Fathom by L. Standage (spanish books to read .TXT) 📕

“Merpeople,” Seidon corrected.

“Eh, it’s not as glamorous as it sounds, what we do. We all have jobs and lives apart from helping merpeople. We won’t get a call for help for a year or more, then get three in a manner of weeks.”

“Wow,” I said with a sigh. The garage door opened, and Calder came back into the house and tossed his spiral notepad onto the counter.

“Finished, Eamon,” he said, then passed us and went upstairs. I wanted to ask if maybe Eamon knew what Calder’s problem was with me, but he stood and went to look at the notebook on the counter.

“So, what exactly is a creep?” asked Seidon.

The next morning, I felt like avoiding the rest of the household—okay, just Calder—so I ventured as far as the bottommost step of the back porch. While burying my feet in the sand, I buried my face in my biology books. Sometimes, Samantha came out for a bit. And every now and again, Uther walked around outside the house with binoculars and a cigarette, checking to make sure the house “remained secure from anything suspicious.” He only spoke once, but always acknowledged me with a small smile and nod on his rounds. Other than their irregular company, I sat alone while my mind drifted to places far beyond the words written in my books or even the reach of Uther’s binoculars—places where merpeople flitted through forests of seaweed and palaces of coral.

I needed distraction to calm my nerves. That evening, Calder and I were to carry out our operation. I wanted to spend as much time as possible away from him before I was forced to carry out a dangerous and illegal mission with only his scowl as a companion.

At dinner, I sat on the worn-out couch with a paper plate of baked beans and fried chicken perched on my knees. The anxiety twisting in my stomach marred my desire to eat. I forced the food down, though. I needed something in my stomach to help keep my head on straight.

Samantha sat beside me, Seidon on her other side. His attentiveness to her hadn’t lessened in the time he and Cordelia had been with us, but to my relief, he seemed to be motivated more by curiosity than romantic interest. He asked her a lot of questions—all of them about life on land. Everything, from the typical school lunch, to baseball and movie theaters, fascinated him. He asked her what certain activities performed on two feet were like, such as dancing and kicking a ball. They talked over the concept of a trampoline at least three times, and he went wild over her camera.

It was cute, I guess. I was just glad he wasn’t putting the moves on her. She certainly would not refuse. She welcomed the attention with eagerness but kept her usual wiles to a rare minimum.

Cordelia remained aloof. She had a professional manner about her, unwavering sternness, and fierce pride. It kept her from behaving too interested in anything Seidon and Samantha talked about.

She now leaned against the wall and brooded over her dinner. I hadn’t talked with her much since the car ride from the Olive Garden and she gave no further hints to her riddle about Calder.

Calder himself now stood in the kitchen with his dinner, gulping it down as if it were his last meal. The sight didn’t comfort me.

Uther muttered to himself in German as he sat before one of the laptops, several different files popping up in front of him on the screen. Walter sat next to him with another laptop.

“Got it,” said Uther in English. “There’s a full view of the door to the building and a view of the sidewalk before it so we can see if anyone is coming. There’s a little construction going on around the park, though. Don’t walk under any ladders, unless you want all this to go kaput.”

“Huh?” I asked.

“Ah, don’t mind Uther’s superstitions,” said Eamon, handing me a small earpiece, then giving one to Calder. “Put this in your ear. You’ll be able to hear us, but you won’t be able to talk to us. We’ll be monitoring what’s going on with the surveillance cameras.”

I accepted the earpiece. It looked like a hearing aid. We both stuck one in our ears. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but it would be difficult to hear anything else out of this ear.

“Testing…testing…” said Eamon into a microphone near the laptop. I heard him a few feet away, but I also heard a slight echo in my right ear.

“It works,” I said. Natasha came down the stairs holding a stylish black cap with a small brim in front.

“Here, put all your hair up in this. It’s the best we can do without cutting and dying it.”

“Or a wig,” I said as I accepted the hat.

“It’ll have to do for now,” said Eamon. “We’ve already had too many delays and we need to get this done. As soon as you and Calder have finished eating, you ought to go,” he said.

I nodded and wound all my hair on top of my head and pulled the hat onto it. It fit okay, but I had to smash it down over the thickness of my hair. “

“You’re sure you don’t want me to come along?” Uther asked Calder. “I would feel better if you’d let me scan the area first.”

“Thanks, Uther, but I can handle it,” Calder replied. “We’ll be quick. And anyway, I don’t think they’ll allow weapons in their park.” He smiled a little. Uther shrugged.

“Suit yourself.”

I sighed. We’d be quick. Invisible. We could do this. Right?

Ten minutes later, I followed Calder out to the car. Behind the house, the sun set upon the horizon of the ocean. I stopped to admire the beauty of it, my breath catching in my throat. The sun threw gold and red light onto the sparse clouds hanging low to the west and reflected on the water like fire on polished