Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

A fresh blanket of snow glimmered on the bank from the moonlight, illuminating the entire cascade of mountains like a silver crown. Lily’s face came to mind as I imagined her reaction to such an amazing spectacle.
    Everything inside me wanted to swim to shore and roll around in the powder, making merfish angels or something so I could cup the earth in my hands. But my visit had to be inconspicuous. Getting caught by my lame relatives, or worse, humans, would ruin this opportunity.
    I floated on my back and admired the night’s sky. Stars pebbled the heavens and I vowed to never take the beauty for granted once we were back home, guarding the gate like it should be.
    Light shone from every window in our house, though I knew they wouldn’t be scooting around on their fins upstairs. If mers didn’t keep their tails wet, their scales would dry out. Any sort of dehydration interfered with our natural ability to regulate our internal temperature, thus putting us at risk of a coma or even death. So much for them being incognito.
    Headlights shot out over the lake and I ducked down. The vehicle—a stretch limo—pulled down our street and headed toward our house. I squinted in concern. Who would be visiting at this time of night? Then the car turned and parked in front of Ashlyn’s house instead. I swam to a nearby rock to investigate.
    A guy my age, dressed in a suit, assisted a female out of the vehicle. She looked regal with a long green dress and red curls trailing down her back.
    Ashlyn.
    I watched as she turned, her alabaster skin hitting the moonlight just right, stabbing me in the chest with her beauty. She walked up to the back porch, hand-in-hand with this punk and my stomach twisted, but I couldn’t look away. They stood together, too close for my liking, whispering things I could barely pick up. She had a good time. He did, too. There was a pause and they continued to gaze into one another’s eyes. Blood hammered in my veins and I clenched my jaw. When he tilted her chin up with his hand and Ashlyn closed her eyes, leaning into him, my stomach lurched. I couldn’t take it anymore.
    A kiss for a Natatorian was the most intimate act two merfolk could do; once a mer’s lips touched another’s, they were promised to each other for life as mates. Through their breath, their souls intertwined, binding them together spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This is the main reason why mermaids weren’t allowed out of the kingdom alone. One kiss would drive a man insane. His soul, seared from the loss of the mermaid herself, would never allow him peace until he found her again.
    But for me, watching Ashlyn kiss someone else, merman or not, drove me crazy. I dove into the water to try to shake the jealousy. This whole time, I’d done my best to keep my distance and not get too close. Harboring feelings for a human was risky. But watching her with the other guy made me realize I’d only wanted her to be with me all along.
    I groaned and raced toward the gate back into Natatoria. If I was with Dad on the secret mission, I would have avoided seeing her with someone else. But instead, I got an eyeful of her future and all I wanted to do was rip things apart with my bare hands.
    “ Good, you’re home,” Mom said, catching me off guard as I came out from behind the curtain. A sunbeam transported in from the other side of the globe allowed me to phase into legs. “Did you have a nice time with Badger?”
    My eyes hit the floor. I could never successfully lie to Mom. “I ended up just going for a swim.”
    She walked closer to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Everything okay, Son?”
    I nodded. “Just a little homesick, that’s all.” And heartsick too.
    “ Oh, I see. There are a few more cookies in the kitchen if you’d like some. They always seem to cheer you up.” She smiled and leaned her head to the side to try to find my gaze. I turned up the edges of my lips to appease her.
    She bought the façade and went back to work on her needlepoint.
    I stood for a moment, head low. Cookies wouldn’t fix what ailed me this time. Now, a few Guinnesses might have put a dent in my pain, but I didn’t think Badger would share, and being intoxicated might lead me to doing something very rash, like returning to the surface to get Ashlyn’s attention. Instead, I went to my room, sat on my hammock, and put my head in my hands, searching for answers.

24
ASH

    Callahan escorted me to the porch and my heart