Black Pearl

Chapter 26

The second day with my sisters was much quieter. The excitement was still there, but it seemed that the majority of immediate questions had been answered. Though a few women still wanted to spend time with me, many of them were content to play with their new dresses and kick their heels up in their new shoes. This gave me time to spend with my mother and those closest to me. 

I told Oceana all about the mountains as we fished in the morning, collecting the food that we would eat tonight. She would interrupt me so she could point out the edible seaweed as it floated by, but listened intently for the most part. While I was excited to talk about all of the wonderful things I had seen, many of the girls were only concerned with the men I had met. I stated over and over again that Jacob was committed to Maisy, but that didn't stop them from fantasizing about the man who helped me through everything. I'm sure that if they could see his dark skin and his amazing smile that they would simply melt into puddles.

I thought I had enough stories to last me a lifetime, and I was sure that there were details that I was missing, like the sound of hooves on stones, the smell of bread first thing in the morning. When I returned with my journal, I was sure that I would recall a dozen things I forgot to mention. But as my conversation dried up, the girls defaulted to asking me about my wedding. What kind of flowers would I have? Would I make my own dress or would it be made for me? Who would be attending? What would Leo wear? Would it be like in the fairytales, a grand affair that the whole kingdom would come watch?

I answered everything as best as I could, grinning through it all as if I were actually excited to be a bride. As if I actually intended to marry Leo and become a queen.

The night came quickly. There were no squabbles with River just as there was no more shrieking laughter. The girls all settled in their beds without a fuss, without whispering for more tales of handsome men atop tall horses. I quietly excused myself, saying I was too excited for sleep and slipped outside. 

The ocean greeted me as it always did: with indifference. I stood on the jagged rocks, wishing that the water would warm for me like it did for my sisters. But, as bonded as I was to the water, the water was not bound to me.

As if praying for a different reality, I dipped my bare toe into the water. It was as frigid as ever.

River was right. I was barely a siren at all.

With a defeated whimper, I sat down on the slippery rocks, soaking my old nightgown through. I wasn't meant to be here. I wasn't meant to be with all of these women who could whip water with only a snap of their fingers. I couldn't ask the water to carry me, nor could I compel my sisters. 

In the same breath, I wasn't a valid human either. I couldn't be a soft, submissive wife. I couldn't sit idly on a throne. My god, I couldn't even keep myself out of harm's way.

"You're going to catch a cold," Leo murmured from behind me. I hadn't even heard his soft steps on the tromped grass. "Or you're going to slip off the rock and fall in."

"I'm a strong swimmer," I said flatly.

"Why aren't you inside, spending time with your family? Your mother must have missed you terribly."

How did I tell him that my mother was not like a human mother? How did I tell him that our circumstances meant that I wasn't raised like him? I saw my mom as the woman who carried me and gave me life, but I had been raised by every single elder on this little lonely island. I couldn't find the right words and wasn't ready for the questions. "I'm tired of being asked about a wedding that I have nothing to do with," I lied.

"I see." Boots stepped gingerly over the slick rocks, then Leo was settling himself beside me. I could feel the warmth of his body in the small space between us before a wind gust carried it away. After a moment, he spoke again. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to help them?"

"What difference would it make? I know you only did this so that I wouldn't throw a fit and demand to return after everything that happened to me."

"That's not true. I came here because I wanted to see how you were raised. I wanted to know more about you."

"Ah, and instead of just asking me, you went the route that would end with you surrounded by dozens of gorgeous sirens who haven't seen a man in two decades."

I was able to suck in and release two breaths before he replied. "Are you jealous?"

"Don't be absurd," I bit back hotly, but the words hit me harder than I would have liked, telling me that he might be right.

Leo must have sensed this too, despite my hostility. "My parents have brought forward every woman they thought would be suitable. I've been with a dozen blondes and I can't remember their names. Redheads with pale skin and brunettes without a single original thought. I won't remember any of them in ten years, not their laugh or their hobbies. But I'll never be able to forget you."

"Because you will be forced to marry me shortly."

"Because I've never heard of a woman who wanted to wield a knife. Because I've never seen a woman be so generous. Because-"

"The reality is that we were brought together by something we both detest and nothing can change that," I spat.

In that moment, I suddenly became very aware that I was outside in the middle of the night wearing nothing but a thin sleeping gown. I was shivering and my teeth were chattering. And no matter how much I might have liked having Leo sit so close by, it didn't change our reality. Nothing would.

I stood so abruptly that he jerked back.

"I will see you in the morning. We will leave first thing in the morning."

"Wait, wait," he called, scrambling to his feet. "I was thinking about the things we could bring when we come back. Surely you'll want some of these girls at the wedding, so when we pick them up, we can drop some supplies off. I already told Amaya how to plant the seeds and when, but I think chickens would do pretty well on this island. They could offer eggs everyday and meat occasionally. The building is in pretty desperate need of some big repairs too. I would have to bring some of my men for a couple of days, but they could complete it pretty easily."

I should have thrown my arms around him. I should have told him that I was so grateful that he wasn't angry with me for stealing things or damaging property just so my sisters could have it. This was so far beyond anything I had expected.

But something in me was so bitter, like I was filled with a sticky black ink that was spreading within me.

"Don't bother. Sirens fled from your kind. We have learned how to hold our own. You take care of your people, I will take care of mine."

With that, I went back inside the crumbling castle, wet and cold, and so full of hate.

~~~Question of the Day~~~

What age has been the best for you so far?

For me, twenty three has been amazing, despite the pandemic. Got a house, got books published.