The Siren's Spark
Fortunately, Wendy came to a few minutes later. Both she and Viv took turns keeping an eye on Allina swimming in the pool. From this vantage point, Viv could see a shade of rouge coming back into Allina’s pale skin, a very different picture from the pitiable figure she’d been hours ago. She dove majestically in and out of the water at every turn, looking like she could go on for an eternity.
Viv wasn’t sure when she finally dozed off from sheer exhaustion. But she woke up close to 4am, rubbing her smarting neck. She‘d been lying on a wooden bench a few paces away from the swimming pool. The last thing she remembered was dangling her mocha legs over the pool’s edge in the water and watching Allina do the mermaid equivalent of swimming laps.
Even more astounding than this was that a rolled-up towel had been placed exactly where her head had been resting before. She looked around wildly, not seeing either Allina or Wendy anywhere in sight now. Where had they gone? Just when she was about get hysterical, Allina appeared from the shadows and walked towards her.
On her human legs. And even more disturbing than this was that she was still in fact naked.
“Ally! You’re ok!” Viv got to her feet rapidly. She cleared her throat awkwardly and averted her eyes from Allina’s bare alabaster skin, which glowed with unnatural perfection.
The enigmatic mermaid looked as nonchalant as ever. “Of course I’m alright. Salt water is good for me, it keeps me healthy and strong.”
“Then what happened last night? Why were you so weak?” Overwhelming curiosity overrode Viv’s nerve-endings.
Allina sighed and interlaced her pale fingers. “I was careless. I have a bad habit of wandering on the beach when I’m not supposed to. Mermaids get their energy from the moon, especially when it is full. But last night’s moon was not strong enough to sustain me and I stayed out of the water for too long. I stumbled on my human legs and got trapped in that fish net you found me in. if you hadn’t come when you did, I don’t know what would’ve happened. Thank you.”
Viv ducked her head, embarrassment and elation coursing through her bones. “You’re welcome. I couldn’t just leave you like that.”
“You are very kind, Viviane. Humans often aren’t.”
“Have you met many humans before?”
“Enough to make me keep my distance.”
That statement stung more than Viv cared to admit, but she rallied nonetheless. “I never got a chance to thank you for saving my life. I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come to my rescue either.”
Unlike Viv’s response to being paid a compliment, Allina tilted her head in confusion at the human girl’s words. “It was natural to save you. There’s still too much life in you for it to be wasted out there.” She gestured towards the ocean.
Viv noted that Allina had a strangely formal way of phrasing things. And yet, she’d never felt more comfortable in anyone else’s presence like she did with the mermaid, and that included the company of her best friend too. “Then I should be more careful when I go swimming.”
Allina stared in the direction of the ocean. “I’ve been gone too long, I should get back.”
“Right!” Viv exclaimed. “I guess ‘home’ for you is in the water. But...you can’t leave here without putting on something.” She elaborated when Allina looked confused. “Clothes.”
“Those are the things that humans wear to cover their nakedness?” Allina guessed.
“Yes. Gotta cover up them 'privates' so they stay, well...private.” Her cheeks blazed pink when Allina frowned quizzically at her words. “Anyway, you can use the clothes my friend Wendy brought you last night.”
Allina waved her hands in protest, looked just awkward as Viv felt. “I really shouldn’t. They will get ruined.”
“Then maybe just...take this towel?” Viv held up her makeshift pillow and tried hard not to look at the mermaid’s exquisite form. As a rule, Viv didn’t like labels when it came to her sexual orientation. All she knew was that she’d been attracted to girls ever since she was a teenager and first saw Blake Lively in a one-piece swimsuit in Gossip Girl. She’d been disoriented when she first laid eyes on Allina after she’d been rescued. And yet, she’d realised then and there that the mermaid was one of the most stunning creatures she’d ever laid eyes on. The supernatural being was unlike anyone or anything that Lauren Viviane Macdonald had ever encountered before. Allina terrified and intrigued her all at once.
“I cannot take your towel, Viviane. I put it down for you to rest your head on – what will you use instead?” Allina questioned innocently.
“Wait...you put the towel there?”
“Of course. You were tired after tending to me; I wanted to repay the favour by carrying you away from the water and letting you rest.”
Viv remembered moments when her father used to carry her to bed as a young child and times when Wendy would cover her with a blanket after she fell asleep in front of the TV. But here was a stranger, a supernatural creature no less, caring for her in similar fashion to that of her loved ones. It was an overwhelming and perplexing kindness.
“Thank you, Allina. But I insist you take the towel. You can leave it on the sand when you go back in and I’ll grab it later.”
Allina relented. “Very well, I accept your offer.”
Viv let the towel unravel and handed it to Allina. As the mermaid grasped at the soft fabric, their fingers brushed, sending a sharp voltage of pleasure-pain coursing over Viv’s skin. The action was reminiscent of the time she got stung by a jelly-fish when she was 10 years old; but unlike that scorching pain, this sting was a persistent, inviting agony.
Alina arched her eyebrows while studying Viv’s inexplicable expression. “There’s something wrong with your face.”
Viv’s cheeks, which were hot from her close proximity to the enigmatic mermaid, now turned a delicate shade of pink. “What do you mean? This is how my face always looks.”
“You seem ill at ease. Are you alright, Viviane?”
“Only my parents call me Viviane – just call me ‘Viv’, ok? We’re friends now.”
“Friends?” Now Allina was more confused than ever. It had been a long time since anyone had called her that. The sentiment was nice, albeit a perplexing one for mermaids who usually avoided contact with humans.
“Of course we’re friends.” Viv repeated the sentiment as naturally as breathing. “You’ve never been friends with a human before?”
This time, Allina’s cheeks colored with chagrin. “Of course I’ve had human friends before. It’s just that...it’s been a while. I’m a little out of practice with typical human behaviour.”
Two tiny dimples appeared on Viv’s cheeks and she smiled in understanding. “What else do you know about humans?”
Allina scrunched her nose in concentration, which Viv thought was adorable. “Just a few things. Humans like swimming almost as much as mermaids. When you’re not swimming, you journey in things called motorcars. You like being in groups. And you seem to like playing ‘mouth to mouth’ a lot.”
Viv had been following Allina’s train of thought until that last part. “Mouth to mouth? Like when someone’s drowning?”
“Yes. But on these occasions, no one is drowning or in danger. Although there is some thrashing involved when their lips touch.”
Viv finally understood what Allina was getting at. “Wait...you‘ve never seen people ‘kissing’ before?”
“Does ‘kissing’ save lives?” Allina asked quizzically.
Viv couldn’t take it anymore and laughed loudly. “Not exactly.”
“Then why do people do it?”
Viv bit her bottom lip, thinking it over. “Well...some people kiss each other to show that they like each other.”
Allina’s angular face morphed into one of curiosity. “We like each other. Does that mean we have to kiss too?”
Viv’s cheeks turned pink again, but she kept her composure somehow. “Well, you and I are friends, so it’s a little different.”
“How is it different?”
“Friends show they like each other with hugging. But when people are in love, they kiss each other as a sign of affection.”
“Oh. Well, is kissing...pleasant?” Allina ventured.
Viv blushed again, but for a different reason this time. “Definitely. Um...how do mermaids show that they like each other?”
“Well, we don’t kiss each other on the mouth.” Allina affirmed. “But...we touch each other’s chests with our hands.”
“What, like copping a feel?”
“Cupping a seal?”
Viv’s bottom lip trembled with the urge to start laughing again. “N-n-nevermind. Actually, human friends can kiss each other. But it’s ‘cheek-to-cheek’, not on the mouth.”
“Oh.”
“Do you want me to show you? You’ll know what to do when you make another human friend next time. Then you can show me your ‘mermaid thing’.”
Viv felt incredibly nervous and stupid all of a sudden. What was she doing?
“Ok,” Allina agreed swiftly.
Viv goggled at the mermaid, who gazed innocently back at her. Maybe she was just overthinking things ― they were friends after all.
The black-haired girl stepped closer. Allina resisted the urge to retreat, even though she was suddenly afraid for an inexplicable reason. And yet, she knew deep down that Viviane wouldn’t hurt her. Despite generations of animosity between their species, Allina trusted the human girl.
Viviane leant forward and brushed her lips softly over Allina’s left cheek. The mermaid’s skin was surprisingly supple and tasted like saltwater.
It was over just as quickly as it started and when Viviane moved away again, Allina felt a sudden sense of loss.
“That felt...nice,” the mermaid offered finally.
“Thanks. Your turn, Ally.”
Viv’s breath quickened in her chest when Allina gazed intently at her. “Mermaids have powers. So when we touch each other, there’s a kind of...spark which travels through our bodies.”
“Like electricity?” Viv ventured.
"Elek-tra-satee?"
"Yeah, like the way eels hurt you when you touch them."
The red-headed mermaid nodded, comprehension dawning on her pale face. “Exactly. When mermaids like or love each other a lot, the spark is very strong. So if you feel something when I touch you, please don’t be alarmed.”
“Right, no big deal. Just your run-of-the-mill mermaid magic.” Viv muttered nervously.
“I won’t touch you the way lovers do. I’m only going to touch your hand, like a friend. Don’t be afraid, Lauren Viviane.”
The mermaid lifted her right hand. Her eyes glowed a terrifying shade of lightning blue, which made Viv wish she had a harpoon at the ready. But the human girl’s fear morphed into wonder when the mermaid clasped her mocha-colored hand, interlacing their fingers together.
Viv expected to feel a simple spark. Instead, a sharp voltage of pleasure shot down her spine and through her nerve endings. Her body was cold and hot at the same time, making her feel weightless.
Before she could fully surrender herself to the overwhelming sensation, Allina released her with reluctance.
“Whoa! You could charge a phone with your hand!”
Allina’s eyes were back to their normal shade of bluish-grey. “Thank you. I don’t know what a phone is.”
“Son of a bitch, why are you always naked when I’m around?” Viv stepped back from Allina. She glanced sheepishly at Wendy who was glowering at her mermaid friend.
“Nakedness isn’t wrong.” Allina said with simplicity.
“Tell that to my scarred eyeballs.” Wendy retorted.
“Wendy, where have you been? I was so worried,” Viv stated.
Wendy stared cynically at the two women, who were looking at everything but each other. She’d clearly walked in on the two of them having a ‘moment’. “Yes, I could tell. Relax, I just went home to change into my work clothes. My shift starts in an hour and your mermaid needs to swim a lap in her own pool before someone sees her.” Viv was surprised that Wendy was already coming to terms with watching Allina turn into a mermaid a few hours ago, albeit in an obnoxious and sarcastic manner.
“Right. I’ll go with Ally and make sure the beach is clear.”
“Wendy.” Allina addressed the shorter human, her face so serious that it worried Viv. “Thank you for helping me last night. I hope to repay the favour one day soon.”
“O-kay.” Wendy felt embarrassed and just a little pleased in spite of herself. “Send me a postcard the next time you’re in the neighbourhood.”
“I will,” Allina answered right away, which startled both Wendy and Viv.
Viv felt sure that Allina didn’t know what a postcard was either.