The Blues of Atlantis | ✔

Chapter Eighteen

Nerina just stared straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge that he had even spoken. If he wanted to play games with her, then so could she. A mermaid? What a load of crock. Why couldn't he ever be serious for once?

Even while they were apparently running for their lives, he was still joking. When they arrived north of Lake Granby, they'd seen their faces all over the newspapers and decided to just keep on going.

But first, he'd stepped into a drugstore with his hat and sunglasses on to purchase hair dye. Apparently she wasn't even allowed to look like herself anymore either. They were walking down a trail on the east side of Shadow Mountain Lake. She was thankful that it was still daytime, which made the trail easier to see.

Her feet did not want to take another step. A blister had formed on the back of her heel, and likely another one was forming on the ball of her foot. Each step made her cringe in pain. She sat down on a nearby rock. and gently removed her shoe, peeling off her damp sock.

Wade placed his pack on the ground and pulled out the first aid kit. He crouched down and placed her foot on his lap, tending to her blisters. "There. You're good to go."

Internally she struggled, one part of her wanted to say thank you; the other half didn't want to speak to him at all. Did he think she was still a child living in a fantasy world? All this time she thought he supported her job as a mermaid performer, and here he was making fun of it, teasing her.

If only she was a mermaid, then she could just dive into the ocean and disappear into its depths, never to be stared at ever again. She'd never have to worry about what people think, or put up with jokes being made at her expense.

Not wanting to be rude, she mumbled, "Thank you."

"So you can speak."

Nerina glared at him as she put on her sock and shoe. Getting up from the rock, she continued down the trail in silence until they came to a fork. Wade pointed to her left, and she started walking in that direction. In the distance, she heard a howl and shivered.

"Please, talk to me." he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you talk to me first then?"

"I thought I just did that," he said jokingly.

"That." She shook her finger at him. "That right there ticks me off so much."

He spread out his arms, palms facing the sky. "What'd I do?"

"I give up." She wanted to smack him, but what good would it do? He's just like every other typical guy. How could he be so cute, yet so cotton-pickin' annoying at the same time?

They lapsed back into silence for the remainder of the walk. The trail came to an end, and they exited the forest. Any other time in her life, she may have enjoyed the scenic walk. The lake ahead of them was gorgeous, but today, her mind was too far gone to enjoy anything.

She was a walking zombie, ready to collapse. He better not expect her to walk very much farther. Her energy was spent. Her muscles ached, and all she wanted to do was cry. It seemed she was doing that a lot lately, sometimes for no reason at all.

The twinges in her side progressively got worse, but she refused to let him see how bad she was. "Are we almost there?" she asked.

"Just another block or two."

She sighed. The area didn't look too well developed, hopefully they would have power. One side of the road had some houses along the lake; the other side was still covered in trees. The unpaved road crunched beneath the soles of her shoes.