Cursed with Fins TWO The Land Calls

Chapter Seventeen

I threw my bedroom door open, zombie-walking into the room. I was now mostly dry, but my hair a huge mess, sticking out everywhere, and my clothes were wrinkled. Well... Let's just say, they just were not neat. I looked like a wreck, Azalea did too, I just seemed completely out of it and I was!  I collapsed onto my bed, face buried into the pillows. Azalea walked around the room, pulling the blue curtains aside to peer out the window.

"I was never able to actually see the stars until now.." She trailed off.

"Yeah, I haven't seen them in a while too." I stretched out onto the cool bed.

She looked back in my direction, then back out the window. "What are stars? My people say they are the dead's spirit energy. Whenever we pass on, a new star is added."

I sat up a little more. "Well that's a cool way to think of it. Kinda deep."

She looked at me again, almost cluelessly. "What's deep?"

I opened my mouth but stopped myself, I shook my head. "Never mind. What we say, we say they're far away Suns in other galaxies."

"Wow.." She breathed, trying to stare at them all through the window.

I got up from the bed. "Come on." I opened the door. She turned back around.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to go sit out on the porch so we can better see the stars. It's much easier than looking through the window."

She smiled, then gladly followed me out the room. By the time I got to the dinning area, Noah stopped me.

"I have to go, Mom's calling me back." Noah typed on his phone.

"Okay," I nodded my head. "I'll see you later."

"Cool, I'll try to come by tomorrow if I can." He turned.

"You are welcomed."

"Bye." He waved at the both of us, heading out the door.

I followed him, stopping at the edge of the porch while he went down the stairs. "See you!" I waved at him while he headed down the drive way. I sat down on the hard, concrete porch, then stopped. "Actually I should have brought blankets and pillows or something.."

"On it!" Ava ran back into the house, the screen door screeching in protest from being thrown open. While we waited, we just sat on the side of the porch, looking up.

"So what is space?"

"It's endless. Full of galaxy and stars." I told her.

"Huh, are we the only planet?"

"No, there are eight in our solar system. Neptune, Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, well... You get it. Not in that exact order but that's some of them." I explained.

"Any life on them?"

"Eh, I don't know." I shrugged my shoulders. "I've heard there was once water on Mars. And people have been talking about the existence of aliens. Beings from other worlds or galaxies."

"That's kinda cool, but creepy that there could be other life out there."

"It is, it's a little creepy." I agreed.

"Okay I'm back." Ava ran back out with a giant quilt, and a few pillows. She dropped them all behind us. "I could barely carry them all." She huffed, stretching her arms out. Hearing a few pops.

I grabbed the blanket and started to spread it out enough so we can all fit. Ava sat up the pillows while I did this, handing some to Azalea. We got it all worked out and just kicked back, gazing up at the bright and beautiful stars.

"Is it scary living in the water? You know, with sharks and all those other creepy fish." Ava asked.

"Sometimes, just always have to be on look out. And a lot of the fish don't even mess with you, but as for the others... You can either fight them or hope you're faster than them." Azalea answered her, not even looking away from the sky.

Ava chuckled. "So Skylar, let me guess what your choice is if you encounter a fish that wants to fight you."

"Oh you know what I would do." I laughed.

"You're going to be some Minnow's bitch." Ava burst out with laughter.

My mouth fell open at the use of her language. She would never curse before. That was the first time I've heard her with that type of vocabulary. I covered Azalea's ears. "Ava! She's too innocent! Watch your language!" I tried to hide my giggles but failed.

"What? What's happening?" Azalea looked around.

"Shh." I started petting her head. "Nothing is happening." I couldn't hide my smiles, trying so hard not to laugh. I let go and rolled back to my back. Ava pulled up some of the covers, throwing them over us.

"It's getting a little chilly." She cuddled under the blankets. I took some, throwing them over me. I heard the door open, I looked up to see Mom holding the door.

"Well, aren't you all getting comfy out here." She smiled.

I nodded yes. "Yup, very nice."

"Well, Ava, I hate to tell you this but you're Mom called and prefer that you go home tonight."

Ava sighed. "I just got comfortable." She kicked the blankets off, getting up. "Does she know about Skylar?"

"No, she just thought you were with me." Mom answered her.

"Bye Ava." I said.

"Bye guys." She waves her hand, going down the steps.

"Bye." Azalea muttered. Ava gave a little wave back to her, showing her that she heard.

Mom shut the door and we watch Ava leave until we couldn't see her anymore.

"How do you think your Mom and Dad are taking us being gone?" I looked over at her.

"Probably not well, Dad is probably searching the entire ocean right now."

"Only to find that were not there."

"He doesn't know that." Azalea looked back over at me. "As far as he knows I'm sure he thinks we're still in the water cause he knows I don't like going up to the surface much and that I'm normally with you."

I nodded. "Well everything will be fine, they just need to go a little while without us and we will be back." I tried to comfort her. Even though it didn't quit do the same for me. I honestly didn't want to go back. I wouldn't say it's hell down there but I'm more familiar with land than sea, which should be understandable.

Which if I look at it, that's the exact same thing Azalea is going through right now. She misses home like I did, she wants to return to the sea like how I wanted to return to land. She now should understand how I felt. But at least I was able to see my Mom and friends again.

Maybe we can talk to the king about our situations of being home sick when we return, if he even bothers to listen. I wonder, when we do come back, will they still be there? Cause we were suppose to migrate soon, what if we return and they're gone. We will be left to defend on our own. It's really concerning. Just the two of us trying to survive, this is why merpeople need to be in a pod, a family. To keep company and to keep safe. I just hope they at least wait for us.