"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked again.
Dad looked into the distance as he hesitantly said :
"I'm fine."
Those words were the first to be uttered in a seemingly long time.
After barging into the house in the crazy state my dad was in, I didn't really believe him.
His bloodshot eyes, his disarrayed hair, his -
Hell, he looked awful.
I gave him a concerned look as his brown tainted eyes met mine.
He was a mess.
He was restless to tell me something about... mom.
His eyes widened with panic; in fear of not being able to ever find another time to talk about this matter.
It took me a good ten minutes to convince him to wash his face off and sit down on the couch so he can take his mind off the subject that made his body tremble.
Now that he's finally sitting and seems more at rest, he looks... lost.
As if he doesn't know where to start in this big mess.
My arms were resting across my chest as I waited patiently.
What could possibly disturb him to the point of mania?
I was woken from my revery as a sigh reverberated in the empty, silent room.
He laughed.
A laugh laced with surprise, a laugh laced with fatigue.
" I guess I should start from the very beginning," he started.
His voice was hoarse and rough, like sandpaper smoothing the edges of hardwood.
I was leaning against the wall as I was looking at Dad attentively.
In fear that he is going to break.
" Jane was a woman like no other. It felt that we were both made for each other," he started.
Silence enveloped the room once again.
I sat myself down on the couch, keeping eye contact whilst doing it.
" Turns out we were actually made for each other."
He said it so quietly that I thought I imagined it.
I scowled in confusion.
A few moments past.
"What do you mean?"
His eyes finally met mine.
No emotions were present on his expression.
No love.
No sadness.
No warmth.
No cold.
He seemed numb and lost. Numb from reliving a past experience. Numb from reliving her death.
"I never believed in love at first sight before I met her."
He whispered a little bit more louder. He ignored my confusion completely.
"But from the very start, she proved me wrong. Emotions that I never knew existed awakened when I stared into her eyes. She intoxicated me and I... I could never get enough."
I heard the birds chirping in the distance, completely oblivious to what was happening inside these walls.
Dad leaned more into the couch as he continued.
"At the beginning, I was terrified. Jane was a woman like no other, and everybody knew that. I thought that I was just a pawn in her game, or someone invisible ; she could have had any one... but she chose me," he started.
"Little did I know I had the same effect on her as she did on me."
A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.
My eyebrows furrowed.
Why was he telling me this?
"Turns out there is a reason to why I never felt like this in my entire life. And that reason was that Jane... she wasn't who she told everybody she was, " he whispered.
A moment of silence greeted us again.
"She told me about her people and -"
I felt my tongue move in my mouth, begging to let me give permission to express itself.
"What people, Dad?" I murmured.
His eyes finally met mine and a sense of regret washed over me when I met his bloodshot eyes.
" She wasn't human."
A hoarse laugh shook me.
"Dad, are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to call-"
He abruptly stood up from the couch, as if it was burning him.
"No!" he screamed.
I jumped in my seat at his loud response and got on my feet.
"No, don't call anyone," he slightly calmed down.
"Then what do you mean by that? She's not 'human'?" I said, making quotation marks in the air.
Dad looked conflicted.
A storm was brewing inside his head and I saw a glimpse of it in his eyes.
As if he didn't plan this much ahead for all this to happen.
"Is this supposed to be some type of metaphor or something-"
" Jane was not human," he repeated himself, " because she was a mermaid"
My world imploded.
Shock poured over, paralysing my entire being.
Mama smiled down at me, her green eyes shining.
"Calm down Ari-baby," she murmured gently.
I laughed.
"Not until you tell me a story!"
She watched me intently.
My eyes, shining with the youthful innocence and excitement.
"Fine."
I jumped in excitement, hearing her laugh.
I saw my Dad's silhouette for a split second before another image flashed before my eyes.
"Happy birthday, Mama!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and jumped on her.
I heard an "oomph" beneath me as I tried finding mom's face in the covers.
I felt slender arms grab my waist and pick me up from the bed.
"You little rascal!"
"Aria-"
My hand was in Mrs Black's bigger one while I looked at both Mama and Papa.
"Do you have to leave on a cruise, relax and have fun without me?!" I whined.
Both of them laughed; the skin around their eyes crinkling.
"We'll be back before you know it, monkey," Dad said.
"Mrs Black will take her of you and both of you will have so much more fun than us!" Mama added on, trying to make me feel better.
The only thing she did was have an idea spark inside my head.
"Then you can stay with us! We will have so much fun altogether!" I exclaimed, revealing my amazing idea.
Mrs Black chuckled.
"C'mon, Aria, they'll ruin all the fun anyways if they would be with us," Mrs Black told me.
Mama's eyes widened in shock.
"Mary?!"
"What? I would never lie to your daughter."
I felt all the oxygen rush back into my body as I finally saw the familiar living room.
"Mama is a ... mermaid?" I whimpered, but I already knew the answer to the question.
Dad nodded.
"And you're her mate," I finally put all the pieces together.
Dad nodded again, looking down on the floor.
A realization hit me.
"But if she had a human form then she must've -"
"She was a royal," Dad stated.
The next breath I took was shaky.
"Oh my god. Wow," I breathed out.
"I know. This is a lot to take in but this is the truth."
I finally looked at Dad.
As if a huge weight was lifted from his chest, he looked relieved.
"But I'm human, Dad. I can't do anything that Storm can-" I was interrupted by Dad's smile.
" I knew it. I was wondering why you screamed that night. You met him, didn't you?"
My eyes widened.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew?" I stuttered.
" I was sparing you the embarrassment," Dad responded with sass.
He laughed gently when I scoffed.
He was trying to switch the conversation.
Seriousness washed over his expression.
"You have merfolk and human blood running through you," he said, coming back to our previous conversation.
"Okay... but why don't I have all those superpowers then?" I asked.
Dad looked down as he searched through his memory.
"Jane told me this a long time ago... oh right. She explained that with you the gene is dormant. You're technically human and can live out an entire life as one but it can be awakened."
"We have powers humans wished they had, and possess eternal lives."
Storm's voice echoed in my head.
"But aren't merfolk immortal? Did Mom really ... pass away?"
A slither of hope shined at the end of my question.
It was so fragile and minuscule, but present nevertheless.
" I still have so much to tell you about that night," he whispered back.
My eyebrows furrowed.
"You didn't answer my question."
Silence.
He answered back with silence.
The delicate feeling of hope started fading away.
" I don't know," he finally answered.
I FINALLY UPDATEDDDDD. i hope you enjoyed this chapter but before you leave i have a few conclusions that i have to state.
1- all my readers are insane
2-all my readers are the best
*clears throat* let me explain.
I HAVE MORE THAN 10K VOTES AND 231K READS! THE ACTUAL CRAP IS HAPPENING WITH YOU GUYS!???
you guys have been supporting me since day one and i cannot be more grateful to have such amazing, funny (i read all your comments), kind readers!
talking about being grateful, happy late thanksgiving to those who celebrate! im so thankful to have you guys and i can't believe how lucky i am!!! THANK YOU!
i love all of you so much and i wish you all the best!!!