As soon as Rowan opened the front door, the warm breeze pushed past him. The sounds Rowan grew up with rewarded his ears. Seagulls called, people talked and had fun in the distance, and the waves crashed onto the sand.

Rowan sharply inhaled the fresh sea air. His heart thumped at the thought of being close to the ocean that almost took his life. Rowan had to get closer, even if he was nervous.

Slowly, he moved from the porch and across the dusty road. He stood at the top of the sand dune, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked across the beach and to the white cliffs. His eyes then moved to the horizon and the sea that seemed so calm. Rowan inhaled again and climbed down the dune. The sand was warm from the summer sun.

Rowan chose to walk left along the beach. Rock pools stretched out across the start of the sea. When Rowan was little, he loved sitting at the edge of the rocks and dipping his toes underwater. It was a secluded area, and somewhere that gave Rowan the freedom to think and enjoy his own company.

Careful to avoid looking at the sea, Rowan dodged seaweed and deep pools of water, home to small crabs. He stopped at the edge and stared intensely at his bare feet. The sea sounded so close, and Rowan's throat tightened. He always had a good relationship with water. One life-threatening situation dared to change it all.

"Just look," Rowan whispered. "Please look." He loved the sea. He had to face the fear before the fear faced him, and before it was too late to stare it down. Gradually, Rowan's eyes moved from his feet to the sharp rock, and into the dark water down below.

He swallowed and looked further up the sea. It rocked back and forth, and the sun glistened on the surface. He released his breath and forced the tension to his feet. The sea was lucky that it was so beautiful; it sucked Rowan straight back into its stunning image.

Rowan relaxed and sat down. He dangled one foot over the side of the rock. He wasn't sleep deprived, so he wouldn't see the Thalassic Mortals. That comforted him as he dipped his toes in the water. It was cold enough to make him smile.

He dipped his other foot in too and closed his eyes. He embraced the warmth of the sun and continued to smile with pride. Rowan didn't know that he was strong enough to be so stern with his emotions. He had been through a very traumatic experience, but so had the Thalassic Mortal. Rowan knew the risks of a hunt, and he knew that if he did get into trouble, it was his fault.

Rowan would never move on if he kept reaching out for others he could blame. Yes, his mother should never have forced him, but Rowan could have stood his ground, no matter the cost. Almost dying had taught him to take a hold of his own life. Rowan had to live it the way he wanted to live it. If others didn't agree, then they were not meant to be by his side.

When Rowan opened his eyes again, his mind and body had relaxed into a state of tranquillity. The urge to be by the sea was fulfilled, though the desire to connect was still there. Rowan wondered if he had to go swimming, but he wasn't physically strong enough.

He gently swung his legs, and his feet were turning numb from the freezing water. It was a familiar feeling. His eyes lazily looked around. He grew comfortable, but he was very aware of the tide. Usually, Rowan would sit until he had to swim back. As he scanned the sky, his head moved left to see if he could spot any crabs on the rocks. Instead, Rowan thought he saw a head dip below the surface when he looked.

He assumed it was a seal. He couldn't see the Thalassic Mortals. Rowan stared at the area where the sea met the stone, but the seal didn't show itself again. Rowan went back to staring at the horizon until he heard a splash as if something had plopped into the water.

Rowan frowned and glanced around. Maybe the seal was hunting his toes. While he thought about removing them from the water, a head popped up a few metres away from where he was sitting.

Rowan flinched, but when he saw that it wasn't a seal, he ripped his feet from the water and scrambled back, hurting his palms on the rocks. "I'm-I'm not sleep deprived," he breathed, staring into the purple eyes of a Thalassic Mortal. The Thalassic Mortal who had dragged him off the boat three days ago.

Everything around Rowan silenced. The fear returned almost instantly. He gripped the rock and didn't dare to blink. "I-," he took a few calming breaths. The sea creature glared at him with his nose and mouth under the water. Rowan could see a shimmer from his tail as it moved back and forth to keep him afloat. "How can I see you?"

The creature didn't reply. Rowan didn't know if he understood. Rowan moved back a little more until he was a safe distance away from the water. If the creature tried to lunge for him, he would have enough time to get away.

"Um," Rowan said after a while of staring. "I guess uh... I guess I have the chance to say sorry now. Or, I mean, thank you for uh, but I should say sorry first," Rowan said with a nervous chuckle. The Thalassic Mortal started to look confused. "I'm sorry for hunting you. Well, I wasn't hunting you, my mum was, but she made me come, and I should've really like- not come. I didn't want to hurt you. That wasn't my intention, but thanks for not killing me. I thought you were going to but then you didn't so... that was nice of you." Rowan bit his tongue to stop himself from saying more. He was a nervous babbler.

The Thalassic Mortal quickly went from looking immensely angry, to very perplexed. His eyes had narrowed, and Rowan assumed he didn't understand.

"I'm sorry," Rowan said again, this time with a little more meaning. "I'll never hunt in your home again. Well, I'll never hunt anything again. It's wrong, you know? Like, what's the point for humans to-" Rowan gasped when the Thalassic Mortal dipped under the water and slapped his tail on the surface, splashing Rowan with the cold sea. "Right," Rowan muttered and rubbed his face, getting the hint to shut up.

They went back to staring at each other as Rowan squeezed the water out of his t-shirt. The Thalassic Mortal's gaze studied him, and his expression slowly turned back to anger.

"So..." Rowan said quietly, "can you choose if people see you or not? Because I'm not tired enough."

Carefully, the creature moved closer and placed a webbed hand on the rocks to stop himself from drifting away. He didn't respond, but Rowan guessed by his irritated expression that the answer was no.

"Why do I see you?" Rowan asked, even though he knew the creature wouldn't respond. He didn't, and Rowan sighed.

Suddenly, the Thalassic Mortal pulled himself up. He rested his full body weight on his palms, leaning over the rocks to get a better view of the human. Rowan jumped and clung harder onto the seaweed behind him. His eyes automatically ran down the creature's body. His abs were very defined from needing excellent core strength. He had large shoulders, and big arms from catching his meals and swimming miles every day.

Rowan stared at the gills on the creature's neck. The gills were three short cuts on either side. They had temporarily closed, now looking like three scars. Rowan knew he was now breathing out of his nose instead.

"P-Please don't hurt me," Rowan said quickly. The creature's stare was incredibly intimidating. There was still black around his eyes like he wore eyeliner. Now that Rowan could see more clearly, it looked like it was part of the creature's skin. "I'm really sorry. I-Is there anything I can do because-"

"Silence!" the creature demanded. His voice was rough and deep and strong. Rowan closed his mouth immediately. The sun was blocked by a cloud and Rowan expected to hear thunder in the distance because the creature was building a storm in his eyes. "I kill. You."

"I- um... I'd rather you didn't," Rowan whispered. It was oddly thrilling to hear a Thalassic Mortal's voice.

The creature scowled. "You die; I die."

"I don't understand." Rowan felt like a kitten who had angered a grown-up cat.

"Filthy human," the creature growled and aimed his ferocious frown down at the rocks.

"I'm not filthy actually I'm... I'm pretty clean," Rowan said with another nervous chuckle.

The Thalassic Mortal bared his teeth at the rock and let out a low grumble from the back of his throat. "Not fair."

"What isn't?"

"You. Me. Bond."

"I wouldn't exactly call this bonding."

"No," the creature growled with frustration. "Soul. Bond."

"What?"

The Sea Creature rested on his elbows, so his hands were free. "Soul," he said and slapped his hands together. "Bond."

"You want my soul?" Rowan asked, very confused.

"No!" The creature sounded disgusted like Rowan had asked him a very insulting question.

"Well, I don't understand what you're saying to me." Rowan stopped gripping the seaweed, almost forgetting that he spoke to the creature who tried to drown him three days ago. "Should I get some paper or something?" Rowan asked, and the creature groaned.

"Stupid land mortal," he muttered and dropped himself back into the ocean. His tail once again splashed Rowan before the Thalassic Mortal vanished under the water and didn't return.

Rowan felt somewhat stunned and many unanswered questions circled his head.

How could he see the Thalassic Mortal after sleeping for three days? What did he mean by soul, bond, and the fact that he couldn't kill Rowan, even if he wanted to kill him? And why did the longing in Rowan's chest mellow as soon as he stared into those inimitable purple eyes?