“I feel like it’s wrong to be getting advice from my baby sister. But, sure, I’ll listen.”
“The way I see it is … you’re happy for Juna because Osiren saw the parts of her that evenshecouldn’t see, and he put in the time and work to bring those parts out.”
“Yeah …”
“But you’re not willing to do that for Finn.”
Oof.
That was unexpectedly astute.
“It’s different.”
“How?”
“Because I don’t think there are those parts of Finn.” Even she didn’t fully believe the words as she said them, though.
“If I didn’t tell you today, would you have believed that Juna would be capable of singing opera in front of some very important people?”
“No.”
“Exactly. Look, I’m not saying you canchangesomeone. I don’t think that’s possible. But maybe you aren’t seeing beneath the surface because you aren’t looking.”
“Maybe.” She had been focused on finding fault in him because she desperately didn’t want to be condemned to a life on land.
“So, now the question is: are you choosing not to delve deeper because you genuinely don’t care for him, or because you’re afraid you could want him and a future on the surface with him?”
Huh.
“When did you become so wise?”
“Mother has focused on me now that you’ve been gone, and Juna has been … indisposed.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about that.”
“Well, she’s training me to become a possible land liaison.”
A land liaison. Iris had never given the position a second thought before, let alone wondered what kind of mermaid would be right for that job. But as soon as her sister told her, she knew that Shelly was the perfect woman for the job. Even if her heart pinged a little at the idea of her baby sister being suddenly old enough to be considered for such an important role.
Perhaps she’d never given her mother enough credit in the past. She’d been aware of parts of her daughters that even they might not have seen. How her eldest needed a man like Osiren to bring out a buried, playful side. How Shelly couldn’t go live on the surface because she would be a vital bridge between the deep and the land. And, yes, how her middle daughter who never saw a future outside of the ocean would come to love so much about the world above.
“That is the best of both worlds,” Iris said.
“Exactly.”
“Can I tell you something that I’m almost a little afraid to admit to myself?”
Shelly mimed locking her lips. “You can trust me.”
“There’s a lot about land life that I’m beginning to enjoy.”
“Told you!” Shelly said, shoving her shoulder. For just a second, she was the little sister Iris remembered. “It’s totally the books, isn’t it?”
“I’m not going to lie, that’s a big part of it. I’ve been reading like eight books a week. Did you know CapricaCoraline moved to the surface and has been writing like crazy ever since?”
“I didn’t. But I’ve never been into books like you. What else?”
“Well, the food.”
