Chapter 18

“What! There has to be!” I gasped.

The look on his face stayed as cold and serious as ever.

“Eric, tell me there’s a way to save them. Are they going to die? Or are they just going to stay ill forever?” I asked desperately.

“Of course not” Eric answered “The poison wears off in twenty four hours!”

I felt stupid. I was so mad. He knew how worried I was about Chloe. He saw how upset I was and still he made me think she was really ill. How can he be so calm and emotionless? All these things I wanted to scream out at him but all I could choke out in my anger was a low mutter.

“You’re a jerk.”

Then slowly I walked away from the crowd to check on Tory and Chloe feeling guilty and a fool. What if he really didn’t see how I was feeling? What if I was just over reacting? One thing was for sure, tonight I had to talk to him, tell him the truth. I knelt down next to Chloe and Tory. They were still breathing really deeply. I slowly and silently laid down next to them for a while. I couldn’t help but notice a weird shaped mark on Tory’s left wrist. Its funny but it almost looked like a head or something. As soon as their breathing slowed down to a normal pulse rate I got up and found myself walking back onto the dock. I found myself a nice little space at the back of the ship and sat day dreaming on the horizon. I wished I could just go home. I longed to see my room, my parents… anything but water.

A shadow cast over me. Jen.

“Hey” she started “Are you OK? You kind of bite Eric’s head off a bit there.”

“I’m fine” I mumbled “I was just annoyed”

“Ok, just so you know, it wasn’t his fault”

I grunted in reply.

“Hey, you know Tory?” I asked before she got up to leave “Has she always had that birthmark on her wrist?”

She nodded and crept away across the deck. It wasn’t long before Eric came slowly over to me. I rolled my eyes.

“Did Jen send you?”

“No, but she gave me the all clear sign”

I kept quiet.

“Look, I’m sorry if I ever upset you” he apologized.

“Eric, do you know who I am?” I questioned looking at him for the first time since we started talking.

“I think you’re the girl who helped save me yesterday, the girl I found in the dark - the girl who looks so beautiful in the sunlight”

“No! you don’t get it Eric. We don’t belong here. We are not from this century even.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Where did you come from? Why were you held captive by the captain?”

“Why were you?” he shot back.

I couldn’t answer.

“I don’t know, I’m so confused.”

“Tell me and I’ll help you figure it out” he assured.

So I told him. From start to finish. Sure I felt stupid and embarrassed telling him such crazy things but he seemed to take it in.

“So where’s the compass now?” he asked just after I finished.

I took his hand and lead him to the downstairs chamber. There was a loose floor board which could be pulled open for a hiding place. I hid it there. The walked in though, to see Tory standing over the loose floor board clutching the compass.

“I was only looking” she assured us before we even had chance to question her.

“Can I have it back then” I asked moving towards her.

She hesitated for a minute and then quickly dropped it. Luckily the blankets were underneath it.

“We need to stop this. We’ve got to get back to our time” I told him.

“What about me?”

“You want to come?”

“No, I mean, what will happen to me?”

“I don’t know” I admitted

There was an awkward silence. Everyone was acting like they were thinking but I could see they wasn’t really.

“I guess we could wait and drop you off at a port” I suggested.

His face brightened up.

“Great”

I left them both in the room again. I had to hide the compass again. I was thinking of hiding it in the same place so it was least expected but I found another hiding place behind to the life boats. I turned around to check that no one was looking and slipped it into its new hiding place. I glanced across the sea and began to sway across the deck to find Jen or someone to talk to. The image flashed in my mind again. Something was hovering in the water. I took a look back again. Nothing. The sun bounced back from the water into the sky. The water was almost still. I, gingerly, took a couple of steps forward and peered over the side. The first thing I saw a pair of chocolate brown eyes staring right up at me from the water. The first thing I thought was someone had fallen over the side of another ship nearby. It took courage to stay in the water longer than a minute. It was so tropical you couldn’t help but think that a huge octopus or jelly fish was going to get you.

“Hey!” the girl giggled.

I was shocked by the tone of her voice. It was like she actually enjoying herself.

“Oh my god…” I cried and quickly climbed down the small wooden stairs at the end of the ship to reach out to her.

“Take my hand and I’ll pull you out!”

She carried on giggling. She had long flowing brown hair which swayed the water and was wearing an electric blue bikini.

“I’m fine, thank you” she answered in a sweet polite voice.

Suddenly another face appeared from the water. This girl was wearing a scarlet bikini and had short auburn curls. Her small little freckles dotted across her button nose. She had huge emerald eyes and little dimples in her cheeks when she smiled.

“My name is Loriei and this is my little sister Lyla” the girl in blue introduced “What’s your name?”

I hesitated.

“Riley”

“Wow, that’s a nice name” Lyla interrupted.

I smiled back at her.

“What are you doing in the water? Where’s your boat?”

They both looked at each other and burst into giggles.

“We don’t have a boat,” Loriei finally answered.

They both leant back and revealed two long tails. Loriei’s tail was a beautiful electric blue and Lyla’s tail was a gorgeous scarlet red.

“Y-Y-Your Mermaids!” I gasped.

I was completely baffled.

“Of Course not!” Lyla cried “We’re Bloomies”

“B-Bloomies?” I stammered

“From Vixian” Loriei added.

I didn’t know what to say.

“W-What do you want?” I asked

They both looked at each other.

“We want you to join us, Riley” Loriei answered sorrowfully “We need you to join us…”

Chapter 19

“What? But I can’t! I mean… I won’t!”

They both burst out laughing again.

“I’m kidding!” Loriei assured “I can never keep a straight face”

“What? I don’t understand!”

“We’re just hanging around. What’s wrong any way?”

“Well first we got lost, and these pirates…”

“Say no more! Those pirates are so evil, only last week there were on Loriei’s tail again. She’s always getting caught!” Lyla interrupted again.

Loriei nudged her a little and giggled.

“Can we come aboard?” Loriei asked swimming closer to me.

“Are you real?” I asked, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

“Of course!” she grinned and reached out for me. She grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me from the ladder. I crashed into the water with a big splash. I jumped to the surface spluttering for air.

“Now do you believe me?” she giggled.

I found myself laughing along with their little joke. The water felt good on my skin which the sun had dried out. The water was quite warm surprisingly as well.

“Welcome aboard then” I told them and began to climb up the ladder again.

I felt a lot heavier than before. My water clogged clothes slammed against my body. I turned around just in time to see the sea glow a bright yellow around Loriei and Lyla and sparkles of blue and red bounce in the air and frazzle out. They both climbed from the water as dry as ever. Loriei was wearing beautiful blue dress the colour of her tail with small white flowers on it. Her long brown hair hung from her curvy hips. It was the straightest hair I’ve ever seen. Lyla was wearing a similar dress but a lot shorter and was pleated at the bottom. It too was the colour of her tail but she was wearing a pearl necklace as well.

“I’m glad your dry!” I joked shaking the water from my hair.

“You should have held on tighter” Loriei answered.

She took out a pinch of blue dust for her small green bag which her from her side and blew it onto me. I felt my body tingle and instantly cool until I was perfectly dry.

“Wow! That was great! You can do that?”

“What did it look like?” Lyla smiled.

They stood on the deck not really knowing what to do.

“Explain” I told them “how can you do that? I’ve never seen anything like it”

“We’re Bloomies, from Vixian. We have our own source of magic and stuff. That’s all. We’re still normal though. Right?”

I nodded. Of course really I knew they wasn’t.

“Ok, I think I get it now” I lied “Just don’t tell my friends, they’ll destroy you!”

They nodded in agreement.

In a way it did make sense but it was so weird and new I didn’t know what to do.

Suddenly the wooden door burst open and Jen and Jess came running out holding broom and small knife.

“Turn around you two!” Jess instructed holding the broom higher.

Loriei and Lyla both turned around holding their hands in the air. I wasn’t sure whether they were being sarcastic or were serious.

“No guys it Ok. They’re with me” I explained.

They both looked at each other and gave me a weird look.

“They’re with you?” Jess questioned.

Hey eyebrow rose a few centimetres higher than the other one.

“Yeah, their cool. Just lower the broom” I joked.

Loriei and Lyla slowly began to turn around.

“We thought they were the pirates. Where did they come from?” Jen asked putting away the knife.

“Umm… Well we actually…” Loriei started.

“We were hiding on your boat after the pirates caught you” Lyla interrupted.

They both looked at me for approval. I slightly nodded discreetly.

“Yeah, this is Loriei and Lyla” I introduced “They’re sisters”

The interrogation went on for a while longer until we finally convinced them that they were just normal girls kidnapped by the pirates. They seemed to get it but I don’t think they really liked our new ship mates.

“They’ll warm up” I promised them.

I think Jen was a bit jealous actually. She was the prettiest on the ship but both Loriei and Lyla beat her by far. By the end of the day I think Jen was beginning to warm up to Loriei, she was always tagging along behind her. Jess was still busy working on the maps and stuff. She was acting so unlike herself. She was acting all smart and really worried. Lyla was swimming in the sea again. She asked if I wanted to swim but I was scared of the water. The thought of something grabbing or biting me made me squirm. Eric was floating about bored on the deck. It wasn’t long before he joined me.

“Where did you meet your new friends?” he asked, referring to Loriei and Lyla

“I guess you don’t believe the pirate story?” I smiled.

He shook his head

“I was locked up there for too long to not notice them”

I never realised how bad he had it.

“What happened to you? Why were you locked up?”

It took him a while to answer.

“I guess my home life was different to everyone else’s. Mommy and daddy didn’t like having an ’slob’ for a son” he started.

His voice was sarcastic and angry but somewhere deep inside I detected a hint of sorrow. “I spent months planning for a way to escape. I was told if I ran away I could live a better life, a pirates life. But running away to sea, wasn’t as sweet as I thought. It wasn’t long before I was in trouble again. I had to leave.”

He paused.

“I stole a life boat but it wasn‘t long before the pirates found my trail. I‘ve been in that jail since… since”

His voice drifted off and his expression changed from anger to confusion.

I nodded slightly to show him he didn’t have to say anymore.

I had to think this over. That probably explains why he was so emotionless sometimes. It all made sense.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” he asked.

I smiled.

“Of Course not, I’m just so glad you were caught”

He smiled back.

We sat there for a little longer. Lyla climbed out of the water and joined us.

“What are you too love birds talking about” She asked.

We left nervous laughs.

“Nothing much, just talking about your escape from the pirates” I laughed “Nice thinking by the way”

She shrugged.

“What can I say? My mum’s psychic.”

Eric rolled his eyes as a joke and she punched him in the arm; much harder than he imagined.

“What’s that?” he asked, referring to the pistol still hanging from my pocket

“Oh” I cried, forgetting all about it. “I took it from the pirates”

Lyla held out her hand “I’ll take it before you kill someone. Remember that I have it”

I handed it over.

We talked for a while longer until it was getting dark.

“We’d better get inside before it gets too dark” Lyla warned.

We all agreed. I rubbed my arms until they where a bit warmer and began to get up.

“I’ll stay up for a bit” Eric declared.

Lyla skipped ahead, her auburn hair bouncing off her shoulders.

I followed her.

“Riley,” Eric called.

I turned around.

“I wasn’t joking when I told you how pretty you are in the sun”

I smiled and walked away calmly and cool but inside I felt all fluttery and giddy.

To be continued...