others new and barely touched. They ranged in subject, and I wasn’t sure where to start. I closed my eyes and pulled one from the shelf.
Lost Treasures of the Sea.
How convenient.
Taking it with me back into the bedroom, I plopped down onto the bed and laid down on my stomach. I sat the book in front of me and opened it carefully, afraid it might rip, and began to flip through the pages. It was full of stories about lost ocean treasures, from Atlantis, Camilla Island, and other sorts of places rumored to exist once upon a time. I ruffled through the pages until I reached Camilla.
Abandoned City of Camilla Island. Rumored to once be the home of mermaids.
I sighed and ran my finger across the painting of the large castle by the sea. Whoever created this work of art captured it perfectly at sunset with the moon rising in the background. It was before the walls surrounding our sacred island were destroyed by the humans. They invaded our land, stole our jewels, and killed our people.
These mermaids were known to be like genies, granting wishes for those who held them captive.
I slammed the book shut and pushed it away from me on the bed. Some terrible person wrote this book, one who probably had their own captive locked away. My kind was hunted down for our powers, including being able to make wishes and heal people. Imagine their surprise when humans came home with a mermaid, only to have them refuse to fulfill a wish for them or only be able to give them one during a full moon. I’d heard awful stories about merfolk being held captive for months until all the person’s wishes were fulfilled or never heard from again.
And there I was on a boat full of them.
I wondered if Aiden read through this book and hoped he didn’t suspect the truth.
I put the book up and rummaged for a few others, pulling several off a shelf and curling up on the window seat to read for most of the day.
A knock at the door caused me to look up and set the book down. Aiden stepped through the threshold with a tray in his hands. His coat swung behind him as he walked inside, kicking the door closed behind him.
“Care to have lunch with me below deck?”
“No,” I said with a smile and picked the book back up.
“Alright, lass.”
Way too easy.
He came to where I sat and placed the tray down at my side. His eyes stared at me intensely, peeking out from his dark eyebrows. The corner of his lips turned up into a smile as he drew his hands back from the platter. His finger brushed my leg.
“Watch it,” I snapped.
“Oh stop carrying on.” He bit his lip innocently. It was a small gesture, and so was the one following it, where he ruffled his hair and looked down at me through hooded eyes.
I tore my eyes away from his lips, ignoring the part of me that wondered what they would feel like. He wouldn’t make this visit easy, and after reading the book on treasures, I wasn’t in the mood for small talk. No matter how much he flirted with me, I wasn’t giving in today. I could feel the pink rise in my cheeks as I looked away. Embarrassment was a foreign feeling, and I hated it. What was wrong with me?
“Just go, Aiden.”
“Have these books gotten you upset?” he pondered aloud and seized the book from me.
“No.” I reached out to snatch it back, but he stepped away just as my fingertips touched it.
“Oh but I would say they have,” he insisted and read the title. “Have a thing for genies do ya? I hate to break it to you but they are nothing except for legend.”
“I know that.”
He shrugged and moved closer, slamming the book shut and leaning over toward me. “As are all these other stories you have scattered about. Have a thing for fairy tales do you, lass?”
I tried to grab the book, but he pulled it away from me again.
“You would do best to forget about these tales. There is no such thing as a fairy tale or a love story. Get your head out of the clouds.” He tried to hide the flash of sadness as he spoke, but
Lost Treasures of the Sea.
How convenient.
Taking it with me back into the bedroom, I plopped down onto the bed and laid down on my stomach. I sat the book in front of me and opened it carefully, afraid it might rip, and began to flip through the pages. It was full of stories about lost ocean treasures, from Atlantis, Camilla Island, and other sorts of places rumored to exist once upon a time. I ruffled through the pages until I reached Camilla.
Abandoned City of Camilla Island. Rumored to once be the home of mermaids.
I sighed and ran my finger across the painting of the large castle by the sea. Whoever created this work of art captured it perfectly at sunset with the moon rising in the background. It was before the walls surrounding our sacred island were destroyed by the humans. They invaded our land, stole our jewels, and killed our people.
These mermaids were known to be like genies, granting wishes for those who held them captive.
I slammed the book shut and pushed it away from me on the bed. Some terrible person wrote this book, one who probably had their own captive locked away. My kind was hunted down for our powers, including being able to make wishes and heal people. Imagine their surprise when humans came home with a mermaid, only to have them refuse to fulfill a wish for them or only be able to give them one during a full moon. I’d heard awful stories about merfolk being held captive for months until all the person’s wishes were fulfilled or never heard from again.
And there I was on a boat full of them.
I wondered if Aiden read through this book and hoped he didn’t suspect the truth.
I put the book up and rummaged for a few others, pulling several off a shelf and curling up on the window seat to read for most of the day.
A knock at the door caused me to look up and set the book down. Aiden stepped through the threshold with a tray in his hands. His coat swung behind him as he walked inside, kicking the door closed behind him.
“Care to have lunch with me below deck?”
“No,” I said with a smile and picked the book back up.
“Alright, lass.”
Way too easy.
He came to where I sat and placed the tray down at my side. His eyes stared at me intensely, peeking out from his dark eyebrows. The corner of his lips turned up into a smile as he drew his hands back from the platter. His finger brushed my leg.
“Watch it,” I snapped.
“Oh stop carrying on.” He bit his lip innocently. It was a small gesture, and so was the one following it, where he ruffled his hair and looked down at me through hooded eyes.
I tore my eyes away from his lips, ignoring the part of me that wondered what they would feel like. He wouldn’t make this visit easy, and after reading the book on treasures, I wasn’t in the mood for small talk. No matter how much he flirted with me, I wasn’t giving in today. I could feel the pink rise in my cheeks as I looked away. Embarrassment was a foreign feeling, and I hated it. What was wrong with me?
“Just go, Aiden.”
“Have these books gotten you upset?” he pondered aloud and seized the book from me.
“No.” I reached out to snatch it back, but he stepped away just as my fingertips touched it.
“Oh but I would say they have,” he insisted and read the title. “Have a thing for genies do ya? I hate to break it to you but they are nothing except for legend.”
“I know that.”
He shrugged and moved closer, slamming the book shut and leaning over toward me. “As are all these other stories you have scattered about. Have a thing for fairy tales do you, lass?”
I tried to grab the book, but he pulled it away from me again.
“You would do best to forget about these tales. There is no such thing as a fairy tale or a love story. Get your head out of the clouds.” He tried to hide the flash of sadness as he spoke, but
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