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Chapter 5
Saturday, March 7, 2009 @ 5:50 PM
5. Admiration
To love is to admire with the heart; to admire is to love with the mind.
“You always admire what you really don't understand.”
-Blaise Pascal“Mr Ray and Ms Aqua, just what do you think the two of you are doing here at this hour?” a high, shrill voice crackled.
We froze in our tracks instantly as I spun around slowly. There, standing in the middle of the corridor was Ms Hilton, the disciplinary mistress.
I pouted. Two more steps and we would have sneaked into the classroom without detection. Her high heels clicked rapidly as she closed the distance between us.
Think, Relle! My brain turned on hyperactive mode when she approached.
“Mr Ray. Do the words ‘punctuality’ and ‘virtue’ exist in your dictionary?” she said sternly, a frown appearing in between her knitted brows.
“Because the last time I checked, ‘early’ was non-existent.”
“Ms Hilton, you’re my walking dictionary,” Ray said with a hint of sacarsm.
I almost choked. He had deliberately insulted her intelligence to the point of no-return. Ms Hilton took a minute to process those words, then her face turned livid and her skinny frame shook.
“Congratulations, Mr Ray,” she said gloatingly, “but you’ve just landed yourself in the detention room again.”
“Ms Hilton, you might want to excuse him as we were both bathed by rain on the way,” I said stiffly.
“You must be the new student,” she declared, peering at me closely.
“Excuse denied. The sun has just betrayed you,” she snorted.
“Sun? Ms Hilton, you should take a look yourself,” I requested indignantly.
As she swiveled around, tumultuous clouds instantly filled the once brightly lit sky and it started pouring. The howling wind sung to the melody of the rain, as if taunting her.
A look of pure outrage swept across her face and I averted my eyes as a peal of laughter threatened to escape. From the corner of my eye, I could see Ray marveling at me. I plastered a smile on my face and looked straight ahead.
“May we?” I asked politely.
Fuming, she turned and sneered, “Ray, the next time this happens; it might not be such a coincidence.”
“I might also like to add that Mr Ray here is notoriously infamous and he currently holds the record for being on the ‘most wanted’ list.”
I raised my eyebrows when she mouthed the words ‘get out of my sight’, mentally cursing her for treating me like filth.
***
“You did that?” Ray said in an undertone when Ms Hilton stormed off. He gawked at me in apprehension, looking dumbfounded.
I shrugged and smiled secretly.
Let him think what he wants, I mulled.
As we entered the classroom, the atmosphere instantly hushed and heads turned in our direction. Penetrating stares knifed me as I took my seat.
Where have you been? Marine’s reprimanding voice sounded in my head.
You have not been hanging out with that human Ray, have you?
A spasm of guilt racked through me as I thought about earlier.
We know what you’ve done, Relle. A deeper voice echoed. This time, it was Fin’s. I groaned glumly. One thing I hated about the marine world was our ability to telepath. Our supersonic hearing enabled us to hear each other’s thoughts. In spite of that, however much I wanted to; I could never interpret any of Ray’s thoughts. His mind was like a living shield, impenetrable.
Storm said we had to keep our identities a secret. Fin enunciated resolutely. The last two syllables boomed in my head, tugging at my conscience once again. Storm was my uncle and leader of Aquarealm. He had repeatedly told us not to give ourselves away to those who lived in the world above us.
The human has an identical of the pearldrop, I reasoned.
I am trying to figure out where he got it from. In fact, he gave it to me in person.
Be careful. Marine’s last words resounded, fading away.
I tried to focus on what was happening in class. I could sense Ray seated behind me. Then, I felt another’s presence. Not wanting to turn around, I listened intently to their conversation.
“I’m really tired,” the girl’s shrilly voice made me cringe, “want to know why?”
“Why?” Ray mumbled.
“Because I’ve been running through your head all day,” she declared flirtatiously.
“No, you have not been on my mind at all,” he countered, a hint of irritation creeping in his tone.
“It’s because of her, isn’t it?” her voice surged an octave higher.
“She’s a monster. A sea monster underneath that façade!” I could hear giggles at the back as her friends joined in mocking me.
I hate her. You only have eyes for her when I saw you first. The loathing and revulsion she directed at me while she deliberated wordlessly gushed out vehemently. Her thoughts were murderous. I was literally stabbed by them.
She was such a backstabbing witch. My blood boiled as the exchange carried on.
“That girl’s a walking trap. Boys fall easily under her enchantment without realizing it,” the taunting continued.
She doesn’t enchant me, but you, I could hear her contemplating malevolently.
“You’re her prey.” She whispered wickedly.
“I would rather be hers, than yours,” Ray sneered coldly.
Silence ensued as the little Miss Know-It-All shut her mouth. I smiled to myself unconsciously. Ray had made it clear that she was a nuisance to him. Satisfaction flooded me as I thought to myself smugly.
The lunch bell rang at that moment. Before I could even get out of my seat, someone tapped me on my shoulder. Raising my head, I realized his face was within inches from mine. For that few milliseconds within a heartbeat, we stared at each other. The look of longing on his face was undeniably a question.
“What do you want?” I sighed heavily.
“I was wondering if you would care to spend your lunch break with me,” he said sincerely. A faint blush spread slowly across his features as if he had regretted asking immediately after he had said them.
“Sure.” I flashed my best smile at him. His flustered expression had triggered something in me. I felt the strings in my heart being yanked away. Somehow, he had a certain charisma which lured me in. A sudden desire to touch him flared in me. Stop it, I chided myself. You know what happens when a mermaid falls in love with a human.
I knew all right. I knew too well. I remembered vividly losing my mother at two. She vanished one day from the face of the oceans and was never found again. Rumours of her violating an ancient rule circulated swiftly. It was said to be the cause of her disappearance.
In Aquarealm, mermaids did not fall in love with humans. Mum had done exactly the opposite. Those who did so were cursed and she was said to have dissolved to foam. People said she had eight children. Yet, there were only seven of us. Where was the last one? Storm had laughed and ridiculed such talk, warning us against believing. Yet, whenever I mentioned mother, a flitting look would cloud his eyes.
Deep down, I knew it was true.
Whatever secret Storm was keeping, I would have to steal it from him myself. What would have explained the fact that my siblings were all twins and I was the only odd one out?
My twin had to be out there somewhere.
I looked into Ray’s expectant eyes. He was such a comfort. He was like a pillar of strength, always there to lend a helping hand. I admired his resilience. The steely look in his eyes made my heart pound. The yearning in me rocketed, enveloping me in forbidden territory.
I tried to shake those dangerous thoughts away, nevertheless, somehow, I realized, all this while, I had been running away from the truth. The reason I had never let my guard down around Ray, the root of the problem, was love. I was afraid of venturing into that somewhere my mother had gone. It had ruined her, and now, I was the next in line.
Yes, admiration was inevitable. It alleviated my disregard for humans. Yet, love was something else altogether.
One thing I knew, I was its next target.
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