“Pili?”
The bird moved its head up and down. “A pleasure to meet you.” I grinned and began singing again, hoping the song would give life to the bird. The plants and water hummed in response and soon, the bird flew in circles above me.
It was just the energy it needed to find food.
“Aulani?”
I jumped, and the birds scattered away. Ezra had come up without me even realizing it. “Were you talking to those birds?” he asked.
“Sort of.” I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and felt my heart skip a beat as he knelt down at the pool’s edge to speak to me.
“Really? Can mermaids communicate with birds?”
“Not perfectly,” I said. “And not all mermaids can, but… I’ve always had a way with animals.” I held out a finger and Pili perched on it. Ezra watched, fascinated.
“This is Pili,” I said. It bowed to the prince, and he grinned.
“Incredible.”
“This one was hungry and weak, but a good song cheered him up and look.” I tapped his head. “He found a bug to eat. Good for you.”
“That is an‘apapane,” said Ezra. “One of our native songbirds.” He sighed. “They’re disappearing.”
“Oh no.” I frowned. “Why?” Then I hugged my arms as Pili flew away.
Ezra held up a vial of something green. “I’ll tell you everything about the frogs on the way. My cousin has a solution for us, and it should work. The village is farther than I expected from here, but Kalei is expecting us and we’re going to get you warmed up in a safe place for the night.”
“Thank you.” My heart warmed just from hearing his words and knowing he really kept his promise.
“Alright, so you better get your legs first,” he said, “And then we’ll both take this.” He held up the green potion. “This will allow us to communicate, even after you lose your voice.”
As I pulled out the blue vial, I hesitated.
“Is something wrong?” Ezra asked patiently.
“I’m nervous.” I frowned. “I’ve been wanting to explore the human world forsolong…”
“Well, you can wait a little longer and shiver, or…”
I looked up and realized… he was teasing. His eyes sparkled in the moonlight and I laughed. “You reallykrilledthe mood, Ezra.”
His smile made my heart flip. I thought the pun would annoy him, but he came back with a quick reply. “Careful, or I might think you’re fishing for attention.”
I giggled and then I didn’t feel so nervous anymore as I drank the potion. It tasted awful, but as soon as I swallowed, I knew something was happening. Bright lights swirled around my body, and suddenly I could feel water rushing between my legs.
Legs!I gasped and poked my foot out of the water. I said Ezra’s name, then gasped again and looked at him. My voice… it was truly gone!
“Let’s get you out of the water,” Ezra said, gently putting his hands under my arms to pull me out. And when he did, we both seemed to have the realization that I was, well, naked.
“Oh.” Ezra quickly looked away, practically ripping off his vest and handing it to me, averting his eyes. “I honestly didn’t think that through. I’m so sorry.”
It’s alright.Barnacles and slimy eels, he couldn’t hear me! I pointed to his potion, and he nodded. “Yes, let’s both drink it. Kalei said that couples use this. It works for a month at a time, which will be perfect for us. We can communicate in our minds, but the only way for it to be activated is if we…” Color blossomed in his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck.
I shrugged and he finished. “Is if we kiss each other.”
I gave him a look.
“I promise I’m not making it up! You can even ask Kalei when we get to her house. It’s like I said… couples use it when they want to communicate with their minds.”
