In the cold water, I forget all about Zarius and his hotness.

Our hair floats up like seagrass in the water; wavy and idyllic — a stark contrast to how I'm actually feeling on the inside. Bubbles rush upwards and obscure my view of Zarius for a brief second.

My eyes remain wide open as panic hits me. My heart pounds away so loud that the blood rushes to my ears. I feel as if I'm hearing a war cannon in my ears, one that repeatedly fires a series of artillery shots in the background. BA-DUM, BA-DUM, BA-DUM!

Just as I'm about to have a major heart attack, a calm voice enters my mind; soft and gentle.

Do not fear the water.

The voice belongs to Zarius. Shafts of light penetrate the water, revealing the small world that lies below the surface. Including him. His eyes seem to glow even more, the blues in his irises swirling with little flecks of amber.

Somehow, in the midst of everything, he's channeling his thoughts to me.

Accept it, I hear him say, and it will protect you.

Following his words, he attempts to release me, but I clutch at his arms, holding on like a stubborn child. The memory of myself drowning resurfaces without my consent and a shudder runs through me.

I can't speak in the water and he can't hear me, but I let the emotions in my eyes convey my insecurities.

Please, no. I can't do this.

Watching me, Zarius gets my distressed message. He gives me another look of encouragement before slowly letting go of me for the second time, but he doesn't venture far. A small distance separates us, but we're still connected by our hands. His fingertips graze mine, and I know that he's assuring me that he's the anchor that I can reach out to any time.

From here, I get a full view of Zarius. And that's when I realize something — his legs! They have vanished, or rather, melded to form a long, large mermaid tail. Thick, silvery scales cover his skin from the waist down. The sleek suit he was wearing earlier has morphed together with him, changing from a black color to a turquoise.

His tail sweeps at the water a few times, his movements strong and graceful. But this isn't what stuns me the most.

His lips part and a song follows after.

Deep in the waters

lies a palace

full of magic and mysteries.

Creatures that you once believe was a legend

turn out to be real.

Despite the fact that I'm underwater, I can hear his words as perfect as day. Not muffled, but a clear, gentle whisper into my ears.

I feel as if I'm pulled into an enchanted world.

My terror and panic stop, as if they cease to exist. I blink several times at Zarius in great fascination as he sings, just observing and listening. I don't know what's happening, but I note that my senses are sharpening. The surroundings around me clears up, or to put it into simpler terms, I feel like I'm watching through a high-definition TV. I can see tiny details even better, colors are bolder and motions are easier to catch. My brain is picking up on things that normally I can't absorb.

My ears pop too, like there's a plug being removed, and layers of noises fill right in. But all I'm focused on is Zarius's voice. I welcome the rest of his song like sunshine meeting a meadow of flowers. Like rain falling on the roof of a car. Like the softness of my bed hitting my back and lulling me to dreamland.

That's how soulful and beautiful his voice is.

We see you, but you don't

We hear your laughter, your smile, your cries

Someday, when you turn around

and finally see us

Will you fear us?

His voice wraps around me warmly despite the cold, like a fireplace crackling on a winter morning. I see little whirls of blue light swimming around us. An excited shiver runs through me, goosebumps spreading across my skin, which proves the point that he's a great singer. Better than anyone else I know of.

Deep in the waters

lies a palace

full of magic and mysteries.

Then, without warning, he reaches out to grasp my wrist in a grip that sends shockwaves of heat through me. It spreads from my arm to the rest of my body. The back of my neck burns like it's on fire, which sounds crazy considering we're in the water.

If you ever get lost

call my name

I will be there.

The underwater concert comes to an end. Zarius swims closer towards me, until his face is just a few inches away from mine. He doesn't pull his heated gaze away from me. Instead, a strange emotion flickers in his gentle eyes, somewhere mixed between surprise and awe. His fingers reach for my cheek, lightly brushing across my skin. My face grows hot under his scrutiny, my self-awareness of him being around me intensifies.

I blink once. If he leans in a bit more, our lips would touch.

This thought, I swear, has my head going full-blown in madness and my toes tingling in excitement right now.

But Zarius doesn't make a move, simply just staring at me. And that's when I realize he has been distracting me with his singing. There's something rather important that I've forgotten.

I'm still alive.

Oh my god, am I actually breathing underwater?!

I reach for the side of my neck, feeling something protruding from my skin. Like little lines of gills which are similar to Zarius's. I feel my lungs expanding and contracting as air enters me, but everything feels uncomfortable. I bend over to check out my legs, but thankfully, they are still there. I'm kind of relieved that I haven't grown a tail because I think I would freak out badly if I lose my legs too.

Zarius takes my hand and pulls me upwards. The moment we break the water's surface, I gasp in a lungful of fresh air. Yep, breathing in through my nose is more comfortable and human for me.

"Are you alright?" he asks worriedly.

"Fin-freaking-tastic!" I blurt out the first word that comes to my mind. I used to read fairy tales about mermaids when I was a kid and they had all sorts of funny words. "You didn't tell me you were great at singing!" Even those sirens that we met earlier sang well, but while their voices were eerily cold, Zarius's voice is full of ocean summer.

He looks immensely bashful but pleased. "You like it?"

I laugh breathlessly. "I kid you not. If I have a voice like you, I'll never shut up."

He grins at my words. "You could try to sing. Merfolks are naturally good at singing."

I pull a face, remembering the last time I tried to sing. "Nope. My vocals are capable of killing people within one kilometer radius. The last time Avery and I hit a karaoke kiosk, we broke their machine."

"Who is Avery?"

"My best friend."

"Where is she?"

"Dead," I answer quietly. Suddenly, I don't feel too good having a good time while everybody else I know is either dead or trying to survive out there. After we get out of here, I'm going to get back onto my track. "Zarius? Can we get out of here, please? I really need to crash."

He frowns in confusion. "Crash? Crash where?"

Our human phrases are just too much for him but his reactions amuses me. "Rest," I explain. "But I don't know. Just somewhere...maybe like your back?"

I was joking with the last part but he takes me seriously. He catches me by surprise when he adjusts me so that I'm now on his back with my arms hooked around his neck. Embarrassment creeps up to my cheeks but I pretend that I'm nonchalant about it and rests my chin on his shoulder. I feel dead tired like I'm a zombie.

He swims us back to the land, and I happen to stare at the back of his neck. There's a small, shimmering blue mark there, one which I haven't noticed before; two intersected mermaid tails.

I'm curious. "Zarius?"

"Yes?"

I tap once on the spot. "What's this mark?"

His sharp inhale doesn't go unnoticed by me. "A mark?" He turns his head slightly to the right, but he can't see what I'm seeing. "Every merfolk has one but that, I think, is another story which I will tell you another time."

That sounds interesting but my energy is depleting fast so I decide to let the topic go. "Okay."

"Delia?"

My voice is now thick with drowsiness. "Hm?"

"You didn't morph fully earlier, but you did well," he praises me. "I hope you aren't as afraid of the water as before."

My heart swells with delight at his compliment, but I'm still disappointed in myself. "Only because you distracted me," I admit. "But I'm not strong enough to tackle those mutants."

"It is not something you can accomplish overnight," he says. "Go to sleep. You'll be safe with me."

He's right. Suddenly, fatigue overwhelms me, especially after all these events. I don't know how long it has been since I last slept. Peacefully, at that.

"Zarius?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you so hot?"

"Hot?"

I chuckle at his bewildered tone as he tries to decipher our human words. As he continues to swim and my exhaustion peaks, I allow my eyelids to shut on their own.

😂😍