The Daughters of the Sea

A Young Girl's Troubles Are Universal

Iluna took a deep breath as she broke out of the water's surface again, this time closer to the ship, and started to hack a bit. She never thought how hard it was transitioning from water to breathing on the surface air. As she swam closer to the vessel, she could hear the sounds of merriment of the people on board. Grabbing what she could, she pulled herself up and peeked through an *open hole, her mouth falling open in wonder.

Humans of all sorts of looks loitered around the place, laughing and talking with each other. All the women were wearing bright-colored garments that reached down the floor, and their hair looked like piles of curls pinned on top with glittering ornaments, with some looking like they were drowning from the number of pins on their heads. The human males looked more toned-down in appearance, but they were also the loudest.

On the other side of the ship, a group of what must be musicians sat playing instruments that looked far different than what they had. The music they were playing also sounds different than theirs. It sounds livelier and more upbeat. Iluna found herself bobbing her head up and down like the other humans, following the beat of the music.

A handful of couples were twirling each other on the space in the middle, Iluna helplessly mesmerized as she watched the way their—what was it called again? Freet? Oh, feet!—moved in such perfect synchronization, following the rise and fall of the music.

It feels like I've stepped into another world. And in a way, she did. The lights, the energy, the beauty—it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was far from the angry tales she had heard from her father about the human world. Why had her father held such hatred for them?

She ducked her head down when a woman walked to where she was hiding and leaned on the ship's side. Afraid that the woman might see her, Iluna pulled her tail close to her chest and tried to stay still as much as she could, hoping that she was hidden enough by the dark of night.

She's beautiful, Iluna thought to herself as she looked at the young woman. Her fair skin was pale from the contrasting light, giving her an almost ethereal glow. Unlike the other women, she had her dark hair untied and without any ornaments, letting it flow against the wind. Her eyes looked heavy like she was tired, which was quickly proven when she tried covering her yawn. The action had her almost dropping the thing she was holding into the ocean. Iluna couldn't help but huff in amusement at the other woman's fumbling.

Why does she feel familiar? She could sense something from the human girl, a sensation that felt familiar to her but couldn't quite name.

"May I offer a refill?"

The girl chuckled, turning to look at the newly-arrived young man holding two. . . what do they call it, exactly? The girl was holding the same item, but the ones the young man offered had a peculiar-colored liquid in them.

"Thank you, Jonathan, but you know I can't handle alcohol that well."

The young man, Jonathan, laughed and leaned beside her with his own glass in his hand. "Just think of this as a celebratory drink for finally finishing your studies and becoming a real doctor. Toast to you, Doctor Selena."

Selena. . . so that's her name? That familiar feeling was slowly getting stronger.

Also, what's a doctor?

"And all those sleepless nights now paid off," the girl, Selena, added with a laugh. "I can't even remember how many times I thought I would never reach the end."

"I haven't," Jonathan said in an earnest voice, his eyes looking directly at her. "You have always been amazing."

Iluna looked at the young man, sensing a strong emotion coming from him. It feels warm, also a little fuzzy but quite intense. It seemed to be directed at the other girl, but all those things seemed to fly off the air without being noticed.

Somehow, this reminded her of the times Meila came to her wailing when the guy she was eyeing for wouldn't look her way.

Iluna saw Selena smile gratefully. "Thank you. I owe you a lot. For your faith in me, as well as all the help you have given me. I would have been lost living in the city without you and your parent's kindness."

The guy waved it off. "Our families have known each other for decades, and it was thanks to your father's help that my family had recovered from near ruin. It was nothing."

Iluna noticed Selena's eyes turned downcast. Jonathan also noticed it, too. ". . . Sorry."

Selena was silent for a few seconds before she shook her head. "No need for apologies, it's not as if you speak of lies."

". . . Have you talked to your father again recently?" The tone of conversation seemed to shift, Iluna observed.

Again, Selena shook her head. "I. . . haven't got any words that I want to deliver to him. And I was so busy with my studies that I never got to find a good time to pen a letter."

"You know that he only thinks of your well-being, right?"

It seems that even in the human world, fathers are also very strict with their daughters.

"I know." Selena turned to look at the sea. "I never mind how overprotective he is of me, even when it gets overbearing, and I know that all his decisions in life are made with my best interest in mind. But sometimes. . ."

The girl gazed up at the sky, the look of tiredness even becoming more evident on her face, but she could also see a lot of affection in them. "I'm not the same sickly child I was back then. And while I understand that he wants me to have the best life I could have, I also have my own plans on how to live, as well. Things like settling down and marriage are responsibilities I'm not sure I'm ready to take. Not yet at this stage, anyway. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Iluna couldn't help but nod, even though she had no idea what a marriage is. Her own father would often breathe down her neck, demanding to know where she was going, sometimes assigning her escorts throughout the day even though none of her sisters got the same strict treatment.

(There was also the current fact that she had deliberately disobeyed her father's order to not only swim up the surface, but got on a human ship, as well, but that's neither here nor there.)

"I think so," Jonathan nodded as he, too, looked towards the ocean. "It's why I made my own ventures outside of my parents' business. And. . ." He looked at Selena for a second. Again, not noticed. "I have something I want to prove, as well."

"Are you talking about that new business deal you've had two months ago? The one you're so secretive and suspicious about?"

"I was not being suspicious!" the young man cried defensively. "And the secrecy was because I am not that confident that it'll launch successfully during the early planning stages. But I've started executing the first steps of our initial plans and it's been doing well. Hopefully, I'll have the results soon."

"Well, as long as you're happy, I guess. Hmm? Did you see that?" Selena asked. "It looked like something moved just now?"

Seas above, Iluna thought along with a few expletives as she tried to hold tightly onto something before she slipped down from her spot.

"Really?" Jonathan leaned in the direction Selena pointed. "I don't see anything."

"Weird," Selena mumbled. "I could swear I saw something that looks like a large fin."

Iluna felt like her heart was about to jump up her throat as she tried not to move. The lights from the ship couldn't reach the spot she was clinging to, but she was not sure if it was dark enough for her to remain unseen.

"Hmm, maybe I'm just tired," she heard Selena say after a few seconds.

"We should probably start getting back, as well. The wind is starting to pick up."

Indeed, the wind was starting to get stronger, and the waves were also getting bigger despite it being calm just a few moments ago. The two humans had now walked away, making Iluna sigh in relief.

It was short-lived, however, when she felt something emitting from the ocean, causing the waves to surge like this.

Father, Iluna thought, feeling something cold in her stomach. Oh seas, the festival. How long has she been up here?!

Iluna looked back where the two humans had stood earlier. She smiled a bit and then dove back into the water. Maybe the humans weren't that much different than them, after all.