Selkie

Epilogue

We decided that the selkies would all stay with us, if they wanted to. The cave wouldn't really be viable, if it was so painful for them to transform, and I was still worried. Even though we'd stopped my dad, he'd still killed selkies, and there might be other people like him out there. Granted, they weren't likely to be around here, but I was still worried. It was decided that they would share Emily's room, since Dad had been picked up for operating an illegal seal farm--which was what my mom called 'Stretching the truth' and I called 'Lying through your teeth', but neither of us really minded having to lie to the police for the selkies.
Most of them had left, going to find their clans or start a new one. Shara and her mother had taken up our guest bedroom, and a small family of four were camping out in our living room until they could get a ride up the coast.
I heard a knock on my door at almost midnight--I hadn't been able to sleep, and had been staying up and reading. I closed my book and went to open the door.
"Hey, Shara," I said, trying to hide my surprise. "What's up? It's late."
"I know, I just can't fall asleep." All of the selkie's English had gotten a lot better over the few months they'd been here, Shara's especially. My Selkie had improved as well, although not as much. "I'm used to sleeping alone. But you've been so nice to me, and I know I already said thank you, but I had to say it again, and--" she was babbling, and I kissed her. It seemed like the right thing to do, especially because after her initial surprise she kissed me back.
"Thank you, Eric," she whispered when we pulled apart. "Can I stay here?"
"Sure, but I thought you got used to sleeping alone?" She scuffed her feet on the floor.
"I guess. My mom's just... I missed her so much, but she got... hard. Shemshei got too close to her, got between her skins. I'm... I'm a little scared of her," she confessed to the floor.
"Then sure," I said again. "Of course you can stay here. I'll stay up for a while anyway, and I have a sleeping bag somewhere, so you can take my bed if you want."
"Thank you," she said again, and slipped beneath the covers. "And thank you for the dress."
"I'd never say this around your mom--to be honest, she scares me, too--but it looks great on you," I said, and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled sleepily, and I went back to my book.
After a while of staring at the page, I gave up and rolled out my sleeping bag next to the bed. Shara's hand dangled, and the temptation was too great to resist taking it before I drifted off, myself.