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a-hundred-jewels · 2 years

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The Gardam Detectives and the Stolen Scale - ch1(of 5): The Lost Scale

Ao3 Chapter 2

Summary: After Jane mysteriously loses one of her scales, she and her sibling Skye set out to find the culprit.

Words: 2249

Tags: Background Rosalind Penderwick/Tommy Geiger, Background Iantha Aaronson-Penderwick-Martin Penderwick, Jane Penderwick, Skye Penderwick, Rosalind Penderwick, Jeffrey Tifton-McGrath, Dexter Dupree, Churchie (The Penderwicks), Cagney Pelletier, Tommy Geiger, Martin Penderwick, Iantha Aaronson-Penderwick, Mrs. Ayvazian (The Penderwicks), Mr. Ayvazian (The Penderwicks), Brenda Tifton, Mermaids au, this was originally intended to be for mermay, Oops, Non-Binary Jane Penderwick, Non-Binary Skye Penderwick, Trans Characters, everybody is a mermaid, Mystery, Backyard Mystery, It's in the ocean, Scientifically Inaccurate Ocean Lore, Descriptive Setting, rosy and tommy are also both trans, its entirely irrelevant to the story but it is True, sibling antics, Unpopular Fish Opinions, conversations about, Food, They/Them Pronouns For Skye Penderwick, She/Her Pronouns For Jane Penderwick

notes and fic under the cut

The only thing you need to know about me as a person is that I originally meant to post this as a one-shot for mermay. Six months later, here's chapter one.

But, before we get on with the author's notes, please sign the following petition or copy this link (https://chng.it/pbkdgWWfsL) to demand justice for Ahmaud Arbery, who was chased and shot by Travis McMichael, the son a Greg McMichael, a retired investigator. For more information on cases of racial profiling and police bruitality, as well as how to help, click here or copy this URL (https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#petvictims) for further resources.

Now, back to the author's notes.

As I am currently on a tumblr hiatus, for my own physical and mental wellbeing, it may be a little while until I post this on tumblr. What I plan to do is wait until I've accumulated a few new works on ao3, then creep back onto tumblr for an hour or so to upload all of them at once, then retreat to the void. Should be fun.

Also, as stated in the notes, both Jane and Skye are non-binary in this. It is also implied that Churchie is nonbinary (tho she doesn't show up until chapter 2) and, while it isn't relevant to the story, and I haven't figured out a place to mention it directly, note that Tommy and Rosalind are trans as well.

Disclaimer: Jeanne, at this point you should just make the Penderwicks my characters as well. Joint custody? At least for Jane? Also, I read your new book with Jane Dyer's illustrations. Good stuff. Enjoyed it immensely.

This chapter is dedicated to Nicole! It's been lovely reconnecting with you, and I was so excited to learn that our love of the penderwicks is shared. also WHERE do you get all those cool button ups???

Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please leave a comment after reading!

(Also, warning for a semi-gross conversation about fish at the end of this chapter).

“It’s just that I can’t figure out what happened!”

“Does it really matter Jane? You can get a new one! I’ve done it!”

“But I’ve never lost a scale before! You’ve lost, like, millions. Allow me my melancholy!”

“Not millions. And, fine, I’ll let you sulk.”

Skye and Jane Penderwick were lounging on their favourite rock, near enough to their home on the ocean floor that they could hear if someone called for them, but also directly in line of the glorious sun. Usually, Jane loved to soak in the warmth and watch the light glint off her tail’s lilac scales, while she made up stories about the fish swimming by, and Skye lay next to her, eyes closed and wrapped in seaweed. (“Skye you look ridiculous! ” she had said the first time Skye showed up in their new garb. “And yet I’ve never swam faster!” had been her sibling’s proud response). It was an unspoken agreement between the two that this rock was their Place, and that these were their Rituals.

Today, though, was different.

“I was just swimming, and taking in the sights ,” Jane rambled, her webbed fingers creating small currents in the water around her during her emphatic gesturing. “Did you know that the Ayvazians are growing even more coral? It’s like a rainbow exploded over there!” Skye gave her a look that said get back to the point. Jane rolled her eyes, and brushed a dark curl behind one of her pointed ears. “ Anyway, then a current came along while I was talking to them, which was fun, and Mrs Ayvazian was trying to teach me to do a backflip, and then she told me that I was missing a scale! And you know me, I love my scales! So, I panicked and rushed back here!”

“Scintillating.”

Jane huffed. “Would you listen to me, Skye? I think there’s something sinister about this!”

“Why?” Skye pulled a piece of seaweed off their face and opened their eyes, then flicked the seaweed so that it floated away on a passing current. “This is perfectly normal. I lose scales all the time! Besides, I think Churchie gives you fifteen percent off on the first scale you buy. You’ll be fine.”

Jane looked at Skye’s own blue tail spotted with black replacement scales. Churchie was nice enough to let you pick any color of replacement scale, but Skye always chose the standard black, saying that it helped them blend in to the waves and dappled light of the ocean floor. They also said that was the point of the seaweed they always wore wrapped around their upper body, though, frankly, Jane thought that was going a bit too far.

“Yes, but Skye. You’re always crawling into weird places and trying to climb around on land. Your scales break off because you don’t protect them.” Jane tapped on her arm as she spoke, her hands twitching the way they did when she was frustrated. On one particularly interesting weekend a few years ago, she’d gotten a friend to tattoo a funny human invention called a typewriter onto her forearm, so she could tap on a thing instead of just her blue-tinted, brown skin. She did this now, spelling out SCALE over and over again, while she squinted at her sibling. “You go through caves, or ride a shark, or take on off on purpose so that Jeffrey can practice music spells on it.” (Jeffrey was Skye and Jane’s best friend, and he was studying to become a Music Magician. He was great at executing spells, but had trouble keeping straight which one did what).

Skye had the gaul to look offended at Jane’s logic. “It was loose anyway, and I couldn’t think of a birthday present! And are you trying to say I’m a bad mer-person, because--”

“No! Listen to me Skye! I don’t do crazy stunts like you do, and I haven’t crawled around a tight cave for at least a month! And I come up with birthday presents that I don’t have to remove from my own body. Why would one of my scales break off? ”

Skye stopped, considering for a moment. “Yeah, I guess that is kind of weird…”

Emboldened, Jane continued. “And I’m not done! Look.” Jane rolled onto her side and pointed to where her missing scale was. It was just below her hip and it was a big one, almost the size of her palm. “Yours always get caught on something and pulled off, so that the base is still visible. There’s no base on mine. If it weren’t for the obvious empty space, you’d almost believe it had never been there at all.” Jane hesitated, hoping that Skye wouldn’t dismiss her. “I don’t think I just lost a scale. I think it was stolen.”

Skye frowned, and wriggled upright. A short tendril of their pale blond hair poked through some of the seaweed on their head. “Stolen? Like, magickally?”

“I don’t see how else it could just be… gone.”

Skye frowned, but Jane could see the gears in their head turning. “Let me see,” they said at last. Jane nodded and Skye bent over the missing scale. Several other pieces of seaweed floated off them, but they didn’t notice, too busy poking and prodding at Jane’s tail. Jane craned her neck to see what Skye was doing. “Did you discover anything yet?” she asked.

“No, and stop moving.”

“I can’t help it! This tickles.”

Skye continued on in silence, muttering things under their breath like “skin cells” and “disappearance magic.” Finally, they lay back down on the rock next to Jane.

“Yeah this is freaky.”

“What, that’s all you have to say?!”

“What else is there to say? It’s not like we can search the whole ocean to find who magickally took your scale, leaving no trace whatsoever!”

Jane stared at Skye, with a slow smile growing on her face. Skye opened their eyes. “Oh no. Absolutely not.” They ripped a length of seaweed off their arm and plastered it over their eyes. “No way.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Jane’s grin was almost manic now. “We’ll be like detectives, Skye. Uncovering a lost secret! Finding my stolen scale. ”

“Jane, this is a bad idea. ”

“Okay, but imagine how fun it could be.” Looking over at Skye, Jane could tell that they wanted to--that they were craving a true adventure. Skye was always exploring the ocean (looking for a shipwreck, they always told Jane) or crawling onto the beach to watch the stars. The problem was just that interesting things rarely happened in Gardam Bay, nor in the waters surrounding it. Skye could swim for hours without finding much more than a shark or a weathered glass bottle. Skye was itching for an adventure and Jane knew it. They just needed a push.

“Why is it that you think this is a bad idea?”

Skye sighed, and blew a strategic stream of bubbles that sent their eye mask floating away. “Well for one thing, we could get lost! Or hurt! And it would be my fault, because I’m legally an adult and I go out exploring and hunting more than you do!”

That was true. “But we won’t get lost! My scale was stolen today, and there’s Quigley Kelp Forest to cut us off from the rest of the ocean, so it’s not like whoever took it could have gone very far, unless they happen to be amazing at navigating miles of kelp. And it’s not like we can get lost in the kelp, when we’ve been there so often!”

“What if the thief also grew up here? Jane, we have no idea who this is!”

“Whoever it is, I doubt they’ll be better equipped for navigation than us. Come on, Skye, please! We’re not going to get hurt unless we, like, climb up a cliff or get stuck in a cave, and we won’t do either of those things without telling someone else, because we’re smart!”

“Or because the Gardam Bay council has legally forbidden us from doing so after the shark fight incident.”

“And because we are so smart, we will listen to them!”

“Also so that we won’t have to pay another fine…”

“Why do grown ups always make everything about money…”

“Alright, alright, alright.” Skye threw their hands up in defeat, but there was a hint of a smile on their face. “So we find this scale thief.”

“Wait really?”

“Oh, now suddenly you aren’t sure?”

“No! No, I am very sure. Let’s do this.”

“Okay, first we need to go to Churchie’s. Regardless of whether or not we get your scale back, you’re going to need a replacement scale. You can’t just reattach a normal one--believe me, I’ve tried.”

“You’ve tried ?”

“Let’s not dwell on the past. What I mean to say is that you’re going to need all of your scales for an expedition like this, so we have to go to Churchie’s before anything else.”

Jane frowned. She didn’t like delays. “Does this mean we have to explain all this to Dad and Iantha?” They both knew that would complicate things. As much as they loved their parents, they could be a bit more protective than the siblings liked, and neither of them wanted to try explaining an adventure like this.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and only one of them will be home. Or just Rosy.”

Jane nodded. “Hope so.”

When the siblings entered their home, they swam straight through to the kitchen, where their family tended to gather. It was a beautiful room, with rocky walls and large shell dishes that they ate out of at meal times. Upon swimming through the wide doorway, the siblings smiled at their luck.

At the worn rock table sat their oldest sister Rosalind, and Tommy, Rosalind’s boyfriend. They were sitting close together, eating seaweed salad from a pink shell. Skye and Jane heard them talking animatedly as they came closer, and grinned at each other when they realized the two were arguing about food.

“I just think that fish tastes better when it’s sat in its juices for a while!” Rosalind said, emphatically. “You mean when it’s rotten. Rosy, you’re talking about rotten fish.” Tommy knocked his shoulder into Rosalind’s. Laughing, she rolled her eyes at him, then split another piece of seaweed in half and they crunched down in unison. “Well sorry that I like a little flavor ! Fish as new as you like it is so cold and tasteless, it’s like gulping down a gallon of seawater, just with texture!”

“ Slimy old fish does not qualify as flavor! Oh Neptune, are you one of those people who believes that fish is healthier the worse it smells?” Tommy shivered at the thought of such pungent fish, and it sent a ripple through the sleek grey fur on his tail.

Before Rosalind could answer him, Skye cleared their throat, and stole a piece of seaweed from the shell. “As fascinating as your incorrect opinions on fish are--”

“ Incorrect? Skye, my dude, what could possibly be incorrect about liking fresh fish?” Tommy threw up his hands. “Have I been associating my whole life with a family of rotten fish-eaters without even knowing it? What will Nick say?”

“Well, last I heard, Nick thinks the only appropriate way to eat fish is when they are still in the eggs, so he’d probably be frowning upon all of us--”

“--including me! And I don’t even like fish!” Jane interjected, finally looking up from her scale gap, which she’d been inspecting while sprawled on the kitchen floor.

“Yes, including Jane,” Skye continued. “Especially Jane, if we’re being honest. I was actually referring to both of you, though. Fresh, rotten, larval-- you’re all wrong!”

“Oh Poseidon, not this again,” Rosalind murmured.

“Yes this again! I cannot believe I have to keep telling you! Have some culture, dear family! The best way to eat a fish is after it’s been digested by something else. Find a dead shark? Cut it open and eat the contents of its stomach. Have you ever tasted a marinade so rich as stomach juices? Plus, you aren’t burdened with having to remove bones and all that. It’s just straight food content and you can mix it with seaweed, or--or put it on top of another piece of fish, and it gives you enough energy to swim to Atlantis!” Skye waved their arms emphatically, like the conductor of a wayward orchestra. When they’d finished, Rosalind was staring back with a bored, but amused expression, as though she’d heard this rant a hundred times (she had), and Jane had moved on from inspecting her tail to find the jar of condensed plankton (her own unpopular food opinion) from where she’d hidden it behind a stack of bowls, and began eating it with a spoon. (She and her brother, Ben, were in a constant war of hogging the condensed plankton, which nobody else interfered with, because none of them were convinced it was actually food, and not a bile weapon sent up from the depths of hell to destroy all of mer-kind).

“I’m sorry, post-digested fish ?” Unlike Rosalind and Jane, Tommy was staring at Skye with an expression of horror that made him look even more uncannily similar to the Eared Seals he was descended from. “I take back everything I said about Rosy’s fish, this is way worse!”

“Tell me about it,” Jane monotoned, slurping another huge spoonful of plankton.

#mermaids #the penderwicks #penderwicks #penderwicks fanfiction #jane penderwick #cameron's writing

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