Chasing Atlantis by Kelly Coughlin Page A

swirled the last bite of ice cream in his mouth. I doubt he tasted it. He was just buying time to think of a correct response. Finally he swallowed, releasing the full power of his hypnotic eyes on mine. I was hopeless.
    “Generally species communicate with other species because they are one of them, and to answer the fragments of your previous questions, I was doing a bit of fishing. I find that fish have a bit more of a fight in them at night.” He smiled grimly. I leaned in towards the table trying to hear his low voice.
    “Yes. Generally that is how it happens.” I’m not sure why I was getting the biology lesson. “Are you saying that you are… of the same species as her? Is she different from me?” He fidgeted around nervously in his chair. I looked up in time to see the ice cream girl giving me a dirty look for making him fidget like that. Didn’t anyone mind their own business anymore?
    “I’m partly related to her. I’m not full blooded though, so you don’t need to worry. No you aren’t even remotely related to her.” My thoughts spiraled out of control. I couldn’t follow what he was saying. His words didn’t make any sense to me. I thought talking to him would relieve my fears, not make them worse.
    “Okay. Well that’s good, I guess. I don’t mean to pry, but what exactly is she ? What should I worry about?” He returned to biting his lip nervously. Then his eyes flashed into mine, trying to decide whether it was safe or not.
    His voice was so low I almost missed it. “I don’t know if I can tell you. I don’t know if you’re ready to hear it yet. I’m scared that I’m going to scare you off, that maybe that is why you can’t remember me, because it was too hard on you and you don’t want to remember. Then I’ll have no one to blame but myself.”
    I felt terrible. I never wanted to put him through this mental torture. It is one thing for me to do it to myself, quite another for him to do it for my sake. Suddenly it didn’t really matter. I just wanted him to be near me, always.
    “Ty, it’s okay. I’ll be here for you, as long as I can. You don’t need to worry about me. I just wondered that’s all.” I smiled at him.
    He shocked me by chuckling. “That smile is so fake it should be illegal. Is this what it’s come down to now? You attempting to comfort me as I explain my world to you?” He put his head in his hands, the smile gone now. He took a deep breath, before continuin g.
    “Amy, the woman you encountered last night was a Merwoman.” It took me a minute to understand. I let it sink in thoroughly. This time it was his turn to be surprised as I laughed.
    I froze, unsure really if this was a joke or if this was real. It couldn’t be possible; there was just absolutely no proof. If this is true, why hadn’t humans heard of it yet?
    “Does that make you a… A…. A MERMAID too?” I couldn’t stop giggling. They just kept overflowing from my mouth. His face was incredibly serious.
    “Oh yes. Hollywood has done a wonderful job glamorizing it. They always show us as cute little creatures that only want to be accepted and loved by humans. If only they knew what we really wanted from humans. What would happen if any one of the true Merpeople saw any humans your kind would stay away from the beaches, from the unknown.” His bitter tone clashed harshly with my giggles. I just couldn’t seem to stop them. I even covered my mouth with both hands, so that I just shook with silent laughter.
    “Amy be serious. I’m not joking. Humans should take more precautions to Merpeople than they do to arming countries with automatic rifles. They are no laughing matter. And no, I’m not a ‘mermaid’ I’m half merman. There’s a distinct difference.” He snorted. I didn’t want to stop laughing. I just couldn’t take him seriously, it is too hard.
    Finally I couldn’t ignore his glare any longer, my giggles stopped entirely. “Okay fine. Let’s say I do take this