Page 21 of Mermaid on Heels
Everything around them increased her mystery—the trees, plants, houses, cobble streets, animals and birds… literally everything—but Liriya stopped herself from marveling. They must pretend to be like normal humans for their own sake.
“How far is it?” Sessa asked Bianca, and Liriya was surprised to see her talking, having expected her to be all shy and silent in the presence of ahumanstranger.
“My house? Oh, we’re almost there, just down that street.” Bianca pointed a hand in front of her that wasn’t holding the basket of vegetables. “Not awowof a house, but still a house.”
“And you and your sister live alone?” Ella asked her.
“Yes, since my stepfather’s death,” Bianca replied solemnly. “My birth father died in the sea when I was only two. The ship he boarded sank while returning from a visit to his brother who lived in Garbia. My mother remarried six years later and had my sister, but she died after giving birth due to heavy bleeding. My stepfather loved her and was heartbroken, so he drank and drank until he couldn’t live without his whiskey.
“He drank and gambled away all the money he earned from work. His devastation over mother’s death wrecked him so much, you see. After he died six months ago, I learned that he owed debt to the earl, the triplets’ father, and the earl demanded that I had to pay it back. His finance manager threatened me and told me that I would end up on the streets with my little sister if I refused to pay… So, I’d been taking every type of work I could get, to earn extra money and pay the debt.”
“That must be hard…” Liriya found her voice, almost breathless after listening to Bianca’s sober story. Though she didn’t understand some terms Bianca used, she did understand the graveness of her new friend’s situation. “I am so sorry.”
Bianca merely nodded, keeping her gaze ahead. “It is, but my sister and I have no choice. We couldn’t lose the only shelter we have.” A moment of silence passed between them before Bianca found her voice again. “Might I ask about your parents?”
Liriya felt a knot in her stomach and frowned. This was utterly bad; Bianca just shared with them what sounded like her history and Liriya couldn’t do the same. “Our papa passed away three months ago.”
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry.” Bianca gasped a little, looking at her sympathetically. “What happened to him?”
Liriya winced inwardly before finding the right words. “It is… complicated, you know.”
“Complicated?” Bianca repeated, genuinely confused, her eyebrows furrowing. “Complicated how? And your mother? What about her?”
Liriya bit down on her bottom lip hard. “Bianca… I wish I could tell you, but it isverycomplicated. I do not know how to tell you…”
Now Bianca was completely baffled.
Liriya stopped walking, and so did her sisters. “Look, I feel extremely bad I cannot tell you whileyoutold us about your family. Maybe you should not take us to your home, after all. This does not fit as well, and it is our fault.”
“What?” Bianca, who was a step ahead, whirled around to face them. Liriya wondered how she did that, especially without losing her balance. Maybe it was because she was born a human and had a lifetime of experience. “Oh, no, not at all! Oh, I’m so sorry, I said I wouldn’t pry into your life, I shouldn’t have—”
“You did not pry, Bianca,” Liriya said, trying to assure her. “That is not prying—”
“Oh, please don’t leave now, we’re almost there. My sister would love to see you, especially Sessa; neither of us have friends but each other. I believe it was the Creator who fated us to cross paths, I feel it. Let’s… let’s be friends. You can tell me about yourself when you realize you can trust me. I’m sorry for rambling about myself—oh, heavens, I’m rambling now, am I not? I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about it!” Bianca vented out in one breath.
“Alright, alright, do not worry,” Liriya assured her with a small smile. “We shall be friends. I believe meeting you is part of fate too.”
Bianca laughed, visibly relieved. “Thank you.”
Bianca led them to her house and introduced her little sister, Kitty, to them and them to her. Seeing Sessa, Kitty was enthusiastic to have a new friend and immediately dragged her to go to her room upstairs and play with dolls. Sessa froze awkwardly in front of the staircase and shot Liriya a meaningful look to rescue her—they had climbed the few steps of the front porch with utmost difficulty, and they definitely didn’t want to attempt a staircase.
Just as Liriya was about to tell Kitty that Sessa was afraid of climbing, Bianca came from the kitchen carrying a tray with glasses of water. Once arriving at Bianca’s house, Liriya and her sisters made a mere comment about their dry throats and exhaustion, and Bianca offered to get them water to drink.
Liriya had no idea what that meant.
Nevertheless, she and her sisters accepted the glasses and held them in their hands awkwardly, holding back the wonder at the transparent item that could hold water.Holdwater! Liriya had no idea humans evenhadwater.
Where did they get it from? The sea?
And how wasdrinkingdone?
Fortunately, the awkwardness didn’t have to last long. Her mystery about drinking water answered when Bianca lifted the glass, touched the rim to her lips, and angled it upwards. When the water reached her lips, she took a swig.
Oh.
Liriya followed the example, pretending as though she knew how it was done and wasn’t making a fool out of herself. The moment the water touched her lips and she tasted it, she barely held back from sputtering and making a disgusted face.
How come the water tasted so bland? She realized it was definitely not from the sea, because the sea wasdelicious, especially in the depths where it was cleaner than the surface. She locked eyes with Ella who had the same expression on her face. Sessa, however, began sputtering and choking, having practically poured the water over her mouth. The glass fell from her hands but Bianca was quick to catch it before it hit the floor.