Free OVERFALLS (The Merworld Water Wars, Book 2) by Sutton Shields Page B

said firmly.
    “Mrs. Valentine,” said Mistron Havenot, turning his steel eyes to my mom, “have you or have you not had sexual relations with the merman, Fletcher Gibbs?”
    “Excuse me?” said my mom, her jaw tightening.
    “Have you or have you not had sexual relations with—”
    “I heard you the first time,” said my mom. “I’m asking you how you have the nerve to inquire about my private life in such a public manner. Of course, it’s hardly surprising given your diligence in documenting each and every bathroom deposit I made.”
    “Please answer the question, Mrs. Valentine,” instructed Graytone.
    “This is hardly relevant to the—” said Mr. Gibbs angrily.
    “Silence!” shouted Teldon Tyne, the Imperia’s combat specialist, his boulder-size arms flexing beneath his suit. “Answer the question, Mrs. Valentine. This is not a request. It is a command.”
    “You command an answer?” said my mom. “Well, here ya go—and, I’m sorry baby girl, but sometimes bluntness is your only recourse when faced with ignorant prying—yes, Fletcher and I have had hot, steamy, pull the curtains, shut the door, close the blinds, wake the dead, pound the headboard, make your loveless asses seek alone-time sex.”
    Apart from Katrina, the Ravenflames, scared Fairhairs, the Imperia, and Madame Helena, the room erupted in applause, hoots, and hollers.
    “Since you are keen on providing us with such exceptional detail, Mrs. Valentine, perhaps you can be equally as vivid with our next question. Are you in fact…pregnant with an illegal species of human and merperson?” asked Havenot.
    Mom’s face fell as Mr. Gibbs roared at the Imperia. “You have absolutely NO right to ask her such questions!” When he attempted to jump from his chamber, the sides shifted and spikes emerged from every angle, closing him inside.
    “I’m afraid we have every right,” said Havenot. “You see, such an abomination must be immediately terminated, as per clause ninety-three, which states that no human shall procreate with any mythological being. Science has provided conclusive evidence that the creature resulting from such a union would prove devastating to society as we know it.”
    “No,” said my mom, her head down. “I am not pregnant.”
    “Can you provide the Imperia with proof?”
    “She already answered your question!” I yelled.
    “It’s all right, Marina,” said Mom. “Yes, I can provide proof, if requested.”
    After a moment’s pause, Mistron Havenot said, “Noted. Teldon, you may commence.”
    Teldon Tyne, by far the most physically threatening of the group, leaned back in his chair and held his red pages up by his ear. “Benjamin Wamberly, how would you describe your relationship with the banished students?”
    “I didn’t really get to know them until Marina arrived, but I’d say it’s a very friendly relationship,” said Benji.
    “But, isn’t it true that you did not get along with Miss Valentine and, in fact, thought of her as a threat?”
    “No, I mean…that was before I knew her,” said Benji anxiously.
    “Ah, so you did see her as a threat?” Tyne smiled sinisterly.
    “Only because I didn’t know her! Once I understood the kind of person she was—”
    “Mr. Wamberly isn’t the only one who considered Miss Valentine a threat, is he, Miss Zale?” Interrupting Benji, Tyne pointed his papers at Katrina.
    “No, he isn’t. Marina has threatened me and my family on numerous occasions. She is a menace who has brought this town nothing but trouble,” she said eagerly.
    “Really, Katrina? What happened to having ‘no concerns whatsoever about a filthy American Normal’ and ‘there is nothing about you I fear?’” I said. “You said those things to me at Sprinkles restaurant, remember…right after you bestowed your smite upon me?”
    “Is this true, Miss Zale? Did you smite one of our banished students?” asked Vipor.
    Breathing heavily, her reddening eyes focusing hard on me,