Chapter 7: Chapter 6

I stepped into the blinding light of the globe from the shadow of the storage room.

No one was here.

Did I come too early? I looked down at my watch.

It's 8:30 a.m. on the dot.

Hmm, it's not that early. I frowned as I searched around for any evidence that he was here. Nothing. My eyes fell on the still water. I swallowed and dragged my foot in front of the other, nearing the opening to the aquarium.

I stilled

Memories assaulted me.

Water filling my lungs as I open my mouth to scream for help.

I shook my head. I'm here and I'm ok. I breathed deeply to reassure myself as I sat within a good distance from the water. I set my backpack aside - which contained my sketchpad to show him drawings.

I tugged the ticket receipt for the aquarium out of my backpack. I had used the pearl and a hefty amount of cash in return at a pawnshop. The guy at the pawn shop couldn't even believe they were real pearls when I sold it to him. I definitely wouldn't have believed my lie saying that I had found the pearls when I was out diving with my boat either, but that was the story I told the guy at the pawn shop and he took it.

I can't imagine how I could have explain to my parents of how I came up with this amount of money since they know I would never go near an ocean...

The money...

I could have used it to help my parents, to pay off their debts and such. But they would ask where the money was from and they wouldn't believe me if I say it was from my savings. They wouldn't take it even if they had believed it was my saving, they would want me to continue saving up for college. I wouldn't dare to tell them the truth of where I really got the pearls. I snorted, they probably wouldn't have believed me.

I sighed. Plus, it didn't feel like it was my money to spend it how I want it. It's Tristen's, or Tristen's gift for me to see him. It wouldn't be right if I used his gift otherwise.

I looked around the room as I waited for Tristen who was probably running late.

Or swimming late. I chortled to myself.

I heard a splash.

My head swiveled to the source.

Tristen?

I crawled closer to the opening. There was no one there. I squinted my eyes to see in the water.

A little blond head bopped up in front of my face.

"ASDFJKL!" I yelled as I tumbled back.

A pair of big blue eyes stared back at me.

My heart raced as I righted myself up.

A little girl with blond hair smiled shyly at me.

My instinct led me to ask. "Nixie?" She was that merchild with the pink tail that was performing tricks awhile back. The girl with sadness in her eyes, but there was no sadness in her eyes now.

Only mischief.

She grinned. "You know my name." She swam closer, staring at me in awe. "Your hair is super curly!" The mergirl hoisted herself up till she sat up on the ledge and leaned towards me. "Can I touch it?"

I laughed nervously and searched around to make sure nobody heard her spoke. My worries eased and I smiled, "Sure." I kneeled and scooted closer.

She reached with her finned fingers and touched my hair, her eyes filled with wonder. "Pretty." She smiled, dimples on each cheek. "You're pretty, like a human princess."

She is too precious.

I smiled. "Not as pretty like you, Princess Nixie.

"Princess?" She withdrew her hand and smile shyly.

"Of course, you must be a princess."

She giggled. "No, I'm not. There's no mer princesses in Northern Mir."

"Northern Mir?"

She nodded. "I think it's North Pacific as humans call it." Her smile is gone. "My home." She looked down. "Where ama and abu is."

Ama and abu?

"Who is ama and abu?"

A deep voice answered. "Her parents."

I turned to Tristen swimming towards us. "It's merlanguage for mom and dad."

Nixie giggled as she jumped into Tristen's arm. "Tristy!" Tristen catches and twirled her above the water. Nixie throws back her head and laughed. Tristen tossed her back into the water - creating a splash. She came back up, smiling.

Tristen came over and sat on the ledge near me. "Morning."

I smiled leisurely even though my stomach fluttered eagerly, "Morning."

"Morning!" Nixie squealed as she sat on ledge as well.

I laughed, "Good morning, Princess Nixie."

She giggled. "What's your name?"

"Meredith."

"Mer-we-dith?"

Tristen chuckled. "Close enough."

I smiled at Nixie. "You can call me Red."

"Red? Like the color?" Nixie tilted her head.

I nodded, "Like the color."

"Red?" Tristen asked. "How did that come about?"

"I couldn't pronounce my name as a little girl as well. I would say Mer-red-dith then Red." I shrugged, "My parents thought it was cute and it stuck since then."

"Red." He beamed. "I like it."

Nixie reached out and touched my black curls again. "You even have some red hair!"

I smiled, "You can only see it under the sun." I looked above me to the skylight where the sun rest. I looked back at Nixie as I adjusted my legs into indian sitting position. Nixie cast her gaze down, staring at my legs as if I sprouted them in front of her. She poked my knee. I smiled quizzically.

She looked at me dead serious. "They look like arms."

"Nixie." Tristen hissed.

I laughed. "They do, don't they?"

She giggled. "Red?"

I answered Nixie, "Yes?"

"Here." Nixie gave me something shiny.

It was a necklace.

A pink pearl hung from a silver chain. I looked at it closely, There was a shape of a heart etched on it.

"This is beautiful."

I gave the necklace back to her but she shook her head. "It's for you."

"Really?"

She nodded with a grin. "It's a present."

It's official. I love her as if she was my little sister.

"Thank you." I smiled. "Can I get a hug?"

She smile broadly and widened her arms. I went to the ledge and hugged her sideway. I felt the side of my tank getting wet from Nixie, but I didn't care.

I pulled back. "I'm gonna put it on."

Tristen scooched closer to me. "Here, let me help." He took the necklace from me and undoes the chain. He raised it above me and wraps it around my bare neck - my curly hair barely reaching my chin - to buckle it. "There."

I looked down to the pearl resting on my chest. "It's so pretty." I touched the pearl. "What does a pink pearl mean?"

Is it mer tear? And how is it pink?

"Pink is happiness." Tristen answered.

I looked down once more. Happy tears. That makes the gift far more precious. "Thank you, Princess Nixie."

Tristen spoke. "She's been wanting to meet you since I first talked to you."

Nixie nodded. "I really wanted to see you, but Tristy and Gale said I had to wait." She scooted closer to me. "But you're nice." She smiled at me.

I wish I can take her home.

I smiled back. "You're nice too." Then I remembered another name she said. "Gale?"

She grinned. "Gale is my best friend."

"Hey!" Tristen huffed. "I thought I was your best friend."

"Ok, Ok." Nixie giggled. "Gale is my playmate."

Tristen laughed. "That's more like it."

"Is Gale another merchild?" I asked.

Tristen snorted. "Something like that. A big merchild that is."

Nixie giggled.

I raised a brow. "Am I missing something?"

I jumped when another head popped up from the water.

"You know sound travel through water, right?" A merman – that looked slightly older than Tristen – glared at Tristen as he pushed back his wet blond hair.

Whoa, another merman. So many mers at once is leaving me slightly overwhelmed. Self conscious, I tucked in my very human legs under me so I'm sitting on my feet and away from the water.

Gale's playful brown eyes curiously looked over to me. He looked me up and down like I was an animal at a zoo.

My skin prickled. "Hello, I'm Meredith."

"She's called Red, too." Nixie piped in.

I smirked. "Are you the big merchild they speak of?"

Gale raised his brows and blinked, then he swam to me and hoisted himself up on the ledge to sit close to me.

I pinched my face to remain expressionless. If Tristen was built, this guy had a body of a frickin' weightlifter. There was not an ounce of fat on him and was all muscles. Unlike Tristen, he was littered in scars and tattoos. Faint white lines covered his torso and more on his tail. Some looked like scratch marks while others look like wounds from a knife. Black, rune like tattoos covered his upper arms. I tried to not lingered on his body but focus on his eyes that was narrowed at me. He leaned toward my face. "Do I look like a child?" Attempting to intimidate me but humor lingered in his eyes.

"Gale." Tristen warned.

"Not at all." I shook my head. "They were wrong." I grinned. "You're an elder."

Tristen barked while Nixie giggled.

Gale blinked at me and threw back his head to laugh. "I like her, Tristen." His eyes trailed down to my neck. "The necklace suits you."

I instinctively reached up to touch it. "Nixie gave it to me."

"Oh is that so?"

I looked over to Nixie. She was staring hard at her hands as she fidgeted with them.

Huh.

Gale cleared his throat. "So how's Tristen been treating you?" He smirked. "Has he bored you yet?"

Tristen chortled. "Meredith, officially meet Gale, we've known each other since we were kids."

Behind his hand, Gale whispered. "He was quite scrawny, other merkids called him flounder."

I laughed. Tristen slapped Gale's fin with his in the water. "Watch it." He crossed his arms with a grinned. "As I recalled, you were pufferfish."

"Ahu – bro." Gale sinks into the water. He wrapped his arms around Tristen in a hug. "I'm sorry, don't be so fussy."

Tristen scoffed as he pushed him away while Nixie giggled.

"So human, what brings you here every time?"

I felt my face heat. "Uh –"

"Because I asked her." Tristen answered instead.

My heart jumped at that answer.

"What's in this bag?" Nixie was peeking in my backpack.

I nearly sighed in relief at the topic change. "I brought some drawings to show." I reached over to take out the sketch book to give to Nixie. "It's things of my everyday life." I hand the open sketch book to Nixie. My drawing of my cat stared back at Nixie who was studying it in awe. Gale and Tristen crowded in. Tristen sat behind Nixie and Gale peeked from the water, with his arms resting on the ledge.

"What is that creature?" Nixie pointed at the my cat. She looked closer, "A lion?"

"Close, it's a cat. They are a distinctive relative to a lion." I answered. "He is my friend's pet."

"You can even see the stroke for the hair." Gale commented.

Tristen beamed. "Meredith is a talented artist."

My face warmed as my stomach fluttered. "His name is Tiger."

Nixie giggled. "Because he has stripes?"

I nodded. "I guess so. My friend have had him forever. He is very old and grumpy now."

"Sounds like Gale." Tristen joked as he dropped from the ledge to the water.

"Keep it up, flounder." Gale warned with humor on his lips as he slipped back into the water.

Nixie rolled her eyes. "Boys." She said as she flipped through the sketchbook pages.

I laughed as that came out of six year old's mouth. Oh, she is very smart.

Gale sat next to me and threw his arm around my shoulders. "I would like to offer you an opportunity for you to draw me." He raised his chin proudly, "I've been told I have a regal face."

Tristen was in the water and he went over to us to tug Gale's tail, causing Gale to be sucked back into the water.

"Hey!" Gale hollered. "I was just asking her a question.

"Well, ask from here." Tristen snapped. "You were getting her wet."

Gale had left water droplets on my bare shoulders but my tank was dry. "I'm fine."

"See?" Gale shoved Tristen. "She said she's fine."

Tristen rolled his eyes then splashed him.

Nixie giggled, setting my sketchbook aside and splashed Gale with her tail from the ledge.

Gale widened his eyes. "Oh, is that how it's gonna be?" He beated his chest in display as if he was a warrior going to war. "You mers ganging up on me."

Gale wents upside down, showing off his golden tail with shark-like fins above the water and the tail swung down.

The splash echoed and water flies to me.

Rushing towards me.

The wave towered over me like a giant beast, Angry and lashing. Storm cracked in the night sky as I stared up in terror and in awe of the monster wave.  There was a moment of stillness, of surreal stillness. Time froze and the wave just halted. The giant beast looks down me, in anticipation.The rain pelted my face as I stared. Then suddenly, time resumed. The beast roared and devoured me. Dragging me down, down to the dark abyss...

"Meredith!"

I shook my head, from the claws of my fear.

Tristen was shouting my name, staring at me.

I abruptly sat up straighter and scooted back away from the water. I breathed heavily. I looked around, my chest tightening. I was still at the aquarium, in the room on top of the mer globe. I looked down, my hands were shaking but I was here and alive. My tank was drenched but my shorts were dry. "What did you do?" I accused.

Nixie looked shocked and Gale was still. Tristen paled. "Y–you got splashed on." He moved closer and I moved back. He stopped, guilt flashed. "I didn't know you were afraid of the water..."

Once fear left me, other emotions flooded in. Panic, embarrassment and anger at myself took rein. The room was closing on me and my lungs was tightening. I couldn't breathe. I gasped as I stood. "I–I have to go." The room tilted and I looked down, squashing my nausea. I quickly grabbed my backpack. I rushed for the exist.

"Meredith!" He shouted after me as I slammed the door behind me.

I sprinted past the busy reception desk and out the glass doors. The glaring sun greeted me as I gasped in fresh air. I kneeled over, my hands on the knees and breathed. I inhaled in wonderful air, as if I starved my lungs of air. I breathed slowly. In. Out. In. Out. I repeated this exercise a few more times till my lungs no longer felt like it was in a vice of panic. I stood up once I got my bearings. I looked at the sky, clouds dappled the sky and birds chirped in the distance.

The weather was very different from the day I drowned.

The dark clouds coiled above me, the storm cracked and the waves roared –

I shut my eyes.

Breath in. Out. In. Out.

I sighed in exhaustion. I shield my eyes from the bright day to search for my car. Once I spotted it, I shouldered my backpack and begun to walk to my old pickup. I stopped as I felt eyes on me. I turned to my left and paused. There was a girl about my age sitting on the outside bench, staring at me.

Great. She must have saw me have a melt down. My embarrassment flared. Four people saw my panic attack today already.

The girl wore simple clothing - jeans and a white t-shirt. Maybe she was waiting for someone. I nodded in her direction in greeting. She made no move but continued to squint at me.

Weird.

I hurried to my pickup and drove home with a feeling like I forgot something.

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