Enchanted Sea

**KATHERINE'S POV**

“Katherine! Where do you think that you are going?!” My mother screeched as she followed me out the back door.

“Out!” I yelled back as I tried to escape.

“I don’t think so young lady. We have guest coming over and you are expected to be there,” she remarked as she came to a stop behind me.

I let out a scuff and turned to face her. “And why, exactly, am I supposed to be present?” I questioned as I crossed my arms over my chest and tilted my head to the side.

“Well, for your information, one of your dad’s clients has a son your age. We were hoping that you would become a couple…” My mouth dropped in shock at her explanation. “…And if that didn’t occur, well, then we would make It an arranged marriage.” She responded calmly, as if destroying her daughter’s life was of no consequence.

I shook my head and tried to not look directly at her. “You’re crazy,” I muttered out in disgust as I looked directly into her eyes in pure anger.

“Excuse me!?”

“I said ‘you’re crazy’,” I moved one step closer to her. “this is the 21st century and to have an arranged marriage is so old fashioned and cruel. Is it so wrong to just let me fall in love and be happy?” I sighed, “is that too much to ask?”

My mother looked at me sternly and nodded her head, “Yes it is.” My mouth opened in shock. {Did she really just say that?} “Yes it is. We want you to take over the company when we are gone. And we want someone at your side who can take care of the company, without running it into the ground.” She explained with her arms crossed and a serious look on her face.

I dropped my arms to my side and shook my head. Tears came to my eyes as her words ran through my ears. Were my parents really that heartless and self-centered that they would rather have me in an arranged marriage and be unhappy for the rest of my life than let me find love for myself? And then I realized… they were. Everything was always about them and what would benefit them in the end; they never really cared about me. Biting my lip, as tears cascaded down my cheeks, I turned around and ran out the gate and down the beach, away from my mother.

“Katherine! Get back here!”

I could hear my mother holler, but I knew she wouldn’t follow me. Both my parents hated the beach; from the salty water to the sand. It didn’t really make sense to me considering we lived on a beach, but whatever.

I made it pretty far down the beach before I had to stop to catch my breath. I made my way over to some rocks and crawled up and went over to one that rested in the water (it had water on all sides). I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my head into them and continued to cry. Through my sobs and sniffled, I didn’t hear anyone approach.

“Are you okay?” A masculine voice with concern laced into each word asked.

My head snapped up and tried to find the source of the voice. In front of me, with their arms resting on the rock was a very attractive guy. But instead of being scared, I felt rather calm.

“Who are you?” I asked calmly wiping the tears from my cheeks.

He smiled sweetly, “I’m Warren Anderson. And your Katherine Hall am I correct?”

I stared at him in shock, “how do you know my name?”

He looked down at his arms, “I have been watching you for months now.”

A thought suddenly struck me, “you’re the one that saved me that day, aren’t you?” He nodded slightly but still didn’t move. “What are you?”

He looks up at me with confusion in his eyes, “what do you mean?”

I smiled at him and moved so my legs were dangling over the edge. “What I mean is…,” I looked into his eyes, “you’re not human are you?”

“What makes you think that?” He asked with a slight smirk and curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

“Well the fact is that you saved me,” he looked at me confused causing me to laugh a little before explaining. “Let me explain: you saved me from drowning in the middle of the ocean with nobody else around. Not to mention that is was during a storm that I couldn’t swim through, and I am the best swimmer in school.” I smiled at him and tilted my head, “so what are you?”

Warren sighed and looked deeper into my eyes, “it will probably be more effective if I show you.”

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and just watched him. My eyes scanned his body as he used al his strength to lift his upper body out of the water. My mouth watered and I practically drooled as I saw his ripped muscles of his chest and arms. {Stop is Katherine. You just met this guy.} I thought to myself before I gasped as Warren sat down beside me. My eyes traveled from the top of his head, down his chest until they reached his waist where instead of seeing legs, my eyes were met with a deep red tail.

“Wow,” I gasped, “you’re a mermaid.”

“Well, technically, I’m a merman,” Warren chuckled when I shook my head at him. “But yes, I am a creature of the sea.”

I laughed along with him, “can I - ,” I hesitated for a little and his eyes encouraged me to continue, “can I touch it?” I asked in awe.

Warren chuckled and nodded his head, “yeah go ahead.”

I reached my left hand over my body and ran my fingertips along the side of his tail. It was a strange sensation, feeling scales instead of skin, but what also surprised me was that it was not rough or slimy. In face it actually felt smooth and almost skin like.

“That is so cool,” I remarked with a slight giggle.

He laughed too before nodding his head, “yeah it is pretty cool.” He said while wagging his tail making the end come up over the water. “Now, what are you doing all the way out here?”

I shook my head and tried to dismiss the subject, “it’s nothing. It’s just my parents being my parents. You don’t want to hear about it.”

“Yeah, I would.”

“You would?” I asked looking over at him. No one that I have ever met before, not even my friends, had never cared about what was going on in my life.

Warren smiled at me and rested his left hand on top of my right one, “of course I would.”

I smiled back at him and began to basically tell him my life story. Not once did he interrupt by asking a question or stating his opinion. All he did was sit next to me, listening intently. As I started to cry, Warren had scooted closer to me and wrapped his arm around me. When I finished talking about myself I wanted to hear about him.

“And what about you? Why do you spend all your time above the water?” I asked him as I leaned my head on his shoulder. “How about you tell me about yourself,” I smiled up at him while looking up into his eyes.

He stared off into the distance, “You wouldn’t want to hear any of that. My life isn’t anything special.”

“Are you kidding me?” I sat up straight and turned to face him a little. “You’re a ‘MERMAN’,” I emphasized merman, “and you live in the ocean. How is that not special?”

“I guess,” he muttered before beginning to tell me his life story.

Warren told me about his home and his siblings. I learned that we were in the same situation when it came to our parents. They both wanted to control our lives, but instead of his mother hounding him it was his father.

We talked for hours, but as the sun started to set we fell into complete silence and just watched the sun disappear beneath the horizon. Glancing down at my watch, I gasped when I saw the time.

“Damn it!” I cursed as I jumped to my feet.

Warren looked up at me shocked, “What is it? Are you okay?”

I looked down at him and sighed, “Yeah I’m fine. I just have to get home.”

“Oh,” he muttered while looking down at his lap, sadness evident in his tone.

I sighed and kneeled down behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, resting my head next to his. He brought his hand up and rested it on my arms and rubbed his thumb over my arm.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave but I have to,” I whispered and held him a little tighter. “I don’t know what it is about you… but I feel very connected to you and I just want to spend all my time with you.”

“I feel that way too,” he said as he placed a gentle kiss on my arm.

I smiled and kissed the back of his head, “can I meet you here tomorrow, if I’m not dead?” I asked him a joking tone.

Warren laughed and nodded his head, “yeah I’ll be here,” he turned his head to face me.

As he stared into my eyes, I could feel a strange pull drawing me closer and closer to him. I saw his eyes flutter closed as mine did the same, right as our lips touched. My left hand came up and held his cheek as we continued to move out lips in sync. Just as we moved to deepen the kiss, we were broken apart by someone yelling my name. I pulled away from Warren and looked at the beach and could see the faint figure of the maid, Sarah, calling my name.

“I better go,” I muttered looking back into Warren’s eyes.

Warren nodded his head with a slight smile on his face. He placed another peck on my lips before slipping into the water. “I’ll be here all day tomorrow. Come by whenever you want.”

“I’ll come as soon as I get out of the house,” I leaned over and kissed his lips again. “I promise.”

“Katherine, there you are,” Sarah sighed. “You better get home before your father goes on a rampage.”

“I’m coming Sarah!” I yelled to her, before turning back to Warren. “See you tomorrow.” I told him before pecking him on the lips and getting to my feet. Warren nodded his head before going under the water.

I made my way back to the shore and followed Sarah back to the house. Occasionally I looked out at the ocean and I could see that Warren was following me. A smile was permanently etched itself onto my face as I made my way into the house.. I was able to avoid my parents as made my way over to the balcony and looked out at the ocean again. And off in the distance, lit by the moon behind him, was Warren watching me.

A large smile came to my face as I did my nightly routine. I know that Warren is a merman. But maybe there was some way that we could be together.