I Am The Last Mermaid

Chapter 9 Fire

Chapter 9
Fire

As Jonathan and I walked back to the stone building I had two things on my mind.
First, I wanted food. Fish, vegetables, fruit, even seaweed sounded good at this point.
Second, why was Jonathan so kind to me? Yes, I know, more of a question than the first one, but hey, siren's got to eat too.
I mean, just from memories of the mainland I knew (by the ocean, I knew) that not everyone was as kind as he was. The way he looked at me, as if we were equals. Women were always looked at as objects, things that men thought of as toys, play things.
It made my blood boil.
But Jonathan looked at me as if I was his equal, no less or greater than him. Then again, I would have thrown him into the rocks myself had he treated me otherwise.
I bit the inside of my lip.
People were complicated.
}~~>•

"I'm famished" I said "would you like some food?"
Jonathan stepped through the door of the stone building, the old wood and metal creaking as he did.
I walked over to the shelf I kept dishes on, and reached for a pan off the top. I set it on the stone counter and walked over to the fire pit. My footsteps made an echoing sound as I walked. I grabbed some pieces of wood and threw them on the ashes of the previous dinner fire.
"Sure" Jonathan said "food would be wonderful."
I looked over at him, his ocean blue eyes were on me. I felt my cheeks get warm, pursed my lips, and nodded.
I grabbed the two rocks to my left that I used to light the fire.
I hit them together like I had thousands of times before, preparing for dinner on my lonely island.
They sparked, but no flames.
I hit them together again, again the sparks had no effect.
'Come on,' I thought 'show Jonathan you aren't helpless.'
I was about to strike for the third time but I felt something warm and soft fold over my hands.
I froze immediately.
Touch.
The term was borderline alien to me.
Jonathan had grabbed my hands, both of them enclosed around the stones.
My face was burning.
'But why?' I thought 'why do you care?'
I slowly lifted my face up, trying to regain composure before looking directly into his blue eyes.
They were shining, they were bright and understanding, and...kind, gentle even.
"May I help? I was pretty good at lighting the campfires on the mainland, even when it was pouring rain."
He smiled gently, slowly taking the stone from my hands.
He helped my fingers unfold from the rock and held them as if they could shatter.
I felt like I could shatter.
What was wrong with me? Why was I acting like this?
"O-of-of c-course." I stuttered out.
By the ocean, guppies probably seemed braver than I was.
Jonathan smiled kindly again, and something in my stomach churned. It was pleasant, but horrifying all the same.
He leaned down next to me, tearing his soul reading eyes away from me, and gazed towards the vacant fire pit.
He took the rocks, rubbed them in his hands, and struck them together.
Fire seemed to pour from the rocks like lava, the flames rose, and Jonathan added more wood.
"See? Something are always better with a little help."
I smiled.
}~~>•
I was officially exhausted.
Jonathan and I had eaten in comfortable silence, and after we finished, he helped me clean the dishes.
I was astounded, men didn't...help. Men didn't bother doing small things like assisting with dishes, or walking along beaches. They went to pubs, and drank, and raped and beat children in druken rage-
"Angelica!"
Jonathan grabbed my arm, my hand stung.
I looked down at the stinging pain in my hand. I had broken a plate, and a shard of glass in my hand.
"Oops" I said.
I had gotten too worked up. Jonathan was simply helping me, being kind, he probably wanted something in return. Just the thought of men and kindness together in a sentence was strange, and it brought back memories...I didn't want to remember.
I pulled the shard of glass out of my hand and grabbed a cloth. Jonathan grabbed the cloth from my uninjured hand and grabbed the wrist of my injured one. I frowned, what was he doing?
He took the piece of cloth and wrapped it around the cut in my skin. It was bleeding, but not too badly, the sharks were worse.
"I don't know what you were thinking" Jonathan said, continuing to wrap the injury
"But know, I'm your friend, I may be stuck here, but I have no intention to take this place from you, or to make someone as strong as you my enemy."
The words were just talk, being honest, confirming to me, he was my friend, but they had deeper meaning. Jonathan was trying to show me I had nothing to fear, and nothing to feel threatened by.
I respected that, and nodded to his words. My hand felt better already.
}~~>•
I went to sleep that night looking at the wrapping's on my hand. They were very good, and the pain in my hand was almost gone.
Dreams, for once, didn't haunt my sleep.
}~~>•
Jonathan went to sleep that night thinking of Angelica.
Her eyes, her hair, her hands shaking in his...
Her face when she blushed, when she smiled. God, he loved when she smiled, she seemed to reverse her age by centuries, it was magical.
'She's a siren' he told himself over and over and over again, but the words had no effect. He even went as far as to think
'You can't fall for a monster'
But even those words didn't change his mind.
'Maybe you can escape before she entrances you in her love spell' he thought
'Maybe it's already too late.'
}~~>•

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Oh god.
Oh GOD.
OH GOD.
I'm so so so so sorry.
I know I'm literally the worst human alive.
(Maybe I'm not human)
Anyway, I'm so sorry this took so long.
I've been really sick and depressed and just plain unhappy recently.
And I can't write like that.
So I'm so sorry, but I'm back now.
And the Mermaid Train is BACK AT THE STATION BABY ALL ABOARD!
Anywayssss??
Updates coming as soon as this week? Maybe? Who knows?
God I'm a monster.
Cya soon!
~The Last Mermaid