Chapter Text

When Maya Bishop was born a storm was raging over Forks, Washington. Her mum had wanted a home birth originally, but the storm warning and complications had forced her to drive the hour from her home to the hospital. She was alone, because her husband was out with his fisher boat, but she was used to it.

Lane Bishop didn’t meet his child until she was five weeks old and then only for five days until he had to leave again. They were back in their little town, a quiet place in the north west of Washington called Neah Bay. Maya’s father was born and raised here, he met her mother during a trip to Port Angeles. Since he didn’t want to move away, she gave up her life in the city and moved to the town. 

Once Maya and her mum were settled in their house, they got a lot of visitors. Especially their next door neighbour, a woman called Marla, came over every day to help. She brought food, helped in the house and took either Maya or both Bishop women on walks. It came to no surprise to anyone (except Lane Bishop), that Maya formed a close relationship with Marla.

When Maya was three years old, she spent most of her time at Marla’s house while her mother was at work and her father out at sea. Marla told her stories about the woods and the sea and magic. It was Maya’s favourite time of day.

When she was four years old, her brother Mason was born. Her father was over the moon to finally have a son and even took some time off work to spend time with him. Maya was over at Marla’s house a lot more during that time and even slept there every now and then.
One evening Maya heard the woman fight with her parents. She could only hear bits of the conversation, but there were a lot of raised voices and she hurriedly went back to bed, clutching her bear and hiding under the blanket. She pretended to be asleep when the door creaked open and a bit of light came in through the crack. The door closed again and Maya let out a sigh of relief.

After that her parents seemed to make more of an effort to spend time with her. Still Maya was happiest when she was at her neighbour’s house. 

She was seven years old when her father took her out on the boat for the first time. She enjoyed it a lot until her father made her help him. From that point on she helped him every Saturday when he only went out for a day.

Now that she was older, she loved running around outside in the forest. Sometimes she was joined by her brother Mason, or the friends she found in school, Andy and Vic. But she also found friends in the nearby Makah village of Waatch. They went on adventures together, building forts in the woods and exploring caves.

She also loved sitting at the beach around fires and listening to old stories. They were similar to the stories Marla had told her as a child.

“Ever since the first people settled in this area, there have been rumours about humans living in the sea. Their upper bodies look like an ordinary human, but instead of legs they have tails like a whale. They called them ča'ak ła∙ x uk or ča'ak xad'ak, which means waterman and waterwoman. Until now there are sightings of  ča'ak ła∙ xuk and ča'ak xad'ak in this part of our land. They know to stay away from the fishing boats and it has been hundreds of years since the last one was tangled in a net. We have coexisted since the very beginning and we’re keeping their secret.”

Maya has promised to never tell anyone about them, not even Andy and Vic.

When she was 12 her father decided that she should stop running around like a wild child and start taking some responsibility. He was disappointed in Mason, who had been sick a lot as a child and was seen as weak by his father. So instead he put all his hopes in Maya. He had also started drinking, or maybe Maya just noticed it more, now that she spent so much time with him. His temper was a lot shorter and Maya learned quickly to obey his orders immediately. Fishing with him was not a lot of fun and when Lane told her that she were to join him for the entire summer season, she was equal parts mad and sad.
Mad, because she had plans with her friends.
Sad, because there were so many better  things to do with her summer than being stuck on a boat.

She asked her mother to talk to her father, but she did nothing. She was quiet and didn’t want to start a fight. She did everything her husband asked of her, no matter what. They all walked on eggshells around the house when he was home and Maya had secretly longed for the periods when he was gone. And now she was supposed to accompany him. Spend 24/7 with him on a tiny boat.

The first week wasn’t too bad, the alcohol intake was minimal and Lane was actually patient when he explained everything to Maya. She was even starting to enjoy it.

It was in the second week that they started pulling in a net that seemed heavier than usual.
“Do you think we caught a mermaid?” Maya asked excitedly, peering over the rail.
“Mermaids don’t exist.” Her father said gruffly, pulling her back.
“But Paul said…”
“It’s a fairytale. Nothing more.”
“But…”
“Enough! Stop this nonsense. They don’t exist. Have never existed and that is the last I want to hear about it!”

Maya really wanted to believe her father was wrong, but after all he had spent a lot of time on sea and never seen one. And she did too now and never caught as much as a glimpse. So he was probably right, there were no mermaids.

The rest of the summer was going much the same. Still, whenever Maya found the time, she went swimming in her favourite bay and walked around the ever changing forest that she probably knew better than most.

From that year on she was joining her father on his fishing boat every summer holiday. His drinking habits got worse over the years and soon she was doing a lot on her own, while he was somewhere under deck sleeping, or else puking over the railing if the sea was a bit rough. Maya didn’t mind though. If she was alone, he wasn’t yelling or throwing stuff at her.

Maya now preferred autumn and spring, when she was free to do what she wanted. She went over to Marla’s house a lot, especially in winter. Sometimes she was joined by Mason and they enjoyed her cookies and hot chocolate.

Another thing she really enjoyed was swimming. She went out for a swim nearly every day and was getting really good at it.

She figured that if she had to be on a boat during the summer, being a good swimmer was a good thing.

When she was 14 they went out when there was a storm warning, but her father wanted to go out anyway. Every other fisherman in Neah Bay told him not to do it, but Lane Bishop was nothing if not stubborn.

So they went out while the water was calm and the sky was clear.
But it didn't stay that way.

They were out for two days when the storm hit. Lane was under deck, he had started drinking an hour after they left port. Maya was alone on deck, trying to find a safe passage, preferably back home. There was no way their little boat would be able to be safe here for much longer.

The storm was raging with strong winds that brought heavy rain from the side, thunder and lightning and waves as high as the railing. Maya tried desperately to secure everything, yelling for her father to wake up, knowing he wouldn't come. A wave crashed over the deck, the boat was moving from side to side and Maya was hit full in the face.

She was trying to cling on to something, but her wet hands slipped on the wet metal and she fell when the ship moved in the other direction. Maya desperately tried to get a hold on anything, but she slid over the slippery deck and into the crashing waves.

She tries to fight, tries to get back to the surface, but the water is too strong.

The last thing she sees before she loses consciousness is someone swimming quickly towards her.

Chapter Text

Carina loves storms. Whenever there was one, she came up to the surface and enjoyed the water raging around her. The rain made a satisfying sound and she loved watching the waves building and moving.

So of course she was up at the surface today, watching the storm rage around her. She was alone, happy to be so. She had had a fight with her father just hours before. She had left him in their home, angry and fuming and had fled up to the surface, far away from where anyone would look for her.

In the distance she had seen a boat fighting the waves and she frowned. This storm was bad and usually humans knew not to come out during these. Carina figured this person was either stupid or inexperienced. She swam closer, intrigued, but made sure to stay out of sight. Even though they probably couldn't see anything anyway.

Finally, she was able to see a lonely figure on deck and was even more astonished, because it looked like a girl. Her small frame was desperately trying to stay stable and secure, but she was failing. Was she out here alone? Did she think she could battle the storm alone? But then Carina thought that she could hear her shouting, so maybe she wasn't.

She watched the girl struggle and stumble, hoping she would just go inside and be safe.

Just when she blinked, it happened.

The girl lost her balance and fell. She slid over the deck, through the bars of the railing and into the water.

Carina moved before she could think. She rushed over to the girl, who was struggling to get back to the surface, but was pushed and pulled around. Carina thought she could see the girl's eyes for the fraction of a second, before they rolled upwards and she went limp. Carina sped up, a few powerful strokes were enough to get close enough to touch the girl.

Carina scooped her up and brought her up to the surface. The boat had moved further away and Carina moved quickly towards it, making sure her precious cargo stayed above the water, even in the big waves. 

Once she reached the boat, she struggled to get the girl up, finally heaving herself up too. The girl's blonde hair fell like a wet crown around her. She was breathing, but still unconscious.

Carina struggled for a moment, before she was able to stand up and help her. She wasn't sure what to do, so she just started slapping her cheeks left and right until the blonde finally jerked up.

“Welcome back!” Carina murmured, her voice a little scratchy. The girl stared at her, bewildered.

“Who are you?” She asked, before a coughing fit started and she spit out a bit of water.

“I'm Carina. I just saved your life.”

“But how?” She looked around. They were still in the middle of the sea and the storm was still raging around them.

Carina ignored the question.

“What's your name?” She asked, instead. Because she was curious and because she wanted to change the topic.

“I'm Maya. Maya Bishop.”

“Well Maya Bishop, usually when someone saves your life, you say thank you.”

“Thank you.” Maya blurted out.

“You're welcome.” Carina grinned a little. “Are you going to be okay? You should try and get back to shore as soon as possible.” Maya nodded, mutley and Carina got up.

“Goodbye, Maya Bishop.” She said, as she moved to the railing.

“Wait! What are you doing?”

“I'm going home. As should you. Don't come out again in a storm.” 

And before Maya could say anything else, she climbed over the railing and jumped in the dark water. Maya rushed over and stared after her.

What the hell just happened?!

Maya somehow managed to bring the boat back and her father home. He, of course, didn't know anything and rather than being happy she was able to man the ship alone, was mad that a whole day of fishing was wasted.

The next day, Maya had a cold. Lane insisted that she still went out, but had to give in when the storm still hadn't let up.

As he also didn't see a need in getting a doctor for Maya and told her to stop being weak and pull through, she just got worse. Three days later she was running a high fever, her nose was running non stop, her chest was tight and she was plagued by harsh coughing fits. Her mother Katherine finally took her to see a doctor and she was prescribed medication and bed rest.

During this time Maya had a lot of time to think about what happened. So far she was certain of three things:

1. She had been rescued by a girl
2. The girl had come out of nowhere 
3. She had jumped back into the storm as if it was nothing 

She hadn't thought about the old stories in a long time, but while she was resting in bed it came creeping back in.

Were the Makah people right? 

Do merpeople still exist?

There was only one person to ask.

As soon as Maya was allowed to leave the bed, she went over to Marla's house. The woman was the only person who she felt safe enough to talk to. She knew her father would just start shouting again and her mother didn't talk much anymore. She felt much closer to Marla than she felt to her parents anyway these days.

“Daka∙!” Marla greeted her with a tight hug. She had called her daka∙ ever since Maya could remember. It meant sun and moon and when Maya asked her why she called her that, Marla had answered: “Your hair is like the sun and your spirit is like the moon.” She never understood.

“Do you feel better?” Marla pulled her out of her thoughts. They had arrived in her sitting room and she was moving around in the adjoining kitchen, making tea.

“Hm? Oh. Yeah I'm okay. The fever is down and the cough is gone. I'm just a little congested.”

“That's good to hear.” She put a cup of tea in front of her. “So, how can I help you?”

Maya took her cup and turned it in her hands, thinking about how to best approach the subject.

“When we were out at sea during the storm, I fell into the water. I slipped and couldn't hold on to anything.” Marla's face was stony. She didn't make a secret of her dislike of Lane Bishop and that he was irresponsible in her opinion. She didn't interrupt her guest, because she knew Maya would get to the point eventually. “I think I lost consciousness in the water, but once I woke up there was a girl.” Surprised Marla raised an eyebrow.

“A girl?” Maya nodded.

“She had pulled me out of the water and brought me back to consciousness. But after she made sure I was okay, she just… she jumped back into the water. But how can she? There was a storm going on, the waves were as high as our boat and she just vanished. But that's impossible, right? I must have had a hallucination or something. Maybe I just hit my head or something.” She trailed off, unsure of what to say and what to think.

Marla sighed deeply, then smiled. She leaned forward and set her tea down on the table.

“Child, I don't think you had a hallucination. Don't you remember the stories?”

“Do you think… But they're just stories. They're not real. Dad said so. They're just fairytales.”

“Maya.” Marla's voice was serious when she interrupted and Maya flinched a little. “They're not fairytales. They're legends. And every legend has a bit of truth behind it.”

“But Dad…”

“Your father doesn't know everything. And he especially doesn't have a sense for things that happen without proof. They are real. As real as you and me. We don't know how many there are these days, but they're still out there. You must've been very far out to meet one.”

“We drifted off course.” Maya mumbled, that was the only thing she could think of.

“So you think… You think I saw a mermaid? Like a real mermaid?” Marla nodded and smiled and Maya's thoughtful expression.

Maya stayed for a while longer, drank tea and talked a bit about this and that. She left when she got too tired, still not being back 100% health-wise.

But she left with her head buzzing about mermaids and pretty girls.

There was one thing she was certain of: she had to see her again.

Chapter Text

Three

Seeing her again proved to be more difficult than originally thought.
Although she did bring out the boat and tried to find the exact spot again, she failed. At the time of the storm she had lost all orientation, so now she has tried to trace back from memory, but to no avail.
Maya was frustrated. Her father wouldn't allow her to take the boat out anymore, because he needed it. At least she didn't have to go with him anymore as school had started again. She didn't tell anyone what she had seen, not even Andy and Vic. Of course they knew about the accident, but about nothing else.
She now used the afternoons and evenings to run around the coast line, hoping against hope that Carina would show up.

It was on a Saturday when Maya had left the house early to avoid the other people in the house. There was a rain forecast, but she didn't care. She had put on her waterproof coat and boots and was walking past Calvin's Crab House and down Boom Road until she found one of the well beaten tracks in the woods. There was one way she hadn't tried, yet. It was further away, that's why she had needed to go out so early. There was no way she'd be able to make the track if her family forced her to attend the family breakfast.

Maya didn't know why they did it, anyway. She didn't feel like they were a family. Her father was yelling every day, there was always something to complain about, her mother kept her head down and tried to be small and her brother spent less time at home than she did. The blonde wasn't sure what he was up to, but she knew all of his friends. They were all wild boys, so they probably played in and around the tide pools. She wasn't too worried, it was probably still better for him than being home, where he was constantly criticised by their father.

It was a cold, breezy day and Maya was glad she brought her coat, even if she had it slung around her hips right now. Walking kept her warm, but she knew she would cool down quickly when she arrived and took a rest.

Now that summer was almost over Maya knew that she would need to find a place to spend her days whenever she couldn't go to Andy's house. Or for times her father found her there and dragged her home to do chores and learn everything about professional fishing. It was the most boring thing.

Maya didn't know what she wanted to do when she was grown up, but she sure as hell didn't want to become a fisher. Being stuck on a boat, constantly smelling like fish and being gone from her friends and family for days or weeks was not something that appealed to her.

Her boot snapped a twig and the sound was sharp in the otherwise quiet woods. Maya shook herself and started walking again, turning now towards the sea. It wasn't far now.

10 minutes later she reached a small bay, big round cliffs surrounded it and it took Maya half an hour to find a safe way down. Looking around she decided that, even if she never saw Carina again, this was the perfect space.

It was visible from the top, big trees and the cliffs threw shade and she would be able to hide here, even in the summer. Maybe in winter it would be hard to get down here or back up again, but she would worry about this when it happened. Maya sat down under an overhanging rock, pulled her knees close and slung her arms around her legs.

She did not know how long she was sitting there, but it eventually started to rain. Maya sat dry under her rock and watched the rain falling and the water of the ocean churning. It was colder now, but Maya had her coat that she now put on. Then she leaned back against the rock and stretched her legs out in front of her.

The wind was getting stronger and so were the waves. Maya suddenly sat bolt upright. Something moved in the water. That couldn't be right. She squinted her eyes, trying to see through the rain and waves. There! A head was bobbing in the waves. Was that someone in trouble? Maya moved towards the water, stepping out from under the overhanging rock.

“Hey!” She yelled against the winds. “Can you hear me? Are you okay?”
The other one didn't react, she probably couldn't hear her. Maya looked left and right and made a decision. She couldn't possibly let someone drown. She ran back, pulling off her coat and clothes, then ran back and into the water.

It was freezing cold, but she fought against the cold and the current trying to pull her back to shore. Determined, she took strokes towards the head, still floating above the surface. The closer she came, the easier it was.

“Hey!” She called again when she was close by. The head turned this time and Maya froze. A wave crashed over her and pulled her under. She struggled against the water, trying to get back up to the surface. Her airways felt tight, the pressure was rising in her head, when she suddenly felt two arms around her middle, guiding her upwards.

She took a big gasp of air, moving her legs to stay up. But something pushed her now and when she looked around, she saw Carina who was swimming back towards shore with a determined look in her eyes.
Finally they reached a part where Maya was able to stand and Maya sat down, staring at Carina, who was resting in the water, staring back.

“You're here.” Maya whispered. She didn't realise that she was freezing, she was too busy wrapping her mind around the fact that Carina was really here.
“So are you.” Carina sounded curious, her head tilted to the side. “What were you trying to do out there?”
“Um… I thought you were in trouble.” Maya said, looking to the side.
“So you thought getting in trouble as well was a good idea?”
“Next time I'll just let people drown I guess…” Carina raised an eyebrow at Maya’s defiant tone and the glare she now had on her face.
“You shouldn't go into the water during a storm. I told you last time.”

They both fell quiet, looking at each other. Maya curious, Carina guarded.
“I should… I should go. And you should get into dry clothes, you're going to be sick.” Carina moved backwards, slowly and Maya panicked.
“No! No please stay! I've tried to find you for so long and now I finally did. Please.”
“You've been looking for me?” The brunette sounded surprised.
“Yes, of course! I wanted to thank you for saving my life.”
“You're welcome.” Carina nodded once. “But I really have to go now. And you really should get dry and warm.” Carina moved backwards into deeper water and for the first time Maya was able to see her tail when she turned. From here it looked blue and gold, but the water was dark and she couldn't be sure.
“Wait!” Carina stopped and looked around. “Will I see you again?” The brunette smiled.
“Only if I don't have to save your life again tomorrow.” Maya grinned, looking after her until she was no longer able to see anything.

Shivering, she scrambled back on land and tried to dry off as best as she could. The rain had slowed down, but she was very cold and figured it would be better to walk home and take a hot shower so she wouldn't get sick again.

But Carina had said she would be back tomorrow, right?
She would see her again and maybe this time they could talk a bit more.

Grinning, Maya made her way back up the cliff and back home.

The next day Maya was barely able to concentrate in school. She was too eager to return to the secret bay and see Carina. Lucky for her, her father was still out and wouldn't hold her back. And her mother would hopefully be at work. Her brother was her smallest problem. They didn't usually hang out together after school.

“Maya!” She turned around and saw Andy running towards her. “Maya, do you want to come over today?”
“Sorry Andy. I already have plans.”
“Plans? Maya you've been having plans all week, what are you doing?” Maya frowned. She couldn't tell Andy what she was really doing, so she had to come up with a lie on the spot.
“I'm training.”
“Training for what?”
“Just swimming.” Maya said, shrugging. “I don't want to nearly drown again, so I've been swimming in all kinds of weather.”
“And I can't come?”
“Sorry Andy. I would rather be alone.” Andy frowned and Maya wasn't sure if she was convinced.
“Fine. But when can we hang out?”
“What about Saturday?” After Andy had nodded and they said goodbye, Maya hurried home. She just changed into her swimming things, dropped her bag in her room, packed a towel, a water bottle and a change of clothes in another bag and raced out the door again.

She waved at Marla, who was sitting in her front garden. Maya thought she might have said something, but she was in too much of a hurry.
The track seemed to drag on today, even if she was quicker than yesterday.

After carefully climbing down, she dropped her bag under the rock she sat under yesterday. Then she pulled off her shirt and trousers. The water was a lot calmer today and Maya was confident that she wouldn't need saving today.

“Carina?” She called as she slowly walked into the water. The ground was rocky and a few stones were sharp, but Maya walked on until the water was deep enough to swim. “Carina?” She called again, looking around.
“Hey.” Maya whirled around and a grin spread over her face when she saw Carina's head emerge from the smooth water surface.
“You came back.” Maya whispered, not quite believing her eyes.
“So did you.” Carina grinned and came a bit closer. Maya grinned as well.

“I wanted to make sure it wasn't a dream.” She nervously looked at Carina, who was slowly coming even closer and reached out a hand. Maya looked at it wearily and the hand stopped about an arms length from her. Hesitantly, she reached out her own hand and touched Carina's with it. Carina smiled and Maya couldn't help, but smile too.

Maya studied Carina’s face for the first time, not realising that Carina was doing the same. Subconsciously they drift closer together, both curious about the other one.
“ I thought you were a hallucination.” It’s Maya, who breaks the silence and when Carina looked puzzled, she added: “After you saved me. I thought you were a hallucination.”
“The first or the second time?” Carina grinned a little and Maya shot her a look and the brunette laughed. Her hair looked dark in its wet state, but she had it pushed back which only accentuated her pretty face. She had sharp features and Maya couldn’t think differently, saying she was beautiful. Her brown eyes were big and soft, crinkling at the edges when she smiled brightly like she did now. “Do you still think I’m a hallucination?” Maya shook her head.
“No, I don’t. But I couldn’t believe it at first. I had to talk to someone about it and…”

“You told someone?” Carina pulled back so fast that Maya was startled when she was suddenly two metres away. “Why would you… I can’t believe you did that!”
“I didn’t.” She blanched under Carina’s fierce gaze. “Okay, yes I did. But!” She raised her voice when Carina looked like she wanted to interrupt again. “I only talked to someone, who knows about… About mermaids.” It was the first time she had said the word and she hesitated to watch Carina’s reaction, but she didn’t. Her face twitched a little, but that was all. “She was one of the people who told me legends when I was a child. So I thought that she would be the best person to talk to.” Carina seemed to think about that and nodded slowly.
“And you didn’t tell anyone else?” Maya shook her head, holding eye contact. “Okay.” Carina seemed to breathe out in relief and swam closer again.

She didn’t know why she was trusting Maya, but she did. There was something in her blue eyes that calmed her and Carina also admired the fact that Maya had been trying to find her (and succeeded). “Where do you live?” She asked, floating in front of Maya who seemed to be too fascinated by her tail to hear her. “Maya?” She said gently, moving a little to the side and the blonde looked up.
“Yes? Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” Maya blushed and Carina thought it was very cute.
“I asked where you lived.” She repeated with a grin.
“Oh. Uhm. In a village down the coast.” Maya pointed vaguely in the direction of Neah Bay. Carina waited for her to say more, but she didn’t and there was a guarded air around her, so she decided not to push. For now. It wasn’t like she could just walk into the village anyway.

“You’re staring.” Carina muttered when she caught Maya staring again and Maya looked up quickly.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… It’s beautiful.”
“You think so?” Maya just nodded and blushed again. “Thank you.” Carina said quietly and shyly. They didn’t look at each other for a moment, both very curious about the other, but also too shy to really say anything.

Maya took all her bravery, because not much could be more awkward than this silence.
“Where do you live? And what do you do all day?” Carina chuckled.
“I live in a cave, somewhere far out.” She waved a hand in a vague direction. “I do a lot of swimming around, trying to find new spaces. I study plants and animals and the stars. My brother and I go exploring together a lot.”
“You have a brother?” Maya interrupted.
“Yes. He’s a few years younger than me.”
“What’s his name?” Carina hesitated, but decided to answer.
“Andrea.” Maya frowned, wondering about the name.
“My best friend’s name is Andrea, too. But everyone calls her Andy.”

They continued talking about this and that, slowly getting to know each other. But eventually, Carina couldn’t ignore Maya’s shivers anymore.
“Your lips are blue.” She stated. “I think it’s time to go home. I also need to go.” She knew, somehow, that Maya wouldn’t protest when she said that she needed to leave as well.
“You’re probably right. Can we… I mean…”
“I’ll be here again tomorrow, waiting for you.” Maya grinned so widely, it made Carina smile too.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then!”
“See you tomorrow!”

Carina waited until Maya was back on land, waved and then turned around to swim home.

Chapter Text

They met every day for the rest of the week. They spent hours talking, Carina telling Maya about life in the ocean and Maya telling Carina about life on land. The mermaid was fascinated by everything and Maya started bringing her little things.
A hairbrush that Carina delightedly used on Maya (her own hair was way too tangled for this brush).
A bowl that was normally used to eat soup out of, but now stood in Carina’s cave to collect shells.
Carina was absolutely excited when Maya brought cutlery and played around with it in the sand and rocks. Maya let her keep it, even if she later had to watch her mother looking for it. The smile she got from her new friend was absolutely worth it.

But Carina took some things to Maya as well. She brought her some pretty shells and stones that she found. Some had fossils in them and Maya explained how they were formed and everything about dinosaurs and life before humans. They both learned a lot about each other in the first few weeks. They talked about everything under the sun.
Everything except their families.

The only family member Carina ever talked about was her brother and Maya was the same. Neither of them wanted to ask the other, afraid of overstepping. Maya even brought her homework sometimes and Carina watched her pouring over maths books and chemistry formulas.

Today it seemed the maths was giving her particularly much trouble, she was huffing and fidgeting around more than usual. Of course she was never a person to sit still, but today she seemed to be especially fidgety. Carina watched her with a frown. Of course Maya was staying outside of the water to protect her books, but Carina had gotten as close as possible. The water was calm today and it was probably one of the last warm days before winter would really hit.

“Maya?” The blonde didn’t look up, but made a little acknowledging sound. “Are you okay?” She saw Maya pausing in her writing, but she still didn’t look up. “It’s just… You’ve been very quiet today. And you’ve gotten more quiet all week. I was just wondering…”
“I’m fine.” Maya’s voice was sharp and Carina flinched.
“Sorry. I just… If you want to talk about it…”
“I don’t.” She snapped. “There’s nothing to talk about.” Carina flinched and was unsure what to do.
“Do you want me to leave?” She asked, hoping Maya would say no, but she just shrugged. A little hurt, because she didn’t understand what was going on, Carina backed up slowly, the water sloshing around her. Maya didn’t look up, but she was frozen and unmoving.

Maya didn’t want her to go at all, but she wasn’t sure how to go about telling her. She looked up and their eyes met. Immediately her eyes watered with tears. Carina stopped moving, looking back at her a little shocked and confused.
“Don’t leave me, please.” Maya whispered, even though she knew Carina wouldn’t be able to hear her. It looked like she saw her talking, though and moved forward again. “Sorry. It’s been a hard week. My father… He…” She gulped and let out a shuddering breath, trying not to cry. A wet hand touched hers and she looked up. Carina had gotten really close now. Closer than usual.
“It’s okay, bambina. You don’t have to say anything. We can just hang out, like usual. Just with less talking if you don’t feel like it.” She settled her cold hand on Maya’s knee and the blonde grabbed it, playing with her fingers. “Why don’t you take a break?” The maths book was gone quicker than Carina was able to finish her sentence.

They stayed silent, Carina was watching their hands and Maya was staring into the distance.
“Can you tell me a story?”
“Of course!”

Carina had been telling Maya stories, some were real things she experienced, some were fairy tales. Maya loved them all. She loved listening to Carina talk. She had found out that communication worked differently under water and because of that, Carina sometimes had trouble finding words. She would look at her friend, who would try and guess the words needed.

Maya wouldn’t be able to tell later what the story was actually about. She let the water and Carina’s voice wash over her. Carina didn’t seem to mind much. She was patiently talking about this and that, always keeping an eye on the blonde. Only when the shivers got more violent and her lips started to turn blue. She squeezed the cold hand in hers.

“You’re cold.” She whispered. Maya shrugged. “Come on, it’s getting dark. You should go home now.”
“I don’t want to.” Carina was hurt about Maya’s dejected tone. “I wish…” Maya breathed in and out, before finally looking at Carina. “I wish I could come with you.” Carina frowned, her hearing was a lot worse on land and she always tried to watch Maya’s lips when she was talking.
“You want to come with me?” She asked, not sure if she heard right.
“Yes. I want to see your world.” Maya looked at her firmly, knowing that Carina also relied on visuals to hear correctly.
“I want to see your world, too.” The mermaid had heard so much from Maya and couldn’t wait to see everything the blonde girl was willing to show her.
“Maybe one day.” Maya said.
“Maybe one day.” Carina agreed.

When Carina came the next day, Maya was not there. She waited until the sun went down, then stayed for just a little longer. Her friend did not show up.
It was the same the next day and Carina started to get worried.
The day after that, she went to the bay earlier than usual, hoping Maya would show up again.

When Carina broke through the surface, she gasped. Not only was the air ice cold, but everything was covered in thick, fluffy stuff. Fascinated Carina swam as close as she could to the rocks. Most of them were not white, they were probably too close to the water. Carina has seen big white flakes come down from the sky, especially during storms in cold season.

“Carina!” Carina whipped around so fast, she nearly hit her head on the stone wall.
“Maya!” She swam over to the blonde girl, standing on the opposite side of the bay. “You’re back!” She was now close enough to see Maya’s red nose and puffy eyes. She had something on her head, pulled down to her eyebrows, but Carina saw that she seemed to be wet and flushed under it. Carina was just about to ask if she was okay, when Maya let out a sneeze, followed by some hacking coughs. “Oh my God.” Not sure what to do, she swam a bit closer.
“Sorry.” Maya murmured, pulled down her Jacket, sat down and pulled out something white and blew her nose. Sniffling, she put it back in her pocket. “It seems like I have gotten a cold the last time I was here.” She sniffled and looked so tired and exhausted that Carina was worried she was about to fall into the sea.

“You look horrible!” The mermaid frowned. “Shouldn’t you be in bed or something? Resting?”
“I haven’t seen you in two days without saying anything. I couldn’t risk you thinking I was abandoning you.” While that was very considerate, Carina was very worried about her friend.

“You told me now. I will wait until you feel better. You don’t have to drag yourself out here through this stuff.” She waved her hand around.
“You mean the snow?”
“That’s what it’s called?” She looked around, fascinated.
“Yes.” Maya leaned down and formed a ball of snow that she gave to Carina. The brunette took it, looked at it from all sides and pressed her fingers into it until it broke. Frowning, she watched as the snow dissolved in the water. She played with the bit still in her hand, forming and reforming it.
“It’s really cool.” She took the next snow ball Maya gave her and added it to the first one. Making a bigger one.
“Yes, it is. You can do really cool stuff with it. Like build a snowman, go sledding and have a snowball fight.” A few more sneezes and coughs followed.

“That all sounds really interesting and fun, but you should really go home, Maya. I’ll see you when you’re better, okay?” She took Maya’s very hot hand in her cold one.
“Yeah okay.” Maya sounded exhausted. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon!”

As always, she watched the girl climb up, noticing that she was a lot slower and seemingly less coordinated than usual.

Carina went back every day for a week, without luck. It seems like Maya’s cold was very serious. The mermaid always waited for a few hours, then left again. The longer she went without seeing Maya, the more worried she became. Was there something worse going on? She wished she was able to go and check on Maya, but she knew that would be foolish.

“Carina, wait!” She froze. She was just about to leave the cave system she lived in with her family and friends when the voice of her best friend reached her. She turned around, forcing a smile on her face and hoped she could get rid of Gabriella soon.
“What’s up?” Gabriella looked very suspicious.
“I could ask you the same thing.” She answered, frowning. “I have seen you sneaking out for a while now. Where are you going?”

What now? She could lie, but Gabriella knew her better than anyone, except maybe her brother. But saying the truth could be dangerous for both of them. Her silence seemed to aggravate Gabriella even more. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Yes, of course I do.” She sighed. “I’m meeting someone. A girl.” And before Gabriella could get excited she added: “A human girl.”
“Carina!” Her friend hissed like moray and pulled her behind some rocks. “Are you out of your mind? Don’t you know how dangerous that is? What if she tells on you? What if she kidnaps you?”
“She won’t. I trust her.” Her friend didn’t seem convinced. “Look, I have been seeing her for  while now and I know she’s not dangerous. We have a lot in common.” When Gabri still didn’t look convinced, Carina sighed. “I will ask her if she is willing to meet you and you can see for yourself. Would that be okay?” After thinking hard about it, Gabrielle nodded.
“Okay. Until then I’ll keep my mouth shut, but if I think she’s a danger to you, I will tell someone.”
“Fine.” Carina wasn’t happy about it, but what was she supposed to do?

When she swam away, she could feel Gabriella’s eyes on her until she was far away.

Carina hoped Maya was there today, so she could talk to her about this.

Chapter Text

Carina was sure she had set a new record when she broke through the surface, slightly out of breath. She looked around hastily and her heart sank when she didn’t see Maya anywhere. Maybe she would still come. Carina swam a little closer to the shore and waited.

The mermaid was just about to give up and leave when she saw something move at the edge of the cliff. Her heart started beating fast and she sank below the surface, trying to watch the cliff from under water. Maya’s figure climbed down the cliff so fast, she fell down the last part.
“Maya!” Carina broke through the surface and swam closer, but Maya was already back on her feet.
“You’re still here! I thought you’d already left.” Maya was out of breath and doubled over, taking a few deep breaths.
“I was just about to leave.” Maya looked up at her.
“Do you have to go?” She asked hesitantly.
“No, I can stay a little longer.” The smile that broke out on Maya’s face at her words would be worth any comments she would get.

The snow was still covering everything and Maya was wearing a thick jacket and a pair of thick trousers that made her legs look twice as thick as usual. She wiped away some snow from a rock and sat down on it. When Carina frowned, she was quick to reassure her that her trousers were waterproof and that she would be fine.

They talked a lot about what they had been up to during the time they hadn’t seen each other. Carina however was getting more and more fidgety and Maya finally asked what was wrong. The brunette took a deep breath and looked down on her hands that were clutching a rock.
“My friend Gabriella saw me today when I was leaving. I tried to tell her a lie about where I was going, but she didn’t believe me. So I… I told her the truth. That I’m going to see you.” She saw Maya move at the edge of her vision, but didn’t dare look up.
“What did she say?” Maya evidently tried to sound calm, but Carina could hear the sliver of fear in her voice.
“She said she wants to meet you so she can decide for herself if you’re trustworthy or not.” Maya gasped just loud enough for Carina to hear. When she looked up she saw that Maya had gotten up and looked absolutely terrified. Carina wished her transformation were easier and less painful so she could go and comfort her. “Gabri is a good person. She won’t hurt you.”

“I'm not worried about that.” Maya said, pacing along the waterline. “I’m worried that she doesn’t like me and that you won’t be able to come here anymore. Because our meetings…” She hesitated. “They’re my favourite times of the day.” She glanced over at Carina, who frowned before breaking into a huge smile. Maya figured that she hadn’t understood clearly.
“Do you mean that?”
“Of course I do.” If possible Carina grinned even wider. Maya smiled hesitantly, but fidgeted nervously which brought the mermaid back to her senses.

“Gabriella won’t do that. She’s my best friend and I’ve known her since forever. She’s just looking out for me. She’ll love you!” Maya looked sceptical. “Hey, she cannot keep me from coming here. I won’t let her. It’s my own decision.”
“Do you promise?”
“I promise!”

The next day Gabriella waited for Carina at the edge of the caves, wanting to make sure she didn’t leave without her. But she needn’t have worried. Carina was on time and almost looked happy to see her. She swam fast and was obviously in a hurry to  get wherever they were going.

Finally they arrived in a bay and broke through the surface. Carina looked around, but her friend didn’t seem to be there, yet. They settled close to the edge of the water and Carina stared up the cliff.

They waited.
And they waited.
Carina was getting agitated and nervous, fidgeting around. Just when Gabriella wanted to ask if she was sure her friend was going to come, there was a loud splintering noise from up the cliff, followed by a rattling and slithering noise and a blurry figure sliding down the rocky slope. Only when it straightened up at the bottom of the slope did Gabriella realise that it was a girl. She looked young, but Gabriella didn’t really know anything about age in humans.

“I’m sorry!” She panted, slithering to a stop in front of them and nearly falling over when she was slithering on the wet stones. Carina looked relieved.
“I thought you wouldn’t come.” She whispered.
“Of course I came! This is important!” She smiled at Carina, then turned to Gabriella, who frowned and didn’t look very inviting. Carina was worried her friend would make a scene.

“Hi! I’m Maya!” Maya’s smile faded when Gabriella just continued to look stern. Carina flicked her tails and hit her friend with it. Gabriella shot her a dirty look, but softened her expression.
“It is nice to meet you.” She said, very formally. They stared at each other and Carina felt hot, despite the cold breeze blowing in from the land.

Gabriella eventually broke the silence and Carina could tell she was impressed that Maya had not looked away.
“So Maya, what do you gain from this?” Maya looked puzzled.
“From…?” She asked inquiringly.
“From meeting with a mermaid. What do you want?” The blonde’s gaze flickered to Carina, before settling on Gabriella again.
“A friend. Carina is my friend and I like spending time with her. Nothing else is going on here.” Maya was fighting to keep eye contact with Gabriella when all she wanted was to look at Carina to see her reaction. Heat crept up her face and she knew it was blushing.
“So you’re not interested in mermaid magic?” She asked matter-of-factly and Carina hit her again with her tail. Angry this time.
“What?” Maya stared at them both, not knowing if they were messing with her.
“You don’t know?” Gabriella’s eyes widened now and she glanced over at Carina, who looked pissed. “You haven’t told her?” She hissed, but Maya of course heard every word.

“Not yet!” Carina hissed back and they glared at each other until Maya cleared her throat loudly and their heads whipped around to look at her, both looking sheepish.
“Care to explain?” She asked, trying to sound casual while actually sounding curious and a little excited.
“It’s not important…” Gabri started, but Maya’s attention was on Carina. Carina seemed to have an internal battle with herself, looking between Maya and Gabriella. Finally she sighs, nods seemingly to herself, then lifts one of her hands out of the water and lets a few water bubbles float up. She tells Maya to stretch out her hands and when she does, Carina touches them with her finger and they fall into Maya’s hand. But instead of popping and turning into water, they stayed solid. Fascinated, Maya pulled back her hand and lifted one of them up and to her eyes.
“How?” She asked without taking her eyes off the clear marble.
“Mermaid magic.” Carina said and shrugged, but Gabriella could see that she was pleased with Maya’s reaction. She was not sure if she should be worried about that.

The rest of the winter was much the same. Maya spent a lot of time with Carina, battling her way through the forest, the snow and ice, but it was so worth it. Because the hours she spent with Carina were the best part of her day.

Her father didn’t like being cooped up during the winter, was getting drunk every day and kept yelling at everyone in the house. Maya had slept at home maybe three nights in the last two weeks. The rest of the time, she was either at Andy’s house, or at Marla’s. She had also made an effort to spend more time with her other friends, so they didn’t think she was abandoning them or worse, grow suspicious. Thankfully, Andy was currently very busy with her first boyfriend, Ryan the town’s sheriff’s son. Vic was spending most of her time with Travis or her granny. And when both of them were busy, Maya was off to the bay.

Ever since Carina had revealed her magical powers the mermaid showed Maya a lot of other things she can do. Maya was very fascinated and couldn’t get enough.

“I can’t come tomorrow. Or the day after.” Maya looked sad and played with a little figurine Carina made for her. She looked sad and a little withdrawn. 

Carina had noticed that Maya often looked like this when she thought about her family. But every time Carina tried to talk to her about it, Maya shut down or changed the subject. They once had a fight, because Carina pushed her too much and Maya didn’t come back for three days. When she did though, she apologised and Carina apologised too. Maya opened up about her home life a little and while Carina didn’t know what alcohol was, it apparently made people very angry and violent. From that day on, she let Maya be quiet when she wanted and just spent some silent time with her.

“Why not?” She asked softly, moving her hand around in the water.
“It’s Christmas and we have to be a family on Christmas. Show everyone that we’re a normal family and that everything is perfect.” Maya rolled her eyes and shifted her weight a little, so she could rest her head on her knee. “As if the whole town didn’t already know that something is wrong.” she added, muttering under breath and Carina didn’t hear, but decided not to ask, either.

Maya stayed longer than usual that day and Carina didn’t say anything about it, just kept her company. When Maya left that day, she went up the cliff slower than usual. Carina looked after her, worried.

Carina did not swim to the bay the next day. But the day after that, she had this weird pull to swim back, even if she knew Maya would not be there.
“What’s up with you, today?” Gabri asked as they were swimming over a reef side by side.
“I don’t know. Maya said she would not be back until tomorrow, but my gut tells me to swim there. I… I have a weird feeling about it all.”
“Maybe you should check…” When Carina shot her a look, Gabriella shrugged. They had stopped and were swimming in one place. “I’m just saying. You should listen to your gut. If nothing is going on there, you can come back, but you won’t regret going there for nothing more than you will regret not going and something did happen.”
“You’re right” Carina turned on the spot and sped off. Gabri looked after her and after a second’s thought, followed her. 

Just to be safe.

When they arrived and broke through the surface, they heard raised voices. Two people stood on the bank, one of them was Maya, the other one was a boy with blonde hair, a little smaller than Maya. They seemed to be arguing and when Maya pushed a hand through her hair and looked to the side, she spotted Carina and Gabriella. Her eyes widened in shock and her whole body seemed to freeze. The boy stopped talking mid-word and looked over too.

Carina’s eyes were focused on Maya, who looked terrified. The boy grabbed the sleeve of her jacket and shook it a little.

“Maya!” He whispered in her ear. “Maya! There are mermaids.” Maya looked at him, fear in her eyes.
“I know, Mason.”

Chapter Text

“Maya. Why are there mermaids? How do you know…” Maya sighed and looked at Carina and Gabriella apologetically.
“This is Carina. She’s my friend. And her friend, Gabriella.” She then turned to the two girls. “This is my brother Mason. He followed me here today. We…” She stopped talking and Carina could see tears in her eyes, before she turned away. Mason seemed to be confused, he kept looking between his sister and the mermaids.

“Maya?” But Maya didn't hear her. She didn't want this to happen. She didn't want to tell anyone about Carina and the existence of mermaids. She just wanted to escape from the yelling and the door slamming and her father throwing dishes around the dining room. She had just wanted a break. But in her haste to escape, she didn't notice that Mason had followed her. She didn't blame him, he wanted to get out as much as she did. Maya didn't think Carina would be here today. This bay was such a safe space for her that she didn't know where else to go. But now Carina was here and Mason was here and…

She flinched away from a cold hand on her cheek. Looking up she saw Carina standing in front of her. Standing. On two real legs.

”Breathe, Bella.” Two hands were on her face now, one on either side. Carina's beautiful brown eyes were the only thing she could see. “Breathe with me. You're okay. You're okay.” And somehow it worked. Somehow Carina was able to calm her down. “There you go.” She moved a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and moved a little lower to catch Maya's eyes again when she looked down. “Hey. Maya.” She waited until Maya looked back up. “Can you tell me what happened?” Instinctively Maya reached up and held on to Carina's arms. It was the first real contact they've ever made, apart from the times Maya had to be rescued.
“I panicked. I didn't… I didn't mean for Mason to see you, I promise. I just… it wasn't a good day and this place brings me comfort. He followed me. I didn't even realise. I'm sorry.” Her voice broke and she sniffled a little. “I'm so sorry!”
“Hey. It's okay. I promise. He's your brother. Do you trust him?” Maya nodded and Carina smiled. She lowered her hands and took a step back. She could barely contain a wince. It was still a little painful to walk on two legs. Maya noticed of course and she also noticed that Carina wasn't wearing any clothes.

“Oh my God Carina! You must be freezing!” Without thinking Maya shrugged off her thick coat and draped it over her friend's shoulders. “Is that better?” She asked and smiled in relief when Carina nodded. Maya turned to Mason, her hand grasping for Carina's and holding it tightly. Carina gave it a squeeze and looked at Maya's brother, who was just staring at her, his mouth slightly agape.
“Hello Mason. My name is Carina. Maya has told me a lot about you.” She smiled at him and her voice was calm, obviously trying to keep him calm.
“You…” He took a step forward. “You're a mermaid?! Marla's stories are true?” He took a hesitant step forward. Carina nodded.
“Yes. We are real.” Unseen by either of them Gabriella had left the water as well. Mason hurried to give her his coat and Gabriella took it grateful for the added warmth. “I'm Gabriella, what's your name?”
“Mason. My name is Mason.” The boy's voice sounded high pitched and a little panicky.
“How old are you, Mason?”
“11.” 

Carina tried to step forward, but Maya had an iron grip on her and whimpered when Carina tried to move. She turned to her friend immediately and stepped closer to her. She put an arm around her shoulders and Maya put hers around her waist, bunching the fabric of the jacket in her fist.
“You're okay, Bambina.” She whispered. At least, she whispered for her own ears, for Maya it was probably louder.
Carina looked over to Gabriella and Mason. Gabriella stood a few metres away from him and they were calmly talking to each other. Mason had lost the haunted, panicked look in his eyes and instead looked curious and smiled.

“Carina?” Her friend's voice made her look up. “Mason wants to know how you met.”
“Oh.” Tightening her hold on Maya she moved them forward a bit. “Well, Maya here was out on the sea during a storm. It was a really bad storm and she slipped off the deck of her boat. I was close by and brought her back up to the surface and on the boat.”
“You saved her life?” Mason looked awed and impressed. Carina nodded. The boy's eyes flicked to his sister. “That was during that storm earlier this year, wasn't it? I heard people say you shouldn't have gone out and that it was dangerous.” His eyes moved between Carina and Maya and the colour drained from his face. When his lower lip started wobbling, Maya moved away from Carina and hugged him.
“I'm okay.” She whispered in his ear, holding him tightly. “I'm okay.”
“You could've died. And all because of him!” He had started crying now. “I hate him.”
“I know, Mason.”

Mason pulled away from his sister and looked at the two mermaids, who were standing in front of them, shivering in the cold.
“You’ve been coming here? Whenever you disappeared?” Maya nodded and gestured for Carina and Gabriella to return to the water. The sibling got their coats back, which were damp now on the inside and looked away until they heard two splashes that let them know the two girls had done just that.

“So what now?” Gabriella asked with an edge to her voice. Carina threw her a sharp look and Mason moved a little closer to his sister. When no one answered, Gabriella moved forward a little and fixed the humans standing still on the bank. “Will you tell someone, boy?” Carina saw Maya move forward slightly and she was impressed by Maya’s protective nature. Mason shook his head.
“I won’t tell anyone. I promise.” He looked at his sister, taking her hand. “I want my sister to be happy and it’s clear you make her happy or she wouldn’t make that track every day.” Evidently the protectiveness ran in the family as the boy suddenly stood a lot straighter. Gabriella’s eyes narrowed and Maya took another step forward.
“He won’t tell anyone anything.” She said with a firm voice.

“Gabriella, that's enough.” Carina swam forwards and put a hand on Gabri’s forearm. “I trust Maya and I trust Mason.” She looked up, fixing the humans with her brown eyes. Maya held eye contact with her and Mason next to her nodded vigorously. He would not disappoint her sister!

“We will meet again tomorrow, okay?” Maya put an arm around her brother. “Pleasure to see you again, Gabriella.” She nodded to her. Her eyes were soft when she gained eye contact with Carina, who gave a tiny nod and smiled. “Come on Mason, let’s go!” He looked like he wanted to argue, but when he met his sister’s gaze he seemed to sag a little and relented. 

Before they climbed up the hill, he turned around and waved. Carina and Gabriella waved back and he grinned, said something to Maya, who laughed and signalled for him to climb up first.

Chapter Text

Winter moved into spring, the snow and ice melted and the first green plants sprouted in the forest. Maya and Carina still met up every day and had gotten closer. Sometimes they were joined by Mason or Gabriella and both Bishop siblings soon became very strong swimmers.

On the first day of spring break Maya ran out of the house very early, hoping to spend as much time as she could with Carina. The mermaid already waited for her in the shallow water, grinning widely at Maya barreling down the hill. She didn’t really understand what “spring break” meant, only that Maya would now be able to visit her every day and that made her happy.

“Hi!” Maya was out of breath, but grinning widely and Carina could feel her own smile form.
“Hey!” Maya slid to a stop close to the shore and a few stones were kicked into the water. They grinned at each other and Maya sat down on one of the larger stones. They talked about all kinds of stuff for hours. Maya talked about school, Carina talked about her life and they were having a great time. Only when the sun started to set did they say goodbye and Maya went home.

The same thing happened the next day. Maya had to sneak out of the house, because her father was not happy that she was out all day. Just like the day before Carina was already waiting for her, smiling widely. They talked and swam a bit before Maya had to rush home in the evening.

In the months to come, their friendship grew stronger. Spring turned into summer and Maya had to go and help her father with the fishing during the holiday, so she couldn’t go to her friend. But they made it up when Maya was back. And this time she didn’t just disappear, she had time to warn Carina.

The mermaid spent the off time with her friends and family. They all lived in the same cave system in the reef, but Carina has moved out of her parent’s cave for more privacy. That was why she was able to sneak out for hours at a time. She lived close to Gabriella, who she was now spending a lot of time with.

Months turned into years and, aside from a brief, three month period in which Maya was dating Jack Gibson, they saw each other almost every day. Carina pretended not to care.

Four years later

Maya came back from work with her father yesterday and couldn’t wait to see Carina today. They were back the day they planned to be back, the day Maya told Carina. So Maya hoped that Carina would be back today and they could hang out.

But when she climbed down the cliff, there was no one there. Thinking that maybe she was just too early, she sat down on her usual rock on the edge of the water and waited. But the day progressed and still there was no Carina. When the sun started to set, she went back home, determined to come back the next day. However the same thing happened the next day and the day after that and Maya was getting worried. A week later, she debated if going back was worth it. But the chance to see Carina made her leave the house. It was raining hard and she was soaked through by the time she reached the edge of the forest. The way through the forest was harder than usual and only because Maya could find her way with her eyes closed did she reach the cliff. The way down was hard, Maya nearly slipped and fell and only got her balance at the last second.

The water was churning, the waves higher than usual and Maya tried desperately to find Carina’s head between them. She was unsuccessful and turned away with a sigh. She was soaked through for nothing. Maya decided that it was enough for today and turned to leave.

“Maya!” The first time she thought she was just hearing things through the wind that was picking up. But then she heard it again. “Maya, I’m here.” It wasn’t Carina, it was Gabriella. She was fighting through the waves to get to the rocks. Maya also went there, trying hard not to slip on the wet stones.
“What’s wrong? Where’s Carina?” Even from the distance between them, she could see the pain in Gabriella’s eyes. The mermaid sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “Gabriella! Is she okay? Is she hurt?”

“No. She is not hurt - Andrea is sick. Seriously sick. We don’t know what is wrong, but he’s getting weaker every day. Carina hasn’t left his side except to get food. That’s why she wasn’t here. She asked me today to come and tell you, because of the weather. She thought you might be coming here to wait for her.” Of course Carina knew her that well after all these years. “She’ll… She said she would contact you soon, but you don’t have to come here every day. She’ll find you.” Maya wanted to ask how Carina would find her if she wasn’t here, but Gabriella was already moving backwards. “I’ll see you around, Maya. Take care.”

Maya waited, trying to distract herself by running in brief dry periods while a storm blew over and everyone was pretty much chained to their houses. Maya really didn’t feel like staying in her home, so she spent a lot of time at Andy’s or Marla’s place. Mason also stayed with friends a lot, often not coming home for the night. Their father didn’t do well with being cooped up and his drinking had become worse in the last few years. Maya couldn’t understand why her mother was still staying with him. 

A week went by, the storm had stopped and Maya still hadn’t heard from Carina. She tried to distract herself by going on runs. Her and Marla had started writing down some of the old legends and Maya had a lot of fun doing it. It was the best distraction from everything that was going on. Maya had not spoken to Marla about Carina, deciding that the less people knew details, the better. She of course had asked Marla about the girl in the waves when she first saw Carina, but Marla had never asked about it afterwards and Maya hadn’t offered information.

Another week passed and if there wasn’t another storm hanging over the sea, she would have stolen her father’s boat and travelled to find her friend. It was one of those rare days she was home alone. Her father was at the pub, her mum was at work and Mason was out with friends. She had just settled down on the sofa to distract herself with a movie marathon, when there was urgent knocking on the front door. Maya sat frozen, staring in the direction of the front door. The knocking stopped, just to start again, more urgent. Grumbling, she got up and opened the door. In front of it stood the last person she expected to see.