Louise Cooper                          

Mermaid Curse: The Black Pearl

PROLOGUE
Light shimmered in the undersea cave, casting all the colours of the rainbow across the walls and the surface of the huge still pool in the centre. On a rock couch draped with seaweed and decorated with hundreds of shells sat Taran, self-proclaimed mermaid Queen. She was very beautiful, but there was a cruel edge to her lovely face as she gazed at the golden circlet that she held in her hands. She turned her head and stared haughtily down at her servant.
  ‘Well?’ she said. ‘What news have you brought?’
  The servant, whose name was Tullor, hissed, ‘Your Majesty, the rumour is true – Morvyr’s long-lost daughter has returned!’
  ‘Ah!’ Taran clenched her fists and leaned towards him. ‘And does Morvyr know of this?’
  ‘Yes. At this moment the girl is with her mother and brother in a cave not far from the place where the human fishermen live. But there’s more, Your Majesty. The girl-child has the silver pearl. I saw it with my own eyes – and I heard it sing!’
  Taran’s cold green eyes lit up. ‘This is far better than I expected! Well done, Tullor – I shall reward you! But first you must watch the girl, and follow her whenever you can. Make sure no one realizes what you are doing – especially those interfering dolphins!’ Her face darkened in a scowl, then the scowl was replaced with a cunning smile. ‘I have been patient for eleven years. I can be patient for a little while longer.’ Her face twisted threateningly. ‘Don’t fail, Tullor. I want that pearl, I must have it – at any cost!’
  When Tullor had gone, Taran looked again at the golden circlet in her hands. Seven pearls were set into the circlet, and the mermaid stroked them hungrily.
  ‘Only seven,’ she muttered to herself. ‘Only seven. But soon I will have the eighth. Then there is only the black pearl to find – and when I have all nine, my power will be complete!’

chapter one

It was going to be a perfect summer’s day. Lizzy Baxter woke to the delightful sight of sunlight streaming in at her window, and the air in her bedroom felt warm and balmy. Throwing her duvet back, she scrambled out of bed and went to the window to peer out over the rooftops of the Cornish fishing port where she lived.
  Beyond the rooves was the harbour, with the sea sparkling sapphire blue beyond. The morning bustle of the docks was in full swing, for several trawlers were due in on the tide and everything had to be ready. Lizzy could just see the boats in the bay, far out beyond the great landmark of St Michael’s Mount, which shone in the brilliant early light. In less than an hour they would be home and unloading their catch.
  Lizzy smiled to herself as she thought how much she already loved this place. It was hard to believe that she and her family had only been living in Cornwall for two weeks. So much had happened to her since they’d come to their new home . . . and it was all so astonishing and incredible that she could still hardly believe it was real.
  Lizzy had always known that she and her older sister, Rose, weren’t the Baxters’ own children. Mr and Mrs Baxter had adopted Rose when she was one, and a few years later they had adopted Lizzy too. But, while they knew that Rose’s parents had been killed in a car crash, Lizzy’s history was unknown. She had been found abandoned as a baby, not very far from here, and no one had been able to trace her family. Lizzy had thought that she would never learn the truth about herself. But then Dad had been offered a lecturing post at a college in Cornwall, and the new house they bought was, by coincidence, in the same area where she had been found when she was small. Amid all the upheaval and excitement of moving, Lizzy hadn’t had much time to wonder about her own past. But then one day on the nearby beach she had met a boy called Kes. And what she learned from him changed everything . . .
  There were footsteps on the stairs and along the landing. Moments later Lizzy’s door opened and Mrs Baxter’s head appeared.
  ‘Morning, love,’ she said. ‘Breakfast’s nearly ready, so if you want a shower first you’d better get a move on.’ She smiled. ‘Another lovely day! We’ve been so lucky with the weather since we came. What are you doing – going to the beach again?’
  ‘Mmm, yes, if that’s all right?’
  ‘Of course. Lucky you – I’m working this morning, and Dad’s going in to the college to be shown round. I don’t know what Rose is up to; staying in bed half the morning, I expect, and then seeing Paul.’
  Paul Treleaven was Rose’s new boyfriend. His father was a fisherman and Paul sometimes went with him. He was used to getting up early, but it hadn’t rubbed off on Rose yet.
  Lizzy grinned. ‘I expect so too. OK, Mum, I’ll be down in a few minutes.’
  Mum went back downstairs and Lizzy headed for the bathroom. She showered quickly, then dashed back to her room, feeling light-hearted and excited. She had arranged to meet Kes today and she was so looking forward to seeing him again.
  She pulled on a swimsuit, then put shorts and a T-shirt on top. As she wriggled the T-shirt over her head she suddenly remembered something. Her locket – it was on its silver chain round her neck. Quickly she unfastened the chain, and laid the locket on her bedside table. It was a very beautiful and unusual one, made from two pieces of mother-of-pearl. It had been with her when she was found as a baby, and she always wore it. But not when she went to the beach and the sea. Because now she knew the real truth about the locket. Inside it, hidden in a secret compartment, was a tiny treasure. And that treasure must be kept safe at all costs . . .

Mermaid Curse: The Black Pearl © Louise Cooper, 2008. Published by Puffin Books.