Seirra: Chapter Seventeen

Goodbyes weren’t painful because someone important was leaving. It was the idea of never being able to see each other again that made farewells worse than an open flesh wound.

The day we found Marina on her way out of the bookstore, I felt as if a huge rock had been lifted off my back but left an even bigger, aching hole inside of me. The entire four days that I had to wait before it was time to go was filled with forced smiles and depressed eyes.

It was terrifying.

I began to stare into space as I recalled what happened four days ago.

“Well, isn’t this cozy,” Marina commented upon seeing Margaret and I teasing each other.

“Marina!” Margaret exclaimed, delight reflected in her smile.

“What are you doing here?” I asked suspiciously. It was hard to believe she had finally agreed to go back and save Aquania.

“Your girlfriend told me to come,” she replied. Her eyes diverted from mine as she added, “When I change my mind.”

“Care to tell us why?” I couldn’t hide my sarcasm.

“Seirra, no need to act like a pig,” Margaret scolded.

I merely shrugged and stared at the princess, waiting for her to answer.

“I’m not going back to save Aquania or anything,” she began with a hint of hesitation. “I just want to find out the truth about my father.”

Her eyes told me that the fist part of that statement wasn’t true. Somehow, I saw a glimpse of a real princess when she said she wasn’t trying to be heroic. There was a spark that told me how much she actually wanted to be of help. How she managed to come up with that decision, however, was not something I was interested in.

“That will do,” I told her with finality.

“Great!” Margaret declared excitedly, complete with a clap. “Now it’s time to celebrate!” She turned towards Marina and then she said, “Why don’t you come in and have dinner with us?”

“No, thanks.” She sighed loudly as she prepared to leave. “I’ll see you in four days.”

She had already taken a few steps when Margaret told her, “I’m sure you’re going to be a fantastic princess!”

Marina didn’t bother to turn back nor say thank you but instead, she merely gave us a wave. A few seconds of silence passed before I heard Margaret’s sharp intake of breath.

“Problem solved! Now all we need to do is prepare for your impending departure.” The last few words were spoken more softly than the ones before them and I couldn’t help but notice how sadness suddenly filled Margaret’s eyes. An equally heartbreaking smile materialized from her lips. “I guess your time on land is over.”

We had now been together merely 25 days—not even a month yet—but it felt as if the moment I go back to Aquania, several years of my own life would be left behind. She had seen me differently from everyone else; and for some reason, I had allowed her to know more about me than a human should. It was comforting. She had accepted me and allowed me to be myself. She gave me encouragements, scolded me and kept my feet on the ground. But more than anything else, she had treated me like a real friend; despite knowing how different we were.

I knew too that she had trusted me enough to allow herself to act freely. She trusted me not to judge and I didn’t. Right now, I was quite sure that I was the only one who had ever seen how passionate she was as an artist. She was sometimes too uptight but I knew that her art was her way to let herself abandon her worries and simply draw.

I turned to look at her and for a moment, I was dumbfounded. She was beautiful. Her eyes were sad but there was something about her that glowed with beauty. And then I realized, it was my feelings towards her that brought out that glow. I sighed and wished that we had met in a different way. Perhaps then, it wouldn’t have been difficult.

“In case you don’t remember, I still have four days left,” I grumbled in an attempt to stifle the overwhelming thoughts that was centered on this girl who made me feel so much emotion.

Her smile widened. “I guess.” She surprised me even further by taking my hand to lead me inside our home. “You’re going to have to help me make dinner.”

She had most likely decided that nothing would come out of being depressed. I grinned at her in return as I agreed to help her chop the vegetables.

Sounds began to penetrate my thoughts as I realized that Margaret’s grandfather had finally arrived. I stood up to help him with his things before we both took seats in the living room.

“It was good that the princess had finally agreed to go to Aquania today. Another set of people had been spreading stories about mermaids again,” he reported wearily.

“I am glad as well. It would solve so much of our problems,” I answered.

“What time are you two leaving?”

“Sunset. It’s as late as we could. The princess requested for it.”

Grampa nodded then looked at the picture of Margaret’s family on the table beside his chair.

“I’ve never seen her so enthusiastic ever since her parents’ deaths. Perhaps it was because she had found a way to prove herself useful again. Many times she had failed to jumpstart a career that her mother had always wanted for her and sometimes I think it made her feel incompetent. When she realized she needed to help you, she had begun showing a bit more of the confidence I saw in her the first time I met her and her parents. I need to thank you for that,” he told me, sincerity filling his eyes.

“I didn’t do anything, sir. It was something Margaret had done for herself without anyone’s help,” I replied, refusing to take any credit for whatever good changes had happened while I was here.

“She said her reward would be a mermaid’s singing voice,” Grampa continued.

“Yes. It was the agreement. And I hope it’s enough to get her where she wanted to be.”

“I wonder.”

Grampa’s answer was suspicious and I opened my mouth to ask him to explain why he seemed to have doubts when he started talking again.

“I know I told you that I didn’t want you to take Margaret away from me too.” My eyes widened at where the discussion seemed to be going. “But I think this time, I wouldn’t stop her. Instead, I will simply wish that I be allowed to see her while I can. I hope you understand that, Seirra. If anything happens to me, son, take care of her.”

I swallowed nervously as panic rose in me. There was no way Grampa was dying, was he? I stared back at him, appalled at the idea.

“Once the princess and I leave, Margaret would no longer remember me.” When Grampa seemed to have become wearier than before, I added, “But I’ll do my best to watch for her if I can.”

Grampa nodded, “That’s good enough.”

At that moment, Margaret arrived from school. She greeted us with what seemed to be a forced smile and regret spread through me once again. I didn’t want to leave this way.

“I’ll just change into a t-shirt then we can go,” she told me, referring to our impending meeting at the beach.

She hadn’t looked me in the eyes for days. The day after our meeting with Marina, she had pretended that everything was normal. All the while, however, I knew she was trying to avoid me. She had made excuses about practice for tomorrow’s auditions and went home later than usual. When I informed her that I would pick her up from school, she would answer that she had already agreed to go home with her friends.

It was as if she was slowly saying her goodbyes to me.

When she was ready to go, she hugged her Grampa and I thanked him for his hospitality. The last look he gave me warned me to fulfill my promise to take care of Margaret. I nodded and then we were off to meet Marina.

*****

She was already there when we arrived. Oddly enough, she wasn’t wearing any of her outrageous and tight-fitting clothes. Rather, she was in jeans and white shirt with her hair hanging loose.

“Hey,” she greeted.

Margaret gave her a smile in return while I simply nodded.

“We have to leave before it gets completely dark,” Marina added.

“Definitely, Your Highess,” I replied, to which she merely raised a brow.

She breathed the sea breeze in and when she opened her eyes, she sat down on the sand. For a second, nothing happened. Then slowly, she lifted her hands as they sparkled in intertwined purple and green lights. The sand joined the magic from her hands and slowly covered her—from her legs up to her hair. In an instant, she had turned into a mermaid.

I saw Margaret watching her transformation with awe. A small smile crossed my lips. She still wasn’t used to seeing magic despite all the things she had actually seen.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” I asked her with amusement.

“Yeah,” she whispered.

She continued to stare at Marina which made the princess laugh at her astonishment.

“You can close your mouth now, Margaret.”

It brought my little human back to reality and she hastily closed her hanging mouth.

“Sorry. It was just…cool,” Margaret said.

The princess and I both smirked at Margaret’s innocence then Marina said, “It’s Seirra’s turn.”

The statement brought a sudden pall in the atmosphere. It was the moment we weren’t really waiting for. I sighed then faced Margaret, her head bowed down.

“I’m going to need the Crystal now, Marge.”

She lifted her hand and held the Key of Saol on her palm.

“When I remove this, my memory’s going to be erased, right?” she asked brokenly.

I swallowed the sadness that was brought about by the grief in her voice.

“Yeah.” I smiled then placed my hands on her shoulders. “And you’ll get the voice you needed for tomorrow’s auditions.

She raised her head as her fingers wrapped around the Key completely.

“I don’t want to forget,” she said, a tear escaping from her right eye. “I don’t want to forget you.”

I grinned again which made her cry more openly.

“It’s necessary, Marge,” I insisted. I couldn’t look at her without feeling the overpowering need to cry so I averted my eyes.

She still wouldn’t let go of the necklace and I could no longer help myself from wanting to comfort her. I pulled her closer and allowed her to cry on my shoulders.

“Only your mind will forget, love. I’m sure your heart will always remember,” I told her as I hugged her tighter.

It made Margaret’s sobs louder and she embraced me back forcefully. What made my own tears come out however, were the words she whispered near my ears.

“I love you.”

I closed my eyes at her declaration of love as she slowly lost consciousness. Little by little, we dropped to the ground. I had removed the clasp of the necklace which allowed me to go back to being a merman. The Key fell on the sand between us and I picked it up as my transformation completed. Margaret was now sleeping peacefully, and I shifted her so she could lie in a more comfortable position. I touched her face and she snuggled towards my hand, seemingly content to be there. It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

“Seirra…I’m sorry but we really can’t stay like this too long,” Marina called out in a soft voice.

I nodded and turned towards the sea, allowing the princess to get into the water first. When the water was already deep enough to make us seem like mere humans swimming, Marina caught my attention and we stopped.

“You could’ve told her you love her. Why didn’t you?”

Five seconds passed before I finally answered in a miserable tone.

“Maybe I was hoping that one day, we could meet again, and she no longer needs to forget.”

“Hmph. You and your cheesy love story,” she commented. Her words were sarcastic but it was clear in her eyes that she had hoped the best for Margaret and me. “Let’s go.”

I agreed and she dove under the water. It was difficult but before I completely left Grasveld Aisles, I couldn’t resist looking back to take one last glimpse of the girl who had finally caught my heart.