AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Frankie knew as well as I did how hard it was to say no to my little sister. It was a magic Marissa held over everyone she met and had absolutely nothing to do with being a siren.
I nodded and rushed toward the basement door, marked by a bright red “Do Not Enter sign.” Since I was in a hurry, I shoved the door open and jumped over the handrail rather than take the five steps leading down to the basement floor.
The layout was more of a split-level than basement, but the whole building sat on the side of a hill, which meant most of the lower level was underground. Our space was nothing fancy—a far cry from the luxurious life we used to know.
Two cots, mine covered with books and Marissa’s littered with clothes, were pushed against opposite walls. Two plastic bins sat beside each cot, acting as both dressers and nightstands and overflowing with our meager belongings.
A curtain provided a false sense of privacy for our bathroom, which contained little more than a shower, pedestal sink, and a toilet that clogged constantly. We could always use the locker room upstairs, but sometimes a girl needed a toilet to call her own.
The walk-up back door provided us with an escape route if needed, like those times when I didn’t want to stop and chat with gym members on my way to the grocery store. Although it mostly served as Marissa’s way of sneaking in and out after hours.
No windows, frequent leaks, and banging pipes made the open room Rissa and I called home feel like a basement—or even a dungeon. But we didn’t complain. Not outside this room, anyway. Ten years ago, after finding me about to steal fish from a human vendor, Frankie offered us a place to live without hesitation.
Growing up in an underwater palace and society without having to worry about money hadn’t given us the education needed to survive on land, especially since our father despised humankind. But I was a quick learner—unless it came to electronics—and determined to stay, so I’d accepted Frankie’s offered hospitality.
Plus, we had nowhere else to go.
Frankie lived above the gym in a one-bedroom apartment that cost just shy of an arm and a leg each month. It provided us with a communal kitchen whenever a microwave wouldn’t do. Her place was too small to sleep three people comfortably long-term and stank of decades worth of cigarette smoke.
The basement was the next best option, and over the years, we’d made it our own. Multicolored string lights gave the space a cozy feel, and various pictures and framed motivational quotes covered the walls.
I rummaged through the plastic bin that acted as my sister’s dresser and pulled out one of her clean massage school uniforms. Since I had no time for a shower, I whipped on some deodorant, changed, and gathered up her equipment—a fold-up massage table and a bag full of things like towels, candles, and oils.
With everything in hand, I glanced forlornly at the book waiting on my pillow. The cover had fallen off before I’d gotten my hands on it at the used bookstore, and the pages were yellowing and dog-eared from previous owners.
Despite the book’s ragged appearance, the author had crafted an amazing story I struggled to put down each night. I was so close to finding out whether the thief and agent defied the odds and fell in love by the end, but that answer would have to wait until later.
Oh, who was I kidding? It was a romance, of course they’d get together.
But the tension was to die for.
Snapping myself out of the wistful daydream, I rushed toward the basement’s back door. Movement in my periphery stopped me short, and I grimaced. I couldn’t believe I’d almost forgotten to tell Finley where I was headed.
At the surface of a fish tank—one of the few material items I ever spent money on—an axolotl bobbed his head up and down. Finley was a luminara axolotl, a rare species of salamander with magical abilities, and this particular little fellow had followed Marissa and me from home despite my command to stay.
I thanked Tethys every day he had disobeyed.
Opalescent scales that shimmered like moonlit pearls covered the creature’s slender form, casting an ethereal glow in the aquarium waters. His iridescent skin transitioned seamlessly through a myriad of colors, from lustrous blues and purples to delicate shades of silver and gold, as if reflecting the enchantments of the mystical realm his species came from.
Intricate patterns decorated his body, dancing and shifting with every movement. They were ancient arcane symbols that wove tales of forgotten secrets and wisdom of ages past. On either side of his head, fringed, pearlescent pink gills fluttered like gossamer ribbons and highlighted his pale blue eyes.
He was the most adorable thing to ever exist on this planet, I was sure of it.
“Sorry, Finley.” I stroked his slick skin with a fingertip. “I have to leave you behind today, but I’ll be back soon.”
The axolotl tilted his head, fluttering his gills with apparent disappointment. He let out a soft, melodic sound that conveyed his longing to join me.
“I know, buddy,” I said with a sympathetic smile. “But this is an appointment I can’t miss and you can’t come to. It’s important for Marissa. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
Finley blinked his large, round eyes and gave a small nod, understanding my words. He dove into the water and seaweed and playfully wiggled his tail, trying to lighten the mood.
“Behave while I’m gone, okay?” Smiling at his antics, I gave him a little wave. “No causing chaos or messing with Frankie’s things. We don’t want to piss her off do we?”
The axolotl gazed up at me with an adorably innocent expression, as if to assure me that he would be on his best behavior. I longed for the days when we could communicate telepathically underwater, but I knew he would stay put. As long as I promised to always come back.
“I’ll bring you a treat when I get home. Maybe some of those delectable water bugs you love so much.”
With that, I high-tailed it out the back door. The massage table was portable, but it was also much larger than a purse and unwieldy, not to mention heavy. I winced as the table bounced off the door frame with a bang and hoped I hadn’t done any damage to it.
