"Why are you asking me so suddenly?" She replies with a question, and her tone of voice lets me know that she is suddenly nervous. I take that as a sign for the future to keep pushing her until I get more information on her.
"I just want to know. You didn't come here with a lot. Just want to know if you'll really be okay finding somewhere to crash for a while. You know, to know you're okay." I reply back in an instant and am very grateful I got the reflexes like my father, of coming up with the words that will extract the right information without seconds.
"I'm from California." She says quickly and then starts walking again. The silence continues after that until we make it back to the docks. Dalia thanks us for walking with her, then separates from us to go off by herself. The three of us slowly make our way to my cabin where we can smell our dinner still being cooked. I'm thankful that we got back just in time, otherwise it wouldn't taste as good. Especially because if we had been late, we would have been scolded and it'd be a miserable time to eat dinner. But we enter the kitchen just the oven is turned off and the food is starting to be served.
***
We pack ourselves like cattle around the living room couch to watch tv. I personally think tv is more fun without seeing the people included in the shows we watch. My father used make it a game where I'd guess what they looked like and if I got them correct I'd be promised more dessert that night. I smile at the memory. I feel Avery snuggle into me and feel even happier, knowing that he was back to his normal self. At least I thought so at the time.
It was late at night and I had finally gotten comfortable on the floor when I realize Avery is missing from my room. I slowly crawl out of bed making sure that Madilyn is still asleep and not to wake her, I quietly find the door and close it. I leave the cabin, sure that he probably left to find some fresh air. I close the front door of the floating cabin only to hear the waves of the lake beating on the docks, but as I listen closer I hear very quiet voices at the end of the docks. As I sneak closer, I realize its Ariel's voice talking now. I don't know what to do. I don't recognize the second voice talking back. It's a small, but sure voice, all scrawny with its words being said. It's a boy's voice, but Avery can't talk, I think, it can't be him obviously.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you. You made the deal, so you keep it." Ariel replies from a question I hadn't been focused on that I didn't know what was asked of her. I start to listen in on the private conversation because it makes me curious. I've never heard this boy's voice before. Could he be a foreigner? I think swiftly. I listen more trying to place the voice with some sort of face but for some reason it doesn't quite work. Features swirl and cloud my mind as I try to define this person's voice, but I can't seem to fit them together.
"I made a deal, but it wasn't my fault. I didn't really mean to keep it, you know how Ursula thinks these things, how evil she is. She's your own sister." The boy answers, but as he finishes his sentence, his voice becomes soft and agitated. "I only did it for her protection. She means the world to me, I couldn't do anything."
"I know you did, but you know I can't do anything to help you get out of it. Only you can." Ariel says, and I feel slight anger towards her because she would be the type to help others but apparently not in this world, not the real Ariel.
"I just want out." He says, and his voice sounds miserable. And for a moment I feel as if I might know the boy, but clearly, I couldn't.
"I'm sorry Avery. I just can't change one of Ursula's deals. Once its made, she never forgets." Ariel says and my mind sticks to the name spoken. I freeze. No, that cannot be Avery, he can't talk, I think. I don't realize I move and make noise until I hear a squeak of a voice.
"Ember." Ariel says to me quite coldly. "What are you doing here?" I stand now. My vision starts to clear into a natural blurriness as I start to see the night sky. I see Avery's surprised expression as it changes from guilt, to shame, and to many other expressions I can't quite grasp until he finally finds one that works. He chooses surprise.
I don't answer her, but instead focus my own question towards the little boy. "You...You're talking?" I ask, at first not able to communicate due to the shock of his voice, let alone him actually talking. He looks at me, unsure of what to do, I know it.
The sounds he makes are not real words but I know he is trying to explain. I know the feeling of the exhilaration of feelings that go through you when you caught doing something. "I can explain." He finally tells me, which I already know but I don't pester him. He's already probably thinking I'm angry with him.
I realize I should tell him I'm not to make him feel better. To calm down, I think. "I'm not angry, Avery, I just wasn't expecting it." I tell him softly, and smile at how relaxed my voice sounds. He sighs, and I feel relieved too.
"I'm sorry. It was to protect you. I wanted to make a deal. With Ursula." He answers quietly, and deeply inside, I still can't get over how his voice sounds. I smile sadly and he notices and looks down. "I made a deal to make her help us defeat the coming threat. She knew it was coming, she was ready to take advantage of me. I'm sorry." He says, and he repeatedly mumbles 'I'm sorry' over and over that I walk over to him and envelope him in a tight hug.
"Its okay. Its really okay, Avery. I understand. If its anyone's fault, its Ursula's. Alright? You understand that?" I tell him softly. I want to make sure he knows he can't blame himself. That he can't be guilty about trying to protect me. He cuddles into me after one last 'I'm sorry', then its silent. I watch as Ariel slowly leaves, and then my vision goes to the normal blackness and I smile as I snuggle into Avery again. I don't know how I ever got through life without Avery and Madilyn, I think curiously. I can't think of life without them anymore. I smile, deeply happy.
Later, its early morning, just about two hours after midnight, and I finally decide that I'd rather not fall asleep out here. I stir from a half asleep state and realize Avery is fast asleep in my lap. I smile and take a deep breath in as I heave myself up from the wooden docks and find my way back to my room and plop Avery in his bed. Then, tired, I fall back into my bed and slip into a quick sleep.
***
Morning comes quickly, and I slowly get up. I guess staying up late wasn't the best idea, but I had been worried about Avery going missing again. I don't hear Madilyn's heavy breathing as I normally do when she's sleeping, and I don't hear the slight, small breaths from Avery. I strain my ears to see if they might be in the kitchen, and then finally hear Madilyn's voice and smile. She's talking about how breakfast should be the most important meal of the day, and I just have to giggle. She's the funniest girl I've ever know, of course, in a good way. I stretch, and then get a nice warm sweater on with jeans. Its getting colder out, and the sky is turning darker, while the sun is setting earlier and earlier. I breathe in a deep breath and let it out to wake myself up faster and then find my way into the kitchen where I can hear three familiar voices. Then I realize again, they haven't heard Avery talk. I want to say something, but then I decide sadly, that it's his information, so he can decide when to tell. Of course, it will come as a shock to everything just to tell them anything. I smile happily, almost letting out a laugh, but stop myself.
"You're awake! Good, we can eat breakfast!" Madilyn says but her voice isn't nagging, its playful and happy. I really don't know where she gets all this energy in the morning, she just jumps right up. I sometimes wish I could do that, but then again, I think back to when I can just lie in my warm comfy bed and think about the world. I settle into my seat at the wooden kitchen table and we all laugh and talk about random things as we eat our eggs, bacon and toast happily. And every once in a while I can hear Avery snicker at a joke and smile, making the joy of hearing him laugh grow in my gut and bubble up throughout me. Today I am in a good mood, I think joyfully.
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YOU ARE READING
Ariel's Daughter
Fantasy"I don't like it, but it's true." It's my dad's voice. Sad and full of guilt. I frown. He must feel horrible, but I realized yesterday, that I can't blame him for this turnout. It was my mother that kept me in the dark all this time. Dad was only th...
