Zarius.

For some inexplicable reason, his name gives me the shivers. In a good or bad way, I don't know. It feels like there's a silent power behind his voice that's weighing down on me.

I never imagined this day would come where I'll be face to face with a merfolk. All along, humans have always believed that all merfolks are creatures with a human upper body and a tail. Zarius now has both of his feet flat on land, so it seems like merfolks can shift whenever they want.

Just like the dad I've never seen before.

Zarius stares at me with unblinking eyes. Assessing my overall condition. "Your wounds aren't healing."

His words make me more aware of my pain and my arms tighten around me immediately. Since there's no point in hiding my secret anymore, I decide to drop the act, but my wariness of him remains. From what Mom told me and what I've experienced for myself, people with the blood of a merfolk have a higher cell regeneration, meaning that any injuries would heal at a faster pace as compared to humans.

Even the puncture wounds that the water serpent gave me a couple of days ago are now healed.

I close my eyes in fatigue, subtly feeling his gaze on me. "They will," I wince. "Give it a day or two."

"That's not fast enough." Zarius glances around the kitchen, taking in his surroundings. "Where can I find water?"

"Water? What for?" I croak, blinking my bleary eyes open in confusion, until something clicks in my mind. "Oh. How long has it been since you left the waters? Do people of your kind dehydrate if you're out of the waters for too long?"

"Our kind," he corrects me sharply. "Water first, questions later. Do you know of any man-made ponds within the vicinity?"

I pause briefly, almost bursting out in laughter at the odd image that he has painted in my mind—a merman just chilling and hanging out in a pond. "No ponds," I say, "but I'm pretty sure we can find a bathtub in the house."

"A bath—what?"

"Never mind." I pick myself up begrudgingly, trying not to wince as my aching muscles and bleeding wounds are screaming in protest. I don't think merfolks like him know much about our technology since they swim deep in the oceans all day. "Follow me."

My feet feel weak and heavy because of exhaustion, and I almost fall until Zarius grabs my arm and holds me upright. His eyes are hard and glints like blue crystals, but they hold a tinge of concern. "Allow me to help you."

I swallow hard and nod once stiffly. "Thank you."

Together, we search through the house and I realize that nobody has been home for a long time. The sink is empty, the beds in the rooms on the second floor are neat and the laundry basket is empty. Whoever had lived in this house before the invasion was probably away on a trip and never got to witness how the storm destroyed the front part of their house. Yet, on the inside, the rest of it seems intact.

We make our way into the master bedroom's toilet. There's a vast mirror on the wall and right by the washbasin. For the first time, I finally glimpse the state I am in and a gasp spills from my lips.

I look like I've just crawled out of hell.

Dirt and soot cover my skin. The bottom half of my shirt is burnt away because of the fire, leaving my exposed skin raw and red. Blotches of dried and fresh blood run down and across my shoulders. I spot dark circles under my eyes and my cracked lips. My usually clean hair is now in a shade of a dirty blonde color.

Behind me, a towering Zarius looks over my head, not that I barely reach his chin. He eyes the bathtub in the corner in great distaste, his brows puckering in confusion. "Is that the one? It's all dried up."

Right, he needs water. "Yes, but that's because we've got to fill it with water."

"Great, I'm not going to ask how." He shakes his head slowly. "Humans and their odd creations."

Turning around, I reach for the shower button and turn it on, watching as water fills the tub.

I'm hyper aware of Zarius's presence. From my peripheral vision, I watch him in the mirror reflection, noting the way his eyes dart around the bathroom in guarded caution. His tall, stocky figure makes me feel claustrophobic in this tiny bathroom. He said that he can't get used to our man-made equipment, but I can't get used to him being around me. It feels almost surreal, as if I'm a step closer to learning more about the other half of me—the blood of a merfolk.

Until I recall how the creatures have gone around and decimated my town. The place where I lived and grew up in.

I whip around suddenly, eyes flaring with anger. "I've so many questions, but first, explain what happened to the oceans! The creatures out there came running out of nowhere—"

Something flashes in Zarius's eyes. "Not now."

I'm taken aback. "Not now?" I repeat. "But the monsters out there killed my friends and the people in this town! And they are still doing it! They took Avery away from me! Why?! Why did they turn out to be like that?"

Zarius gives me a cool, undeterred expression. "Get into the water now."

Confusion fills my mind. "Me? I thought you needed it."

He gives me a silent, unfathomable look before he reaches for me. His large hands hook the back of my knees and my shoulders before dropping me into the half-filled bathtub. Water sloshes about as I yelp at the sudden coldness soaking my entire body.

"No!" I cry out. "It's cold!"

He frowns. "Cold?"

"Yes, it is, you big dork! Should have let me fill it up with hot water before tossing me right in!"

Zarius gives me one of those baffled, judgemental looks and I shiver involuntarily. My clothes are clinging to my body and I try to ignore the fact that I'm practically in a vulnerable sight to this merman right now. Not that he seems to care.

"You should not be feeling cold, halfling," he remarks, crossing his arms. I try not to stare at his bulging muscles, but it's growing to be quite a challenge. "Water is a part of us. It helps you to draw on your merfolk abilities. You would heal much faster this way."

"R-really?" Shivering, I reach for the shower button and press for hot water before sinking back down into the tub. Once the temperature eases into something warmer, I relax. "Funny how I've never noticed it before. I'm not someone who enjoys soaking in a bathtub. I prefer a quick shower."

He blinks once at me, watching as I lift my hand out of the water and gesture at myself. "Err...do you mind giving me some privacy? Or do all merfolks not care about modesty?"

"Not much," he replies dryly. "But if you insist, I'll leave you alone." He uncrosses his arms and half-turns, yet he pauses only to shoot me with another question of his own. "Why aren't you morphing, halfling?"

"What's morphing?"

He stills at my words, his jaw clenching in utter disbelief. "You don't know what that is? Have you ever morphed before?"

When I shake my head, all Zarius does is let out a quiet sigh. "Well then, half-human. It seems like you've much to learn."