Sink or Swim Read Online Free Page B

is the kind of skin I don’t want to have when I’m older. Which is why I always wear sunscreen.
    Except for now. Because I didn’t realize I’d be going to a beach.
    After grabbing the prince in a bear hug, the king turns to us. “Dudes! We are so grateful that you saved our son,” he says.
    Dudes? I’m not a dude. “It wasn’t just us,” I say. “A mermaid brought him to shore.”
    The king laughs. “Sure, dude. Whatever you say. We’re just grateful that he’s okay. After he disappeared off the ship we assumed the worst.”
    “You’ll be our guest for a few days, won’t you, darlings?” the queen asks, not letting go of her son’s hand.
    “Sure!” Jonah exclaims, gesturing toward the tennis courts to the left of the palace and the volleyball court to the right. “It’s awesome here.”
    He’s not wrong.
    The palace is amazing. All windows and marble. Yellowish marble. These people take the name of their kingdom seriously.
    “Darlings, would you like something to drink?” the queen asks. “Maybe a banana smoothie?”
    We nod. That definitely sounds tall and frosty. A minute later a tall, icy yellow drink — with a teeny, tiny yellow umbrella — is plunked into my hand. Hurray!
    I slurp it down in twenty seconds. Yum.
    Jonah nudges me. “Not bad, eh, darling?”
    I laugh. “Pretty good, dude, pretty good.”
    A maid named Vivian leads us inside the palace. She’s about my mom’s age, and her brown hair is tied back in a tight bun. She’s wearing a perfectly pressed yellow uniform.
    Inside the palace, there are yellow flowers everywhere. The rooms are decked out with gold chandeliers and ginormous paintings. Paintings of the ocean, of the king and queen, of the prince, and of other people in crowns.
    Vivian leads us upstairs. She opens the door to my room. And by room , I mean suite . Huge, gorgeous suite.
    It’s the size of the entire top floor of my house in Smithville. In the middle is a king-sized yellow canopy bed. The room even has a balcony that overlooks the water. From the window I can also see a pool. And a mini-golf course. And a baseball diamond. And a hot tub.
    Yes. A hot tub.
    Forget the Waterinn — this might be the best hotel ever. Except it’s not a hotel. It’s Prince Mortimer’s house. Our house for the next few days.
    Jonah’s room is right next door. There’s a door between our rooms that connects us if we want to be connected.
    “You can unpack here,” Vivian says, motioning to a chest of drawers.
    “Thanks,” I say. “But we lost our luggage. I don’t have anything to unpack.”
    Speaking of stuff in my suitcase, now that I think about it, I bet the reason Maryrose let us in the mirror right away was because I had packed a bathing suit. It’s a must-have piece of clothing for this fairy tale. She must not be very happy that I let my suitcase vanish in the ocean.
    “Nothing to unpack?” Vivian echoes. “I’ll ring for the royal tailor at once! You absolutely need something for the prince’s welcome-home party tonight!”
    I can’t help but think about that fairy tale, The Emperor’s New Clothes . Wasn’t there a fake tailor who pretended to sew all these new outfits for the emperor, but the emperor was really walking around naked? Hopefully this tailor will make me actual clothes.
    A few minutes later, the royal tailor knocks on my door to take my measurements. Then he takes Jonah’s and hurries away to get to work.
    “In the meantime, get in the hot tub and relax,” Vivian orders. “I’ll bring you an extra swimsuit.”
    Okay. If she insists.
    I slip on the suit — it’s yellow with gold, red, and green polka dots — and make my way outside in a plush yellow robe and matching slippers.
    The hot tub overlooks the ocean. I dip my big toe in first. Ahhh . Hot and delicious.
    As I sink under the steaming water, I think, I could get used to this .
    After Jonah — in new yellow swim trunks — joins me for a bit, we both return to our rooms to