Page 16 of Storm and Sea

“Is that— fish?”

“Sardines, yeah. Humans put them in these things and they last forever without going bad.”

Nyel pushed the can away, still actively trying not to be sick. “I can’t. Sorry.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

Nyel looked at him incredulously. “It’s meat. You can eat this stuff?”

Atreus shrugged. “I prefer them fresh, but this is better than going hungry.”

“I’ll have to disagree with you on that,” Nyel said, taking shallow breaths.

“Well, it’s all I have unless you want to cook him,” Atreus said, pointing to the lobster.

“I’ll pass, thanks.” Nyel watched him, and for the first time since he’d dropped the spear, Atreus thought he saw a flicker of fear in those eyes. “You said you were Sireni?”

“Yeah. And?”

“Sireni, don’t eat meat.”

Well, shit.

Atreus was painfully aware of how little he knew about Mer. He was more familiar with humans than his own species. He ignored Nyel’s comment.

“You’re from that village, right? Down the sandbank?”

“Yeah. My family and I live on the edge of Corallina, just outside the hijiki fields.”

“Family?” Atreus hated how the word caught in his throat as he said it.

“Well, yeah. You didn’t think I lived by myself, did you? I’m only eighteen springs.”

I’ve been on my own since my thirteenth winter. And I have no idea how many years I’ve lived since.

“How many springs have you seen?” Nyel asked as though reading his mind.

“Twenty-two,” Atreus settled on, though he had no idea. He opted for the higher range.

“And you’re out here on your own?”

I didn’t used to be.

“Yes. And I’m very comfortable that way,” he lied. And, sensing more questions about his personal life, he redirected, “So what— you ran away from your parents?”

Nyel’s jaw tightened, and he curled inward, tugging the blanket tighter. “I left my aunt, too. She’s about to have a baby. She told me to come here and… wait it out.”

“A cousin.” Atreus mused, quickly getting swept up in the idea of it all. Nyel had parents. Two people to watch out for him and care about his well-being. He also had an aunt and a cousin on the way. A new life was coming into this world—more family.

“I wonder if she’ll have a boy or girl, not that it matters as long as the baby is healthy⁠—”

“Go back in the morning,” Atreus cut him off, a bitter tang in his mouth.

“What? Why?”

“Because you don’t belong here; you belong there, with your family, in that village with hundreds of other happy families like yours.”

“You don’t know a thing about my family.”