Derrolyn Anderson - [Marinas Tales #1] - Between The Land And The Sea by Derrolyn Anderson

thing indeed to have all of your assumptions about reality turned upside down in a split second.
    We came upon the fisherman and I paused for a moment, “Thank you,” I said with a sincere smile.
    “What is your name, water girl?” he asked, his deeply lined face holding friendly eyes.
    “Marina, and yours?”
    “Lue Khang,” he replied.
    “Well, Lue Khang,” I said, my smile broadening, “Thanks again.” I pressed my palms together and bowed my forehead to them. I knew this to be a sign of respect from my time in Thailand and I hoped he understood. I turned to leave, “Good luck fishing!” I called over my shoulder with glee.
    “Heh, heh, heh,” I could hear his happy chuckle as I rejoined Cruz and Megan.
    “Come on guys– let’s go!” I prodded my dazed looking friends, “I’ve been doing some research and have a ton of stuff to show you.”
    By the time we made it up the steep stairs Cruz and Megan were getting over the shock and speculating wildly about what it all meant. I was relieved to have someone to talk to about it, and grateful to Lue Khang for tipping me off about her. I wondered exactly what he knew about Lorelei.
    When we got home I brought out my laptop and started to excitedly show them all the information that I’d gathered.
    “There are lots of stories about how they lure sailors to their deaths,” said Megan ominously, her topaz eyes flashing with the thought of it.
    “Yeah,” Cruz said, “But over here, it says that they’ve been known to warn fishermen away from dangerous storms and rescue them from shipwrecks.”
    “That’s what’s frustrating,” I griped, “There’s so much contradictory information.”

    “I think our mermaid is much too pretty to be the killer type,” said Cruz thoughtfully.
    Megan cast him a satirical glance, “ Our mermaid?”
    “Well, Marina discovered her, but we’re probably the only ones who know she exists!” he sounded mightily impressed with the importance of this, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I suspected the old guy fishing knew as well.
    We kept on reading mermaid factoids to each other until late in the day. Mermaids were said to have the gift of prophecy, and to be immortal. They were described as both good and evil in a confusing mix of legend and lore. We read that they blessed people who were kind to sea creatures, and were able to bestow creativity and talent. Artists, poets and adventurers claimed to draw inspiration from them.
    Lots of stories claimed that they possessed the power to grant wishes, and that their presence signified abundance and protection. They were also known to have the ability to transform, to grow legs and become human at will.
    “What if they’re all over the place?” Megan wondered.
    “What if she’s the only one?” Cruz countered.
    We decided to find out more about her, to determine where she came from and what she was up to. When I reminded them of their initial skepticism, we made a pact to keep her existence a secret.
    “We have to be careful, if anyone finds out about her, the scientists might try to dissect her in some laboratory,” said Cruz, his big brown eyes open wide.
    Megan scoffed at him, “Seriously Cruz, that’s only in the movies. In the real world the men in the white coats will be coming to take you away if you start talking about seeing mermaids!”
    “That’s for sure,” I said, remembering their condescending behavior just a few short hours ago, “I think it’s important that we keep this to ourselves.”
    “You know,” said Megan thoughtfully, “She looked a whole lot like you.” Cruz agreed, “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were twins. It’s weird– your eyes are exactly the same.”
    I hesitated for a moment, “Yeah, I noticed... I wonder if that’s why she showed herself to me. She thinks she knows me...” I was still a little freaked out about it.
    “Marina... why did you call her sister?” Cruz asked solemnly.

    “She