Charlie led Beth to an underwater cavern that had been formed just a ways from the cove. Once inside she saw some random items; a watch, a camera, a whistle, binoculars, and an old shoe.
"This is just a portion of what I've collected since I've been here." Charlie said "You should see what I have back home."
She placed her most recent finding next to the watch.
"My bracelet!" Beth said. "I thought I would never see it again!"
"So that's what this thing is called. Well here you go."
She handed it back to Beth who slid it onto her wrist.
"You wear that on your hand?" Charlie asked.
"Yes. Haven't you ever worn a bracelet before?"
"No."
"Do you wear any jewelry?"
"I wear this."
Hanging from Charlie's neck was a big white pearl which was connected to a silver chain studded with lily flowers carved from porcelain.
"What a lovely necklace." Beth marveled.
"It belonged to my sister. It was given to her on her 15th birthday but years later it was passed on to me when I turned seven."
"My brother gave me the bracelet for my sixth birthday. It's my favorite and he's my favorite person in the whole world. Are you and your sister close?"
"Not exactly. She died before I was born so I never knew her."
"Oh gee I'm sorry."
"It's alright. I'm not the one who took it the hardest anyway. That would be my father. He never really recovered from losing her and because of that he's always been so confining."
"Confining?"
"Since I was born he's always insisted that everyone follow his rules and see the world from his view point. He despises human beings, anything to do with them, and he just expects everyone to feel the same way. Including me. I love my father but as I grew older I found myself becoming more restless and frustrated with his ways."
"Sounds rough."
"When my father decided to have me mate with a merman from Eldritch, the kingdom at the bottom of the North Seas, I realized that I couldn't take it anymore. So I swam away from home."
"Isn't that a bit rash?"
"I'm not a child anymore. I'm an adult, it's about time that I go find my own place in the world. Besides I couldn't possibly go through with his genocidal revenge scheme."
"Come again?"
"The Magne and the Eldritch are the two most powerful mer kingdoms in the entire ocean. If I was to mate with the son of the leader of the Eldritch domain thus uniting it with my father's domain then two could use their powers to flood the earth, wipeout humanity, and make our kind the dominant species."
Beth looked completely disturbed.
"No offense but is your father insane?"
"Now you know why I swam away."
"So if you don't get together with this merman your dad picked for you, he can't make that happen?"
"Nope. His powers alone aren't strong enough and the leader of Eldritch will only consent to a power share if I become his son's mate."
"Does he have any other daughters that he could possibly give to him?"
"No. All my sisters have mates and merfolk only take one mate."
"Phew!" Beth sighed.
"But we can only mate with whom our parents seem worthy and they base it off of-"
"Blood and breed?"
"And ability."
"By my species's standards Seviathan of Eldritch was my perfect match but I couldn't stand him. He was arrogant, brutal, a war monger like his father, and he's tone deaf so he hates all music."
"Sounds like the catch of the day." Beth said sarcastically.
"He most certainly is not." Charlie said. "I'd rather turn to sea foam than spend my life with him."
"I was being sarcastic."
"What's that?"
"It's uh...Uh...I don't know how to explain the definition right now. Anyway I read somewhere that mermaids don't fall in love before they get married. Is that true?"
"What's married?"
"It's what humans do when they mate. But we fall in love first but I read it's not like that with your kind?"
"That's correct. Love doesn't come til much later and usually it works out but I know that I could never love Seviathan. I could never live a happy life with him nor could I live a happy life with the fact that I played a part in annihilating an entire species. My father is ludicrous if he honestly believes I'll go through with that plan of his."
"You don't think he'd go after you do you?"
"He'll try but he won't find me. I sent him on what you humans call 'a wild goose chase.' I left the map to the East coast marked so he'll most likely conclude that I went there."
"Smart but aren't you worried about how this will make your family feel?"
"I didn't do this to hurt my father and I know that leaving probably upset my family but I didn't see any other way to have my own life. I didn't want to spend everyday sinking ships while being a mate to someone who's about the most arrogant male I have ever met. I did try talking to my father about my feelings on the subject but he refused to listen. So I left."
"Do you think that you'll ever go back?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"On if my father ever agrees to see reason."
"Is he stubborn?"
"Stubborn and prideful. But I'd rather not talk about him anymore. Would you like to go swimming again?"
"Sure."
When it was Alastor's turn to perform his audition for Rosie, he took a moment to catch his breath and clear his mind. He had watched her reject plenty of acts that came on before him and he realized that his boss had been mistaken when he said that Rosie wasn't picky. She definitely had certain standards that any performer working for her had to meet. To add even more pressure, she had brought in random people that passed by her cabaret to watch the auditions and confirm to her if actual people would like the act.
The idea made him a little anxious at first but when he saw that the majority of audience members were women he felt a burst of confidence because he had a feeling that the fairer sex would like his song, moves, and performance very much.
"Alright Ally you're up!" Rosie called.
Alastor then handed the sheet music to Rosie's band and stepped on to the stage. The band started to play the song and when the intro was finished, he approached the microphone and flashed a big smile before singing the first verse.
"Pretty woman, walkin' down the street,
Pretty woman the kind I like to meet.
Pretty woman I don't believe you, you're not the truth,
No one could look as good as you, mercy."
At once all eyes and ears were on him. Especially the female eyes and ears.
"Pretty woman won't you pardon me,
Pretty woman I couldn't help but see.
Pretty woman that you look lovely as can be,
Are you lonely just like me?
Pretty woman stop awhile,
Pretty woman talk awhile.
Pretty woman give your smile to me,
Pretty woman yeah, yeah, yeah.
Pretty woman look my way,
Pretty woman say you'll stay with me.
'Cause I need you, I'll treat you right,
Come with me baby, be mine tonight."
His voice, his steps, his smile, it was all in perfect tact. Smooth yet upbeat. No one there had ever heard a man sing or seen a man dance as magnificently as he did. It was as if performing was natural ability for him. As though he was born to be up on stage and express his talent live before his audience.
"Pretty woman don't walk on by,
Pretty woman don't make me cry.
Pretty woman don't walk away, hey, OK,
If that's the way it must be, OK.
I guess I'll go on home, it's late,
There'll be tomorrow night,
But wait, what do I see?
Is she walkin' back to me?
Yeah, she's walkin' back to me
Oh, oh, pretty woman."
The entire audience was applauding in amazement. The women were nearly swooning, giggling and giving him smitten looks.
"Well he's certainly got talent." One woman said fanning herself.
"And looks." Added her friend.
"Rosie you must hire him." Another lady said to the owner of the cabaret. "He's brilliant. By far the best act I've seen."
"Yes hire him." Agreed a fourth woman.
"Hire him and find out if he's single." Said a fifth one.
"Alright that's enough." Rosie said calmly. "You all will know if I've hired him tomorrow. For now you can leave. I'll find more bystanders to view the next few acts."
She dismissed the audience members and pulled Alastor aside for a private chat regarding his employment. She didn't express it but he had really surprised her. Watching him on the stage made her go back twenty years when the cabaret was popular and the performances were fame worthy. She could almost see Jameson's handsome face and Daisy Lee's rhythmic steps. Oh how she missed the glory days.
"You did much better than I expected." She commented. "I like you and the audience likes you. You've got the job."
"Thank you." Alastor said. "I'll make sure that you're not disappointed."
"Good because I don't take disappointment very well."
"She's not kidding." One of the band members said. "When her marriage became a disappointment because of Frank she-"
But he was silenced when Rosie suddenly threw a steak knife which hit the wall but grazed off some of his hairs.
"Buford." Her voice was calm but her eyes were seething with rage. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that I don't like to be reminded of that person or that incident. It makes me very grumpy and you know how bad things can get when I'm grumpy."
The band member called Buford swallowed hard.
"Sorry ma'am. Slip of the tongue! Won't happen again!"
He was out of there so fast that no one else had any time to blink.
"Now then." Rosie said returning to her more friendly tone. "Would tomorrow night be good for you? Say around six?"
"Yes." Alastor said. "I'll be there."
"Excellent. Your salary is 15 dollars an hour but that may change if my business goes up.You'll be paid weekly and you do get discounts on service here. So if you can bring your future dates to a place that's fancy but affordable."
"Thank you but I won't be bringing any dates here. I don't really date."
"Damn shame. The ladies are already falling for ya."
Alastor blushed.
"I'll let you go now. I have other auditions coming in."
"Alright. Thank you again Rosie."
They shook hands and he left the cabaret feeling very pleased with himself.