ELEMENTS: Acquiesce by Kathryn Andrews (snow like ashes series .TXT) 📕

the burning tears. It occurred to her that even if she were allowed to stay, a relationship with Breck could never work. He wasn’t a merman. He knew nothing of her world. He could never swim by her side for hours under water. Wade said she needed protecting and she was sure he was talking about Breck. Cordelia didn’t believe for one minute that she needed protecting from Breck but she did believe that even if she won the diving competition, The Kingdom of Meren would never allow her to take Breck to the ball. Cordelia breathed out heavily and held the bedcovers tight in her fists. The realisation that their relationship was doomed before it had even begun was simply too much to bare.

“Moping about in here won’t help,” said Nixie. “You should be out there practising your skills.”

Cordelia sat up to find Nixie standing by the fireplace. She wiped her tears. “There’s no point now.”

“Don’t give up. Fight for what you believe in.”

“How can I? Every time my life starts to improve something terrible happens. I don’t belong here. Nobody wants me here. I’ve ruined everything.”

“You don’t know that. Besides, you’re stronger than you think.”

Cordelia hesitated before responding. “You know, don’t you?”

Nixie smiled. “You’ll be the best mermaid they’ve ever seen.”

“They’ll all hate me when they realize what I’ve done.”

“And what’s wrong with falling in love?”

“I fell in love with the wrong kind,” said Cordelia, pacing the chamber. “They’re right, he’s not like us. It’ll never work. His cousin has probably told the whole town by now and it’s all my fault.”

“You’re soaking wet,” said Nixie. “At least put some dry clothes on.”

Cordelia had just finished changing when they heard a lot of commotion in the tunnel outside. Nixie popped her head through the wall to see what was going on. Triton and Mazu had returned and had called for a meeting in the dining hall. Then came a knock at the door. Cordelia reluctantly opened it to find Mr Seymour standing there.

“All students to the dining hall,” he said.

“I’m not feeling so good,” fibbed Cordelia.

“Everyone must attend. Triton’s orders. It won’t take long.”

Cordelia turned to look at Nixie but she had gone.

“Come on Cordelia, I’m sure Lana will have saved you a seat.” Mr Seymour waited in the doorway until Cordelia vacated her chamber.

Cordelia followed the crowd, head low with her hands in her pockets. She didn’t want to see anyone, not yet. She certainly didn’t want anyone to see her. She felt like a dead girl walking, a prisoner on her way to the gallows. She wondered how long it would be until everyone knew what she had done. How long it would be until she was ousted. ‘Perhaps that’s what this meeting’s about,’ she thought. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Cordelia wanted to leave but Mr Seymour was walking behind her. There was no escape.

They entered the dining chamber. It was standing room only and speculative chatter filled the air. Cordelia stood near the door and Mr Seymour squeezed past to join the other teachers. She wondered if anyone would notice if she left. She caught Lana’s eye from across the room. Lana stared at her wide-eyed then turned to Masika and Nerissa who glanced over briefly before looking away. Cordelia wanted the ground to swallow her up. The palms of her hands felt clammy and beads of sweat trickled from her forehead. The world could have ended at that precise moment for all she cared. There was no getting over this.

A loud boom echoed around the chamber and the voices fell silent. All eyes were fixed on Triton who looked incredibly serious despite his green hair.

“I thought my return would have been under better circumstances,” he began.

Cordelia felt a lump in her throat. She waited on tenterhooks, wondering what he was going to say next. Triton’s eyes scanned the crowd of students.

‘Don’t look at me, please don’t look at me,’ thought Cordelia, attempting to hide behind another student.

It was no use, Triton’s eyes met with Cordelia’s and she stared back at him anxiously.

“As you all know, Morwen Vanora has gone missing. We will of course do our utmost to find her but for the foreseeable future, myself and Mazu will reinstate our residency here and will be leading the school. If any of you have information on the whereabouts of Morwen, no matter how small or insignificant you think it may be, please come and speak to us in confidence. Mazu, do you have anything to add?”

“To echo what Triton said, I would have liked to return under better circumstances, but, it’s good to be back. While we hope to find Morwen safe and well, we mustn’t dwell on negative thoughts. We must stay positive. The diving championships are fast approaching so I hope those of you who plan to compete are training hard. The chance to win a ticket to the Kingdom of Meren Ball really is a magnificent opportunity. It’s the biggest event in the calendar year.”

“Yes, if you’re competing, good luck,” said Triton. “I’ll be asking Mr Seymour to keep me updated with your progress. Now, if you’ll excuse us we have work to do.”

Realising that Triton and Mazu were about to walk right past her, Cordelia left and made her way to Amatheia’s medical chamber.

Cordelia bit her nails and paced back and forth while she waited outside the room for Amatheia to return. After a few minutes she heard footsteps approaching, she stood still, unwittingly holding her breath. Then she saw Amatheia’s shadow on the wall and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Cordelia,” she said smiling, “what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping we could talk.”

“Of course,” said Amatheia, turning the key in the lock, “come in.”

Cordelia was just as intrigued by the variety of coloured bottles and jars lining the shelves as she had been the last time she was there.

“Please, take a