That storm lasted for three days. The local news reports boggled that there had been no warning signs before such a vicious attack from the elements. Trees splintered under the force of the gale.
When it cleared, Skye tried to go back and find Coraline, but she never came back to their meeting place.
Weeks passed. School restarted. Both her time and her motivation to walk the beach searching for the mermaid slowly disappeared. Eventually she had to give up.
One day, her stepmother insisted on taking her for a walk – to cheer her up, she said. She followed her half-heartedly as she led her through the town, trying to tempt her with ice cream and toys. The cheerfully sunny day only served to remind her of the day she met Coraline.
They ended up walking along the cliffs “to enjoy the beautiful scenery”. By the time they reached the top, however, a fog had rolled in.
“Typical,” her stepmother tutted. “You can’t see a thing!”
But she was secretly grateful. The sea was the last thing that she wanted to see now. Its dazzling blue brought the princess’ bright smile to her mind, its salt smell was like hers, and she had often heard the soft whispers of its waves crashing on the shore and mistaken it for the mermaid’s voice. Even now she thought that she could hear her speaking far below, just masked by the sound of the sea.
She turned her back to it and fished for her phone and earphones to drown it out. Her stepmother shot her a disappointed look, but she had to ignore her. Before she could press play, a mournful song travelled to her ears.
It was definitely Coraline. She had never heard her sing anything so sad before, but no human voice could compare – and it was too loud to be her imagination.
Her feet carried her to the edge before she could hesitate. “Coraline!?”
The fog wouldn’t let her see what was below, but the voice cut off. She had to be down there. “Coraline, I’m sorry! Please don’t be angry!” Feeling that she must be swimming away, she shuffled forward to call after her. “Please come back! I miss you so much!”
Her foot slipped on the rock. She heard her stepmother scream, felt her grab for the back of her jacket, felt it tug free. She could see the sea.
There was pain when she plunged in. Like hitting cement, the air was forced from her lungs on impact and she gasped before she realised where she was. She tried to fight to the surface, but her arms and legs weren’t moving the right way.
Small and firm hands caught her by the legs and pulled her under. Familiar incantations zapped away the pain and let her breathe. She was cradled gently.
“Are you okay, Skye?”
She was even more beautiful than she remembered. Skye didn’t know if she’d added more pearls to her hair or if it was something she’d done to her skin, but she looked like an angel rather than a mermaid.
The princess smiled with tearful relief when she opened her eyes. “Thank goodness… You shouldn’t have jumped all that way for me, silly.”
She was about to say that she hadn’t, but she swallowed it down. Not important. Not right now.
“Please come back, Coraline. I’ve been miserable without you.”
“Have you?” There was a soft smile on the mermaid’s face that sent her heart dancing. Coraline brought her head closer, closing her mesmerising blue eyes and pressing their lips gently together.
It was like Skye had been waiting a lifetime for that one lingering touch. Her heart took off like a dog chasing a ball and she was glad that there was no need to speak, because she would never have the words. All she could do was close her eyes and lean in.
It was a lingering kiss, but it didn’t linger long enough for her. Coraline’s smile was a beam of light when she withdrew.
“I’m sorry for getting angry. It was selfish of me. And I’m sorry for not coming back; I was scared.”
“Scared?” Her head was still swimming from the kiss.
Coraline hesitated. It was the first time she’d ever seen her so self-conscious. “I don’t think I like human boys, Skye. I don’t think I like boys at all. I think I’m a lesbian.”
Predictable joy bubbled up in her heart. She tried not to grin too widely. “Really? Why did you hide, though?”
There may have been a trace of irritation on the mermaid’s face. It was quickly reeled back. “Well… I love you.” She was beet red. “But you didn’t know if you were a lesbian, so I didn’t know if you’d like me back, and I thought you might run away and hate me if you weren’t.”
“Ah…”
“Then, after I got angry, I didn’t want to come back and keep helping you, because it hurt.”
“Sorry.”
Coraline cradled her tighter. “I love you. Do you love me? Will you be my girlfriend forever?”
“I like you, but I don’t know if I’m really a lesbian.” Hurt crossed the mermaid’s face. “No, but! You’re a mermaid, so you’re obviously gorgeous and stuff. What if I only like you because you’re a mermaid?”
“Then you’re mermaid-sexual,” she said confidently.
“No, that’s impossible.”
And it was, she realised. The stupidest, most ridiculous suggestion on earth. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’m a lesbian. I think I’m definitely a lesbian.”
“Good! Then…?”
“Yeah.” She summoned the courage to press another quick kiss to Coraline’s lips. “Please be my girlfriend for real.”
Such a smile. Sunlight suddenly streamed down from above, lighting the water around them. She was surprised to look up and see that the fog had lifted. Coraline took her hands tightly in her own.
“Let’s hurry up and go, then.”
“Go? Where are we going?”
“You jumped off a cliff, silly. I can’t leave my future mother-in-law fearing for her daughter’s life.”
With a gentle tug, she carried Skye with her as she easily covered the distance back to shore. Their rock was already in sight by the time that she registered her words.
“Wait, what?”
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