The Tail of Emily Windsnap - Liz Kessler [17]
Mrs. Tailspin looked me up and down. “If she’s good.”
Then she clapped her hands. “Right, let’s get started. Shipwrecks. Today, we’re doing the nineteenth century.”
Shipwrecks! That beats pre-algebra!
Mrs. Tailspin passed various objects around the room. “These are all from The Voyager,” she said as she passed a huge plank of wood to a girl at the front. “One of our proudest sinkings.”
Proudest sinkings — what did that mean?
“Not a huge amount is known for sure about the wreck of the The Voyager, but what we do know is that a group of mermaids who called themselves the Siren Sisters were responsible for its great sinking. Through skillful manipulation and careful luring, they managed to distract the entire crew for long enough to bring the great ship down.”
Shona passed me a couple of interlocked pieces of chain. I examined them and passed them on.
“Now, the only problem with this sinking was what one or two of the Siren Sisters did. Can anyone think what they might have done?”
Shona thrust her hand in the air.
“Yes, Shona?”
“Ma’am, did they fall in love?”
“Now, how did I know you were going to say that? Ever the romantic, aren’t you, Shona?”
A giggle went around the room.
“Well, as a matter of fact, Shona is right,” Mrs. Tailspin went on. “Some of these sisters let down the entire operation. Instead of dispersing the crew, they chose to run away with them! Never to be seen again. It’s not known whether they attempted to return once they discovered the inevitable disappointments of life ashore. . . .”
I shuffled uncomfortably on my rock.
“Although, as you know,” Mrs. Tailspin continued, “Neptune takes a very dim view of those who do.”
“Who’s Neptune?” I whispered to Shona.
“The king,” she whispered back. “And you don’t want to get on the wrong side of him, believe me! He’s got a terrible temper — he makes thunderstorms and typhoons when he gets in a bad mood. Or unleashes sea monsters! But he can calm the roughest seas with a blink. Very powerful. And very rich, too. He lives in a huge palace, all made of coral and gems and gold —”
“Shona, are you saying anything you’d like to share with the class?” Mrs. Tailspin was looking our way.
“Sorry, ma’am.” Shona blushed.
Mrs. Tailspin shook her head. “Now, one rather sorry piece of The Voyager’s legacy,” she went on, “is that it has become somewhat of a symbol for those who choose to follow their Siren Sisters’ doomed path. Instances are rare, but merfolk and humans have been caught together here. I needn’t tell you that the punishments have been harsh. Our prison is home to a number of those traitors who have attempted to endanger our population in this way.”
“You have a prison?” I whispered.
“Of course,” Shona replied. “Really scary, from the pictures I’ve seen. A huge labyrinth of caves out beyond the Great Mermer Reef, near Neptune’s palace.”
I couldn’t concentrate for the rest of the morning. What if they found out that I wasn’t a real mermaid, and I ended up in that prison?
Shona grabbed me as soon as lessons finished.
“I’ve had an amazing thought,” she said. “Let’s go to the shipwreck. Let’s find it!”
“What? How?”
“Don’t you remember? Mrs. Tailspin told us the exact location. I thought you were daydreaming then!”
She ran her hand along the side of her tail. Then she did this totally weird thing. She put her hand inside her scales. She felt around for a bit, then pulled something out! It looked like a cross between a compass and a calculator. Her scales closed up as she withdrew her hand.
“What was that?” I screeched.
“What?” Shona looked baffled.
I pointed to her tail, where her hand had disappeared.
“My pocket?”
“Pocket?”
“Of course. You have pockets.”
“In my denim jacket, yeah. Not in my body.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
I fumbled round the sides of my tail. My hand slipped through a gap. Pockets! I did have them!
Shona held up the object she’d pulled out. “We can find the shipwreck with my splishometer.”
I hesitated. It’s true that Mom wasn’t expecting