After the initial shock of hearing Molly's voice coming through the little plastic device—and some help from Kaelin's memories about how phones work—Amaya nearly cried tears of joy. She couldn't stop smiling the entire time. They spoke for nearly twenty minutes before Molly got called away. Amaya thanked Gretchen profusely for her assistance as the girl drove her back to James' house.
The next day, Amaya thanked Gretchen again, when she returned to the house in the afternoon to let Amaya call Molly again. This time they talked for nearly an hour. Molly did most of the talking. She told Amaya all about what was going on in Michigan, how it had already snowed once since she'd been there, though it wasn't cold enough for it to stick to the ground.
Amaya hung on every word about Molly's family and the slushy fight she had with her little cousins using what little icy residue they could gather. "It was a mess. We all ended up muddy and gross. But it was so fun." When Molly giggled about her memory, Amaya couldn't help but smile. "Though, not as much when my aunt came to pick them up. She wanted to kill me. She said, 'You're twenty-three, Molly, you should know better.'" She affected a whiny, high-pitched voice that made Amaya laugh.
After the call ended, Gretchen took Amaya out for ice cream. It was one of the things Amaya had enjoyed most, and it was just as good as she remembered.
For the next four days, Gretchen came over every afternoon, after school, to allow Amaya to chat with Molly. Then, afterwards, Gretchen took Amaya somewhere to do human things. They went to the movies and wandered through every shop in town. A few times, when they went for food, Gretchen's boyfriend joined them. Jesse had been there the night of the big storm and the fight against Arlen, so he knew her secret, too.
Amaya was grateful to Gretchen. She was so glad she ran into Gretchen that first day. Wherever Kaelin's memories might fail her, Gretchen helped to fill in the blanks. In exchange, Amaya gladly answered all of Gretchen's questions about mermaids, and to offer her some stories about life underwater.
In the days while Amaya awaited Molly's return, Gretchen truly became a good friend. She helped to fill Amaya's time so she didn't have too much time to worry.
At last, the day Amaya anticipated arrived. She awoke before sunrise, eager to finally lay eyes on Molly again. She'd received a few pictures, via Gretchen's phone, but it wasn't the same. Pictures didn't do her beauty justice. They were flat and intangible, unable to capture Molly's spirit and her aura of joy.
Since she had a few hours, Amaya decided to go for a swim. She thought it might ease her nerves. She couldn't stop fidgeting, and her whole body tingled with a mix of glee and apprehension. Amaya wanted to see Molly more than anything, but she worried that Molly wouldn't see her the same once the truth came out. Maybe Molly wouldn't want someone who wasn't human. Just because Kaelin found a human to love her didn't mean they all felt that way.
Amaya had heard many horror stories about humans learning a mermaid's secret and turning on them. Then, there was the troubling history of sirens, those rogue mermaids who used the hypnotizing power of their singing to lure humans to their demise. With their nasty nature, Amaya didn't blame some humans for being so distrustful of her kind.
However, in this era, mermaids had been relegated to myths and children's stories. So, maybe the distrust had faded. Amaya would hardly be the one to know. Once again, she longed for the presence of her younger sister. Kaelin knew so much about humans, even before she'd gone to ground a few months ago.
In the depths of the salt water, Amaya let her mind go blank. It was easy, as she cruised through the currents, and mingled with the fish that inhabited the water off the coast.
By the time Amaya returned to the house and got dressed in another of Kaelin's pre-organized outfits—once again leaving off all the bagged accessories—Gretchen was already knocking on the door. Amaya hurried down the stairs and swept through the door. She offered a quick salutation to Gretchen as she descended from the porch and ran to the car.
The dock for the ferry was located just down the road from the boardwalk. It gave a good view of the work being done to rebuild the Ferris wheel. Most of the boardwalk was back the way it had been before the storm. The Ferris wheel was the last piece to finish.
The other side of the land—which the humans here called the mainland—wasn't visible from the island, but it didn't take long for Amaya to spot the tiny boat headed their way. It traveled interminably slow, and Amaya wished it would pick up speed.
She tried to sit on one of the wooden benches that lined the welcoming area, but her legs bounced wildly when she did, so she jumped up and went to the railing to watch the distance slowly close between them.
The wind was strong today and being so close to the water only made it worse. Her golden hair whipped back and forth, sometimes slapping her in the face. She was glad she'd chosen an outfit with pants today. If she'd worn a dress the skirt would've flown over her head several times by now. As it was, the wind made the loose white blouse billow up to make her torso look round and bulbous, but she didn't care.
When the ferry docked, shivers shot up the length of Amaya's spine, going straight to her head. Her emotions warred between elated and terrified.
Several people disembarked the ferry, but none were Molly. Amaya chewed her lip wondering if Molly had missed it. She turned to Gretchen and asked, "Are you sure it's this one?"
Gretchen nodded, placing a hand against the beautiful wrap on her head to prevent her hair from getting "jacked up." Whatever that meant.
Amaya looked back at the ferry and her heart grew light at the sight of the girl descending from the top deck, her red hair flying everywhere. Molly pushed a rolling suitcase down the flight of stairs in front of her, nearly tripping twice. At the bottom, she pushed a hand through her thick hair, to get it out of her face.
She fought with the suitcase all the way to the dock, past the lift gate that barred cars from boarding.
When Molly caught sight of Amaya, her whole body jerked backwards. A smile grew on her lips, stretching wide enough that all of her pearly teeth were visible, one of which was a shade whiter than all the others. She rushed over, dragging her suitcase in tow.
Just a few feet away from Amaya, Molly released her suitcase to let it fall on the ground. She ran up to grab Amaya's face between her hands. Amaya sucked in her breath just before Molly's lips pressed against her own.
YOU ARE READING
A New Tide Rising
Fantasy[COMPLETED] After completing her task of going to ground to bring her sister back home, a mermaid - Amaya - is drawn back to the small island of Linda Cove to find a young woman with whom she had a brief encounter during her time there. She yearns t...
