Thanks for all of your great support: the fols/favs/reviews, as always. Nemma :)
Disclaimer: I do not own twilight, but the mermaids and other original points are mine. Please don't take them.
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Chapter 43: Unexpected Reunions – BPOV
On the back lawn stood a full-legged Riana, with a halo of vivid red hair tangled with twigs an leaves hanging about her face and sparking green eyes full of mischief and relief, and beside her, bouncing on the balls of her feet, was the little blond Kali. Both wore bedraggled clothing stained with grass and dirt. I was stood at Edward's windows but it took less than a second for me to scrabble away, out of the door, and head down the stairs. But at the bottom Edward's hand snagged my arm, pulling me around to face him.
"Bella?" he said, worry in his topaz eyes. "Are they…?"
"Good ones," was all I said, and then I added, "taken, like me." He deserved a better explanation but I was too pumped to focus. With a wary nod he let my arm go.
As soon as I reached the kitchen door, slow on stumbling feet with Edward at my heels, I bolted outside to greet them. I ran, they ran. And we collided like a trio of cackling harpies on the grass, our strange echoing laughter filling the night air.
"We found you! We found you!" Kali burst in a series of staccato clicks, far too excited as Riana engulfed me in an exuberant hug. And soon we were jabbering excitedly away in Mermish, like high-school girls or squawking seagulls. The series of tonal clicks overlaid one another until it was hard for even us to distinguish the words, but the mental imagery helped. Through our telepathic link we projected our thoughts and feelings and images. Little of it could be constituted as 'words' of any form, it was more like a silent movie reel…
Riana darting amidst black tangles of seaweeds, dodging men with nets in the boats above…
A tank's wall; glass so smooth and firm to the touch, a crystal cage…
A sea-turtle swimming over the colony's entrance – How pretty!
Feral eyes gleaming in the dark; a mermaid snarling at her captors… Was that me?
You, yes, I watched from the outer bay. Too far… too many…
Helplessness…
Alice holding me close; her touch gentle and cool… Edward's velvet caress and burning eyes… Esme plucking grit and scales from my wounds… Emmett holding a crab…
Kali with legs! Riana feeling the tingle of retracting scales… The shore they sat on was dark and unfamiliar, trees swayed and the wind whistled. So alien.
Riana, wobbling on unsteady legs, scaling a mound of loose pebbles and rock; Kali following as they stumbled in the dark… searching… listening… for the calls of their sister…
Me, you came on land to look for me?!
Of course, Bella! We had to find you.
The Cullen house: white and imposing and silent in the dark. From a window my face appeared. Then we were running, all running to meet at the same point, Edward at my back.
All thought converged…
In our excitement the images flashed and darted, skittering from one to another with no rhythm or order. Mine mingled with theirs and they considered a few and projected them back in query. Oh, how I had missed this connection, how I had missed the ease with which mermaids could speak without words. I eagerly projected my own imagery back.
We were so absorbed, that I didn't originally notice Edward's shock.
"Bella!" he gasped and I twisted to face him. "You…" he gulped, restarted, "you can communicate with each other… telepathically?"
Oh, it only occurred to me then that I had never actually covered this with him.
"That's why your voice-boxes are so, err," he struggled for a word, "coarse?"
I grinned, nodding eagerly. Probably.
Only then did I notice Riana and Kali's growing disquiet. In the dark their green-sheened eyes surveyed Edward as they both regarded him warily. Each projected an image of him back to me, with a clear sense of curiosity and caution – a question in their minds.
They wanted to know if he was a threat.
My grin widened and I projected an image of me and Edward back to them, overlaying the picture with an overwhelming sense of security and love.
"This is Edward," I clicked out loud in our own tongue.
Your vampire…? Riana thought.
"Yes, Riana," Edward responded to her directly, holding out a hand. "I am Bella's fiancé."
Warily, Riana accepted his hand and shook it, not once flinching at the coldness of his touch – it would match her own, of course.
Once the shock subsided, Riana remembered that Edward could, in fact, read minds. Then something in her thoughts seemed to click. She thought of what she had heard from me as she had arrived, my sense of self that had drawn her… and how I was feeling at that time.
Heart pounding, frantic touches, Edward's growl. I flinched and grimaced.
What we you doing when we arrived? she asked slowly; eyes narrowing, lips quirking.
The blush reddened my cheeks and her smirk broadened.
Thankfully Kali broke the awkwardness. She clicked, delighted to finally meet Edward face to face and bounced on her new feet. She had thought when Mara kept her at home that she would never so much as see a vampire with her own eyes – and now here he was. Here!
Hopping in front of Riana, she grabbed Edward's hand and shook it heartily.
"Kali, Kali, Kali!" she clicked.
"Hello." He bestowed her with his most winning smile, the kind that left most girls dazzled. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Kali, is it?" She grinned, dimpling her cherub cheeks.
Riana was more cautious, recalling all too clearly the events of First Beach and how the men there had set about attacking our kind. She wondered where Edward had been during that time. She wondered if any of those men were close… she would grab Kali and run if need be.
Is there danger here? She wondered, more to herself than anyone else.
"No," Edward said, "I assure you, you are safe here. No werewolves cross these lands without our permission, or my knowledge, and as for the rest of my family, they are away from home for the time being, though none of them would harm you without reason."
This house is safe, I assured her. I would let no harm befall my sisters.
That did seem to set her mind at rest and her tense muscles eased.
"So," Edward began, "you are friends of Bella?"
Her sisters, they responded in unison. Bella is kin.
At that my grin broadened. And Edward noticed.
"Then any family of Bella's is family of mine, you are very welcome here."
Edward was being very cordial, but I was almost desperate to hear about how they had come here. How had they crossed the land this far? The sea was miles to the west. How had they found me? How did they have legs? …Did they know that could happen to us on land?
They sensed the direction of my thoughts. I was too unused to hiding them after so long away from their company. But both were a little reluctant to venture down that path just yet. From them I sensed both wariness and exhaustion. How long had they been travelling?
"Would you like to come in?" Edward offered, ever the gentleman as he gestured to the house. "You can sit down, and we have fresh fish and seaweed."
They nodded, gratitude pouring from them as they followed us in on wobbling legs – so I wasn't the only one who had trouble then? How long had they been practising?
Once inside, they trudged into the living room and collapsed onto one of the big white sofas. Only then did I notice their state of attire. Kali wore a dress that was about three sizes too big for her and hung from one shoulder. Riana wore a too-long shirt of masculine design with the sleeves rolled up, and jeans that hung awkwardly from her curvy frame. And both of their feet were near-black with dirt and smattered with cuts. Mud and red smeared the carpet.
Oops, I'd have to sort that later, before the others got home.
Edward vanished into the kitchen as they settled on the sofa. Soon he was back and plying them with eagerly accepted refreshments. After the haddock, mussels, crab, kelp, and three glasses of water, their energy seemed to spike, the light returning to their eyes. They must have been famished.
"Would you like anymore?" Edward asked kindly, "Perhaps more drinks of water?"
We are sated, thank you, Kali projected, enjoying the telepathic link. She so rarely liked to speak above water, I recalled. Hearing my point, she grinned. Words are for Land-walkers.
Again, my mind wondered – how had they gotten here? Though I asked nothing of them, too conscious of their tiredness, they heard me anyway.
"We will tell you," Riana clicked aloud. "I think it best that we cover that first."
As Edward sat at my side, taking my hand in his lap, Riana played out for me how, in the aftermath of the First Beach blood-bath, she had come across Kali, hovering in the deep. So she had followed us. Mermaids flitted in all directions, insensible, deranged with blood-thirst and fear, and Kali had not known what was going on, or what to do. Not wanting to leave her, but desperate to go back for me, Riana had grabbed her hand and towed her to the far end of First Beach – away from the men with boats – until the worst of it was over.
Then, together, they had vainly begun to scan the shores for me. They'd had to remain hidden and quiet, so it took time. Believing the worst, they began to check all of the mermaid bodies they could find. There were many. None had been me but as their search progressed they began to understand that not all of the leggy human corpses they had disregarded were in fact human.
Some were known. The revelation was staggering. So they hadn't known.
The mermaids that had been hauled onto land during the battle, away from the water's safety, had reverted to their human forms – just like I had when I had fallen in the forest. They couldn't be sure if this had occurred prior to death or as a result of it.
That was when Riana had heard the commotion of my capture and looked up to see me practically wrestling with the wolves before being hauled away in that glass tank.
With nothing else they could do for me, they waited, patrolling and watching the shores carefully, being sure not to get too close to any humans who could do them harm.
Curiosity soon got the better of them though and they were eager to try land-walking. The possibility of once again walking on two legs was both intimidating and terrifying. After all, both had been daughters of the sea for years and had forgotten what it was like to feel dry sand and gritty pebbles between their toes.
I could empathise, to an extent. Even though I had not been removed from the land as long as they had, the sudden change in atmosphere was incredibly distressing.
So, after a few days had passed and it was once again quiet, and the mermaids and the humans and the wolves had settled somewhat, Riana and Kali had returned to the shore. Not wanting to be too close to the Quileutes – but not too far from where I might be – they had decided to go to the quieter bays to the South. There they had spent several days, attempting to return to land and find my trail. They always waited until night, when human activity was at its least, and one at a time they had hauled themselves up onto the sands.
Riana went first, purposefully beaching herself. She stressed to Kali that she was to remain in the water and if anything went wrong she was to return to the colony, immediately. Kali had been very scared; near terrified of what could happen to Riana. She did not want to lose another sister. But as they waited, and Riana's tail began to dry, the change had taken place almost instantaneously, and they were shocked at its simplicity, how easily it had occurred and with so little pain. It had kind of tickled. Riana tried to convey the pins-and-needles like sensation she had felt; the prickling that had encompassed her whole tail as it had split into separate legs and the scales had retracted. I was all too familiar with what she described.
When it had worked, Kali had practically leapt from the waves in her eagerness, but Riana refused to let her try – she wanted to check the shore for danger first. The second Riana had dragged her legs up beneath her and pushed to stand, she had fallen flat on her face, in much the same graceless way that I had, but in my lucky scenario Edward had prevented a full-face plant into the ground. Riana had gotten a mouth full of sand.
It took time. After many hours and several suns Riana was eventually able to stand properly. Her progress was stunted by fear; Riana made many quick returns to the water if either of them heard an ominous noise or suspected that they were being watched. They didn't return to land after such frights for many hours, sometimes days, and never once when the sun was up.
The first time Riana had stood up properly had been with Kali's support – as much as she could offer from the shallows, where she had reached out a hand to steady Riana's legs. It had been awkward, as they had found that any level of water above the ankles would trigger the change and the scales would begin to form again. They also discovered that once the transformation was initiated there was no way to stop it until it had run full-course. So, Riana had essentially been alone in her efforts.
They spent days on the beach, Riana simply lying down while she and Kali worked her legs, attempting to build up their muscles and their strength. It had all been worth it in the end, and soon after Riana had stood alone she was walking… then running.
Wind whistled through hair… the sounds of sea and birds and insects… exultation…
Kali became quickly jealous at Riana's antics, at how much she enjoyed herself, so Riana had had to return to her and the whole process had begun again. With Riana's support Kali had been able to gain her land-legs more swiftly, and soon they were both stumbling about.
Two girls, laughing and leaping as they sprinted… the breeze caressing their skins…
All of their skin…
A sense of embarrassment suddenly emanated from Riana's thoughts as she remembered that Edward too was listening to this internal telepathy. He read her clearly and although he studiously turned his face away, her blush still covered her cheeks.
There was the modesty that had been lacking as a mermaid. It was nice to know that I was not the only one to experience the embarrassment of sudden nudity – at least they hadn't had an audience. By contrast, Kali seemed to possess no sense of modesty at all. The idea of humiliation did not once cross her mind. Probably because she had gone without clothes for much longer than Riana had.
"So, clothing was a major problem," Riana clicked, reverting to speech. "We knew well that we could not walk into Forks in our birthday suits. We were trying to be subtle."
"You seem to have managed though," I commented, plucking at her dirty sleeve.
Kali leant around her, grinning at me. "Luck," she clicked.
"We struck gold, in a sense," Riana said with a slight smirk, "when we happened across a couple in the woods. Well, we happened across their clothes, strewn throughout the trees and across the bracken, eventually we came across their owners tangled together on a blanket."
Unfortunately, they reverted to mental imagery then and as soon as I saw the memory in Riana's head I recognised the pair. It was Mike and Jessica, stark naked. And Riana supplied a very detailed image. Eew!
Too much information! I scrunched up my face while Edward cringed and grimaced.
"It's bad enough that I had to hear those fantasies of his for the last half of the school year," Edward sighed. "I thought now that we had graduated I was free of them."
I guess I was now getting a taste of what he had to handle on a daily basis. Poor Edward.
Riana laughed at our responses. She had covered Kali's eyes as soon as she saw the pair and hauled her away. Kali had been giving her grief over it ever since, wondering why. Riana found it funny that I'd had the complete opposite reaction.
That had been earlier this very night and Riana was still holding onto an almost vindictive type of pleasure. The pair may still be wondering in the woods in search of their clothes, and she wondered with amusement what they would do when they did not find them.
"So much for searching for me," I muttered wryly. Wasn't that what Mike and Jess were supposed to be doing?
"So, how long have you been on land?" Edward queried – quickly diverting. "I know how hard it was for Bella to walk a few feet after several days away from water and many attempts. The trek to Forks from La Push is a long one on foot. It must have taken you days."
Riana nodded knowingly. She half-wondered how I had coped being away from saltwater for so long but she did not query, saving the question for later. Instead she continued with her mental retelling.
We soon realised that we could not go long on land without saltwater. Our limbs began to dry out, our skin began to flake, and Kali developed a fever.
You did too! Kali objected with a scowl, disliking the implication that she alone was weak.
Yes, I did too. Riana smiled fondly at the young one. So we remained close to the sea, close to water. She reverted again to mental imagery. Over time they had collected containers; washed-up plastic bottles mainly. Kali had found a faded Daffy Duck lunch-box which she still now clutched. In these they placed their supply of saltwater, but soon found that it was impractical and difficult to carry so many flasks using their arms alone.
They eventually acquired ruck-sacks – which hung from their backs – and other items to supply their trek, all of which they'd pilfered from unsuspecting campers. The last items had been Mike and Jessica's clothes.
I was starting to worry about Riana's morals, or lack thereof. She was training Kali (rather effectively) to live a life of crime.
And then, Riana continued, ignoring that comment, as we were roaming deeper into the woods, following the river as far east as we had dared to go yet, we suddenly heard something through the trees.
The memory hit hard and fast. Riana held up her arm to stop Kali as she listened. The telepathy was strong, definitely a sister; thick with emotion and need and want and… Oh.
The blood rushed to my cheeks once again. They really had heard me and Edward. Perhaps they didn't understand the mess of thought, but then I was Bella Swan – I didn't have that kind of luck. When I looked back up, Riana only grinned, a sly slow smirk.
Kali frowned. So what were you doing when we arrived at your home?
So innocent, Riana shook her head, so oblivious. You would not believe that she is the oldest of us.
Kali's frown deepened. What?
"Well, you ladies must be weary," Edward said, moving to rise. He had been sat in an armchair nearby while we three had taken the sofa.
The retelling had exhausted them, he was right, though his timing in bringing it up was to be commended. As he stood, Kali yawned hugely. And Riana nodded.
Edward, ever the gentleman, graciously offered them each a bed (I wasn't sure whose, I didn't think Rosalie would be too happy if it were hers) but they hesitated, a little scared. Neither had slept in a bed in so long that it was alien to them, and I got the sense that the idea was painful to Riana – it reminded her too much of when she was human. Kali too was tense, and she eyed the living room floor with longing, thinking of smooth rock-faces against the sandy sea-bed. Thankfully, Edward could hear it all; even conscious desire.
"One moment," he said.
No sooner had their thoughts surfaced than Edward had flitted out of the room and returned a second later with a mass of blankets. Neither seemed shocked at his vampire speed; they had seen it all before in my mind, and he knew that.
Kali could not have been happier. She giggled in our strange echoing way as Riana and I took the load from him and began to unravel and spread them out across the spacious floor, taking a moment to move the central glass table to one side of the room. Edward darted out several more times, on each occasion returning with more blankets, quilts and pillows until we had created a squishy mess of cushiony material that was as comfy as any bed. Riana stood back to survey our work, hands on her hips.
"It's no dark dank sea-tunnel but it'll do," she announced with a smug click.
"By all means, please make yourselves comfortable," Edward gestured.
Thank you, Kali projected. We will.
Riana flopped down on the pile, stretching her hands across the expensive silks and marvelling at the luxurious textures, completely at ease. By comparison, Kali hopped into the centre as if it were a bouncy-castle. She may have been older than us in some ways but in most she was still a kid. I guess it was hard not to be, being trapped in the body of a nine year old. I wondered, as I often did, who had had the audacity to turn her at so young an age.
Mara, of course. That woman had a lot to answer for.
Edward's hand rested gently on the base of my back, and in that moment I was reminded that our evening alone had been interrupted. He had borne this interruption with manners and fortitude, but now, while they slept, I could be alone with him once again.
His eyes watched me closely, as if searching for what I wanted.
Just as I was about to voice my request Kali grabbed my hand and yanked me down into the nest – she sleepily projected that she wanted me to remain close by. I followed suit by pulling Edward down with me.
"I don't think…" he muttered as he allowed himself to be drawn close.
Riana was to the far right, Kali in the middle, and I on the left. Edward crouched on the edge, looking uncomfortably out of place. But when I placed a finger to his lips he relaxed.
"This may not have been the night we had expected," I silently hand-signed, "but I am determined to end it in the way we planned: together, in each other's arms."
He needed no more prompting than that. As the girls settled into their own little nests, he pulled me close and allowed me to rest my cheek against his silent heart.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," he whispered.
It was only as I was falling asleep, my eyelids drooping, that I remembered something important: the rest of his family was due to return home before the morning.
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Fol/Fav/Review if you have a chance, please. I appreciate them all. And thanks so much for the great reviews from last week - it was nice to read them while I had to do real work, lol. :)
By the way, does anyone know what happened with twilighted? Several chapters of SS got deleted there and I noticed the same happened with other people's stories too.
