“Youunderstand,” Finley said to her, and got a nod in response. He looked round at the rest of them. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come to camp. Most people here don’t know who I am. I can be a normal kid here, like everyone else.”
“You take that back,” Flora said indignantly. “I’veneverbeen normal.”
“I don’t think anyone here is normal,” Estelle said. “Not even the grown-ups. Uh, I mean that in a good way, Honey.”
“I agree.” Honey smiled. “And I think that’s what makes this camp so special.”
Finley’s hand twisted together in indecision. “It’s not that Iwantto hide my shift form at camp. I just don’t want it to change anything.”
“You big doofus.” Flora punched him again, harder. “To us, you’re always going to be the weird geek who knows loads of cool facts and can’t toast a marshmallow without burning it to a sad black crisp. Nothing’s ever going to change that.”
“Yeah.” Archie bumped his shoulder against Finley’s. “Who cares what you turn into, or who your parents are?”
“Pretty much every sea shifter,” Finley muttered, but he was looking less apprehensive now. “You all promise not to treat me any differently?”
Claire solemnly held out her right hand. “Pinky promise.”
They all hooked fingers together, even Honey.
“Okay,” Finley said when they were done. He stepped back. “I’ll show you. But you’re going to have to give me some space.”
“He’s not kidding,” Estelle said, grinning. She grabbed Flora's and Honey’s hands, dragging them further away. “Stand back here, and try not to freak out. Okay, Finley, show them.”
Finley took a deep breath, drawing himself up. His shape shimmered, shifting.
“Holycow!” Flora yelped.
Honey barely managed to bite back her own, much less family-friendly exclamation. Even after everything she’d seen at camp, nothing had prepared her for this.
Finley wasenormous.She’d sat through enough enthusiastic (if frequently incoherent) student presentations on favorite animals to know that the average great white shark was around ten to twelve feet long, with a few rare males reaching twenty feet.
Finley, not yet full grown, would have dwarfed even the biggest great white. If he’d opened those massive jaws to their full extent, he probably could have swallowed one whole.
He was heavier set than a great white too, his hulking, torpedo-shaped body thick with muscle. His eyes were still the same bright turquoise, sharp and intelligent. No normal shark ever had a gaze like that, or a hide that gleamed in the sunlight like black pearl.
But none of those things were what made Honey’s jaw drop, or Claire breathe a soft, heartfelt, “Wow.”
The giant shark hovered six feet off the ground, his tail flicking gently from side to side as though working to maintain his position in some invisible current. His gills fluttered, breathing air as easily as if it was water.
Flora squatted to peer underneath Finley, as though looking for some hidden support. “How are youdoingthat?”
“Oh, Finley kinda takes the ocean with him wherever he goes,” Estelle said casually. “On account of being, y’know, Prince of Atlantis, heir to the Pearl Throne, Emperor-in-Waiting, and all that stuff.”
“Emperor?” Honey said faintly.
“Well, he won’t be that for ages, because his grandma is the Pearl Empress now, and she’s old, but not, likerealold. And then Finley’s dad is next in line to take over.” Estelle shrugged. “But eventually, yeah, Finley is supposed to rule over the sea shifters. It’s kinda silly, if you ask me. I mean, he’sFinley. Can you picture him sitting on a giant underwater throne in a fancy hat?”
Honey was having a hard time with that mental picture. “Wait. Buck told me that Moira is a princess of Atlantis. If Finley’s a prince… are they related?”
Estelle nodded. “Moira’s his aunt. Part of the royal family. Though she’s his dad’s younger sister, so Finley technically outranks her. Ragvald’s here to bodyguard both of them. Finley asked them both to keep it quiet, since he didn’t want anyone to know who he really is.”
Claire was still staring at Finley, round-eyed. “I thought you said your parents were firefighters.”
The shark’s jaw worked, showing teeth the size of Honey’s hand. A moment later, Finley shifted back to human form, his face pinched with worry.
“I wasn’t lying,” he said. “They really are firefighters with the Thunder Mountain Hotshots, at least some of the time. My dad’s next in line for the throne, but he works on the crew every year with my mom. He says it makes a nice break from the day job.”
“Maybe the pressure of being in the public eye gets to him too,” Honey suggested. “It sounds like he needs to get away to a place wherehecan just be himself.”
