The Call Of Thalassa
A Catch in the Nets

“I was happy anywhere

I could see the ocean.”

- Ai Yazawa

The golden liquid was steaming in her cup, causing a pleasant feeling of warmth to spread throughout her hands. The fragrant smell of tea tickled her nose, demanding of her to taste the liquid heaven. However, no matter how much its wonderful aroma tantalized her senses, she did not taste it. Unlike nana Alexandra who drank her tea with slow sips enjoying its intense fruity flavor, Αileen left her cup on the table uninterested in it.

A pair of warm chocolate eyes followed her movements as she stood up from the old couch and approached the window of the cozy living room. The light from the red flames burning in the fireplace reflected upon her long hair, making it look more intense than it actually was. Drawing the white curtain away, her emerald eyes looked upon the stillness of the village as the black veil of the night had spread above it.

The lights of the houses were still on, making them look like scattered twinkled stars in the gloom of the night. The streets of the seaside village were deserted as all the villagers had returned in the safety of their homes following the mayor’s strict instructions. Her orbs caught sight of a few officers as they roamed the stone alleys of Seaworth, waiting for any lawbreakers to come out.

Disappointed, Aileen let a huff escape her before letting the curtain fall back into place. She was feeling restless and nothing seemed to be able to fix her dampened mood. Turning around, she found nana’s elder form sitting comfortably in her favorite armchair drinking her tea. Her chocolate orbs narrowed at her suspiciously, before she lowered her cup.

“Absolutely not.”

Aileen felt her heart skipping a beat before a sly smile appeared on her face.

“I didn’t say anything”, she replied taking a seat in front of her.

“You don’t have to”, the woman snorted loudly, “Your intentions are clear in your eyes.”

The girl played anxiously with her fingers as she looked nervously at the old lady.

“I have to warn him about what happened”, she looked above her shoulder making sure Aide was still in the kitchen, “He has to know.”

“Aileen...”

“They deserve to know what happened to their own people”, the girl defended her choice, “They’ve been looking for them for some time.”

Nana sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose with her shaking fingers.

“If you try to sneak out, they will catch you”, the elder shook her head negatively.

“I’ll be careful”, she said, “I’ve done this before and no one noticed me.”

“They didn’t notice you, because they weren’t searching for you. Right now everyone is in constant alert! They wait for someone to sneak out, so they can catch them!”

Aileen ran a hand frustratedly through her flaming locks, before staring at nana’s worried eyes for a few moments of silence.

“Wouldn’t you do it?“, the girl asked, “If it was Colvert, wouldn’t you try to warn him?”

Alexandra flinched visibly at the thought, closing her eyes momentarily to calm herself. When she opened them, she looked at the young woman sitting in front of her but did not give her an answer. Aileen nodded in understanding.

“Then, don’t try to stop me.”

As she stood up ready to leave the silent living room, the elder’s exhausted voice halted her steps.

“Just try not to get caught.”

The corners of her lips lifted in a small smile as she nodded in agreement. She walked towards her room, rampaging through her closet until she found the hoody she was looking for. Putting on the black cloth quickly, she checked her window for what was happening outside. Only a handful of houses were still illuminated, making her sigh in relief. It would be easier to sneak out when everyone was sleeping.

Turning around, she descended the wooden stairs quickly taking two steps at a time in her hurry. She passed noiselessly through the hall like a light-footed cat on her fluffy paws, approaching the front door as fast as possible. She lifted her hood up and studied her form in the mirror on the wall, making sure that her bright hair and the features of her face were well covered.

“Going somewhere?”

The unexpected voice made her movements freeze as her heart pounded inside her chest. Aide’s arms were folded in front of her chest as she raised a dark eyebrow at her actions. Scattered words that made absolutely no sense began to come out of Aileen’s mouth as she tried to justify herself in front of her friend. Aileen’s form was shaking in stress as she tried to replace a proper explanation, having been caught like a deer in headlights.

“Enough”, Aide said after a while effectively cutting her rumbling off.

Aileen felt her body tensing in front of her friend’s scrutinizing gaze. She felt like a child caught eating candy by her mother, while she wasn’t supposed to. Aide always had that effect, making her often seem older than her age.

“I know you are going to that beach”, Aide confessed.

Her head snapped up quickly as her emerald eyes widened in surprise. Had she imagined what her friend had just said?

“You are going to meet one of them, aren’t you?“, the older girl continue.

Aileen could only stare at her in shock, unable to comprehend her friend’s knowledge. She wasn’t supposed to know about her meetings with her merman. The only one who was aware of them was nana Alexandra.

“I-I..don’t understand”, she managed to stutter out, “H-How do you know?”

Aide let a chuckle escape her from her luscious lips.

“It wasn’t difficult to put everything together”, she explained to her, “Your frequent visits to the beach, your interest in merfolk legends, nana’s stories...”

Aileen hadn’t realized how observative her best friend was. Aide hadn’t asked her anything not wanting to pressure her into answering, but she surely had taken notice of more things than she let be known.

“What confirmed it though was your reaction to the dead mermaids. Everyone was shocked at the sight, but not you”, Aide cocked her head to the side as her orbs scanned her trembling form, “No. You were worried, but not terrified. The only logical explanation was that you had seen them before.”

Aileen took a sharp intake of breath as her shaking fingers became really fascinating.

“Aide, I really wanted to tell you...“, the nervous girl started, “...but I just couldn’t. I didn’t want you to think I was turning crazy or something. Mermaids are mythical creatures, no one would believe me! I just...everyone thinks I am weird! I didn’t want to lose the only friend I have left...”

Aide’s eyes softened at her confession, taking in the tears that were ready to fall from her emerald gems. She approached the shaking girl slowly before her arms embraced her in a tight heartfelt hug. Relief instantly swarmed Aileen’s senses at its familiarity and warmth.

“You are like the little sister I never had, Aileen”, Aide murmured in her ear soothingly, “Do you really believe that I wouldn’t have your back? After everything we’ve been through together, you should know otherwise.”

Aileen felt her tears staining Aide’s shirt but didn’t pull away. She sniffled against her shoulder, trying to calm her erratic heart down.

“So, you aren’t going to scold me for falling in love with a merman?“, she asked her.

Aide laughed at her words, shaking her head negatively as a bright smile illuminated her face.

“If he makes you happy and keeps you safe, then I have no reason to”, she shrugged her shoulders in indifference, “That’s all I ever wanted for you, my dear. Although, I would like to meet my friend’s boyfriend at some point...”

“He is not my boyfriend”, Aileen smiled at her, “He is my mate.”

Aide rolled her dark eyes at her correction, but the smirk on the corner of her lips didn’t disappear.

“Boyfriend, husband, mate...call it whatever you want”, she pinched her blushing cheeks, “You get my point.”

Aileen hugged her tightly, feeling a weight lifting from her shoulders. She wouldn’t have to lie any longer. The truth was out. She squeezed her shoulders in appreciation, before gazing into her chocolate orbs.

“Thank you”, she mumbled shyly, “for accepting everything.”

Aide gave her a grin, before clearing her throat. She took hold of Aileen’s black hoody, fixing the flaming locks that escaped from it.

“Go to your man”, she gave her a wink, “it isn’t polite to keep him waiting.”

Aileen gave her an appreciative smile before opening the front door slowly. She stuck her head out -her eyes searching for any movements down the dark street. When she was sure no one was there, she quickly left the safety of her home and began her way towards the stony staircase engraved on the side of the cliffs. She closed the heavy door, hearing Aide pleading for her to “be careful” before she was on her way.

She was fast in her pace and light on her footsteps as she passed through the familiar alleys of Seaworth. She used the darkness of the night in her advantage, staying hidden in the shadows that the multiple houses were casting as their inhabitants slept soundlessly inside of them.

Her ears burned at the sound of footsteps as two officers turned around the corner. She quickly entered a garden, falling to the ground and hiding behind the fence. Her heart hammered inside of her chest in stress and her form trembled in fear, but she remained still and quiet. She waited patiently for them to pass by her, letting a breath of relief escape her when she watched them turning the other corner.

Her emerald orbs frantically searched for any other figures, before she quickly stood up and run the rest of the way. Her lugs begged for her to slow down as she took different turns and found herself running through the familiar alleys. She sped up even more -the sooner she found herself out of the village the better. Her sides hurt and her breathing was frantic but she didn’t stop. A couple of times she had to wait for an officer to walk by or to hide in the shadows, but fortunately, she passed by them unseen.

A smile broke on her face as she made it to the flowery fields, away from the buildings and watchful eyes of the village. The slight breeze was a pleasant sensation on her sweaty forehead and burning cheeks as she finally slowed her step down. She walked towards the cliffs, making sure that no one had seen her or followed her. Sighing in ease, she reached her final destination.

Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves down, she took the first step down.

A heavy weight was thrown against her small figure, making her fall to the harsh ground at the side of the steep cliff. A strange scream escaped her -a mix of surprise and panic. She instantly started to struggle, trying to desperately escape from her captor but to no avail. His strength was no match to hers as he had taken a good hold of her hands, effectively making her unable to move.

“Let me go!“, she demanded fiercely, “Let me go!”

A cold metal made contact with the skin of her wrists, tying her hands together. Her emerald eyes widened in horror as she felt the handcuffs digging into her soft skin. A pair of strong arms took hold of her shoulders, forcing her to stand up. Her breathing accelerated at the sight of the three men standing in front of her.

“Well, well, well”, Alastor chuckled to himself, “What do we have here?”

Aileen struggled as the two officers restraint her. The sight of his smile made her want to slap him hard. She wanted to see his smirk disappearing from his face as her palm made contact with his cheek.

“You have no right to arrest me!“, she defended herself with her head held high.

“Actually, sweetheart, I do”, he held her chin with his fingers in a tight grip, “Seaworth is in a total lockdown -no one is allowed wondering the streets at such a late hour. Yet, you seem to ignore these rules, don’t you?”

Aileen didn’t let him see how much he terrified her. He always managed to somehow get under her skin, no matter how much she tried to ignore him. She wouldn’t let him do it once again. She looked him straight in the eye, giving him the coldest look she could muster.

“I just wanted some fresh air”, she stated firmly, “I might have broken the rules, but I am still innocent.”

The man in front of her raised an eyebrow in defiance.

“Hmmm”, he caressed his beard in mocking thought, “Is that so?”

Aileen watched as his hand reached in his pocket, before taking a folded paper out. She watched his actions in confusion as his hands unfolded it slowly, before revealing it to her.

“Then, what is this?“, he asked with a pleased smirk on his face.

Her heart stopped at the sight of the photograph -her eyes widened in utter surprise and terror. There she clearly was, leaning against Havelock’s shoulder lovingly as they stared at the beautiful sunset. His tail was in full display, making it impossible in any way to deny what his true nature was.

“Nothing to say, ms. Smith?“, he chuckled as he moved the picture away.

Cold sweat appeared on her forehead as her breathing grew labored.

She was in deep trouble.

“Aileen Smith, you are under arrest.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End of chapter 28!!

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