From Feet to Fins Part Five

This is *Part Five* of From Feet to Fins. I hope you like it!! And if you haven't read the first four parts, you can click the links at the bottom of the story!

...

The throne room was silent. The unsettling, threatening kind.

"Take them away," she ordered.

"Really?" I whispered. "You're not going to kill us?"

"I cannot kill my best friend's daughter. But I must warn you," she added. "You will not be allowed here until you prove your loyalty and worth."

"Thank you," I gasped, kneeling on the floor.

"Avrea," she said. "Escort her to the gate."

Avrea laced an arm through mine and tugged me out of the throne room. Out of the courtyard. Away from the city. Away from the kingdom.

And back to the gate.

"So..." I said as we hovered there awkwardly. "You're my mother?"

"No," she said. "I am not your mother."

"What?" I cried. "But you said-"

"You were my friend's daughter."

"Wait, really? Can I see her? Where is she-"

"No, she died thirteen years, after she lost you and your father."

It hit me like a blow to the stomach. "What? I don't have a father either?"

"He took you on a shark hunt. They caught a great white in their net. But it overpowered all the mermen and then killed them. I don't know how you survived," she admitted. "But your mother wasted away when she heard the news. She thought you were both dead. She had no reason to live."

I clutched the dead coral for support, trying not to cry. After all, I never met my mother or father.

But it wasn't them as people whose deaths upset me.

It was the fact that I would never have real parents.

I began choking on my tears, and Avrea wrapped her arms around me. "Shhhh, shhh, don't cry," she said, laying her head on my shoulder.

"I'm-n-n-never going to have a r-real mother," I sobbed.

"It'll be alright," she said, running her fingers through my long hair and untangling it.

I looked into her eyes. "I hope so," I whispered.

...

I crawled into bed, tears still leaking from my eyes.

The sun was just beginning to rise, but I still managed to sleep until nine, and then I only woke up because Kim shook my shoulder.

"Haven," she whispered. "It's time to wake up."

I groaned, pulling the blankets over my head. "Noooooo," I said.

"Haven!" She grabbed the blankets out of my hands and threw them across the room.

"Kim!!" I moaned. She smiled slightly as she left the room.

I got out of bed. Rubbing my eyes and yawning, I went downstairs.

"So," Alan said as I poured a bowl of cereal. "How was the ocean?"

"Mm," I said through a mouthful of cereal. As soon as I swallowed, I replied, "Horrible."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie. What happened?" asked Kim as she sipped her coffee.

"I found out that my biological parents are dead. The queen of the mermaids hates me. Did I mention that the guard was a jerk?"

"Oh, that's awful."

"Yeah. The queen banned me from her kingdom until I can prove I'm not an enemy."

"That's awful." Kim sympathized.

I looked over at the clock on the wall and noticed the time, 9:37. Something pricked at my conscience...

Then I remembered.

Sloane.

The cafe.

At nine.

And it was nine thirty-seven!!

"Oh!" I cried, leaping out of my chair. "I have to go get ready!!"

"Wait, what?" Kim asked.

"I have a date!" I called as I raced upstairs to my room.

...

She was about an hour late. I was, of course, getting worried. Does she not trust me, I wondered. Dave will be mad.

But then a more worrying thought struck me. ...Does she not like me?

I tried to beat the thought away, but it kept nagging me, latched onto my brain like a leech, sucking all other options away.

Yes, that had to be it. She didn't care enough to come at the right time.

She didn't like me.

The thought stung. It stung so bad I was getting ready to stand up and leave.

But then the door opened.

There she was in the doorway, a big smile on her face, lighting up her crystal blue eyes. Her copper and rose hair flowed out behind her.

Ah, I thought faintly. She's gorgeous.

She sat down across from me at the table, beaming as she looked at me. It took a second glance to notice how the stars in her eyes were slightly dim, as if submerged under great sorrow. The heaviness of her shoulders lent evidence to this fact.

"What's wrong?" I asked, trying to keep the concern shallow, not reaching my heart. Only a display. But she was so beautiful. So innocent. So loveable.

I tried to scrape all those reprehensible thoughts off, but they clung to me like cobwebs.

"I'm just tired," she said, her bright, sunny facade giving out. She slumped forward in her chair. But she was clearly not just exhausted. She looked sorrowful too.

"What is it?" I pressed. She looked up at me. The war was evident in her eyes. She was clearly debating whether to tell me something or not.

I reached a hand to hers, laying it on top in the way I knew how to. I heard her shuddering gasp. Her eyes flicked up to mine, disbelieving.

"You can tell me," I assured her with a smile.

I resented myself for manipulating her like this. I wanted to smack myself. I wanted to scream.

Nothing hurt more than knowing the way I was going to hurt her.

Finally, the side that didn't want to tell me gave out.

She grabbed my arm and tugged me to the corner, where there was a bench. She sat me down next to her and whispered in my ear, "You can't tell anyone."

"I won't," I lied.

She took a deep, quavering breath. "I'm a mermaid."

I stared at her in shock. Not shock that she was a mermaid. Well, kind of, but more so because Dave was right.

He knew it all along, I thought, dazzled at his intellect. He knew.

"You're a-"

"Not so loud," she hissed.

"Wait, when, how?" I asked.

"Yesterday. You were right. My parents weren't telling me something."

"Did you go into the ocean?" I asked.

"Yes. They weren't all that welcoming."

I let out a soft, relieved puff of air. It was confirmed. She was a mermaid.

"Stay calm, please. Let me get you a coffee," she said, standing up and walking to the counter.

While she was gone, I whipped out my phone and texted Dave; It's confirmed.

...

Something funny was up with Sloane. He seemed distracted as we chatted and sipped coffee.

"Are you okay?" I asked as we got ready to leave.

"I'm fine," he said, turning away from me.

"Wait!" I called. "Do you wanna meet here tomorrow? Same time?"

"Sure," he replied.

He walked away slowly. There was a heaviness in his footsteps that told me otherwise.

...

I walked in through the doorway, finding Dave sitting upright on the couch. Not drunk for once.

His eyes gleamed as I kicked off my shoes. "It's really confirmed?" he asked eagerly.

I avoided his gaze as I replied. "Yes."

A grin lit up his face. "Excellent. You arranged another meet-up at the cafe tomorrow?"

"Yes," I said, feeling sick to my stomach.

"Let me know when she gets there," he said wickedly.

My heart ached as I sat down on the couch.

Tomorrow, I will betray her, I realized. Tomorrow, she will hate me.

I tried to force the feelings away.

Tried to force myself not to care.

Tried... and failed.

...

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