Poseidia (6 page)

With some experimentation,
I found that even with the slightest movements I maintained my equilibrium in the water. In fact, it became easy. I rolled over repeatedly, learning to control this new body.
If I figure this out, then I can get out of here and go home.
Wait—if I’m a mermaid, can I still go home? No, I have no home, not back there. What do I do now? Where do I go?

To the surface? Yes—I have
to at least try.

I twisted and turned over in the water.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a dark figure move toward me in the distance.

What is that?

The shadow came closer. A lone dolphin emerged out of the darkness. It was magnificent and a strong urge to touch it overcame me. As I reached out, it came forward, and put her head into my outstretched hand.

Her
. I knew it was a female.
How do I know?

When
I touched her, fear, worry, and confusion clouded my own jumbled emotions. The swirling feelings stopped when I removed my hand from her. When I made contact again, the same chaotic emotions permeated through my being.

Are
these feelings coming from her?

She moved her head to the left and looked around me. Then she nudged me with her head. The sudden urge t
o flee settled over me and I turned to see what scared her so badly.

A large and
deadly-looking shark swam out of cloudy waters, coming our way rapidly. As the dolphin went to take off, instinctively I grabbed onto her dorsal fin. I was slow and still weak—outrunning a shark by myself would be impossible.

I want to live
.

Lily swam toward
me out of the haze, directly behind the shark. Better still, she wasn’t alone. The big guy swam right beside her. Lily—now I knew for certain she was the one I’d seen in the sea the night I died. She was the angel—or so I’d thought. In fact, a mermaid, and the big guy was too. Except for the maid part.

What would they call him, a merman?

Lily was stunning. Her long tail shimmered, pink and iridescent, matching her skin. She was naked from the waist up and I was glad I still had a gown on. The big guy’s tail glittered gold.

Lily and the big
guy covered the distance to the shark faster than I thought possible. He had a spear in his hands and two long black swords strapped to his back.

The shark circled around and came toward them, but the big
guy pushed Lily aside and hit the predator full force with his body, knocking him off course. It took off, presumably looking for an easier meal.

Still holding onto the dolphin’s fin
,
we swam out of sight, and towards the surface.
I think she knows what I want.
We broke the surface of the water and a breath of fresh air filled my lungs. I felt a tingle as my tail changed back into two legs. Appreciative, I let go of the dolphin and she disappeared into the night, leaving me to tread water.

What do I do now?

In the distance, moonlight reflected off a wall of rocks. Sea gulls squawked nearby.
A shoreline?

My heart surged with hope.
Get to land and figure it out
.

I submerged my head
and experienced the transformation back into a mermaid.
The darkness of the ocean made it near impossible for me to see.

Swimming
awkwardly with a tail and two arms, I headed to the shore I hoped was out there, when something bumped against me.

What is that?

I twirled around and around, trying to figure out what had hit me in the water.

It
bumped me again.

Is
it another shark?

Something latched onto me around my torso
, the sharp sting of razor teeth penetrated my skin, and the resulting pain became unbearable.

Then
, inexplicably, it let go.

Movement in the water propelled me
to swim away. Something brushed my leg again, but didn’t bite.
Get out of here, Anna
.

Spots danced before my eyes
, threatening I might pass out, but I wouldn’t give up now. Not after all I had been through.
Damn it.
I turned and swam as fast as I could, despite being injured and bleeding.
Blood will draw more sharks—get out of here now.

The direction I chose was the right one, because I came upon shallow water within a minute. I’d been closer than I thought.
Lifting my face out of the water, I scanned the area. A deserted beach littered with rocks, and bordered by a tall cliff, glimmered in the moonlight. My legs transformed the moment I breathed air and my knees found a grip in the sand. I crawled out of the waves, intent on finding help.

Glancing down, my
dress was torn and soaked in blood. Pain radiated from my abdomen and I placed my hands over it. The warm slide of blood trickled over my fingers.

Get out of the water.

I collapsed before I could make it all the way out of the surf. A short distance away, a small cave was tucked inside an overhanging cliff.

The sound of cars nearby filled me with hope.
If I can get to the road, someone can help me.
But
I would have a lot to explain.

What other choice do I have?

I’ll take my chances—I don’t want to die out here, alone on the beach.

Weakness crippled me and I collapsed face first into the sand. Someone grabbed me, picked me up, and carried me into the darkness of the cave.

Alarmed by the rough treatment, I yelped in protest only to have my mouth covered with their hand, be pushed to the ground, and finally covered with their body.

“
Shh, someone’s coming,” a male voice whispered. The voice… I recognized it as the big guy who had been with Lily.

D
id he follow me?

Of course he did.

“Mmm…” I struggled to free my mouth. “Get off me,” I screamed, finally able to form a word, or three. Spent from my swim, and blood loss, my struggles were completely ineffective against the strength of his grasp.

He whispered in my ear, “
Shhhhh—stop fighting me. You’re bleeding, I need to heal you.” The closeness of his breath sent shivers up and down my spine.

“What
?” I whimpered. “Heal me how?”

“I can’t explain it now
. Be quiet and listen. A car door slammed.”

“I don’t hear anything.”
My protest was not entirely true. Once quiet, my ears also detected the sound of people talking, laughing, and car doors slamming.

“It’s dangerous,” he
warned.

“Why is it dangerous? They can call an ambulance.
I’m going to die if they don’t.” Fear underscored my plea.

He picked me up again, moved me further into the back of the cave, and placed me down
, softly this time.

His
fingers explored my abdomen where I’d been bitten. Despite the surprising gentleness of his touch, I whimpered in pain. “You’ll have to be quiet, or we’ll be discovered,” he ordered. “I can only partially heal you in this form. Remain silent, no matter how much it hurts. No one can see you as you are. It’s dangerous.”

“But…” I
mumbled.

“
Shhh… I have to concentrate.”

“Where’s Lily? I thought she was with you.”

“Shhh,” he reprimanded.

“You’re such an ass,” I s
pat. Blood oozed down my abdomen and onto the sand. The discomfort of lying still as sharp pebbles bit into my back was nothing compared to the intense pain throbbing on the right side of my body.

“It’s not a good idea for you to call me names right now, considering I have your life in my hands,” he
retorted. The outline of his head became clearer as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. His eyes sparkled with fury in the moonlight.

“I’m not sorry,” I
whined, jutting my chin out stubbornly. “I was simply asking a question.”

“
I don’t need you to be sorry. I need you to be quiet,” he scolded.

“Just leave, then. I don’t want your help,” I weakly protested.
I don’t mean it.
Don’t leave me here alone to die.

“Lily would kill me if I let you die. Would you please allow me to help you?”

Silent tears streamed down my face. I relented, and bowed my head in agreement and understanding.
Stop the pain, please.

“
Look at me,” he whispered, cradling my head, and brushing back my hair. “You’ll be fine.”

Exhausted,
I wanted to give in to the void, the darkness.

He
gently placed his hands over the wound. I winced, but did as he instructed, and held back my screams. Only the occasional whimper escaped, less a matter of compliance, and more because I had nothing left to fight with.

As h
e reached inside of me and pulled out something, the pain became agonizing.

In the dimness of the cave, a
n image of my mom appeared. She cradled me in her arms, and embraced me to keep the pain at bay.

“It’s a tooth,” he
muttered, as he squeezed something into my hand. “You have to understand, as a Mer, we’re a predators’ favorite treat. It was a tiger shark and they’re always hungry. You’re lucky—you probably still taste too human for him to have liked what he sampled.” He placed his hands back on my wound and pressed down. “I have to stop the bleeding now.”

A
Mer?

Heat emanated and pulsed from his hands and the pain in my abdomen intensified for only a moment.
While he worked, a dim blue light came through the top of his head, trailed down his arms, and then into my side. It enveloped us, growing in intensity.

I laid my head back as the pain eased. The image of my mother
receded, but I didn’t want her to leave.

Finally,
the intense throbbing sensation where he touched me faded and he let go. Retreating to the back of the cave, he sat down with his back firmly pressed up against the cave wall. He sat with his legs crossed and closed his eyes with his hands resting on his knees, palms up, a meditative posture.

I started shivering, my teeth chattering as a deep chill settled over me.
Unsure if it was shock, blood loss, or both, I couldn’t seem to control my quivering.
I’m so cold.

The smell of smoke drifted to me. I heard the crackle and pop of a fire as a woman’s laugh reverberated on the
cave walls. Then I heard kissing and moaning.

Shivering,
I envisioned myself crawling to the fire, bathing in its radiant warmth, but I didn’t have the strength. I considered the possibility of calling out to the couple, of screaming for help, but an inexplicable force whispered to my heart, it would be the wrong move. Trust the man who had placed his hands on me. Remain silent, it said.

T
he heat of the big guy’s hand as he touched my leg startled me.

“You’re freezing,” he said
, more as an observation.

“Fire,” I croaked out through chattering teeth, my muscles sore and
growing rigid from the cold.

“I can’t
let you go out there,” he mumbled almost considering doing exactly that. He glanced to the mouth of the cave and came forward on his knees, perhaps preparing to pounce on our unwelcome visitors. His eyes slid back to me and he touched my wet and torn dress. “This isn’t helping.”

“
I’mmmm nnot taking ittt off,” I chattered, pulling my wet dress in closer to me, hoping to maintain some level of modesty. My hair hung in a no-doubt perfect impression of a wet mop, plastered to my back and shoulders in a tangled mess. I hugged my arms around myself tightly, trying my best to keep what warmth I had.

“
Then… I can keep you warm,” he offered, indicating the space behind me. “It’ll help—may I?”

I
looked to the opening of the cave, wishing the warmth of the fire would spread to us. No man had touched me since David laid his hands around my throat—since his arms had shoved me to my death. Carefully I weighed the options, and differences. Sure, the big guy had touched my abdomen to heal me, but it wasn’t the same as having him embrace me. I trembled more now, which I wouldn’t have thought possible.

It came back to my not wanting to die. I
f I didn’t allow him to warm me, I could go into hypothermia.
Trust him
, the voice whispered again.

I nodded—a slow and resistant permission.

He crawled in behind me, and slowly positioned himself, spooning me. Scorching heat radiated from his body.

T
he embrace was intimate, intended or not. I held my breath cause, ‘ya know, he was naked except for his sword harness. Never had I been so grateful for a torn dress. At least I had a layer of something in between us.