December 27th | Four days until NYE

As I shut the door on Benji's front door, breathing in the brisk summer air, I gripped my handbag tightly. I'd only just dumped my duffel where I'd been sleeping before Christmas but there was somewhere I had to go. Benji and Leah were getting things ready for our marathon of festive films until New Years – I chose The Grinch for tonight – but before I could relax and smile with my oldest friends, I had to visit my newest ones.

Clutching my bag tightly, I walked down the winding road down to Whale Beach once again. For once, I wasn't walking with angst, fear, or dread. I was calm, like the sea at high noon, and wasn't as afraid of being caught as I was before. I had some of my feelings lift from my shoulders since catching up and clearing the air with Carrie yesterday, and I hoped that this was the first sign of many that my life was going to start making a turn for the better.

The last six months since my fight with Carrie, discovering Henry, and all the fall out that came from those two pinnacle moments, had been hard. I was barely eighteen, only just finished my exams, and I was already thinking about retirement. I had so much more to do, to experience in my life, and while I knew there would be more downsides, like fights and fall outs, there would also be moments of levity, like becoming friends with Henry, and having Benji and Leah at my back.

As I made my way down the road, the Christmas lights turning on one by one with each home I passed, with every moment the sun set over the sea, I could feel the little box of secrets in my soul tremble, but I wasn't as scared of it falling apart anymore.

I'd already fallen apart before, on my birthday, and months later I was still whole. I'd be okay if I fell apart again. I'd dealt with fall out, with repercussions, with losing friends. I knew I could do it again if I had to.

Coming to the round-a-bout I practically memorised, I walked past locals embracing the last of the holiday sun before the New Year came around. I avoided them all. I made my way towards the Whale Beach ocean pool, working my way over the natural trenches and passed the cliff's edge, to the shallow of my Siren Bay.

Sitting on the rocks lining the alcove, my toes curling into the sand, I waited until the daylight faded. Until I could count more stars in the sky than ringlets over my shoulders. The sounds of humanity drifted as the tide crept closer, the water brushing my toes when only diamonds shone in the sky and waves rustled in my ears.

It was peaceful, hiding by the sea. I could understand why people journeyed for weeks, even months, on the ocean with nothing but the stars for company. The serenity, that peace, it was so impossible to find on land and so easy to embrace on the water.

I immediately put a hand on my bag when I heard splashes. I stared down the alcove, the gateway between land and sea, and waited for Henry to peek through, but no one was there yet. I relaxed, but my grip stayed on my bag, in case. It was still early for the mermaids to show up, there was still the faint line of violet brushed against the horizon.

I leaned back against the rocks, ignoring how some spikes dug into my spine. I checked the time, knowing that even though it was barely 9pm, I needed to be back at Benji's in an hour, or they'd worry. Leah would probably come and get me like she did last time.

But I wasn't waiting long. I was barely beginning to daydream about my embarrassing moments in Year 8 when I heard the splashes of something heavier than crashing waves.

"Henry?" I called out, leaning forward before seeing his face under the archway. His dark hair was plastered all over his forehead, but his eyes were bright when they rested on me. He smiled, and without realising, I was smiling too.

"Hey Sylvia," he said, resting his hands on the archway, preparing to haul him and his long tail through to the shallows.

"Is it just you tonight?" I asked quickly, holding up my bag. "I have Christmas presents for all of you."

Henry blinked. Twice. "You...brought us gifts?"

"Yeah," I smiled. "I couldn't let you guys go without something."

He swayed, adjusting his grip, as his smile faltered. "Sylvia, you didn't have to do that, you being here is enough."

I tucked some of hair behind my ear, shrugging. "I wanted to."

Henry watched my movements, blinking again. I couldn't tell what he was thinking, why he was watching me closely, staring like he couldn't believe his eyes. "Okay," he eventually said. "I'll be a moment, I'll get the others."

"Thank you, I'll see you soon."

He nodded before pushing himself back from the gateway and diving back into the sea. I barely glimpsed his green tail in the dark. I still remembered how it shone in the daylight, the sunrays that dove through the surface and into the depths below. All of their tails glimmered like jewels.

I remembered Winnie's explanation of their abilities, how their tails shimmered when they were in use. When they were using their abilities, from the once time I saw them do so when Winnie capsized Leah, Benji, and I days ago, they glowed like embers in a blazing fire. Yet, just now, Henry's tail was almost as dark as the sea, only the moon's light illuminated the soft green hue.

Quickly looking through my bag, double-checking I had all their gifts with me, I whispered to myself their names with each gift. I hadn't seen them in a few days and I wanted to make sure I remembered who was who. Henry. Winnie. Caspar. Jason. Daniel. Trent.

It wasn't long before the others arrived. I was sitting comfortably on the sand, my nerves fading with the tide, and embracing the cold water over my toes. I had a hand on my bag, hearing the crinkle of the wrapped bracelets inside when I rested my weight. I leaned forward when I heard them – the mermaids always made their presence known with the sounds of the sea in staccato.

I heard their gasps for air amongst the ocean crashing against the cliff. Henry appeared in the gateway first and dove through elegantly.

"Show off," someone muttered. I smiled as the others came into view before following Henry into the shallows of Siren Bay. Jason waved as he hurled his body through, his twin Daniel following immediately after, his orange tail a dark burnt hue in the moonlight. Caspar heaved his larger tail under the gateway, sliding over to the side of Siren Bay where Trent was last time, no doubt to get away from the twins who kept splashing him before.

When Trent came through and saw Caspar at the edge, he winced, and settled next to Daniel, leaving one more gap – Winnie.

I waited, watching the empty archway for a few seconds, hearing nothing but silence, before I glimpsed Winnie's head shyly peek out. Her dark eyes locked on all of ours, lastly on mine and held there as she elegantly glided into the alcove and swam between Trent and Caspar.

"Heya' everyone," I greeted, smiling wide at them all. For a moment I didn't think Winnie was going to come, but seeing her nervous expression I tried to ease the anxiety written on her face. "Good to see you."

"You too," Jason looked up and around Siren Bay. "Aren't Benji and Leah coming?"

"No, just me tonight."

Jason glanced at Henry. "At least one of us is happy," he muttered, and Henry quickly slapped his tail against his own. "Oi!"

"I'm actually glad all of you are here." I reached for my bag and rested it on my lap. "I have some Christmas presents for you guys."

All of them suddenly became wide-eyed and looked at each other, startled. I saw Winnie and Caspar lock eyes for a moment before they both slowly smiled. Jason and Daniel were slapping each other in excitement, both laughing. Trent nodded his head to Henry. "You didn't tell us that."

"What did he tell you?" I asked, curious.

"He just said you wanted to see us," he said, shifting his weight away from the twins splashing water everywhere thanks to their joy.

"I wanted you to tell them," Henry smiled. I smiled back, staring into his dark eyes for a moment before reaching inside my bag to hold the gifts I had for them.

"So, I wanted to get you all something small," I started, suddenly nervous. What if they didn't like them? "And I knew it had to be waterproof too, so I got each of you one of these."

I held up a bracelet with black and white beads and handed it to Trent. "This one's yours." I withdrew the one with blue beads next and handed it to Winnie, because I couldn't reach Caspar. "This one's Caspar's."

Winnie gently took it from my grasp and tied it around Caspar's waiting wrist. Trent did his own, quiet content on his face as he turned his wrist from side to side, admiring the moonlight bouncing off the beads.

I brought up two more, one with clear beads and moonstone, and another with different shades of red and orange. "These are for Jason and Daniel," I said, handing them to the twins, who immediately began fussing over who was tying the other's on first.

I saved Henry's for last, and held out the bracelet with green beads; jade, juniper, and emerald shades. "This one is yours." I waited as he reached out, his torso almost entirely on the sand as he grasped the bracelet, our fingers brushed – he was cool to touch, and I felt ablaze at the brush of his thumb across the back of my hand.

Henry smiled at me as he bared his wrist, his fingers touching the underside of my wrist, right where my pulse was. I looked away from his eyes only to tie his bracelet around the awaiting wrist, all too aware of the feel of his skin against my own. I tied it gently, double knotting it, and slowly took my hands away.

He admired the green beads now on his wrist and shuffled back into the water. I looked at the other mermaids to see that everyone has theirs on too, Caspar was finishing tying Winnie's bracelet as gently as I had tied Henry's, and I grinned at them all. "You like them?"

"Yeah we do, thank you Sylvia," Trent said, the others quickly joining him. "It's been over a year since we were given anything, our Christmas last year wasn't...wasn't a Christmas at all. This is really nice."

Jason held his hand up, the clear beads encapsulating the moonlight. "Mine's the best!" he said, before Daniel pulled his arm down and put his own up instead. "What? Nah, mine's better!"

Winnie laughed and held up her array of gold and yellow beads. "I beg to differ."

As they quickly bickered amongst themselves and argued over who had the best – Caspar was threatening to dive over them all to wrestle Jason to prove his blue bracelet was better – I brought the last one out of the bag and tied it to my wrist.

"Hey, you picked out one too?" Winnie asked, noticing me tie it.

I smiled. "Yeah, I picked it out when I bought all of yours, it was really pretty, and I, well, wanted to have something to connect me with you guys." I looked at each of them in turn. "I don't want to forget you, so now I have this to forever remind me of you all."

Henry almost wilted at the sight of the purple beads on my wrist. Winnie was in awe, and I gently brushed the beads with my other hand. "That's so cute!" Winnie said, and Daniel nodded in agreement.

"You guys had every other colour of the rainbow, so, I grabbed purple."

Jason pouted. "Sylvia's is the best, it's so cool."

"Agreed." Caspar nodded.

"She is the best," Henry chimed in, smiling at me. "Merry Christmas, Sylvia."

"Merry Christmas you guys," I smiled back. I bathed in their smiles, their joy, and their laughter, grateful that I could provide something good to them. It wasn't a big present but my presence alone, my small gift of remembering them, was worth more than I realised.

Siren Bay was aglow with happiness, which made the sea beyond as dark as the night, a void of everything that wasn't in the shallows – including the one, lone creature circling the tide. 

~

A little chapter today, but there are only three more chapters to go! I hope to finish SB soon because I'm excited to start publishing Luna Eclipse. 

Hope you're all safe and well, 

Libby x