Page 27 of Mermaid on Heels
Liriya swam to the sunken ship that night, with her stubborn sisters who wouldn’t let her go alone and refused to stay back with Bianca. They found the treasure chest, emptied it into the moneybags Bianca gave them, and went to their cave for the night.
This would be their last night in the cave until the ball was over. Bianca offered them to stay at her home since Liriya needed to learn the human ways, proper walking, dancing onfeet, climbing the stairs and a lot more, in order to prepare for the upcoming ball.
The next morning, Liriya ramped through the dresses they had and separateddaygownsfrom nightgowns—thanks to Bianca for helping her tell which ones were whichandfor making her realize the mistake of wearing nightgowns on land.
Liriya and Ella wore the daygowns the next day. Sessa’s was too long for her, and since they didn’t have time to stay and fix it like Liriya did with her other gown, she asked Sessa to wear the nightgown for one more day and promised to fix it with Bianca’stoolswhen they got to her house.
To her credit, Sessa agreed without putting up a fight.
After reaching the surface, they put on the cloaks Bianca had given them, to hide the moneybags from prying eyes. They stayed on the shore until they dried off and then set off to Bianca’s house. Kitty welcomed them with the enthusiasm of one who hadn’t seen them for weeks and not just yesterday.
When Bianca came home from her work, Liriya helped her count exactly two hundred coins to pay off her stepfather’s debt to the earl. Bianca had tears in her eyes the whole time and she hugged Liriya almost to death before grabbing her cloak and setting off to the earl’s estate right away, before sunset.
The following days passed by smoothly and too fast for Liriya’s taste, but she wasn’t complaining. For the first time in her entire life—and not just in the past three months—she felt like every second of her life was worthwhile. Learning the human ways was fun, but remembering them was the hardest part—for instance, she kept forgetting to take one-step at a time while learning to ascend and descend the stairs.
Altogether, Liriya didn’t recall having so much fun in her life before and being ecstatically exhausted by the end of each day.
Shopping was the most entertaining part of all, even though Liriya didn’t know most of it despite the fact that she was learning. She followed Bianca around the marketplace with their sisters tailing behind them, from one stall to another, purchasing everything needed for the upcoming ball.
Bianca, to Liriya’s surprise, was a seamstress-in-training. Of course, she didn’t know what aseamstresswas until she asked, and was astonished to know that Bianca could design and make gowns. Therefore, they purchased fabrics and every other item needed for their gowns—everythingthat Bianca’s dream of being a seamstress lacked because of her financial situation. They bought matching slippers, masks, gloves, fans, a few jewelry pieces, fragrant oils, perfumes, and makeup essentials as well.
When they got back home by sundown, the sky adorned in pink and lavender, Bianca was squealing like a child. She danced around the house after setting their shopping bags down and admitted that this was a dream come true and that she couldn’t sit still.
Liriya laughed at her enthusiasm just before Bianca caught her arm and dragged her forward to go in a round of dancing—until her legs tangled and they both fell.
They got to work right after dinner that night. Bianca’s face was aglow with pure joy that Liriya thought the candles lighting the room faded in comparison. If Bianca lookedthishappy, simply because she was getting to make each ball gown for the two of them, Liriya could only imagine her friend’s happiness when she finally had a shop of her own.
Yes, just for the two of them. Since one of them should stay behind with their younger sisters, sweet Ella, as much as she wanted to attend the ball, volunteered for the post.
“Some sacrifices are worth it,” she said.
Liriya transformed the spare room of Bianca’s house into her new workshop the next day, with her sisters’ and Kitty’s help, while Bianca was at work. When Bianca returned each day and worked on their gowns in the evenings after dinner, Liriya would sit with her and watch her calloused fingers donning their work effortlessly with flowing expertise. Gradually, day by day, Liriya witnessed Bianca’s magic bringing the mere pieces of fabrics together and transforming them into magnificent gowns purely born out of her imaginations.
“Liriya, I have a plan—agrandplan that would definitely help you to meet with the king at the ball,” Bianca said one of those nights they stayed up late with her work, looking up at Liriya from the fabric in her hands. The girls were fast asleep in Kitty’s room.
Liriya met her friend’s gaze and saw the light in her eyes, which had been there since the day they went shopping and started her dream work on their gowns.
Somehow, Liriya felt this grand plan included the expense of money.
She sighed, but tried not to frown. “Bia, I do not want you to spare any more expense for me. You and Kitty need to secure that money for your future. You have done so much already.”
Bianca responded with a look of horror on her face and dropped the needle from her fingers. “Are you telling me you’re leaving after the ball?”
“Not permanently. But, oh dear, you look like you could pass out now.”
Bianca composed herself and her voice dropped into a gentle whisper. “Ever since you three began living with us, I’ve been feeling like we were a family and that you three are my sisters.”
Liriya’s eyes dampened at those words and she clasped a hand over Bianca’s on the table. “Oh, weare,Bia, I promise. And we will always be. But what I was trying to say was, we need to save up the money for your future. You’ve always wanted to be a seamstress but no one took you in for the job or tried to acknowledge your talent—let aloneseeyour work. That is absolutely cruel, and I want you to start your own business one day. I want you to show them what you can do. Perhaps, you might even eclipse theirs, who knows? Youneedthat money and every other cent that you can save. I want you to realize your dream.”
Liriya had never been so surprised or proud of herself over a heart-felt speech before. She had finally learned something about human ways. And to talk like one, using certain words, acknowledging them… She felt like she was over the surface.
Scratch that. It was, ‘over the moon’. Only Merfolk said ‘over thesurface’.
Bianca’s eyes teared up and she smiled, squeezing Liriya’s hand. “How Kitty and I could ever thank the Creator for the three of you, I have no idea. After our father died, I didn’t think we can be the same again. And then, I met you; the mysterious girl who stood up for me against my bullies. The girl who agreed to be my friend, whose sisters put a smile on my sister’s face, who trusted me with her biggest secret… and of course, who brought me the treasure of the sea to help pay my debts and now wants me to realize my dream by using it. Oh, Liriya, I…”
Bianca trailed off as tears slipped out of her eyes one by one. She shook her head.
“I believe that is what best friends do—thatiswhat best friends are for.” Liriya’s own eyes brimmed with tears seeing hers. “I could say all the same to you, Bia. You trusted me, kept my secret, and promised to help me when you were actually likely to freak out and get us into trouble.”