Royal Tea

Too Many Tail Flips!
ECHO REEF TUCKED IN HER fins and flipped two times in a row.

“That was tails down the best flip I’ve ever seen!” Shelly Siren told her. The girls floated outside Echo’s shell in the early morning before school.

Echo grinned as she stretched her pink tail. “Thanks! I’ve been practicing a lot lately. The Tail Flippers are performing a new routine for Parent Night, and Coach Barnacle wants it to be perfect. If anyone misses even one practice, they won’t be able to perform!”

The Tail Flippers was their school’s gymnastics and dance group. Echo was thrilled that she had made the team this year, and she couldn’t wait to show off her new moves on Parent Night.

Echo and Shelly were in the third grade at Trident Academy, a prestigious school for third through tenth graders. They both lived close to the school, but merstudents from faraway waters lived in the dorms. Many families would be crossing the ocean to visit for Parent Night. Besides the Tail Flippers, the Pep Band and the Trident Chorus would perform, and there would even be a student art show.

“Coach Barnacle wants the Shell Wars team to play a scrimmage that night too,” Shelly said. “It will be strange playing in front of so many merpeople.” Shell Wars was a game where players took turns whacking shells with whalebones. Echo knew that Shelly was proud to be part of the team.

Echo grinned. “I’ve never flipped in front of so many merpeople before! It sounds so exciting.” Like Shelly, Echo was used to performing in front of her fellow merstudents, but not strangers.

“I just know you’ll be totally wavy!” Shelly said.

“Maybe I’d better practice even more,” Echo said. “There are only a few days left before Parent Night.”

Echo’s sister, Crystal, stuck her head out of a window of their family’s shell. “Echo, you’d better hurry. It’s almost time for school.”

Crystal had the same dark hair and eyes as Echo, but she was two years older. Crystal stared at Echo’s sparkly T-shirt. “Hey! Isn’t that my shirt you’re wearing?”

Echo groaned. Lately Crystal was always telling her what to do.

“No, it used to be yours,” Echo told her. “Mom gave it to me because it doesn’t fit you anymore. And I’m just going to do one more flip.”

“Fine,” Crystal replied, “but don’t blame me if you’re late.” She paused. “Oh, hi, Shelly. I like your necklace.”

Shelly waved. “Thanks. Yours is pretty too.”

With that, Crystal swam off in a burst of bubbles.