CHAPTER ONE~ A Mermaid's Tale.
The city of Lena was not too far from the well-known island of Corinth. On Corinth was a small college consisting of hardly five thousand students. One of the attendees was a young woman named Esme, who was native to the place and had grown up there all her life. She had two parents, and a brother, and anybody who had seen her would have not guessed she was native to Lena.
Esme liked solitude, and secluded seldomly in confined places, listening to leaves fall and birds sing. She would read books, or sing to herself, and wonder why the sky was so blue. The fact that when anyone first saw Esme, they would stare and rather than getting used to, Esme thought of this as a burden.
It was not that people disliked Esme, nor Esme disliked people. Either or, she didn't fit in, really, and was content by herself. For the most of the time.
She'd usually hear her fellow classmates or friends going on a trip to skiing or going to parties and clubs and feel a bit depressed that she wasn't among them, but would be OK eventually.
She didn't feel like going back home, for her family tired her with their usual bustling about. She didn't really connect with them, except for her mother, who was the only one that was absolutely dear to her.
Esme sang in her soft voice under her usual place of shady tree when a group of boys ran up to where she was, oblivious that a girl had been sitting there, all alone.
First think the boys did was stop and stare – like most people did when they met Esme, but would eventually turn away politely and realize what they had done.
She knew she looked foreign. Her exotic cheeks hinted at her Asian or Polynesian descent, and her dark, wide pupils inside her almond shaped eyes were covered by thin lashes that glimmered ethereally. She had honey milky skin with dark raven hair falling behind her back like midnight sea waves, growing at the ends of her high forehead and her unusual oval shaped face. Her eyes were pleading, in an innocent state most people assumed her to be in. But deep thoughts fathomed through her mind, as she felt she could read most people's intentions and thoughts. Or perhaps she was just great at reading body languages.
Either way, she curtly smiled at the boys and felt awkward for looking like a dork who made hair dolls and did finger painting in their corner.
She had a book beside her, but wasn't reading. She had things in her purse – such as her cell phone, which nobody called or even knew the numbers to. In truth her mother thought it a good idea for Esme to carry a cell phone for an emergency situation.
"I'm worried about you, Esme." Her mother would say, "Sometimes you are so naïve and I fear you won't survive on your own."
Sighing, Esme dismissed these thoughts as usual. Her mother didn't know. Esme was more mature than anybody could be – it was just, she was strange with adapting to new things.
She had a single friend at her college, and her name was Anna. And the phone that had just rung was from her.
Anna… Esme fingered her cell phone, deciding whether to pick up or not. There wasn't much to do with Anna, really. She wasn't exactly the most interesting person to be around – a girl who liked sports, always wore her hair in a ponytail, wore sweatpants… and their usual moments would pass in silence.
The phone rang three more times before silencing. Esme wondered whether she was putting her one and only college friendship in jeopardy by not paying enough attention to get to know Anna. However, it was hard. Sometimes she felt like an alien as she talked to Anna, and she could sense her secretive silent stares at her face. And Esme certainly was not a fan of that.
Sadly Esme did not appreciate her exquisite face that clearly hinted at the origin she was – if anybody knew enough signs to.
At a tender age of twenty, Esme yet did not have a boyfriend either. Never had. She liked to think that she started out as an ugly duckling….transforming into a swan, except she did not see the swan part in her at all.
The sky was bluer than ever, and Esme sighed deeply for the hundredth time. She breathed in. Today the sea wind was unusually strong today. Esme could sense it, for she had always loved the sea and could recognize its familiar salty nature.
Instinctively, Esme stood from her shadowy spot and walked towards the source of the breeze. Good thing her school was so near the sea, otherwise…. She would have ached and would be so much lonelier.
The beach was deserted, as usual, for most people had found more joy in drinking at clubs or at casinos. Not that she protested, really, she liked having the sea to herself. It was something she could proudly announce as part of her. Something that only nature could control.
Lightly, she danced, her feet little by little getting soaked. Soon her smile turned into laughter and Esme was having the time of her life. It wasn't until almost sunset she realized her hair was half wet, and her shorts and t-shirt dripping in salty water.
It wasn't until when she sensed a movement near her she sharply turned and stopped all her actions. For a brief moment, she thought about going in and hiding in the water – but she had already been seen.
"You love the sea?"
It was a man, alone, who appeared.
Esme looked at him. She could not tell whether it was he who had just asked the question, for there was no trace of him speaking on his face. His face blankly stared at her.
Lightly embarrassed, Esme forced a smile.
The man came closer, his blue eyes directly upon hers. He raised his hands to some kind of a hand gesture.
"Do-do you understand what I am saying?" He asked.
Bewildered, Esme blushed. "Of course I do!" she almost yelled at him. "I-I just wasn't sure if you were speaking or not, you seemed-"
"Ah, I understand." The man said, smile teasing his lips.
Esme stood, never realizing how awkward she was at standing still. Her legs felt like an overwhelming accessory to her, something incredibly tacky.
"I'm sorry." The man apologized.
"That's fine, I just-"
Just what? Dancing alone in the sea? Esme grew more and more embrassed.
"I used to be like you, you know." The man spoke. He came nearer, his eyes openly staring at the sea, which matched the clear blues of his iris. Esme caught herself staring.
"I used to come down everyday and look out to the ocean. I used to wonder if there were lives that I did not know existed. There probably were. I don't know about now." He sighed. Esme then noticed how handsome he looked under the red sunlight, his light golden hair sparkling and his profile carved out like a Greek god.
The way he spoke the words, and the way he stared out longingly to the ocean made Esme's heart beat a thousand times harder.
She listened quietly.
"And I had to leave this place, and it was a torture. But I'm glad to be back, you know?" the man said, turning to face Esme.
And why on earth was he telling her all this? Esme wondered, but did not dare ask it.
Instead, Esme smiled again. The man seemed to like that, for he studied her face carefully.
"Are you from around here?" he asked somewhat casually.
"Yeah." Esme answered, frowning a little.
Suddenly, the man got up. "I have to go." He said briskly, running his pale hand through his honey coloured hair. "It was nice…talking to you." He smiled rather politely.
Esme nodded. Her mouth was too dry to speak.
As strange this encounter had been, Esme could not help but realize how attractive he was physically.
"You're home late." Her mother said, walking out of the kitchen.
"Yeah, traffic jam. Sorry." Esme said, directly heading for her room. "I ate already, so I'm good."
"Oh but I made cookies!" her mother came in, holding a tray of freshly baked cookies. Esme took one. "Thanks."
"Are you alright? You don't look that great."
"Been better." Esme said, looking up at her in a way that subtly told her to 'get away'.
Her mother took the message, and left the room. She took a last look at her daughter.
Feeling oddly distraught and stressed, Esme took out a gum and chewed it. She was normally not a gum-chewer, for she had a delicate jaw that did not go well with hard food. But today, something bothered her – something she could not put a finger on.
It also did not help the fact that her head was throbbing in a light migraine, which she had tried hard to ignore as she unpleasantly had to bake under the sunlight. While most people appreciated the warm sunlight and embraced it by taking outdoor activities under it, Esme felt sick whenever she was under it. It was not that she was a vampire, as most ignorant people have stated, it was just the fact that she preferred indirect sunlight.
Perhaps a nice nap would help, she thought. Her bed looked awfully inviting with its cozy three-layered blankets and a big, soft pillow.
What the heck, Esme shut off the curtains and rolled into her bed, sighing in pleasure as she snuggled up under covers.
The next thing she knew, she was hazily swimming, not walking, on her campus. Then she saw the man she had met at the beach she did not yet know the name of. His bright blue eyes were the only things that sparkled at her through the darkness, while everybody else seemed oblivious to her state.
The man came closer, or rather swam, and he placed his hands around her. He twinkled a laugh, and smelled like fresh sea salt. She breathed it in, and laid her head on his shoulders. They laughed, and for the first time in the longest, Esme felt incredibly happy.
There were stars shining brightly around them in an ethereal state – or rather, starfish; hundreds of them twinkling in blue hues and pink hues…making her feel like some magical being –
Her dog barked loudly. Another bell rang, and swearing softly, Esme climbed out of her bed, swaying.
What time was it? It was nearly four. She had slept for two hours – and she felt dizzy and awful. Feeling wasted and guilty, Esme headed outside.
Maybe a nice swim could work, she thought, thanking God that she lived near the ocean. She grabbed her bathing suit and put them on, and was out the door in seconds.
Again, there was nobody at the beach. Silently rejoicing, she tumbled into the cool, refreshing water. She breathed in the smell of the sea, and felt herself instantly at ease. It was always something strange about the sea that had intrigued her. She felt familiar, yet she couldn't explain why. She needed to hear the sound of the waves in order to fall a good night's sleep.
She swam. This time, she wanted to swim endlessly to the far end – wherever that was. She dove under, and out. She saw a school of fish nearby, and nearly screamed when a giant sea turtle popped out in front of her.
Oh! How nice it would be if the real world was this easy to fit in!
It seemed everything under the sea was calmer, more inviting and friendly. For once, nobody stared at her like an oddity and just went on with their lives. She did a small pirouette underwater, often coming out for air but enjoying herself all the same.
The fact that the ocean was considered safe for tourists and other swimmers did not leave Esme worrying about stingrays or sharks. The currents were mild, and she was in all her joy to enjoy the vast water for herself. Until that is, she saw a figure moving across the beach.
Be damned! She thought greedily, and she felt violated of her privacy.
She swam to the shore, and walked out of the water. The figure was a man – a man she had met earlier in the day with crystal blue eyes.
He was quite slim, but tall. Very boyish looking. Esme wasn't sure how old he would have been – late 20's perhaps.
"Hello." He said first, smiling politely once again.
"Hi." Esme replied curtly.
He came closer, and he seemed embarrassed to make eye contact with her. Esme stared at him. He was quite handsome.
"Do I know you?" He said suddenly.
"…no." Esme replied, wondering if he had slight mental problems. He had an extremely dreamy gaze as he looked from the sea to her face to her black silky hair flying about her. And she imagined he was even swaying a bit, not like a drunken man but like a man who had just awoken from his euphoria sleep.
"…anyways, I gotta go." She said, giving him a tight smile.
The man didn't reply. He kept on staring out to the sea.