A Thousand Salt Kisses Forever (Third Book in Salt Kisses series)

You know I do

The next morning, I pulled on my jeans and a t-shirt and trudged out of my house. I was still so pissed off and had tossed and turned for hours last night, despite my exhaustion. It wasn't George or my father's fault, of course, but it was the entire situation that was really starting to pee me off. As I stormed down Lighthouse Lane, I suddenly recalled my dreams from the past night. It had been the same damned one. AGAIN.

Me, stranded on the rocks below the lighthouse, thick black smoke billowing from the waves choking my lungs, making me gasp for air. I had not had this dream since the beginning of summer.

I turned now and glanced at the end of the road, at the very structure that had relentlessly haunted my dreams. It didn't appear too sinister, a thin tall silhouette in the navy blue morning sky. It released an innocent twinkle as a beam of light burst from its roof, before dipping back into darkness.

I frowned and broke into a jog down the road, away from the lighthouse. I didn't understand why I had to keep having this persistent bloody nightmare. I mean, as if I didn't have enough on my plate. In fact, what was going on with me, my mum and these reoccurring dreams generally? It's like something is tapping into our subconscious somehow. What is it, and why?

After my ten-minute jog, I reached the fisher huts, situated bang smack in the middle of the island, where the seamen congregated at the crack of dawn. I could smell the salty wood from the structures on approach, and hear the morning grumbling of the men from within them.

Fortunately, I didn't have to look too far for George. He was standing outside with a huge torch, dressed head to foot in yellow rubber overalls. I smiled when I saw him, I had never seen him all fishered-up before.

"Not feeling the cold, dear?" he said, knowingly, eyeing up my t-shirt as I walked towards him.

"I'm good, George," I said tiredly, managing a quick smile.

George nodded, "let's go," he said leading me around the corner of the hut and down the rickety stairwell where the boats were docked.

I followed him down and along the concrete gangway, towards a small red boat vessel.

"Just us then?" I asked as he flipped a huge piece of wood between the boat and the gangway with the flick of a wrist. George may not have inherited the mer body-climate from his mother, but he certainly had their super-human strength.

"We need to talk," he said, taking my hand and helping me onto the walkway.

I sighed. This didn't sound good.

Once aboard, I settled on a dark brown wooden bench on deck, whilst George started up the motor and before long, we were heading out into the boundless seas.

After a twenty-minute ride, he turned off the motor and rummaged around in his pocket, eventually retrieving a packet of cigarettes. He sparked one up and offered me one.

I held out my hand to accept, I had become quite a smoker at uni, but as I caught a whiff of the smoke I suddenly felt a wave of nausea. I put a hand to my throat and shook my head.

"Are you okay?" he asked, frowning at me.

I nodded slowly. "Mmm," I murmured, unsure. I got up and walked to the edge of the boat, away from the cigarette smoke, and breathed in the fresh salty air.

"Kid, I'm a little worried," said George, coming next to me and leaning on the boat wall, next to me.

I turned and looked at him. I just knew that he was referring to the isle gossip and I opened my mouth to speak. Suddenly he frowned and looked out at sea. I turned my head and just as I did, I saw the silhouette of a man's slip beneath the waves.

We're being watched! George tapped my arm and beckoned me to inside the cabin. I followed uneasily. Have the Ichthyocentaurs sent watch-mer, or is it Ri, still mistrusting of me?

"They're out there, George," I said, sitting down, and taking a deep breath.

"Hmm," he said. "Well, who can blame them, Crystal? This will be a worry for them, The Ichthyocentaurs," he said.

"I know," I said, looking down, "but George, I'm going to go and live down there soon - with Llyr - and all this gossip will just fizzle out, right?"

I could feel him watching my face and I looked up eventually, pleadingly. He did not look convinced, but I could see he wanted to help me.

"Probably," he said eventually, "after some time if you play your cards right. If you tell everybody you have left Starfish for good and if you are never seen emerging from the seas ever again."

I swallowed. On envisaging my move, I had seen myself frequently coming home, dipping in and out of land life, but this was looking more and more improbable.

"Ri says I can tell Mum and Dad," I said stiffly.

George nodded. "Thank Nodens for that, at least," he said, eyebrows raised. "Are you really sure this is what you want?"

I nodded. "Yes... I know it's extreme, and to be honest, it's starting to terrify me, George," I exhaled after I said these words. I had not admitted this out loud to anyone yet. "But I just can't imagine life without him again - I never want to go back to that. It was hard enough before... this time would be unbearable."

George was silent and I glanced at him. His brow was creased, weighing up what I was telling him.

I didn't want him to be worried. "I just really want us to have an actual life together," I said, my tone bolder than before.

"You must really love him, Crystal... to go through all this," he said, an eyebrow raised.

I nodded. "You know I do," I said softly. George had been the only real connection I'd had to Llyr's world during those years we were apart. He was fully aware of how agonizing it had been for me.

"It'll be okay," he said taking my hand. "We will make it work for you, but let's just hope this island thing doesn't get blown out of proportion..."

He trailed off as we heard the sound of an engine, and excited whoops filled the air.

A boat had pulled up beside us.

"Did you see it!" a drunk-sounding voice shrieked from outside.

"Oh my gosh, it was definitely one of them," came a familiar sounding female. "It disappeared exactly the way I saw the other one, that time with Crystal."

My heart stopped beating.

The voice belonged to Portia and she and her boat party was out mer-spotting.