When the Ocean Calls

Chapter Twenty-Seven | An Ocean Tale

"Lani!"

The name gushed from my lungs. A kaleidoscope of emotions radiated through me—joy, relief, bewilderment...and guilt. Definitely guilt.

Lani's hollow, bloodshot eyes stared at me, her jaw slack. The sight of her was foreign to my eyes, both because of how long I'd been gone and her disheveled appearance. Tears stained her flushed cheeks instead of blush, and her blonde sat in a tangled mess atop her head. I didn't even know she owned the grey sweatshirt and pants that ballooned around her body. A pang pierced my heart.

Did I do this? Did I cause her this much grief?

"Oh, Lani..."

Before I knew it, Lani flung her arms around my neck, squeezing me tighter and tighter. Anything I had to say choked in my throat. I returned the embrace.

"Kiara," she breathed. "Kiara, I—" Hysterical sobs ruptured from her chest. Her body went limp as she convulsed against me, knees knocking into mine. Tears poured down my face, still damp from the ocean.

"Lani, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you or anything."

Lani stilled, suspended in my arms. "S-scare me?" She drew back, a mixture of horror, anger, and disbelief on her face. "S-scare me? Kiara, where have you been? I've had the police and the coast guard looking for you. I've had every news channel blasting a missing report. I've had phone calls daily with Mom and Dad. I've..." A fresh wave of weeping cut her off. Whether it was due to sorrow or fury, I did not know.

What have I done? Tears forged their way from my eyes. I couldn't bear to see her like this. She was my strong older sister.

"I never meant to hurt you!" I blurted out. "It was an accident, I swear!"

To my surprise, a smile blurred across her lips. "Oh, what's the use!" she cried. "You're home! That's all that matters!" She hugged me once more, tighter than ever.

"Y-you're not mad at me?"

"I can't be. You're safe." She peeled herself away, eyes finally on my clothes. A croak of laughter burst from her lungs. "You need a change of clothes. Come on."

I stepped into her apartment. It was surreal, full circle, like time rewound to my arrival in the Bahamas. I had entered the same door, met with the same apartment, though not the same view. White divans, littered with blankets and a pillow. Glass coffee table with dried rings from a mug's perspiration. Closed silver curtains, no ocean.

Wide-screen TV, turned off.

This time, I was the one on the news. I was the one kidnapped by mermaids, almost tricked into marrying the Prince of Oamer. But I was also the one who survived.

The door clicked behind me. "Come sit at the table." Lani's hand grasped my elbow, a bit too firmly, too close to Catilli.

Catilli. She lied to me. She said she'd bring me home. Who knows how long ago that was.

"How long have I been gone?" I murmured.

Lani inhaled a shaky breath. "Two weeks."

Only two? It felt like a century, like Virgo on her island.

"We seriously need to talk," Lani continued, tugging me into the kitchen. "It's been ages since I've had an actual conversation with someone, unless you count the police. But I only talked to them when they had updates on your disappearance. I haven't seen any of my friends, even though they keep dropping by. They've just seemed kind of annoying under the circumstances and haven't really wanted to speak to them. Surely they'd try to use some sort of Freudian tactics to make me feel better, and I've already gotten plenty of that from my psychiatrist. You don't know how annoying he was, always..."