Zac and Mary Anne followed the couple. The started climbing the first set of spiral stairs they came to. After awhile, Mary Anne started getting tired from the climb. Zac put his hand to her mouth and let water drip in for a drink. The woman, who had notice them pause, saw this and stared as if she hadn’t seen anything like it.
At last they got to the top. The very top. There were two water elevators either side of them, flowing into stream next to the bridge that the staircase led to. They walked along the bridge and entered into a great hall.
There were many people in the hall. At the end there was a dais, partly dry, partly water, and five people at it talking and eating and generally appearing to be having a good time. They all looked at Zac and Mary Anne.
“Newcomers,” the man said. “Came from the surface. The boy is one of us. The girl is not.”
“Names?” demanded a rather gruff looking man.
“I’m Zac, and this is Mary Anne.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I was trying to get us back to the surface,” Zac answered sharply. “But your friends here thought it would be fun to bring us down here.”
The man glowered at him.
“Do you know to whom you speak?”
“Nope. And I don’t think you know who you’re speaking to either.”
Beside him, Mary Anne whimpered and tightened her grasp on his hand. A woman on the dais, who was sitting in a water part and reminded Zac of a mermaid, what with the fish tail and the fins, giggled.
“Let’s not do this again,” moaned another man, who spoke in an odd watery voice. “Zac. Perhaps you’d like to tell us how you ended up in the ocean?”
“I was on a cruise and there was this freak storm. Mary Anne fell overboard and I dived in after her,” he squeezed her hand. “It took me ages to find her, but when I did, I... well, I guess you could call it underwater resuscitation. I can breathe underwater, see, but I guess I’m not the only one around this joint who can.”
“Indeed. And what are your powers?”
“Water, Electricity and Restoration. And before anyone panics again, I can control my powers. I’m Triggered, not a Mutant. No one has to worry about getting electrocuted. I only electrocute people in self-defense. Well, except myself when I’m having a shower,” he grinned.
Mary Anne sat down with a thump. Zac winced and kneeled down next to her.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I... I just... it’s a...”
“Bit of a shock? Yeah. I understand,” he turned his attention to the dais and added pointedly. “I never told her about me until today, and what with nearly drowning I don’t blame her for reacting this way.”
“And neither do I!” proclaimed the mermaid. “I believe him, Rama. I have heard tell of Triggered from water fairies.”
“Insect people?” asked Zac.
“Yes,” she smiled. “Water-powered insect people come down often, although I imagine you see more of them than us. Sometimes you can’t tell the difference between fantasies and reality, but I’ve heard of you, Zac Hanson! The one who can turn himself into water at will, without limit or condition.”
There was a hum of chatter throughout the hall.
“Rubbish!” the gruff man shouted. “No one can do that.”
Zac stood up and glared.
“Watch me!”
He turned into water. Mary Anne started, eyes wide open, and then fainted.
“Mary Anne!” he yelped, changing back and kneeling down next to her again.
He rolled her onto her side like he had been told and shortly she came to.
“You just stay there okay?” he said. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“She will not just stay there,” said another woman on the dais, standing up. “I, too, have heard the tales. Mary Anne may lie in my quarters. Come.”
“Stop!” said the gruff man shouted. “She is not one of us. That means she’s human. Humans are -”
“Hey, don’t knock humans,” Zac said. “We’re human, we just have an extra gene. Some of my best friends are humans. Get over it, moron.”
The man stood up in rage and telekinetically threw the plates on the table at them. Zac quickly put up a water wall that managed to slow the plates decent so they didn’t touch him or Mary Anne, but they still crashed on the bridge. Zac put down the wall then stunned everyone even more by picking up the broken plates and restoring them back to normal. He walked over casually and placed them back on the dais.
“Got that out of your system now?” Zac asked casually.
“Insolent child!” he spluttered. “Take him and that thing down to the dungeons at once!”
“Belay that,” Rama cut in, holding up a hand. “Zac take Mary Anne and follow Lallie to her apartments. And join us for dinner tonight. We’re having a feast.”
“I shall escort them there when it’s time,” Lallie, the woman who had offered her quarters, promised.