The Maidening Ceremony

Chapter Three - Scene 3

Arilya waited for Finley outside the Elder's Cove until his interview ended. When he came out, he saw her and floated over.

"Well? How did it go? Did they give you an assignment?"

"It went fine, I guess. They did not give me my assignment yet, though. It sounded like they wanted to take a vote or something."

"Did you tell them you want to be an entertainer?"

"Do not be silly, Arilya."

"But do you not? That is what you said before."

"It is not practical."

"But it is what you enjoy. It makes you happy."

"It does not matter if I am happy."

"It matters to me," Arilya said quietly. Finley paused and looked into his friend's eyes. She eagerly met his stare, but he could not hold it for more than a few seconds.

"You say the weirdest things," Finley said.

"Hey!"

Finley laughed. "Well, you do."

"Not any weirder than things you say!"

Viola swam in between the two, interrupting their good humor. "Arilya, it is your turn. Do not keep the Council waiting."

"Okay. Thanks, Viola. Finley, will you still be around when I am done?"

He shrugged again at first, but quickly smiled when he saw her disappointment. "Yeah, I'll swim back with you. Good luck in there."

Arilya beamed. "Thanks!" She swam forward with a lightness not often seen in the Community. Had she not been swimming at the bottom of the ocean, she could have been floating on air. Millicent recognized it as soon as the girl swam into the Elders' Cove, but she suspected this was coming. From the first day she saw her, Millicent knew one day she would witness the lightness Arilya now exuded. Looking around at her fellow Elders, Millicent read confusion plainly on their faces. They recognized Arilya's uniqueness, but could not place the reason for it, outside of the red fin, and it made them uncomfortable. Elizabeth was the first to speak.

"Well, well. If it is not the girl with the red tail. You did not bring any sharks in with you, did you?"

Arilya did not answer, but some of her lightness disappeared.

"Welcome, Arilya." William took command. "Have you given any thought to your career training?"

"Yes, sir."

"And what are your thoughts?"

"I like helping others. I would like to train to be a healer."

"You like to help others?" Elizabeth laughed a mean-spirited cackle. "Do you think you have the skills to become a healer?"

"What skills would I need?"

"High intelligence, for one. You have to study anatomy; learn all of the various diseases and injuries we can suffer and their treatments and cures. If something should happen to Healer Damien during your training you would become the new healer automatically, whether or not you have completed your training."

"That is a lot of pressure."

"Yes, it is. Can you handle it?" Elizabeth purposefully looked over at Millicent, smirking again.

"I know," Arilya tugged a chunk of her silver hair forward, twisting it around her wrist as she spoke, "but I would like to try. I know I am not the smartest in my class, but I work hard. I may not be the bravest either, but I care about the Community. If someone is hurt, I want to make them feel better. That is all I know."

"That is very noble," William said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "but I think you are missing Elizabeth's point. We cannot assign training based on feelings alone. Skill must be taken into account. We will talk to your teachers. If they think you can handle the training with Damien, then we can consider it."

"I really enjoy spending time with the younger merphen. I am open to teaching as well. I would like that, too."

"That may be a better fit. We will discuss all of the options and let you know soon. Thank you, Arilya." As William dismissed her, Arilya scanned the faces of the Council. It seemed to Millicent she was looking for a friend or supporter. Millicent wished she could tell her she was looking in the wrong place, but instead, she smiled. Arilya saw it and smiled back before leaving.

Her chances of becoming the Community's next healer were slim-to-none. Elizabeth had always been prejudiced against her and the healer was a prestigious career in the Community: an honor not taken lightly in assigning. There was no way Elizabeth would let Arilya have it. But she could still become a teacher. The Council never listened to Millicent, but if she pushed for healer, maybe the Council would be more likely to give Arilya teacher.

****

As he promised, Finley was waiting for Arilya when she came out of the cove. Her smile spread wide as she headed towards him.

"Did it go well?" he asked.

"I do not know. I do not think so. There was one mermaid who obviously disliked me. I do not know what I did to make her hate me, but she kept going on and on about how I was not smart enough to train with the healer."

"Skills are an important consideration in job assignment."

Arilya stopped cold. "You do not think I am smart enough, either?"

Finley turned to swim back to her; he was surprised to find pain registered in her eyes. "You are smart, but smart enough to be a healer? Are you okay? Did you scrape your tail on a rock or something?"

"Did I scrape my tail? Seriously? You basically just called me stupid and think I am upset because I scraped my tail?" She swam around him, in the direction of her home cave; after a few paces she glanced back. He had not followed her.

"What just happened?" she asked herself. Why did he not understand he had hurt her feelings? He did not get it at all.