Aquatic Ties

What did they say, about walking in the shadow of someone else? That it will end the same or something like that? Like a circle, constantly going around and around. "This isn't possible!" I tell Xavier father as we look on a wall with a painting of a girl that looks so much like me, we could be sisters. "How is that even possible?"

"She wanted legs, so she could be among the humans. She never returned to the sea, because she feel in love with a human. But she was also supposed to marry someone of royal blood down here. But she of course never came back. Since that day, many have looked for her or someone of her blood line and now that you have been found-"

I cut the King off. "I'm too young to get married, I have plans for my future and that doesn’t involve getting married at my age."

"If you were to marry my oldest son, even at this age, your aging would be slowed down quite abit. You wouldn’t die like a normal human," he tells me in a voice that is trying to reason with me, but I won't reason with it.

"I like Xavier a lot but-"

"Xavier?" the King question throws me. "Xavier isn't my oldest son, Cane is my oldest son." and that response really throws me!

Rubbing my head, my timp starts to throb. "My head is starting to kill me, this is all throwing me really hard."

"Do you need to lay down?" the King asks me, holding out his arms like I'm about to fall.

"No, I just want to go home,"

"But don't you want to stay for the party? After searching for someone from your family, for almost eight hundred years, this would be a great relief to the merpeople." he says in such a way that I should be proud of what I am. But is it?

"Father!" a boy a few years older then me comes over to us walking on two legs, like we are. He wears the same sort of thing Xavier does, but his is black as night. It even shimmers like there is stars in bedded in the fabric. Once he sees that his father isn't alone though, he stops dead in his tracks. His eyes look me over and all I want to do is melt into the floor, because his eyes make me feel uneasy, like there is a greater plot to him that is not right. He has a scar from his left shoulder, going down word and a cross to his lower right rib cage. What had caused that scar?

"Cane, be polite and say hello to Brook. She is to be your future wife after all." the King tells his son, in a sharp manner, but is also held back. Was he holding his anger at his son for interrupting us, cause I was here right now? And why did he not look at his son right away? Did he have something to do with the scar or did the scar, remind him of something he couldn’t protect his son from in the past?

"My lady," he says bowing a little bit.

"I'm not your future wife and I really just want to go home. Tell your people whatever you want. But I really just want to go home, do some homework, take a migraine pill and go to sleep," turning away from them I start to head the way that the King and I had taken. "I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly, but I don’t feel like I am needed here right now." I tell them, not evening looking over my shoulder back at them.

Leaving the castle, my tale comes back. As I swim, I see children play, adults buying things, laughing and talking with the people selling them things as if they are old friends. Which they could for all I knew.

A pain hits my heart, for a world I didn’t know was part of me. But I don’t want to accept what I seen just yet and I 'really' don’t want to think that the King can just set me up with his oldest son. I mean really, who does that anymore?!

"Brook!" Xavier yells from behind.

"I'm going home, so stay here!" swimming faster I leave him behind, but soon as I bolt I hear bubbles behind me, so he must be following me, but I don't slow down.

Getting back to where I belong, I get out of the water and my tale sheads away like it's a sheet. "Brook, you can't walk away from this. The water is part of you, as much as it is a part of me." Xavier says coming out of the water after me.

He grabs my arm, spinning me around. I send him daggers. "Do you have any idea what your father told me? Do you have any idea, that I was just told my fate is dealt out before me? I deny that fate though, I have plans I want to make real in my life. I don't have time for this fairy tale of a life, that I know nothing about."

He places his thumbs under my eyes, to clean my face of the tears I didn’t know where coming from my eyes. "I know what he said, it only makes since. But I don’t plan on giving you up, not to my brother. Not to that human boy. No one." he kisses me on the forehead. "As for your future plans, your call to the sea isn't as strong as the rest of us, so you 'can' have your future plans. You just have to come back to the sea every once in awhile." he moves my hair out of my eyes. "All I ask is that you come back to me,"

He starts to lean into me, as if he is about to kiss me, but he changes his mind at the last second. He reaches into a shoulder bag I hadn't seen until now. "I found this in the market. I'm hoping it will shed some light on some things for you,"

He hands the big book over to me. "Thank you," I run my finger over the smooth cover book. "I'll look over it when I'm at my dad house,"

"Your dad house?" his question sounds like I just slapped him in the face.

Looking up at him, I shake my head. "This is the weekend I'm supposed to be with my dad. I won't be gone for to long, you won't even miss me," I tell him with a kidding smile.

His face is grim. "I always miss you, when we are apart," he whispers, then he jumps back in the water.

Taking a deep breath, I walk home knowing I'll get yelled at for not showing up. For all I know, they might had worried about me, because of the storm. Maybe someone had told them, that I had gone missing or something.

*****

When was the last time I seen my mom actually cry? When the car accident happened and they found me? Do I even remember her crying? Does that even count?

Even the devil twins hugged me, which was weird cause they were always bugging the crap out of me. I love my twin sisters, don't get me wrong, but man they bug the crap out of me!

The only person that didn't shed a tear or even remotely show emotion was my step loser. Did this surprise me? Nope.

After the tears were cried and all that, I locked myself away in my room. I pack my bag for dad house. But when it comes to the book that Xavier gave me, I can't help but sit down and look through the pages. The pages are thick to the sight and touch. There is scribbles I don’t understand and there is even a family tree, going all the way to the woman that went missing. So I have no answers of who side of the family she comes into play with. Could I ask mom or dad? Would they know at all? Or would I be better off asking the King? Who I most likely pissed off for leaving so abruptly.

"Who side do you belong to?" I whisper to the picture of the woman I look so much alike.