CH 112
The Hawaiian sunrise paints the sky in strokes of orange, pink, and gold, the colors bleeding into the crystal-clear water below.
I wake to the sound of gentle waves lapping against the bungalow’s supports and feel a pang of guilt for my paranoia the day before. This place, with its serene beauty and idyllic isolation, hardly feels like a trap.
I sit up, stretching lazily, and let the warm, salty air wash over me.
It doesn’t take long to find Wake. He’s on the bungalow’s balcony, perched on a sturdy stool with a long wooden fishing rod in his hands. The sight makes me grin. The rough simplicity of the rod against the backdrop of the luxurious bungalow is so… Wake.
“Good morning,” I call, stepping out into the soft breeze. He glances back, offering a small, satisfied smile.
“Morning,” he says. “The fish here are plentiful, but cautious. They make for a worthy challenge.”
I sit down beside him on the edge of the balcony, letting my legs dangle. “So, how does a merman know how to fish? I thought you just, I don’t know, caught things with your bare hands.”
He chuckles, low and rich. “My people are not as advanced as we once were, but neither are we barbaric. We know the value of tools.”
I arch an eyebrow, intrigued. “Advanced as you once were? Does that mean your people used to have technology like humans?”
His hand tightens slightly on the rod, and he casts a careful glance at me. “There is much about our past that has been lost, but yes, we were once far more advanced. While I may not be the first to share the full history with you, I am free to speak of what you already know.”
I lean back, thoughtful. “Is that why you’re so determined to find my grandmother? You think she might be the one to fill in those gaps?”
He adjusts the line, his movements slow and deliberate. “That is one reason among many, Phoebe. But each reason leads to the same conclusion.”
I pick at a splinter in the wood beneath me, chewing on his words. “That conclusion being… what? That I’m not ready to do what we came here to do?”
His lips press into a thin line, and his gaze flicks to mine. “That is no fault of yours,” he says solemnly. “I could not have predicted how complex this would all become. You’ve already endured more than anyone could have expected.”
I shake my head. “I don’t see it as complex, Wake. Your people are in danger, and if there’s something I can do to help, I’m willing to do it. However I can.”
He exhales deeply, his face shadowed by an emotion I can’t quite name. “More than one threat endangers my people,” he says quietly. “And you… you may be the key to it all.”
I take a deep breath, the weight of his words settling on my chest. “No pressure, right?”
He huffs a faint, humorless laugh, and I decide that wallowing in self-doubt isn’t going to get us anywhere. Pulling out my phone, I start typing away.
“What are you doing?” he asks, watching me with mild curiosity.
“If I’m going to save the siren race,” I say, not looking up, “I need to be a little more proactive than sitting around waiting for my grandmother to fall into my lap.”
After a few moments, I find what I’m looking for and turn the screen toward him. “Here.”
He leans closer, reading the title aloud. “*The Museum of Natural Hawaiian History.*”
I nod. “This place will have everything there is to know about this island. It’s a good starting point.”
His brow furrows. “What is a… museum?”
I blink at him, momentarily taken aback. “It’s a place where humans house knowledge,” I explain. “Relics of the past that help carry on our stories. This one should have records, artifacts, and maybe even information about the local myths. It might help us figure out why Anthozoa would hide here.”
His expression grows pensive. “So, it is like a place of learning?”
“Exactly,” I say, smiling. “Don’t the Enkian have anything like that?”
Wake hesitates, his gaze distant. “We have places of learning,” he says carefully. “But there is not enough left of our past to fill one of these museums.”
His words hit me harder than I expect. I reach out, taking his hand in mine. “That’s going to change,” I tell him firmly. “You’re going to be the one to make sure of that.”
His eyes meet mine, the faintest flicker of hope in their depths. “None of it would be possible without you,” he murmurs.
I squeeze his hand, leaning in closer. “Then I guess we make a pretty good team.”
He grins faintly, then tilts his head, pressing his lips to mine.
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