Magnus Fin and the Selkie Secret Read Online Free Page A

“What secret?”
    “You know – your selkie secret.” By this time Tarkin’s voice was barely audible. “Didn’t you see the way he looked at Fin? And you? He’s always giving you the suspicious look. It’s like he knows you’re both – different – but he doesn’t know how.”
    “You mean he knows we’re weird?”
    “No. Well, yes. I don’t think you’re weird. But, like, he might. And you almost said ‘selkie’ treasures. Not agood idea, Aquella. Sargent wouldn’t understand. He’d have you on the front page of his newspapers.”
    Aquella looked miserable. She tugged to free the pleat she wore for school and let her long hair tumble round her face. Through the curtain of her black hair she gazed out to the listless sea. “Fin should be back soon,” she murmured. “He’ll know what to do. Come on. Let’s hide in the cave and wait for him.”
    Tarkin touched her gently on the elbow. “Cheer up. I think you guys are great – you know that. You are the best. But, seriously, I think you need to lie low for a bit – you know, act as normal as possible.” Then he winked at Aquella. “And I’m sorry for saying weird.”
    Aquella managed a smile. “Well, you’re not exactly the most normal boy in the world. You’ve got long hair. That’s not normal – for a boy.”
    Tarkin laughed and flicked his ponytail. “Tell you what, you go back to the cave and wait for Fin there. I’ll wait here in case he gets into some kind of trouble. Plus I’ve got a good view along the beach, in case Sargent sends out a search party.”
    Aquella shrugged. “OK, and tell me, Mr Ordinary, is it alright for me to sing while I sit in the cave? Or is that too weird?”
    “Sure you can sing, but maybe you should sing kind of quiet?”
    Aquella gave him a sailor’s salute then ambled off to the cave, leaving Tarkin alone on the beach. He ran onto the rocks and from there scrambled over the skerries. Tarkin peered down into the glassy water, trying to catch a glimpse of Magnus Fin, but saw only his reflection staring back at him. The water was like amirror; it was so clear Tarkin could see his blue eyes. He could see his shark’s tooth necklace and his silver hooped earrings. When the wind ruffled the surface of the water his face wobbled, till he had several dancing eyes, and his chin flipped back and forth.
    Aquella was singing an old Gaelic song about a fisherman who brought up a girl in his net. From the cave her lulling words drifted down. Tarkin felt he could stay there for ever, gazing into the water with the sun on his back and the song floating around him. Deep down, normal was the last thing he wanted to be, but he’d been called enough names in his life to know how badly that hurt, and he didn’t want his selkie friends to suffer. It was hard enough for them – making out they were like everyone else, when half of them belonged under the sea.
    Tarkin stared into the still water. A pale face gazed up at him. At first he thought it was his own reflection, distorted by the water. But it wasn’t. He gasped. He didn’t have green eyes. He didn’t have twisted sea grass and cowrie shells in his black hair. He didn’t have black hair! The face in the water was the face of a girl. Tarkin felt goosebumps crawl all over him. He didn’t want to shout out in case he frightened her. His heart hammering in his ribs, he moved, loosening a pebble that rolled into the water. The glint of a fish tail flicked out of the water. When the water cleared, the face of the girl – and the silvery-blue fish tail – were gone.
    It was his mermaid; he was sure it was. She had come all this way to find him. Tarkin ran from one side of the rocks to the other, scanning the water. Maybe she had gone round the other side? But only his face stared upat him. He ran to the cave and, throwing normality to the wind, shook Aquella on the shoulder. She stopped singing and stared up at him.
    Hardly able to get the words out, his face