The Tide

Chapter 17: The Past is Always Haunting

Sage

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. ― Robert Frost

I hear Marius’s footsteps in pace with mine. My life has been a series of missteps and wrong turns. I thought I was actually going to start moving on. I had Pit and I had Marius who is too good to be true. So he comes with a lot of baggage and my life will be hard as a mermaid I knew that. I was prepared for him to drop a few bombshells on me. But what I wasn’t prepared for was those people… Covered in mud that resembled an oil slick. Their voices were high and shrill. The whites of their eyes were so pearly and clear, but the pupils… They were so fierce so hungry. I know they weren’t going to stop. But Marius shouldn’t have done what he did. He killed my only friend. So lost in my thoughts I hardly notice when a clammy hand grabs hold of my bicep. Turning Marius is there his bright blue eyes look wild, searching for any sign of emotion on my face. I know he won’t find any.

“Sage, stop running from me” he frowns.

“Why? You gonna kill me too? Or was that a onetime deal” I spit sarcastically at him.

“You know what I did, I did to save you. I’m not going to let you get killed over an animal. I’m not going to let US get killed. Did you even think about what would happen when we returned to the sea? He couldn’t have come with us. You never think Sage. Instead of coming with me somewhere safe when we first met, you wanted to see your home one last time. What is that going to accomplish besides causing you even more pain. You put yourself through hell for no reason. Your land is rotting away, it’s going to die. I don’t want us here. We should be in the ocean. We shouldn’t be here.” As he catches his breathe from that rant my fist connects with the corner of his jaw.

“Will that make you feel better? Hit me again. Hit me until you stop being angry at yourself.” He yells and hits his face with his palms.

As much as I hate to admit it, he’s right. I’m angry at myself. I’m angry at letting Tyler get killed, and not stopping my mother from shooting herself. I’m angry that I drank that water and hurt myself. I’m so so so angry at those things for killing my Pit.

“Your right. Everything you said was right. But I’m not some unfeeling prince who can just write everything off as a casualty. For four years I was living day to day in this hell. While you slept peacefully in your bed I was running through the night fearful of what I would find. So don’t you dare say I put myself through this. When I didn’t start the Great War, I wasn't the solider who spray acid into my dads face and cut off his leg. I didn’t conjure up the virus that killed my brother and I didn’t hold the gun to my mother head as she blew her brains out. All I want is to see the only place I had happy memories at one last time. Leave or come with me. I sincerely hope you chose the latter.” I walk away from him whipping the tears from my face. He follows behind me.

Marius

Neither of us say anything after our fight. We walk side by side. Only communicating when necessary. Sage continues to cry, I truly don’t know why she is crying. I don’t know if it’s because of the dog, or if it’s because of all the things she said about her family. All I know is I’ll make her forget, once we are at sea I can show her this land was not as important as it once seamed.

“Marius” she whispers.

“Yes princess?” I whisper back.

“Can we forget this ever happened? Please, and not mention it again?”

“Mention what?” I smile and suddenly it’s like all normalcy has returned to our relationship. As normal as a merpeople prince and probably one of the last humans on earths relationship can get.

Our conversation flow at a normal rate as we follow Sage’s map back to her home.

“I don’t understand something Mar.” she says.

“What would that be?” genuinely curious as to what is puzzling her.

“You live underwater so how exactly do you speak?”

“Another good question my dear, it’s simple. Merpeople project there words outwardly. Simply think of what you wish to say and imagine you speaking the words. Your voice will be the same, our magic allows us to not get a mouth full sea water when we wish to say something”

“It’ll come naturally to you.” I continue. I’m amazed at the small changes in Sage since our bloods have intermingled. Her hair has become more of a golden brown. Her eyes are clearer and not swollen red. And the side of her face that was angry and oozing from the stitched is visibly healing with every passing moment. We need to find a place to rest, I feel the earth heating with growing closeness to sunrise. Somehow managing for find our way to a freeway, one that passes through the outskirts of her town.

Broken and rusty cars litter the street. Large green signs hang off balanced from large metal beams. Acid rain puddle in broken asphalt. 

“See that over pass? We will make camp there. It should be kept shaded if not, be ready for some sunburn.”

“Why don’t we make camp in one of these cars?” I ask. That would probably be safer.

“Those cars turn into metal ovens, and we don’t have anything to cover the windows up. Trust me, I have been doing this for a while. We need to try and rest.” I nod and she and I sit in a now shaded area. The sun slowly starts to drift into the sky. It’s bright even under the impasse.

“Everything happened so fast Mar. One moment I’m living happily with what family I had left and the next I’m all alone. It was the three of us verses the world mom always said. We looked after one another. I thought we were safe. An illusion my mother created after dad died. Our neighbor’s kids started to die. But I never thought it would happen to Ty. He was so young and innocent. His big brown eyes so filled with life.” I listen to Sage, she draws in the dirt beside her with a small stick.

“You don’t have to talk about that Sage.”

“I have to Marius, I’ve been thinking the same few thought for all these years.”

“Okay then love, go ahead.” I smile and grab her shaky knee.

“I never imagined the suffering around us. But when I left my home, city after city was filled with starving and rabid people. Our water was toxic, fire ate away at buildings, and the sun was so hot it fried everything. City after city was nothing but rotting corpses. Soon I stopped even seeing bodies, just bone the meat eaten off by other survivors. I never had to resort to cannibalism for my food. But I got close more times than I can count. Every moment, every step I made had to be calculated. An old landmine could have blown me to bits, acid rain comes fast and quietly. I was never half a step from death at any time.  No one even cared about the death of civilians from the virus, only the families it effected cared. We wanted to win that damn war. You know how we found out my father died? The newspaper, they published the names of the dead in the paper. It was a Sunday morning. I can still hear my mother’s screaming from the kitchen when she read: List of the dead. Scott Karl Martin. My father wasn’t the first nor the last to die. But how inhuman. He was just a name in the paper just like dozens and dozens others. Marius, I don’t know if I can live for as long as you do having so much grief inside me. I never said goodbye. To anyone. My friend’s family. Pets… They were killed and taken out from under me.” Her body shakes uncontrollable.

“Oh amica mea, all I wish to do is take your pain away. I will spend the rest of our long lives trying to make you happy. I will give you anything you wish.” I say and wrap my arms around her.

“I want my family.” She whispers and closes her eyes. Both of us lay down in the dust and dirt.

“One day I will give you just that.” Kissing the top of her hear, both of us drift to sleep Sage’s sob racked body shakes next to me.