Kyma Tide is just an ordinary human girl, besides the fact that she is a blue-eyed albino orphan in the Dominican Republic. That is, until she is kidnapped and wakes up with a tail. Follow her journey of escape and discovery.
This is the first book...
The group approaches the island, slowing down slightly, but Kyma and her friends halt their movements when someone darts in front of them, holding onto a spear. Alai and the man start conversing with hand signs, but Kyma only recognizes one or two of them, like 'help' and 'problem'. The man- guard? - moves aside, his olive-green tail slicing through the water with ease. The group heads forward once again, and Kyma gapes around at her surroundings in wonder. There were mermaids - no, merrows - everywhere, their tails a bedazzling array of blues and greens with occasional browns and grays. Alai was right, almost all of them have green eyes. Kyma has only seen two merrows with blue ones. The water around the group noticeably switches to being dark, and slightly colder than before, startling Kyma out of her thoughts. They are approaching an underwater cave set into the island's underwater cliff.
The group enters the cave, following a tunnel as it winds farther and farther in. The water grows lighter just before the tunnel opens up into a much larger tunnel. Kyma looks up to see light rippling over the surface of the water at the top of this larger tunnel. The group continues moving upwards through the tunnel until they surface into a large stone chamber. At first it looks to be empty, but then on the other side of the room there is an ornate stone chair - a throne? Alai did say this was a Kingdom - with two guards flanking it, dressed in pale blue. A dark-haired woman with mahogany skin and dark blue eyes sits upon the throne. Alai glides to the edge of the pool and onto the incline leading out of it, shifting as she does so before walking out onto the floor of the chamber.
She approaches the throne and bows. "The waves have carried me back home, Queen Lahira."
Queen Lahira smiles warmly at Alai. "Our shores welcome your return, Alai Cerulean. Who have the tides brought with you?"
"They were kidnapped and imprisoned, and I rescued them. But my Queen, it's strange."
"How so, Alai?"
"One of the girls looks like one of us, despite her skin telling me that she would be from the Eastern Kingdom, but she doesn't know anything about us."
"Which of them do you speak of?"
Alai points to Kyma, and the Queen rises from her throne, striding towards the three girls floating in the water. Kyma clutches at her pendant in fear, and the Queen's eyes narrow in on it before widening in shock.
Her voice is both kind and urgent in its tone. "What is your name, seachild?"
Kyma swallows before voicing her reply, praying that her voice doesn't shake. "My name is Kyma Tide."
The Queen nods before turning to her guards. "Leave us."
They hesitate before leaving through the passage beside the pool. Alai lingers until the Queen nods at her, and Alai slips back into the pool, leaving the way they came with Kyma's friends following her out.
Once everyone has left, the Queen turns back towards Kyma. "Would you prefer to stay in the pool as we talk, or would you like to try and shift?"
"I would like to try and shift."
The Queen smiles. "Come over here to the incline and straighten out your tail."
Kyma does so, and the Queen crouches in the water beside her, her skirt's hem dipping into the water.
"Close your eyes and imagine your legs - how they feel, how they move."
Kyma closes her eyes and breathes in, filling her mind with thoughts of using her legs. She lets out her breath and a tingle rushes down her tail as her breath leaves her body. She opens her eyes to see her legs again, and beams with delight, before being suddenly mortified by the fact that she only has a top. The Queen senses her unease and leaves for a second, coming back with a dress like her own. She hands it to Kyma, who slips it over her head before trying to get back to her feet. Her legs, after a week of not being used, feel awkward and unstable, causing Kyma to slip back into the water.
The Queen stands and extends her arm towards Kyma, who takes it gratefully, pulling herself up. Once she is finally standing, Kyma follows the Queen up the incline to the dry floor. They continue to the other side of the room and the throne. Instead of sitting down on her throne like Kyma was expecting, the Queen sits upon the stone floor, folding her legs beneath her. Kyma hesitates before doing the same.
The Queen leans forward slightly, her voice soft. "Who are your parents?"
Kyma's voice holds a tinge of old sadness. "My dad is Jonathan Tide. I never knew my mother or anything about her. My pendant is all I have of her."
The Queen looks like she is in between shock and sadness. "Your father never told you who she was?"
Kyma shakes her head. "He never even had the chance. He died when I was a baby. I've lived in an orphanage my whole life."
A tear seems to slip from one of the Queen's eyes, but it's gone in a blink. She murmurs softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"What?"
"I'm your mother, Kyma."
________________________________________________________________________________ Who expected that? Kyma's mother is the merrow Queen! What does this mean for Kyma? Why didn't Kyma stay with her mother/ why did Kyma never know/ why did Kyma's mother give her up? Tell me your thoughts! Here is your picture of Kyma for today!
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