Page 117 of Sea's Secret

He nodded and tied the boat to a tree before he nodded in the direction of the jungle to the right.

“It is just through there.” Suddenly, as I removed myself from the waves and away from the boat, I collapsed to the ground. My tail shimmered and fell into the wet sand. I moved myself from the sea and waited. It usually only took a few moments to change back into a human.

What is going on?

“Meria–” Dominick began, but then quickly pulled me into his arms. We stood there, our breaths coming in very quickly and our eyes holding each other as we waited for my legs.

“Why are you not changing back?” he whispered.

“I have no idea,” I said, fearful and confused.

Dominick looked around.

I gasped.

He looked at me, confused. “What hurt you?”

“No, Dominick! Your veins–” I said, touching his chest where his shirt was always unbuttoned, showing just a peek of his skin. Without thinking much about it, I began unbuttoning his shirt and gasped. He looked down at himself.

“What is this?” he said, looking at his veinless skin.

“I have no idea. Are you in pain?”

“I feel as I always do. There is a lingering pain, yes.”

“How very strange.”

“It must be something about the island,” Dominick said.

I nodded.

“I will carry you. Maybe my skin and your tail are a result of this island.” He began walking up the beach, toward the jungle.

“It is too far to carry me.”

“I am strong enough, Meria. You weigh very little; it's like carrying a small fish.”

“No, it is not, and do not call me a ‘fish,’ please; you eat fish.”

“But, you are half fish?” he asked with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Still, I am mer. Call me a dolphin if anything; they are more comparable.”

He just chuckled. Luckily, the island was small, and in only a few minutes, twenty or so, we came upon what had to be the Mirror Sea. Its name was perfectly fitting. I did not know what we were looking for, or what was so special about the Mirror Sea, but I assumed Dominick did.

There before us stood a perfectly circular body of water. The depths seemed dark, and yet within them, there were millions of stars, sparkling. No waves lapped upon the shore, for there was no sand. Only rocks surrounded it, like a large pool. The surface was incredibly still, just like a mirror. As we moved closer, it was hard to tell where the starry sky ended and the Mirror Sea began.

“It is incredible,” I gasped.

“Truly, it is,” Dominick said, looking at the pool, then over to me. “I believe my sister could be here, somewhere. The Mirror Sea could give me the answer to where she really is.”

“How?”

“There is a legend about this place. It is said that if you capture a star from the Mirror Sea, you will be granted the desire of your heart.”

“The desire to find your sister!” I said with a smile.

“Yes, I have searched every sea and kingdom for her, and when I learned about the Misted Seas, I thought that she had to be here, and although she may be hidden well here on some island, coming here might help me locate her,” Dominick said.