If Aqua were to tell her mother that one day she would be a mermaid who could travel the skies, her mother would have tugged her by the ear and nagged for hours about her careless daydreaming. Mermaids couldn’t fly like birds, for they had no wings. Yet, here she was, thousands of feet up into the air above the sea of clouds amongst other humans.
“Awake now?” the familiar voice beside her sounded calm, but Aqua could feel the intense surge of undercurrent emotions through their linked hands. Even without it, she knew she would be in trouble.Unable to lie or devise a decent excuse, Aqua could only remain quiet as she mentally prepared herself to receive a scolding. Even if Dawn grew to hate her for not listening to him, the mermaid was determined to follow him. The stars told her that Dawn would be in big trouble without her, and she wanted to help no matter how silly she was.Unable to remain mad at Aqua for long when she had that kicked puppy lookIt was a nostalgic trip. When Dawn exited the airport, Aqua could only rush to catch up with his pace. Dawn hailed a cab and dropped off at different places. They were currently sitting in their third cab, and Aqua vaguely recognised the road this time.To her left, she could see some boats and the sea. Part of her missed the waters and the salty sea breeze. Despite the cold water, dreary days and worries about food, the mermaid in her missed the sound of waves lulling her to sleep beneath a blanket of stars at night.Dawn studied Aqua silently from beside. His fist tightened in his pockets when Aqua’s gaze was lost to the sea. Although he had resolved himself to set her free if she desired, the selfish and possessive monster in him was dying to lock her up where she would always be safe. It was a struggle as they passed by the familiar bridge that connected their fates.The cab drove across the bridge, and soon, it was out of sight. Aqua watched how they drove
The next few days passed in a flurry. While Aqua learned new cooking recipes from the neighbours, Dawn skulked from alley to alley. Most of his usual informants were missing, probably in hiding after Ricardo’s purge. However, the few who were only loyal to money had yet to come back to him with any new information.Ricardo’s secret contact in the picture that Qian Mo found Ricardo meeting with was nowhere in town. The former mafia boss dug through old documents in some of his father’s archives to see if any mentions of his mother’s side of the family existed.The cartel that Dawn wanted to find was very far out of reach. Even the local police did not have much to offer him. Dawn was grasping at straws, and all his father’s allies could not be found. Those who remained in the Daniels family were either new blood or traitors. Dawn didn’t trust any of them for information. Ricardo wouldn’t trust backstabbers either, despite being one.
Ever since their yacht trip, Dawn became busier. Aqua had gotten used to the new neighbourhood and made friends with the neighbours who told her snippets of Dawn’s childhood with his father. Learning how the reliable man had a reckless and mischievous side when he was younger was refreshing. Part of Aqua was curious about the kind of person Dawn was before his father passed on. Hence, she made excuses to visit the old ladies, not that they minded.“I might be back late again,” Dawn announced before leaving.Aqua nodded and waved to him at the door entrance when Dawn approached her and gave her a quick peck on the forehead. It was something new in their routine since they promised to become each other’s family, making Aqua turn pink each time it happened.Satisfied that Aqua was not rejecting his advances, Dawn smiled and left the townhouse in a relatively good mood. The mermaid was too endearing, getting so embarrassed with an innocent kiss. Th
It was a long drive back after a long talk that rivalled the travel time. Yet, Dawn wasn’t mad. Aqua might be slightly disappointed that he didn’t bring her any of the food because Jim had the liberty of footing the bill and packing the rest of the leftovers back for his supper. He hardly blamed the man for it. The meal was delicious.Returning the rented vehicle was easy. However, returning home after that was harder. The port town wasn’t like the city where Jericho lived. Barely any shops, besides the occasional bars and drunkards, were open this late. The port was quiet at night, with only the waves crashing into the cemented wall and the cold salt wind blowing in his face. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far of a walk back to the townhouse, even without a vehicle. It might take him an hour or so, but there wasn’t any traffic to hinder Dawn. Ricardo and his men didn’t patrol this area either, so there was nothing to worry about.Dawn had wa
Dawn was out late as usual. When he left, he was dressed for the occasion, and Aqua wondered if he would be back before it rained. The weather forecast said it would be stormy at night, but the full moon outside spoke otherwise.Knock! Knock-knock!The sudden sound at the door startled Aqua. However, the strong scent of death terrified her. The last time she smelled this much blood, Dawn was bleeding out in the cold water.Using crutches that she borrowed from the neighbours, Aqua hobbled over and peeked using the peephole as she was taught. She saw a tuft of black hair and a familiar suit. Although the man’s face was hidden from sight, there was no mistaking it. Her human was back!Unbolting the safety lock, Aqua wanted to greet Dawn. However, the red liquid staining the floor scared her into silence.“I’m home,” Dawn whispered weakly as he tumbled into her arms, sending them flopping onto the carpet.Alarmed by how cold Dawn wa
It was only fair for Aqua to learn what Dawn did that endangered his life. Excluding the mermaid who could read the stars and predict the future made little sense. Keeping Aqua in the dark would not make them happy after what happened last night. Hence, Dawn spilt the beans over breakfast about the kind of man he was and what he did before she found him under that bridge in the water.Aqua listened silently, taking in everything Dawn told her. Her expression was frozen, and the former mafia boss had no idea if that was good or bad.“However, it wasn’t until Ricardo shot me on that bridge the night you found me that I realised the truth. My father’s death was staged. He was murdered by that traitor who had been planning for years since my parents got together.”The human world… was truly complex. Aqua didn’t know what to do about everything Dawn told her. She felt helpless even after learning the truth. She had always known Dawn was
“You should hold onto my hand in case you get lost in town,” Dawn convinced, stretching his palm towards her as soon as he left the front door.Aqua did as Dawn suggested without questioning how odd it would be for family members to hold each other’s hands at this age. She liked holding hands with Dawn as it helped her figure out his feelings. Her human rarely spoke, so Aqua had to observe his micro-expressions to learn his thoughts. It could get slightly tiring, especially when there were so many details to pay attention to on the mission. Holding hands helped her focus on finding suspicious humans to talk to while not getting so easily distracted that she ended up lost.While Dawn loved efficient and capable subordinates, Aqua’s focus made the businessman sulky. The pseudo-date lacked romance when Aqua failed to pay him any attention. She refused all his advances to kindle a romantic atmosphere, and Dawn could hardly believe this was the same merm
Something was bothering Aqua, and Dawn tried to figure out what it was. Ever since they finished their ice cream, Aqua was huffy. They were in the taxi on their way to the hotel, where Dawn reserved them a room with fake names and a dinner date at a fancy restaurant later in the evening. With some string-pulling, he found out where these guests would be dining.Sneaking over to grasp Aqua’s fingers intertwined with his, Dawn studied her expressions. The mermaid’s expression morphed from a frown to one of surprise, turning to look at him.“What’s wrong?” he mouthed the words, even though the driver was playing rather loud classical music over the radio.Aqua blinked dumbly and stared at their joined hands. Dawn was truly confused and concerned about her, but Aqua did not know what to tell him. How could one possibly be more than family as a human? She might appear human now, but she was still a mermaid masquerading as one. The only courtsh