THE LUNA CHOOSING GAME - Season 6 Episode 9

“Elva!” I cried out, and rushed to wake her. “We overslept, honey. We have to go now!” I I had so many questions. Where was Charlotte? Why didn’t my alarm go off? Why didn’t anyone come looking for us? But there was no time to consider them, let alone process them long enough to find answers.

I tried to think back to what Nathan said about proper etiquette for meeting the merfolk in their territory. We would have magic cast on us to breathe underwater, so we should wear swimsuits.

I quickly picked out a swimsuit for Elva and helped her change. It was an adorable one-piece, sky blue, with little shorts and purple bows dotted all over it When Elva was ready, I opened my

-— bed.

drawer to grab one of my own swimsuits Yet, the place I had stored my swimwear was entirely empty! I opened the rest of the drawers, searching, frantically thinking that maybe the swimsuits had I fallen down into the other drawers somehow.

But no matter where I looked, there was no sign of any of the swimsuits! How could this be? A knock sounded loudly on the door, more like pounding.

“piper!” Nathan called through the door.

“If you are not down in the boat in two minutes, we will leave without you!” “I can’t find my swimsuit!” I called back.

“We can’t afford to be late!” Nathan shouted. “Just make do!” His footsteps were loud as he thundered away, “Mommy?” Elva asked. She had tears in

her eyes. “Are we not going to breathe underwater?” My heart broke at the hint of defeatirn her voice. The poor little girl really thought I we’d be left behind. And she was likely I right, if I didn’t hurry up and ‘make do.’ I As quick as I could, I threw on the first dress I could grab, then I took Elva’s hand and rushed out the door.

Nathan stood on the dock, his arms crossed, glaring at me.

“We’re here!” I said, as Elvaand I approached.

“Never be this late again,” Nathan snapped and motioned his head toward the boat.

There wasn’t time to explain what had happened, especially when Iw asn’t so sure of it myself. Nathan likely wasn’t eager to listen to me anyway I hurried forward, and Elva and I boarded

I the boat.

It was a yacht more than a boat, with two I floors and many wide open seating-areas.

Everyone seemed to be on the highest floor, toward the front of the ship. So Elva and I went there to join them.

“As soon as we joined them, everyone stopped talking to look at us. Well, to look at me, specifically, and what I was wearing. I was the only one on board who wasn’t wearing a swimsuit or wetsuit.

Slowly, I inched over to Veronica.

“Piper…” she began.

“You don’t happen to have a spare swimsuit?” I asked.

“I could go back =” As soon as she started saying it, the engines of the boat stirred to life, and the boat itself drifted away from the dock and into the ocean.

Veronica frowned. “Sorry, Piper. What happened to yours?” “TI don’t know,” I admitted. “Whentwent searching for them, they just weren’t I there…” That combined with Charlotte’s I absence and the mysterious turning off of I my alarm had me wondering. These all seemed like one too many occurrences to be a coincidence.

I didn’t want to give voice to my worries, but what else could I think at this point? “You don’t think someone is trying to sabotage me?” I asked Veronica.

Together, as if on reflex, we both turned our heads at once to look at Bridget. She was sitting on a bench, far too close to Nicholas, though he had his shoulder to her, looking out over the water.

I didn’t want to think Bridget capable of something like this, but why wouldn’t I? On top of all the other petty things she’d done to me in the past, she also left me in

that pit on the jungle island. She hadn’t even told anyone I was there.

Hiding my swimsuits and sabotaging me to make me look bad in front of the public and the merfolk seemed arbitrary in I comparison.

‘ We must have stared at Bridget for too long, because after a moment of looking at Nicholas, she turned her head to consider me again. Maybe she was annoyed at being ignored by Nicholas. I didn’t know. But suddenly, she stood up and made her way over to us.

Behind her back, Nicholas turned to watch the scene. Jessica had turned away from all of us to look out over the water.

Julian was asleep on a nearby chair. Elva let go of my hand to go over to him. She poked him on the face until he peeked open one eye at her.

He smiled, so I knew she wasn’t bothering her. I hoped he would distract her long enough for whatever Bridget

I wanted to say to me. Likely, whatever it was, it wouldn’t be very good.

I Bridget dragged her gaze down my-outfit.

She continued smiling but the nature of her smile shifted into something like pity.

Or mockery.

‘ “Oh, Piper,” she said with sympathy. It didn’t entirely match the pleased look on her face. “You really didn’t think this outfit through, did you? A white sundress when we’re going underwater? When that gets wet, it is going to basically be translucent.” Oh, God. In my panic to grab whatever this morning, I hadn’t even thought of that. Fortunately, I was wearing a tasteful bra and panties, but I didn’t exactly want to showcase that to the public or to the merfolk royalty.

At this rate, I was bound to make a terrible first impression.

“111 figure something out,” 1 said to

I Bridget.

She shrugged. “You should see that you I do. Youwouldn’t want to embarrass yourself… or the rest of us for that matter.” She turned away from us then and walked back to where Nicholas had been, but he wasn’t on the bench anymore. Instead, he stood by the far railing, holding his cell phone to his ear.

A touch of fear stirred in my heart. Was he also embarrassed by my lack of appropriate clothing? Maybe he didn’t want to be seen with me at all, not even enough to talk to me.

Veronica touched my arm, bringing me away from my depressed thoughts.

“It’s going to be okay,” she said. “I’ll go below and speak with the crew. Maybe they have something that could work.” I thanked her, and we parted ways. I

walked over toward Julian, who was laughing at something Elva said. His smiling eyes lifted to me. When he took in my downtrodden expression, he sobered slightly.

I I hy H » ( You okay, Piper?” he asked.

I sighed. “You wouldn’t happen to have a woman’s swimsuit tucked away anywhere that I could use?” “No, sorry.” He glanced back over his shoulder, eyeing Nicholas still on the phone. “But I wouldn’t worry too much.

These things have a way of working themselves out. Especially with Nicholas on the case.” “What does Nicholas have to do with this?” julian laughed. “Who do you think he’s on the phone with?” I didn’t know so I shrugged.

“Don’t worry, Piper,” Julian said. “Just

i wait and see.”