you know what this was doing to me? No? I thought I was going mad. I thought...well, never mind. What did you see? The truth this time."
"A mermaid."
"I knew it! But, they aren't real. They can't be."
Galead held my shoulders, squeezing them lightly, his face settled with a serious look.
"I assure you, mermaids are quite real. A great many things relegated to myth and legend were, in fact, real. Maybe just not exactly as they are portrayed in song and letters, but real nonetheless. And some of those mythological creatures survive still."
"Like mermaids."
He nodded. "Among others."
It was unbelievable. Mermaids were no more than fairy tales made up by sailors too long at sea. Like sea serpents. Or a creature that appeared from the darkest depths to try and drown me. And thinking about it, the stories from ancient texts were not always happy ones. The Greeks had very few stories related to their goodly nature. If my encounter was real, and I believed it was, then that was what it must have been.
"Why would it attack me?"
"If it was anyone else I would call it happenstance, but I think you were targeted."
"What do you mean, if it was anyone else? Why would I be a target?"
But Galead avoided my gaze, turning his back to me. Looking to the distant ceiling, I could sense the doubt and debate he no doubt was holding with himself. I hesitantly reached for him. My hand slipped over his shoulder, tensing at my touch, but he did not pull away.
"You are special, Thera. You may not know it yourself yet, but trust me when I tell you this. But your story is not mine to share," he whispered sadly.
"My mother," and father, I thought. "She knows what you are talking about, doesn't she? She knows about me, about this secret you are keeping."
Galead stood as silent as a living statue. In this he was not going to help me, I realized.
"Alright. Then what is your story. Who are you really?"
"I'm just a high school student, same as you."
"Don't give me that. You saved my life. You take some of the classes I do. You sit nearby at lunch. You always seem to be around, lurking. And staring."
"Staring?"
"That's right. My friends have seen you staring at us, at me, many times."
"They're very observant." His head shook with a low chuckle. "If they are telling the truth."
"They are. They're my friends and wouldn't lie to me, unlike you. Maybe you are the one targeting me, not this mermaid."
"Maybe I'm your guardian angel."
"Maybe you are avoiding my questions. Start talk..." The sudden stabbing pain in my leg had me grinding my teeth so hard I thought they would break. I twisted my body in a futile attempt to escape it. This was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life so far. It was worse than the clumsy root canal I had had or the twisted knee I suffered during my last gymnastics competition.
Galead was at my side. He held me up in his strong arms until the worst part had subsided. Our faces were again covered by darkness when I dropped the lamp, but the warmth from the cheek resting against my own cool skin took away any fear I might have felt. I wanted to rest against the wall and regain my balance.
"What's wrong?" Galead asked.
"My leg. The mermaid scratched me and it hasn't healed. It hurts sometimes."
Galead scooped up the lamp, holding its light low. His look revealed the worry he was feeling.
"Let me see."
"Um, no. I will be okay. It doesn't last long."
"You won't be okay if it is infected."
"It's not."
"Not the usual infection, but in some other way it might be. We need to make sure."
"I'll check it when I get home, I
"A mermaid."
"I knew it! But, they aren't real. They can't be."
Galead held my shoulders, squeezing them lightly, his face settled with a serious look.
"I assure you, mermaids are quite real. A great many things relegated to myth and legend were, in fact, real. Maybe just not exactly as they are portrayed in song and letters, but real nonetheless. And some of those mythological creatures survive still."
"Like mermaids."
He nodded. "Among others."
It was unbelievable. Mermaids were no more than fairy tales made up by sailors too long at sea. Like sea serpents. Or a creature that appeared from the darkest depths to try and drown me. And thinking about it, the stories from ancient texts were not always happy ones. The Greeks had very few stories related to their goodly nature. If my encounter was real, and I believed it was, then that was what it must have been.
"Why would it attack me?"
"If it was anyone else I would call it happenstance, but I think you were targeted."
"What do you mean, if it was anyone else? Why would I be a target?"
But Galead avoided my gaze, turning his back to me. Looking to the distant ceiling, I could sense the doubt and debate he no doubt was holding with himself. I hesitantly reached for him. My hand slipped over his shoulder, tensing at my touch, but he did not pull away.
"You are special, Thera. You may not know it yourself yet, but trust me when I tell you this. But your story is not mine to share," he whispered sadly.
"My mother," and father, I thought. "She knows what you are talking about, doesn't she? She knows about me, about this secret you are keeping."
Galead stood as silent as a living statue. In this he was not going to help me, I realized.
"Alright. Then what is your story. Who are you really?"
"I'm just a high school student, same as you."
"Don't give me that. You saved my life. You take some of the classes I do. You sit nearby at lunch. You always seem to be around, lurking. And staring."
"Staring?"
"That's right. My friends have seen you staring at us, at me, many times."
"They're very observant." His head shook with a low chuckle. "If they are telling the truth."
"They are. They're my friends and wouldn't lie to me, unlike you. Maybe you are the one targeting me, not this mermaid."
"Maybe I'm your guardian angel."
"Maybe you are avoiding my questions. Start talk..." The sudden stabbing pain in my leg had me grinding my teeth so hard I thought they would break. I twisted my body in a futile attempt to escape it. This was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life so far. It was worse than the clumsy root canal I had had or the twisted knee I suffered during my last gymnastics competition.
Galead was at my side. He held me up in his strong arms until the worst part had subsided. Our faces were again covered by darkness when I dropped the lamp, but the warmth from the cheek resting against my own cool skin took away any fear I might have felt. I wanted to rest against the wall and regain my balance.
"What's wrong?" Galead asked.
"My leg. The mermaid scratched me and it hasn't healed. It hurts sometimes."
Galead scooped up the lamp, holding its light low. His look revealed the worry he was feeling.
"Let me see."
"Um, no. I will be okay. It doesn't last long."
"You won't be okay if it is infected."
"It's not."
"Not the usual infection, but in some other way it might be. We need to make sure."
"I'll check it when I get home, I
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