When I reach the house, I'm thankful that it's empty but concern a little for Paige, who is still not arriving. I don't have time for this now. Certainly not wanting to explain to anyone about the pearls that I have brought.
I sit on the bed and take the oyster out of my pocket, looking over it. I'm sure this should be from my friends. They would scent me through the air and grant some information with this oyster. Is anything serious happening in my world?
I tear the oyster slowly and pick the pearls, feeling the pleasure that my body experiences. It's been a long time since my hands play with the pearls and feel the nature of it. I bring it to my nose and take a deep breath, recalling the moment I have shared with my friends.
A smile curled on my lips when I turned my gaze away from my friends to just look back at the stars. "So, you pretty mermaids like my New Year's idea?" I asked, slapping my fins gently on the water to steady my balance.
"I do," Sasha admitted. "It's nice to just be out here by ourselves." She leaned into the crook of my shoulder and rested her head against mine. If the view impressed her and made her accept my idea, it would be genuinely positive. Usually, she was the one in our group who opposed everything that we suggested.
Alexa swirled in the water and reached out to sling an arm over my shoulders, pulling me close and handing me a pearl. It felt like a sacrilege because it was all shiny and perfect.
"Do you know anything about astrology, Sasha?" I asked, holding the pearl up toward the sky and imagining it as one of the stars. It was truly exceptional. I just felt like I was holding a bright glistening star that I wished to touch.
"Astronomy," She slapped the back of my head and corrected me. "Astrology is like, horoscopes and shit."
"Oh, sorry." I felt embarrassed for not knowing the difference between astronomy and astrology. Anyway, it was not a big deal between us because we were always to be one. No one ditched others by teasing out our embarrassing moments later.
"I'll teach you about the stars that we can see from here." She said, pointing her finger at the sky. "Okay, you see that star there? And the two on either side? That's Orion's belt."
My eyes followed her finger and observed the stars distinctly. "Are those Orion's soldiers?" I asked, pointing to the two bright stars that had settled on either side of Orian's belt.
"Yeah, almost. They are Bellatrix and Betelgeuse." Sasha replied and continued explaining the story of Orion.
"When did you learn so much about stars?" Alexa asked while trying to steal an emerald from Sasha's dress. She was attracted by precious stones pretty seriously, so if her eyes found any of them, she would try to get them.
"I read a lot," Sasha murmured and slapped the soft fingers of our pink mermaid for trying to steal her emerald. She glared at her and shoved her away to keep Alexa out of her space.
In return, Alexa shifted around for a moment and dipped into the water ferociously. When we were out of thoughts, she reappeared out of nowhere and spewed water on Sasha's face. It led to a fight between them and drove them to chase each other until we reached our home.
I laugh at the thought of it and glance at the pearls curiously before leaning aside to grab a bottle of water from the bedside table. I drop the pearls on the water and watch the reaction that changes in it.
The color is changed rapidly as the pearls swirl in the water. The one which has turned into blue shimmers and blooms over Sasha. And the one which has altered into pink glitters and blooms over Alexa. It's not a tiny form of them; it's a resemblance to them. They can approach me anytime from the ocean through this. If there is no water in the bottle, the tiny versions change back to pearls.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Hey," They greet me once I'm precisely getting into their view. "We missed you, sweetheart. Is this your room on land?!" They ask in unison and look around the room in complete disgust. By their expression, I'm sure they are feeling apologetic for me staying here because there is no water surround me.
"Yeah. And I missed you too. Is it anything serious?!" I ask in worry, trying to think of any wrong things that might happen in the ocean. My heart thumps in my chest, and I feel bad for staying away from them and letting them suffer alone.
They look at each other in confusion before bursting out laughing. "There is nothing serious other than we're dying to see your man!" Alexa giggles, flipping her hair.
"What?!" I blurt, realizing that they use all this skill to see Dean. I shake my head unbelievably and grab a blanket to cover the bottle when I hear the footsteps that have been coming from outside the door.
I'm honestly thankful that I can cover the particular piece of evidence because I'm not sure I can explain this away so smoothly as I do the others. I turn to look at Paige as she stands at the doorway with a slight smile on her face.
"Just making sure that you're safe. Good night!" She waves her hand and moves to leave the room, not waiting for a second to hear my response. She is indeed a great friend to me. She takes care of me since I've arrived on the land.
I turn to look at my mermaid friends, who are chatting vigorously as their eyes patch on the door. Oh shit! When did the blanket drop from the bottle? Did Paige notice them?! There was less chance for that. If she did, she would ask me about it.
"What's her name?" Sasha asks carefully, having something on her mind. If she judged something about Paige already, it would be difficult to change her mind, so I hoped she wouldn't guess anything wrong about her.
"Paige," I mumble, playing with the loose threads that are hanging at the edge of the blanket. I look at her, surprised when she mutters something like that Paige seems a good girl.
We continue talking the whole night about the missing things in our life. Either of us hasn't felt that we are far away, so we just play as usual. Even if a smile dances on my face, I'm still worried about the emptiness of seawater around me.
