"Some won't." He said honestly. "It's not fair, starfish, I know. There are simply some people in the world who can not accept anything that is different then they are. But it's important for you to keep trying. Keep your heart open to the good and shielded from the bad. Don't let those who are close minded make your heart as cold as the ocean." He brushed her hair out of her face and leaned in to kiss her forehead. The young mermaid didn't understand but she knew enough to trust her father, so she simply smiled and lay against his chest. He rocked her gently and hummed to her. She listened as he continued to speak, smelling the catch of the day on his shirt. The hum of his voice vibrated against her ear and always lulled her to sleep. As she grew, the would be the feeling of safety.. the hum of life and comfort.
Smiling, she hadn't realized the memory of her father's voice and the voice she heard reciting those beautiful words weren't the same. Not until the moment she opened her eyes and realized it was darker than she had left it just seconds ago. As she expected, the darkness continuously changed the shades of the night.
Now, with her curiosity piqued, she started to look around for the origin of that voice. She didn't, at first, spot anything until a flap of what she could only assume was clothing whipped around preceding a loud splash of water. Her stomach tightened and her heart jumped into her throat. By the sound of the splash, it was a rather large mass. As she took sight of the figure gripping the rock, she acted and pushed herself into the water. Swimming quickly to the cloaked person not too far from where she had been sitting, she bobbed up beside him. "Here, let me help."
How hadn't she known someone had been there? He must have been impossibly quiet. Minus the words he had spoken. "Are you alright?" She asked, helping to push him up as much as she could. "You startled me." That was a bit of an understatement. She should have been paying more attention to her surroundings, especially after what happened one night almost six years ago now. Her father would sure be disappointed if he knew she hadn't paid attention.
Beads of water rolled down her shoulders as she watched him move onto the rock. It was then she realized she was rather exposed. Dipping down under the water slightly, Raina reached for a book she found floating inches from her. She placed that on the rock before pulling herself up a little, careful to make sure that her upper body was hidden behind the rock. "Was that you reading?"