A World No One Knows (bxb) [editing and rewriting]

Chapter 5

We had to stop once more before heading on, and, other than holding hands, we don't do anything romantic. A part of me is sad, but the other is relieved. That nagging feeling still hasn't left, but I don't understand it, and I don't know what to do about it.

"What's got you thinking so hard?" Casmir asks me after we finish lunch.

His hand feels warm in mine. "My powers," I partially lie. "I still can't do much, other than moving water, but what about turning it to ice? Like you did at the surface. And, I don't know. I feel empty." Now that I'm saying this, I realize how true it is, and I can't seem to stop. "I feel like there's something missing from me." I touch my chest. "I didn't realize it was there until it vanished, and now, I feel empty. I don't know what to do about it. It all started when you put this bracelet on me. It could be that."

"Would you like to take it off?"

I jerk my hand out of his grip, and he stops swimming. "No," I say and pull it to my chest. "No. I'm keeping it on."

He puts his hands up. "Okay. Okay. I won't take it off. Promise."

I sigh. "Sorry. I can't take my powers getting out of control again and hurting anyone else that I care about." We start swimming again.

"You care about me?"

I can hear the smile in his voice, and I blush. "Yeah. Of course I do."

"Well, great because I care about you, too."

I blush harder, and he laughs.

"How about some more training then?"

I nod. "I could use a break." We find a spot, and we go through the drills I've mastered by now, but my mind isn't in it. Could I take the bracelet off? Take the risk of hurting anyone? Or to fill this empty void inside of me? Or keep it on and continue living my life with half of it missing?

Lips on mine bring me out of my thoughts. I close my eyes and kiss back, glad for the distraction, but he pulls away, and I pout at him.

Casmir smiles at me. "Stop worrying your pretty little head about that anymore. We'll take this one step at a time, and eventually you will have control of your powers. Trust me, okay?"

I smile and nod. "I will if you kiss me again."

"That can be arranged." He leans down to kiss me again, and I immediately kiss back.

I've become addicted to his lips. He drives me insane and gives me butterflies in my stomach every time he looks at me with that look in his eyes. I smile into the kiss, and we pull apart.

He swims away. "Because you were distracted with the exercises, we're going to mix training up a little. Some real action. Fight me."

"What?"

"Fight me." He raises his hand, and the water around me forms into a bubble. I bang my hands against the sides, and it feels solid. I'm trapped. "Fight back with your powers," he calls. "Remember what we talked about. This is what you've been training for."

I look around. How am I going to get out of this? I try attacking head on. I raise my arms and focus on the spinning ball of water. My bracelet burns, but I ignore it. It's getting easier to. I try to stop the water, but it's no use. He's too powerful for me. Something comes to mind, and I try it. I reach out with both hands to touch the edges of the bubbles, and my eyes close. I focus on the water in the bubble with me and expanding it. I hear the cracks in the water bubble and know it's working. I push against the walls with everything I have, and, with a yell, it shatters. Fresh water rushes around me, and I drop my arms, exhausted. I gasp for breath. I see Casmir on the ocean floor and swim over to him.

He sits there, panting and looking at me in shock. "How did you do that?"

"I just— It was a bubble. You burst bubbles. So I did."

"But how?"

"With the water. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

He gets up. "I'm fine. Just winded." He looks at me with confusion swimming in his eyes. "You shouldn't be more powerful than me. Maybe keeping that bracelet on is a good idea."

A lump forms in my throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Guilt eats its way in my stomach.

"Maybe we should head to Meridian. It's not far. We should make it by sundown." He grabs onto my hand and pulls me along, but the warmth from earlier is gone. It's replaced by dread.

We've been swimming for a little while before I notice a shadow following us. At first, I thought it was an animal or something that was going in the same direction we are, but I quickly realized that it is following us. For starters, it never appears in my line of sight. It is always just out of my vision, quickly dashing away when I searched for it. Casmir doesn't seem to notice anything, but he hasn't seemed like himself after what happened with training, and I don't want to bother him if the shadow turns out to be something harmless.

"Wait," I say and pull on his hand. "I have to... go get that pretty rock over there. I'll be right back." I don't think he realizes what I said as I swim off. I go around a group of rocks and press my back to it. I watch the water until I see the shadow. I watch in silent awe as a mermaid comes into view, but this mermaid looks different. It's like she grew from the ocean itself. Seaweed and flowers cling to her skin and tail while rocks and stones are braided into her hair. Even her features look ocean like, with sharp teeth and beady eyes. She's looking around for something, and I have a feeling it's me. I swim out of my hiding place.

She looks at me and her eyes get big. We both float out in the open, looking at each other and not moving.

"Who are you?" I ask.

She opens her mouth but quickly closes it again. Instead, she starts moving her hands in quick precise movements. I can only watch, confused, until she stops, seeming to realize I can't understand her.

"Are you trying to say something?"

She nods her head, and my heart beats faster.

"I don't understand what you're trying to say. I'm sorry. I'm not from around here."

She looks around and finds some shells on the ground. She swims and picks them up and then grabs some seaweed. She swims over to me, and I float back a little. She notices my hesitation and slows down. She shows me the shells in her hand before swimming slowly behind me. I don't move as she starts touching my hair, and it takes me a moment to realize that she braiding the shells into my hair. She finishes with a smile, and I smile back, lightly touching the braid.

"Thank you," I say, but then fear coast her pretty face, and she swims away.

"Blaise!" Casmir swims in front of me, grabbing onto my shoulders and looking me up and down. "Are you okay? I saw that monster near you. She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"I'm fine." I knock his hands away. "Monster? You mean the mermaid? But she was so nice."

"That's how they are, Blaise. She's wasn't a mermaid. She was a siren. They're a deadly race of mers that live off of killing humans. You probably looked like one to her, and she was coming to kill you. You have to be more careful in the future. What is this?"

He looks at the braid in my hair.

"I don't know. I think it's a gift of some sort. She started— Hey! What are you doing?"

He starts yanking on the braid, forcing the shells to the ground.

"Let go!" I shout and pry his hands away.

He doesn't let up. "I'm getting this filthy thing out of your hair. Who knows what it might do to you."

I watch the shells float to the floor, and I feel tears in my eyes.

Casmir grabs my hand. "Let's go."