Heading home everything stood still. No fish was in sight, the sea laid still, even the wind ceased to blow.
Nothing!
The silence burdened my eardrums, enough to cause damage. It was as if the earth stood still on its axis. The ocean was too quiet. It had never been this way before. Lucky enough, I was accompanied by my parents and their guards to land.
Though the circumstances were terrible, the gesture warmed my heart.
Near land, I kissed my parents.
"I know you have a new home, but it doesn't mean you have to forget the old one." Mother's eyes glossed.
I never went home because I thought I was no longer welcomed. It was not like I left home on good terms. Now, it was different. Everything would be different.
A tight smile stretched my lip while I engulfed her in another embrace. "I know, Mother. This is not goodbye."
When she released me, Octoria handed Marvelon to a younger version of herself, her sister Shelliot.
"I want to keep a guard around the boy." Father lifted his palm before I could say anything. "It's to keep a watch on him, for my sake."
His palm fell to his side. There was no point in arguing with a man who got his way twenty- four seven. Therefore, I provided a curt nod.
I was somewhat pleased Shelliot was assigned to be Marvelon's guardian. Like her sister, she was strong. Marvelon needed that around him more than ever.
It never took long for us to part ways. Our journey home was not long since we resided near the beach. Peter insisted we stayed close to my home, even though my home was miles away. However, it portrayed how wonderful of a man he was.
Back home I changed Marvelon's clothes without getting as much as a stir from him. Laying him to rest in his crib, the thought of how he was to be trained came back to mind. This was an eighteen-month-old child.
He was not even at the terrible-twos. What would happen when he was a teenager? I had seen how land folks were. Their children were nurture different than those from my pod.
Gosh, I hoped he wasn't as stubborn as I was. The world didn't need this. I didn't need it.
I sighed aloud but held my breath at the sight of him moving. He stretched and rolled on his back. Big bright eyes stared at me. In that same breath, a slight breeze caressed my cheeks.
"Momma!" he beamed.
I swallowed.
Who said being a mother was easy must have bumped their head somewhere along the way. Parenting this child was not going to be a walk in the park.
Sixteen Years Later I hated this.My fingers tapped to the lazy rhythm of the clock. My mind elsewhere. Like how happy my friends would look when I showed them the gifts I bought for them. Or how nice it would be to be back home after a tiring summer spent at Cadet Camp.I slouched in my seat while my gaze slid across the desk to the Camp Coordinator. His lips moved in slow motions, the edges tilting ever so often. A feminine laugh sounded beside me. On my left, my mom leaned forward and the Coordinator's eyes followed her. To my right, my dad shuffled in his seat; blue eyes glanced at his wristwatch.A few papers were pushed towards my mom, but before she could pick them up, my dad snatched them from the desk. His gaze flashed over the papers, and he whipped out a pen from his shirt pocket.The papers were slam
Sophia was braced against one of the rocky sides of the cave. Alex leaned against her while he spoke to her in a language known by couples behind closed doors.My eyes bulged; all air rushed from my lungs. My nostrils struggled to pull in oxygen. My mind went blank.No, this was not supposed to happen.I asked her to wait for me. She told me she would. Then, why? How? I didn't understand? Wasn't I enough? Was it because I wasn't normal?I was only absent for a few weeks. A few weeks. Not long enough for her to move on with someone else. And, Alex at that.Alex, my brother. My best friend. He knew there was something between us. Yet, here he was with her. He chose to betray me.Sirens rang in my eardrum. My face heated. My veins started buzzing like millions of ants crawling over me. I became light-headed. Energy soared through me. At first, I wanted to jump, walk, run at the same time, but then it settled, I wan
Months crawled by, and I made sure to avoid Sophia and Alex. My room became a haven. Away from everyone where it was safe. I couldn't hurt anyone this way. At other times, I would go to the cave. After all, it was my secret place. There, the man would visit me until I could visit him. He became my tutor. As it turned out, he was my late grandfather. I wasn't even sure how many greats were before grandfather. It was a bit odd, but my whole family was unusual. I had powers. What was not strange with that?The man and I became close enough, so instead of saying great grandfather, I called him Gramps. As it turned out, he was dead. It was laughable. I had gone insane. Sure, the dozens of psychiatric patients could testify of talking with dead people.Even though he was a lifesaver, I often asked why he was here. Every time he would give me the same answer: I needed help. My brain translated it as my powers were out of control, so he was here to preve
Twenty-Two Years Later"How's the boy?" King Earland asked. He leaned back on his throne. The smooth limestone seat was padded with seaweeds for comfort.My lips twitched as I replied, "He's doing great. Doing too well without his mom, and precious dad if you asked me."Queen Sung laughed. Her throne nestled beside her husband's.King Earland cleared his throat, the sound deep, and loud. No doubt, it could make a fish bow.Realizing my mishap, I lowered my head. The lowered platform hid my shame. But, I wasn't counting on that. The magical crystals along with the several angler fish lined in the corner of the cave illuminated the entire room. Nothing went unnoticed."He's doing amazing, wonderful in school. He's in his senior year in college as they call it on land. That means year four at his young adult school."King Earland chuckled. "Ah, land folks and their ridicu
"However, the princess can't be in the ocean. The enemy seems to be using a powerful mermaid. She would be able to find her if she comes back to the sea," Queen Sung added. Her previous relaxed tone was now authoritative.Frustration seeped through my pores.Prince Marvelon would not like this. He treated his house as a shrine. They should imagine ordering an ill-tempered person that he had to host someone else in his house for God knows how long. The hardest part was, we were not even asking but telling him this needed to be done. And, if it was one thing I learned about the Prince, he didn't like to be told what to do."Shelliot!" King Earland shouted.The fishes hurdled together. I jumped."You will keep her safe there. Under no circumstances is she allowed back in the ocean without our approval. Do I make myself clear?" he bellowed.I released a low breath. Bubbles danced before me.Marvelon was going
"I don't want you two making out on my damn couch." I pointed at Alex and Sophia, who were kissing on the couch.Sophie pushed away from Alex. He pouted his lips and whimpered."Shelly already cleaned the house for the party tonight," I announced, "and I don't want you guys messing up my shit."Sophie laughed. "Ah, such a cockblocker."I whipped her the middle finger, and flopped down on the couch adjacent to them, crossing my feet at the ankle on the wooden coffee table.It had taken Sophia and Alex a long time to be comfortable enough to do pre-sexual interaction with each other while I was in the same room. Funny enough, not as long for me to be okay with it. I was the one who encouraged them to get back together with the continuous help
Damn guardian!It was as if the more she knew I hated something, the more she did it. I should be grateful. After all, she was there whenever I needed her. Unfortunately, I was ungrateful.I leaned on the nearest post, holding up the pier. Allowing the cool sea breeze to fill my lungs, I blew it out at the water before me. The water parted at my playfulness, reminding me of when Moses parted the Red Sea. When I was younger, Alex, Sophie, and I often dressed up and pretended we were Moses and the children of Israel. It was pretty cool to part the ocean. At least, that was what they thought.My little miracle was done three more times before a sparkle blinded my sight. I squinted my eyes and sheltered my face with the back of my hand."You know, I saw that right?" a familiar voice purred. 
"We're almost there," Octoria, the Southern King's guard announced.I gulped aloud.Land. Ever since I was told I would be staying on land, anxiety settled in the pit of my stomach and refused to move. What would being on land feel like? Many of my people traverse this wonderland. Some returned with great stories. My Mother, the Queen, had the best of all of them.Most times my imagination ran wild with how this place would be. This prevented sleep. Worst of all, I missed my parents. It had been five days since I left home. Mother would have loved the adventure. She was always dragging me along on her exploring.At first, when I was told I had to leave home because of the new threat we had encountered, I was upset. I wanted to stay and fight, not be a c