Page 41 of Sea's Secret

“While I am grateful to not be under my father’s control, I do miss my home,” she said in her normal voice.

“Yes, this place–not very homey, is it?” I asked. There was a pause between us as she looked around, shaking her head, no.

“I seem rather useless on land,” she said with a huff, and her shoulders slumped.

“You sound like me. I always feel more at home on a ship. Have you spent most of your life

at sea?” I asked.

“Oh–yes, the sea, it is home,” she said slowly. Her hair was also all over the place, I noticed, as I walked closer to her. That hair, I was certain, would take an entire day to untangle. “What?” she asked as I must have been staring too long.

“Oh, nothing.”

“That is a lie—sharks got your tail, there,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows up and down, ridiculously.

Such a strange saying. She was strange, though, and I could not help but be grateful that she was speaking more.

“It is only your hair,” I said.

She reached up and tried to run her fingers through her blond tangles.

Without much thought, I picked at my jacket and produced a comb, handing it to her. There were only a few things I always kept on me: my flint, a comb, a knife, my flask, and my gloves. I still had three out of the five.

“I’m—oh–thank you,” she said, confused. She held it up to her face and took her finger and ran it along the bristles.

“It’s a comb, you know, for your hair—” I said, touching the top of my head.

“Oh, yes. I know—usually my hair floats about, but here–” She stopped herself, covering her mouth with her hand. “Sorry, I do not know what I am saying.”

“That’s okay, but you do not have to keep apologizing. You are not offending me.”

“Oh—sorry,” she winced.

“You have a problem, Meria. You are apologizing to me for apologizing.” I wiggled my eyebrows, and she laughed. Her cheeks were dark with embarrassment, but she seemed happy.

“Gentleman humans are kind,” she said. She had such a strange way of speaking. She must have been from a distant kingdom.

“Do you have siblings?” I wanted to change the topic.

“Yes, I am the youngest of six sisters.”

“I see. That is a large family.”

“Yes, what about you? Is it just you and your one sister who is lost?”

Before I could think better of it, I shook my head side to side. “I also have a brother; he lives in Walden. I haven't seen him in a long time.”

“I hope that changes soon.”

“What?” I was startled.

“I hope you get to see him soon. And I hope you’ll find your sister.”

“Thank you.”

“It is so dry here,” she said with a laugh.

“If you are thirsty, we can go to the stream,” I said as she stuck the comb in her hair with a smile attempting to untangle her locks.

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