Promise

Chapter 11

I'd been paddling through waves on a small boat in the hot sun for hours. It had to be at least noon, and I could even feel my dark hair burning on the top of my head.

I hadn't even said goodbye to Plume or anyone else on the ship, and as far as I knew, no one saw me borrow one of the paddle boats and dive into the ocean after throwing it overboard.

I was absolutely insane, and I made sure to remind myself of it. What was the point? Would I really find my father? For all I knew he could be hundreds of miles away from me already- if he was alive. And if so, in which direction?

I decided to stop for a few minutes to eat. I had grabbed a random bag of food before diving overboard and hoped whatever food was inside would still be edible after getting wet. I sliced open the ties bag with my sword, that had been connected to my belt still, when I'd picked it up off the floor that morning.

Lucky for me, it was foods like apples, coconuts, bananas, and different kinds of berries. The coconuts I could use to stay hydrated.

I snacked on an apple while considering what I should do.

That's when I got an idea, dropping my Apple, my jaw falling open.

When I was a little girl, my father had told me stories about mermaids. You could call to them even with your mind and they would come to you. But only if it was midnight, and the sky was clear. The sky was currently clear alright, but it wouldn't be midnight for another 12 hours. I needed a mermaids help.

I knew mermaids were dangerous. My father has warned me about them time and time again. They were sirens, they could hypnotize you and play with your mind. They could make you hallucinate and see things that aren't actually what they are. But maybe, somehow, with how magical and intelligent mermaids seemed to be, they might know I have mermaid blood in me. Maybe that would give them more respect for me. Obviously some had to be somewhat accepting- especially if something obviously happened between my father and a mermaid. Hence I was alive.

"Guess I'll have to wait," I told myself out loud. It didn't matter if I thought out loud. As far as I knew, I was completely alone.

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I awoke. I was cold and it was dark. To say I gently awoke would be a complete lie. I jolted awake nearly falling into the ocean, but luckily I caught myself.

The sky was blue, a deep blue, lit by the many beautiful stars like the night before. The moon was full. Full moons never meant anything good. But goodness is not what would get me to what I wanted. Risk would.

Hissing is what came next. Not like the hissing of a feline, but like something in-animal like and more inhuman than I'd ever heard before. The hissing wheezing and cracked, sounding like something in pain. Something evil.

I sat straight up, becoming more aware of my surroundings. I was surely wide awake now. I could see things. Creatures. I had never seen them before in my life and they gave me instant fear. The moonlight gleamed across their silvery scaley skin. They're eyes flowed white and a yellow that could only remind me of staring into the burning sun at noon.

If these were what I was starting to dreadfully assume they were, I couldn't look at their eyes- not for too long at least. But was it different with me? Did they know I was, in a way, part of them?

Their mouths were wide showing sharp white teeth like a shark's. Their long fins behind them were different colors on each one. One had blue, one green, one black, one red, one silver. Many variations. Their hair was all dark and flowing behind them in the water. They acted like animals circling their prey. I couldn't be their prey. Didn't they know I was part mermaid?