Mermaids and Cigarets

Chapter 20

               

Awoken by the sound of a shutting door, Michael was startled. He brushed the popcorn crumbs off of himself and sat up. The blur to his eyes was retreating as he shut the T.V off cumbersomely. Not knowing who or what was in the house, he reached for the phone but found it was missing. He cursed under his breath and rubbed his eyes. Sleep had taken him quickly through the night with taunting dreams and a slight soreness in his upper back. Folding the blanket and cautiously standing up, Michael dreaded the new day. He finally resorted to using his cell phone, which was plagued with messages from Dr. Marlene and at only half battery. Michael took in a deep breath as he dialed Nick's phone number and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" Came a groggy voice. "It's me." Michael coughed out, as if confessing to the jury, but he was confused as to why he was feeling guilty. "What's up?" Michael had now deciphered it was his sister Jeanne. "Good morning to you too. I was just wondering if you were supposed to have any other company over." He explained. There was a long pause and Michael stood in the living room, gazing out towards the beach and noticing the sun almost in the middle of the sky. The hard sleep must have taken a toll on him because the ache and constant pressure on his back would not cease. On the other end, Michael heard a yawn and a rustling of bed sheets. "It's probably just Marcy, don't worry about it." Jeanne yawned again and hung up.

With the knowing of Nick's niece being in the house, Michael was a little more at ease. He trudged into the kitchen to fix a bland breakfast of toast then decided to head out for the day. It was surprisingly warm and sunny with the winter chill soon coming.

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Marcy's dreams were filled with mirages she barely remembered; a cold chill traveled up and down her spine. Calls of distant sea creatures she couldn't recall the names of echoed in her memory. That was when Marcy realized that she had slept in her own bed, for the whole day, next to Alexander. She sat up, a dusting of sweat on her brow, noticing the afternoon light creeping in through the window. Her legs sorer than ever. Marcy groaned and stretched her legs out, the ache subsiding for only a few moments. Glancing back at the prince that lay in her bed, a pillow stuffed under his face, Marcy wondered what he was thinking. Did he really want her to come home? Could she ever love him again? This confusion and pain, twisted her gut around relentlessly.

Marcy decided not to wake Alexander as she trudged to the bathroom, hoping there was hot water to soothe her aching legs. She left the lights off as she let the water run to heat up, humming to herself. Letting the water soak her, the ache in her legs gave way to the darkness of Marcy's tail. The end draping over the edge of the tub as Marcy sank down her head fully submerged. At that time Marcy forgot about the prince sleeping in her bed, the scientists who threatened her existence and the strange man sleeping on the couch. Instead, she closed her eyes and remembered what it was like to feel the water rushing in and out of her gills, the scales flexing and tensing with every nervous twitch, and her hair flowing freely in the warm bath water.

Marcy also recalled something else, the faint something from her dream. The image of an Orca whale in the Atlantic, traveling with other Orca's and Marcy was with them. Their large bodies surrounded her as they roamed the open ocean. She remembered chilling comfort of being part of a nomadic group. Everyone was for themselves, but still connected through family. The Orca's protected Marcy and she in return, scouted for fishing boats and entrapments they might get caught in. Being alone with the whales, Marcy felt like she was part of a true family. But the more she tried to remember her past the more her heart pained to portray its images.

"You can't sleep in a bathtub forever." Alexander kneeled by the tub. Marcy sat up cautiously and rubbed her eyes, "Watch me." She snipped. Marcy observed the clock on the wall and noticed it was too late to go to school. Marcy didn't feel like going anyways. Alexander stayed kneeling next to the tub, "Do you think that man is still here?" he asked. Marcy sniffed, "It's hard to tell. He might have left something behind." She explained. This is how conversations went with him. One moment he could be as close as he was when they were together, but once Marcy put her shield up again they were only acquaintances. Marcy knew that things were different now, she could no longer be the shy girl sneaking around with the prince anymore. The king was dead and Alexander would need a true queen by his side, not some low life traveler. She refused to let her living feelings for him emerge right there in her bathroom and so she sunk back down into the security of the water. Marcy closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. She heard the door click shut and the ruffling of clothes behind her. Marcy willed herself to not look back. Laying on her side Marcy felt the water shudder as the prince lay next to her. She felt his tail ease next to hers and more memories flooded her mind. She pushed them away and with her back still facing him, squeezed her eyes shut.

Alexander wrapped his arms around the only solace and love he ever knew and kissed the back of her neck. "I'm not leaving you." He whispered, and Marcy began to cry.

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Lillian was covering the afternoon shift at the local bookstore. Her hobby of reading began ever since her surfacing. She was on a search; the type that meant looking could take hours or even days. Her family had refused to speak to her once she reached the land above the waves. But they were not her true family, not anymore. Lillian's sister lived somewhere along the banished.

She sat at the counter, continuing a novel she had recently picked up in the last few days. The sun painted through the windows a constant nagging. Lillian's mind began to wonder to the man who had curiously questioned her earlier, and she tried to remember his features. Dark hair, soft eyes, but a tendency to come on too strong. She never caught his name, and felt subtly threatened when asked about a merman seen at the cove. She wondered if the court had sent him to warn her about her absence, to remind her she was no longer welcome.

He had come looking for one of her kind and to her surprise had captured a picture of a mer near the cove. This worried Lillian as she didn't recognize the mer, and only knew of two of the banished living in this area. Placing her book down, Lillian scanned the sidewalk outside to see if the man would pass by. She did find him somewhat attractive. Some couples were wondering, watching the gulls overhead and eating meals along the shore. When there was no sign of him, she directed her focus back onto her book. The waves called to her every minute and she desperately wanted to go back to them, but that was not an option and Lillian willed herself to stay put.

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