"I'm really sorry about Julia," I told Miss Chatham honestly as I pressed my fingers to the locket in my hand, the five of us sitting on a sandy hill on the beach.
Slowly, though, I reached out to hand it over to her, "But I'm not her,"
Gently, she took it from my outstretched hand and smiled, "I know, dear, I know,"
She glanced down at the locket a moment before handing it to Rikki.
"This belongs to you," she told her, surprising us both, "You deserve it, Rikki,"
Rikki grinned before taking it from her waiting hand.
"And this-" she continued, unclasping her own necklace from around her neck to hand over to Emma, "-is yours,"
Emma's blue eyes widened and I almost laughed at Miss-Controlled-Emotions' inability to disguise her shock. In a daze, she took it into her hands. All of a sudden Miss Chatham put a hand into the pocket of her shirt and I frowned in confusion. What was she doing? She fished something out then and briefly, I saw a glint of silver before she grabbed my hand and dropped the object into my palm. My eyes widened as I felt the shock of cool metal against my warm skin.
Miss Chatham removed her own hand and I got a glimpse of what rested in mine - another locket!
"B-but how-" I stuttered out but she only laughed, a melodic sound that drifted out across the beach.
"I knew a man once - the man who made these lockets for us...do you remember the story I once told you of the fourth mermaid?" she asked me softly and I nodded.
"This was made for her," she went on as I gazed down at the silver locket, the orange jewel above it sparkling in the sunlight, "Sadly, she wasn't meant for the life. And we all mourned the loss of a good friendship...but where she failed, you shall succeed... Please, take it, Leona. It feels right that they're all together,"
Ever so slowly, a grin split my face to match the other girls', feeling special.
"We'll take good care of them," Emma assured her as we all admired the lockets, lying down on our stomachs in the sand.
"Yes...I think you will."
She smiled approvingly then...at all four of us.
YOU ARE READING
𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃 || 𝐙𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭
Fiksi PenggemarLeona Ramirez had never known an easy life, growing up on the streets of the Gold Coast. But one day when she catches a ride to Mako Island with three girls from her high school, she finds herself with more than she bargained for...including a new t...
