39.Alin #2
She just got her pardon after months of suffering as a traitor; I’d rather not involve her in this plan. I won’t send her to hell again if things go wrong.
“Bay, some things are better left unknown,” I smile at her, making it clear she won’t get more than that.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to join you. I’m sure your parents won’t object,” she tries to push me to the edge, but I won’t let her.
“Do what you want,” I mutter in response to her veiled threat.
“Why are you here anyway? Don’t you want to see your family? You’re free now.”
Bay and I were close before I left; I can’t believe she suffered so much because she wanted to follow me. What was she thinking?
“They are the reason I was punished. I ran away from them, and they made sure to exile me, their only daughter!” she recounts dramatically, and I’m surprised they went as far as to exile her. Those jerks should be exiled, not Bay.
“They ratted out my escape, and don’t be mistaken, they didn’t miss a single detail, including a precise description of how I injured one of the guards.
I will never go back to them, and I will never forgive them,” she continues, venom now evident in her voice.
They say blood is thicker than water... if I were in her place, the only blood I’d see would be theirs on my hands.
My heart breaks when my eyes land on her now broken expression.
“You’ve lived in my room your whole life anyway, one more night together won’t kill us,” I try to lighten the mood, sending her a comforting smile and inviting her to join me on the bed.
“I’m sorry you had to go through all this because of me,” I say quietly as she lies down on the jelly-like filling of the shell bed, which ripples beneath us.
“It’s not your fault, Alin. You’re like a sister to me. I wanted to be there for you like you’ve always been there for me. I don’t regret it for a second,” she says, turning to meet my eyes. Her sincerity is unmistakable, and a sharp sting pierces my heart for trying to push her away.
Luckily, I’m underwater now; otherwise, tears would be streaming down my face again. I’ve had more than enough of those lately.
I lie down, and she follows, turning her back to me in her favorite sleeping position. I smile to myself at the familiar feeling it brings and hug her back as we fall asleep. Tomorrow I see Luca again and we’re going to fix everything. No more running away; it’s time to fight back.
I wake up with a start as Bay shakes me with excited shouts in the morning.
I look around and remember where I am—I’m home.
“Are you crazy? I didn’t come back here to die of a heart attack,” I snap at her, and she laughs. Looks like there will be no peace for me today.
“Come on, we have to make the most of your last day as a single woman,” she giggles, and I roll my eyes. “The messenger returned with approval for the wedding from Zale.”
I swim out of bed, trying to ignore the anxiety threatening to take over my body. I’m home right now, and I need to make the most of my time here. There’s no telling how much time I have left.
“So, how are we going to spend the next few hours?” I ask with a fake smile, trying to hide the rising panic.
“I’m sure Flipper missed you...” she hints, and I jump in place, swimming toward her with excitement that replaces my fear in an instant.
When I returned to the ocean with my father, Flipper was still a tiny dolphin. We taught each other to swim fast, jumped above the water’s surface, and played endlessly.
“Shall we go visit?” she asks with a smile as we head toward the main exit of the castle.
“Alianna,” my mother’s voice echoes behind me, stopping us just before we step out the door.
“We barely managed to convince them to come to the surface. I hope you’re not planning to run away again,” she warns.
“No, Mom. Just going out to have some fun,” I fake a hurt tone, but I understand her. If I didn’t have a plan, I’d definitely be trying to run away again.
“We’ll be following you to land later today; be at the city gates by noon,” she requests before disappearing upstairs with her assistant. This reminds me, “Where’s my maid? I was sure she’d be here breathing in the drama,” I ask Bay with a chuckle, and her laughter echoes through the corridor.
“When you left, she started gossiping with everyone. When your parents tried to cover up the fact that they had no idea what was happening, she gave the monarchy a bad name, so they sent her to prison,” Bay informs me, still giggling.
“What’s funniest is that even the guards in her cell want to cry.
She never stops talking.” Now I join in her laughter, unable to hold it back. She got what she deserved.
“Alright, let’s hurry, so we have some time to enjoy ourselves before noon,” Bay urges, pushing me out the large door.
The bustling morning atmosphere of merfolk swimming from place to place makes me smile.
We gauge the hours by the sun’s position and the dispersal of darkness in precise locations, so we’ll know when to get back.
We swim out of the city, weaving through the bustling merfolk darting between shops and homes.
The guards trail us, struggling to keep up.
They won’t let me out of their sight this time, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun.
I flash Bay a mischievous smile, and she, reading my thoughts, grins back.
Without a word, she surges ahead, slipping through the crowd with me.
The vibrant colors of the marketplace blur as we dart past, laughter bubbling up between us as we leave the bewildered guards in our wake.
When we look back, laughing, we see their confused faces on the other side of the stalls, searching for us.
“You’re so bad, Alin,” Bay laughs, pushing me playfully to the side, and I feign surrender.
“Okay, okay, no trouble today,” I promise with a smile and shout to the guards, revealing our location.
They swim toward us without hesitation, and we continue to the wide seaweed fields where Flipper is always found, but there’s no sign of him.
We swim along the entire field, trying to locate him for a long time. I don’t understand where he could have gone. He loves this field the most.
“I’ll handle this. I learned a few tricks with the hunters,” Bay says suddenly with pride, beginning to mimic dolphin sounds.
Bay was always terrible at the languages of sea creatures. What did the hunters do to her? I wonder, when suddenly the familiar, beloved sound responds to her.
Flipper swims toward us excitedly, and without thinking twice, I swim toward him as well.
He recognizes me immediately, swimming circles around me, nudging my body playfully with his nose. It’s clear how much he missed me, but definitely not more than I missed him.
I press my forehead to his, kissing this grown baby swimming before me and rubbing my tail against his body, holding his fins playfully.
He responds with excitement, swimming forward quickly, pulling me along as my hands hold onto his fins, and Bay catches up with us, laughing behind.
He leads us to his pod and approaches two tiny dolphins, signaling me to go to them with his nose.
“Are these Flipper’s?” I ask in amazement, melting at these adorable creatures.
Bay nods, “It seems he was just waiting to show them to you,” she laughs.
I swim excitedly around the little ones, playing with them as Flipper joins in. Bay knew exactly what I needed to clear my head today, and it works wonders.
We spend the next few hours with Flipper, swimming to every corner of the city I missed. The guards already look exhausted, and Bay enjoys teasing them more than I do.
“Alin, the sun is at its peak now. We have to hurry to the gate,” Bay shouts from behind me as I search for treasures in a secluded part of the city, breaking the satisfying happiness of this day in less than a second.
I’d been revelling in the day’s fun, almost forgetting why I came back. A quick glance at the sandy bottom reveals a rusted coin glinting faintly beneath the sand, reminiscent of the necklace I found for Luca. I shake off the thoughts; I’m about to see Luca now. No point in worrying unnecessarily.
We swim swiftly toward the city gate, excitement and anxiety building within me. The familiar path brings memories rushing back, both joyful and painful. As we approach, my parents come into view, their faces a mix of worry and anticipation.
My mother gives me a reassuring smile as we arrive. “Are you ready?” she asks softly, sensing the turmoil within me.
I nod, taking a deep breath. “Let’s go.”
With Bay by my side, I feel a renewed sense of determination. No more running. It’s time to face this head-on and make things right. We swim through the gate, heading toward the surface, where Luca awaits.