Page 34 of Sea's Secret

She nodded and began walking up the sandy beach a ways; she wobbled a bit as she walked. I wondered if her legs ached as mine did.

We entered a thick, tropical, green forest. Vines hung down, and there were a few insects flying around. The forest floor was wet, and as we walked, Meria, I realized, was barefoot, her feet coated in brown mud and sand. We continued on until I heard it, a babbling. I wanted to burst from the foliage, but I waited for Meria to stop. I moved to the bank of the small stream, which filled up a deep pool. The water was fresh and crystal clear. I sunk my hands into the clear, fresh water and greedily drank.

“Thank you,” I said, turning around to see Meria, who just stood there, watching me. There was a refreshing, earthy taste to the water. “Will you drink?”

“I do not like it,” she said, scrunching her nose.

She would have to get used to the unique taste of water in a stream if she wanted to survive on the island. She must have drank from it before, how else could anyone survive being stranded there? I looked away from her, taking one last gulp.

She did not seem to be much of a talker. That was alright. If I had not had a dozen questions, and if I had not felt responsible for our survival, I would not have talked so much or as freely either.

There was something calming about that maiden’s presence.

“Well, we should probably look for some shelter. If we are here for a long time, that will be important.”

She nodded.

“Have you explored any other sections of the island?” I asked.

She shook her head. I looked around for a few minutes. There was a cliff in the distance. Perhaps, there was a cave; that would be the best option, not knowing what kind of weather was common on that island.

“We need to search that side of the island to see what is over there. I have heard of this island, but I do not know much about it, only that it was once inhabited by mermaids; however, that seems highly unlikely as mermaids do not have legs.”

She was looking at me, nodding her head as I spoke. I watched her for a moment as she took a look around at the stream and its surroundings. She had such unique, white-blond hair with pink hues to it, and it was incredibly long and wavy, incredibly striking and beautiful, even in its mess of tangles. She even had sand in her hair, along with a few pieces of seaweed. Although that maiden was a complete and total stranger, she had saved my life; I would be kind to her. Perhaps, that is why I had given her my prince name. I would treat her how I was taught to treat ladies at court. I also could not help but be kind, as she seemed so timid.

I wondered for a few moments, and I moved my gaze from her, back to the path from where we had come.

Who else had survived the wreck? Had The Grimm survived? I wondered, again, if he was alright. I did not need problems with Thorn, or with any kingdom. But then, again, I had not forced him to come; he wanted to.

I didn't even want to think about Sands, as losing him would have hurt more than I wanted to think about.

“Are you alright?”

I jumped a bit as Meria was suddenly beside me, her eyes looking up into mine. She had such light blue eyes–so light that it seemed they could have almost been white–so strange, so beautiful.

“Dominick?” she said, and hearing my name from her was a strange thing. I usually disliked that name, for it represented an old me, who had died a long time ago when Veeto made me one of his pirates.

“I am sorry. I was just thinking about my crewmates. I hope they are all safe,” I lied. I only cared about two: Sands and The Grimm. Everyone else could drown in the fathoms.

“Yes,” she said, then moved back away from me.

“Well, before it gets dark, we should probably take a look at those caves. We have water, but we need shelter, and I should be able to catch some fish.” She jumped back at my words and shook her head, no.

“Meria?” I asked. “Do you not like fish?”

“I like fish,” she said. “Just not out of the water.”

“Okay,” I said, confused at her response. “Well, we should go look, but if you would like to stay here, I can find you once I am done.”

She nodded, but I wasn't sure what she meant by it. I guess, I would see what it meant when I started walking. If she followed me, then she was coming.

I moved between the green foliage, going as carefully as I could so I would not slip. Falling in front of Meria was the last thing I wanted.

Wait, why? I didn't care what that maiden thought of me.

I do not care.

Nope.

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