Daughter of the Sea

2. There was a Curious Girl

"Well, wasn't he ever courteous to tell me the way out of here," Amaya grumbled as she stomped up the stairs.

Her muscles ached by the thirteenth step. Apparently, a mile-long swim and a climb up ten-thousand stairs of doom was enough to wear a person out. Who would have thought?

When Amaya finally reached the top, she discovered the path was completely overgrown with tropical plants. Making matters worse, pesky flies and blood-thirsty mosquitoes flocked to her face, buzzing in a discordant symphony. 

Salty sweat dripped into her eyes, and her bare feet and legs suffered heavy casualties as she tried to plow her way through the thick brush. It seemed like the plants held a vendetta against her existence, and the red lashes cutting across her skin made it clear the nightmarish experience wasn't a dream.

When Amaya finally stumbled back to her tiny hotel room, she was exhausted. She considered taking a long soak in warm water to wash off the sea salt, sweat, and grit she'd accumulated from her unexpected adventure, but decided against it. Her mind was buzzing with questions about Kai, and she knew she wouldn't be able to rest until she had answers.

Unsurprisingly, nothing came up from her generic google search. If Amaya wanted to learn more about the Mer, it looked like she'd need to continue her investigation the old-fashioned way. The local Puerto Rican resident who'd told her about the beach seemed like a great place to start.

If she could find him, that is. The trouble was, Pablo seemed to have disappeared.

~§~

It took over an hour for Amaya to track him down, and she wasn't sure whether to be surprised or impressed that the eighty-year-old man was perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean sunset. Creaky joints and failing eyesight didn't seem to slow him down.

"Hello. Mind if I join you?" she asked, picking her way around the rocks.

"Be my guest," he said, his gaze fixed on the endless horizon.

Amaya swept her hair out of her face and chose a semi-flat boulder as a temporary seat. Pablo seemed amused by her courage, as well as by her subsequent questions about the cove.

"No, I've never seen anything extraordinary in these waters," he said once she'd finished.

Amaya believed him, but she was also fairly certain they had different definitions of the word 'extraordinary.' Between his wind-blown hair, tanned skin, and eccentric 80's shirt, Pablo exuded adventurous energy.

"Has anything noteworthy been reported over the years?" she tried again.

Pablo's eyes lit up. "Now that you mention it, I do remember something exciting happening. I was a young boy then, and my memory isn't what it used to be, but I'll never forget the sighting."

Amaya held her breath, hardly daring to breathe. Could it really be this easy?

"One hot summer day, there was a group of women who went swimming without bathing suits. I don't think I've ever seen my mother move so fast to cover my eyes," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh," she said, her excitement deflating. "So there haven't been any unusual people or sea creature sightings?"

"That seems like a very specific question. Is there something, in particular, you want to inquire about?" Pablo asked, the humor fading from his voice.

Amaya hesitated, debating whether or not she should mention Kai. She settled on saying, "I met a remarkable person while I was exploring the coral reef. He's unlike anyone I've seen before, and I was wondering if you had any advice on where I could find him."

"I am one of the few who do," Pablo admitted. "Making contact with his people is difficult. They are a close-knit group and claim to feel like a fish out of water when they are with others from outside of their community."

"I can see why you would say that," Amaya agreed. She tucked her wavy brown hair behind her ears, trying to conceal her excitement as she asked, "Is there anything you can tell me about his community?"

Pablo's eyes stared off into the distance. His mind seemed to be miles away as he said, "All Mer are the same. Their loyalty will always be to their people. If it comes to protecting you or maintaining the secrecy of his community, he will choose them every time."

Amaya frowned. "It sounds like you speak from experience."

"I do. I loved one of them, once. Her name was Azurine. But those days are gone, and it does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." With a shrewd glance in her direction, he added, "You would be wise to learn through me. Don't fall for him. It will only cause you heartbreak and pain."

"I don't think that will be an issue."

"Young people always say that," Pablo muttered.

Amaya smiled. She knew how it looked, but she fully planned on being the exception. A human girl had no future with a merman, and she didn't see any reason to act like the lovesick, pining maidens found in fairytales.

"I can tell you don't believe me," Pablo said as he rose from his rocky perch. "Azurine didn't, either, until it was too late. Promise that you won't sacrifice what you are for a future that will never come to be."

"I will. Thank you for your advice," Amaya said.

Pablo nodded and began picking his way across the rocks.

She considered joining him but decided to stay for the remainder of the sunset. Vivid streaks of red, pink, and purple colored the horizon, and cerulean waves crashed against the base of the cliff.

It was places like this that made Amaya think of her mother. Her father did his best, but it was hard to raise a little girl and work three jobs at the same time. She knew he sacrificed a lot to buy her the plane ticket for her eighteenth birthday, but a part of her wished he could be here to celebrate with her.

Amaya sighed, resigning herself to the shrieking cries of a lonely gull and the ghostly touch of her mother's hands, tousling her curls in the briny breeze.

***

Hello lovely readers! 

I'm back, and I left you on a bit of a cliffhanger. Sorry about that! I'm almost done polishing the third chapter, so it should be out soon. 

What do you guys think of Amaya? She deserves some love, right? The next scene may or may include an appearance of our favorite merman... 

Check back on Tuesday for the next update! 

-C.C.