What the Tide Brings

Chapter 6 - Kaelin - A Song of Sorrow

Kaelin stared out the window, watching as the waves rolled onto the shore. She undid the latch and pushed the window open to hear the gentle roaring. It was a familiar song to her ears: a lullaby, beckoning her back to the swell of the ocean, calling her home.

She knew that she couldn't go back, though. Not home. Not back into the water. Not yet. Possibly not ever.

It was a stroke of great luck when Liam found her, and they allowed her to stay, but eventually she would have to leave this place, too. It was only a matter of time before her problems caught up to her as kept happening.

Kaelin wished it didn't have to be this way, but those looking for her would not stop until she was found. They'd proven as much over the last ten years. She would need to move along soon. She just hadn't a clue where to go next. She liked the land world, but she didn't expect to find more people to take her in.

Who, save for the Bainbridge family, would want an urchin from the sea, outcast from her own home, with no human currency to repay them?

They were such lovely people, and Kaelin didn't want to cause them any undue harm. What she said to Liam about their kindness was absolutely true. She never imagined she would find humans to take her in and care the way they both seemed to.

While picking out that dress for Kaelin to wear, Cynthia had been warm and caring. She brushed Kaelin's hair, complimenting her beauty, and told a story about a time when her own mother helped her to dress for a date with Liam's father, whom she spoke of in the past tense. It all reminded Kaelin of her own dear mother, who must have been devastated by all that happened. Kaelin could only hope that her mother's opinion of her wasn't irreparably tarnished.

The sun peeked over the horizon, illuminating the black sky far off beyond the visible borders of the ocean. The smell of salt was carried on the breeze to her nose, and she could practically taste the ocean. Memories of her family played in her mind, filling her with sorrow.

Kaelin closed her eyes and sang out to the water, returning its serene melody. She put all of her woeful feelings into the song, releasing it all to the waves that had once cradled her in their loving embrace, which now held only danger and terror for her.

A stray tear rolled down her cheek after she sang out the last note.

She stood in silence as the sun crested the ocean, tinting the water a lovely pinkish hue. It was a color that she didn't often find where she came from. She would miss it when she was gone. She would miss it all.