How to be a Mermaid (The Cotton Candy Quintet #1)(45)

I was glad that we were underwater or else he’d see my tears.

“I...I can’t, Finn.”

My words must have surprised him, because my fingers slipped from his. He looked back at me, shocked.

“What?”

I swallowed uncomfortably, averting my eyes. “I’m going to stay on the surface. For now. I have so much to do, I can’t stay here, not permanently.”

It broke my heart to see how his face fell at my words. I wanted to stay. Oh, I desperately wanted to stay so bad.

I couldn’t.

His nose was inches from mine as he searched my face. “You can’t be serious.” He grasped my shoulders. “You can’t.” He kissed me again, desperate for some sort of explanation.

I could feel my resolve slipping slightly. Then I thought about the other animals that would have been wrongfully captured like Kai and left to die. Neptune was right when he said that he could do more on land than in the sea, and the ocean didn’t have a voice without a hero.

That was the role I was born to play. Half merwalker, half human. I was meant to do this as much as Finn was meant to be the protector of sea creatures. Two sides of the same sand dollar. Two hearts beating as one in different worlds.

It went against every fiber of my being to pull back from him. To break his heart too.

“I have a family that I need to take care of,” I told him gently. “My mother was worried about me when I went missing. And...” here was going to be the hard part, “and I want to help you out from the land.” I touched a hand to his face. “I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I want to help you. Keep you safe. And keep the sea safe too.”

His green eyes burned straight through me. “You should be here,” he said. “With me.”

“I will be,” I replied. “I’ll be right beside you. You have a mission for your people. I have a mission for me. We can make this work. Trust me.”

He kissed me again. “What did you have in mind?”





EPILOGUE


Six months later



Summer break was a time for all of my college friends to get jobs or go study abroad. A lot of them were trying to get ahead with internships or squeeze in some summer classes to make up for classes that they’d failed in the spring semester. Everyone had plans, it seemed. Still, I knew they weren’t anywhere near as special as mine.

I’d told my mother that I got an internship on a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, so I’d be out of touch for most of it, and not to worry. I was going to be studying marine life and getting good experiences for my marine biology degree at Texas A&M University of Galveston. It was unpaid, sure, and I wasn’t getting any class credit for it, but my board, food, and all expenses would be taken care of, I told her. While she wouldn’t budge on her opinion that I should be studying pre-law or pre-med, she begrudgingly supported my decision.

I loved my mother so much for supporting me, even though my decisions seemed crazy. By all accounts, they were.

I didn’t care, though. If I learned anything, it was to do what I wanted to do.

That was how I found myself on the shores of Galveston’s East Beach, an hour’s drive from the Houston Aquarium, which felt so long ago.

There was no one on the beach with me at six am on a Saturday morning, and that was exactly what I was going for. It was going to get weird in about five minutes, and I didn’t want anyone to see.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, breathing in the salty air.

I wasn’t going on a trip. I was going home, at least for the summer. I’d been here every weekend during my spring semester. I told my roommate Elyse that I was spending it with my boyfriend.

I was telling her the truth.

I dipped a toe into the ocean, the sea foam cold against my bare skin. My skin turned to goosebumps initially, and before my very eyes, I saw the spread of scales trail up my legs.

I took off my shirt, revealing a bikini top underneath. Here was where it got weird, no matter how many times I did it. I took off my shorts, the bikini bottom along with it. I wasn’t going to need it where I was going.

I stowed the clothes in a waterproof plastic bag between two rocks. I hoped they’d be all right for two months. If not, I’d cross that bridge when I got to it.

For now, I was itching to get back to the sea and see everyone.

I started out at a run and dove into the waves. They parted, welcoming me with open arms, like the ocean had been expecting me. I dolphin-kicked, and as I did so, I felt the skin between my legs zipper all the way down to my feet, which weren’t feet anymore. A long, beautiful tail fin sprouted from where my feet were, iridescent in all its splendor.

I looked down at it, and despite myself, I grinned. It never did go away did it? I was a full merwalker, one of the few that could go between the sea and the land.

I submerged, swimming farther out to sea, meaning to call the two most important people to me. “Kai,” I called out softly, “I’m here.” I took a deep breath, because my voice wavered in my anticipation, and said, “Finn, I’m here. I need you.”

The length of time impossibly stretched out before me. Impatience tugged at me, I couldn’t wait to see them.

I saw a dark shape in the water first, much bigger than I remembered. It barreled at me like a torpedo, slowing down enough before he got to me so he wouldn’t crash into me. Kai stopped and embraced me with his fins much like a human would. I held him back, feeling the tears of happiness spring to my eyes.