What the Tide Brings

Chapter 14 - Kaelin - The Ties that Bind

Water rushed past Kaelin in a loud roar. Her mind wandered as she glided through the currents. It was nice to be able to swim again—in her true form. Her most prominent thoughts were about Liam. She could still remember the feeling she got when his lips touched hers, each time a bit different. He made her feel in ways that she never had before. Her head spun and her skin tingled when he touched her.

Kaelin's mind was so consumed with Liam, she almost didn't notice the figure swimming toward her. It took a moment for her to realize that it wasn't a dolphin or a large fish. It was another mermaid.

Afraid of who it might be, Kaelin dove deeper, into the seaweed that covered the ocean floor beneath her. She used her camouflage ability to blend into her surroundings, hoping the mermaid would just swim over and be on their way.

Kaelin's eyes went wide in her hiding place, shocked to see that the mermaid was not a stranger. The beautiful creature, with her long mane of golden-white hair, was her older sister, Amaya. She was their father's pride and joy; his favorite. The perfect daughter, always doing what she was told, never causing any worries or problems. Amaya was the opposite of Kaelin in every way. She never disappointed anyone. She never would have done what Kaelin had. Never would have even considered leaving the way Kaelin did, without a word to anyone, even if she believed, as Kaelin did, that they were better off without her.

And that's why it was so strange to see her such a long way from home. She never left the safety of their clan. Unlike Kaelin, who often ventured off to be on her own, unable to stay confined within the clan's icy territory.

In spite of all their differences though, Kaelin and Amaya were quite close. They had been since they were young. Possibly, because Amaya was the closest to Kaelin's age among their siblings. They were what humans would call best friends.

Kaelin so desperately wanted to remove her camouflage and swim up to meet her sister. She wanted to embrace her, to tell her all of the wonderful things that had happened over the last few days, to introduce her sister to her new friends. She wanted to share her feelings for Liam with the one that she was closest to in all the world—above and below the sea. It would be so simple. But, then, what if she knew what Kaelin did? Kaelin didn't know if she could bear seeing the response.

For that reason, Kaelin sank down, deeper into the seaweed, to avoid detection, watching as Amaya moved on, toward the north side of the island.

Kaelin waited for several long minutes before she left the safety of her hiding spot. She swam faster than she ever had, back to the little cove where she left her clothes. They were still there, just as she had left them, if not a bit dirtier.

After dressing, Kaelin made her way to the street and back to the market, where she saw Liam's mother talking to a diminutive woman, a few heads shorter than Cynthia, in a brown uniform.

Kaelin watched the scene, curious. She slowly started toward them, to apologize for any trouble or worry that she may have caused.

It wasn't until she had gotten across the street that she noticed Liam was there, too. How worried must Cynthia have been to call him? Kaelin ducked behind a large tree, feeling suddenly worse. She'd made a mess of things. That was becoming habitual for her.

Peering around the trunk, Kaelin saw that Cynthia looked upset. The tiny woman escorted Cynthia to her vehicle. Kaelin never meant to hurt Cynthia, who was so nice to her. She looked down at the bag in her hand. She knew it was not enough to make up for her behavior.

Kaelin's gaze jumped to Liam, then. He was with that girl, Gretchen. Kaelin clutched at her stomach as that pit returned.

Gretchen touched his face and Kaelin gasped. Liam didn't wince or shy away from the girl's touch. In fact, he said something that made Gretchen laugh.