Above The Sea

Chapter 4 - Uri

Within moments, I was on the sandy shore. I looked down at where my tail was supposed to be but I only saw legs. My anger that was previously directed at Trevor now had a new target. Audrey. Grumbling, I stood up and brushed the sand off of me.

"Great, now because of her, I'm stuck on land. I tried to help and what does that get me? Banishment. I've lost the only home I've ever known because of that selfish bitch. At least I still have my voice. I guess the rules for banishment legs and magic legs are different." I mumbled, making my way towards the only street I see. I stopped, surprised, looking in a shop window.

"I look so young...Did Trevor's magic do this! I look like I'm 20, maybe 21!" I exclaimed, examining my skin for any wrinkles, none visible. A plan forming in my mind, I followed cobbled roads until I reached the main town. Trying my best to blend in, I looked around, searching for Audrey.

"Hey, you look a little lost. Do you need some help?" A kind voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned and saw a person smiling at me. He looked like he was in his young 20s. He had short black hair and green eyes. Freckles were sprinkled on his cheeks, few and far between.

"That would be great actually. Have you seen any girls around here, red hair, about average height, curious, constantly excited? Her name is Audrey if that helps." I asked, using my sweetest voice possible.

"Hm, I don't think so. I've never even heard that name before. Is she new around here" The boy replied.

"The problem is, I'm not sure where she is. She arrived around here about a month ago, maybe a little longer? I'm not sure if she stayed in the area or not though. I need to find her though. Any help you could offer would be useful." I said, smiling kindly.

"Sure! I'll do my best to help! I'm Li by the way! What's your name?" Li answered, too kind for his own good.

"My name is Uri. I really appreciate your help by the way. She's my..best friend and I would like to find her. The thing is, she ran away from home and I'm desperate to find her. I want to make sure nothing happens to her. She's really important to me." I told Li, making up a sob story to find Audrey quicker.

"Oh no! I'm so sorry Uri! I promise to not rest until we find Audrey. If she ran away though, how old are you guys? I'm just curious, not trying to be rude! You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Li said, his anxiety coming through.

"Oh, no, it's quite alright. I'm 21. I know I may be a bit young to be traveling by myself but Audrey is just that special." I answered.

"That's not that young! I'm 22 myself. I get wanting the best for your best friend. I have 2 best friends and they are my entire world. One of them moved away, but thankfully the other still lives nearby. Now that I think about it, she may know something! She's much more involved around here than I am.!" Li told me, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"There's no need to worry your friend! We can just look around first. Worst comes to worse, we go talk to her." I replied, not wanting to bring any extra people into this. I simply wanted to get Audrey and return to the sea, return to my life.

"Alright then, let's walk around and ask people and you tell me if you see her!" Li went along with my plan, not questioning why I don't want his daughter involved. With that, Li started showing me around the small village. We visited all sorts of different shops; however, nobody knew anything about Audrey. That didn't ruin the mood though. Li still talked my ears off, happy even though my niece was missing. Before I knew it, night had fallen.

"I'm sorry we didn't find Audrey today. We'll go visit my friend tomorrow morning and hopefully she can help!" Li said, determined to not lose hope. I nodded in response, tired from the day's activities.

"You can sleep in my room, I'll take the couch. Sorry I have no extra rooms!" Li apologized, unlocking his house.

"Don't worry about it. I will sleep on the couch. It's not fair to you to take your bed. I really appreciate all of your help." I replied, smiling again.

"I insist! You are my guest, I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch. I'll be fine, I sleep on my couch all the time!" Li said, his tone clearly leaving no room for argument. I sighed, giving into Li.

"Ok, fine. I'll take the bed." I sighed, just wanting to go to sleep already.

"Yay! We probably shouldn't sleep in too late, we want an early start to make sure we have the most amount of time to find Audrey. I'll make breakfast and wake you up in the morning!" Li told me, showing me his room.

"Alright. Thank you for all your help Li. This means a lot to me." I said, trying my best to express my gratitude. Li noticed my struggle and simply smiled at me. He placed his hand on my shoulder for a split second and then left me alone. I laid on Li's bed, letting my thoughts wander. 'I'll be finding Audrey within days, if not tomorrow. Then, I'll force her to come back to the ocean and I'll get my life back. Everything will be right again. She got me into this mess and I had to grow up without support. I'll still be supporting her, but I won't help her escape again.' I thought as I drifted into an uneasy sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke the next morning to the faint smell of eggs. Still tired, I walked downstairs and saw Li at the stove, focusing on cooking eggs.

"Good morning Uri! You can sit down, breakfast will be ready in just a minute!" Li called cheerily. I just nodded and sat down at the table. Not even a minute later, Li placed a plate of eggs in front of me.

"I hope you like eggs. I realized I forgot to ask you what you liked and I figured eggs would be safe. Most people like eggs so..." Li trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I like eggs, so no need to worry about me." I replied, picking up my fork and beginning to eat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Li smile. I thought I saw him blush, but that must've been my imagination.

Before long, we were walking towards Li's friend's house.

"Hopefully she's up, she's not really a morning person so there's a high chance she isn't awake. If she's not awake, we'll come to the square and go back later to ask. No matter what, we are talking to her today and hopefully finding your bestie!" Li said, his happiness nerve wavering.

"Alright. I hope we find Audrey today as well. Like I said yesterday, she's really important to me." I told him, not able to stop my smile as I thought about all the joyful memories I shared with my niece. I couldn't wait to make more once we were back where we belonged. Not realizing Li stopped at a house, I stumbled, trying to catch myself. I almost fell but I felt a hand grab my wrist and pull me up.

"Careful Uri! You don't want to hurt yourself." Li cautioned, giving me a glance over to make sure I wasn't hurt.

"Thank you Li, but I'm fine. I just didn't realize we stopped" I replied, pulling my hand away from Li's.

"Ok, just pay more attention next time. Now let's see if she's awake or not." Li answered, knocking on the door. A few moments passed and I didn't think anyone was coming to the door. Right as I began to say something, the door creaked open and a pretty girl looking to be about 19 stood there.

"Hello? Wait, Li? What are you doing here at..." the girl paused, glancing to the side to look at what I assumed to be a clock, "7:19 in the morning. It's too early. I was comfy."

"Sorry to bother you Rose, but my new friend here, her name is Uri, is looking for her best friend who ran away and we were wondering if you could help!" Li asked, his eyes silently pleading. The girl, Rose, sighed and ran a hand through her already messy hair.

"Ok sure. Give me a few minutes to change and whatnot. Just stay here." The girl agreed, beginning to close the door. She stopped as another person approached her and hugged her arm, leaning her head on Rose's shoulder. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Oh, hey. Why are you down here? I told you to stay in bed and be comfy." Rose asked the newcomer, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulders. The girl simply shrugged and closed her eyes. Finally gaining my voice, I couldn't stop myself.

"Audrey?!"