https://youtu.be/By8Iv_TpxCI

• Ariadne •

Well? Raen asked.

Well, what? I replied.

What were you thinking? Someone could have skewered you today!

But I wasn't.

That's not my point. Did you honestly think that what you did was fine? No. Don't answer that. You must have been frozen in fear.

I really don't need this right now. If you want to psychoanalyze someone, I know a seahorse that's just dying to be someone's test subject!

You know that's not my intention. I'm trying to understand you, Aria. Something in the sand? I know you better than that. You're usually more alert when we're on the surface.

If this is supposed to be your idea of a lecture, it's horrible. If I wanted a lecture, I'd ask my mother for one and last time I checked, you're not her.

A moment of silence passed before Raen began speaking once more. We can't go up to the surface again. That human has seen you and we need to alert the pod so we can begin the transfer to another location. It will displease the elders.

Don't you think I know that?

How long are you going to be mad at me, Aria?

Depends. When are you going to stop talking?

When will you learn humans aren't to be trusted? I swear by Llyr, sometimes you can be really stupid.

If he wanted to hurt me, he would've called somebody over right away. Or he would've done something himself. You saw him. There was no malice.

Do you hear yourself? You're asking me to trust some human I don't know, that we don't know. It's not in our nature to befriend humans. You, of all people, ought to know that based on the hell your father put your mother through.

Enough! I raised my hand up as I pushed Raen back with a wall of water. You think that since we've known each other for a century, you suddenly know me well? Think again! I took a deep breath, trying to calm the anger that was toiling inside me. His words were like knives cutting into me.

Aria...

I will go speak to the Elders so you have nothing to worry about.

Aria, I shouldn't have—

Before I could hear him finish his sentence, I swam away, leaving a trail of bubbles in my wake. I was grateful I was in my seal form because no one could see the distress on my face. The feelings could easily be erased, just like my trust in Raen.

What is it, child? Elder Cordelia asked, noticing my hesitancy in entering the den of the pod's leaders.

I fear I've made a horrible mistake, I replied.

How is that?

Does this have to do with a certain selkie?

Yes, and no.

Come. She swam towards the entrance of the den. Several strands of seaweed hung in front, serving as a door. When I made no motion to follow, she turned around once more. Luscinia and Lachlan are with their grandchildren for the day and Morven is taking his usual nap at his son's. Come, no one will disturb us.

I nodded and followed her into the Elder's den, staring at the floor. I didn't know what I would say once we were alone. Elder Cordelia was definitely one of the more understanding Elders, so she was the only person I felt comfortable confiding in.

Reflective surfaces lined the walls, which were marked with the names of our past and current Elders. A bountiful stack of seaweed lay in the middle of the room, ready to be eaten. My stomach grumbled at the sight of food. It was just about lunchtime.

You never change, Ariadne. Eat.

I scurried over to the plate and began eating the hearty greens, savoring its saltiness. She watched me eat with a twinkle of amusement in her gaze. Once I was done, she half-shifted to reveal long waves of gray hair and bright blue eyes. She had aged well throughout the years. I recalled seeing mental images of her blonde hair and vivacious smile. Her cloak rested atop her head, cradling itself around her.

I followed suit and half-shifted as well. It didn't take her long to point out my red-rimmed eyes. Oh, Ariadne. Was it Raen?

How did you know?

Your mother told me about the engagement. Do you not wish to marry him?

I can't.

And why is that?

I don't love him.

Do you love another?

No.

Are you afraid that you will?

Would that be foolish?

No. But love is different for us, dear. It doesn't come as easily as it may for humans. There are so few of us and because we frequently move, it's hard to settle down. It can destroy relationships before they even begin.

Is it possible for a human to love a selkie?

We are too different. We need the water as much as they need the air. It is not uncommon for selkie to leave their pod and seek life above the surface, but those individuals are usually never to be heard from again. Up there, you're alone. And you can never know if a human loves you for you or for your cloak.

What do you mean?

We share a similar gift as our sister species, the siren. The magic in the cloaks calls to humans and serve as an enchantment. In order to reproduce, we need the humans, which is why Lord Llyr created such an effect, or so the legend says. Humans can never truly love selkie because it is the cloak that creates such an attraction to begin with.

That explains it...

I beg your pardon?

Nothing!

Is that so?

Well, a human may have seen me.

Your horrible mistake, yes? We will need to move.

I know. I will take full responsibility.

What did the human do when it saw you?

Nothing. He just looked at me and left when another human called for him.

Elder Cordelia appeared to be deep in thought. Something had piqued her interest, but I wasn't sure what. I came here expecting to be berated, but for the first time in my life, she seemed intrigued.

Who else knows?

Raen.

I will speak to the Elders about this. There will be a punishment. I can't prevent that much from happening. But, you are to avoid going up there again. The next human to discover you may not be as sympathetic. Do you understand?

Yes.

The next day, I decided to seek that human again, knowing that there was a good chance I'd be walking into a trap or even death. There was something about him that Elder Cordelia wasn't telling me. Because I knew what he looked like, I could be less reckless about how I went about it.

As I got closer to the shores of the beach, I flitted in circles behind various large boulders that rested in the water, giving me camouflage from anyone that was in my direct line of sight. Sure enough, the human was laying atop the sand. His face was crestfallen. Something bothered him. I could hear him talking to himself, which elicited a soft giggle from me. It was funny to see how alike we considered that we both learned how to decide by that action alone.

Suddenly, I felt a slight tug on the top of my seal cloak. My eyes widened in fear as I searched, trying to pinpoint the source of my distress. My hands gripped onto my cloak. If it had taken it away from me, it would prevent me from returning to the water, to my people.

It was none other than a seagull, thinking my cloak would be its next meal. "Shoo!" I whispered to the seagull, splashing it with water. The man on the beach heard the splash and redirected his gaze in my direction. I quickly dipped under the water to remain undetected. I didn't know how long I would have to stay under, so I simply rose when I thought it was a good time.

I clung to the rock in front of me, watching him look around. "Is somebody out there?" he asked.

When I didn't reply, he let out a deep sigh and gathered his things to leave.

What are you doing, Aria? Turn around and return home, I thought.

I quickly came from behind the rock, inching closer and closer to the shores with every second. I couldn't let him leave, not until I had answers.

A cold droplet of water splattered against my cheek, causing me to look up at the sky in wonderment. It seemed like Llyr was intent on preventing me from meeting with the human. The sporadic rain drops quickly transitioned to a complete downpour, mercilessly coming down.

I began to splash the water, unable to think of anything else to prevent him from leaving. He spun around and his eyes locked on me. My body immediately froze. My instincts screamed at me to dive, go home, and never see this man again. But what would that solve? I'd already come so far, now wasn't the time for cold fins.

He asked another question to me in a foreign language, his tone full of irritation. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was mad at me.

My indignation disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared when I realized he thought I was human. He couldn't see the cloak that was covering the top of my head, and if he had, he would have reacted as he did when he first saw me. Maybe he was immune to the cloak's magic?

Barnacles! I thought, realizing my poor Korean skills wouldn't be of help. I only knew basic words like hello, please, and thank you. Communicating with him was going to be more difficult than I thought.

I bowed my head and sputtered out in a rough Korean accent, "Annyeonghaseyo."

He stared back at me in confusion. "Jeo-nun, ihae ahnhaeyo. Jejussibnida," he replied, being sure to enunciate every word. However, even with that, I couldn't understand any of it. His insistence on speaking to me like a young pup was infuriating.

I forced myself to flash a sincere smile at him, hoping that would be enough to show him I wouldn't leave. Ah! Raen always says that the way to get humans to understand you, use money!

I ducked under the water and yanked as much seaweed as I could from the ocean floor before ascending and dropping it before his feet. I smiled brightly, feeling my heart swell with pride at the abundant leafy greens. The amount I scavenged was enough to earn quite a bounty amongst the selkie.

The human said something else in Korean, unamused by the seaweed before him. He turned to leave, and I did what I thought was best to keep him at bay. I popped out of the water and reached for him, only to plop down on the sand with my hand wrapped around his ankle. Even though I preferred to be in human form most of the time, I never took the time to walk, so my legs were as fragile as a newborn. Gazing down at my legs, they trembled beneath my weight every time I attempted to stand up.

The human didn't look the least bit amused as he ended up with a face full of sand, just like me. He wiped the sand from his face and began coughing. A string of what I believed to be curses flew out of his mouth, but it ceased when his eyes landed on me once again.

He muttered something that I couldn't quite make out and quickly covered me with his drenched clothes. Instinctively, I clutched onto my cloak tighter, thinking he'd been faking his ignorance the entire time. It was difficult to tell if he understood my intentions. His face was stone cold, like my presence annoyed him to bits.

The only thing that I could hear was the constant pitter-patter of raindrops landing on the ocean's surface. The waves grew restless, shifting and moving in an erratic state. It was strange how easily he could ignore the magic's call. None of this made sense.

The next thing I knew, he hoisted me up into his arms, carrying me to a place I didn't know. My eyes bulged in surprise as he took me further and further away from the sea. Where is he taking me?

Had I finally lost it? Was I foolish in thinking this man was any different from others? Perhaps he pretended to be disinterested in my cloak just to earn my trust. I stared up at his face, searching for signs of deception. Instead, I saw nothing but determination. The sorrow I had seen in his eyes before lingered, but something prevented it from fully coming forward.