Tear Pearls
By LadyPrin
Disclaimer applies.
Chapter Two (Finding a New Home)
Serenity had woken up an hour or so before dawn, just in time to avoid being found on the beach.
She had been so excited to finally be able to walk on legs that it took her almost all of the hour to be able to walk without falling over.
After she thought she had mastered walking, she tried running, then twirling around in the sand.
Then she had found her way out of the beach area and into the parking lot. There she had found a road, and though she wasn't sure what it was, she followed it for a few hours, being careful not to stand on it.
Soon many cars started zooming up and down the road, and she started seeing buildings and people.
She was enchanted with everything she saw, though her shyness did get the better of her. She tried to stay as unnoticed as possible, and often stood in front of a windowless wall of a building so that she could look around without blocking anybody.
She soon lost track of how far she had walked, and where it was she had walked to.
She did know one thing though; her feet were aching terribly. She wished she had thought to ask the crabs to get some shoes from the beach, but that had totally slipped her mind at the time.
At the moment she was walking in between the road and a long brick wall that was taller than she was.
After she had walked a few more yards down the sidewalk, she found the entranceway of the wall. It opened up into what looked like a beautiful park. In the middle of the park was many steps leading up to a building.
Hanging on a pole right above the entranceway, right above her head, was a sign that read:
"Welcome to Cherry Hill Temple!"
People were milling about inside the wall. They were going in and out of the temple and talking with people in stalls. It looked like they were buying little things and pieces of paper with writing on them.
Since it looked open to the public, Serenity decided to go in.
She didn't go up the steps to the temple, or to any of the stalls. Instead she stayed close to the wall and walked toward the beautiful trees that were blooming pink flowers among their leaves.
After she had walked far enough that the people behind her were hidden from view by the trees and bushes, she left the wall and went ahead into the trees.
She enjoyed the cool relief that the green grass brought to her feet, a wonderfully welcome feeling than the sidewalk of the last few hours.
A strange feeling abruptly hit her. It started at her toes, and then traveled up her legs to stop at her waist. She felt numb there, but she could also feel something else, like her blood pulsing through her veins.
She stood still for a moment, wondering what was happening, and what to do about it. Then she realized what it was. It was the urge to wash her fin.
She had to find water fast!
She looked around, but didn't see any pond at all.
'Fine then.' She thought. 'I'll try something else other than my eyesight.'
She closed her eyes, and smelled the air with her nose.
She smelled many wonderful new things like the scent of trees, their flowers, perfume from incense, and food. She smelled some other scents that she didn't like nor could she identify, but then she smelled it! Water!
It wasn't salty like the sea, but it still had that tall tell signature that all water has, rather it be the salty ocean or the pure rain.
She slowly followed her nose as it led her to a small pond nestled among the trees.
She sat by the edge, and tilted one of her feet up so she could see the sole of it. It was blistered, raw, and bleeding.
She winced.
'I hope that turning them into a fin will heal those wounds, so that when I turn it into legs again they'll be okay.' She thought to herself as she just let her legs merge back together as one, and became her fin again.
She gently slipped the tail into the water, holding the hem of the dress up so that it wouldn't get wet too.
She closed her eyes and sighed with relief.
She stayed this way for a couple minutes. When her fin started to tingle was when she knew she could return to being human.
She pulled her tail from the water, and as the fin split into two, she looked around worriedly to see if she was still alone.
Too late she saw that she wasn't alone.
A young girl was standing just outside the clearing with the pond. She was standing among the bushes.
Serenity quickly pulled her dress over her legs, which were only partially formed. She couldn't run anywhere with them like that.
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you!" The girl cried, stepping forward from the bushes and holding a hand out in the sign to stop. "This area is normally off limits to visitors, but you can stay all you want. We've never had the pleasure of a mermaid's company before."
Serenity stared at her, summoning up her feelings about her.
The woman just stood there patiently waiting. She wore a white blouse with a long straight red skirt, white socks and wooden sandals. Her long black hair fell to her waist, and looked purple in places where the sunlight filtered through the tree's branches and fell upon it. Her eyes were violet too, and they looked kind and gentle.
Serenity felt calm looking into them. She knew instantly that she could trust this woman, though she also felt this woman held many secrets.
"Thank you." Serenity finally softly replied. "I promise I won't be long."
"Take all the time you want." The woman offered, slowly walking toward her to sit down beside her.
Serenity smiled at her, and slipped her now fully transformed human feet back into the pool.
She immediately pulled them back out.
Blood had started to fill the water.
'I guess the wounds didn't heal.' Serenity thought to herself, grimacing as she looked at her bloody feet again.
"You're hurt!" The woman exclaimed upon seeing them.
Serenity smiled sadly at her.
"I haven't had them for a full day yet, and I've already broken them." She explained.
"Unless you broke the bones inside your legs, you haven't broken them. Blisters and cuts can be easily mended." The woman replied kindly. "If you'll let me, I can take care of them for you."
"Please!" Serenity accepted her offer gladly.
"I'll help you into the house, and fix you up." The woman explained as she stood up.
She helped Serenity to stand, and then had Serenity to lean mostly upon her.
"By the way, my name is Rei Hino, I'm one of the caretakers here. I also live here; my grandfather owns the place. You can call me Rei. What's your name, if I may know?" Rei asked as she helped Serenity limp across the grass.
"My name's Seren—ah!" Serenity cried out as she nearly fell.
Her foot had slipped on the bloody/wet grass.
Once Rei had steadied her, she replied.
"Well, Serena the Mermaid Girl, you're welcome to my house."
~*~
Once Rei had helped her inside the temple, she had left Serenity on her bed as she had gone to get bandages.
Serenity sat there silently looking around.
'Serena . . .' She thought, trying out the name for herself. 'It's not my name, but I like it. Maybe a new life on land calls for a new name. Then I shall be Serena from now on.'
Rei came back in the room, her arms loaded with strips of white fabric and a little round box.
She placed everything on the bed, sat down, and had Serena put her feet in her lap.
Rei opened the box and scooped out a little cream, then commenced to rub it on the feet.
"It may sting a little, and they'll need time to heal," Rei explained. "But they'll heal up and be good as new. From now on, unless you're on the grass, you'll need shoes. I think we're about the same size, so maybe a pair of mine will fit you."
"Thanks!" Serena smiled at her.
Then she looked down at her feet to watch Rei wind them up, but something else caught her attention.
Gold hair.
Serena picked up the long gold strand of hair and stared at it, uncomprehending that it was her own.
"What's wrong?" Rei asked worriedly.
"Whose hair is this?" Serena asked wonderingly.
Rei froze, staring at her.
"It's yours." She replied. "Can't you tell?"
"It can't be mine!" Serena exclaimed. "Mine's silver!"
Rei stared for a moment longer and then her eyes lit up with understanding.
"When you turned human, your hair must have changed color too." She mused. "Silver isn't a normal color for young humans. A lot of young humans color their hair white, among other colors, but straight out silver is very uncommon. I'm not sure it's crossed anybody's mind to use that color, as pretty as it is."
"Oh." Serena stared at the hair a moment longer, then started twisting it around her finger. "He must have known that, and changed it to help me blend in better."
"He who?" Rei asked questioningly.
"The merman who made the potion for me." Serena replied.
"So there's more merpeople?" Rei asked with her eyes bright.
"Oh, yes! Tons!" Serena confirmed.
"That sounds so great! There! They're all bandaged up!" Rei announced. "Be careful when you walk on them. Now let's find you some shoes!"
Rei headed over to the closet and started digging around through the clothes and other *cough* junk *cough* that was on the floor in there.
"REI! Where have you disappeared to this time?" A very old sounding voice called from outside the partially opened door of the room.
Rei turned quickly and got tangled in a couple dresses.
The door swung open abruptly and Serena stared at a little, and I mean very little, old man in a smaller version of Rei's white blouse and red skirt.
The man's face, though covered with many wrinkles, stared at Serena in shock for a moment.
Serena smiled at him timidly.
"You're not Rei!" The old man exclaimed.
"Of course she's not me!" Rei exclaimed from the closet as she freed herself from the dresses and stumbled into the room.
"There you are!" The old man exclaimed. "I was afraid you'd run off on your own again!"
"I'm fourteen Grandfather, I can take care of myself." Rei replied hotly. "I don't need you holding my hand when I go out to eat or something. Get used to it."
Rei walked over to the bed carrying a pair of red tennis shoes.
"I'll never get used to it." Grandfather replied in an over exaggerated whisper to himself.
Rei half smiled, but only because her back was to him.
Serena was giggling softly.
"So, who is this charming young lady?" Grandfather asked, walking further into the room.
"Her name's Serena." Rei replied as she knelt down and slipped the shoes on Serena's feet. "Serena, meet my Grandfather, Grandfather, Serena. She's my new friend."
"A new friend! That's wonderful! I haven't heard that kind of news for a year!" Grandfather exclaimed, as Rei shook her head in annoyance as she tied the shoelaces.
Serena smiled widely.
"There, all done." Rei announced.
She stood up and helped Serena to her feet.
"They aren't too loose are they?" Rei asked as Serena took a couple steps in them.
"Not too much, I can walk in them!" Serena assured her. "Thanks so much!"
Rei smiled widely, as she thought to herself: 'There's a mermaid walking in my shoes, this is so cool!'
Then a big rumble split the air.
It took a moment of looking and listening to realize it was Serena's stomach.
She was hungry.
"Hungry are you?" Rei asked bemused.
"Yes, I haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday." Serena answered sheepishly.
"Well, Rei, you should take her to get something to eat!" Grandfather announced.
"Have you been to the Crown Arcade yet?" Rei asked Serena.
Serena shook her head no.
"Really?" Grandfather asked amazed. "I thought everybody in the Jubban District has been there at some point in their lives!"
"Serena's new here." Rei explained.
"Oh, okay, that'd explain it." Grandfather replied. "So where are you staying young lady?"
"Um, I don't know yet." Serena answered, thinking about it for a moment.
"Then you can stay here, we have an extra guest bedroom, and having a friend over may keep Rei more occupied with staying here than running off!" Grandfather announced fast. "I'll see you two later!"
Then he was gone.
"Talk about running off." Rei muttered sarcastically under her breath.
Then she turned to Serena with a smile.
"It'd be great if you would stay. You're welcome here and you won't have to pay anything. You can use the pond out back whenever you need to. I can't promise that I'll be around all the time, I may have to run off every now and then." Rei explained apologetically.
"I'd love to stay! I promise I won't get in the way. Once I learn the layout, I can take care of myself." Serena assured her.
"I wonder why my grandfather doesn't believe me when I say that to him." Rei mused to herself. "Come on, you're going to love the Crown Arcade."
They were walking out the front door and down the steps when Rei decided to add something.
"When we come back, I'll show you about the place, and there's something else you should know. We always eat out so you won't find any food in the place, at least not enough to make a meal out of. Neither of us can cook. Everything my Grandfather cooks is under done and everything I cook turns out burnt."
They laughed together as they walked underneath the welcome sign where two black crows perched, and walked out onto the sidewalk.
They were almost out of view when something happened to the welcome sign above the entranceway.
Two glowing red eyes appeared on it, and stared as the girls rounded the corner. Their sudden appearance sent the crows crying away from it.
The eyes narrowed and then closed.
No one below the sign ever saw it happen.
