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  He was in constant contact with her, his hand touching hers, thigh pressed to hers and mind sending whispers of affection into her thoughts.

  The peculiar feeling settled in her chest as she looked at the Kaos around the table. Aside from her pale skin, she felt that she was one of the family.

  Walking into the water with her bright blue clothing still felt surreal, but Vehn only needed to hold her under for a minute before her gills opened.

  She gripped his head and rolled in the water with him, bringing Niika to join the fun with a giggle that came through on the psychic plane.

  Niika will be late if we keep that up. He delivered a pat to her behind and pulled her to him, coaxing her into the same swimming pattern as his legs while he tugged Niika along.

  After they dropped her off, they spent the day introducing Meri to their neighbours and touring the underwater city.

  They engaged in the same ritual every day for a week until the day that Vehn got a call.

  “Niika has been in a fight at school. We need to go.” Vehn sighed and put on his wrap.

  Meri smoothed her skirt down and verified that her top was back where it should be. “Let’s go.”

  Meri jumped into the wet entrance without a look back at Vehn. With determination and a growing skill, she swam next to Vehn all the way to the school.

  She built up speed on her way into the school’s entrance and purged her gills while firing out of the water.

  Skidding to a stop on the lip of the entrance, several of the children jumped back with a fright.

  Vehn made a more decorous exit from the water.

  “Niika, are you all right?” Meri knelt and Niika separated from the teacher to run to her arms.

  “He said you weren’t a proper Lahash.” Niika whispered it against her neck.

  Meri held her at arm’s length and looked into her eyes. “Oh, honey. You can’t take offense every time someone makes fun of me. I don’t mind, and I am not a proper Lahash. I was made into something that could swim, but I am not, nor will I ever be a proper Lahash.”

  “You are my mom and you are a proper Lahash.” Niika’s face was serious.

  Vehn knelt next to them and faced his daughter. “You can’t go escalating fights, you need to practice Meri’s specialty. Calm.”

  The teacher was nearby, and when Meri looked around, she saw more than one little boy sporting a black eye or a large bruise. “Niika? How many boys were making fun of me?”

  Niika frowned. “It started with Marki, but the other boys joined in, so I bashed them all.”

  Meri reached out to Vehn, Do the Lahash do any home schooling?

  It isn’t frequent, but this might be a good case. It seems Niika has a bit of rage and a highly developed sense of family.

  Can we go to the sea?

  It is dangerous for someone as small as Niika.

  Just for a few days? There is something I need to know. A memory had come to her when she thought of the sea, something that she had put aside in her thoughts for a while.

  What?

  Something that the techs said when they were working on installing my gills. I need to know if they were right.

  What did they say?

  Meri ignored the children, the teacher and the arriving parents. Do you know what a Harliv is?

  Vehn’s expression got excited. Are you certain that is what they said?

  They ran a full genetic scan. That is what they traced into my heritage, and I want to know if it’s true. There is no other way to find out. I need salt water.

  Vehn grinned and touched Niika. She immediately got excited.

  Vehn stood and spoke quietly to the teacher while Niika wrapped herself around Meri again. See, you are special. Better than a normal mom.

  I am not better, Niika. Just different. Not better, not worse, just different. Different can be a good thing.

  I still think you are special.

  And I think you are special, but special people need more self-control than others and that is what your daddy wants me to teach you.

  Is that what you do, teach people?

  It is what I had to do to become calm. I learned to pull my mind in, and eventually, I could make others feel that calm.

  Can you help me? Sometimes boys make me mad.

  Meri laughed and ruffled Niika’s hair. “That just makes you a normal little girl. You are going to be bigger than them for a few years, and by the time they are bigger than you are, they won’t have an interest in getting revenge.”

  Niika grinned, and after Vehn made her apologize to the rest of her class, they were ready to go. It was time for the next location for their family.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Kao family held the bonding ceremony on Kao beach on the Anutha Sea.

  Meribeth watched Niika walk through the path strewn with coins and jewels. It was traditional for the guests to line the bride’s path with money in an effort to make her happier in the union.

  When the flutes cued her music, Meri stepped into the light and listened to the music as she walked out to a chorus of admiring sounds. Males in the audience had distinct interest in their eyes and the females eyed her with speculation and envy. The Kaos had gone all out for her clothing if that is what she could call the thirty pounds of various-coloured pearls that hung in strategic strands around her.

  They draped around her neck in a concealing gathering of necklaces and a belt supported the pearls that dripped on strands to her ankles. Her head was held high to keep the weight of the woven strands from pulling her left or right, and in this costume, she walked to Vehn and his family.

  On Earth, the wealth she was wearing and walking on would have provided for her and several other people for the rest of her life. Right now, she didn’t care. Vehn was standing with Niika next to him, and they were all that she wanted from now on.

  As the magistrate began the ceremony, she kept the quivering out of her limbs with an effort of self-control, but the moment that she could take Vehn’s hand, she sighed in relief.

  The magistrate’s voice rose, and he spoke those words, “And as it was intended, the woman brings the wealth of her body and soul to the man, offering it freely. He accepts it gratefully and honours her sacrifice. To formalize this bond, we now have the cuffs.”

  Niika smiled proudly and raised the bands.

  Meri raised the wide cuff and placed it on Vehn’s left arm. He did the same with her left. If they had children, a second set of cuffs would be placed.

  “As you now have proved your bond and shown to all that you belong to each other, I congratulate you, Vehn Kao, husband of Meribeth Kao, and I thank you, Meribeth Kao, for accepting Vehn Kao. Our family is richer for your bond.” The magistrate raised their joined hands and kissed them.

  Niika clapped her hands and hugged Meri then Vehn. It had been arranged that she would spend a few days with Mir and Hisk while the happy couple went on their Lahash honeymoon.

  Meri just didn’t want her too close in case the Harliv shift didn’t work.

  Vehn gave their daughter a kiss on her forehead, and she nodded, running to Mir and holding her leg.

  “Are you ready?”

  Meri shrugged. “I suppose so. First swim as a bonded couple and then back for the reception?”

  “Yes. Even if the shift doesn’t happen, we will still have our first swim.”

  She winked and went up on her toes for a kiss, the pearls in her hair swinging heavily.

  They held hands, and together, with the crowd cheering them on, they walked into the surf.

  He tried to pass calm to her, but he was far too excited. She grinned as they waded out, her skirt allowed the full sensation of the salt water on her limbs, and as they got up to waist deep, a tingling started.

  “Here we go.” With Vehn holding her hand, she dove into the water and inhaled sharply. As salt water wrapped her all around, her body convulsed in a sharp movement, fire spreading across her body from ribs to toes.

&nb
sp; Love, calm down. You are lovely. Beautiful and amazing.

  She looked at him, and even under the murky water, he was perfectly clear in her vision. Meri looked down and saw what the flippant diagnosis had hinted at. She was a mermaid with a tail of gold scales.

  Her hands were webbed and she reached out for Vehn. This feels so weird, right but weird.

  You aren’t even touching me, but you can still project.

  Apparently. She circled him easily. Harlivs were mermaids. They needed a minimal salinity to work the elemental change that armoured their legs for optimal propulsion.

  You move so easily. I am envious.

  She chortled, And I am venomous. Do you want it?

  You know I do. Harliv DNA is the dream of our people.

  Well, only I carry the DNA, but I can give you the chance of passing those genes along. She chortled and flicked her tail against his thighs.

  Vehn twisted abruptly and grabbed her in his arms, pulling her into the deep. Perhaps later, for now, we will spend some time at my family home, and I will take those pearls off one by one.

  Meri enjoyed the freedom that the change had brought to her, but she enjoyed Vehn’s arms around her.

  A flick of her tail and she was through the wet entry with her gills purged. Her tail disappeared when she was completely out of the water.

  Vehn sat next to her as she skidded to a halt. “That was impressive.”

  She squealed and jumped on him. “I can’t believe it. I mean, my family has had rumours and whispers of women with tails and men with scales. I thought it was all fairy tales and smoke.”

  “The Harlivs left this sector two thousand years ago, and no one knew where they went.”

  “Apparently, they snuck onto Earth during the Enjel and Dhema thing. No one would notice a few drops in the ocean.” She smiled and gently stroked her fingers over his gills.

  “I am glad for those drops, though I would love a look at your histories about the Harlivs.” He smiled and stroked her spine.

  “There isn’t much, just stories of sailors pulled from ships and seduced by watery maids. Then again, there are also the selkies, the kelpies and a few other water-born stories. Huh. I guess it might be useful after all.” She rubbed her pearl strands against his chest.

  He chuckled and cupped her ass. “I am thinking that this is not the time for a history lesson.”

  She kissed her way up his neck and settled on his lips, murmuring, “I think history is best left in the past. I have a distinct interest in your present.”

  He rolled her to her back and loomed over her. “Is that a euphemism?”

  She laughed and wrapped her legs around his thighs. “It wasn’t, but it is now.”

  * * * *

  Mediating neighbour disputes took up most of Vehn’s time and meeting with scientific officers took up Meri’s. She provided venom samples to the Lahash researchers and was set to appear at Niika’s school now that she had caught up to the others and gained the self-control that would keep Vehn and Meri from getting calls.

  With Vehn mediating, Meri was on after-school collection, she swam into the wet entrance to the school and climbed out to face the teacher and two other parents with their offspring.

  Niika walked over to her and took her hand. “I got into a fight today.”

  “Oh, Niika, what happened?”

  One of the parents stepped forward, “Madam Kao, our son was forcibly restrained by your daughter.”

  The teacher watched intently.

  “What were the circumstances?” Meri kept tight to Niika’s hand, sending reassurance through their connection.

  The father on the other side inclined his head when the first speaker didn’t say anything. “My child was being picked on, he is younger and smaller than the others in the class, so it makes him an easy target. Your daughter kept the other boy from attacking my son Powik, his father wishes you to bear the punishment for his spawning a bully.”

  Meri scanned the other parent and the sullen child. The parent felt rage, guilt and frustration, so Meri dampened it with calm before the aggression could get out of control.

  He looked at her with shock, but it was calm shock.

  “So, Niika merely restrained a child from striking another? Where is the issue?”

  The man opened and closed his mouth before saying, “Your daughter laid hands on my son.”

  Meri shrugged. “In two decades, it will be one of his fondest memories. Being a bully is not a good choice for making oneself attractive to the opposite sex. Being known to be the father of a bully is not a good idea either.”

  The man flinched and nodded. He jerked his head toward the teacher and tossed his son into the wet exit.

  The other male came forward and shook her hand. “Thank you, Madam Kao.”

  Powik did the same with Niika. “Thank you, Niika.”

  They inclined their heads and disappeared under the water in a few seconds.

  The teacher came forward. “Madam Kao, you handled that well.”

  Meri bent and Niika climbed on her back for the swim home. She still wasn’t fast in fresh water, but at least her hands webbed when she breathed liquid. “Thank you. It was nice to practice.”

  The teacher shifted from side to side and cleared his throat. “I have been asked to pass on a request from the school board.”

  “Yes?”

  “Would you be interested in having a seat on the school board as one of the trustees? We occasionally need someone to speak to other parents when issues such as this arise and you have a unique ability to deal with this sort of thing.”

  Do you mind if I am involved in your schooling?

  Does it mean I am in trouble?

  No, silly. It just means that I will be at the school more often.

  Niika’s light voice piped up, “She will do it. Mom will be here when you need her.”

  Meri smiled. There was always a bit of a thrill when Niika called her mom. “Apparently I will do it.”

  The teacher grinned. “Excellent, I will forward you acceptance to the board.”

  Meri nodded and slipped back into the wet entrance.

  Are you happy about my participating in your school?

  I am. It will mean that my classmates will have to believe me now.

  Believe you? About what?

  That you are special.

  Aw, honey, you are the special one. You helped that little guy and knew it would get you in trouble.

  Her small voice was very solemn when she said, I did what you told me to do. I stayed calm when I wanted to hit him and grabbed him instead.

  Pride overwhelmed Meri as she returned them home. Her skills may have twisted with her changes, but her ability to instruct Niika was her proudest moment.

  Wait until your father gets home. He will be so impressed with how you handled it.

  I can’t wait to tell Dad that you came to school naked.

  Oh hell.

  Author’s Note

  Maintaining calm lets everything roll and break around you as long as you can hold your centre.

  The next Terran Times story will be Catalyst. Some people have good luck, some have bad luck and for others, all hell breaks loose in their wake.

  I hope that folks will choose to join me in Catalyst, I intend to make it a rollicking good time….or at least a fun story.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  [email protected]

  http://www.violagrace.com

  Find me on Facebook…if you dare.

  About The Author

  Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating,
baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

  Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.