The Aquarian

Chapter 2

I stayed in my room for quite a while, as I was too anxious to confront anyone, or even socialize in general.

But I couldn't hide much longer.

Scarlett came into my room, chatty as usual. She has long curly black hair that goes to her chest, against her milk-white skin, bright green eyes, and a beautiful deep red tail. "So, where did you go?...Are you okay?" She asked, starting out casual but ending with concern. "I don't want to talk about it" I said quietly. Scarlett just shrugged and smiled. "Sometimes I feel like I know you better than you know yourself. When your crying, its your way of saying you need to talk about something." She said.
Now it was getting a little annoying.

"Scarlett, you can't actually know somebody better than they know themselves because you don't even know what they are feeling emotionally or mentally. Again, I'm shaken, I can't even think strait, please stop." I said, a little exasperated... yet deep down I didn't mind her pestering me, as it was nice to focuse on something else, or just let it all out.
"I know you really do want to talk about it." She said quietly.
I put my face to the sand, then sighed. I then explained what happened to Nahla.
At then end of the encounter, I explained: "The disease or whatever, was not even recognizable at all. All I know is that something was causing her skin to peel."
Scarlett's eyes widened. "
That is actually kind of freaky." Scarlett remarked.
"I think I'll try to avoid the Medical Court for a while." She said.
For a while we just sat there quietly, which was unusual for Scarlett, just listening to the hum of the water.

"I just can't help feeling horrible for her." I said quietly.
"Yeah." Scarlett agreed. "But I feel worse for you." She remarked.
I raised my eye brows.
"I wasn't the one turning green and chocking." I pointed out.
"But you where the one who had to save her and had to...go through all that, and you helped enormously, even if the other mermaid carried her a little. The girl owes you her life."Scarlett said.
She really was trying her best to make me feel better, even though I was wondering if Nahla still has a life to owe anymore.
"You should just feel good for the help you gave." She said strongly.
"Ok, all right, Scarlett. Thanks for what you said. I just wished I could have helped more, that's all. Its all fine." I said, trying my best act nonchalant.

Knowing Scarlett as a super humorous and kind of sarcastic person, her sudden sentimental pep talks may surprise you when she's trying to cheer you up.
She really does want to help people, even if she doesn't always reveal that side of herself.
Scarlett looked up.
"Mom said she'll be spending an extra hour or to at the Infant Clinic. She said we have to be in bed at sundown, but...you know she won't be here, so..." She said slyly, raising her eyebrows in this funny kind of way.
I  shook my head.
"Just because mom won't be here, doesn't mean she can't ask the Aquarians across the street if they heard us after her work.''I pointed out.
Scarlett just shruged. ''Whatever.''

She swam out of my room, swishing her tail in a teasing response.
*
Late that night, I was awoken by the sound of my mother swimming into our dune, while Scarlett pretended to be asleep.
When she passed by my den, I could see a look of despair on her long oval face and green eyes, and I pondered again about Nahla.
Was she the infant in my mother's care at the Infant Clinic (the Infant Clinic is for children who have never found DNA matching for a possible parent, and was possibly abandoned)?
That was when I remembered mother talking about Nahla with another caregiver, saying that Nahla is her oldest infant and had one year left before she would be marked as an adolescent and taken to a new home.

Mom must be sick with worry, but I'm not completely sure on the strength in the bonds she has with her infants, as she had always had her own personal independence.
I'm sure she would have liked to have picked a different job to embrace that part of her, but honestly, there aren't that many job opportunities for Aquarian women.
I tried to fall asleep, but it proved to be difficult as I had a hard time drowning out (and not worrying) about the occasional sobs coming from my mother's den.
*
In the morning, all I could see was distant sunlight hitting my mother's long face, making her green eyes pop out even more.
Her short arm's where russling me awake.
At first, I was to groggy to understand her motive, until I saw her stern and distressed face.
She has always been rather serious, and sometimes stern towards me and my sister, never talking, but I have never seen her act this serious before.

"Wha..." I mumbled.
My mom looked at me intently- "What did you do on your swim yesterday? What happened?" She asked sternly.
I wasn't processing everything yet. She's always been anti-social, sometimes a little stern, but never before was she so abrupt and acting like this before.
I then explained calmly my encounter with Nahla, but was unable to finish because mom started crying hysterically.
To bad I never learned what to do with a crying mother Siren in School...

I got up to sit beside her on the golden sand and was able to make out some words she said between sobs.
It was a sunny morning, but all i could feel was a gray cloudy day.
"They're all going to think I did this to her, I should have been taking care of her. Its all over now."
Her last sentence sent chills up my spine, but it was not the right time to ask her about what she meant.
"No mom, it must have been a flu or disease of some sort, it had nothing to do with you." I said softly.
She seemed to settle down a bit after that.
As her bright eyes cleared up, she seemed to understand that she was crying in front of her daughter.
I wondered if she ever cried when no one was watching. "Ok, I understand. Thank you, Marina, I was just a little nervous because the Medicinals found out that Nahla has a new disease, Solaricis, that they think might be very fatal." She said, almost at a point of calmness.
She left my room swishing her aqua-marine tail (which is the exact same color as mine) behind her, acting as if this was all completely normal.
It wasn't.