Sink or Swim by Sarah Mlynowski Page B

friend with legs have any clothes, or did she lose her luggage, too?”
    I shake my head. “No luggage.”
    “I’ll call the tailor,” Vivian barks.
    Twenty minutes later, Lana has been measured and has showered and is wearing a brand-new sleeveless yellow sundress. She still smells a little salty, but I guess that’s what happens when you live most of your life in the ocean.
    “Now get outside, both of you, so I can clean,” Vivian orders.
    Through the balcony window, we spot Prince Mortimer already out on the beach, standing by the royal boathouse. Jonah is up, too — he and Russell are building sandcastles.
    Prince Mortimer looks up, and Lana waves at him.
    Prince Mortimer waves back and gives Lana a slightly quizzical look.
    Lana curtsies. Then she pulls my hand and hurries me outside.
    Prince Mortimer watches us as we approach.
    “Hi,” I say. “Do you remember Lana? She gave up her tail to be with you, so I hope you’re happy.” I don’t mean to sound as grumpy as I do, but I guess I can’t help it. I feel grumpy.
    “You have legs!” the prince exclaims.
    She blushes and nods.
    “She gave up her voice for those legs,” I say.
    Lana gives me a sour look.
    What? She did! Lana should be thanking me. In the original story, the Little Mermaid had no translator, and the prince never knew that she was the one who saved him and he ended up marrying someone else. The only reason he knows what’s going on here is because of me.
    And maybe Jonah. My brother who is currently making snow angels in the sand.
    Mostly me.
    “Who cares about your voice?” the prince exclaims. “You look gorgeous.”
    I have no choice but to roll my eyes.
    He takes Lana’s hand and twirls her around. Then he drops to one knee. “I will honor my earlier proposal. Will you marry me?”
    She nods happily.
    Lana and the prince embrace. Everyone on the beach — the king, queen, Jonah, Russell, and the guy manning the royal boathouse — claps and cheers.
    And me? Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel. On the one hand, I’m happy that Lana got what she wanted. She wanted to marry the prince, and now she will. She’s getting her happy ending.
    But on the other hand, she:
Lost her tail!
Lost her voice!
Lost her underwater kingdom! Will she ever even see her family again?
Is marrying a guy who only likes her for her legs!
    Even though she seems happy, I can’t help feeling sad.
    The prince takes Lana’s hand. “We’ll get married immediately. Three days from now. We’ll do it in the ballroom, of course.”
    Of course? I had so expected him to stay on the beach.
    Lana follows him into the palace. For someone who just got legs, she looks very glamorous as she walks.
    “See?” Jonah says, running up to me, covered in sand. “It all worked out.”
    “Not all of it,” I say. I can’t shake the sad feeling.
    “So now what?”
    “I guess we go home.”
    “Already?” He looks longingly at the water. “Don’t you think we should stay a few more days? Just until the wedding? That way we can make sure Lana gets married and has her happy ending. What time is it at home?”
    I glance at my watch. “Three A.M .”
    “Great!” he cheers. “Then we have four hours until Mom and Dad wake us up. Which is four days. I’m going kayaking.”
    I grab his arm before he runs away. “We need to look for the portal!”
    “We will, we will,” he says. “How about we split up?
    “All right,” I say. “That sounds reasonable.”
    He scrunches his nose. “You go check the furniture,” he says.
    “We already checked the mirrors. I guess I can check the tables and chairs. What are you checking?” I’m glad he’s finally willing to do some work.
    As he runs toward the beach, he calls over his shoulder, “I’m going to check all the kayaks!”
    I walked right into that one.

T he next day, we’re in the dining room having tea and discussing wedding details.
    Chef Carolyn can’t stop staring at Lana. “She’s really a mermaid?”