Page 113 of Midnightsong
“No.” Celia didn’t meet her gaze.
“Please, if you know anything about it, tell me. The mer have already destroyed the docks, again, and my school. They won’t stop there.” Angie curled her arms over her head, her mouth growing dry.
The other woman stepped backward. “I think you should go.”
No, she couldn’t leave now, not after she had Celia here. What if she didn’t get another chance to talk to her? Her next words tumbled from her lips before she thought to hold them back. “Can you at least tell me why?”
“I need you to leave.” Celia’s voice was thick. “Please.” She strode past Angie to the door and opened it for her. “I don’t like thinking about the mer and my mom’s passing.”
Angie gave her a silent nod, and acquiesced.
She had to come back another time, get Celia to talk, and most of all, if she was responsible, get her to agree to face justice in front of the mer.
It was a lot. Angie certainly wouldn’t want to face the mer under these circumstances.
Angie brushed past Celia on her way out, glancing back at her one more time.
Something haunted the younger woman’s gaze.
Two days passed without word from Celia, and on this early Saturday morning, Angie still didn’t have the first clue as to how to get Celia to talk. To confirm she was the perpetrator, or to give her an idea of who was.
Lulu came and curled up in Angie’s lap as she sat cross-legged on her bed, having washed up and brushed her teeth, and scrolling through the text messages she had already read.
The warm mid-March sunlight filtered through her blinds, signaling a clear day outside.
The last text she received was twelve hours ago from her school, with updates on rebuilding efforts, and no news on when classes could resume, as she expected.
Lulu stirred, her purrs intensifying. Still sleeping, she dug her claws through Angie’s linen sleep pants and pricked her skin. Angie yelped, awakening her cat with a jolt. “That hurts, you know.” As if she understood, Lulu tucked her paws underneath her. Angie slid off the bed and Lulu remained, watching her as she lay her small furry head back down.
Her thoughts reverted back to Celia, and their conversation, or the lack of, two nights ago.
Celia’s text from last night still glared at her.
Celia: Been thinking about you coming by. Can we talk? Come by tomorrow morning, I’m off work.
After a quick breakfast of a sweet glutinous rice roll and a bowl of hot, plain soy milk, Angie borrowed Mia’s keys, hanging by the front door, while she was still asleep with a text she would be right back, and made her way to Celia’s house.
This time, the young woman opened the door on the first ring. Her face was drained of color, dark shadows marring her usual bright hazel eyes, and she kept licking her chapped lips. “Hey,” was all she said after stepping aside, and Angie took her shoes off at the door. “No, don’t worry about it.” Celia shut the door behind her, keeping her own shoes on as she walked through the house. “Didn’t Mom tell you not to worry about the shoes?”
Mom. At the word, Angie’s heart plummeted, her mind roving to first Eva and her own Mama. Wordlessly, she followed Celia to their spacious living room, taking a seat across from her on the ottoman.
The house felt so hollow. Angie imagined Eva’s jovial laughter and the pep in her every step and wasn’t sure how Celia battled the feeling of loneliness here.
Would she be able to live in her childhood home alone if Bàba wasn’t also there? The day he left too, it would leave the house cold and empty.Whenever they could return, that was.
“I’m glad you came.” Celia plopped down on the loveseat and rubbed her eyes. “I was thinking about what you said. About the Mer-Queen.” Her last word hitched on her breath.
“Yeah?” Angie leaned forward and rested her forearms on her thighs, keeping her attention focused solely on Celia.
“My mom—my mom didn’t deserve to go that way.” She sniffled and swiped her eyes, her other hand grabbing a fistful of hair. “That night, we found a group of wayward mer. Two of the guys with me convinced them to give up their magic. Told them we wanted to see the undersea world. They looked young, maybe teens in human ages. Didn’t know better.” Her gaze remained pointed at the carpeted floor.
Angie chewed on her lower lip, debating whether to comfort Celia or not. But the other woman appeared closed off, her body shifted away from Angie, and her arms were now crossed over her chest.
Better to let her talk.
A warm gust lifted some strands of Angie’s hair off her left shoulder from their heater. Celia didn’t speak anymore, and her lower lip was quivering, her expressive eyes and cheeks wet with tears.
“Celia, what happened? How were you able to get to the Mer-Queen?” Angie kept her tone as encouraging and soft as she could, not wanting to sound prodding or pushy.
