Chapter Sixteen: Setting Sails

A part of Malia wanted to stay a little bit longer, just to enjoy the peace she found while she could. But as much as she enjoyed the life she made within the water, staying felt like she was hiding from the problems of her past. She had a chance to return to her life on land, and she didn't want to turn her back on that because of the obstacles that awaited her. No, she wanted to face them once and for all and prove that she deserved the happiness she was fighting for.

And she was determined to win.

Malia, Beatrice, and Sebastian headed for land early the next morning, and while that gave them plenty of daylight, it was nowhere near enough time for goodbyes. As such, the journey was relatively quiet, as if neither of them wanted to be the first to bring them back to reality. Of course, Sebastian was the least affected, and he happily bounced between the women as if they were embarking on an exciting adventure.

And maybe they were. As much as Malia's spirits fell at the idea, maybe they were starting new chapters of their lives; it's just that their journeys wouldn't be together.

They made a few stops along the way, allowing Malia to admire the beauty of the ocean one last time.

At a reef, they gazed at the rainbow of colors; Malia saw how they reflected in Beatrice's bright eyes.

Within the deepest parts of the ocean, their senses were engulfed by darkness; Malia could only focus on how Beatrice's gentle voice would illuminate the waters more than the orb of light in her hand.

They took time to simply float on the surface of the sea; Malia felt the warmth of Beatrice's energy more than the sun's.

Land neared them all too soon.

"Are you sure this will work?" Malia asked, nervously eyeing the sloping sand before them. "What if I start, you know, dying again?"

Malia knew her internal truth: she was avoiding the inevitable.

"That's what I'm here for," Beatrice said, though her voice didn't carry the same energy that it normally did. "You'll be alright."

Malia nodded, swam forward a few feet, then stopped.

"But what if I'm not?"

Beatrice sighed, but like all of her recent exhales, it was far from her normal levels of disapproval. "You will be. Trust me."

Unfortunately, Malia couldn't argue with that, and with one more pause, she began her trek up the slope and out of the water.

When her bare feet touched the dry sand, she stopped, waiting for her body to keel over in pain and her mind to be lost to her memories. No, she wasn't waiting, she was hoping. She was hoping for an excuse to stay behind, to enjoy the life that she built—that they built. She was waiting for the water to tell her what her fate was.

But that's what she wanted to change, wasn't it? She wanted to regain control of her life—of her happiness. She wasn't going to let anyone dictate her actions or goals, whether that be her peers or her family, the ocean or land. Only she was in charge of her destiny. She didn't need to wait for an excuse to act; she needed to find herself a reason. And she had one.

With a deep breath, a real one this time, she turned to Beatrice.

The woman was watching her with her head peering out of the water. Beside her was Sebastian, frantically glancing between the women with restrained whimpers. Even when Beatrice held him close, that did nothing to assuage the desperation in his cries. And at the sight of Beatrice's eyes wavering like the tide between them, Malia knew.

"Before, you asked me what makes me happy." Malia briefly glanced down, watching the water rush over the sand then steadily make its retreat, before meeting Beatrice's eyes. "You do. You make me happy."

When Beatrice's eyes widened, Malia's words surged forward with the tide.

"I'd forgotten what it meant to be happy; you changed that. Not only because you welcomed me and taught me about the ocean and took me to Atlantis, but because you showed me your soul—your heart. And I realized that part of the reason I'm so reluctant to leave is because you're here, and I don't want to leave the first bit for happiness I found if there's a chance I'll never see it again."

And then there was silence, only broken by the gentle rush of the ebbing and flowing waves. As Beatrice continued to stare at her, Malia released the breath that had built up in her chest. She knew there was a chance Beatrice didn't feel the same, and even if that was the case, Malia could live with that. What she would have regretted was not pursuing her happiness when she had the chance.

Still, as each silent second passed, Malia's heart grew heavier, so much so that her gaze was weighed down to the sand under her feet.

Until Beatrice's voice raised her spirits.

"I want to go back to land."

The fiery words were nothing like Malia expected, and her head snapped up before she knew it, as if she expected the voice to be a figment of her wishful imagination. But when she saw Beatrice's firm gaze and determined smile, Malia knew that she heard the truth.

"I'll pay my debt to the ocean—all of it," Beatrice said, her voice burning with a passion warmer than the sand beneath Malia's feet. "I'll work to earn my life back on land, and as soon as I do..." She took a deep breath, one that she didn't need—not yet. "I'll find you. I'll find you again, I promise."

Malia didn't doubt that. "I'll be waiting."

Suddenly, Sebastian barked, and before either of them could react, he leapt out of the water with the strength of a dog half his age. At first, Malia and Beatrice frantically chased him across the sand, Malia on foot and Beatrice by water. But when Malia finally caught him on land, she paused.

Malia hadn't realized the dog's skin had lost its green hue and his eyes reverted to their previous dark brown. At first, she didn't think the dog had saved any humans, until she realized that wasn't quite true. He had saved two souls—two spirits.

When their spirits were shrouded by gloom, he returned to life with energetic joy and warm kisses. He reminded Malia how it felt to laugh; he reminded Beatrice what it meant to be free. Just by being there when they needed him the most, he saved them.

Beatrice chuckled as she approached them at the water's edge; likely, she noticed the same. "I think Sebastian would love to keep you company until you find what you're looking for."

"Are you sure?" Malia said, even as she knelt in the sand and hugged the dog close. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine," Beatrice said, her smile warming Malia's heart with the small distance between them. "If anything, the both of you here will be an additional incentive for me to work quickly."

Even with Beatrice's insistence, Malia was still uncertain.

Again, Beatrice sighed, this one wavering with her voice. "Malia, please, don't worry about me."

"But I don't want to leave you alone," Malia said, her eyes burning with the emotions she no longer needed to hide. "I mean, I'm fine waiting, but what about you? What if I stayed in the water a little longer, just to keep you company?"

"Malia, really, it's fine," Beatrice said, and while she smiled, her eyes glistened through Malia's tears. "I'm willing to wait. Besides, after a thousand years, what's one more day?"

Malia sniffed and nodded, but she couldn't stop her tears as they rushed into the sea between them.

So Beatrice helped, reaching out of the water and resting her hand on Malia's cheek, catching her tears as they fell.

"Do you trust me?" Beatrice whispered.

Malia nodded carefully, not wanting to lose the warmth against her skin. "Absolutely."

Even if the warmth of her touch would inevitably disappear, Beatrice's gentle smile more than made up for it. "And I trust you."

Somehow, Malia knew that; in fact, she had known that for a while. But hearing the words herself, in the waves of Beatrice's gentle voice, was enough to let Malia briefly follow the ebbing tide towards the sea—towards Beatrice. And, like she had promised, Beatrice was waiting.

Malia already knew that the touch of Beatrice's hand was warm and gentle, so it wasn't a surprise when her lips were the same. Still, Malia didn't think she could ever get enough, not of the softness of Beatrice's skin, the beauty of her energy, nor the comfort of her scent. Like the first time Malia reached out to her, amidst the chaos of a storm, Beatrice felt familiar; she felt like home.

She felt safe.

When they finally parted, Malia worried that feeling would leave as well. But even as a chilly breeze rushed by and the warmth of Beatrice slowly left her lips, her presence continued to burn deep in Malia's heart. And judging by the fire radiating throughout her body, Malia knew it was there to stay.

Beatrice smiled; perhaps she knew that too.

"So go," Beatrice said, her hand lingering on Malia for a moment longer before returning to the sea. "Go ahead and fight for your happiness; win. And when you do, I'll be there. I promise."

Even though Malia couldn't predict the future, and even though her own fate was uncertain, she knew that Beatrice's words were true.

So with the truth in her mind, Sebastian by her side, and Beatrice in her heart, Malia smiled, then nodded. And as the tide turned inland, so did she, beginning her search for happiness and waiting for the day that they would meet again—the day that their journey together would set sail for good.

END

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