Gemma had a rough start in life but she eventually managed to make her life what she always dreamt of. From filling the gap between her grandparents and her mom to accepting her father's absence in her life to becoming a successful interior designer...
Muffled voices surrounded me. I tried to hear, tried to understand what was being said but I could not and nor could I hold back from coughing, which eventually, silenced the voices.
I opened my eyes only to get a glimpse of unfamiliar faces looking down at me and then my eyes closed automatically.
I tried to remember everything that had happened and when I did, the only thing I knew was that I wanted my Mom. I know it sounds very silly for a 24 year old girl but that was the truth.
'Mom!' I sat up abruptly, ignoring the pain in my limbs and looked here and there for her. It was like somebody rubbed ice on a burn for me when my eyes found her. There she was, standing in her beautiful blue sundress, all wet and smiling weakly at me.
I jolted towards her and threw my arms around her. I sobbed like a child on feeling her. 'Mom? You're fine?'
'I'm fine, Love. And so are you.' she whispered back to me and when I was assured of her presence, I parted from her. That's when I observed the place.
It was magnificent. White marble shimmered blue. I gulped as the glass walls, outside which sharks, other fishes and blue-ness of ocean swam, told me that we were underwater. The ceiling covered with the stories from legends, golden scriptures on the white marble pillars.
At one end stood many people dressed rather weirdly, blocking the view to the entrance and at the opposite end, few steps above, sat a simple plane throne made of marble. It had a golden 'N' beautifully scribed on it. Behind it, hung a banner which had the same 'N' on it.
Leaving everything I focused on the person who was observing me very closely and giving me and my mother angry stares. He was a tall man, looked just few years older than Mom and was wearing the same sense of fashion as the other people, but his looked expensive.
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And then I looked up at his face closely. Fair, almost pale skin with peppered beard and same colored shoulder length hair which were drenched right now. A perfect nose. Pair of ocean blue eyes glaring at me with so much hatred that I could not bear it.
My lips parted as I realized where I've seen those eyes. They were mine!
I could not say anything.
He pushed me aside rather violently and went dangerously closer to my Mom.
'After all these years........You dare bring another's blood mixed with yours in my territory!' he whispered in his smooth and deep voice eyeing my Mom so intensely and accusingly that fresh tears slid down her eyes.
'I loved you. I loved you so much that I decided to mourn the loss of my love for lifetime. I loved you so much that I decided to remain heirless rather than touching a woman who is not you!' hurt and anger dripped from his voice.
'What did you do, my love?' he asked with so much vulnerability and hurt that Mom squinted her eyes.
'You left me with a lifetime guilt that I COULD SAVE THE ONE WOMAN I LOVED THE MOST!' I could swear that I felt the whole place shudder with his roar.
'And not only that...........you had her!' he pointed at me. Before I could say anything an order was passed by him for me.
'Feed her to sharks!' he told the people standing there and as they dragged me away, I kept yelling that I can explain. But he, ignoring both my yells and my Mom's heart wrenching pleas, made his way towards his throne to sit down.
'TRITON PLEASE!!' was the last thing I heard before we exited the grand hall. At least I got to know his name.
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I didn't feel anything when I was pushed through a wall of water and I was suddenly in the ocean water and not in a place filled with air. Swimming through a tunnel, the guards (that's what they seemed to me) took me to a dark and open area which was filled with Sharks.
I was practically in the middle of those beastly fishes and they were swimming past me. When I think about it now, I know that I would have peed out of fear. But at that time I was too numb.
One of the guards forcefully took my hand and made a cut onto it to attract the attention of those fishes
'Feed!' I heard his command to those fishes, not thinking much about how he was able to speak underwater or how was I still breathing.
Soon, all the Sharks were coming towards me and that when I realized I was going to die a painful death. I squinted my eyes and waited for things to happen but they didn't happen.
The Sharks were coming closer to me and then leaving past me!
'What's the matter, moron?!' the same guard yelled at them and one of the Sharks seemed to tell him the matter.
'What the actual hell?!' he exclaimed and looked at me with horror. Without any haste he pulled me with him back to the same place from where we came. The medium changed from water to air and we were moving back towards the hall where I left Mom.
She was lying on the floor crying and he was still sitting on his throne, gazing at her. His eyes seemed as if he was fighting an inner battle. When his eyes fell on me, they spitting fire again.
'Why is she STILL ALIVE?!' he roared while walking down the steps and causing my Mom's attention on me too. Mom got up on her feet and was about to run for me but was held by him in an iron grip.
'I asked you something?!' he inquired his man. The man, in the most respectful way locked his hand ahead and replied 'My Lord! The Sharks refuse to feed on her.'
'What?' he asked with a frown.
'Yes, Sire. They say they smell his Lordship's blood in her and won't harm her.' replied the man and his eyes slowly began widening.
With a swift move, he turned Mom and searched her eyes for answers as he held her tightly by her elbows.
'I could never love another.' Mom whispered to him gently and I saw his expressions changing from hard ones to vulnerable ones.
He gazed in her eyes for a brief moment and then looked back at me. I smiled through tears, forgetting about how much I hated him, forgiving him for his absence.
'Hey, Dad.' I whispered through tears and within two long strides I was in the safest place in this whole world............I was in my father's arms.
'My Child.' I heard him whisper. I parted and he cupped my face in the most loving way and kissed my forehead.
'You have some amendments to make........Lord Triton' came my mother's voice from behind and the way they both smiled at each other nonchalantly, I knew this line was something from their past.
'I shall.' and then I witnessed a kiss of two lovers separated from ages and I wondered if anything could ne purer than this.
'Sir I congratulate you for your happiness but.........we have a problem.'
'What is it?' Dad asked and I could not help but detect the touch of a language unknown to me.
'Sir your daughter here is a child born from the union of land and ocean.' I didn't see any problem in it but Mom and Dad seemed to have sensed a lot of problem in it.
'That's why I kept her away.' Mom told Dad.
'The problem is much more bigger than you know, Love.' Dad said while gazing at me, leaving Mom confused and me extra confused.
