WHEN THE SEA CALLS
Chapter 28: It is Not a Secret

Chapter 28: It is Not a Secret

The look on Rhea’s face when she opened the seashell was priceless. She gasped. There wasn’t a thing in it, just an empty, beautiful blue shell.

Rhea began to wonder if Aquamarine had lied to her. She stared at the empty seashell on the table wondering what to do next.

Does she need to visit the House of Seashell again? Or would she need to find out what to do herself?

Rhea heard a knock on the door and quickly hid the seashell in one of her lockers.

"Celia?" She called, standing up.

"Are you not coming downstairs to eat?" Celia asked.

"I thought you were angry with me?" Rhea answered.

"I am. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat."

"I am coming. Let me quickly take my bath. I will join you downstairs."

"I would be waiting."

"I won’t keep you waiting."

Rhea headed to the bathroom to take her bath and then got dressed in a short and a shirt. She joined Celia in the living room and they began to eat.

As they ate in silence, Rhea’s mind drifted back to the seashell. She thought about going back to check the seashell; maybe she had missed out on something.

"So what did you help Louie with?" Celia asked.

She waited for Rhea’s response but when none came, she tapped the table slightly, drawing Rhea’s attention.

"Wh... What?" Rhea stuttered.

"Are you okay?" Celia furrowed her brows.

"I am fine. Is there a problem?"

"No, there isn’t. I was asking what you helped Louie with? Are you planning his birthday with him?"

Rhea furrowed her brows. "How did you know about that?"

"He texted me. His birthday is coming up in a few days. He told me you would be helping him out with it. Is that the reason you stayed back?"

Rhea nodded quickly. "Yes. Does he want you to help out too?"

"He did not say that. He only wanted me to know, just in case you come back late tomorrow."

Rhea smiled. That is so nice of Louie.

She won’t need to explain much to Celia. Rhea’s phone began to ring; it was her father.

"It’s Dad," she whispered to Celia, who nodded.

She picked the call up. "Hello, dad."

"How are you, Rhea. How was school today?" Her father asked.

"I am very well, Dad. And school..." She sighed. "It was just like every other day."

"Did you get bullied?"

"No, Dad. I wasn’t bullied. I am not just getting used to it yet."

Her father smiled. "Everything is going to be fine, okay?"

"I hope it does. How is work, Dad?"

"Work is fine. Celia must have told you I won’t be coming home today."

"She did."

"I am so sorry, Rhea. I will try to come back before you go to school tomorrow."

"It’s fine, Dad. You don’t have to come back early if you can’t. Celia and I will take care of ourselves."

"I am glad to hear that. How are the new neighbors? Celia told me they are your classmates."

Rhea rolled her eyes. They are nightmares... Not classmates.

"Are you there, Rhea?"

"Yes, I am, Dad. I am."

"I am happy there are people to talk to now."

Rhea scoffed slightly. Her father doesn’t know who their neighbors are. They are strange people everyone tried to avoid, aside from Sasha who fell in love with Alan.

"Yes, Dad. I am happy too."

"Where is Celia? I can’t hear her voice."

"I am here, Dad," Celia answered, waving slightly.

"Celia you should take good care of your sister, okay?"

"I will, Dad," Celia answered.

"I have to go. I will call again at night if I have the chance."

"Bye, Dad," Rhea said.

"Bye, Dad," Celia replied.

The call ended and Rhea dropped her phone on the table.

"I am going to Rosa’s place later. I have a project to do with her. Are you coming with me?" Celia asked, pushing her plate forward slightly.

"I won’t be doing that. I also have some assignments to do. I will be submitting them tomorrow."

Celia sighed. "I will just..."

Rhea shook her head quickly. "You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself. Just don’t come back late."

Celia nodded. "I won’t. Call me if you need anything."

"I am not a baby, remember? I am sixteen."

"I know you are sixteen, but to me, you are a baby."

Rhea rolled her eyes and stood up. "You should leave so you can return soon. I will do the dishes."

Celia stood up too. "I will go upstairs to get my books. If you feel bored after you are done with your assignments. You can come to Rosa’s place."

Rhea smiled but said nothing. She had no plans to come to Rosa’s place. She had planned to open the seashell again, and if she found no answer, she would visit the House of Seashell before Celia returned.

Rhea picked up the plates and headed to the kitchen while Celia went to her room to get her books.

"Rhea?! I am leaving!" Celia said when she returned to the living room.

"Bye," Rhea answered.

Celia left the house, heading to Rosa’s house. Rhea, on the other hand, began to hum a song as she did the dishes. She washed the dishes, wiped them dry, and placed them in the dish rack.

Rhea returned to her room after that to get her assignments done. She placed her books on the table and decided to put the seashell beside it so she could open it again when she was done.

She brought out the seashell and dropped it on the table but got tempted to open it again. She opened it slightly, peeping into it, but as usual, there wasn’t anything in it. She closed it back and began to work on her mathematics problems.

After working on two problems, she began to feel sleepy but she tried to fight back the sleep in her eyes. Rhea lifted her eyelids up, trying to stop herself from sleeping, but her eyes kept getting closed.

She would just take a nap. She thought.

She closed her books and kept them aside. She pushed the seashell aside, too, and laid her head on the table; that way, she wouldn’t get too comfortable sleeping and would be able to wake up early to finish up her assignments and also visit the House of Seashell.

**

Rhea opened her eyes slowly and sat up.

Did she just have a dream? Why does it look so the same as the one Leslie told her, if not better?

She stared at the wall clock; she had just slept for thirty minutes but it felt like she had been sleeping for a long time. The dream felt so real, too; she cried.

Rhea wiped the tears that had run down her face and sniffed.

What a great loss for the mermaids.

She began to wonder why she suddenly had a dream about them.

It has to be the story Leslie told her.

She had been so attached to it that it could make her dream about it. She took her books and continued with her assignments. She solved the problems quickly and then returned the books to her bag.

It’s time to visit the House of Seashell. She thought.

She changed into something more comfortable and opened the locker to take the seashell out; she would be going with it. There wasn’t any shell in the locker; it wasn’t on the table either.

Where could it be? Rhea wondered.

She remembered putting it in her locker when Celia knocked at her door. She did not bring it out before going downstairs to eat either and when she returned...

She paused. Did she bring it out when she returned?

She nodded. She must have done that. She kept it on the table with her books. She remembered pushing it aside when she wanted to take a nap. She began to look around.

Where could it be?

She checked all her lockers and also her school bag. She also checked her wardrobe and other places she thought she might have kept it but she could not find it.

Rhea became worried. She decided it was best she visited Aquamarine and asked her what was going on. Rhea left her room and headed to the living room. Rhea froze when she saw a figure; it was a water figure.

"Aquamarine?" She called gently.

"It’s not a secret. It’s our history," she heard. "Everything you have heard is what you have seen."

Rhea was confused. Isn’t the water figure Aquamarine?

She shook her head. She wouldn’t have spoken to her like that if she was Aquamarine.

"Who are you?" She asked, moving closer to her.

It’s surprising how she felt comfortable with the water figure despite not knowing who she was.

"I am the last fragment of the spirit in the seashell. The one who just walked you through the mermaids’ history you just saw in your dream."

Rhea furrowed her brows. "History?"

"I can’t say much because your sister is here. If you want to know more, visit your water guardian, Aquamarine. She would tell you all you need to know... But remember... You are Aqua...!"

"I am who?" Rhea asked.

"You are Aqua, the bearer of life and light."

What is that supposed to mean? Rhea wondered.

"What..."

Rhea paused. The water figure had left already.

Rhea sighed. She needs to visit the House of Seashells as soon as possible!