Beneath the Painted Ocean Page 7

He did wait many times and he finally got his chances to see the human a lot closer. First was only the day before but Kai was too scared to approach him. He turned and swam as fast he could, unsure how to react. The human seemed confused but he didn’t follow. The second meeting was when Kai was sitting on the rock and the human just happened to come across him. It was different to see him on the land now. Now he could see his body and face in clear view. His skin was kissed by the sun’s rays and his hair was dark brown and ruffled because of the breeze. His ocean-colored eyes were framed with thick lashes and his lips were full. They complemented his jawline and cheekbones. His lips parted slightly when he caught sight of Kai and he blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

  In short, he was beautiful.

  Kai wanted to say something at that moment. He wanted one of those human cameras so he could capture a memory of this human. Instead, he had nothing. The human started to speak but Kai panicked once more and dove back into the water. He couldn’t say a thing to him because he didn’t know what to say. The poor human wouldn’t be able to understand. However, he did know that the human was curious. He was going to try and find him again. The human was certain persistent and determined if nothing else.

  He told Romina about the encounters and she told him that they needed to get away from the human. As long as he was around, they were always going to be followed. The human would never leave them alone until he got to see them. Before either one could escape, they found the human looking down on them. He had discovered their hiding place and he was in awe. Kai was frozen in place even though Romina was tugging at him to go. He couldn’t leave anymore. They had been discovered. What was more fascinating was that the human wasn’t trying to hurt them either. He realized it the moment the human held his hand out. It wasn’t to cause any harm. He just wanted them to touch him.

  The touch was unlike anything Kai had felt before. The human had a warm hand with long fingers that curled upwards to hold anything. On closer inspection, he could see how clean and trimmed the human’s fingernails were. The connection was there. They had finally made contact with each other. Romina looked at them, a little frightened, but she also decided to touch him. He nodded to let her know it was okay. He already showed that he was not harmful. When they finally got to talk to him, Kai began to see that he was truly intelligent and curious about everything. His face was flushed but he was even more breathtaking up close.

  “I do think I can trust him.” Kai was saying as they went toward home. Callum was now gone but he did keep his promise. He would be there in the morning. “I can see it in his eyes. Those human’s eyes are unlike anything else in this world. They were so soft and the light was dancing in them.”

  “I would still be careful around him,” Romina said. “I know I gave him the ability to speak with us but what if he uses it against us?”

  “I would worry if that was anyone else. He’s special,” Kai murmured. “I only wish he was a merman too. With how much time he spends in the water, I’m surprised he’s human.”

  “You can’t turn him into a merman, you know, and neither can I. He can speak to us and visit us but that’s it. Besides, I don’t think he’d want to be a merman. Like us, he probably has a family that would miss him.”

  “True. I wouldn’t want to tear him from his family,” Kai thought about the human. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a friend. I just wish we could see each other out of the water. It might be easier for him. I don’t know much about humans, but apparently their lives are at risk when they are deep in the water.”

  “Maybe,” Romina shrugged. “I wouldn’t know much about humans. He can probably tell you more than I can.”

  “I hope he does tell me more. I hear so many stories about them and I don’t know which ones are true,” he explained. “Maybe he can tell me what it’s like to walk on legs.”

  “Is that all you’re going to ask him? How he walks on legs?”

  “No, I have a million questions. Ahhh, I can’t wait to see him again and I know I will! It will be so much fun!”

  Kai had a hard time sleeping that night as he kept picturing Callum’s face. There was something about him that was familiar. He felt like he had seen him when he was much younger. He had those same ocean blue eyes that another human had. His hair was dark like those rocks in the water. The human that he had found was younger and he was cold. His lips were pale and he was losing the color in his face. He didn’t know why the human jumped into the water but he couldn’t stay there. He didn’t belong there. Kai didn’t know what it was but he had to save the human.

  Romina was completely against it at first. She knew of humans who jumped into the ocean to the end their lives. They didn’t want to be saved. Kai didn’t believe it though. He felt that the human had much more to live for. Even though it was against his nature, he picked the human up in his arms and decided to leave him out on the shore. He made sure to get the human as far from the water as possible and looked down at him. Romina followed him to keep a look out.

  “You shouldn’t stay too long.” She warned him. “The human will be fine. I think he is breathing.”

  “I just to be sure,” Kai leaned down to look at the human. He could hear the breathing but the human wasn’t moving. “Do you think he will be all right? What if no one finds him?”

  “I’m sure that someone out there is looking for him. If they don’t find him now, they’ll find him soon enough. I have a feeling he will wake up.”

  Kai gently touched the human’s lips and traced his jawline with his finger. “I haven’t been so close to one before. I never knew how beautiful they could be.”

  “Why are you touching him?” Romina huffed. “You were told never to get close to a human!”

  “It’s too late. I can’t leave until I know he’s all right! I wish I could get someone to come here, but how?” Kai looked around for anyone walking at night. It would be foolish for them to do that because it was so dark. Most humans would not be out here because they would be asleep. “Romina, help me! How do I get this human to his fellow humans?”

  “How should I know? I’ve never dealt with a human before!”

  “Neither have I, but I do know that he needs to see someone. He needs to be cured!” Kai looked down at the human and saw that he was stirring. “He’s moving! What do I do?!”

  “Come back here! Don’t let him see you!”

  The human slowly began to open his eyes and Kai knew he had to escape. The human was alive. He was awake. He would be able to find other humans that could help him out. He took one last look and saw the human kick the sand underneath him. His fingers dug into the sand as the two merfolk escaped into the water. Even though Kai should have swum far away, he poked his head out just to see the human again. To his delight, a few more humans had come to his aid. Somehow, they had found him and were hugging him. The human was now sitting up and trying to talk to the other humans. He was going to be all right.

  “That was very close,” Romina told him. “You can’t go after humans like that again! What if he woke up sooner? He would have seen us!”

  “Maybe so, but...I couldn’t leave him,” Kai murmured. “I had to know that he was all right. You saw how he looked, Romina. If I didn’t save him, he would have drowned. It’s like Father said; humans weren’t meant to live in the sea.”

  “Exactly. Humans weren’t meant to live in the sea and you aren’t meant to mingle with them. Just let him go. Forget about him. He’s in the hands of other humans who will look after him.”

  It was easy to say. It was easy to tell anyone to forget but Kai never stopped thinking about the human. He only got a brief look in the human’s eyes and would never forget how blue they were. It was like staring into the ocean. He was glad that the human was still alive, but he still wanted to stay behind. He wanted to know him. Now that Callum was here with his ocean-blue eyes, Kai wondered if they were the same person. Was it possible?

  In any case, Kai wa
s looking forward to spending more time with Callum. He didn’t know why, but he had a good feeling they were going to get to know each other over the next few days.

  Chapter 9

  Callum woke up in a good mood the next day. The family was still going to be here for another two days so he was looking forward to more talks with Kai and Romina. He had his pad and pen so he could write everything down. It wasn’t for any research but just to keep it to himself. In case he met other merfolk, he wanted to be polite to them and not do anything that could be seen as offensive. In addition to those, he took his phone, a book of Hans Christen Andersen’s fairytales, a book with pictures of the ocean, his mp3 player, his camera, energy bars, and some bottles of water in case he got thirsty. He stuffed all of these in his backpack, got changed into his running clothes, and slipped on his running shoes. He hummed to himself as he went downstairs to get some breakfast. Both of his parents were up though no one else was.

  “Well, good morning!” His father greeted him. “I take it you had a good night’s sleep.”

  “The best ever.” Callum poured himself some orange juice and grabbed a blueberry muffin. “I think I did a good thing by coming on this trip. I needed the break.”

  “We’re glad you’re here too.” His mother agreed. “You’ve been so stressed out with work. I take it that you didn’t do much during the weekends either.”

  “The only thing I did during the weekends was clean the house and buy groceries.” He finished eating and grabbed his backpack. “I’m going out for a little run. It’s so nice outside.”

  “It sure is. Don’t go too far.”

  “Mom, I’m twenty-six. I’m old enough to go anywhere on my own.”

  “Maybe so, but it’s a mother’s job to worry about her kids. It doesn’t matter how old they get. I assume you’re going down to the beach?”

  “I will but I’ll be back.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. Then he hugged his father. “You know what? I think I’ll take everyone to lunch today. My treat.”

  “Son, that’s unnecessary...”

  “I insist and I’m not taking no for an answer! See you guys later!”

  He waved to them before putting his earbuds in and heading out the door. Both of them were left stunned as they stared at him. He knew that they couldn’t believe his behavior. They weren’t used to seeing their son so happy before. Even as a child, he wasn’t like his siblings. His brothers and sisters were always laughing and playing around while Callum hung off in the corner and read books. Other children would be jumping and running. He would just keep to himself and take it all in. The fact that he was glowing told them that this wasn’t Callum on a regular basis. Something good had happened.

  As for Callum himself, he ran out and headed down to the rock where Kai promised to be. He wondered if he could still talk to him. He never asked how long this ability to talk to merfolk lasted. What if it was gone now? That meant he’d need to get that ability back and feel that burning in his throat again. He reached up to his throat and rubbed the neck area. He did not look forward to going through that again if he had to.

  What he was more worried about was if Kai would show up. The merman promised to do so but what if he changed his mind? What if he was running late? Even worse, what if something happened to him? He had no idea what else could lurk in the sea. Did certain sea creatures attack mermen too or were they all friends? He really had no idea what to expect as he made his way to the rock. He began to breathe normally when he found Kai rested on the rock.

  He’s here. He thought, inching closer and waving to him. Kai looked up with a smile and held out his hand. Callum was confused at first and then realized the poor thing wanted to shake hands.

  “I’m not close enough to you to do that,” he explained, hoping that he’d understand. “You don’t always have to shake hands with me. That’s only used during formal things or introductions. Since I know you now, I don’t have to shake your hand.”

  “Is that so?” Kai replied, putting his hand down. “Humans are fascinating creatures. How do you greet each other if you don’t do handshakes anymore?”

  “We usually say ‘hi’ to each other. If I wanted your attention, I’d wave to you and call your name.” He explained, finding a place to sit down. There was a rock that was big enough to support him so he made that his spot. He was close enough to talk to him without getting in the water. “I’m glad you came. I was thinking about you last night.”

  “Really? What kind of thoughts were you having?”

  “I have a lot of questions,” he began, taking out the pad and pen. “You have to forgive me if I ask something that’s inappropriate. I am a scientist, after all. Asking questions and trying to find solutions is part of my job.”

  “I see.” Kai did seem to get it though he was a little hesitant. “I will warn you I can’t tell you everything. You may not understand because you are human. I also request one thing of you and that is that you don’t share this with other humans. We want to keep our home separate from yours.”

  “Fair enough.” He lowered his voice. “Are you...Are you upset that I was in the ocean? I swear I wasn’t trying to harm it. I would never do such a thing.” He turned bright red. “I wish I could stop but my job does require me to be in it. Of course, if you want me to stay away, I can.”

  “No, no, you misunderstood me!” Kai pointed out. “I know there are humans who rely on the ocean. I don’t want you to stop doing what you need to do. I just ask that you don’t share what I tell you.”

  “I won’t,” Callum promised. “I would never try to hurt you or your kind in any way.”

  “I believe you. Now I have to know...why did you follow me?”

  “Follow you? I, um...I was trying to find out who was looking after me,” he explained. “I felt like someone was watching me whenever I was working. I never got over that feeling. I kept wondering if it was you.”

  “Me? Well, I did watch you once but that’s it. That was the first time you saw me.”

  “Oh.” Callum was a little disappointed. So this wasn’t his angel after all. He tried to hide the disappointment by going into his questions. “God, I don’t know where to begin! There’s so much I want to ask! I want to know everything about you! Where do you live? How many merfolk live in this ocean? What do you do every day? Are you able to talk to fish? It’s a lot that...I’m sorry.” He apologized, turning bright red. “I realized I’m probably asking too much.”

  “No, everything you asked is fine. I live far from here. It’s a place that no one human has ever ventured into because it is very deep. I don’t think you would be able to survive down there. There are far too many merfolk to count. I am able to speak to all creatures in the sea. As for what I do every day...that varies. I go all over the ocean and find new things.”

  Callum nodded, writing all of it down. Kai was giving him some vague answers. He wasn’t too surprised by most but he wondered why the merman didn’t talk about daily life. Maybe there wasn’t much to talk about. Still, it confused him why he didn’t just say that. Then Callum went into another question. “How was your sister able to give me this ability to talk to you?”

  “Ah, she has powers. Some merfolk have the power to do certain things. Romina can cast spells and the one she cast on you gave you the ability to understand me. She doesn’t hand it to anyone so you can consider yourself very lucky. You’re the first human to speak to us. I’ll have to admit that I didn’t think it would work. I’m sorry if you felt so much pain.”

  “It did hurt but I’m all right now. How long does it last?” He wanted to know.

  “It depends on how close you are to the ocean. The closer you are to me, the more you will begin to understand. You won’t just be able understand but you will hear things you didn’t hear before. You will see colors you never saw before. So as long as you keep coming back to the ocean, you will have this ability.”

  “Will I ever lose it?”

  “Only if you stay away fro
m the ocean forever. If you never come back to the water, that ability will leave you. I don’t think that will be a problem with you. You said you studied the ocean?”

  “That’s right. My job involves me checking out the ocean all the time. I have to make sure that everything is okay with it. If not, I need to figure out ways to improve it,” he sighed. “I don’t know if you know but a lot of humans cause harm to the ocean. Some of them aren’t even aware of it.”

  “I know,” Kai nodded. “That’s why everyone tells me humans are dangerous. I’ve been told never to get close to them. They only want to steal from the ocean and all they ever feel is greed. They’re not to be trusted.”

  “I don’t blame you for thinking that. There are a lot of people like that out there.” Callum stretched his legs out and let them dangle down. The rock was hard to sit on but he managed. For all this, he was willing to go through anything. “I hope you don’t think I’m like them.”

  “Not at all. I can see your eyes and tell that you care about the ocean. You want to make it safe for us. I will tell you right now that you alone can’t do it all.”

  “I know I can’t,” Callum sighed. “I just do what I’m able to. I’m not sure what really drew me to the ocean.” He thought about Dani for a second and had another question. “Is Romina your only sister?”

  “No, I have seven brothers and sisters. How about you?”

  “Fifteen. Well, I used to have fifteen of them. Now I only have fourteen.” He had no idea why he was going into his past now but he needed to get this out. “I had a sister just like yours. Unfortunately, she died years ago.” He turned away for a second, hoping that Kai wouldn’t want details about Dani’s death. He hadn’t talked about it with anyone except for his psychiatrist. It was easy to talk to them because that was their job. Telling this to a merman, someone who probably wouldn’t understand him, would be harder.

  “I’m sorry,” Kai replied when he saw Callum’s face lower. “I can tell this hurt you very much.”