For fear of running into any of the humans she’d met, Pearl walked the shore. The closeness with the water kept her warm, even as the temperature continued to drop. The sky light created vivid colors reaching across the expanse above her. A breeze picked up, whipping the loose tendrils of hair over her face.
Since Harry’s abrupt departure, she hadn’t seen one human on the beach. Maybe Harry had been right about the temperature. These humans retreated inside when the weather wasn’t pleasant. The tip of her nose was numb, but she pressed on. She was determined to make the swim home as soon as possible.
As the final minutes of the sky light reached upward, a splash from a distance stopped her. The ocean crashed in front of her as she tried to find the source of the sound. The water moved the sand from under her feet. Nothing that large could come close to the shore unless it were injured or on a fishing line.
A head popped out of the water and Pearl couldn’t believe her eyes. ‘Syrene.’
Syrene’s head twitched to the side, scanning the beach. During her walk, Pearl had stayed away from the human dwellings. Syrene must have followed her since the fate of their race depended on staying a secret. Syrene didn’t know much about humans, so Pearl needed to reassure her. Selfishly, she also wanted to be in the water with her sister again.
Pearl dropped her bag and waded out into the water. The weight of her clothing made her movements sluggish, but nothing could keep her from Syrene. Even in human form, Pearl yearned to protect her.
Syrene came as close as possible, but the water reached Pearl’s chest before their hands touched. The top of her sister’s head barely breached the surface.
What are you doing here? Pearl sent. The words pushed out of her, breaking the barrier between their minds.
I wanted to see you. Why have you not come home? Syrene’s muffled voice in Pearl’s mind made her believe there was still a block between them, but the words were clear enough.
Drywalking is not easy. Humans are curious and distracting. Pearl thought of Ben and how he had needed a distraction. She pushed him out of her mind quickly before Syrene noticed her thoughts of him. Her mission was to take, not understand or connect.
Will you succeed?
Of course, sister. I will return soon.
Kaito waits by the rock wall for most of the light. He anticipates your arrival.
Does he know you came here?
Syrene’s body shuddered. No. Never. I know we’re not supposed to come to shore. But I came for you. I needed to see if you were okay. If he knew … the consequences would be great.
You should go back.
Pearl sensed the hesitation in her sister’s mind.
Don’t worry. I’m not like her. Neither needed to say Daryah’s name to understand the meaning. Syrene would know, when it was her turn to Drywalk, that this task was more difficult than they had imagined.
I understand. It’s good to see you, sister.
You need to go back. I can’t have you this close to them.
‘Hello! Are you hurt?’ a male’s voice rang out from the beach. Pearl wasn’t too far out, but enough to cause concern with the outside temperature.
Pearl squinted, trying to make out the human. It didn’t take long for her realize it was Ben, waving his hands over his head.
Syrene’s fin brushed against Pearl’s leg as she retreated. Her heart went with her sister. She turned and slogged out of the water.
Ben removed his outer layer and helped her out of hers. ‘What were you doing out there?’
His hands moved against her arms in quick motion. Pearl moved away from him, the breeze from the water seeping through her wet clothes.
‘I almost swam out there after you. I thought you were drowning.’
‘I wasn’t.’ Without the sky light, shadows crossed his face, concealing his emotions.
‘It looked like it. Let’s get you into my car before you freeze to death.’
As if a switch went off within her, her entire body started to tremble.
This time, she allowed him to draw her near. He tucked her against his side, and they walked together further from her home. He’d taken her bag, and it bumped against her as they walked.
Pearl knew Syrene hadn’t looked back at the shore. Her sister had already broken the rules of their group and wouldn’t risk anything more. Pearl couldn’t imagine what her sister would think if she saw her with Ben holding her against him, without her trying to take him.
*
When they reached the car, Ben shut her inside before running to the other side. He turned the key, and the entire vehicle rumbled to life. He pressed several of the buttons and knobs between them. Within seconds, whooshing wind pulsed from the slits in front of her. She reached forward, touching the heated air.
‘This isn’t going to be enough,’ he said. ‘Do you have a place to stay?’
‘I don’t,’ she said, trembling.
A breath rushed out of him. ‘I know a place. You can stay there for as long as you want.’
‘Okay,’ she said.
Pearl spent the entire car ride huddled around the small vent. Each time she tried to relax, her teeth chattered again. She clamped them together more times than she could count.
‘W-where w-we g-going?’ she asked.
Ben’s gaze darted to the mirror attached to the large front window of the car. ‘My family owns another property in town. No one lives there so you can stay there for now.’
‘Th-thank y-you,’ she said, surprising herself by meaning it. As much as she told Syrene she’d be home soon, each time she had an interaction with a human, she became more curious about them. Especially Ben. He’d captivated her. Their conversation didn’t revolve around questions about her life. He was open with her. Though, she wondered if his interest stemmed from the necklace or her.
It shouldn’t have mattered.
‘What were you doing out there?’ he asked, shaking his head. ‘It’s much colder at night at this time of year.’
‘I thought I saw something.’
‘And you decided to investigate?’
Pearl wasn’t sure what to say to that.
‘You’re brave, Pearl.’
‘How so?’
‘No one I know would have done the same. What was it?’
‘What?’
‘What did you see?’
‘It was nothing,’ she said, picturing Syrene in her mind. She didn’t want Ben to go back there looking for anything either. ‘It floated away by the time I got there.’
‘That’s a bummer,’ he said. ‘At least I came across you at the right time.’
‘How did you find me?’
Ben’s hands tightened around the wheel. ‘Today has been a tough day for me. It was nice seeing you at the beach. After I went back to work, I thought about you not having a place to stay. I figured I could be some help. We’re going to my Uncle Greg’s house. He died a few years ago. My dad can’t stand to sell it. I came back to offer it to you, but you weren’t there. I walked the beach until I found you. And here we are.’
If he had been any sooner, he might have seen Syrene.
Now that she was warmer, she realized her predicament. The chilly water had frozen her brain. She’d been at the shore with Ben. How easy it would have been to pretend she was hurt and called him out there. And then returned home on the end of Syrene’s fin. There was no reason for her to come out of the water. She would never admit to letting the humans affect her, but the more time she spent with them, the more she understood the pull to land. This was the most difficult trial of the ceremony, and if she was going to survive, she’d have to overcome it.