Sapphyre looked up as Luis hopped over the last of the rocks in the cove’s entryway. A smile spread across her face, and that nearly weakened Luis’ knees enough for him to drop backward again.
“Good morning, Sapphyre,” he said, grinning wide.
“Good morning.”
He stood for a moment in the sand, but Sapphyre motioned that he could sit closer. He didn’t have to be told twice. He flopped down onto the beach as she rolled into a seated position beside him.
She could already notice a shift in his attitude and posture; even the color of his face and the lightness of his eyes had improved since the first time she had looked upon him.
“How’s your arm doing?” He began generically, noticing she was idly looking him over.
Her eyes strayed to her wrist as she turned it over. “Much better, thank you.”
“I’m glad.” He smiled as her eyes strayed back to his face. “It’s good to see you. Without sounding creepy, I was kind of looking forward to seeing you today.”
“Me too.” She shut her mouth and instantly looked embarrassed. She didn’t expect to agree so quickly.
Luis grinned sheepishly and grasped at his knees as Sapphyre turned her face aside.
“Well, anyway,” he spoke after clearing his throat. “I’ll let you start asking the questions again.”
She nodded as her tail flapped idly in the waves. “What... um.” Words were escaping her. She found herself avoiding the question she had been meaning to ask and blurted, “Why don’t you wear shoes?”
A laugh escaped from Luis’ mouth, and he wiggled his toes as Sapphyre caught his smile. “I don’t like getting sand in my shoes, so I take them off and put them with my bike when I get to the beach.” He grinned at his feet. “Why do mermaids wear shells?”
“We don’t have much else to work with.” She smirked.
“Makes sense. Your turn.”
With a deep breath, she grew more serious and looked him straight in the eye. “What was I like? You know, when I was human,” she clarified.
His expression softened, and he looked out to the rock-framed view of sea. “You were very kind; the kindest person I’d ever met. You were soft-spoken at first, but when someone got to know you, you could be quite the talker. And you were really considerate.” He chuckled. “There was this time—the first time I had invited you over for pizza—and the next morning I almost couldn’t open my door because you had put a container of cookies in a big bag on my doorknob.” He extended his hands to show how big the bag had been, and he laughed to himself. “I wasn’t expecting that at all. It was really sweet.”
Sapphyre found herself smiling along with him, even though she couldn’t envision what he was explaining.
“Gosh, what else...” Luis idly looked into the sky through the opening at the top of the cove, as if trying to find his memories among the clouds. “You loved birds; you had a little bird feeder outside your window at your apartment. I liked it because I could watch them too.”
“I still like birds.”
“There you go.” He glanced at her. “You’re not different at all.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I sure look different.”
“No, not really,” Luis scooted onto his knees. “You have the same hair, same face, same eyes...”
Their eyes met, and she found herself unable to look away. His eyes were the clearest shade of blue-green and seemed to look far beyond the walls she had built up around herself. It was disarming as much as it was warm and comforting. When she finally realized her extended stare, she shook herself from the moment and turned away.
He watched her turn and settle onto her stomach, keeping her gaze aside uncomfortably.
“Do you make your own clothes?”
She looked up at his question, then down at the simple cloth bodice she wore. “I made this one, yeah.”
“It’s pretty.”
She kept her eyes downward. “Did I make clothes before?”
“No,” he answered, “but you always wore pretty ones. Your favorite color was blue.” He eyed her tail. “Quite fitting.”
She hummed and waved her tail from side to side.
He frowned, wondering what could be going through her head. “Oh,” he got an idea.
She watched as he pulled a chain from out of his shirt collar, and he reached behind his neck to unfasten it. He then slipped off a small silver ring with a purple starfish.
“This was yours.” He said, handing it to her.
She initially stared at his hand with no intention of moving, but curiosity again got the best of her. She leaned forward to get a closer look, and then she shifted her weight to one elbow to free her other arm. Her fingers delicately lifted the ring.
She pushed herself up to a seated position and inspected the ring carefully.
Luis watched her face remain unchanged throughout the process. “I don’t know; it may not mean anything to you now, but I keep it to remember...”
He grew silent as she slid it onto her right ring finger. She had always worn it there.
She held out her hand with her palm facing away. The small ring glimmered in the sun.
A million thoughts ran through his head. Did she remember? Did she put it on her finger completely by chance? Could this spark any other memories?
A million thoughts ran through her head. Why did she put it on that way? Could she actually remember seeing the ring before? Or, was she forcing herself to remember?
“...It’s very pretty.” She finally spoke.
“You always loved the ocean,” he tried to smile. “Also fitting, I suppose.”
She wiggled her fingers, and then removed the ring.
“You can keep it if you want,” Luis waved as she attempted to hand it back to her.
“But you said you use it to remember,” she held it further.
They sat in silence with the ring in the air between them. He wavered on wanting it back and wanting her to keep it. He took a deep breath and put his fingers around hers.
“Maybe you can use it to remember too.”
She frowned. “But I can’t... I—I don’t know.”
He released her hand and she sat back, still grasping the ring in her fingers.
“What’s wrong?”
Her face contorted. “I can’t tell if I’m forcing myself to remember. I want to and I don’t want to all at the same time.” She held up the ring almost angrily.
“I don’t think that will be instant either,” Luis spoke calmly. “But I know from Tanner’s journal that you’ve improved ever since you woke up. You couldn’t speak at first, but you can now. It’s like you’re waking up slowly.”
She let out a deep breath. “...Humans are such heartless creatures...”
Luis grew tense, but did not speak.
“How could a human do this to another human?” She thrust out her hands.
“There are definitely some bad ones out there,” he said softly. “I hope I can show you that they aren’t all like that.”
“Oh, and that’s another thing,” she scowled under furrowed brows. “Every time I meet someone who ‘isn’t like that,’ I get hurt every time.”
Luis shrunk back in silence.
Sapphyre was breathing hard. She looked at the ring still in her hand, and she placed it on the beach in his direction. “I’m sorry... I just... I need to go.”
Luis seemed fretful. “Sapphyre?”
She pushed herself back into the water and swam away, leaving only the softest of splashes behind her when her tail skimmed the surface.
Luis didn’t move for a long time. Only the seagulls and the gentle lapping of the waves filled the solitude in which he remained.
At last, he picked up the ring from the sand and fished it onto his chain. He fastened it around his neck and slowly started back to the beach in silence.
—
“What are you doing out here?”
The blue mermaid lifted her head from the field of seagrass to find her sister floating over her. Her orange fins and golden hair were a stark contrast from the green kelp and turquoise water of midday.
“Laying down.”
The orange mermaid blinked incredulously. “Duh. Why?”
Sapphyre rolled to her back, not wanting to discuss the matter with her adolescent sister. “...I just needed a break from everything.” She finally said as she crossed her arms across her chest.
“Hey, you got the string off of your arm.”
“Oh yeah. I did.”
“How?”
Sapphyre swallowed. “I found some help—what are you doing?”
“Avoiding Mama.”
The answer was spoken so succinctly that Sapphyre feared Khallista was hoping she would ask. She raised an eyebrow and sat up with a small sigh. “And, why are you avoiding her?”
“She’s just... so mean!” Khallista flicked her tail and floated backward. “She won’t let me do anything anymore!”
“Have you ever thought she may just be worried about you?”
Khallista shot her a very disgruntled expression. “Are you taking her side?”
“I’m not taking a side at all,” Sapphyre again crossed her arms. “I’m just thinking it through. It’s not been very long since you lost Daddy’De, right?” When her sister pouted and refused to speak, she took it as an affirmative answer. “All I’m saying is she’s probably afraid she may lose someone else—like you. She may be more concerned than she used to be. It’s her way of protecting you from anything that could hurt you.”
The orange mermaid’s hip fins swayed in the water. Her expression had dulled with thought, but it retained her lowered brows. “But shouldn’t she trust me by now? Nathaneal could do anything he wanted when he was my age, and he was too scared to even do it. Now I’m finally here, and I want to, and I’m stuck!”
“Your family hadn’t lost anyone yet when Nathaneal was your age. Things can change... it’s hard to come back when you’ve been hurt so badly...” Sapphyre pressed her lips together, finding herself getting lost in her own thoughts.
Khallista huffed and tugged on her bodice strap. “So, what am I supposed to do?”
“Just keep listening to her.” Sapphyre ignored her sister’s exaggerated expressions and continued. “Prove to her she can trust you, and she may let you be bolder. Remember, she’s hurting about Daddy’De as much as you are.”
“No!” The orange mermaid flapped her tail so sharply, the strands of kelp behind her bowed in the wake. She squinted hard at her sister with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “You said yourself if Daddy was here, things would be different—so, just because he’s gone, I can’t do anything because Mama’s ‘worried’ or ‘hurting’?” Khallista repeated Sapphyre’s words mockingly, “I should be able to do what I want to do, and no one can tell me I can’t!”
“Wait, Khalli—”
Khallista flit away so quickly Sapphyre could scarcely scramble from the ground before she had disappeared into the kelp forest.
She hovered in uncertainty, wondering if she should chase after her sister or wait for her to return on her own. Khallista was already having a harder time accepting Sapphyre as part of the family, and Sapphyre feared that lugging her back to Enclei would definitely put more disdain between them.
She sighed and sunk back down into the seagrass. She had only been trying to help, but their casual conversation had turned sour despite her best efforts.
Sapphyre’s form hunched further as she brought a hand to her lips. Luis had only been trying to help, but their casual conversation had turned sour despite his best efforts. Then, like Khallista, she had left him alone with an abruptly ended conversation.
She frowned and gazed up toward the surface. She had an apology to make.