Waveborn | The Oceane Series

Eleven

I was standing barefoot in the sand, the warmth from the sun no longer burning my skin. The sound of the waves crashed around me as I gazed out to sea. Smiling to myself, I admired the blue water as it crept onto shore, the waves breaking along the horizon. For once, I wasn't dreaming about my parents.

As if on cue, I heard a familiar voice call my name, a woman's voice I hadn't heard in years. "Anna," she called from behind me, her tone calm and reassuring. "Baby."

"Mom," I whispered as I turned around, wishing to see my mother's smiling face again after all these years.

To my surprise, she stood before me, wearing a flowing white gown, her red hair falling around her face in waves, blowing in the soft sea breeze. "Hi, baby girl," she greeted as I ran toward her. I wrapped my arms around her and cried, overwhelmed to see her, even if this wasn't real.

"I can't believe I'm seeing you again after all this time," I mumbled as she brushed my hair back, kissing me softly on my head.

"I know, honey, I know," she cooed. "I'm glad I get to see you again too. Your father would have come, too, but only one of us could see you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling away. "This isn't real, right?"

"This is a special place. You are visiting it through your dreams, yes, but I am real. I am really talking to you right now."

"But Mom, you're—" I started, before my mother cupped my cheek with her hand, her eyes looking over at me knowingly. "How is this possible?"

"We never truly die, Anna. We are with you always." She smiled. "Also, you got yourself a looker," she teased, playfully winking at me as a blush crept up my skin. "You're going to be a great mom, baby girl. You've grown into an amazing young woman. I'm so proud of you." She smiled thoughtfully. "Do you remember when you had to take care of that robot baby for your home economics class?"

"Yeah, no matter what I did, it wouldn't stop crying." I shook my head, remembering that Dad had wanted to throw it out the window because of the noise. "He wanted to murder his robot grandbaby."

Mom laughed, a sound I had thought I'd never hear again. She smiled before her expression turned serious. "Don't let your past haunt you any longer. You couldn't have prevented our deaths, nor could you have prevented my future son-in-law from being captured. Be happy, Anna. Focus on your future and live your life helping and serving others as you always have, but still remember to think of yourself and your family's wellbeing." She paused. "I must go now. I was told to give you this," she said as she pulled out a necklace out of thin air.

"What is it?" I asked, as she clasped the necklace around my neck. It hummed and glowed to life.

"It will help you when you take your true place as queen," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You will breathe underwater, see clearly under the darkest of depths, and the sea's harsh temperatures will no longer bother you as they once did. When you awaken, go home to Arcania."

"But—" I replied, turning around to see that my mother was no longer there. I was all alone. Nothing but the sea greeted me before I awoke, staring up at the ceiling of our bedroom.

My senses came back to me all at once, the feeling of someone's arms around me as I laid there, the familiar feeling making me think of Delmare. Turning over, I realized with sadness that Delmare was not beside me and I was entirely alone in my bedroom, the sound of the water in the distance filling the silence. With a heavy sigh, I crawled out of bed, my body aching and my skin burning with each step I took toward the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, I closed the curtains, turning the shower on so that I could try to enjoy the lukewarm water escaping the shower head. My stomach growled as I carefully cleaned my body, hissing as my body screamed every time I moved a certain way. With a long sigh, I washed the soap from my body, the spray hitting my face with such force it began to ease the fever burning my skin. I stood there for a few minutes, letting the water run and not caring that it may raise my water bill or that I had already been in there for twenty minutes at least.