Page 12 of A Sea of Secrets
Kendra had been the perfect fit, but I’d been wrong about her. She wasn’t from House Jupiter anyway, so that didn’t count. But still, I was at least seventy-two per cent sure there was more to my dad’s warning than just House Jupiter. There was no way my dad thought I was sillier than a sea cucumber and needed to be warned about something so obvious.
Zaney’s brain was a modern marvel that would be studied by future generations. All hands were on deck in the ol’ skull and all were working hard to figure out what my dad really meant by his cryptic letter.
I needed to talk to Ace and tell him about my dad’s warning—get the spy duo back together to uncover the real threat. Maybe I could bring the rest of the pod in too. Dolphins were team players, after all.
Dolphin Detectives.I liked the sound of that.
If my dad had meant Victoria, I doubt I’d need to worry about her anymore. Which only left the crocodiles…
We hadn’t been walking long, so I was surprised when Dick nudged me in the side and jerked his chin forward to where, of all people, Kendra appeared. She looked my way and her brows pinched. She was probably in shock at seeing me; a sudden light in the darkness of this spooky trial. Then without warning we were running, or maybe it was just me running, but that’s beside the point. Kendra was now right in front of me, and I wrappedmy arms around my little friend, lifting her feet off the ground and hugging her tightly to my chest.
“If you squeeze me any harder, I might pop,” Kendra teased, smirking up at me. “Or pee.”
“I once was peed on by a tuna fish. I can’t imagine you’d be much worse.”
Kendra sighed heavily. “I can’t believe I’m asking this, but what? And how?”
“I was playing toss the tuna with my brother Zach. It’s an underwater game where you throw a tuna back and forth and try not to let the fish swim away. The tuna love it—it’s like being on a rollercoaster for them. Lucky things. As you can imagine, I’m really good at it. So, I was busy tossing the tuna with Zach and winning the game when he tossed the tuna at my face and the water suddenly got super salty. More than usual.”
“You tasted its pee?”
I pouted. “Not intentionally.”
Kendra burst out laughing, her body shaking in mine. I couldn’t help joining her. The sound was contagious. “Oh, I love you, Zane.”
“Sorry, but I’m spoken for.” I grinned and winked at her, which had her rolling her eyes. In ecstasy, obviously. I had to be careful using that move on people. It was sexy as fuck.
“Did you see the eyes in the hedge?” Lou asked, startling us as she appeared at my side. I held Kendra tighter, the fun mood replaced with apprehension as I looked over her head to where Lou was pointing.
“Eyes?” Dick asked, his own widening. He took a step closer to Kendra and me, not that I could blame him. Eyes did not belong in hedges. Nope-ee, nope.
“Mmmhhmmm,” Lou replied, her face bright as she nodded. “How cool is this trial? I feel like I stepped into an old-school horror movie. It’s amazing. I never want to leave.”
I stared at her, horrified by her words. She must have hit her head or something because nothing was amazing about this place. It was creepy.
“I don’t think Zane feels the same,” Kendra said with a chuckle, untangling herself from my embrace and taking Lou’s manicured hand.
Lou frowned in pity. “That’s a shame.”
A cackle filled the air again and I jumped closer to Kendra, taking her free hand and holding on tight. “We should keep moving,” I suggested, looking around for the owner of the freaky laugh, and for any eyes in the bushes.
I hated this place so much.
“Good idea,” Lou said cheerfully. “I can’t wait to see what else the Masters have come up with.”
I groaned and followed as Lou led the way through the maze. The woman practically skipped as she walked, humming an ominously happy tune. She stood out like a beacon, confident and dressed completely in her trademark pink. Kendra still held my hand, and I was man enough to admit her presence was reassuring.
“Have you seen anyone else?” Kendra asked. “Fallon?”
“No sign of Starfish or the rest of the pod,” I replied, shaking my head. “They’ll be alright. They’re as strong as a riptide.”
“I saw another Potential,” Dick announced. “Well, I saw his head before he was completely sucked beneath the hedge. At first, I thought it was Big Red, but Kayden is too strong to be taken by a bush.”
“Kayden?” My heart rate jumped like a blue whale doing somersaults in the sea.
“It wasn’t him,” Dick reassured me. “I’m sure of it.”
“The hedge dragged them away?” Lou piped up, pulling to a stop so she could hear Dick’s story.
