I should’ve listened to him and stayed in the shoal. By now, I’d be married to Kai, busy learning to rule the merfolk. Maybe I’d already have a tiny merling growing inside me. I’d know nothing about the four perfect humans struggling to survive on this island.
Suddenly, I realize this is the opportunity I was waiting for — a chance to go in the sea and catch some fish without them seeing. I quickly rise to my feet, careful not to wake them, and tiptoe down to the water.
Taking one last glance behind me to make sure no one is watching, I wade into the ocean. The salt water instantly soothes my sunburnt skin, the cool water caressing me. I kick my legs, and they morph back into a tail, shiny scales rippling into place. With one powerful flick I’m swimming again, and my body relaxes into the motion. I turn onto my back and float for a moment, enjoying the familiar sensations. I feel at home again. I didn’t realize how much I missed the sea, I was so caught up in experiencing the land.
Going back will be okay, I think. The sea is where I belong. Eventually, my time on land will just be a faint memory, a strange and mysterious adventure that I can tell my merlings about. For a moment, I contemplate staying in the water. My time on land is almost up, anyway. But the humans have been so good to me, I want to repay them for their kindness. The least I can do is catch some fish for them so they won’t be hungry tomorrow.
I see a school of fish swimming nearby, and I swish over to them slowly, hiding behind some coral. I reach out and grab one easily, smacking his head on a nearby rock. He’s small, though, and the humans are large; they’ll need several each to satisfy their appetites, I’m sure.
An idea comes to me. I untie the shirt from around my waist and fashion it into a carrier. When I’ve filled it as full as I can with fish, I tie it up tightly, careful not to lose any.
As I swim back to the surface, some of my favorite kind of coral catches my eye, so on a whim I grab it.
None of the guys have moved, so I quickly crawl out of the ocean, dragging my catch with me. My tail is still wet and doesn’t immediately turn back into legs, even though I’m on the land. Panicking, I toss handfuls of sand on it, trying to dry it out, and will it back into legs again. I sigh when my scales melt away, revealing two limbs.
I scurry back over to the fire and dump the fish out then wrap the shirt around my waist like it was before and settle back down in my spot next to Liam. I’m shaky and breathing hard, so I hold my breath for a moment, waiting to see if anyone heard me, but no one moves. Eventually, I let the breath out, giddy with accomplishment.
I can’t wait to see their faces in the morning when they wake up to all that fish! I’m tired, but too wound up to sleep, adrenaline coursing through my veins even though my body is flagging.
I stare at the coral I picked for a moment, admiring the bright pink polyps. I wonder what the humans call coral? I’m sure their name for it is different from ours. Do they even know what it is? If they do, maybe I can make them understand that’s what I’m named after. I want them to know my name. I want them to remember me.
I know I’ll never forget their names, even though I’ve never said them. Gio, Jude, Avery, Liam. I wonder if I could make the right sounds if I tried. I want to be able to tell Maribel about them.
Liam’s face is closest to mine, his pearl white skin still in sharp contrast to his dark hair, even in the dim light of the smoldering fire. I open my mouth and try to wrap my tongue around the syllables. “Lee-um,” I mouth then whisper quietly. Liam. Liam. Liam. I think I’ve got it!
I say it too loudly the last time, and Liam’s eyes pop open. He stares at me for a moment, and I stare back, too caught in his gaze to pretend I’m sleeping. His brow wrinkles. “Did you just say my name?” he whispers.
“Liam,” I whisper back, confident it sounds okay. His eyes widen, and he lifts his head up, propping himself up on an elbow.
“Say it again.”
“Liam.” More volume this time, but hopefully not enough to wake the others.
His puckered expression melts into a giant smile, his teeth glowing even whiter than his skin, his bright eyes shining, and I smile back at him.
“That’s right, my name is Liam.” He taps himself on the chest then reaches out to me. “What’s your name, Princess? Can you tell me?”
Instead of saying my name, I reach for the piece of coral, holding it out to him. Liam takes it and turns it around carefully in his hands, marveling at it, before finally looking back up at me.
“This is bird’s nest coral. Where did you get this?” He wrinkles his brow again.
I take back the coral and hold it to my chest. He tilts his head, confused. I reach out with my other hand and touch his chest. “Liam.” Then touch the coral to my own chest.
“Coral? Is your name Coral?”
I nod eagerly and try the word myself. It takes a few tries, but eventually I get it right. Liam’s smile is bigger than ever. He reaches out and hugs me.
“Coral, this is amazing! We’re actually communicating! Can you say another word?”
I look around at the other guys. The only other words I know that he’ll understand are their names. Can I say them, too? They seem a little harder.
“Ave. Re.” I spit the sounds out individually then try to put them together. “Ave-re. Avery.”
Liam gives a little clap and urges me to try another.
As the sun rises, bathing the beach in pink and yellow light, I manage to say all four of their names, and Liam is beaming with excitement. He grabs a hold of my shoulders and pulls me in for a hug, and his long arms are stronger than I imagined. When he lets go, his bright eyes twinkle as he grins at me, and I feel a tangle of desire curling in my belly. Is he going to kiss me like Avery did?
Chapter 7
I can tell from the burning in Liam’s eyes that he feels the same way, and it only intensifies the sensation. “Coral, you fascinate me. There are so many things I want to know about you. I came on this trip to study sea life, but you’re a bigger mystery than anything I’ve seen in the ocean so far.”
His fingers gently caress the side of my face then trail down to trace the edges of my chest covering. “Where did you come from, Coral? Where is your family? Are you lost?”
I want nothing more than to tell him everything, to satisfy his curiosity. But I don’t know the words, and even if I did, I couldn’t tell him. Would he find me more interesting if he knew the truth, or less?
“Liam,” I whisper, not knowing what else to say.
“Holy shit, did she just say your name?” Gio sits up and stares at me.
Liam smiles widely. “Yeah, and she can say yours, too. Coral, say Gio’s name.” He nods his head towards Gio.
“Gio,” I say softly.
Happiness turns up the corner of Gio’s lips. “Wait, what’d you just call her?”
“Coral. That’s her name.” Liam winks his bright green eyes at me.
“She told you that?”
“Yeah, sort of. She touched my chest and said my name like I was doing yesterday, then she held up this piece of coral and touched her own chest. She must’ve thought it would be easier for us to use the English word for her name.”
Gio runs a hand over his short hair and stares at me. “Huh. What else did she say?”
Liam shakes his head. “Just our names, so far, but I’m hoping I can coax a few more words out of her. I’d love to be able to figure out where she came from.”
“Hey, where’d all the fish come from?” Jude says, and Liam, Gio, and I all swivel our heads towards him. He holds up one of the fish with a puzzled look on his face.
Gio frowns and scuttles over to the pile of fish, picking up one after another and staring at them. “Wasn’t me. Liam?” Liam shakes his head.
“Avery?” Gio asks, but Jude and Liam both look at him skeptically.
Avery rolls over and groans, dropping his arm over his eyes to shield them from the light.
“Avery, did you find all these fish?” Gio
asks.
“What fish?” Avery groans. “And why are you all talking so loudly?”
All at once, their eyes swing towards me, and my face stretches open in a proud grin.
“Princess? You found all these?” Jude asks, and Avery sits up and looks between him and me.
I nod, and the guys gasp at me.
“Do you think she understands what we’re saying?” Gio asks Liam.
“I don’t think she understands English, but I’m sure she can get the gist of some things based on our body language and the situation.”
“Well, in that case, thank you for the fish, Princess.” Jude holds one out to me and bows.
“Her name’s Coral. She told Liam,” Gio says, and Jude’s eyes widen as he looks at me.
“It’s beautiful, just like you,” Avery whispers.
“Coral, huh? That’s a cool name. But I like Princess better.” Jude winks at me. “So, can we cook up some of these fish for breakfast? I’m starving.”
Gio winces and turns to look at the fire. “That might be challenging. I fell asleep last night during my shift, so no one was tending the fire. We might have to restart it.”
The guys groan, and Jude tosses a stick towards Gio. “What the hell, Gio? It was your idea to take the first shift! I would’ve done it if I’d known you were gonna wimp out and fall asleep.”
“I’m sorry, okay?” Gio gets up and starts poking at the fire. “Get some tinder, we might be able to salvage it.”
Jude heads off into the woods, grumbling, and returns a few minutes later with some dried grass and palm fronds. Gio stokes the fire and manages to coax a small flame from the embers. The others rush off to find more firewood, and soon the fire is blazing again.
A little while later, everyone is cooking their own fish over the fire, the smoky, meaty scent awakening my appetite, and I’m watching the others carefully because I have no idea what I’m doing. Liam seems confident in his method, so I follow his movements, holding my fish the same distance from the fire and turning it the same time he does. When he notices my mimicry, he grins and winks at me, and a tiny frisson of happiness sizzles through me.
When Liam pulls his fish away from the flames and lays it on a leaf, I watch with curiosity as he takes the knife and fillets the fish, carefully removing the head, tail, and bones, explaining what he’s doing as he works. When he’s done, he picks up one of the chunks of meat and places it on his tongue, closing his eyes as he savors it.
“Here, Coral. You can share this with me, and then I’ll fillet your fish, too.” He holds out a piece of meat to me, and I take it into my mouth, my lips just barely kissing his fingertips.
He reaches for another piece, but I lay a hand on his to still him. With my other hand, I lift a piece to his lips and let him take it from my fingers. He stares at me as he chews, his lids growing heavy.
When we’ve finished his fish, he reaches for mine, but I stop him. “Do you want to try it?” He holds out the knife to me.
I push away the knife, afraid I’ll hurt myself.
“Do you want me to show you again?”
I shake my head and pick up the fish, eager to show him how I do it. He tilts his head at me when I lift the fish to my lips, and his mouth falls open as I deftly strip the meat from the bones with my teeth.
He laughs as I lay the bare skeleton on the leaf a few moments later. “And here I thought I had something to teach you.” He gives a wry smile and shakes his head.
“She’s like a pro eater, dude. That’s some mad skill.” Jude chuckles.
“So, how did you get all this fish, anyway? I figured you found it on the shoreline, but now I wonder if you managed to actually catch it,” Liam says.
I suspect what he’s asking me, but I certainly can’t demonstrate, so I just suck my lip and pretend to be clueless.
“Well, however you did it, thank you. You’re amazing, Coral.” Avery smiles at me, and the other guys offer their own thanks.
“We should probably work on that SOS sign.” Gio says when the fish is gone and the others are looking for a place to stretch out and digest. “We need rocks or logs, whatever you can find.”
The guys sigh and grumble but climb to their feet and head off into the tree line, each going a different direction. I stand up too, intent on following one of them, but Gio puts a hand on my shoulder, halting me.
“Stay here, Coral. We’ll be back soon, okay?”
I can see what he’s thinking, so I nod and sit back down, but I don’t want to sit around doing nothing. I don’t understand why they want them, but I know what they’re looking for, and it seems important to them. I want to help them. They certainly appreciated my help with breakfast. Besides, it may be the last chance I get to spend with them. Today is the fifth day, and tonight I must return to the ocean.
When Gio disappears into the trees, I jump up and head into the forest in the direction Liam went, hoping to catch up with him. I didn’t think he was too far ahead of me, but the forest stretches out in front of me once I’m inside, no one in sight, and I have no idea which way he went.
I trudge through the trees, watching every footfall, trying to keep from injuring my feet again. Surprisingly, they seem to have healed overnight. Was it because I went back in the water?
I’ll just keep looking for one of the guys, and hopefully I’ll find some rocks along the way. I find lots of small rocks, but nothing large like Gio was picturing, and all the logs I find are too big for me to carry.
The sun burns down through the trees, sapping my energy, and all the moisture inside me seeps out through my skin. I’m thirsty, and I wish I had one of those containers of water we carried back from the stream yesterday. I’d prefer the sea water, but anything would be better than the dry, parched ache in the back of my throat. Could I find the stream again? Or maybe I should just head back to the beach.
I don’t want to go back empty-handed, though. I remember the look on their faces when they saw the pile of fish I’d caught. No one’s ever looked at me like that before.
Sure, as the princess I got lots of attention, but it was never really about me; merfolk were just interested in me because of who I was. But these humans have no idea about my heritage. Here, I have to earn their favor on my own merit. And for some reason, I desperately want it.
There’s a hill up ahead, and my spirits lift as I spot some large rocks near the top of it. If I can grab a couple of those, I can go back to the beach feeling like I made a contribution. The slope is steep, and I scrabble to climb my way to the rocks, my feet slipping on the sand and tall grass. The rocks are bigger than they looked from below, and I wonder if I can climb down with my hands full.
I turn around to look back the way I came, and the path looks menacing. Maybe it would be easier to climb down the other side. I unwrap Gio’s shirt from around my waist and create a carrier for myself, filling it with three large rocks and tying it up. I grab my package and climb up towards the summit, my tired legs shaking and unsteady beneath me.
At the top, I can see that the precipice drops off sharply on the other side, falling into a chasm below. I stumble back from the edge.
The island stretches out beyond that, a field of green and tan, surrounded by sparkling blue water as far as I can see, and I realize just how small my own home is compared to the rest of the world. I wonder where the shoal is from here, but I have no idea which direction it is.
The island seems small from up here, too. I look for our spot on the beach, the bright yellow life raft easy to spot, and next to it our smoldering campfire. None of the guys are there; they must all still be in the woods. Can I see any of them? I crane my neck around, looking through the spaces between the trees, but I can’t spot anyone.
Suddenly, one of those eel-like creatures slithers past me, frightening me. I jump, startled, and Gio’s shirt slips from my hands. The bundle hits the ground and bounces. I scramble after it, trying to grab it before it falls, but the loose rocks shift beneath my fee
t, and I lose my footing. Falling over the edge, I tumble down the steep slope a heartbeat after the bundle.
My body crashes into the sharp rocks that jut from the side of the peak, bouncing off one only to collide with another. The sharp edges pierce and bruise my body, gouging holes and slicing open long tears, abrading my skin. Weak screams bleat from my mouth with each impact as my body somersaults over and over again.
I feel the briefest moment of relief when I hit the ground, my battered body laying still at the bottom of the chasm, but it lasts only long enough for me to realize the severity of my predicament. I am trapped below ground, sheer walls on either side of me. Even if I could climb my way out, my body is too weak and injured to attempt it.
No one knows where I am, and no one can see me.
The sun hovers off to one side of me, and I remember that today is my last day here. If I don’t return to the sea, I’ll die here, alone in this hole. I take in a deep breath and scream.
I yell till my voice gives out, but no one can hear me. My voice is too weak, the chasm too deep, and no one is nearby to listen. I try again, but the sound that comes out is soft and pathetic, barely loud enough to warn away the tiny creatures that scurry around me.
Where are the guys? Are any of them nearby? I wonder if I’ll be able to hear them if they pass by. The chasm is deep and narrow, the ground cold, and sharp stones dig into my back. I move my limbs gingerly, assessing the damage. Everything hurts, but my right ankle causes me to cry out in agony when I try to flex it.
Blood is dripping from multiple cuts, and dust and dirt mingle with it and my sweat, stinging as it trickles into my wounds. Some of it gets in my eye, and I raise a shaking hand to wipe it away, but I only succeed in smearing it. My throat spasms with thirst, and I rub my tongue around in my mouth, trying to generate some saliva, but it sticks to the roof of my mouth instead, and I choke as I try to loosen it. I feel like there is no moisture left in my body, but yet tears still drip from the corners of my eyes.
The Mermaid's Escape Page 7