“That’s exactly what I thought.”
“Yet you can read, and you live on the bottom of the sea, far from shore.”
“Fair enough,” I said, then took another bite of the rice. “Listen, we need to find your pelt today so I can return home.”
“I thought you needed a few days to rest. You made it sound like we had more time.”
“Ideally, yes, I would take a week to rest, but I have a family to feed.”
“Well, did you magically solve the issue of the fish being held captive by the humans while you were sleeping? Because as I recall, there are no fish left for you to bring them.”
“Which is why I was going to find my way back to that net and get rid of it once and for all,” I said.
“What happens if you get back into the sea tomorrow?” Breena scowled. “What happens to your body?”
I didn’t answer, taking another spoonful of rice into my mouth. My eyes averted her gaze.
“More blood? More pain? Could you even survive that?”
“I don’t know!” My voice rose. “But don’t I need to try? What will happen to my mother and sister if I don’t? They don’t even know I’m still alive.”
“What are their names?” Breena asked. She didn’t even bat an eye at my commentary.
“What?” I asked, my teeth gnashing against each other.
Why did that matter right now?
“What are the names of your mother and sister?” she asked, elaborating further.
“Corrain and Zellia.”
“Corrain and Zellia will suffer more if you push yourself by transitioning too early and never returning home than if you go home in a week, rested and alive.”
“I have a brother I want to return home to as well, so I understand, but I don’t think either of us have much choice in the matter right now. We need to stay, you just as much as me.”
“Fine.” I clipped the word short, because she had a point, and I absolutely hated it. I couldn’t think of my sister for another second without feeling as though I would crumble in on myself. “Listen, as much as I loved this rice soup, I think we can do better.”
I pushed my chair out and stood.
“Let’s wash up and get out of here.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
TEA FOR TWO
Breena strolled up to the stained-glass double doors and yanked them open, somehow keeping them on their hinges. A restrained breath left me as she let go of the handles and walked into the tea house, doors unharmed. I used my knuckle to keep the door closest to me open long enough for me to slip through the entry.
Inside the tea house, a soft, melodic harmony echoed across its pale stone walls. The pearlescence of the stone made it look as if the building itself had been crafted with pieces of abalone shell.
Large windows opened to a far-off view of the sea and the rocky cliffs that bled into it. Unfiltered light poured into the space, illuminating its patrons. As I grew closer to the counter, I began noticing something quite odd about the people waiting in line. One had suspiciously pointed ears, and another had pale skin just tinted enough to be considered green.
I glanced over to Breena to see if she'd noticed the same.
“Some of these humans are…” Breena trailed off, peering over her shoulder. “Odd.”
“That’s for sure. And I’m pretty sure it’s because they’re not. Human, that is,” I said, looking closer at the woman in front of me. She seemed human, all but those elf-like ears.
“You really think that…?” Breena trailed off again as we reached the front of the line. She placed her hands on the dark wooden counter, and the woman behind it stared at her expectantly.
