Chapter 34
Genevieve
“This is our most popular market where you can find anything you desire.” She says, acting like a sightseeing guide. “Here we can see Alejandro, selling his pearl necklaces.” She motions to the left with her arm.
“And on this side, we have Roberta, selling her home-cooked soup in seashell bowls.” She motions to the right.
Going hand in hand, almost like a loving couple, neither of us can stop giggling. I can’t remember the last time I had a friend like this, I can’t remember if I’ve even had one. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this safe with a girl except for Esme.
“Wait.” I say out loud, stopping her as we walk past a girl who’s selling hair brushes and mirrors decorated with pearls and shells.
“What?”
“I need to get this.” I say just as I remember that I didn’t bring Ector’s golden coins. “Never mind, I can’t afford it.” I continue as the realization hits me.
“Which one did you want?”
“That one.” I say, pointing to the hairbrush decorated with purple pearls that shines like it holds the rainbow.
“I will get it for you.” She smiles at me.
“No! You shouldn’t.”
“Why? You liked it.”
“But my love doesn’t cost anything.”
“Ladies.” The girl selling the brushes abruptly breaks us off. “It’s on me.” She says.
“No, you will keep it.” I respond, looking at her. “And you will not pay for it.” I turn to Illysia.
The two girls make eye contact, the girl selling them handing the brush to Illysia for free. “You don’t get to make the rules around here, Genevieve.” She pauses. “You’re not from here.” She says, and a big smile appears on her lips.
She puts the brush in my bag that barely has any space left, and my diary flies out, landing on the ground, showing a page that I haven’t seen before.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” She says, bowing down to pick it up.
“It’s okay.” I take the book into my hand and find the page that I didn’t recognize.
It doesn’t take long before I realize that it’s Ector who has written something. But I don’t have the strength to continue reading.
Placing the book in my bag, I try to shake the feeling of heaviness out of my body and do my best not to think about the text I just read.
My heart sinks further than it ever has before, clawing at the inside of my flesh, ready to rip me apart.
The air leaves my lungs and suddenly, every breath feels like it’s being taken from a straw.
When did he write this? The question keeps echoing in the back of my mind as I follow Illysia deeper into Mermaid Lake.
More statues of naked women come into view, all of them having different body figures, yet equally beautiful.
“Do you have any friends back in Fairy Village?” She asked me.
“No, not really. It’s mostly the friends of my sister that I speak to sometimes.”
“I want to be your friend, even if we live far apart.”
“I’ve already started considering you my friend.” I laugh.
“We could send letters to each other when you get back home!”
“Like pen-pals?”
“Yes!” She answers in deep excitement, lightening the mood in an instant.
I only met her a few hours ago, but I already feel like she can read my mind, understand me deeper than I can myself. Was it because we had experienced the same thing? Was it because she could read my mind? Or was it simply because we were meant to meet this whole time? So called, fate.
I had never met someone so alike me, shy yet the kindest soul. Someone who would turn into an outgoing person once feeling safe. Because that was it, it had everything to do with safety.
The only people who have ever made me feel safe enough to be myself were my mother, Esme, Ector, Caspian of course, and now Illysia.
For a shy person like me, I’ve never had a lot of friends.
But the people close to me means more than anything that words could possibly describe.
I love them deeply and I make sure that they feel it.
I put my soul into those relationships and those people that make me feel safe.
That’s why it hurts so much once they’re gone.
They weren’t just a friend or someone you pass by sometimes, they were a part of me, my soul.
Suddenly, I start thinking of my mother and her warm hugs, her positive support, and calm voice.
I need her. I need to cry into her arms just as I did when I was a child.
I need to feel the way her warmth would surround my body and the way her soft whispers would make me feel better in an instant.
I want to feel her soft palms rubbing my upper arms and for her to tell me that everything will be okay.
“Have you ever met a mermaid before?”
“No I haven’t.” I confess.
“Then we’ll add that to our bucketlist!”
Was I about to meet mermaids? After so many years of wondering about them? It felt unreal, and finally, a sliver of hope and joy spread through me.
Us creatures always wonder so much about the others, what kind of powers they may hold or what there is to learn. Could a witch learn a fairy to bring out our inner magic or do we simply not hold any?
What mysteries are there to solve that we have no clue of? Are there any old tomes that all of us simply forgot about? Has there been information that our ancestors kept a secret? What more is there that we will never know about? My questions were endless.
“I have a mermaid friend, actually.” She tells me.
“You do?” Shock enters me at her sudden confession.
“Yes! But we’ve only met a few times.”
“Does she have any powers?”
“No.”
“Does she have any secret talents?”
“She probably designed that hair brush in your bag.”
“She did?” I say, immediately placing it in my hand to look closer at the shimmering pearls and seashells.
The brush is light brown. The back holds two big seashells, around them are white and blue pearls placed in different sizes. It looks magical, almost like it was taken out of a portal to a different realm.
“Yes.” She smiles, her smile so bright it would easily light up a dark forest at night.
Her violet dress flows around her legs with each step, her hips swinging from side to side as she moves forward. Suddenly I notice a man staring at her in awe. He looks at her almost like she just solved all of his problems by simply just walking past him.
“Who’s that?” I say, pointing with my finger, yet trying to be discrete.
“I- I actually have no idea, I don’t recognize him.”
His hair was in a tone of golden blonde, his eyes being honey colored, and his charming smirk being on such display.
“Hi.” A male voice speaks, and suddenly he’s standing right beside us.
Both of us being stupidly shy, we take the hand of one another and stand shoulder to shoulder.
“H... Hi.” Illysia speaks, her cheeks turning red as she looks into his eyes.
She definitely thinks he’s handsome.
“I was wondering-”
“We have to go, right Genevieve?” She looks at me, an awkward smile appearing on her face as she drags me with her. Her body is stiff with every step she takes.
Walking behind a corner of an old building, I can see him dragging his hand through his hair, standing there and feeling dumb before I disappear behind the building as well.
“What are you doing?” I spit out in confusion. “He wanted to talk to you!”
“I know!”
“So why are we running?”
“Did you see how handsome he was?!” She whisper-screams, her hands cupping her sweet face.
“Not my type... But I could definitely see on your face how handsome you thought he was.” I giggle.
“Did I turn red?”
“A little.”
“Oh goddess...” She paces back and forth, me and Daffodil staring at her in confusion.
“Go talk to him!”
“Are you insane? I can’t do that after turning into a freaking tomato.”
“I’m sure he thought it was super cute.”
“I want to disappear forever.”
“Oh, stop it!” I nudged her arm with my palm.
“I’ve never really spoken to a guy before.” She confesses.
“It can be scary, I know.”
“Scary? I think you meant terrifying.”
“Just wait until he starts flirting with you. You will feel your whole body react.”
“Ahhh! Stop it before I go insane.”
I can’t help but to laugh at her, the way she reacts being super sweet.
She takes my hand once again and starts dragging me forward, further away from the guy with golden hair.