Irreversible (h.s)

Chapter 6

        After a long 20 minutes, I slowly pull the boat back into the old dock. I sigh as I run my hand through my hair. What the hell am I going to do about this girl? I text my dad to tell him I'll be at the house in a couple minutes and he replies with a "Be careful". I walk over to Coralie and tap her arm quickly before pulling away. "Coralie? Um, we are back on land." I whisper. She stirs and opens her big blue eyes. My breathing stops AGAIN. She yawns while stretching her arms to the sky. I collect all of my swimming gear and duffle bag and throw it over my shoulder. "You ready?" I ask, wondering what story I am going to make up to my dad about her presence. She nods and slowly tries to stand up, but to no avail she falls back down once again. I walk over to her and put my arm out to hold onto, "Here, hold onto me." She grabs my arm with her dainty hands and pulls herself up with a smile.

"Thank you, Harry." She whispers to me. On that note, I nod and begin to walk out off the boat onto the dock with her trailing by my side. The moment I step up to leave the boat, she stops and pulls me back with wide eyes. She must be scared. "It's okay, it may be old but I promise it will hold us up." She nods and follows my lead off the boat. "Harry," she says suddenly, "I'm scared." I look over to her and shes crying. She wipes her eyes and stares at the tears on her hand with wide eyes. "Water?"

"You're crying Coralie. That is what humans do when they are sad." I look away from her despairing face and continue to walk off the long dock. " I need you to do me a favor." I say, surprising her. "Don't tell my father what you are okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

"Hurt?" She panics, letting go of my arm quickly.

"Coralie, you aren't normal. Just like I am not normal to you. I need you to try to be as human as you can be." She closes her eyes and sighs with an understanding nod.

We walk up to my house and I lead her to the front door. "This is your home?" I nod, "It's beautiful." Her statement makes me reel back and laugh, my house is far from beautiful. It practically looks like a small blue shack. Before I could open the door, it swings open, causing Coralie to jump behind me. "What the hell took you so long son? You had me scared shitless." While he was yelling, Coralie slowly pops her head from behind me, causing my dad to mute. "Harry, who is this?" Oh god. He's pissed.

"Dad, this is Coralie. It's a long story, so can I please come inside and tell it to you?" He nods, keeping his eyes on Coralie while slowly opening the door for us to enter. We walk into the living room and I could feel how uncomfortable Coralie was because of my dad's hardcore stare. "Dad, please stop staring at her. She's already scared as it is."

"Coralie, where did you get that necklace?" He questions, with the most confused face I've ever seen him give. She reaches up to her neck and pulls it off.

"I found it in the ocean. It's very beautiful." She smiles a small smile while staring at the necklace. She turns it around showing the quote "Big things often have small beginnings." My dad's breathing comes to a stop and his eyes begin to water.

"That was my wife's necklace." He murmurs. A shocked "Oh" comes out of Coralie and she tries to give it back to my dad. "Can you give it to her then? I wouldn't want to take something that isn't mine." She's so clueless of the emotions going through my dad's eyes as she places the necklace in his hands.

"She's dead." He admits for the first time in forever. Coralie's looks over to me with a sad expression on her face "I am so sorry. My mother is dead as well." She puts her hands on his and my arm and looks at us with sympathy.

"You know what? Keep the necklace. But you have to promise that you will take very good care of it." My dad insists. I smile as my dad reaches around her neck and clasps the chain together.

"I promise I wont leave it out of my sight." Coralie states while walking over to my dad. To his surprise and my own, she reaches out and hugs him. His body stiffens at the contact, but then softens as he hugs her back. I couldn't help but be happy that my dad was showing some type of emotion.

"Now can you please tell me what's going on and why you brought a random girl home in your clothes?" He asks, laughing.

"I found her in the ocean Dad. She doesn't remember much. She could've been in a ship wreck! I didn't know what to do so I just brought her here. Do you think that she could stay here? Until we figure out who she is and where she is from?"

"Okay." Is all he says.

"Okay?" I repeat confused. He nods and walks into the kitchen yelling, "Is anybody hungry? I made burgers!" I grab Coralie's hands and guide her to the kitchen.

"Harrry." She whispers quietly in my ear. "What is a burger?"

"You don't know what a burger is?" My dad questions, obviously hearing what she asked me.

"Dad, we are literally the only people who live here who actually make burgers." We were in America for a while and my dad grown a new found love for the food. He shrugs his shoulders and places all the food on the table. Since when do we actually eat at the table together?

"Please sit, Coralie. " She blushes and sits down at the table. I sit down next to her while my dad finishes. "Thank you um.. human?" Coralie says, causing me to spit my drink back into the cup. My dad starts laughing hysterically, which makes her face flush even more.

"Human? Please call me Des."

"Oh. Thank you, Des." She finally says. I pick my burger up and start to eat, and I can feel Coralie's eyes on me. I look over to her and raise my eyebrows and nod down to her sandwich. She gets the clue and picks up her burger the same way that I did. I nod to her again and she finally starts to eat. A groan of satisfaction erupts from her mouth as she takes the first bite, causing my dad to smile. "This is a really good Burger." She declares. My dads eyes hook on to mine and for the first time in months, I can see happiness in them.

"Don't get his hopes up Coralie, he's really not THAT great." I mock, causing Coralie to giggle. It was the most beautiful sound.

Reality set in when my dad said, "Harry, what are we going to do about clothes for her? Or school? " I set my head in my hands and shook my head.

"She could wear mom's old clothes? I'm sure they could fit her." My dad's head shakes no immediately. I groan, "The only thing those clothes are doing is collecting dust in those boxes dad!"

"I said no. I have a couple thousands of dollars in savings. I'll give you a thousand and you can take her shopping tomorrow instead of going to school. While you're doing that with her, I'll go to the school and register her for her classes." I was surprised with how willing my dad was with this whole situation.

"Are you sure?" He nods and we finish our dinner in silence. After cleaning the dishes my dad tells me goodnight and he goes to his room, leaving me alone with Coralie.

"Do you want a shower?" I ask.

"I do not know what a shower is." She states.

"You don't have to clean yourself in the ocean?" I question, with a bit of humor in my voice.

"Oh yes! We just scrub ourselves with kelp!"

"Well your kelp scrubs, are similar to a shower on land. So let me show you where the shower is." She nods her head and follows me upstairs to the bathroom that connects to my room. I tell her what the difference between shampoo and conditioner is, I grab a couple towels for her, and I leave the bathroom hoping that she can handle taking a shower without me being in the room.
Not even leaving the room for two minutes, she peaks her head out of the bathroom door and asks "Um, how do you turn the shower on?" Oops, I should've known that would happen. As I walk in there, I notice that she has the towel wrapped around her, and I avert my eyes away quickly, trying not to stare. Control yourself Harry.

"Here ya go." I say while walking out. When the door is finally closed I let out the huge breath I didn't realize I was holding.