Spirits

Chapter 8

"You know nothing of Spirits. I'm not surprised Jax would be awkward about it, leaving it to me." My mouth fell open, the muscles in my face going numb. "Alexander waited three hundred years before he met me. I didn't understand at first, but he explained who he was. What he was. As I said, it was a hard decision to make."

I sat down on the plush chair, sinking in as I wrapped my mind around what I'd just been told. I could imagine Helena catching the eye of a man who had seen thousands. Her beautiful face and kind disposition radiated light. I was happy for her, but I didn't understand how Alexander could endure watching her age and die.

"You said three-hundred years? That can't be possible. He's barely thirty." I look to my hands, the same smooth skin over longer fingers and sharper nails. "How did you know I was like Jax? What are we?"

"No one had to tell me who you were," Helena laughed. "You have a gleam in your eye that I don't often see. If that wasn't enough, we don't get many visitors who arrive without a vessel."

"So you'll live with him? Sailing the ocean and meeting people? What happens when you grow old without him? Do you think it'll be worth it?" Her face fell, her brow sprouted wrinkles at my question. The previously calm air became tense.

I realized my mistake and bit my lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. My mouth spoke ahead of my mind." I curled into myself, regretting my hurried question.

"It's fine." I looked up to the woman sitting down across from me, sipping her tea with a tight smile. "We understand that I will eventually die, but Alexander promised to stand by me until then."

Her story was bittersweet and I didn't know if I should pity or envy her. I had only met a few married couples, but none of them cared for each other the way Helena and Alexander did.

"You must love each other." I was desperate to regain the cheerful women from before. I missed the warmth and positivity.

"Yes, we do. It's easier for us than other Spirit couples. Alexander reflects on himself." I didn't understand what she had said, but I smiled and nodded anyway. "The Ocean was merciful when he turned."

I didn't want to ask, but the curiosity got the better of me. I expected a long story that would give me the details slowly, but everything Helena said made me more confused. I didn't want to push her, she knew her story better than me.

The woman poured herself more tea. I followed her movements and found her staring at me with the same knowing smile.

"You want to know what I mean. It's okay, dear. If you want to know something, you have to ask." I was shocked that a girl so close to my age acting so motherly, it was charming.

Helena waited for me to nod before starting her story. She held her tea up to her lips, taking a long sip before beginning. "When Alexander was born, he was an outcast from his family and village for wanting to sail. Eventually, some men from his village dragged him out on a ship and drowned him. The ocean gave him the ability to change himself and let him sail."

I still didn't understand why the men would kill him for wanting to sail. I wasn't going to ask, but I remembered what Helena had told me about my questions. The woman was staring at me, waiting for my question. The smile appeared on her lips and grew as she watched me.

"What do you mean?" My voice was quieter than earlier. I no longer trust my instincts around this spontaneous woman. "Why did they kill him?"

Helena nodded, appeased by my question, her smile split to its limits. "You listened, good. You should feel comfortable asking me questions. Well, Maurea, my husband was born Alexandra."