The Call Of Thalassa

“What would an ocean be without

a monster lurking in the dark?

It would be like sleep without dreams.”

-Werner Herzog

A whole week had passed since the infamous festival and all the incidents that had happened during that dreadful night. However, Aileen couldn’t say that everything had returned back to the routine of everyday life.

Time seemed to flow at different rates. Sometimes it made her feel as if the pointers of the clock were moving excruciatingly slowly, while others that their speed was increasing too much for her liking. Fortunately for her, the weekend had finally come to put an end to this tiring week.

Taking the opportunity of this peaceful atmosphere, Aileen decided to enjoy the golden rays of the bright sun on her balcony. Sitting comfortably in one of her wooden armchairs, she gazed at the beautiful view of the ocean in front of her. The sweet aroma of her red roses tantalized her senses as she tried to relax. Taking a sip of her warm coffee, she lost herself in her thoughts.

She tried to register everything that had happened during this long week, but it wasn’t easy. Some things seemed too good to be true –too illogical to become reality. Others were just too horrific to accept. Her head started to ache as her thoughts swirled in different directions.

What she came in terms with was the fact that this was her reality now –these incidents happened whether she liked them or not. She wouldn’t help herself if she just pretended that nothing happened –if she closed her eyes to the truth of reality like a coward. So, she threw logic out of the window and began to think differently.

Therefore, she had accepted everything -no matter how crazy they seemed when she thought about them. She accepted that that night changed her life forever –she would never again see the world the same way as before.

There were other creatures lying in the depths of the infinite ocean. Powerful and majestic beings that everyone thought existed only in legends. How could she see the blue of the sea in the same way, when she knew what lay beneath? How could she ignore the ocean’s secrets that were revealed to her?

How could she forget the pair of blue glowing eyes that took her breath away?

She let a sigh escape her lips as images of the beautiful man filled her mind. But he was not a normal man, was he? He was a merman –something pulled out from a fairy tale. He never left her thoughts these past days, no matter how much she tried to ignore his existence. His voice whispered in her mind, his smile taunted her memories, his dark blue tail intensified her curiosity.

The man was an enigma –a riddle she could not find the answer to.

However, she couldn’t help but feel the need to see him again and get to know him. She wanted to find out more about his kind –her curiosity getting the best of her. She adored mermaids since she was but a little girl and she always had wished for them to be real. The whole situation frightened and excited her at the same time –signifying her need to be close to the ethereal merman but not allowing herself to let her guard down.

One thing was for sure –they were connected in some strange way she couldn’t quite yet understand. She had so many questions about it and he was the only one who could give her the answers she needed.

She was not sure if she should meet him again or not. Her life on shore was already complicated enough -she didn’t know if she was ready for things to become even more confusing.

She cringed as her thoughts brought up what happened in the middle of the week –her hands slightly trembling in panic at the remembrance. She closed her emerald orbs trying to calm herself down, taking deep breaths of fresh salty air.

Her shaking hands touched the sensitive skin of her neck that was decorated with patches of dark blue and purple. The bruises were fresh and hurt at the soft touch of her fingers, reminding her of the hands that wrapped around her throat a few days earlier.

She bid her friends farewell and closed the wooden door of grandma’s garden. Making her way back home while walking slowly, she enjoyed the star-filled sky that seemed to unfold infinitely in the darkness of the night.

Various thoughts filled her mind as she passed through the familiar alleys of the small village; thoughts filled with blue eyes and bright smiles. She sighed to herself as she saw a shining star falling from the sky –a sudden unexpected question popping in her mind.

Was he watching the stars as she did?

She didn’t have any time to think about it before a hand covered her mouth and she was forced to enter a dark alley. Her screams of panic were muffled and no one seemed to realize what was going on away from the village’s lights.

Her trashing body and kicking hands didn’t seem to do anything to the person that held her forcefully since he was obviously stronger than her. Her back touched the stony wall powerfully, making her scream in pain. The black-hooded figure didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Shut up before I make you!”

Her form froze when she recognized the deep baritone of that voice. Her breathing became ragged as her heartbeats increased noticeably. Her eyes saw a pair of dark eyes under the black hoody that she would recognize anywhere.

She would recognize the person that tried to kill her –that threw her from a cliff anywhere. It seemed like Alastor Steel would haunt her every step, no matter how hard she tried to avoid him. He would somehow pop out of nowhere when she least expected it, just to make her life harder than it already was.

But something was different this time –something had changed and she couldn’t put her finger on it. His eyes seemed darker than usual –the dark brown color had turned completely black to the point where the iris wasn’t seen. Was there a circle of scarlet surrounding them or did her eyes play tricks on her from her fear?

He seemed to tremble as his orbs took a crazed look –one he didn’t have even when he pushed her down that cliff. He seemed off –well, more off than his usual arrogant self. He let a sadistic smile decorate his face as his hand wrapped around her delicate neck, pushing her against the wall a few inches from the ground.

“You better listen and listen well.”

Aileen began to turn red as her airway was cut off by the pressure of his hand. She tried to scratch his skin with her nails, but he didn’t bother even when she drew blood. She thrashed around, but he never let her go. He closed his hand around her neck tighter, making it harder for her to breathe.

“You are going to keep that pretty mouth shut about our little encounter.”

She gazed into his crazed orbs as black dots began to appear in her vision. She desperately tried to make him let go, but he didn’t even flinch. Like an emotionless robot that didn’t care about other people’s feelings.

“If I find out that you told anyone about it...”

Something sharp grazed the skin of her belly, making her panic even harder. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she felt him playing with a knife right above her skin. He pressed slightly to make her feel the sharpness of it and understand that he was done joking.

“...I’ll make sure that this time...”

He let her fall down to the stone floor, releasing his hold on her. She immediately began to cough as her throat constricted in pain and her lungs burned desperately for oxygen.

“...I’ll finish the job properly.”

A trembling breath escaped her lips as the memory appeared in her mind. She wanted to forget about it, hide it in the deepest pits of her thoughts until she didn’t remember it ever existed. But the images kept replaying in her mind like a broken record, not letting her enjoy the lethe she so much wanted.

The fear of him and his intentions never left her –it made her look behind her shoulder to make sure that everything was alright. The paranoia wasn’t normal, but it wasn’t unjustified either. She hadn’t told anything to her friends, although the thought had passed through her mind many times.

After this horrific incident though, she decided that it was best to not tell a soul about it -not only for her sake but for the safety of the people she loved too. She would have been a fool to go against the word of a crazy man, especially when his actions were unexpected and he had threatened her multiple times.

Sighing to herself, she fixed her turtle blouse making sure it covered the bruises on her neck. Sipping at the warm liquid from her favorite cup, she looked at the setting sun on the horizon. Her balcony always gave her a sense of peace, mainly because it had a perfect view of the infinite blue of the ocean that was spread under the dangerous cliffs that were nearby.

The waves were crashing with force on the sharp rocks below and seagulls were flying elegantly above them. She closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy their song and the sounds of the angry sea when the sound of her garden’s door opening reached her ear.

“You are going to catch a cold out here, my dear.”

Nana Alexandra appeared in front of her with a kind smile decorating her old features. Aileen stood up giving a hug immediately to the woman she considered as her own grandmother and was quick to fix her a cup of her favorite tea. Then, the two women sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the changing colors of the sky as the sun set on the horizon.

“Aileen?“, nana’s voice reached her ears.

“Hmm...”

“Are you alright?”

Emerald orbs met nana’s warm chocolate ones questioningly. The old lady gave her one of her kind smiles before she sipped her tea.

“You’ve been acting a bit strange this past week. You got me worried, my child...”

Aileen shook her head at Aide’s grandmother, giving her an encouraging smile.

“I am fine, nana. Just a bit tired”, she mumbled softly.

Alexandra narrowed her eyes at her suspiciously.

“I know you very well, my dear. Therefore, I can tell that whenever you are too quiet, something is bothering you. So, what is it?”

Aileen let a sigh escape her, biting her lower lip nervously. Nana took hold of her hand with her own, giving her an encouraging squeeze.

“You know you can trust me with anything, right?

Nodding in answer, the young girl fixed a loose curl of flaming hair behind her ear.

“What do you know about mermen?“, she suddenly asked.

Nana’s eyes widened considerably at her question, not expecting it at all. But then something else had caught her attention; the girl in front of her didn’t ask her about merfolk in general or mermaids. Mermen were barely present in the local myths and legends, only a handful of stories mentioning them briefly. Most of them, focused on the female version instead, making most people believe that the males did not exist.

That brought nana to only one conclusion.

“You’ve seen one”, she stated firmly.

Aileen gulped audibly at nana’s intense look but did not dare lie to her. The old woman was wiser than she let everyone think and therefore, her advice was well calculated and logical –everything the girl needed right now.

“He talked to me”, she shrugged her shoulders.

Alexandra nodded unsurprised, leaning back in her seat. Aileen took that as a sign to continue.

“He saved me from drowning and then explained some things, but...they didn’t make much sense. They did make some kind of sense, but at the same time were so illogical! I don’t know what to believe anymore”, she mumbled.

Nana shook her head with her gaze on the dark sky.

“Mermen are quite unique beasts –they only protect what’s valuable to them. They could not care less for the rest of the world –it is not their business.”

Aileen looked at the old lady in thought but did not dare cut her off.

“You should go back to him. It is not good for him to be parted for a long time from his destined mate –you’ll begin to feel restless too in a few days. He’ll surely have more answers to your questions too.”

Nana took the last sip of her tea, enjoying the sweet flavor.

“I am scared.”

Alexandra let a laugh escape her.

“Oh, my dear! You are the only person that shouldn’t be scared of him! As a matter of fact, you are currently more protected than you can possibly think!”

The old woman stood up putting on her warm coat as the sky turned completely dark, indicating that the night had fallen. Getting closer to the young girl, she caressed her flaming locks and forced her to look into her eyes.

“He would never harm you, my dear. Of that, I can assure you.”

Kissing the young girl lovingly on her forehead, she turned around ready to leave.

“Nana?”

She hummed in answer, not turning back.

“How do you know about all these?“, she asked her curiously.

The old lady turned around and gave her a saddened smile. Her chocolate eyes filled with tears, but she did not let them fall down her cheeks.

“You are not the only one that was once the mate of a merman, my dear”, she said softly.

And then she disappeared in the darkness of the night, leaving Aileen utterly shocked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 16!!

“Lethe”= oblivion

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Until next time!!