Madeline

The first thing I really noticed about the sway, was the feeling it put in my chest. Somewhere between my lungs and my throat sat a little pressure. Or maybe it vibrated. It did something when I was able to make the sway work, at any rate.

Finishing my time with Caspian was easier than it had been before. And it helped that he was hot as hell. Honestly, I was just waiting for the asshole to come out, because that's the only type of guy I seem to be attracted to, and fuck was I attracted to Caspian.

He took the last swallow of his coffee and used a napkin to make sure he wasn't leaving anything behind. I handed off my own empty cup and he took our trash away, returning swiftly to sit next to me on a bench outside the coffee shop.

"If you think you have enough of the hang of it now, great," Caspian said. "If not, you might need to practice before we try it on Nikkos. Especially since he knows what it is."

A smile played on my lips. Of course I didn't feel like I had the hang of it, my earlier attempt with gum guy, as I'd taken to calling him, had started so well but ended so poorly.

"Oh yeah? Who do you suggest I practice on?" I asked, feeling the light pressure in my chest that told me the sway was trying to push its way to the surface. It took me by surprise.

Shit. Why the hell would it do that right now?

Can't you keep it in your pants for five minutes, Mads? What is wrong with you?

Caspian let out a laugh, low and comfortable as I turned red from embarrassment.

"I didn't mean, I mean I was just... fuck me," I sighed, covering my face with my hands.

Caspian leaned in, his breath tickling my ear as he whispered. "Not on the first date, darling."

I took in a sharp breath and swallowed. He chuckled at my reaction.

Fuck.

"But, if you feel like you need more practice I could help you," Caspian offered. "I don't want you pressured into trying it with Nikkos if you don't feel ready."

"No, I think I have enough of it that I want to try." I managed a small smile. "I mean, I need practice, but talking it out with you has really made me understand it a little better."

"Good," Caspian said. "You took to it quickly, I'm impressed."

"Now if only I could master it quickly." I stood from my seat and we began to walk down the sidewalk. "I guess I just didn't have words to describe it before. Honestly, I thought it was all in my head for most of the years it's been happening to me."

Caspian chuckled. "I believe it. Those Atlantean girls really know how to work their voices."

He cleared his throat, fixing the button on his sleeve cuff. It distracted me a little, watching how his arms and chest strained against the fabric of his shirt when he moved.

"Anyway," Caspian continued. "I need to get back before Nikkos gets too suspicious. I'll text you the plan in a bit and we can accidentally bump into you on the beach later."

I laughed. "Sounds good. Nice and accidental alright."

He gave me a warm smile before his eyes went downward.

I frowned. "Hey, eyes up here, Caspian."

Not that my mind wasn't in roughly the same territory.

He looked up, a little startled for a moment. "I... no. Sorry, I was just thinking I wish I had something from back home for you to wear. These mainlander clothes are nice and all, but I think you'd absolutely stun in an Atlantean dress."

"Oh."

He shrugged. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. If it's any consolation, I'm a little worried that I'm putting all the power in your hands with this."

I couldn't stop my face from turning sly. "Oh? I might like the sound of that."

Then, he grinned back at me. Those dimples, his gorgeous eyes. My heart hit my chest hard enough to make me aware of my increasing pulse. I bit back a groan.

Rein it in, Mads.

Why did I say that? Stuff like that was always coming out of my mouth. That's how I keep finding myself with jackasses like Trent. Though, admittedly, Caspian didn't act like Trent at all.

I bit my lower lip, trying to hold in the giddy feeling I got around Caspian. He was smooth, for sure, but not as fake as some of my old flames.

"What kind of clothes do you wear in Atlantis?" I asked, reaching for something else, anything else, to focus on.

He nodded, pleased with my interest in it. "Loose, a lot of whites, pale colors, or undyed fabric for casual wear. A lot of beads and embroidery. For more important things, bright and bold colors. A lot of bone and coral for details like buttons or jewelry."

"Oh!" I said. "Your clothes on the beach yesterday."

He smiled. "Yes, they were from back home. Good eye."

I beamed at him. "I'll see what I have in my closet. No promises though, I don't have that many nice things since my last move."

And this impending one. My expression faltered as I remembered half of my things were packed in boxes and the other half had about two days to be packed up as well.

"Everything okay?" Caspian asked.

"Yeah. Text me the details and I'll see you tonight."

"I can do that."

He leaned in, and I was dangerously aware of his parted lips as he moved. But he just tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. The brush of his fingers on the skin of my neck sent heat through me, and all too soon those fingers went away again. "See you later, Madeline."

My heart went wild, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed that he wasn't doing what I thought he was about to do.

"Later," I echoed, my voice cracking, and we went our separate ways.

For now, at least.

The walk back to my apartment was a daze. Caspian was hot as sin, and I was having a very hard time keeping my mind out of the gutter. It felt good to have an idea of where I'm from, even if his claim of knowing just by my voice was a rather weak clue to go on.

Then again, he was spot on about my issues with my voice and men. Or maybe I was grasping at straws.

His eyes though. Like staring into the ocean. I've only ever seen eyes that blue in a mirror, it was uncanny. What color were Nikkos's eyes? I think they were blue too, though admittedly I was paying a lot more attention to Caspian than anything else that night.

I sighed when I reached my apartment. Looking up the stairs to the second floor where my dented metal door with the crooked letter B hung. Taped to it was another yellow notice. Dragging myself up the creaky metal stairs, I unlocked my door and slipped inside, crumpling the note up as I went.

"Let's take a look," I murmured as I opened a box of clothes. Tank tops. A few gym sweatshirts that, if I'm being honest, I'd probably give to a thrift shop at some point. Shorts, swimsuits, nothing too interesting.

And then, my white tunic shirt appeared at the bottom of the box.

I pulled it out, smoothing out the wrinkles with a grin. It was cut lower than necessary, and it constantly fell off my shoulders. If I wore one of my lacy white bras with it, the whole look comes off as pretty sexy.

Do I want to be sexy in front of Caspian?

Yes.

I immediately went for another box that I knew had a pair of white cutoff shorts in them and pulled it together with a pair of wedges that made my ass pop.

"Perfect." I grinned, getting changed and checking out the whole look in the mirror. I added a few gold bangles and a blue choker, then it was down to the waiting game.

It gave me time to pack at least, and make a quick sandwich when time passed enough to hit the dinner hour. I pulled together most of my other clothes into boxes as well as the rest of my bathroom stuff. With a sigh, I shook my head at how few things I really owned. I just never seemed to keep much each time I moved.

Or dumped an ex.

I bit my lip, looking over my stuff. At least it would fit in my car. And then my phone buzzed, catching my attention as I pulled it out of my pocket.

<Let's see if we can push three of Nikkos's buttons tonight. If you can do all three, I owe you a surprise.>

<1-Have him let you touch his hair. He hates that. Don't just do it, he needs to let you do it.>

<2-Get him to walk in the water with us, but when we're done, get him to put his shoes back on before his feet are dry. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but I promise for Nikkos it might be the hardest one.>

<3-Have him ignore his phone. He can't stand not paying attention to it while we're on a business trip. I'll call him while you have him ignore it.>

"Sounds interesting." I grinned.

A surprise, huh?

<Meet you in half an hour?>

I looked at the time on my phone. Just enough time if I started walking now. No need to take my car if I didn't have to. Gas is money I don't have to be spending right now.

<Yes>

Once I was done typing my reply, I grabbed my lanyard with my keys on it and left.

Time to see what this voice can really do.

~

The evening air had grown humid. I noticed it more when I wasn't in the shade and the last of the sun fell on me, promising to disappear completely in a couple hours. But soon enough I could hear the gentle waves hit the shore, and I picked up my pace to see it.

The sun was on my back and the dark water in front of me. It would have been great to walk on the sands, but I didn't want to ditch my shoes quite yet so I took to walking the sidewalk next to it for now.

The breeze felt nice, and it relaxed me as I watched the marina in the distance. It was separated from the beach by some distance of inaccessible rocky shore for safety reasons, but the sidewalk made an easy place to walk between the two.

When I spotted them walking, I immediately turned like I was about to walk onto the beach. Standing there in the breeze, I closed my eyes and smiled. After a few minutes, they approached.

"Madeline?" Caspian asked.

I opened my eyes and turned to see Caspian and Nikkos, both wearing some of those light clothes from Atlantis in the evening breeze. He was a good actor.

"Hello there," I said. "I was just here on my evening walk, are you guys enjoying the beach?"

Nikkos immediately narrowed his eyes and turned to his cousin, but didn't say anything about it.

"Yes, mind if we join you?" Caspian asked.

"Caspian," Nikkos hissed. "What are you doing?"

"We can tell her more about home," Caspian murmured.

Nikkos sighed through his nose, looking put out but not arguing further.

Caspian turned his attention back to me fully, now taking in my outfit. I held in the grin as his eyes followed the curve of my legs up to the breezy white top, not unlike his own shirt. When his gaze settled on the choker on my neck, he didn't try very hard to hide a wicked grin that promised some rather risque thoughts behind those eyes.

A small gasp escaped me as I pictured what he could be thinking. I hadn't seen this side of him before, but it was thrilling.

I remembered what I came here for. I blushed and cleared my throat. "I was just about to dip my feet in the water."

Bending forward, I took off my shoes slowly, wondering if Caspian was watching my movements as closely as he watched my choker. Standing up with shoes in hand, I stepped onto the sand and tilted my head. "Do you want to come with?"

Caspian was amused, keeping those blue eyes trained on me. Nikkos thought for a moment before saying, "Sure, why not."

The guys took their shoes off as well, and we walked down the sand to the cool waves. That wasn't the hard part, I didn't even need to use my voice. Caspian said the hard part would be getting him to put his shoes back on. Maybe I could get another one of the challenges in before we got to that.

"So, what is the ocean like on your island?" I asked.

Caspian smirked. "It's the same ocean, Madeline."

I rolled my eyes as he chuckled, then I turned to Nikkos instead. "I mean, you know how some beaches are rocky, some have white sand, some are murky, some are clear?"

Nikkos gave me a faint smile. "I see. Yes, I can answer that one. The eastern side of the island is white rock. Little sand and nowhere to bring a boat or walk into the water safely. The east end has sand as white as the rocks from the other side, and a coral reef around most of that."

We reached the water and I happily sank my toes into the wet sand. The waves pushed against my ankles, and then pulled back as it dragged out again. Nikkos and Caspian did the same.

"That sounds really amazing, actually," I said.

"It is," Nikkos answered. "The unique geography and the slope of our underwater sections allows a plateau of resources that-"

"Nikkos," Caspian snapped. "Too much."

Nikkos frowned, then his eyes widened as he turned to Caspian. "What, have you not told her yet?"

I frowned. "Told me what?"

The cousins looked at me, then at each other, then Caspian ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

"I just don't want him to bore you with details like that," Caspian answered. "And of course I told her where we're from, Nikkos."

"A place named after Atlantis, right?" I asked.

Nikkos blinked. "Yes."

My eyebrows lowered, heavy with suspicion. Something about their reactions was off.

"So, Madeline." Caspian got my attention. "What do you do for a living?"

My face fell. "Actually, I just left my job. I'm between, uh, opportunities."

Caspian and Nikkos both looked surprised. My face heated up, embarrassed. "What about your home, do you live with someone else paying the bills?" Nikkos asked.

I hesitated, then shook my head.

"Madeline..." Caspian started.

"It's fine," I insisted. "I'm putting my resume out there, and then there's my savings."

Nikkos coughed. "Well then, a change of subject, I think. What brought you to live here? Caspian tells me you're not from the area."

That brought out a small smile, grateful that Nikkos was thinking of my feelings.

I shrugged. "The call of the ocean, I guess. I... Caspian says I might be from where you are, but how likely is that, really?"

Nikkos looked at me with concentration. Honestly assessing what he saw before him.

I took a moment to do the same. His eyes were as eerily blue as Caspian's. Olive skin, dark hair, and a similar physique to his cousin. Nothing inherently stuck out beyond the eyes, but there was something about them. Something about all three of us...

"May I see your ears?" Nikkos asked.

I paused. "Why?"

Caspian chuckled. "Of course, good idea."

"We have an, er, common birthmark let's call it. Do you have a small bump behind each ear?" Nikkos asked.

My lips parted and the hand not holding my shoes immediately reached up to feel the skin behind my ears.

"I thought as much," Nikkos said.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

Caspian and Nikkos both turned their heads to show the same small dot in their own skin. So tiny you wouldn't really know it was there if you weren't looking. I'd asked a doctor about it once, but all she really said was that birthmarks can come in all sorts of bizarre forms and it didn't look like anything to worry about.

"If you were in Atlantis, you wouldn't be alone," Nikkos explained. "We all have it."

My breath was a little rough, I had to concentrate to even it out. Chalk that up to another weird similarity between us.

"Maybe you're right about where I'm from," I murmured. "But, why have I never heard of this place before? Is it that small?"

Caspian nodded. "You won't find it on many maps, that's for sure. It's barely a city-state of its own, let alone to be considered a country."

"Interesting. Maybe I could visit someday."

It certainly beats the way things have been going for me here.

A ringing phone caused Nikkos to jump for his pocket.

"Drat, who is it now?" Nikkos grumbled.

My eyes flicked to Caspian, one of his hands was suspiciously in his pocket and I took it as my cue to try out my voice. I cleared my throat, reaching for that place that would make the pressure happen and praying that it would work this time.

"Nikkos, let it ring," I insisted. "We're relaxing, not on business."

Nikkos's hand frozen with his ringing phone as he was bringing it out of his pocket.

"Shit," Nikkos hissed, looking at me and clearing his throat. "Madeline, if you'll excuse me I need to take this call."

But he just stood there, his phone in his hand and not moving above his hip. My heart was pounding, did I do it?

"Well?" Caspian asked, amused. "Go on then."

Nikkos scowled at him and I couldn't stop myself from growing hopeful.

"Sorry, Nikkos. Go ahead," I offered.

His shoulders sagged and he smiled. "Thank you."

Looking at the caller ID, Nikkos scowled at Caspian, who burst out laughing.

"Very funny," Nikkos snapped. "I take it you taught her about the siren's sway?"

That slowed down my giggling. "Siren's sway?"

Caspian shot Nikkos a look.

Nikkos shrugged. "It's a term for... the..."

"The sway. It's another way to say it," Caspian said.

"Mm." I agreed, but something was still odd about it. Siren. Is it a term in Atlantis because of my voice? The voices of the ones like me? Weird, and... a little bit concerning to be honest.

"I wish we had more to show you from back home," Caspian said, changing the subject. "Like one of Nikkos's books."

"If you're referring to my collection of the annotated Senate's history then you're trying to set her up for boredom. Those books require familiarity with legal jargon and a great deal of explanation." Nikkos scoffed. "The murals in Charmolipi Square would be much better visual representation of Atlantis."

"What about a website?" I asked. "Like, a tourism site? Or local government?"

Caspian elbowed Nikkos. "Way to go."

"Well, there's the matter of our language," Nikkos said. "You don't speak it, so I'm not sure what I could direct you to in English."

"Oh, true," I said.

"Do we have anything interesting on the ship?" Caspian wondered out loud. "Nikkos, did you bring anything?"

"Little other than work," Nikkos said. "But the whole ship is Atlantian make. Everything from the dishes to the doors to the limited furniture will look like a bit of home."

"Right you are," Caspian murmured, then turned to me. "Would you like to see it?"

I bit my lip and shook my head. "I really want to say yes, but I'm not ready to get on a boat with two guys I don't know."

Caspian raised his hands in front of him. "Of course, that's fair. Maybe we could bring some things out to show you before we leave or something."

That's right, they have to go back at some point...

"When do you leave?" I asked.

"Friday," Nikkos answered. "We're on a fairly tight schedule."

I nodded, stepping out of the water with a sigh. "How does one get to Atlantis? You know, if I ever wanted to visit. Fly there?"

"You won't find any flights to Atlantis," Caspian said. "You'd have to find someone with a boat who knows how to get there."

I whistled. "It really is small, isn't it?"

"Something like that," Caspian answered, stepping out of the water behind me.

My eyes flicked down. We were all still barefoot, but I hadn't forgotten the challenges.

And I wanted to know what kind of surprise Caspian could possibly have in mind if I won.

"Nikkos," I said, slipping on my shoes. "We should put our shoes on and I can go with you guys to the marina to at least look at the outside of your boat."

Nikkos froze. "Put on my shoes? Our feet are still wet."

I shared a playful smile with Caspian before turning back to Nikkos. "Please?"

I emphasized my 'please' and thankfully my sway took the hint, because there was a crack of my voice at the end. I could see it in Nikkos's reaction. He gritted his teeth and slid his feet back into his shoes reluctantly. My heart pounded with the small victory.

"I swear, Caspian, I will get you back for this," Nikkos promised.

Caspian just chuckled. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

Still thrilled by my progress, I pushed my luck for the last one.

"Oh, Nikkos," I stopped in front of him. "You have something in your hair. You don't mind if I get it out, do you?"

Nikkos closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I assure you I very much do, but I won't stop you."

I bit my lip and played with a bit of his hair on the side of his head. Enough to keep up the pretense of getting something out of it. Leaning back, I met Caspian's amused gaze.

"That's three," I told him, breathless.

He smirked, putting his hands in his pockets. "So it is. I suppose I owe you now."

"You do," I flashed him a smile.

"If you two are quite done harassing me," Nikkos huffed, "I will be taking my leave of you both. Madeline, it was nice to meet you, though I can clearly see my cousin has been an influence."

Nikkos nodded sharply and walked away, making his way toward the sidewalk and the marina beyond.

Caspian couldn't stop himself from laughing as Nikkos disappeared over the docks. "That was great. You're definitely getting the hang of it."

"Couldn't he have stopped it if he really didn't want to?" I asked.

Caspian's laughter died off as he sighed, still smiling and looking to where Nikkos had disappeared. "You still need the practice and I wasn't as sure it was going to work on that last one, but enough slipped through in the end, I'm impressed."

"I don't know, I think I was too comfortable here. It wasn't the same as with gum guy. That was almost..." scary. I shivered.

"Maddie," he said softly. "I still count this as a win and so will Nikkos."

I turned from watching Nikkos go and instead studied Caspian while he wasn't looking and his guard was down. He looked happy. Relaxed. The air of peace was contagious, and it nearly made me forget the troubles I had to go home to.

"Maddie," Caspian said softly, not looking at me. "Come with us."

That caught me off guard, and my lips parted in surprise as my eyes darted around his expression for a hint of amusement. There was none, he was serious.

"I can't," I answered softly.

Caspian nodded. "I know."

He turned to face me. His eyes tired and his smile forced.

"I have a life here," I whispered, beginning to ramble excuses. "And my car, and my apartment..."

"Maddie," Caspian said, stopping me. "I understand. I don't like it, but I understand. But promise me something."

I wrapped my arms around myself, biting my lower lip. "What is it?"

"When the ocean calls to you a little too hard for you to resist, let me be the one to show you your home."

My heart hit my chest hard.

Home.

Something I've been looking for since I left Michigan.

"Okay," I said softly. "I promise."

He stepped closer to me, beginning to reach out and stopping himself.

But I continued it. I reached out for his hand, and he met my action with his. His hand was warm, and bigger than mine.

We leaned in at the same time and our lips met. A soft kiss. A parting kiss. He was so warm against the evening breeze. His cologne was a light sandalwood aroma, the brush of his soft open shirt tickled my collar bone. His hand reached for the side of my neck as we kissed, his thumb brushing deliberately against the choker on my neck. The sensual touch of it gave me goosebumps.

And almost as soon as it began, it was over and we separated.

His eyes met mine. He looked like he had a lot more to say. Hell, that made two of us. But when neither of us made a sound, he sighed through his nose.

Caspian stepped away, and began walking back to the sidewalk.

"Goodnight, Madeline."

"'Goodnight," I whispered.

And I watched him go.

Taking the answers to my lifelong questions with him.