Page 39 of Sea's Secret

“No, I do not believe so,” I said, and then I remembered what Finn had suggested. Become his friend, and have him take me to Walden. “I would like to go to Walden. My mother is there.”

“My mother, too,” he grumbled slightly under his breath.

“Are you hoping to return if we get rescued?” I asked.

“To Walden? Eventually, yes, I do need to go to Walden, but I have a mission to accomplish first.” He paused as he spoke and continued to focus on the fish, turning the stick.

“Mission?” I motioned for him to continue.

“My sister, I am looking for my sister. I believe she is across the Misted Seas.”

I gasped. No humans were allowed within the Misted Seas unless accompanied by a magical sea creature. Why was his sister beyond the Misted Seas? Even mermaids stayed away from there. Sirens were believed to dwell within those cooler waters and other terrifying sea creatures.

After a few more minutes of silence, he declared that the fish was cooked and then tore it in two, giving me a piece. I winced, trying not to compare myself to the fish. We were both quite vulnerable and out of our natural elements. I watched him as he ate it, and I wondered how he could eat that fish when it looked so unnatural, so horrible. I was starving, so I nibbled on it, but I had to spit it back out. It felt weird in my dry mouth and tasted awful and dry.

“You don’t like it?” he asked.

I shook my head, no.

“Okay, tomorrow, I am sure we can find you something you like, or you can have them raw if you'd prefer that.”

“Thank you,” I said, feeling a bit tired.

How do humans sleep without the lull of the ocean moving them, rocking them to sleep? It was so still and quiet in that cave.

“You can rest if you'd like. I'm sure you are tired.”

“Thank you,” I said, but did not move. After a little while, Dominick reclined on the cave floor, and I followed his lead. Humans slept laying down. It made sense because it would not be possible to sleep standing up. Although it was possible for merlings to sleep upright, I liked laying on my open clam shell. I missed it at that moment. The only noise was the flickering fire for a time before Dominick turned to look at me.

“If you get cold, please let me know. Body warmth is a great way to warm up. Don’t worry. While I would not call myself anything close to a gentleman, in this sense, I am,” he said.

“Gentle?” While he was not unkind, gentle seemed the completely wrong word to describe Dominick. He was strong, brave, and sure of himself.

“I can be if needed,” he said quickly.

“Okay, thank you, gentleman Dominick,” I said with a nod.

He laughed; it made his blue eyes so bright. It was a glorious sight.

“Sorry,” I said, slightly embarrassed, not knowing what I had said wrong. I was sure I did not sound at all like a human.

“No need to be sorry. I haven't laughed in a while; it felt nice.”

I followed his example and reclined on the other side of the fire, seeing his handsome face through the flickering, colorful flames.

“Goodnight, Meria.”

“Goodnight, Dominick.”

Chapter Sixteen

Dominick

The fire died sometime close to dawn, but I was too exhausted to add more wood. Luckily, it wasn’t very cold, and I slept most of the night, even through my nightmares. I sat up and realized that Meria was gone. The sunlight woke me as it climbed high enough to shine into the cave. I stood up and walked around the cave, looking for her; then, I went outside. When I spotted her wild, blond-pink hair, I breathed in deeply with relief. I hated how quickly I had come to care about the safety of that maiden. It was clear that she was in great need of help, and being the only other person on the magical island of Marren, that had to be the reason I cared about her well-being. She was the only other person there, and I did not want to be alone.

But why would being alone be a problem? You like being alone.

I shook my head to dislodge my thoughts. I had awakened that morning, feeling the same lingering pains from the many people whose pain I had taken upon myself–as well as the ones I had tortured, but with needing to make sure Meria was alright, I’d been distracted from the pain. Seeing her safe caused the pain to slowly trickle back up my arms and down my back. I clenched my fists and my jaw, waiting for the pain to ebb away–at least, the intensity of it; it was never truly gone. I stretched out my arms above my head. It did not help with the pain, but it did distract me from it. I found that distractions were the best thing for pain; hence, trying to find Meria had distracted me that morning.

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