Above The Sea

Chapter 5 - Audrey

My eyes flew open as I heard my name from people I've never met before. The girl was staring at me with wide, frantic, surprised eyes. I stared at her, trying to figure out if I knew her when I saw her necklace. It was the same shell necklace Aunt Uri had. 'But Aunt Uri is still in the ocean. There's no way she can be here. And if she was, she wouldn't be able to talk. It's not possible.' I reassured myself.

"Wait, is this the Audrey you were looking for?" The boy said, confusion clear on his face. The girl nodded.

"Um, Rose, right? If you don't mind, can Audrey and I please talk for a second?" She stammered, looking to be in utter shock.

"Of course! Here, come inside. Li and I will wait outside while you two talk." Rose replied, smiling at the random girl. She removed her arm from my grip and stepped outside while the girl stepped inside. The door shut but we both stayed silent. Me by choice, and her, I have no idea why she didn't say anything.

"Audrey! I'm so glad I found you!" She said. I still didn't realize who she was though.

"I know you're confused, I would be too. Yes, I am Aunt Uri and yes I'm on the surface. I didn't lose my voice when I came to the surface because I didn't use magic. Trevor banished me. He found out I helped you escape him and he was, is, furious. The only way I can go back is to bring you back. So I came here. I'm here to take you back!" Aunt Uri explained, her eyes shining. Still a bit stunned, I shook my head.

"What?! No? Why not! You left your entire life behind! Don't you miss your friends?" Uri asked, reaching for my hands. I shrugged and grabbed a piece of paper. Quickly, I explained everything. writing, I handed the paper to Aunt Uri who fell silent as she was reading.

"I get that you didn't have many friends down there. And I know how stupid my brother can be. But please. I don't want to be here. I want to be back where my entire life is. I loved it underwater. Do it for me." Aunt Uri begged. I shook my head again. Taking back the paper, I wrote one more thing. I handed it back to my aunt who's eyes went wide.

"You're dating her!? But you've only been on land for a month!" Uri said. I smiled and nodded.

"Have you kissed her?" Uri asked me, silently asking a different question. I shook my head. I was scared to kiss her to be honest. I didn't want to kiss her and have it not be true love. I really liked her and I knew that if we kissed and I didn't get my voice back, our relationship would fall apart. I couldn't risk that happening. Aunt Uri smiled sadly and shook her head.

"You may want to kiss her before you make your final decision. If she's not true love, then who knows how long it'll take you to find true love. You'll be stuck here on the surface, unable to talk, desperate for love. You wouldn't have to worry about your voice or love in the water. Please just take some time and think about it. If you don't go, I'll be stuck here too. Please agree. Do it for me. Help me get back to my life." Aunt Uri said. Without another word, she opened the door, said something to the boy and they both walked away.

"Hey, is everything ok between you and Uri? Li said you two were besties and you ran away from home. Why did you run away from home? Were you not safe there? Do you need any help? What can I do to help you?" Rose bombarded me with questions. I didn't make any attempt to write out an answer. Instead, I walked forwards and hugged Rose. Aunt Uri's words wouldn't leave my mind. I wanted comfort from my girlfriend. Rose, understanding as always, fell silent and wrapped her arms tightly around me.

"Let's go back to bed and cuddle for the rest of the day. How does that sound?" Rose asked, her voice quiet and soft. I nodded into her shoulder. Rose smiled against my forehead and let go of me. She took my hand and led me back upstairs and into the bed. Once in bed, she pulled the blankets over us and wrapped her arms around me once more, pulling me in close. Emotions exploding inside me, I took a deep breath, the smell of Rose filling my mind. She smelled salty, like the sea, yet sweet like candy. It was the most relaxing thing I had ever smelled. I felt my eyelids get heavy as Rose rubbed my back, continuing to calm me down.