Daughter of the Tide

Now He Knows

"For those born with
a mermaid's soul,
the ocean's songs are hauntingly
nostalgic."
—Unknown

~~~

"Nerina!" Micah shouted over the sound of the crowd of people gathering, "don't forget that you're leading the performance today!"

"Yeah, I got it!" I called back, taking a deep breath. Despite the fact that Riley was all better and up for doing the shows, Harper insisted that I be up there with them. Though Micah didn't mind, Riley seemed to have an agenda against me.

It'd been two days since I'd discovered Hans was searching for proof that mermaids exist and I hadn't seen a single trace of him since he came into Polly's. I wasn't anxious at the fact that he was never around to check in on his own aquarium but that I hadn't been able to speak to Taron. I'd stood out on the dock the other night and announced the danger to the waves with the hope that my mother or one of her followers would hear but there was no way of knowing for sure. The last thing they needed was for someone of Hans's stature to discover that they existed.

Pulling my hair back and out of my face, I quickly ran from the locker room and out onto the platform as the last of the audience settled into their seats.

"Ready?" Micah asked with a smile. I returned it, ignoring the glare that Riley cast my way as we took up our spots on the rocks. The dolphins swam around the tank, performing a few lazy jumps on their own accord while Micah welcomed the crowd. Lana swam up to where I stood and whistled at me.

Behave today, I told her with a little smile. I glanced out of the long windows we had in the arena, where rain poured down into the waves. The water was rising. It wasn't noticeable to anyone who didn't know about everything that I did but I could tell. I was running out of time.

Riley performed the first command and I relayed it, smiling to myself as the dolphins obeyed. I knew that they could feel the uneasiness of the ocean beside them, yet they remained carefree in this moment. Thunder boomed outside, a reminder of my eventual doom.

At the end of the show, Micah unexpectedly gave me my own announcement, introducing me as Riley's savior and dolphin protege. I rolled my eyes at him, even as he grinned at me, and did my best to ignore their clapping. I turned to him once he finished and shook my head.

"I don't need praise," I told him.

"Sure you do," he shrugged, kneeling next to the water to hand the dolphins extra treats like he always did. "The dolphins seem more relaxed around you, you know?"

"I guess," I waved him off, sitting down next to him. "I think they just need kindness."

"Well, they sure did take a liking to you," he added, "Riley doesn't like it too much."

"Tell me about it," I muttered, watching as Riley stalked away. I sighed and let one of my hands dip into the water. Mavi swam up and nudged his nose against me when I did so. Someone suddenly grasped my shoulders and I turned quickly to find Connor grinning.

"You were amazing, as always," he commented, plopping down next to me and dangling his legs in the water. "It's a shame we had to cancel our later show due to the storm."

"It's pretty bad, isn't it?" I asked, looking to the window once more. It was the ocean's warning for me.

"From what I hear, it's nothing Bernig isn't used to."

I couldn't help the knot that formed in my throat. I might be. Nevertheless, I just smiled and let his words roll off my shoulders. "I can close again today."