Dear Tempting

Threats

"Can you pass me the salt?" Natalia asked the next morning. Tossing it to her, Reid took another drink of her water that she had already dumped half the shaker of salt into. Natalia was sitting on the end of the dock her feet dangling in the water. Reid scowled from her safe distance away for the water.

Sirens would pop a fin almost instantaneously when water touches their skin. Mermaids, on the other hand, could change at their own gods damned will. It made Reid's blood boil with jealously. Not that it would be much of a problem if she lived under the sea instead of above it.

"Thanks," Natalia mumbled over a mouth full of raw shrimp she had caught that morning.

Reid shook her head smiling at her. "Nat we are going to be late," Reid wined looking out at the rising sun. Late kids always got the most stares, especially when they had hair like Reid's. The whole school could spot her from a mile away.

"Okay, okay!" she sputtered spraying shrimp from her mouth. She got up and they moved inside grabbing jackets and heading out to the jeep. Natalia gave one look at the motorcycle and nearly had a heart attack. She didn't wanna ride in the jeep let alone go anywhere near that thing. In the vehicle, Nat tried to wrap her head around the music playing through the speakers.

"People up here make strange music," she said while looking out the window. Reid was actually starting to like this song. It was one of Daniels favorites.

"It's only strange because it's different," Reid stated with a smile. "Up here they edit it and change it on computers."

"Why?" Nat asked, "Shouldn't it be good enough the way it is?"

Reid new she had a point but things were different up here then they were down bellow. Music below mostly came from sirens. Mermaid and other creatures loved to listen to them sing.

"That's just the way things are Nat." She gave her a knowing smile.

Pulling into the school Reid parked in her usual spot near the back of the lot, and raised her hood over her head. Nat hopped out of the passenger side and skipped around. She had on a black and white patterned skirt with a white tank top and cream cardigan. It was a combination she had borrowed from Reid's closet with out asking this morning. It was a rare occasion for Natalia to actually ask for something she wanted. She usually just took it. She had never had to ask since she was raised with a silver clam shoved ten knocks up her fin flipping butt. She was royal through and though.

They made their way into the school and Natalia smiled to everyone she saw. Her royal status rolled off of her like it was perfume and it seemed to have varying effects. She smiled brightly and waved heavenly only to receive confused glares. Reid snickered.

"What?" Nat snapped looking at Reid with angry eyes.

"Your royal essence won't work up here," Reid said with a smile. "All they see is a strange girl waving and trying to impersonate a fish."

"I am a fish," Nat quipped in a whisper, "a Queen fish to be exact."

"You aren't queen here," Reid said rolling her eyes.

"Well I might be one day," Nat said as a matter a fact hands landing on her hips.

"I doubt that," Reid said rounding a corner and reaching her locker.

"Why?" Nat asked, "Who's Queen here?"

Reid laughed again. "They don't really have queens here," she smiled grabbing a book from her locker and throwing her bag in.

Natalia's eyes seemed to widen so much that Reid wondered if they would fall right out of her head. "Then who tells people what to do!" she half yelled flabbergasted.