Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret - Liz Kessler [69]
He’d done it! Mr. Beeston had taken care of his part of the plan!
“Well, that sounds like a bargain. Saturday night out for a couple of dollars,” Millie said as she drained her cup.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Mom said. “You know what these newspapers are like. They always exaggerate. It’s probably just one of the editor’s pals holding a line-dancing night or something. Sorry, Mandy, no offense. I know your parents are good friends with him.”
“Mom, we have to go to it,” I said. “All of us.” I looked around at everyone.
Mandy and Aaron nodded enthusiastically. “Of course we do!” Aaron said.
“Absolutely!” Mandy agreed.
Mom smiled at me. “Well, if it means that much to you, sugar plum, I’m sure we can go.”
“It might be a nice chance to celebrate having the family together again,” Granddad said, closing a hand over Mom’s.
“Most of the family,” Mom said carefully. “You know Jake and I are — we’re back together. You’re OK with that, aren’t you?”
Granddad squeezed Mom’s hand more tightly and put an arm around Nan’s shoulder. “Darling, we couldn’t be more happy, or more proud.”
Mom looked at Millie. Millie shrugged. “You know me. I don’t like to stand out from the crowd,” she said with a sniff. “If you’re all in, so am I.”
I beamed. “That’s it, then. We’re all going.”
Now I just had to wait, and in the meantime all I could do was hope and pray that we could pull it off and I could get Neptune off my back — for good.
We shuffled along the rows of seats to find ours. Right in the center, three rows back. Good seats. We’d see everything from here.
The event was at the seaside edge of the development. In front of us, a hastily thrown-together stage stood right in front of the ocean, so that the sea itself was virtually a part of the stage. A town’s worth of temporary seating had been set up in the space, thanks to Mr. Beeston’s contacts. For the first time in his life, he’d done a great job.
I could hardly concentrate on the show. All I could think was that this was my one and only chance to make Neptune happy. If it didn’t work, that was it. Mission failed, and I’d have to face another of his punishments.
What would it be this time? Would he throw me in a prison like the one Dad had been in for nearly my entire life? Perhaps he’d even put me back down in the sirens’ caves, now that I didn’t have the power to get myself out again.
I took a few deep breaths and tried not to think about it.
A hush fell over the auditorium. Someone was coming onto the stage. A spotlight came up, and I saw who it was.
Mom nudged me. “Mr. Beeston! What on earth has he got to do with this?” she whispered.
I hadn’t told her what we’d organized. She’d spent all week with her parents and hadn’t stopped smiling once. If she knew how high the stakes were, she’d be as worried as I was, and I couldn’t bear to do that to her — not when she was so happy.
Mr. Beeston cleared his throat.
“Thank you for coming here tonight,” he began. “It seems like practically the whole town is here.”
I looked around me in the darkness. The place was packed to the rafters. Every seat was taken, and people were squeezed all around the edges, on the stairs, along the back wall. Good thing it was an outdoor event or we’d probably have broken every fire regulation in the book.
“This is a historic moment, and I am very proud to be bringing it to you,” he went on. “But there is someone else I would like to thank before I go any further.”
His eyes scanned the crowd. They stopped on me — and so did a massive spotlight. I stared up at Mr. Beeston, and he smiled across at me and reached out an arm.
“Someone quite special,” he went on. “Someone who has done more good in her twelve young