Hopeless Love

21-Another Council Meeting

I woke up and made breakfast for Mom, Naju, Sebastian, and myself. It consisted of fish and moss crackers and some kelp milk. It was delicious, although my mom and sister took a bit try the crackers and milk. They liked it in the end.

We all took a bath, together because we were all girls and also all family, and we waited for Sebastian to bathe after we finished. I wore my usual black outfit and my mother and sister wore green and blue shirts and black shorts that I bought for them after breakfast.

Once we were all done, we went to the council tent. Mom and Naju closed their eyes when we got close because of the bright colors, but I kept mine open because I was used to it now. That amazed me and showed to me that I had changed a lot in the time that I had been here.

I lead my relatives to a bench while Sebastian went up and sat with the council. I gave him a sad smile, missing his presence by my side, and he gave me a smile that was just as sad.

The meeting started and he introduced Mom and Naju and told the pod members about them. Their stories were woven by the music and they were accepted as I had been. I saw that my dad and Naju's had both died of sickness, so I gave her a hug to make her feel better. She smiled and hugged me back.

The 10 year old went and played with the other children after the meeting and I went to buy stuff with mom. I let her have my tent since I hardly used mine anymore, always sleeping with Sebastian now. I bought clothes for them, and a dagger for both of them. Mom had had to sell hers a while back, but I remembered that she was good with daggers. I was excited to teach Naju to use a dagger.

I sent mom back to their tent and found my young students and restarted the lesson that I had been teaching yesterday. They were fast learners. Naju wandered over and watched in fascination as the two young mermaids darted in, slippery as eels, and tried without success to touch me with the wooden daggers I taught them with. They were fast and flexible, but not fast or flexible enough to catch me. Not yet anyways. They would be getting me very soon at the rate they were going.

I smiled when Naju asked me to teach her after I was finished with the others. I rounded up the other two who had been wanting to learn for a while. I taught the kids until I was sore and sweaty and the sun was going down. I took a quick bath and swam around in the salt water pool for a bit before going back to the tent. I laid down and waited sleepily for Sebastian. I smiled and opened my arms when he walked in, and I went to sleep and had more dreams about swimming with him.