On the following morning, Brennan watched me closely.
"I'm not going to walk out to sea and drown myself, Brennan," I finally said.
He blinked. "Darya, I'm sorry if it appears that I don't trust you, it's just..."
I smiled. "I know. But I'm fine. Really."
He nodded. "Just don't—go too close to the ocean."
"I love the ocean, Brennan, you cannot keep me from it!" I said.
"I know, I know," he said, but I could see that he was still wary.
The experience had frightened me, more than I could say, but I wanted to forget about it. I felt no urge to throw myself into the deep and drown; I was fine. It almost looked like the sun would come out. It never did, but it was the feeling that made the difference.
A few days on the island went by uneventfully. We just survived. We made no effort to get off the island, we just lived on it. After a time, we had almost forgotten about the incident of the night of the storm. It was in the past.
"Let's go swimming," I said to Brennan.
"Swimming?"
"Yes, I haven't gone for a while, and, well, I miss it."
"Alright."
We started to wade into the sea. I was ahead of Brennan and fully submerged myself just moments after getting in. The sea water felt fresh and cold. I felt like I could swim better than I ever could before. I swam a few strokes before coming up for air.
When I up to the surface, Brennan looked startled to see me.
"Darya?" he said, sounding nervous.
"Yes?"
"You look—different."
"What do you mean?" I asked. I certainly didn't feel much different.
He stared at me. "Well, your—your skin is whiter and—silky looking. And your eyes are, well, bluer than I've ever seen them—"
I looked at the skin on my arm. It was slippery, just like the water nymphs had been. I couldn't see my eyes, but I trusted Brennan's description of them. This was why I felt like I could swim so well. I seemed to be turning into one of them—one of the water nymphs.
I didn't understand. I had some strange connection with them, and with the sea. Was this the curse the woman spoke of? Cursed to become a water nymph? It didn't make sense, not with everything else she had said.
I strode out of the ocean and stood on shore, watching my skin slowly turn back to normal. Brennan came out as well. He didn't say anything at first, just waited for me to meet his eyes.
"I don't know what's wrong with me, Brennan," I said.
"Nothing is wrong with you. You're just—different."
I looked at him. "Well, I don't want to be different!"
"Darya..."
I bit my lip. "I don't know what's happening to me. After Korell died, and I met you, well, everything just seemed to fall apart. I don't understand!"
I pushed myself into his arms. I wanted to feel something—something solid and steady and certain. Something that wouldn't leave me, or turn me into something I didn't want to be. Brennan was just right.