Dark Ocean

Part 3

It's been three days since her encounter with Juliana at the beach and Valentina finds herself unable to stop replaying every detail, every word, every look crystal clear in her memory. They had spent less than an hour together, but Juliana had managed to strike a chord deep within her.

She was the only one who had found a way through the walls she had built around herself, walls, which concealed her true self from others. Juliana made her feel heard, understood, without judgement. No person had managed to do that before. As it turned out, she simply needed someone to notice her, someone to care. She never expected a stranger to be that person, though.

For the first time in what felt like forever, a tiny sliver of hope had returned to her life, a feeling she both welcomed and feared.

Juliana..

She hadn't even thanked her properly. She'd been far too overwhelmed, too self-centered. She'd been unprepared for the emotions that rose within her. And now, she finds herself wishing she could redo their encounter, wishing she'd found out more about the girl than just her name.

She recalls her own last words , "I guess I'll be seeing you around." She also recalls Juliana's answering smile, small and beautiful. But hesitant. She hadn't been in her right mind that night, so she didn't think anything of it.

Now she thinks she's starting to realize the meaning of her smile. And, for a moment, she feels inexplicably scared. After two days of fruitless searching for the girl, she realizes that she might never see her again. She might never have a chance to talk with her again. She might never have the chance to thank her. Valentina doesn't understand why she's so thrown by it.

****

It's late afternoon when Juliana finally settles down into the sand, absentmindedly watching the waves roll onto shore. She stretches her legs, feeling her muscles protest at the movement. She has just finished her first day working at a local diner, learning how to serve food and interact with guests. She's been on her feet all day and she can already feel blisters in both heels. Despite her current physical discomfort, she feels oddly satisfied.

She's even beginning to feel normal, like a real person, someone who's able to do regular things. She loves the fact that she can blend in with people around her and, for once, there's nothing to set her apart from others. She's finally ready. She's finally able to suppress her powers and to at least attempt to live her life as normal as possible.

Juliana had always known she was different. As a child, she never understood why none of the girls seemed to like her, while all the boys adored her. She never understood why her one true friend, who happened to be a girl, only existed in her dreams. A beautiful girl with a tail like a fish, a girl who showed up every night to take her to the ocean to swim. A girl she grew up with and loved like family.

Her dreams had been as authentic to her as her waking life was. As a child she never understood why no one else had a friend like her that they only saw at night. A friend she was never able to find during the day. She'd tried so many times, oh how she'd tried, but she never succeeded.

While she was growing up, she felt as if she lived two lives: the one through her dreams, and the one in the present. It had been that way all her life and she learned not to talk about it, although it made her feel even more of an outsider.