The Mermaid-Cursed Pirate

Chapter 18

Recap:

Ah yes, I keep forgetting I'm bound to the only gentleman pirate in existence." There's a comfortable silence and she hears the captain try to suppress a yawn. "Well, I best find somewhere else to hide for my new plan. And from the sound of it, you could use some rest, captain."

"You are the right one now, Sirena. It's been a long few days since we last spoke. Unfortunately, I have nothing new to tell you about my side. Best of luck to you, though. And be careful, lass."

"Goodbye, Hook. And I have a feeling I'll be fine."

She places the shell back on her shelf and sighs. Grabbing her bag, she dives into the water and swims out of her cave. Once she reaches the entrance, she stops, considering her options. An idea pops into her head and she swims for the so-called Mermaid Lagoon.

  ----------------------------

Pulling herself onto one of the rocks in the lagoon, Sirena stares out at the sea and waits. After she dries herself off, she pulls her knees to her chest. She can't shake the feeling that something else will go wrong, but she stays where she is. After several minutes of waiting to be found, she starts to sing to pass the time. As she sings, she starts to cry for some reason, unknown to herself.

"The smile, the charm, the words, the spark, everything, you had it. I guess I had a naive heart, 'cause boy I let you have it. You said I was your only, I never thought you'd leave me lonely. You're just a lost boy with your head up in the clouds. You're just a lost boy, never keep your feet on the ground.

"You're always gonna fly away just because you know you can. You're never gonna learn there's no such place as Neverland. You don't understand. You'll never grow up, you're never gonna be a man, Peter Pan.

"Deep down, I knew that you were too good to be true, but every piece and part of me wanted to believe in you. But now it's happily ever never. I guess now I know better-"

"Is that what you really think of me now?" she is interrupted by Peter, who is, ironically, flying above her.

"Maybe." There's a moment of uncomfortable silence. "It's just a song I've heard before, in the Land Without Magic. My second bond and I went there to see if there was no pull because my soulmate was there. It was our last hope, but we ended up staying there well over a year because there was no magic. We didn't find him, but we did find what the people there think of us." She laughs to herself. "You're a ginger with pointy ears and Captain Hook has long hair and looks incredibly creepy. And you wouldn't believe what they say about mermaids, there are so many different versions!"

"Rena, I know what you're doing," Pan says in a soft voice, slowly floating down to sit beside her.

"And what is that?" she asks, turning away and crossing her arms in defiance, worrying slightly that she's caught. "You don't know me as well as you think you do."

"Maybe not, but I still know you pretty well. I know you're trying to avoid me and you're babbling to avoid talking about what happened. But let me say this and I'll leave you alone as long as you'd like." He looks at her and continues after she curtly nods. "I'm indescribably sorry for what happened in your hut. I had no reason to be mad, and absolutely no right to kiss you like that."

"You're right, you didn't!" she shouts in anger, then jumps into the water. She surfaces to continue, "I acknowledge your apology, but I don't accept it. I'll stay in my hut tonight but don't come anywhere near me. I'll find somewhere else to stay in the morning. Please respect my boundaries, Pan. I'll come back when I'm ready, understand? I just need some time to recover and you need some time to figure out what's gotten into you."

"Nothing's 'gotten into me,' Rena. I love you! But I understand you don't feel the same and I'll respect your wishes. Just don't stay away forever, and don't shut the Lost Boys out because of what I did. They need you." Another time of silence falls over them. "Are you sure you need to leave camp? I won't go anywhere near you unless you want me to, I give you my word on that."

She pretends to consider it, then sighs. "Fine, I'll stay in camp. But know that you overstepped a boundary, big time. It will take a long time before I forgive you. Your actions have only strengthened my belief: that you're using me. It will take a lot to gain back my trust."

"What can I do to fix this?" he pleads, inching towards where she's swimming.

"For starters, keep your word and give me the space I need. I'm not sure from there. I'm just glad I'm not cursed with you right now" she laughs bitterly.  

Pan jumps to life, "What if I could cure you? I could find a way to sever the tie between you and the disgusting pirate so you can remain a mermaid. I know that's all you want to be."

She scoffs, "I highly doubt you could. I've been searching for a cure for longer than I care to disclose. But sure, if you by some miracle found a cure for me, it would help change my mind." Taking note of his grin, she continues, "The key word is 'help,' Pan. It doesn't fix anything, but it would be a start."

"I'll take it. A start gives me a chance at setting things right. I can't lose you, Rena. Especially not because of a stupid mistake I made."