The Mermaid Prophecy (On Hiatus)

Chapter 17

Eric 

The last three days have been... 

Well, that's just it. There are no words to describe them. They've just been.

Over the last few days, my perception of reality has drastically changed. 

All my understanding of how the world works has been pushed over the edge of a cliff and splattered across the rocky depths below.

And I'm still on that ledge.

While taking care of Vanessa, I have seen things. Things.. that I'm pretty sure aren't normal. 

Rather than spiking a fever, her skin feels ice cold. Her lips even have a tint of blue to them which is different from her normal pastel rose color.

No matter how many blankets I use to cover her, she remains frozen like a corpse. I only know she's alive because of her labored breathing.

The rattling in her lungs startles me even now.

On many occasions, I've given her water to stay hydrated but each time the water touches her lips, they dry out further.  And I don't even want to think about when I tried to feed her food.

I still don't know what that glowing halo around her was.

Let's not go there. 

The only thing that I can really do for her it seems is keep her comfortable so I've moved her to my bed in the captain's cabin and I've been sleeping on the hardwood nearby with a blanket or two.

Grimsby keeps offering his own bed to me, but I know his bones aren't as strong as they used to be now that he's older.

I rub the back of my neck and crane my head from side to side, stretching my neck muscles.

I've barely slept since the storm, but I can't bring myself to leave her side. During the day, I doze a bit here and there but always refuse when the sailors offer to watch her in my stead.

At night, I know I can't sleep anyway so I find myself talking to her even though I'm sure she doesn't hear a word.

I find that I miss talking to her, so I tell her everything. 

I tell her how the sailors believe she's the one that calmed the storm. Which if I think about it, isn't so far off from the truth.

I tell her about how odd Grimsby looks when he's gone a few days without a shave. Almost like a fuzzy white caterpillar has taken over the lower half of his face.

And knowing that she probably can't hear me anyway, I wonder what she is aloud. Is she an angel? A demon? A witch? I create theories for them all and in turn strike them all down.

She doesn't fit any of those descriptions.

And if I'm honest, it doesn't matter to me. She's still Vanessa.

I've had feelings for her since I pulled her from the ocean. 

I can still remember how she was glowing like a siren with eyes seeking to steal my soul and a melodious voice that spoke not a hint of a kind word to me. 

Yet somehow, I was still caught under her spell.

I know that the damage Max did to her arms wasn't nearly enough to warrant a week stay in the castle. It barely qualified as a night stay.

And she probably knew that as well.

But her tough girl attitude is new and refreshing. She isn't like the other girls in town that see me for my name and status. She always does things I never expect.

Ugh, that slap.

Reliving the resounding slap from my memory, I rub my cheek again. 

I've never been treated that way before in my life. And while I never want to revisit that moment, it was so much like her. 

True to herself, no matter what.

For knowing each other just a little more than a week, we've been through a lot now that I think about it. Like when I stopped her from running away.

I know why I stopped her when she tried to leave... But why did she ask me to wrap her almost non-existent wounds?

I ignore the heat in my cheeks. It always feels like I'm in permanent blush when it comes to her. 

My eyes trail over her body. Her beauty is staggering despite her paleness. I watch as her blue and purple veins pump blood underneath her thin, almost translucent skin.

Following the veins lower, my eyes eventually focus on the side of her stomach. 

Moon Kelp huh? I can't believe I fell for that.

I feel my eyes soften.

She must not have trusted me. Thinking back on it after all I've seen now, I can understand the hesitation.

When I'm sure no one is awake, I lean into her ear and beg her to open her eyes and tell me she'll be okay.

I replay the moment she told me she would check on me after my nightmares in my head. That night, the door to her heart and maybe even her soul was cracked open a little.

But I ruined it.

And I still remember the hurt in her eyes, when she realized that I hadn't planned on telling her I was leaving. 

Even more than that, I remember the hope that bloomed in me when I saw that she had been relying and trusting me. Only me.

I hoped, and still hope, that these feelings of mine are not one-sided. "But I won't know if you don't wake up," I whisper for her ears only.

As we pull up to port, I hold her frozen hand in mine. To my surprise, her hand twitches slightly.

"Vanessa?" 

Her eyes flutter before slowly opening and I'm caught by surprise. Instead of her normal, ice blue eyes, her eyes are a soft shade of lilac.

"Va..nessa?"

She focuses on me and offers me a weak smile.

"Hey there stranger."

"Stranger huh? Forgot my name already?"

A breathy laugh escapes her lips. "Needy much?" She coughs a few times before rubbing her throat with her frail hand.

"I tried to keep you hydrated and fed but you wouldn't keep too much down," I explain.

She nods. "How long has it been?"

"A few days."

Her eyes widen. "How many days?"

"Three since the storm." If her eyes were any larger, she wouldn't have a face anymore. She snatches her hand out of mine and tries to push herself up. She doesn't budge.

"Eric..." Her eyes look conflicted. The little 'w' forming between her drawn eyebrows. "Can I trust you?"