When he finished a few stories, Harry checked the time on his watch. Ben had a similar one. During her life underwater, Pearl rarely needed to track time. The most significant part of a female’s life revolved around the Drywalking ceremony, and mostly that involved waiting for it to occur.
‘I know you ate with Carolina. But I skipped breakfast this morning. Do you want to come with me to get something to eat before going to the beach?’
Pearl didn’t want to appear too eager to leave. The food these humans ate was much different than what she was used to, and she yearned to try more. ‘Yes.’
They walked out of the building together. Pearl kept pace with him, and for a moment felt more human than she had when she’d met Ben that morning.
‘It’s right across the street,’ Harry said. ‘Are you in town for a while?’
‘No.’
‘Where are you staying?’
‘Near the water.’ Pearl couldn’t help the smirk creeping across her lips.
‘You and Ben,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘Ben loves the water. He always finds his way to the beach.’
For some reason, she liked knowing that about him.
After they crossed a road, Harry said, ‘This is my favorite breakfast spot in town.’
They entered through a set of glass doors. Warmth swirled around her and the pleasant scent of different foods tickled her nose. She drifted along with Harry, allowing herself a moment of blending in with the humans. About a dozen of them sat at different tables, some conversing with each other. She’d never seen so many of them in such a confined area before. Brighter colors than she’d ever seen bounced from the surfaces. A large flashing sign, which she couldn’t understand, caught her attention on the other side of the space.
‘Over here,’ he said, leading her to a table by the window. He lifted two flat items from the table and handed one to her.
Pearl couldn’t make sense of the language in front of her. Instead, she scanned the room as she did when she searched for food. There were smaller-sized humans, which would be the easiest to take under, but even she wasn’t that cruel. The troop protected their young. She’d never seen a Drywalking ceremony end with a sacrifice that small. It was an unspoken rule to choose a grown human for the ceremony.
‘What do you like here?’ she asked Harry, wishing she still had her telepathic ability so she could touch Harry’s hand and read his mind. At least that was the idea. She wondered if any of the others had tried it.
A woman walked over to the table. Pearl inched away from her as the woman studied her face. ‘What can I get you?’
Harry ordered for the two of them, and the woman left the table. In the time it took for the meal to arrive, Pearl examined the movements of the humans around her. She tried to mirror the female humans by sitting the same way they did.
When the plate of food dropped in front of her, Harry grinned and started shoveling the food into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten for days. The other females in the room didn’t eat that ravenously. At Carolina’s, she’d used the same utensils that sat in front of her now. Knife. Fork. She would need to use them to cut through what Harry called a waffle.
‘You need to taste the syrup,’ he said, drizzling a thick, dark liquid over her plate.
Pearl eyed the food, now covered in the thick substance. She cut the waffle as best she could, the way the others seemed to do it. Then, she took a tentative bite.
‘Good, right?’ Harry asked, watching her.
The sweetness mixed with a hint of salt from the butter – she assumed – flooded her mouth. ‘Good.’
‘They get their syrup from a small maple farm in Vermont. It’s the best.’
Pearl mimicked Mrs. Jones and Harry’s ways of questioning and turned it on him. Throughout the meal, Harry told her all about his family. They’d lived in The Burrow for generations. An older relative of his made a lot of money from fishing, which made Pearl cringe. The humans had plenty of resources on land. Their overfishing made it difficult for more than just her kind.
It gave her more of a reason to take Harry under the water. But he wasn’t responsible for past mistakes, just as she wasn’t for Daryah’s.
Harry explained that his father still reaped the benefits of the business, but no longer took part. He had a job with computers. Pearl found it hard to keep up with all the unfamiliar words as Harry spoke at a rapid pace.
‘Let me get this,’ Harry said, shuffling through the green money he removed from his pocket.
Pearl still had the money Mrs. Jones had given her, which remained stored deep in her bag. At least she understood how to trade them for other things now. Not that it mattered anymore. Her time was limited.
When they walked outside again, the air cooled her cheeks. She hadn’t realized how warm she’d been. She’d never experienced the comfort of a full stomach and a heated environment.
*
As Harry drove through town, Pearl said a silent goodbye to the land. She hoped she could complete the ceremony quickly and efficiently. Her situation wasn’t ideal. Carolina had been the easy target, but Pearl lost that opportunity when she left the house. There were still three cycles left to complete her ceremony. With each new experience, her curiosity lingered. Her attachments to land grew, and she didn’t want to get attached to any part of it. Pearl understood how Daryah must have felt when she refused to obtain a human. But not how she could sacrifice her betrothed. A fate none of them would repeat. Daryah had ruined many lives because of her selfishness.
Syrene was the most important one in her life. Pearl would never disappoint her sister like Daryah had the troop.
Further away from town, the buildings started to grow apart from each other. Soon enough, the ocean opened in front of her.
Harry turned to Pearl. ‘You like the water, huh?’
‘It’s home.’
‘You live near the water at your home?’
‘Yes.’ Closer than he thought. ‘Let us walk out there.’
Harry shuddered and reached toward the vents, blasting warm air, stifling Pearl. ‘Are you sure you don’t want to just look at it?’
Pearl shook her head.
‘Is that Ben?’ Harry asked.
Pearl whipped toward the window. If Ben was at the beach, she couldn’t take Harry. At the same time, she wanted to be closer to the dark-haired man. Conflicting emotions slowed her thinking. Before she knew it, the car was parked, and Harry was on his way toward his brother.
Without any other choice, Pearl followed Harry. Both trudged over the sand.
Ben stalked along the beach, kicking sand in front of him like waves. Once he’d gone a fair distance, he plopped onto the ground and fell on his back.
‘Ben!’ Harry called and raced after his brother.
Chapter 9
Ben sat up and turned to face them. He pulled his hair away from his face, and Pearl’s insides trembled. His eyes met hers and a slow smile spread across his lips.
‘What are you doing here?’ Harry asked. ‘You fell – I thought—’
‘I didn’t fall,’ Ben said, glancing at Pearl. ‘I needed a break. You can join me if you want.’ He patted the sand next to him.
Pearl wasn’t sure why she did it. Not even when her bottom made its mark in the sand. Her shoulders relaxed, and she inhaled the ocean air. Her gaze drifted over Ben’s. She fell into his sea-green eyes. There wasn’t much light outside, but the depths of his eyes were bottomless.
‘Aren’t you supposed to be at work?’ Harry asked.
‘I’m on a lunch break,’ Ben said, staring off into the water in the distance. ‘I needed some time to myself.’ In her time on land, she’d never seen a human so troubled before. It mirrored her feelings about the ceremony and her ability to fulfill the task.
‘Do you want me to leave?’ Please say no.
‘No,’ he said. ‘I was looking for a distraction.’
‘From what?’ she asked.
&
nbsp; ‘Life,’ he said.
Harry snorted. ‘You have everything, big brother.’
Ben cut a look his way. ‘You can leave if you want.’
Harry crossed his arms over his chest.
‘I don’t understand,’ Pearl said.
‘You wouldn’t. I’m cryptic right now.’ Ben bowed his head and let out a mirthful laugh. ‘For no reason really. I just don’t want to talk about it.’
‘Okay,’ she said, kicking her shoes off her feet. She dug her toes in the sand, enjoying the last bit of humanity she’d ever experience. One of them had to leave, and she would take the other. The reminder of home made her fingers dig into the sand too.
‘It’s a little cold for that,’ Ben said.
‘It feels nice.’
Ben let out a breath, and then kicked off his shoes and plunged his feet into the sand. He wrinkled his nose. ‘I trusted you, Pearl. But this doesn’t feel great.’
Pearl laughed, unsure of the source of the reaction.
Ben laughed too.
‘Did Dad talk to you today?’ Harry said.
‘We work together,’ Ben said. ‘Of course, we talked.’
‘I know why you’re here,’ Harry said.
‘I don’t want to talk about work,’ Ben said. ‘You’re not even involved in this.’
‘Of course I am. This is a family business.’ Harry’s calm demeanor shifted, and she saw a hint of a side of humans that scared her. He had turned off his playful attitude, which made the skin on her arms prickle.
‘Why are you two here?’ Ben asked.
‘Don’t change the subject,’ Harry said.
‘I wanted to come to the beach,’ Pearl said.
‘And you took her here?’ Ben asked his brother. ‘There are better beaches.’
‘It was close to where we were in town.’
‘Did you find a place to stay, Pearl?’ Ben asked her.
‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m not staying much longer.’
‘You’re not leaving tonight?’ Ben asked.
‘Don’t you have to go back to work?’ Harry asked.
A lightness spread through her. As much as Pearl preferred Ben’s company, she had a ceremony to complete. If Ben left, then she’d be able to take Harry into the water. Out of the two brothers, Harry was her better chance. He seemed eager to be around her. She scanned the sand for a rock or tool of any kind to help.
Ben stood, and the warmth from him disappeared. He wiped the sand from his pants before offering his hands to Pearl. She took them, allowing him to help her up. The sand moved from under her. Her legs wobbled, and she fell against him.
He gripped her arms until she moved away from him. He smiled down at her.
Harry was definitely the better choice between the two. She wasn’t sure if she could watch the life removed from Ben’s eyes.
‘It was nice to meet you, Pearl,’ Ben said. ‘Maybe we’ll run into each other again before you go.’
‘Maybe.’ For some reason, she couldn’t force herself to promise him anything.
‘If she’s still around,’ Harry snapped at his brother.
Ben walked toward the part of the beach he’d come from before. He was no longer kicking the sand in front of him.
Pearl turned to Harry. His mouth twisted in an unattractive way. She wasn’t sure where the soft-spoken and kind human she’d been with had gone. Since meeting Ben at the beach, Harry had turned into someone else. In the way her troop could shift forms for the ceremony, she wondered if the same worked for humans and their moods.
With Ben gone, her opportunity had come again.
‘Let’s walk down there,’ Pearl said.
The land and shore curved in the distance. There weren’t any dwellings in that direction. They would be alone.
‘I should go,’ Harry said. ‘I have work to do.’
‘Come. It will be quick.’
Harry dug his hands into the pockets of his outer layer. ‘I’m not really in the mood. I can drive you into town if you want.’
Pearl scanned the water. She didn’t want to go anywhere close to town. ‘No.’
‘Fine,’ he said. ‘See you.’
Harry’s shoulders slumped as he walked to his car. She waited until he finally drove away before restarting her plan to find a human to bring back to the cove.
Chapter 10
For fear of running into any of the humans she’d met, Pearl walked the shore. The closeness with the water kept her warm, even as the temperature continued to drop. The sky light created vivid colors reaching across the expanse above her. A breeze picked up, whipping the loose tendrils of hair over her face.
Since Harry’s abrupt departure, she hadn’t seen one human on the beach. Maybe Harry had been right about the temperature. These humans retreated inside when the weather wasn’t pleasant. The tip of her nose was numb, but she pressed on. She was determined to make the swim home as soon as possible.
As the final minutes of the sky light reached upward, a splash from a distance stopped her. The ocean crashed in front of her as she tried to find the source of the sound. The water moved the sand from under her feet. Nothing that large could come close to the shore unless it were injured or on a fishing line.
A head popped out of the water and Pearl couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘Syrene.’
Syrene’s head twitched to the side, scanning the beach. During her walk, Pearl had stayed away from the human dwellings. Syrene must have followed her since the fate of their race depended on staying a secret. Syrene didn’t know much about humans, so Pearl needed to reassure her. Selfishly, she also wanted to be in the water with her sister again.
Pearl dropped her bag and waded out into the water. The weight of her clothing made her movements sluggish, but nothing could keep her from Syrene. Even in human form, Pearl yearned to protect her.
Syrene came as close as possible, but the water reached Pearl’s chest before their hands touched. The top of her sister’s head barely breached the surface.
What are you doing here? Pearl sent. The words pushed out of her, breaking the barrier between their minds.
I wanted to see you. Why have you not come home? Syrene’s muffled voice in Pearl’s mind made her believe there was still a block between them, but the words were clear enough.
Drywalking is not easy. Humans are curious and distracting. Pearl thought of Ben and how he had needed a distraction. She pushed him out of her mind quickly before Syrene noticed her thoughts of him. Her mission was to take, not understand or connect.
Will you succeed?
Of course, sister. I will return soon.
Kaito waits by the rock wall for most of the light. He anticipates your arrival.
Does he know you came here?
Syrene’s body shuddered. No. Never. I know we’re not supposed to come to shore. But I came for you. I needed to see if you were okay. If he knew … the consequences would be great.
You should go back.
Pearl sensed the hesitation in her sister’s mind.
Don’t worry. I’m not like her. Neither needed to say Daryah’s name to understand the meaning. Syrene would know, when it was her turn to Drywalk, that this task was more difficult than they had imagined.
I understand. It’s good to see you, sister.
You need to go back. I can’t have you this close to them.
‘Hello! Are you hurt?’ a male’s voice rang out from the beach. Pearl wasn’t too far out, but enough to cause concern with the outside temperature.
Pearl squinted, trying to make out the human. It didn’t take long for her realize it was Ben, waving his hands over his head.
Syrene’s fin brushed against Pearl’s leg as she retreated. Her heart went with her sister. She turned and slogged out of the water.
Ben removed his outer layer and helped her out of hers. ‘What were you doing out there?’
His hands moved against her arms in quick motion. Pearl moved away from him, the breeze from the water see
ping through her wet clothes.
‘I almost swam out there after you. I thought you were drowning.’
‘I wasn’t.’ Without the sky light, shadows crossed his face, concealing his emotions.
‘It looked like it. Let’s get you into my car before you freeze to death.’
As if a switch went off within her, her entire body started to tremble.
This time, she allowed him to draw her near. He tucked her against his side, and they walked together further from her home. He’d taken her bag, and it bumped against her as they walked.
Pearl knew Syrene hadn’t looked back at the shore. Her sister had already broken the rules of their group and wouldn’t risk anything more. Pearl couldn’t imagine what her sister would think if she saw her with Ben holding her against him, without her trying to take him.
*
When they reached the car, Ben shut her inside before running to the other side. He turned the key, and the entire vehicle rumbled to life. He pressed several of the buttons and knobs between them. Within seconds, whooshing wind pulsed from the slits in front of her. She reached forward, touching the heated air.
‘This isn’t going to be enough,’ he said. ‘Do you have a place to stay?’
‘I don’t,’ she said, trembling.
A breath rushed out of him. ‘I know a place. You can stay there for as long as you want.’
‘Okay,’ she said.
Pearl spent the entire car ride huddled around the small vent. Each time she tried to relax, her teeth chattered again. She clamped them together more times than she could count.
‘W-where w-we g-going?’ she asked.
Ben’s gaze darted to the mirror attached to the large front window of the car. ‘My family owns another property in town. No one lives there so you can stay there for now.’
‘Th-thank y-you,’ she said, surprising herself by meaning it. As much as she told Syrene she’d be home soon, each time she had an interaction with a human, she became more curious about them. Especially Ben. He’d captivated her. Their conversation didn’t revolve around questions about her life. He was open with her. Though, she wondered if his interest stemmed from the necklace or her.
The Sisters' Secrets: Pearl Page 6
