“I had to learn it, I didn’t have any choice.” She speaks with her back straight.
“Could you teach me?”
“Of course!” She smiled at me.
And now, I could no longer see her as a sweet, kind, and innocent girl. She was tough and strong, she was a fighter. It was clear that I had a lot to learn from her, there was so much more to her persona than I could have ever imagined. There were hidden secrets that I had yet to discover.
“When can you teach me?”
“There’s actually a really good place here in Mermaid City where we can learn.”
“Okay!” I say with an eager tone.
Maybe I didn’t have to be strong all on my own. Maybe it was okay to have someone by my side who could be strong, notforme, butwithme. I had to learn to be stronger and trust myself, and if I had Illysia by my side, I could only imagine it being easier. There were so many things to learn from her, her movements and quick thinking.
And where did she get her whimsical dresses?
Walking together, she suddenly stops outside a huge beautiful chalk cave. It held crystal clear blue water and the moonlight made it glitter.
“Hi, Astra.” Illysia greeted the beautiful witch with snow-white hair.
“Illysia!” Astra ran forward and hugged her.
“This is Genevieve.” She points towards me.
“Hi!” We speak at the same time.
I look around, mesmerized by the beautiful place. The roof of the cave is being held up by pillars and within there is a small waterfall, spreading its water in the middle of the small lobby.
“Do you have any free beds tonight?” Illysia asks her politely.
“For you? Always.” She answers, her light blue eyes holding that magnificent spark.
She motions for us to follow, so that’s what we do. She leads us towards a small corridor that has the same texture as the roof, and the small hall is only being lit up by blue crystals that are placed on the walls.
Astra’s hair falls beautifully around her shoulders and her dark blue dress drags behind her as she walks. The sleeves are longer than her arms, leaving the fabric falling at her sides.
“Do you mind sharing a bed?” She asks us, her voice sounding calmer than a wood’s whisper.
Illysia looks over at me to see how I feel and my shoulders shrug, my head shaking. “No, we don’t mind.” She responds.
“Perfect.” She turns her face towards us. “You’ll get our biggest room.” She blinks with one eye.
We stop before a door which is one big seashell and she opens it for us. “Thank you so much, Astra.” Illysia speaks.
“Oh, don’t worry.” She says, flipping her hand. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes!” I let out, and the two of them looked at me with a shocked expression. “Sorry, I mean, yes.” My cheeks turn into pink flames, my hands hugging my upper arms.
“Get comfortable and I’ll bring something for the two of you. And what would you like?” She asks, bending her body to pet Daffodil. “You know what, follow me and you’ll get whatever you want in the kitchen.”
Daffodil makes a little jump and takes a step forward before looking back at me, making sure that it’s okay. “Go!” I smile at her, waving with my hand in approval.
“This will be like a true sleepover.” I say, excited since I've never had one before.
Illysia giggles and pulls me into a tight hug.
A few moments later, Astra and Daffodil come knocking at the door and we let them in. In her pale hands she holds a brick full of food. She places the brick on the king-sized bed and leaves us once again.
