Alastor came into the house as soon as he felt the first rain drop fall on to his nose. It started out as drizzle but he knew that it would only be a matter of time before it would be pouring. He was relieved that he managed to get all safety precautions done before the rain arrived. Now all he had to do was wait it out.
When he closed the front door and locked it, he found himself becoming instantly distracted by Charlie's song.
"As I went down in the river to pray,
Studying about that good ol' way.
And who shall wear the starry crown,
Good Lord, show me the way.
O sisters, let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down.
O sisters, let's go down,
Down in the river to pray."
He followed the song into the main room and there she was, carelessly combing her golden tresses and singing. To him, she was an embodiment of beauty and there was no sound on earth more lovely than her voice.
"As I went down in the river to pray,
Studying about that good ol' way.
And who shall wear the robe and crown,
Good Lord, show me the way.
O brothers, let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down.
Come on, brothers, let's go down,
Down in the river to pray."
What was it about her that was so wonderfully, impossibly familiar? Why did she fill him with a wonder and a happiness that he had only felt once, many years ago? How can it be that she's the only woman he's ever wanted?
He recognized the song that she was singing. He knew it to be an old folk song but hearing her sing it brought back a recent memory of when he heard it. He heard it one night, wondering around as if he were a sleepwalker and the next thing he knew, he had jumped into the sea and nearly drowned. He dreamed that someone had rescued him. It was just like that time, many years ago, when he was a boy and he had dreamed that a little girl had saved him.
He recalled how those first few weeks after he had been saved, he had been unable to stop thinking about that girl. Her eyes, her smile, her touch. He had convinced himself that no such girl could exist, but still he longed to see her again.
Charlie didn't hear Alastor's steps as he slowly approached her. Then she felt his hand on her shoulder, startled, she quickly turned around him. He was completely entranced, looking at her with eyes full of longing.
"Are you alright Alastor?"
At first he didn't answer. He moved closer to her and placed a hand to her cheek.
"You're...You're real." He said. "I thought...I thought you were a dream."
The way he looked at her in that moment, she thought her heart had stopped. No one had ever looked at her that way before.
"Please, sing again." He pleaded softly.
How could she refuse him? But she was too awed to speak words. So she just sang a vocal melody to him, the kind her mother and sisters would sing to sailors as they passed overhead on their ships. But Charlie's voice wouldn't lure Alastor to his death, instead it would draw him deeper into her love. He slowly leaned forward, about to kiss her again and she was going to let him.
Suddenly there was a blast of thunder so strong that it made the power go out and it snapped them both out of their intimate moment. It made reason take control again, although Charlie was now under the influence of reason and fear.
"What was that?!" She gasped, standing up in the pitch black.
"It's okay dear." Alastor assured her. "It's only a power outrage. These things can happen in a hurricane, but they're usually nothing to get really upset about it."
"Really?"
"Really. Although I hope Rosie still has power. Beth would always get so scared during storms and the darkness would probably make it worse. She's not as scared of it as she was when she was little, but I think a small fear of it still remains."
"I don't blame her for still being afraid. I don't like the storms up here either. Or the dark."
Another crack of thunder broke loose and it made Charlie jump.
"Alastor I don't like this! There are these awful noises and I can't see anything! I want to go back outside!"
At that moment she didn't care what would happen if she went outside. She didn't care that she would most likely get wet, turn into a mermaid, and expose her secret to Alastor. She just wanted to leave this dark and frightening place.
"Good gracious no!" Alastor objected. "That would be worse! You could get struck by lighting, carried away with the wind, drown in a flooding. Trust me, it doesn't look like it now, but this is the safest place for you right now."
"I don't want to be here!" Tears of fright and hysteria streamed down her face. "I want to go home! I want my mother! I want my father!"
She was surprised by her behavior. She never thought for one moment that she would ever be speaking such words. Especially not at her age and after what had led Charlie to swim away from home in the first place. She was a grown woman and her parents were trying to force her into an arranged marriage which will lead to genocide. She shouldn't be calling for them at all.
But Charlie was afraid. And when a person is truly afraid, age and disagreement cease to have any meaning. Nine out of ten, a frightened person wants to be in the arms of their parents no matter how old they are or how difficult their relationship with them may be at the moment. Because normally a mother and a father are the people who have protected you the most in your life. The people you feel the most safe with. In that moment, Charlie forgot that she was twenty-five and that her parents were trying to run her life, she wanted them here. She wanted them to hold her and tell her that everything would be alright just as they used to do when she was a mer-child and become frightened of things like nightmares or stories of merfolk hunters and sea monsters.
Suddenly she was in Alastor's arms, her wet cheek against his shirt, caressing her hair gently, and soothingly.
"There, there, darling. Don't cry." He said softly. "If it were possible, I would gladly let you run home to your parents. But it's not. Forgive me, but for your own sake, I have to keep you here until the storm passes. And while I know I can never make you feel as safe and secure as your family would, I can do my best. I've had years of experience on this."
"What do you mean?" She sobbed.
"When I first lost my mother, Beth's memory of her had not yet faded. Many nights she's wake up from a bad dream or a storm would scare her, she'd cry for our mother. But she was gone, and I had to comfort Beth in her place. I held her, I read her stories from the book she had made for her, and I sang her the lullaby Mother would sing. I may have been a very poor substitute, but I never left her when she was scared, and I'll never leave you when you're scared."
"Do you promise?"
"I do."
She felt something brush her hair and wondered vaguely if it were his lips. He was so tender, so infinitely soothing, she longed to stay in his arms forever. With such strong arms about her, surely nothing could harm her.
"You know, from what you told me, your parents seem like very misguided individuals with some issues they need to workout. But I can tell that you love them dearly despite that and I'm sure they love you just the same."
"No..." She wept into his chest. "They think I'm a freak. They're always pointing out what's wrong with me and asking me why I can't be like everybody else."
"Hmmm...That method of parenting can be very tricky. On one hand it can count as emotional abuse and hurt a person's self-esteem. But on the other hand, if done properly, it can do a lot of good. And doing that doesn't mean they don't love you or that they're ashamed of you. Maybe they were just trying to protect you."
"From what?"
"Well sometimes I'll tell Beth not to act a certain way because I know how mean other kids can be, especially if they think someone is weird. I didn't tell Beth such things because I didn't like who she was, I just didn't want her to be bullied. My mother was the same way with me, and maybe it's that way with your parents. Maybe they criticize you so much because they just want to protect you from being ostracized by your peers."
Charlie never thought of it like that. She just assumed her parents were disappointed in her and wanted her to be "perfect" like her sisters. But now that she thought about it, growing up, there were many times where they would say things like:
"Be careful Charlotte."
"Charlotte get rid of that thing! It's a human thing and it could hurt you!"
"Charlotte how many times must we go through this?! Don't go up to the surface! You could get caught in a net or worse, harpooned!"
"Why must you always do things that could put you in danger?"
"You saved a human?! How could you do that?! What if those other humans saw you?! Do you have any idea what they would have done to you?!"
"Charlotte we can't lose you too. We just can't!"
Charlie suddenly felt a little guilty for just leaving home without a word to anyone. Of course she knew that they were wrong to try to use her as a means to wipeout the human race, but they felt this way because they had been traumatized by the death of her sister Celeste. Charlie didn't know the whole story of how Celeste had died but humans were somehow involved because her father blamed them and that's why he forbade all merfolk from going to the surface. And why he and her mother were always so afraid for Charlie after she was born. They just couldn't bear to lose another child.
"Alastor." She asked him, her tone was now more calm. "Do you think that I'm a terrible daughter for running away?"
"No. You're just trying to grow up and find your own place in the world. Your parents have to accept that. But remember to cherish them while they're here. Cause you're lucky to still have them. What I wouldn't give to have my father and mother back, even if it was just for a moment."
When this was over, Charlie needed to apologize to her parents. Tell them that she loved them and understood their reasons for how they raised her. Now she still wasn't going to mate with Seviathan and help eliminate humanity, but she wouldn't be so angry toward them anymore.
"Feeling better?" Alastor asked her.
"A little." She answered.
"Good. Now I'm going to get the flashlight from under the sink and use it to find some candles and light the fireplace. That should make things less dark and dreary in here."
He felt for a chair and sat her down in it.
"I'll be right back." He said.
"Okay."
She reluctantly let go of him, but trusted that he wouldn't leave her alone. She held the silk shawl tighter around herself and tried to calm her nerves again.