I was startled awake, gasping for air. Anxiety pulsed through my body, panic struck. I glanced over and saw Bri with a concerned face, her eyes analyzing my reaction. I couldn’t look at her. I ran… I ran away from the beach and towards the thicket of trees. Call it survival instincts or fight or flight instinct, I was genuinely scared for a moment. The absolute control Bri had over me was too much, it felt dangerous. No wonder sailors plunged to their deaths, it was alluring and easy to fall to such temptation. I ran faster, fearing Bri would be right behind me soon enough and snatch me away. It was bizarre to feel this way, to doubt her kindness and tenderness. I questioned her true nature with moments of her mythical body. Who was she really? Could I honestly trust her? My arms and legs were scratched with thorns and bushes, a tree branch hanging low sliced a mark across my cheek; causing intense stinging and a stream of blood to run down my face. I didn’t care, my body screamed at me to “RUN, HIDE”. I saw a tree, glancing upwards and finding a nook of forked branches.
I lunged at the tree trunk with a thud, not slowing my momentum and hauling myself into branches and climbed further upward. I was roughly 35 feet in the air and felt relatively safe for the moment. My chest burned with lack of oxygen, my head throbbed with pain. It felt like withdrawal from alcohol, sickening my stomach and lurching with dry heaving. I rest my head against the bark, gasping for breath. I didn’t hear or see Bri coming, but I remained vigilant. Logically it makes sense why I would react like this. Seeing her behave coldly around her mother, experiencing the true power of a mermaid, it only makes sense to fear for my life. I really didn’t know anything about her, her true self. Was she really cruel to humans like her sister? Her mother clearly taught her to hate humans… When did Bri decide to be kind and gentle? Was I the first?
I heard and felt her footsteps, she was coming, searching for me. I tucked closer to the tree trunk, praying she wouldn’t be angry with me. (Thump, thump, thump, thump… thump, thump).
“Hi there,” Bri muttered softly. Her head was level with the branches and her face hovered near me, I could sense it. I slapped my hands over my face hiding my cowardice and embarrassment. I peeked through the slits of my fingers to peer at her sorrowful face. My heart felt extremely heavy.
“I’m sorry… I…” I couldn’t speak, my voice dropped and I felt a lump in my throat. I was beginning to tear up.
“No, I’m sorry. My magic is powerful and I forget what it can really do to humans, it's too much too soon. Are you afraid of me now?” She brought her hand up to caress my back, but I shuddered before it could reach me. She recoiled her hand slowly and gently, hovering for a moment before letting it lay on the branch further down the end away; Leaving it close but not too close to me.
“I see…” She said quietly. “What can I do, how can I help?” Her eyes pleading. I sat, staring at her large digits. They were truly massive, as long as my legs and easily powerful enough to snap me. Violent thoughts of how she could kill me rip through my imagination. Her fingers quivered as she noticed me staring at them. I traced her fingers to her hand, leading to her thin wrists, up the forearm guiding its way to her biceps. They were quite large, toned and muscular but feminine. I zoned in on her muscles that seemed to pulse with every miniscule movement. Her breath was fastened and short, anxiously waiting for my reply.
“Can we just sit here for a moment? I honestly don't know what to do right now.” I curled my knees to my chest and just sat there, wondering how to interact with her until my fear subsided.
She stood there silently and motionless to ensure I wouldn’t be frightened of her movements. I looked again at her hand, resting so elegantly on the thick tree branch. She was becoming more human to me the longer I stared at her. 5 minutes later I could feel my tension releasing and more relaxed. I glanced towards her eyes, they were fixated on me, waiting for a sign she could touch me again. I shot my eyes downward, unable to look at her again, but not because of fear. Just her beauty was enchanting, her size mesmerizing and teasing me.
“I think I’m okay now…” I squeaked. “Can we go home?”
“Sure, but I have to stop at the market first. There’s something I want to get for you that I think can help us become closer and trust each other.” She smirked shyly, placing her hand next to my legs and caressing them softly.
“What is it? A human bed” I chuckled.
“No, it's called whale wax. I think we need to better understand each other and…” she hesitated. “It's something I've wanted to try for a long time. I want you Hayley” She blushed looking down at her feet.
I could feel my face turn red, flustered and speechless. I stood up slowly and waited for her to carry me. I was intrigued but cautious, what and how were we going to do this?