Children of the Sea

Chapter 5

After my uncomfortably long tour lead by Heaven, we made our way back to our class, where we would be having history. I really knew nothing about the country's history or founding. All I knew was stories that Theodore told me. They were of monsters that sailors thought they saw around our coasts. He told me the sailors thought they were mermaids or sirens since they had beautiful singing voices that put men the men under spells, but these creatures didn't have fins. They had legs, just like any normal human. They were definitely not humans though. They had many abilities such as breathing underwater, super strength, imitating sea animal noises and some could even create illusions.

Theodore explained to me that the humans grew scared of the sea dwellers and turned on them. They hunted the creatures down, burning them at a stake as a punishment for their "sins". Theodore didn't believe they were bad though. He also told me good stories like how they sometimes saved drowning people or how they would play with young children or stories about the forbidden love between the humans and creatures. They were my favorite stories he would tell me.

"Ms. Clerr." The stern voice of my teacher, Mr. Raines, brings me back to reality.

I blinked as my face flushed red with embarrassment, the eyes of my classmates on me now.

"Y-Yes?" I force the words out my mouth.

"Please stand and introduce yourself to the class."

Doing as I was told I rose to my feet, my legs feeling weak as I do. I took in a deep breath, trying not to focus on any one particular. After a second I cleared my throat.

"H-hello. My name is E-Elsie... Clerr. I am from Lanton... Uh." I could barely get the few words out.

"Alright. Does anyone have any questions for Ms. Clerr?" The teacher asked and my heart nearly stopped.

A few people raised their hands up. I felt dreadful due to the fact that I had to answer the questions my new classmates asked. Their eyes bore into me as I held my breath.

Mr. Raines points to a girl with short, dark brown hair and big, shiny pearls strung around her neck. "Ms. Leals?"

"Is that your natural hair color?" She practically yells in a high pitched, stuck up voice.

Unconsciously, I lifted my hand to my pale hair, fiddling with it. I hated her for pointing it out. It was strange and unnatural. Weird as some would have said. And to my dismay the whole class had their eyes glued to it.

"Y-yes" I stumbled on my words as she gave me a skeptical look.

"Mr. Fargo." Our teacher turned to a boy with a shaved head and tanned skin.

"You single?" He laughed immediately afterward along with a few other boys near him.

I just stayed silent, my face feeling like it was being pressed against the sun. Luckily Mr. Raines stepped, scolding him for how inappropriate his question was. I just breathed in deeply as Mr. Rains and I both looked at the last person with a hand up. Mr. Raines just nodded a bit to him as a gesture to go ahead and speak.

The boy lowered his hand as his voice with a rich, foreign accent spoke. "What brings you here?"

I paused a moment, staring at him after noticing an odd aura coming from him.

"My guardian sent me here... I-I had no say in the matter." I explained.

He didn't say anything in reply. He didn't react to it at all really. The boy just kept his gaze on me as I quickly sat down, trying to hide my tomato red face from the rest of the class.