Found at Midnight

Chapter 5

Kellin

It was strange, really, how everyone had been so nice and protective over me, especially Vic and Jenna. Even with everyone being friendly, I had taken to hiding in the small spaces where I knew other people other than children wouldn't be able to fit in. I preferred a crawlspace in Vic's closet, where you'd never know that I was there unless you were seriously looking for me. When I was in hiding, I was sketching. It reminded that back in Ellesmera, on the nights where I actually couldn't sleep, I would draw. It helped my mind be at ease, even if I was in pain; it was my escape and the only comfort I had ever had. The sound of the pencil gliding back and forth over the paper was soothing, and occasionally I loved using my finger to create the shadows and blur harsh lines, softening them so I could add more detail.

The sound of a door opening caught my attention, and I poked my head out the space. I saw Jenna slip into the room, with a familiar head of dirty, blond hair following close behind her. I nearly tripped climbing out of my hiding spot as I launched myself at him. Warm tears fell down my face as I wrapped my legs around Justin's waist, holding on to him tightly as if he was going to disappear at any point. I simply couldn't believe that he was here, and there was no way I was letting go at any time.

"Kellin," he breathed out, wrapping his left arm underneath my legs. His other arm came around me as I sobbed into the crook of his neck. I bunched up the fabric of his shirt in my hand, trying to find a way to release all the emotions I was experiencing from seeing him. I could tell he was just as dazed to see me, seeing as how we were on land and all.

"Non credo enim te supervenisse (I cannot believe that you are here)," I cried, "Qui prius fui nocere possit evadere. Fuit tanti, dum eram perterritus non inveni te. Ne renlinquas me, ne (They hurt me before I was able to escape. It was awful, I was terrified when I couldn't find you here. Please don't leave me again, please don't)." I had switched back to my native tongue, knowing that he'd understand me, being a half syreni (mermaid) himself.

"Jem parum bene erit, et in omnia okay. Nolite ergo solliciti esse quod ego nunc facio certus eris et purus. Licet nunc omnes est (It will be okay, little gem, it will all be okay. Do not fret, I am here now, and I will make sure that you will be okay. It's alright now)," he told me, rocking back and forth and rubbing my back in soothing motions like he did when I was younger. It reminded me of the day that we had first met each other. Justin and I had met three years after I presented, when I was eight, and he was twelve. He had saved me from bleeding out one time, and we'd been close ever since. His mother was a merperson, his father a werewolf, so he'd inherited his dad's dominant wolf genes but could speak the Native tongue of the syreni  and breathe underwater. He had even visited my hiding place when I would be too weak to get close to the surface. Justin had taken Tien's place as my older brother, protecting me and keeping me hidden from the others in the kingdom who knew of my status and wanted to take advantage of me. He had never judged me for the mound of flesh that lay between my legs. Now at twenty-four years old, Justin still made sure to visit me whenever he could.

"Justin, can you explain what's going on?" Jenna asked, a confused expression on her features. It was apparent that she had no idea about mine and Justin's prior relationship, but rather than responding, all I did was put my face into the crook of Justin's neck.

"My mother was banished from the Ellesmera for mating a werewolf and bearing his child, so we retreated here, where we joined the pack. It was a nice place where we would be safe from the King's wrath. Ellesmerian royalty is obsessed with blood purity, like Valentine of the Shadowhunters, but they go to the extreme of the death penalty or eternal torture if someone mates with someone who is not of syreni lineage. I met Kellin when I was twelve years old. He was beaten badly, and it was horrible, so I carried him back to safety and cleaned him up. It took about a three months before he trusted me fully, but I soon became his only friend, and we trusted each other. Sadly, I had been sent out on a mission that lasted two months and couldn't visit him," Justin said, tightening his grip on me and walking over to the bed, sitting down with his hand running along my spine comfortingly.

"Okay," Jenna said simply, making me lift my head to see her usual comforting smile, "I came here to tell you that Vic wants you to come to the backyard so he can show you the pool. No one but him is there, but we'll be close by, I promise. So, let's get you all dolled up," she told me. I give her a small smile, my heart fluttering a little at the sound of his name.