The Dead Sea: Truth's Awakening

Chapter 2

Coralia later decided against dropping by Merman Cave, much to Kairi's disappointment. "Too many things to sell", Coralia had reasoned. And so Kairi sat onto a nearby chair made of hard shells, its tough exterior causing discomfort. She would wait for Coralia to be done with her business, then maybe they could hunt for seashells in Merman Cave like they used to.

  It just wasn't the same after that incident, Kairi thought. Gone was the "Cora" she knew. Now, Coralia spent her days fully immersed in her shop, always worried about how many Murians would visit her small stall.

Life had since been painfully slow, leaving Kairi with nothing to do and a million things to ponder. It'd been a while since Coralia and Kairi went anywhere together. They had a few previous weeks of freedom, before being sent back to the tiresome prison known as a school. While Kairi attended Fantasia Academy, Coralia was stuck in Ribbony Primary which was halfway across Kendratome. The only time and place that they could meet was at Coralia's stall in Central Kendratome on weekends.  Soon, both would graduate, and then what?

  Kairi's mother would surely put her studies in front of everything and send her off to some desolate prestigious school in Urechna as Kendratome had none. She wasn't sure where Coralia could go, with her average results. Kairi wished she could drag Coralia along to her new school, but she knew that was impossible.

  They would go down separate paths, and probably never talk to each other ever again.

The mere thought of that gave Kairi a shudder that ran through her entire body. She couldn't imagine going back to those lonely days and quiet afternoons without anybody to talk to. With that, she was determined to get Coralia moving. She needed to find a way to salvage their past friendship, and turn it into something that was better than before.

With an air of determination, Kairi headed back to Coralia's stall. Meanwhile, Coralia was busy trying to convince a potential customer that the shells she sold were of quality material. After a few minutes of arguing about the authenticity of Coralia's trinkets, the lady huffed in frustration and turned her back on Coralia's small business. As Kairi headed closer, she could see the anguished look on her best friend's face. She knew business had been hard on her friend, especially with the troubled history involving Coralia's mother.

Mustering the biggest smile she could do, Kairi tapped Coralia on her shoulder. "How about you take a break from all this, and come with me?" There was a surprise Kairi discovered days ago and wanted to show Cora, but the distance between them had grown lately and Kairi had simply forgotten about her amazing discovery. Now that there was time, Kairi could finally get Coralia's attention.

"Not now, Kairi." Coralia shook her head impatiently, glancing towards the unsold treasures left on the countertop. But Kairi wasn't going to give up so easily. She continued to pester Coralia, desperate to forge a stronger bond with her.

"You'll love it, I promise!"

"I have things to do."

"Just trust me, you've never seen anything like it!"

"Next time, okay?"

"No! Please, you've been so busy lately and you barely even talk to me! Why are you so obsessed with that stuff of yours?"

"It's important to me!"

"More important than me?" Kairi asked, hurt by her own words. "I thought we were best friends. I guess you've changed! Why can't you just spare some time to-"

"I said not NOW, KAIRI! WHICH PART OF THAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?" Coralia snapped unhappily, slamming her hand into the tabletop. A few snail shells rolled off, hitting the floor with a cracking sound and splitting into tiny little pieces, just like the inside of Kairi's heart.

She had never been so ashamed before, with cheeks flushed and hands hidden in her pockets, Kairi mumbled a half-hearted "sorry" and left, walking as briskly as she could, ignoring curious bystanders and staring shop owners. Her throat stung a completely new sensation.

There was nowhere for her to go, and so Kairi headed towards the place she'd been so excited to show to Coralia, the place that caused it all.

Because on the outskirts of Kendratome, there were fresh, crumbling ruins with inscriptions that seemed to glow aqua blue. And so, Kairi had named this unfamiliar area with great thought. This would be her new safe space. Her gateway to all adventures. Her secret to hold.

Her own discovery,

Irukandji.