Mermaid Dreams

by Rinelle Grey

  “Here, try this.” Rowan held out some sort of round red object. “It’s an apple.”

  Cari took it and turned it over in her hands. It was hard, but not like the cracker. She put it up to her nose and smelled, and it was fruitier than anything in Laquaria.

  And when she bit into it, it lived up to its smell. Sweet, yet juicy. And the crunch was just right. Cari took another bite and another. “This is good,” she said with her mouth full.

  Maybe human food wasn’t so bad after all?

  “Good.” Rowan smiled as he kept pulling out more food.

  Cari stared at it all, not sure what to try next, the colours fascinating her. And unlike the seaweed crackers, everything here smelled amazing. This was a real taste of the human world, literally. She wanted to try every bit of it.

  She took another bite of the apple, and then pointed to something round and almost as pink as her tail had been. “What’s that?”

  Rowan grinned. “That’s a cupcake. My sister, Mora, made them.” He picked up the cupcake and handed it to her.

  Cari took it, keeping the apple in the other hand, and stared at it for a moment. It didn’t just smell good, it was pretty. The pink colour on top swirled around, and there was a little darker pink object in the middle, like a pretty coral.

  She moved to take a bite, and Rowan interrupted her. “You need to take the paper off first.” He jumped forwards and took the cupcake from her and pealed something off the bottom.

  Cari blushed. She’d messed up again. “Human food is very confusing.”

  “Yeah, it is a little,” Rowan agreed. He didn’t seem bothered by her lack of knowledge in the slightest. He handed the cupcake back to her. “Try it now.”

  Cari took a bite. This cupcake was even sweeter than the apple. So sweet and delicious she ate it all in two bites. “That was good. Are there any more?”

  There was more. Lots more new foods to try. There were sweet, juicy, tangy, spicy, and even salty foods to try, and Cari liked almost all of them. Even the salty foods were a far cry from anything she’d eaten in Laquaria.

  Even the salt here tasted different. Maybe because everything wasn’t wet and soggy.

  By the time Cari had tried a little bit of everything, she was completely full. “That was amazing,” she said, smiling at Rowan. “Thank you.”

  He smiled warmly back. “I’m glad you liked it.” He picked up the remaining food and started stowing it in various places around the room. Once he was done, he looked back at Cari. “So, do you want to look at some of the mermaid stories now?”

  His comment brought her back down to the ocean floor with a thud. That’s right, she had to figure out a way to get home. Cari’s heart sank a little at the thought. Once she was home, she’d never have cupcakes or apples or any of the other delicious foods Rowan had introduced her to ever again.

  Or Rowan.

  She wanted to tell him that they could look at the mermaid stories later, maybe in a day or two, but she knew that her father and her sisters would be worried. Her people would be worried their future queen was missing.

  How ironic it took leaving Laquaria for her to realise she belonged there.

  Chapter 9

  Rowan watched her patiently, waiting for her answer. Cari suspected he was always patient. Always helpful. That was who he was. Even if she did wish he would tell her that it would be better if she stayed.

  Cari made herself nod. “That’s a good idea.”

  It wasn’t too hard. She was interested in the stories humans had about mermaids. How accurate would they be? Would there be anything in them that could help her figure out how to get her tail back?

  She looked over at Rowan’s bag. “So did you bring books?”

  They didn’t have many books in Laquaria, the pages were very delicate, and only those who studied the lore were allowed to look at them.

  Rowan shook his head. “No, I’m afraid we don’t have many books on mermaids. Or, at least, I don’t. Maybe Zara does, but if I asked her, she might get suspicious.”

  “Then how are we going to look at the stories then?” Cari asked, confused.

  Rowan reached into his pocket and took out a little device. It was rectangular, like a book, but that was where the similarity ended. This one didn’t seem to have any pages or any writing.

  “The reception is kind of spotty on the islands, but I did download a couple of books and movies while I was at home. It’ll give us a start at least.”

  Cari frowned. “Reception? Download? Movies?” She understood the language, but the words he spoke made no sense to her. There was no equivalent in the mermaid world.

  Rowan grinned. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

  Cari followed him back to the soft, comfortable seats and sat down beside him. But as she leaned back against the seat, her back felt like it was on fire. She’d forgotten about the sunburn. She winced and leaned forwards. “Ouch.” She reached up to touch her back, and it felt hot to touch, like one of the lava tubes. And even the gentle touch hurt.

  Rowan winced in sympathy. “You have a really bad burn. Let’s do something about that.” He jumped up and rummaged in his bag again, bringing back a strangely shaped green object. “Here, this is Aloe vera gel. It will help your back, though it may sting a little when it goes on.”

  Cari looked at him uncertainly. “I guess.”

  “Can I rub some on for you?” Rowan asked, one eyebrow raised.

  His solicitous question won a smile from her. It wasn’t like she was going to say no if it would help the pain in her back. “Of course.”

  Rowan sat on the chair and motioned for her to turn slightly, so her back was to him. Then Cari felt something cool and wet on her back. Rowan was right. It stung a little, but the cold was worth it. It eased a little of the heat from the burn. Not all of it, but some.

  Then Rowan’s fingers brushed across her skin, lightly massaging the gel into her back. His touch was as gentle as the eddies from the swish of a fish’s fin, and although it hurt a little, Cari still wished he’d never stop. His hands gliding across her back sent a tingle to every place he touched.

  Maybe sunburn wasn’t as bad as she’d thought.

  “How does that feel?” Rowan leaned forwards and looked at her, concern in his face.

  Cari smiled at him. “It’s good,” she encouraged. “Don’t stop.”

  Rowan squirted some more Aloe vera on her back and rubbed it in for a few delicious moments, then he went and grabbed a cool, wet piece of material and laid it across her back. That helped a little too, enough for Cari to be able to lean back and focus on what Rowan was trying to show her.

  Rowan picked up the device again and touched it, and suddenly there were colourful pictures on the screen. He touched it again, and there were words. Cari stared in amazement.

  “Let’s start with The Littlest Mermaid,” Rowan said. He began to read the words aloud.

  Cari listened, entranced, as his voice rose and fell. She stared at the words until they blurred, amazed that such a beautiful story was contained within them. She’d always assumed the texts they weren’t allowed to read were boring and full of facts. No wonder no one was allowed to touch the books. They’d be worn out very quickly with mermaids reading these stories over and over again.

  The beginning of the story was achingly familiar—a young mermaid girl dreaming about a handsome human male. As Rowan read, Cari looked sideways at him, wondering if he realised how similar the story was to her own story.

  He glanced over at her as she looked at him and smiled, but didn’t stop reading.

  Cari saw no indication he had guessed her story. And why should he? He had no idea she’d been watching him for… well… years. He’d only seen her once or twice, maybe a little more often in the last few weeks, when she’d grown bolder. Or more desperate.

  As Rowan continued to read, the story became darker. The young mermaid girl went to a witch, wanting a magic spell to give her legs to walk on land. The nasty
witch agreed to help her, but only if the girl gave up her beautiful voice.

  Cari held her breath as Rowan kept reading, hoping things were going to work out for the mermaid. The girl agreed to the trade and went on land, and Cari could sympathise with the problems she had learning to walk. But that was where the similarity ended. Because the girl couldn’t talk to the man she loved, she couldn’t explain her story to him. And he fell in love with and married someone else.

  Rowan’s voice slowed as he read the rest of the story. The young mermaid girl, failing to find love, returned to the sea, where she was destined to become foam on the waves. Her sisters, wanting to help her, made another deal with the witch, selling their hair so that the mermaid girl could instead go to someplace called Heaven.

  Cari couldn’t believe the story was so sad. She had tears in her eyes, and she sniffled a little as Rowan’s voice stopped.

  “Why is it so sad?” she asked, bursting into tears.

  She didn’t cry just for the poor mermaid girl in the story. She was crying for herself too. She’d had just the same hopes and dreams, and though she knew she wasn’t going to die, the reality was far from what she’d imagined.

  Why did she have to choose? Why wasn’t there some way for her to be with Rowan and return home as well, even if it was just to visit? It was all so unfair. And Cari was tired and far from home and a little scared.

  Was this story a warning, just like the warnings her father constantly gave her? Was there some grain of truth in it?

  Rowan gave her a hug and patted her arm. “It’s by Hans Christian Anderson. A lot of his stories are just as sad and end in the same way. They were written a long time ago, and life was harder then.”

  He brightened. “But they made a movie of it, and it’s much happier. Do you want to watch?”

  Cari wasn’t sure she was ready for another sad story. But she was curious. “What’s a movie?”

  “It’s easier if I just show you,” Rowan said, and he tapped the device again.

  This time music and pictures flashed on the screen, telling another story. While the story played, Rowan squirted some more of the cooling liquid on her back again every little while. Each time the pain became a little less, increasing her enjoyment of Rowan’s rubbing a little more.

  Despite her reluctance, Cari was drawn into the story. It started the same, a young girl watching a man on a ship, but Rowan was right. In this story the girl and the man fell in love and were married.

  “I like this one much better,” Cari said as the story ended.

  Rowan smiled. “I thought you might.” He closed the movie and twisted on the chair so he was facing Cari. “I’m not sure if there’s anything in there to help us though. Does any of it feel like it might be true for you?”

  For a moment, Cari wondered if he’d guessed. Could he tell the beginning of the little mermaid’s story was very much like hers? But his eyes held only genuine curiosity.

  So she shook her head. “Not really. Mermaids spend most of their time hiding, not sitting on rocks singing. Most mermaids have never seen a human. There aren’t any mermaid witches that will give you legs, and I’m hoping that means I’m not going to turn into foam if you don’t fall in love with me.”

  She gave a slight grin at that, hoping Rowan would see the irony.

  He gave a laugh. “I would hope not. So that wasn’t much help I guess.” He heaved a sigh. “I’m not sure any of the other stories I have are going to be much better either.”

  Cari sighed too. “I had hoped there might be something useful about mermaids in your stories, but it appears most of it is far from reality.”

  Rowan nodded. “Well, how about mermaid lore? Do you really have no stories about mermaids who’ve gone on land at all?”

  Cari shook her head. “They don’t,” she said simply. “Everyone is warned to stay away from the shore. To stay away from the surface at all actually.” She gave a wry grin. “And if I’d listened to that, I wouldn’t be here.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she winced, guessing what was coming next.

  Sure enough, Rowan asked the question she’d wanted to avoid. “Why are you here then? I mean, not that I object, but what made you come here even though no other mermaid ever has?”

  Cari stared at him for a brief moment, imagining what might happen if she told him the truth. If she told him she’d kept coming back because she’d seen him, and she just couldn’t stay away?

  He might smile. He might lean forwards and kiss her. Imagining what that might feel like sent warm tingles through her whole body. She wanted that. She’d imagined it more than once.

  But things were more serious now. A mermaid stealing a kiss from a human was one thing, an amazing, fun thing, but that was all it could ever be. Humans and mermaids weren’t compatible. There couldn’t ever be anything more than a kiss between them.

  But now she was a human… well…

  Cari knew she shouldn’t even think about that. It was far too tempting.

  So instead she told Rowan the reason she’d first come to the surface, before she’d ever seen him. “I wanted to see the sunshine,” she admitted. “To feel it’s warmth on my skin. And once I’d experienced that, it was too wonderful to stay away.”

  Rowan looked surprised for a moment, but then he nodded. “I guess if I lived on the bottom of the ocean, I’d miss the sunshine too.”

  “Well, I’ll certainly get plenty of sunshine now,” Cari said, waving to the burn on her back, a little mockery creeping into her tone, even though she hadn’t meant it to.

  “Well, even though I wish you weren’t stuck here, I’m kind of glad you came,” Rowan said softly. His eyes were dark, and his voice was a little husky. It sent a shiver up Cari’s spine. “Or I would never have met you.”

  Cari’s heart leapt out of the water like a dolphin at his words. Deep down she’d wondered, perhaps even guessed, that he was as fascinated by her as she was by him. Having him confirm it made her heart sing.

  She felt an impulse to admit she felt the same. To tell him she wouldn’t go back and change any of it, even if it meant she never found a way home. But the words stuck in her throat.

  This was what she’d been afraid of earlier. A mutual admission was dangerous. Her confessing her feelings to him would be completely irresponsible and unworthy of a mermaid princess.

  She needed to make far more of an effort to get home before she even let herself think something like that.

  Especially not when Rowan had already admitted he felt that way himself. If both of them declared any sort of feelings for each other, then the chances of them keeping their distance shrank drastically.

  Cari was finding it hard enough to keep her distance now.

  Chapter 10

  Rowan held his breath, staring into Cari’s eyes. For a moment, he thought she was going to admit she felt the same way.

  He hoped she would.

  And then he immediately felt bad for that hope. He knew how much it had hurt his stepfather when he’d thought he’d never see his clan again. Even falling in love with Rowan’s mother couldn’t completely heal the pain.

  Rowan couldn’t even begin to imagine how much it would hurt, never seeing his own family again. He didn’t want that for Cari.

  He wanted to help her find a way to get home, even if it meant he’d probably never see her again. And he needed to reassure her of that.

  “But I’m sure we’re going to find a way to get you home,” Rowan said firmly. “Those stories were just the most well known ones. There are many more mermaid myths we can look at. And we can experiment ourselves too.”

  Cari nodded, not saying anything, and Rowan could see her eyes were a little misty.

  He couldn’t help himself. He didn’t want to pressure her, but he couldn’t see her so upset and not help her somehow. He slid across the couch towards her and pulled her into his arms.

  Cari was stiff in his arms for a moment, and then she relaxed agai
nst him.

  Rowan tried not to think of all the places their bodies touched or how little she was wearing. He was comforting her and nothing else, even if he couldn’t help noticing the effect being close to her was having on his own body.

  He immediately banished that thought before it made things worse.

  He needed to focus on ways to help her get home, not ways to keep her here. He cast his mind about for any possibilities. He was sure the water thing would have worked. Not only was it the most common myth, it made sense. If her tail turned into legs when it became dry, it should turn back into a tail when it was wet again.

  But it hadn’t worked.

  When his father and siblings changed, there wasn’t any sort of catalyst. They chose to shift. That thought gave him another idea.

  “What if you just have to concentrate to make it change?” he blurted out.

  Cari pulled back and stared up at him, and for a second he was momentarily distracted by the thought of wiping the tears from her upturned face. He banished that thought and made himself focus.

  “What do you mean, concentrate?” Cari asked, confused.

  “Well, that’s what dragons do,” Rowan explained. “When they want to shift into their dragon form, they think about shifting and it happens. The same when they want to shift back.”

  “But my tail changed when I was out of the water, not because I thought it should change,” Cari argued. “I never even imagined it could change.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t subconsciously thinking it,” Rowan suggested, warming to the theme. “Maybe when you were on land you just had a random thought that it would be easier if you had legs, and your body somehow interpreted that as a reason to change.”

  Cari looked doubtful. “But I’ve thought about having my tail back several times, and nothing has happened. So that doesn’t seem likely.”

  Rowan wasn’t deterred. “When my brothers and sister reached their teen years and were ready to shift, it didn’t just happen automatically. They had to learn to make the shift. And for a year or two, it was pretty unpredictable.”