I.

"Hail." Carlisle stopped his swimming, perturbed at the greeting from nowhere. He was in the middle of crossing the English Channel where ships for maritime trade and transportation were abundant. Thankfully, somehow, they were scarce and far from where he swam. A splash came behind him, jolting him as he stayed afloat. His eyes widened in awe as he caught sight of a dark tail and brown locks disappearing into the water.

Carlisle jolted as the creature resurfaced before him. He was quite dumbfounded at the sight of a beautiful woman staring curiously straight at him. He turned away quickly. A beautiful, bare-chested woman at that. Her face was so close to him, he feared that had he been alive, he would have been pink. But alas, he was a vampire.

"Human." She muttered, sparsely scaled arms reaching to touch his cheeks. "Thou art human, art thou not?" He was startled at her boldness to touch him. But again, this was no human woman. She was likely not bound with what humans deemed appropriate.

"I ... I was." Carlisle found himself replying. The weather for the past two days had been perfect for him to swim undiscovered. There was no sun peeking and thick, cumulus clouds reigned over the skies.

The maiden tilted her head inquisitively. "What art thou then?"

Carlisle was wide-eyed as he stared at her. "It is I who should ask thee that."

She looked at him seriously. "I am a mermaid. Is it not that what thou humans call us?"

"A siren!" Carlisle exclaimed.

"Thou dost offend me! I am no siren!" She hissed indignantly. She soothed her beautiful features. Carlisle was still unable to look at her properly. "I thought thou were a drowning sailor in need of help." The creature — mermaid swerved her head to search for his gaze, unaware of his discomfort.

"I am Carlisle Cullen." Carlisle finally said. "I am a vampire."

"A vampire?" She tilted her head again. He found it incredibly endearing. Here he was, swimming in the middle of the British sea to reach France and conversing with a mermaid. Nothing had surprised Carlisle anymore.

"It means I am no human, fair maiden." Carlisle supplied. "I ... I am a creature of darkness who prey on human blood to feed." Her beautiful brown eyes blinked at him. "Pray, disregard me and permit me to continue my journey." He began to swim again.

"I shall accompany thee, Carlisle Cullen." The mermaid said, swimming besides him, as though his identity mattered little. "My name is Isabella."

Carlisle nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Why dost thou avoid mine gaze?" She asked.

"It is nothing."

"It is not nothing." The mermaid insisted. "Thou canst meet my eyes. Is it thy affliction as a vampire?"

Carlisle was once again thankful he was human no longer. For he was sure his cheeks would be flushed red with blood. He answered with a small no. She then asked, "Whence is thy ship, Carlisle? Are thou not a mariner? A lost sailor?"

He shook his head. "I do not have a ship."

"From whence you came then if not a shipwreck?" She asked sympathetically. "Thou shallt grow chilly and wither, like all human men do." Her eyes became melancholic.

Carlisle felt his lips curl. "I am not a human man, I am afraid. Need not worry for I am already cold."

"Thy manner of expression is so odd to me, Carlisle Cullen," she said. "Thou art cold and yet thou hast not withered. Are all vampires like thee, or art thou unique?"

He asked wryly, "art all mermaids very curious like thee? Thou art full of questions."

The mermaid, Isabella frowned at him. Carlisle shook his head and continued swimming. Faster now to reach France before nightfall. Isabella easily kept up with his pace, her curious dark tail shimmering under the water as she swam effortlessly. Of course, her existence did not quite startle him as it should have. After all, he was a vampire. He was a bit awed, yes. But she did not really evoke much emotion in him other than awe.

A lie.

This curious creature named Isabella was making his unbeating heart soar. Venom pooled in his mouth and teeth as he imagined himself sinking his teeth into the pale area of her neck.

She was very beautiful.

And smelled very delectable for a fish.

Yet as much as he was hungry for not eating in over nearly two days, his stomach churned at his thoughts.

This was his longest interaction with a woman. Nevermind she was not fully human. Not that it mattered but hurting her was out of the question. She would be an acquaintance in passing. A memory he would occasionally recall as he traveled Europe.

"Needest thou to take repose?" Isabella asked him as he paused to take a quick look at his compass. Carlisle gave her a quick look in his peripheral and shook his head. "Well, I-I need to—"

"Rest?" He supplied, smiling.

The weary mermaid nodded.

"I cannot fathom why thou art unwearied."

"I told thee," Carlisle pocketed his compass back. "I am a vampire. I never turn weary. I do not wither and most of all, I do not die."

Isabella touched his cheeks unashamedly. So intimate like one would touch a lover but she knew not what it implied. His golden eyes widened, feeling exhilarated by her touch. "What a lonely existence thou hast, Carlisle Cullen to not experience life as thou shouldst."

The vampire was filled with amusement. "In truth, my life hath ceased long since, fair Isabella. I am, quite literally, undead. A solitary existence it is, yet it shall bestow upon me wisdom and encounters far exceeding the span of a mortal's years."

Her eyes widened inquisitively. "Thou do not die yet thou are undead. How is that?" This mermaid's curiosity amused him very much. He was a mystery to her just as much as she was to him. She did not wait for his reply as she said, "Is that what a vampire is?"

Carlisle nodded. He had already shared too much with this beautiful stranger. What was more? Very rarely did he come across someone he could share his thoughts with. He sighed as he stayed afloat. "I tried to jump off great heights ..., drown myself ..., and even starve yet my vampirism prevailed. I will walk on this earth for a length greater than any and I will endure the suffering it doth bring."

Isabella gazed at him with a sympathetic look. He only managed a small smile. "That is ... that is most humanlike of thee. More than any human men I have met."

"Hast thou met many human men?"

"Not as many as I made it sound." She said, cheeks flushing. "Only a few lost sailors I have guided back to land."

"I thought thy kind lured lost sailors into the depths."

The mermaid ducked her head as she giggled. Carlisle stared at her beauty. "Sirens! Thou dost mistake mine kin for sirens. I should be slighted, but thy confusion is amusing. Sirens art... more dangerous. Had I been a siren, Carlisle Cullen, I would have pulled thee to the deep ere thou didst realize it."

Carlisle rubbed his nape. "I apologize." Then he said, "I do remember fishermen in my village telling tales about mermaids helping them to the shore after a storm. Of course, nary believed them but the tales were amusing all the same."

Isabella laughed.

He asked, "Why didst thou approach me?"

Not expecting him to ask her that, the mermaid bit her lip and turned away. Carlisle patiently waited for her reply. She breathed in and said shyly, "I have been watching thee for hours. Thou hast not stopped and I grew concerned. I did not know human men could swim so far and without rest. Thou are an anomaly and I wanted to see for myself."

Carlisle smiled at her expression. "I appreciate thy concern, fair Isabella but I am well as a vampire can be. But I am only swimming the channel to reach France. 'Tis my plan as I cannot join a ship for it would expose my true nature. The travel would take days and people might grow suspicious of me."

"Suspicious of thee?"

He sighed. "Vampire nature is baffling but I dare not expose myself to the sun. My skin doth glitter like diamonds. It is a very peculiar phenomenon."

Isabella looked at him in wonder. "I would like to see it someday."

Carlisle smiled thinly, unsure of his answer. The mermaid stopped as she took in the ocean breeze. Her eyes clouded in concern. "We must make haste, Carlisle. A storm is approaching."

She offered her hand. While he was faster, she was sure to be a better swimmer. Carlisle took her soft hand in his and they began to swim.

II.

They arrived on the shores of France before nightfall. Isabella slumped on a nearby rock to rest and catch her breath. She had never swam this far it seemed. Carlisle was guilty that she was fatigued. But she was insistent and seemed to not run out of questions. She was not just curious about his vampirism but also the life he lived as a human. It was so long ago but he enjoyed recounting the memories of his short human life.

"That was quite a journey." Isabella muttered from her perch, finally having recovered her breath. Carlisle tried to ignore the rapid rushing of her blood in her arteries and veins. Her bosoms heaved attractively.

He shivered. Instead of long, lithe legs, his sight was met with a fish tail. He had never seen anything like it. But again, he had never seen a mermaid before. It was dark, with glittering scales and fins in its sides. It suited her figure in a pleasant, agreeable way.

"Carlisle?" She asked, looking conscious as she caught his stare.

"Art thou recovered?" He asked with a cough. Carlisle turned to look at the trees. He was glad they landed somewhere far.

"Well enough."

Carlisle turned to her. "I will never forget what thou did for me to do this day, Isabella. I wish to return the favor if given the chance."

She smiled at him shyly. "Think nothing of it."

They stared at each other for a moment before Carlisle looked away again.

"Well," the mermaid began, voice uncertain. "take care, Carlisle Cullen. Perhaps, we will see each other again. Though I see it unlikely."

"Thank you, Isabella. May our paths cross again someday."

He took her hand and pressed a lingering kiss to the palm of her hand. The mermaid visibly shivered as rosiness bloomed on her cheeks. Her gorgeous brown eyes gazed at him emotionally.

"Fare thee well, Carlisle. May thy travels be blessed and safe." She smiled and dove into the water.

Carlisle looked at the waves where she disappeared. Though his unbeating heart remained still, his chest felt as though it was being ripped to fragments.

He was alone again and somehow the feeling was a thousand-fold.