Page 120 of Sea's Secret

“You are wise, young one.”

I looked at the star and saw our people living both on Marren Island as well as within the sea; hope bloomed inside of me.

“But my father–”

“Stubbornness afflicts many, even in the dragon realms.”

“If we rise, humans will not come for us?” I asked.

“Some humans may, but the world is a better place than it was when your people went into the fathoms, long ago.”

“Thank you, dragon.”

“So what will you do?” He nodded to the two stars I was still holding.

“Was this not you revealing my deepest desires to me?”

“This is not your deepest desire. You already know that answer. You are still deserving of one star. You must take that star to the surface.” Then the dragon curled and swam into the depths.

I slowly dropped the star that I had found first, with the truths about my people I had already learned for myself and watched as it sank to the depths below. I cradled the other star in my hands, my thoughts racing, wondering about Dominick, about a future with him, about the possibility of him being free of his curse, of us being a family, the family I had always wanted. I smiled and gripped it tight in my hand and began my swim, once again, up to the surface. Yet back down in the depths, there was another star, growing brighter and brighter, and I could not ignore it, so I swam back down to it and picked it up, placing mine upon the seabed.

As I touched the new star, lights flashed in my eyes, and I saw Dominick as a child, sitting beside his mother, his little brother so small. I saw another flash, and his sister was locked away–high away. Another flash, and Dominick was walking into Walden, speaking to his mother; she wept at his feet. I let go of the rock. Was that Dominick’s greatest desire? I saw another star alight. I moved to pick it up.

In another flash, pain flowed through me; it was as if I was Dominick. He clenched his fists, looking at those veins. I watched as a vision of myself walked up to him, kissed him as tears fell down my cheeks; then my legs grew solid–permanent. I gasped, almost dropping the star, but Dominick pulled away. The pain was gone. All the dark veins were gone. The scar on his cheek had healed. He looked at me, and then at himself. I wrapped my hands about his neck and kissed him soundly.

I dropped the star. Three stars gleaming at the bottom of the sea.

One was a life with Dominick, and the family I always wanted.

One was Dominick reuniting with his family.

And the last one, was me breaking his curse. Although there had been no words, I knew from the images within that star that, somehow, I would sacrifice my tail to break his curse. I drained all of my magic and poured it all into him with that kiss and with those tears. I had become merely human, and he had been freed.

“You must choose one. When you do, you will forget about the other stars you have seen,” the sea dragon's voice echoed through the water.

If I chose to break his curse, to bring that knowledge to the surface, Dominick would still be able to choose his desire, so he would not only be reunited with his mother, but he would have no curse. That was the only option. I reached for it, picking it up.

“That is not your desire to choose,” the dragon rumbled.

“It is here, and I desire it.”

“If you can remove it from the pool, it is yours.”

The longer I swam, the heavier and heavier it became. I was determined, but was struggling more than I could admit to myself at that moment. I looked up toward the surface, and I thought about Dominick. I closed my eyes and swam harder than I had ever swam before. In what felt like hours, my head finally broke through the water, and I panted, my body exhausted, but I made it to the rocks. Dominick was there, and helped pull me from the water. As soon as I sat upon the rocks, I felt my energy slowly coming back to me.

“You did it. Are you alright? You were down there for so long.”

I looked up at Dominick whose face was above me. I smiled, looking into those blue eyes, glancing at his scar. Soon, his scar and all his pain would be gone. I smiled again. Then, I gasped, seeing the rising sun behind us. I sat up.

“Oh, no!”

“What is the matter?” he asked.

I pointed to the sky.

“It’s alright.”

“But you did not get to go,” I said.