LC Satusi Prologue

 

Part 5

“Sure you’re not going to join me?”
   I smiled at Shawn from the water, swishing my fin over the surface slightly.
Shawn had accompanied me out to the beach when I went for a swim most times, pretty much whenever he had the time, and this wasn’t an exception. He said he felt it safer to have a lookout, simply in case of anything. I didn’t think my safe space had been compromised, but I didn’t argue against his company.

“You might like the ice water, but I’m good over here”, Shawn called out, shaking his head. He made sure to keep an eye out on the beach, but I did think he was overreacting a little. One could see far from here, and there were never even any tracks on the snowy sand of any people other than us.

 
I smiled to myself – this was the same beach, pretty much the same spot where I had told him the truth. Showed him the truth. It meant much to me, and I was sure it meant much to him as well.
   The water felt especially enjoyable this time, I couldn’t help but think to myself.

“So I’ve updated the surveillance system at the house”, Shawn told me when I was starting to get closer to the shore to get out of the water. “There’s a camera aimed at the road, so if any unwanted visitors keep stopping by, we’ll catch their license and possibly even identities.”
   “Can you charge them with anything?” I asked him as I shifted from my tail. Shawn turned his back to me, but didn’t stop the talking.
   “Depends who they are and if it’ll happen more than once again”, he answered, staring away from me as he sat cross-legged on the sand.

I raised my eyebrows at him.
   “You don’t have to always turn away”, I told him, so far more than once already. We shared a living space anyhow.
   “This is different”, Shawn informed me. “Your shifting, it’s… Intense. And I want you to know I respect your privacy.”
   “It might be intense but it’s not going to make me combust”, I shrugged my shoulders as I dressed, having left my clothes in a not-so-neat pile on the ground. Once I was done, I walked up to him. “You can turn now.”
   Shawn got up and turned to see me, smiling
“I’m not sure how you’re not freezing your fins off here”, he rolled his eyes, and I laughed a little.

We were starting to have a comfortable routine with the visits to the sea and swimming, and between both of our works. I was liking his company so much I wasn’t sure how long it could be counted liking only anymore. And I knew he wanted to continue with the dating thing, but I’d have to at some point tell him more about why I had come here, in the human world. I’d have to tell him about my mission, and ask if it was something he would want as well.
   I didn’t want to consider what I’d do if he didn’t want children.

As days went on, soon weeks, we saw no more shady stalking cars by our home. Shawn had told me there was no 'hit' for the license but it was now on their database, so that was something.
   Instead of shady cars, wild horses spent their time close to the house. It seemed Sike’s herd had accepted our place as a peaceful and safe site, as they often roamed our yards.

Most others didn’t let us too close yet, but Sike allowed Shawn as well to pet and groom him these times. It was slow progress, but I didn’t see any reason for us to have to hurry with him. I simply liked watching his friends when they came by, no matter if they preferred their personal space from us.

Sike and I had made good of our groundwork trainings, and we continued on from there. I had gotten an old saddle and reins from the Equestrian Center, that could be adjusted well enough to try out riding with Sike, when it felt like we were both ready.

Siku was waiting for me by the house as usual when I came straight from work, wanting to try the riding out before heading back to the City. We were planning on having a date night later with Shawn.

The polar night fell while we trained few more times on ground, but I took the tack out, determined that this was the time to try riding.

There were few red stars blinking over the skies, and I smiled at the sight. I took it as a good luck, as the constellation was rarely seen like this. I cautiously tacked Sike, making sure he was calm throughout it all.

Once I had climbed over – with Sike listening my every movement closely – I felt a little nervous, though I knew I had to stay calm and concentrated myself if I wanted that from the horse himself.
   “It’s not so bad, what do you think?” I mumbled as I tried to calm my racing heart, scratching Sike from under his long black mane. I was about to cautiously ask him for a walk when there was a flash of light out of nowhere.
   Siku straight on took off.

I inhaled sharply as Sike shot out, starting to straight on gallop through the plain, and I had no idea how I managed not to fall. I held on for my life, from both the reins and his mane, trying to stay somewhat balanced.
   “Whoa – wait a moment, Sike”, I tried calling out but he was having none of it. Something had spooked him – what had that flash been?

After getting to the edge of the plain he at last slowed down to a stop, shaking his mane and letting out a sharp snort, still seeming more spirited than usual. I pet his mane, trying to keep him calm, and looked behind us. Had someone been there? That had been like a camera flash, I couldn't think of anything else to describe it. 

After a moment of hesitation, I rode back, wanting to see what it had been. Sike still seemed unsettled, so unlike him. Or – he had acted like this at the beach that once, hadn’t he? While I had been in the water.
   I frowned when we found footprints further on, close to the forest line. Something more was on the ground too – a small piece of paper that Sike lowered his head to sniff.

I dismounted and took the paper, straightening it out. It looked like someone had dropped it in a hurry, the steps on the snow looking like someone had ran. And the paper was a photograph. It was straight out like from one of my detective novels that I had begun to read, inspired by Shawn’s profession.

My eyes widened a little when I made sense of the photo. It was one of me and Sike, mere moments earlier when I had looked at the stars. There was some flashback on it but it was clearly us, clearly here, clearly moments ago. Damaged photo, but still of us.
   I looked to where the steps lead, quickly getting back on Sike. Maybe we could catch whoever it was – wasn’t this was what considered stalking? It had to be Axisca. It had been weeks from anything strange, and now this.

We rode on fast pace, following the tracks until we came to a road. Vacant road. The steps stopped and then there were only tire tracks, as if whoever it had been had gotten on a car and drove off. I sighed to myself, patting Sike’s neck. “Must’ve left”, I muttered in frustration. Not that I would’ve known what I had planned to do even if we had caught whoever had taken the photo. I had a feeling more photos had been taken.

I was a little conflicted as we returned home, knowing I should probably tell Shawn about this. It had been weeks of peace, I didn’t want to ruin that… And we were supposed to have a date night tonight. I knew he’d go in his police role and tonight I wanted him to only be himself, stress-free.

“I’ll tell him tomorrow”, I said to Sike, who let out a snort as an answer, and hopped off of him, putting the tack away and grooming him after the ride. Aside the strange photo and slight spooking, I had loved the feeling of riding. I definitely wanted to continue.

At the City I walked under the winter-apples, to head to the library before we’d meet for a date with Shawn. I liked to visit there as often as I could. Money was a little tight, so buying books had to take a break, but at the library it was all for free. Though still some strangers seemed to find my appearance something to stare at. I tried not to concentrate on it too much even as some stranger actually pointed at me.

I got in quietly, quickly choosing myself my next read, simply from the colour of the cover. Red was my favourite colour as it couldn’t be seen in the deep. Most colours I had only properly seen only after starting to visit the surface more often.

After an hour or so I finished right on time, heading to see Shawn. I had wanted to take Shawn to play chess with me, like how we first met. I was pretty good at it by now.  
   We easily found free space to play – seemingly it wasn’t the most popular game in this city, for whatever reason. I hadn’t crossed paths with anything better so far.

“What did you mean when you said you’ve never seen anyone play like me the first time we met?” I inquired him when we were only few moves from finishing the game. With me winning.

“I had never seen anyone teach themselves like you”, Shawn told me. “You seem to be able to teach yourself to do and know all kinds of things. It’s impressive.”
   I smiled a little. “I didn’t have any other option. No one wanted to play with me. You were the first.”
“Their loss”, Shawn shook his head. “They had no idea how much bitter losing they’d have with you as an opponent.” He grinned and I rolled my eyes.
   Our date ended to a place I had studied upon lately. I had read how at the Sunset Valley there was an ancient stone circle, and I took Shawn there to see it. He had maybe spent most of his life in this place, but it was a place he had never somehow ended up to visit.

“There’s something with those runes”, I couldn’t help but comment as we walked around the site, happening to be the only ones here. Though the footprints on the snow did tell we hadn’t been the only recent visitors.

“Hm? You recognise the runes?” Shawn asked, curious. I considered them closely.
   “They resemble a lot the runes we use”, I said, stepping closer to the huge stone. “Our history says we adopted some signs as a writing from humans, and the other way around, back when they knew of us.”
   “Humans knew of sirens?” Shawn raised his eyebrows.
“Vikings, they were called”, I told him, siting the book. “Sirens used to help their sailors. Or hurt them, depending on how the clans got along... Underwater we communicate by sign language as well as voices, but it’s more like how whales sing to speak. Our sign language in this region was adapted from runes like these.” I ran my hand through my hair, messing it a little.

I studied the runes – they were too old for me to decipher, and humans hadn’t recognised their meaning either. Only the sun one.
   “Pretty cool to think how much of our history can be tied together”, Shawn smiled slightly. “Sirens and humans.”
   I had to agree with him; now histories were being tied once more, but if it hadn’t worked in the past times, who was to say it would work this time through my heritage?