The Mermaid that Lives on Land

Starting at a very young age, mermaids have always been an interest to Cheria and it wasn't just because she was living close by the beach. To Cheria they were beautiful, elegant, graceful, and did not seem to have a care in the world as they swam their troubles away.

With those thoughts in mind, it did sound like a wonderful lifestyle.

However...

Now that the girl was a little older Cheria did know a little better about what mermaids were really like. Just as she imagined, they are very beautiful, elegant, graceful, and very kind. But unlike what she had imagined, it appears that they were only kind to those they like and sadly Cheria was not one of them. There were some that did acknowledge her, but were not always around compared to the rest of them...

The only one they did like was one Sanderson Mansnoozie-a close friend and protector for half a year. The mermaids would often smile whenever Sandy was near and they would giggle and coo when the little sleeper did something they consider 'adorable'. And every time the child try to get close to her protector, the evil doers always found ways to push her away from their group, smiling maliciously as they did so.

Every single time they did this it always irritated her.

"Oh Sandy~ Look how adorable he is~ Always making sweet little dreams~ You should be here more often don't you agree?"

But it irritated Cheria even more that Sandy barely even noticed what was going on.

Cheria found herself leaving early-finally all fed up, tears falling from her eyes and she just couldn't explain why. Why was the urge to be a mermaid suddenly coming to mind? They are such horrible things! Why become something that you of all things weren't?

Cheria just could not find the answer at all.

The real world's ocean during the night had a mysterious way of calming the somewhat older child down. Cheria had always visited this particular beach since the day she lost her parents and even stayed longer for comfort whenever her brother left to find a much better job. It suddenly became very special because it was the same place where she had met her best friend. The very same friend that she left behind in his dreams...

Did he even take the time to notice she was gone? The loneliness that once disappeared from Cheria's mind had crept back into her heart and felt like crying once more. "...Maybe he's forgotten all about me..."

A sudden touch on the shoulder caught the brunette's attention and became surprised to see who it was. "Sandy...?" Cheria quickly rubbed the tears from her eyes. "W-what are you doing out here?"

The one called Sandy was frowning sternly once he had found her, but softened into a look of concern when he saw her puffy eyes. An image of an empty bed, clearly saying "You weren't in bed."

The urge to say 'Is that all?' was strong, but Cheria decided against it. Instead she went with something else, a bitter tone was present in the words. "Shouldn't you be back in the castle with your friends? I think they're worrying about you right now, so I think it's best not to keep them waiting."

Sandy found himself frowning again. Is that how his friend felt this whole time? The mermaids' company was nice and he did whatever he could to give them a place to stay when they had nowhere to go. He did not realize just how much time he had spent away. It was not right at all. He held the girl's hand in his to reassure that he will always be there. Cheria is his friend and there's nothing that was going to take that away from him.

Still feeling unsure, Cheria searched in his soft eyes to find anything that didn't hold true. But everything in his eyes told you he was being honest. "Why?" She suddenly asked.

An image of a sandcastle from the sandman was his answer and Cheria finally understood. Cheria was the one that found him, cared for him, and helped him in every way she could and the castle was proof that the two have a very strong bond.

"Sandy..." A genuine smile formed on her lips as she stroked his hair. It was strange that back when she first met him it had felt like solid sand, but now it felt softer and smooth. And Sandy leaned into the touch, enjoying how the girl's hand felt against him. He almost acted like a cat in a sort of silly way.

It was very cute! Sandy is very cute!

Realization slowly sank in as Cheria took her time to move her hand away, still unsure on why she did that or why she thought he looked cute.

Sandy appeared to be unfazed as he stared at her in confusion. Was his eyes deceiving him, or were her cheeks a little red?

"W-we should get back!" Cheria said a little too quickly. "Before...before Joni finds out we're missing."

And that's what they did. As Cheria held on to her protector's hand, Cheria could not help but wonder why she suddenly felt a little different when it came to her sandy friend. Does he feel the same as well?

Whatever this feeling is, Cheria hoped it wasn't a very bad thing.