Secrets of the Sea

xxi. the ocean's call

Jolie's POV
1 hour ago

Jolie's eyes wandered throughout the halls, humming as she and Kaia swam side by side. Callie had promised to take Daryah safety back to the dorms, and because Callie was Daryah's best friend, Jolie had no doubt that right now Daryah was probably resting in bed.

"It's a nice day," Kaia sighed. "Other than Daryah's collapse! What in the word do you think caused that? Remember how Daryah looked and sounded? It was so scary... have you ever seen something like that before? There was smoke coming out of her eyes and mouth, and the way she spoke was as if a young and old person were speaking together. And why did she say something so strange! Do you think she was maybe possessed by a spirit or something?"

Jolie shook her head. "No, a spirit did not posses her," she replied simply. She would have known if it was a spirit. "Jade has a theory about it, she says it's clairvoyance."

"Clairvoyance?" Kaia's eyes were wide. "Like... the ability to tell the future?"

"Yes," Jolie confirmed. "If you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense."

"I suppose so," Kaia said slowly. "Hey, shouldn't Callie be back by now? She said she would meet us back here when she safely got Daryah there, and it's been more than twenty minutes."

"We can wait a while longer," Jolie replied. "Speaking of Callie, I can assume that you already know of Callie's secret?"

"What... what are you talking about?" Kaia asked, tilting her head in what seemed like confusion. "Secret? I'm sorry, but I don't—"

"You know perfectly well to what I'm referring to," Jolie said with a bright smile. If she wasn't a shrewd person, she would have missed the slight tremor in Kaia's voice when she had denied it, and the hesitation. "You've known before any of us," Jolie continued confidently. "In fact, you found it out at the moment that Callie discovered it herself. Am I correct?"

"H-How do you know this?" Kaia stammered, no longer pretending. Her eyes revealed her wariness.

"Because everyone else knows too," Jolie said with a shrug. "Daryah was the first one Callie told, and Jade revealed that she knew Callie's identity, but Daryah and Callie aren't aware of us knowing either. You found out because you were present suing her transformation, right? You were collected a rare species of plants to study with, and then you accidentally witnessed a human turning into a mermaid. That's why you were always staring nervously at Callie before you learned that she was friendly."

"How do you know all of this information?" Kaia demanded. "How did you find out—no, why do you know how everyone else knows! Have you been watching everyone?"

"I haven't," Jolie laughed merrily. "But let's just say that Callie has a sort of... ah, guardian watching over her. And I can communicate to her kind."

"Is... that why you're talking to the walls together all the time?" Kaia asked blankly. "Are the walls watching her?? But then how'd they see all the way to where Callie transformed?"

Jolie sighed. "I'm a medium," she said. "I can communicate and see spirits."

"You...wait...what?" Kaia's eyes were now impossibly wide. "You're saying... there is a ghost haunting Callie?"

"Guarding," Jolie corrected. "Her name is—Charlie?"

Jolie paused as a translucent girl appeared.

"Jolie!" Charlie cried, wringing her semi-transparent, bloody hands.

"Charlie...?" Jolie asked, turning to the ghost girl immediately. Never had she seen carefree, mischievous Charlie look so anxious. "What's going on? Did something happen?"