena.”
The grumbling got louder as kids and their parents made to leave.
“Okay,” Christine said in a low voice so that only I could hear her, putting her hands on her hips. “How did that go for you?”
“All right, I guess,” I said. “They got so...curious...towards the end.”
Christine smiled. “All it takes is one random question, and then they’re all asking random questions.” She would know. She’s been doing this for about ten years and has had countless meet and greets in that time. “I thought you did great, and you made a good impression. Neptune should be happy.”
I smiled hopefully.
Neptune was our boss, the owner of Neptune’s World Aquarium in Jacksonville, Florida. An old man covered in tattoos on his arm and a white beard on his face, he reminded me of a sailor with his mannerisms and Popeye-like speech. Yet he was a warm and caring man who loved the ocean more than anyone I’d ever met.
We were touring as a troupe of mermaids in aquariums across the country in the winter off-season to generate publicity for Neptune’s World. After one stop, it was working: the crowds loved our performances and we were featured online and in the newspapers. Everyone wanted to see the real-life mermaids of Neptune’s World. We were now at our second stop at the Houston Aquarium in Texas’s largest city.
“You really think he’ll be happy?” I asked. It was only my second month working for the aquarium, so I celebrated every little victory I had at making a good impression.
“Yep. All you have left is this show and you’ll have had a great day.”
I knew I could handle the performance at two. When I was in the water, dancing like a mermaid, I was great. To me, there were no crowds. There were no questions. There was me, the water, and the fullness of heart that only comes with fulfilling a dream.
“All right, let’s get me out of here,” I said, holding my arms up like a baby wanting to be picked up. “We have a show in an hour.”
Christine motioned for the ushers to come help me. While I was in my mermaid tail, there was no way I’d be able to get to the changing room without flopping like a dying fish or some kid seeing me take off my tail.
It was awkward being nearly naked in a strange man’s arms as he carried me to the dressing room. At eighteen years old and being what everyone considered the weird kid in high school, I’d never had a real boyfriend. Or any sort of romantic interest really. Not that I’m hideous or anything—at five four, I’m slim with a head full of dark brown hair that falls past my shoulders, green eyes with turquoise flecks that I’d inherited from Dad, and tanned skin from spending way too much time in the sun, so I’d say I had average looks. I wasn’t interested in a relationship either. And with me starting my year of professional mermaiding, I seriously doubted I would find a boyfriend now.
By the time we arrived at the changing rooms, I was bright red in the face because the method of transportation was so incredibly awkward. Christine was talking my ear off. She does that sometimes.
“How do you like Houston?” she asked me, her question cutting through my embarrassment.
I blinked at her, refocusing my thoughts on her. “Oh, it’s been great.”
Granted, we’d only been here for three days and already performed two of those three days, so I hadn’t been able to get out and see the city. However, everyone I met had been nice, and both of our performances had been extremely well received. I enjoyed getting out and seeing more of the United States, as I’d been confined to Jacksonville for most of my life.
The usher set me down, and I half-hopped, half-fell over to a chair so I could take off my tail and touch up my make-up before we headed to the Dolphin Stage Arena, where we would perform before they brought out the dolphins for their own show. While we swam with whales and turtles and fish in our usual tank at Neptune’s World, we weren’t familiar with the animals at the Houston Aquarium, so we were separated into two different performances.
“Hey, Tara, how did your meet and greet go?” a mermaid named Alaina asked. She was in her late twenties, and while she wasn’t showing yet, she had announced two weeks ago that she was pregnant and this would be her last season. I liked her a lot, so the thought made me sad.
“Not too great,” I admitted.
“Oh, you did fine for your first time,” Christine interjected. She went to her mirror and unzipped her own mermaid tail from her garment bag, getting ready herself. “Those kids ask all the darndest questions. I think it’s because they all have iPads.”
“It’s my turn tomorrow,” another mermaid, Jordyn said. I glanced at her and I could see her visibly pale at the thought of her first meet and greet. She was only a few years older than me, going to nursing school part-time while she supported herself and her mother with her job as a mermaid.