Shores Apart

Chapter Three

Engfa's Pov

She didn't say a word and just turned away. I eagerly waited for her to answer, but she just ignored me like I didn't exist. 10 minutes just passed like that. Those were the most awkward and the most longest 10 minutes of my life.
"If you're going to ignore me just like this, then they'll come here and take you," I warned her.
Then only she listened to me.
"Who are coming ?" She asked.
Damn, she can TALK !!
"The government is searching for you, and they'll definitely come here, and if they find you, then they will take you away, and I can't tell what they'll do to you," I informed her.
She seemed a little scared.
"Don't worry, I'll take you somewhere far,"  I reassured her.

She turned her gaze towards me and looked confused.
"Why would you do that ?" She asked me.
"I can't reverse what my grandfather did, but I wanna at least save you from them," I told her. She seemed to trust me a little, as she swam a little closer to me.
"Please, Trust me," I begged her.

She then came very close to me. By close, I mean only inches away from my face. I could feel my heart racing.
She traced her fingers on my face, then brushed my hair with her other hand.
Then she looked at me, and then our eyes met.
"I'm trusting you. If you too betray me then, I'll never be able to believe in humanity ever again," she told me.
Those words broke me. This girl had literally no reason to even trust humanity again. Even though she was a human, her fellow humans acted like animals with her.
I pulled away and looked away, hiding my tears. She was just confusingly looking at me.
There was again silence between us.
"By the way, what's your name ?" I asked her, killing the awful silence between us.
"Charlotte," she replied.
That was a pretty good name, I complimented her but got no response.

I looked around the surrounding and asked her, "Don't you ever feel lonely ?"
Of course she did. What kind of a question was even that.
I face palmed myself, hiding from first-hand embarrassment.
She didn't say a word. I know that it must've been awful to always be alone and not have anyone else to talk to. I can't even imagine what she felt.

Suddenly I realised something very important.
"How can I transfer you to some where far away when I only have a bike ?" I asked her.
"You are a mermaid. You need water to survive. How can I take you somewhere far without a tank ?" I again asked her.
Did I completely lose my common sense or what.
I should have come totally prepared for this. I knew I was going to save a mermaid, but how can I save her if I can't even take her ?
What the fuck is wrong with me.
I was totally stressed out.
How can I fail so miserably.
I totally lost all hopes for being able to save her.
I sat on the ground thinking for a solution.

Suddenly, I felt a tap of my shoulder. I looked back and saw Charlotte on the ground. I then turned back and took a good look at her, and now she had legs.
I stared at her in confusion.
"Actually, I can have legs or tail whenever I want as the side effects of that medicine from years ago," she clarified.

I took a good two minutes to process this new information.
"If you can have legs, then maybe you can live a normal life," I said.
"I can only have legs for three days as maximum," she informed me.
Well, that's great because I can definitely take her somewhere away during these three days.
I gave her my spare clothes to change on. Then I took her hands and walked towards the wall. She suddenly stopped.
I asked her why she stopped, and she showed me her palms. They were crucially burnt. She didn't have to explain that to me.
She must've tried to escape from there, but the wall must've shocked her and burnt her hands.
I pulled out my dagger, and she backed off. Well, that hurt me knowing that she still doesn't truly trust me, but I can't blame her as well.
I then slit my finger and poured my blood on it. The wall opened, and there came the outside world.
She was hesitant at first, but then she enjoyed the new environment around her. I let her enjoy the world for some time and then took her to my bike.
I told her to get on it and she did.
She wrapped her arms around my waist making my whole body tensed up.
Why did I suddenly feel so nervous around her ?

I started my bike and she squeezed me tightly.
I didn't have any problem with that though.
"Maybe the ocean is good for you," I said.
"But I have to be human again for some time," she told me.
That's when I got an idea.
Maybe I can take her to one of my beach house. Well it's an private island that grandfather had bought me. Nobody else is allowed there.
The island has a very big and luxurious house. It is also very close to the sea and that's perfect for her.
It was really far away, but that was the only best choice for her.
I then drove to our destination.
Charlotte didn't even speak a word during the whole bike ride.
Maybe because she was too busy enjoying the new world around her.
We stopped at a guest house as it was late at night.
They only had one room available and we took it. I ordered a simple meal for both of us.
Soon the food came and we were ready to eat. I was starving. As I attacked my food, I noticed that she hadn't even touched her food yet.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"I don't feel hungry. I haven't ever needed to eat anything," she told me.
Damn that was the reason behind her perfect slim body.
"At least try a bit," I insisted.
She hesitantly took one bite then widened her eyes.
"This is so good," she said as she also ate her food. After finishing it, we got ready for bed.
Before sleeping, I took her hands and applied some ointment on her burnt wounds.
She pulled her hands away as it hurted.
I then gently took her hands and slowly applied the ointment while blowing.
After finishing it, I bandaged her hands.
"What do you do for a living ?" She asked, out of the pocket.
"Well I am a writer," I told her.
"I wanted to become a writer as well," she said.
Poor thing didn't even get to fulfill her dreams.
"Can you tell me some of your stories ?" She asked.
I nodded and started telling her about the books I wrote about.
She was fast asleep but I couldn't sleep even though I was tired.
I just looked at her, peacefully sleeping.
I wonder what she may have felt like, trapped in a small space, away from the outside world. I can't even imagine being alone for that long.
While thinking about her before I knew it, I was also asleep.