Chapter 16: Chapter 15

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Meredith

"You're a prince." My voice echoed. Gale did a sharp intake.

Silence fell heavy upon us

"How-How did you figure it out?" Tristen asked, shocked.

I leaned back from his question.  "I wasn't sure till now." Tristen's question just confirmed it for me.

Gale's eyebrows rose at that. "Oof, she got you there."

Tristen exhaled heavily when he realized he just outed himself. "Damn, you are clever." He chuckled. "I have to say, I'm impressed you figured it out."

Thoughts whirled wildly in my head that I couldn't even bother to be flattered by Tristen's remark. He was a prince. Tristen was a prince. I studied his strong features, imagining him wearing a crown and sitting on a throne. It wasn't very hard to manifest such imagination. I couldn't believe that I didn't see it earlier. He radiated royalty. Surprisingly, I'm not as shocked as I thought I would be. I guess once you find out that mers were real and then find out that they could talk. And to top it off, finding out that fays, pixies, goblins and incubuses were also real.

Well... finding out that someone is of royalty is pale in comparison.

Tristen still looked like well... Tristen. He was still the same person; Brave, intelligent, level-minded and caring. He never made me feel less or bad for being human. He treated me as equal and with kindness. Still the same man with dark hair, chiseled face and startling blue eyes, framed by sinfully long lashes. Yep, still the same person who managed to make my legs feel like jelly.

Bodhi had mentioned that the dark fays asked the mers for aid to bring down the light court and King Neptune said no. That would make anyone pissed when one refused to aid you... "The dark fay doesn't know that you are prince, right?" I questioned.

Gale snorted. "She just figuring this shit out on her own."

I nodded to Tristen's bare torso. "You don't have a single scar." I was on a roll. "Meaning that you are not a soldier and that the dark fays haven't harmed you..." My mind was going a million miles per hour. "Since I know they would if they are as dark as you described them. If they knew you were a prince," I inhaled. "Well, that couldn't be good. Especially since your father refused to help them to bring down the light court." I snapped my fingers when I finally made the connection. "And if they knew you were a prince, they would use you to get what they want from your father...  bribe for an army of mers, right?"

Tristen just stared at me in awe.

Gale ran his hand down his face and gawked at me. "Are you sure you're not a psychic?"

"I just watch a lot of tv." I mumbled, shifting under Tristen and Gale's scrutiny.

Tristen have an airy ha, then smiled brightly. "You're absolutely right." He leaned back. "They don't know that I am right under their noses and yes, they would use me."

Tristen and Gale continued to ogle at me.

I fidgeted nervously, hating that my inner "curious cat" came out–as my mom called it. As a kid, I used to ask a stream of questions and think out loud as I pieced the puzzle of information together. Now that I somewhat managed to control it and not overwhelmed my teachers or my friends when I nerd out, it's been less noticeable. My mom said that I take it after her since that was the reason she became a historian. Her "curious cat" loved history.

"Tristen, she's the one."

I jumped at that. "What?"

"Gale." Tristen sniped.

Gale rolled his eyes. "I mean, she is the one to help us. She's perfect for the job!" Gale turned to me with a grin. "You're hired!" He held out his hand as if I was being interviewed for a job.

"Uhh..." I stared at Gale's hand

"Red, you have no obligation to risk yourself for us." Tristen said.

"No." I sat back with resolve. Before I walked in here, I wasn't sure I wanted–no... I wasn't sure if I can help. I was only human with no special ability. I was afraid I was going to fail. But now... "I want to help however I can." I said with determination. With Bodhi and my immunity on my side, I felt like I had somewhat of a chance.

Bodhi and I was going to set these mers free.

I grinned with confidence and reached to shake Gale's hand. Gale wrapped his hand around mine–

Shock painfully zapped my hand and I jolted my hand back.

Gale hissed as he withdrew his hand.

"Ouch." I muttered as I rubbed my hand. Dang, that was strong. "You shocked me." I laughed it off. I looked around, wondering what caused that static shock. Is it because I sat on my trunk's door, causing static to clung to my clothes? Possible. I rubbed my hands. Ouch... that kinda hurt. I scratched my palm. Ugh, it's itchy now.

Tristen grabbed my hand without a second thought and rubbed my palm. Heat went up my arm like slow molten lava would go down a volcano. I jumped and look at him questioningly. What was he doing? If he keeps touching me carelessly, I can't help but wonder if he feels what I feel? I don't know how much longer I can pretend that he doesn't affect me. Tristen looked down at our hands, as if he didn't realize what he was doing. "Oh, ah–I was just putting water on your hand. That'll make the static go away." He withdrew his hand with a jerky motion.

I looked at my hand. He was right. It wasn't throbbing or itchy anymore. Who would've thought that water did the trick? I flexed my hand and beamed at Tristen. "Thanks."

"It doesn't hurt anymore?" His brows furrowed. I wondered if it was out of concern?

"Strangely no." I smiled.

Gale laughed.

"What's funny?" I smiled quizzically.

"Bodhi felt the static shock through me and is telling me to–and I quote–keep your damn hands to yourself."

I laughed as Tristen chuckled.

"You can hear each other's thoughts?"

"Faintly, due to the distance. But we can feel each other's emotions at a larger range. That's how I sensed she was out there."

"Wow, that's incredible." I breathed. "You guys are really soulmates."

Gale twisted his lips. "Soulmates are different from shi-amares."

I leaned forward, "How so?"

"Soulmates is a bond that humans feel for another. It can be a lover, a friend, or a family. It's when two different souls have a strong connection to each other due to having a lot in common. Soulmates can challenges them, which helps them grow and become the best version of themselves. Not all soulmate relationships are romantic nor last forever since people change." Gale continued. "But not shi-amares, no matter how much the pair of souls evolve and change, the other half will always have a connection with the other. Soulmates are two different souls drawn to each other, whereas shi-amares are one soul but split into two. These pair of shi-amare can have nothing in common but they literally can't live without each other. It physically and emotionally hurt when we are apart from our shi-amare for a long period of time after we find them. It feels like someone ripped out our heart, leaving a gaping hole in your chest and it begins to fester... it hurts like hell when we're not with our other half." Gale smiled, perhaps in memory. "Finding your shi-amares can be heaven or hell. Depends on who you ask."

"That's beautiful." I breathed.

"Sounds painful." Tristen said at the same time.

I tsked at Tristen. "I take it you're not a romantic?"

"More like not a masochist."

I rolled my eyes.

I never heard anything like it. My inner romantic wanted to cry at such possibility of everyone finding their shi-amares–wait. "Can other sidhe have shi-amares?"

Gale stopped and pondered. "Yes, but it is extremely rare. When I say rare, I mean rare. Even some mers never find their shi-amare. I personally only know about six pairs that are shi-amares.ˆ"

Curious, I asked Tristen. "Do you have a shi-amare?

Tristen jolted back to focus. "Uhm." He cleared his throat. "No. I don't." He directed his gaze away to the wall.

Ooo, sensitive topic.

I stopped. He didn't say he didn't find his yet. Oh my god, what if his shi-amare died?

Gale answered for me before my thoughts got out of control. "Oh, our prince here never found his." Gale chuckled. "You wouldn't believe the amount of mergirls that came to his birthday ball every year, in hopes that their shi-amare is him."  I exhaled in relief that nobody died.

Then my inner thought whispered.

And relieved he didn't have one too.

I shook my head. No, I shouldn't think like that–glad of someone's misfortune.

Tristen slid back into the water and spread his muscular arms along the edge of the opening, lounging with his tail floating on the surface of the water. "Alright, I'm ready to hear your adventure with Bodhi." Changing the subject entirely. Hmm, maybe he's just sensitive about it since he hasn't found his. I can relate. I always felt left out when my friends from school talks about the person they're seeing and I'm just like, a lone cactus in a desert.

Gale chuckled eagerly, then he got comfy like a teenage boy would before watching a marvel movie at the theater. He settled by leaning against the edge, mirroring Tristen. "Ready."

I laughed. "Okay. I came here yesterday morning, bright and early, but the door was locked. I didn't know it had closed on Thursdays. Then, out of nowhere, Bodhi comes out saying hi so loudly that I nearly jumped out of my skin..."

Gale laughed as Tristen chuckled. I continued telling them everything, even when Bodhi slapped me–which made Gale laughed even harder. Tristen frowned at that.

After I told them everything, from the spider incident of the hotel to me bringing Bodhi to my home to stay, finally to when Bodhi and I unpacked her shoes–from the boxes that arrived to my place–to my guest house. I told them everything I learned, leaving out the girl talk that Bodhi and I had that night. Obviously. Finally, finishing off with the little experiment that Bodhi and I did to see how my immunity worked.

"Sounds like you had quite the day." Tristen smirked.

"The glamour didn't touch you at all and Bodhi saw it move around you?" Gale asked.

"Yeah, Bodhi said it was like I was untouchable." I answered.

Gale pondered. "I wonder if you can walk out of the city limits..."

Tristen inhaled sharply. "She can lose her memory."

I stopped. "But I don't when I walk in here every time."

Gale crossed his arms. "She's right. She is clearly immune."

Tristen's jaw clenched. "But we don't know the extent of how powerful the outer glamour is. We know nothing about that glamour."

"Bodhi said she managed to find a hole in the outer glamour. That's how she managed to reach land. If that's the case, I would say it's not any stronger than the one on the aquarium." I pointed it out.

"But we can't be too sure of that, Red." Tristen said softly. "It's dangerous and we don't know if there's more dark fays out there, guarding the outer glamour. You could be caught."

Gale argued. "Red has Bodhi to protect her. Say that Red managed to go through, she can go to the sea and somehow get the word to the sea king to send help."

I stilled. My heart raced. The sea?

"She can't go to the sea, Gale." Tristen sighed. "Not only that, but how will she contact another mer? She can't swim that far and deep. She's still human."

Gale sighed in frustration. "I don't know."

"Can't Bodhi manage to find the hole again and go back to the sea for help?" I asked.

Gale still and stared off in the distance. "Bodhi said she can't find it again. She already tried."

I raised a brow. "How did–oh, right. Shi-amare."

Tristen smiled. "It takes awhile to get used to. I'm still getting used to." He chuckled. "But glamour is a complex thing. It's constantly changing and it's casted by multiple fays, thus you can't just kill one and hope the glamour vanishes. Another would just takes its place and continue to cast it."

Drat, that was another theory I was working on. Rid one fay and all the problem goes away. I pondered and thought out loud. "So Bodhi can't find the hole but for some reason I can make the hole..." A lightbulb went on. "What if I somehow managed to make one for Bodhi to go through?" I continued. "Then she could return to the sea and come back with help!" I smiled in excitement. This mean that I wouldn't have to step a foot in the sea.

"Yes... I wondered what happens if you hold her hand..." Gale rubbed his chin.

Trsiten nodded. It seemed he wasn't so against the idea anymore. I wondered if it was because he knows that I wouldn't have to go in the sea. His concern made my heart thumped.

"We could test that theory now." Tristen said.

"How?" I asked.

"If your touch is all it's needed for immunity, your phone should be protected when you step out of the aquarium."

"I should still have the photos as evidence." I said, seeing where this is going.

"Right, try taking a photo of Gale." Tristen tilted his head to Gale.

"Why me?" Gale grimaced.

I smirked. "I'm sure Bodhi would want to see you." I took out my phone from my backpack.

Gale chuckled. "Bodhi said make me sexy."

I giggled as I opened my camera app. Gale hopped from the water to sit on the edge. He lounged back to rest on his elbow like a vogue model. He smoothed his hair back and gave me a smoldering look. Holy cow! He was a natural! I laughed as I snapped photos as Gale changed up his poses.

Tristen rolled his eyes. "I don't know if I should ask why you know how to pose so well..."

Gale smirked mischievously. "Well, Bodhi and I like to role-pl–"

"Nope! Nope, nope, nope! Forget that I asked." Tristen blanched.

I laughed harder. "Well, I got the photos." I tucked the phone away to my backpack.

"RED!" A tiny blond head bopped from the water.

I grinned. "Nixie!" I shuffled tad bit closer.

Nixie jumped from the water and shuffled closer to me. She wrapped her tiny arms around me. I melted. I hugged her back, not caring if she got my shirt wet. I asked her. "How have you been?"

"Bored!" She whined. "There's no one to play with and everyone here is old."

Hey!" Gale clamoured.

Nixie looked at him innocently. "What? It's true!" She frowned. "You're like in your middle twenties. That's ancient."

Tristen laughed as I giggled at her child lingo.

Nixie eyed my necklace. "So you know?" She turned her eyes down in guilt.

I nodded. "I do." I tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's okay. I understand."

Nixie smiled big, relieved. "You're going to help?" She asked, batting big blue eyes in hope. "Are you going to free us, Red?"

"Nixie–" Tristen started. I smiled at Tristen. I got this. He stopped.

With steel determination, I answered Nixie. "I will make sure that you go back home to your mom and dad."

"Really?"

"Really."

Nixie gave my another hug. "Thank you."

My eyes burned, threatening to tear up. I sucked it up and hugged her back. "No, thank you for being a brave princess."

Gale spoke. "I hate to spoil this moment, Red, but It's almost noon."

I gasped and looked at the watch around my wrist. "Shoot." Nixie released me. "I'll be back tomorrow." I promised to everyone.

"Wait!" Gale leaped out of the water to sit on the ledge once more. He dragged himself across the floor to the bags of feed in the corner. He pulled out a sketchpad and a pencil from behind. "Aren't you forgetting something?" He waved the sketchpad with a grin.

All the blood rushed from my face and my stomach decided to take a vacation. Gale brought the sketchpad to me and I numbly grabbed it from him. Gale didn't release the sketchpad and he smirked. He leaned in and whispered. "He didn't see it." He winked at me.

Gale saw it.

He saw the drawing that I so desperately trying to hide.

Kill me now.

I shut my eyes and sighed in defeat when he lets go of the sketchpad to me. Maybe if I closed my eyes for awhile, I will wake up from this cringey dream. I opened my eyes. Nope. Still here. I tucked the sketchpad in my backpack. I heard Tristen hissing at Gale, wondering what he said to me and him responding with an innocent nothing.

I raised my voice, "Well, I should go. I don't trust to leave Bodhi alone for a long time."

"Bodhi?" Nixie asked.

"Bodhi is Gale's shi-amare. She's out there, trying to rescue us." Tristen said as he lifted Nixie from the edge and set her in the water.

Nixie's eyes widened and her small mouth dropped at Gale. "You have a shi-amare?"

Gale nodded proudly. "I do."

"Wow." Nixie exclaimed. "Even though you're so old?"

"Hey!" Gale chased after Nixie who squealed and dived under the water. "You're gonna get it!" Gale chased after her.

Tristen shook his head after them with a ghostly smile. "Children." He looked to me. "See what I have to deal with everyday?"

I giggled. "Poor little prince."

Tristen stopped. "Are you... ok with that? Knowing who I am?"

"Honestly, a unicorn can just walk past me right now and I wouldn't even be surprised." I was slowly learning to not freak out on every little thing and to just go with the flow.

"That's unlikely." Tristen chuckled. "They live in Europe."

I stilled. "You're joking, right?"

He smiled. "'Fraid not."

I inhaled harshly. Uni–freaking–corn existed? Calm, Red, calm. I exhaled. "Wow. Okay, I can handle that." I laughed nervously.

Tristen laughed. "Red, you are handling things well." He crossed his arms and rested them on the edge of the water, flexing his biceps. He rested his strong chin on his arms, looking up at me through his dark lashes, smiling.

My brain whited out like a TV with bad reception.

Earth to Meredith.

I shook my head. "I'm trying. I'm really trying." Oh, I'm trying. Trying not to gwak when Tristen... well... being himself. "Anyway, there are some things I was wondering..."

"Shoot."

"How many dark fays are here?"

He pondered. "I would say about twenty?" Trinsten continued. "There are more human workers. But I think they're just more than humans."

"How do you mean?"

"Just like there are a group of humans who can see through glamours– the Clovers. Well, there are a group of humans whose goal is to wipe all sidhe creatures from the face of the earth." Tristen his lips. "They called themselves the Watchers." He shrugged. "But it's just a theory. Especially when Watchers wouldn't so openly help the dark fays."

"These Watchers... They kill mers?"

"And fays." Tristen added. "As well as others like... ah well, I don't want to overwhelm you but other sidhe creatures that lives in the mortal realm."

I shook my head. "Why would they do that?"

"They believe that they're protecting other humans from us and purifying the world. They believe that no one should have that much power over the humans. Like how some fay can control the elements or how my father can create one of the worst tsunami. But the Watchers don't understand that everything is a delicate balance. Stop one thing... Chaos will commence."

I blinked. "Sidhe are really the force of nature."

He nodded. "We have to make sure the planet lives." He sighed. "But it's getting harder as the human population grows, pollution and trash piles up. It doesn't help that the Watchers ridding us one by one. The earth is slowly dying."

"You can do that? Make sure the earth lives?"

"I can."

"How?"

"I–" He watched me closely. "I'm not just any prince... I'm the crowned prince, destined to take the throne"

I sat back. "You're a king-to-be?"

He nodded. "I would uptake my father's duty–overlooking the well being of the ocean and protect all the lives that dwell in the big blue."

Stunned, I stared. That can't be a duty to be taken lightly. There are more water than land on earth. Tristen was going to be king to the biggest kingdom that any land has ever seen. That had to be a daunting task. I can't imagine the weight on Tristen shoulders, especially when he is trapped in an aquarium–unable to help his people. I was now slowly understanding Tristen.

"Well, thanks for telling me that." Without thought, I reached out laid my hand on his arm in consolation. I nearly gasped from the intensity when the flame whooshed up my arm.   "I... uh... should get going."  I jerked my hand back. I need to stop doing that.

"Meredith."

I stopped. "Yes?" My heart thundered.

"Thank you." His sea green eyes glimmered with hope.

And that scared the crap out of me. I weakly smiled. "You will be back in the sea in no time. Right where you belong."

And I'll never see you again.

Tristen eyes darkened. He doesn't say anything.

I awkwardly got to my feet. "Okay, well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sorry for keeping you." Tristen smiled apologetically.

"Oh, I forgot to give Gale the necklace back." I reached around my neck to remove the pink pearl necklace. I held the necklace from the chain and dropped it in Tristen's outstretched hand. "Can you give it back to him for me?"

Tristen nodded. "Sure."

I smiled thankfully. "See you." I walked to the door.

"Red."

I stopped and turned in response.

His face tensed. "Be careful. I mean it."

"I will." I smiled.

I closed the door behind me and descended down the stairs, lost in thought. I wondered if my touch is really all it's needed to get Bodhi to the other side of the glamour untouched? What if the cell phone experiment didn't work? We would be back to square one... I reached the bottom step and opened the door, darkness welcomed me. I didn't need the light to guide me out, I came here so often that I memorized the steps to get out. I closed that door and made my way past the boxes of supplies to the secret door.

Dread filled my gut.

I stopped.

Then I heard it.

The secret door knob was turning.

Somebody was coming.

And I was about to be caught.

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*Take a peek in Meredith's phone* :P

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