Page 67 of Storm and Sea

Atreus was a good friend, better than Leo deserved. Still, Leo hated that Atreus knew just how dire his situation was. Hated the way his friend’s eyes narrowed with pity. Hated that the boy he’d known since he was ten years old never once offered to take him to the mainland in the winter.

That’s not what this is about.

Atreus released a long sigh. “Leo, if you need some help, my wages are more than enough for my needs⁠—”

“Stop,” Leo interrupted. “Just stop.”

Atreus chewed his lip but said nothing else.

“Be straight with me,” Leo said, turning his body to face Atreus fully. “Do you think I’m crazy? Do you think I’m losing it?”

“I never said you were crazy, Leo; you’re taking on too much⁠—”

“Do you think it’s all in my head? The… the creature I saw?” Even as Leo asked, he dreaded the answer. How could something that felt so real be a dream and not a memory? How could he still smell the creature’s briny scent? Feel the cold press of its scales? Taste of ocean spray on his lips…

A flicker of indecision flashed in Atreus’s eyes, but it vanished in less than a second.“It’s in your head, Leo. Let it go.”

Leo relaxed back into the sand, head bent low. “You’re probably right,” he said, though he couldn’t keep the defeated inflection from his voice.

Atreus reached over and shook him. “Hey, it’s gonna be alright. You hear?”

Leo nodded. “Yeah. I hear you. Thanks for listening.”

“That’s what friends are for, right?” Atreus said, slapping him on the shoulder.

Leo stayed on the beach even after Atreus returned to work. Soon, he’d be back on the water, on a new boat, doing what he did best: working the bay and providing for his family. He didn’t think about what Alvise expected in return. He couldn’t. Not yet. That reality would surely come for him all too soon.

Instead, he let his mind wander as the waves lapped at the sand. The sea foam collected at his feet, and he watched the bubbles pop until nothing remained but a milky swirl.

Merpeople don’t exist.

Atreus said exactly what Leo needed to hear.

Yet, a small part of him had hoped for a different answer.

Atreus lay on his bed, eyes open, staring at the bedroom ceiling. The wooden boards were warped, creating gaps between them. Some of the gaps were host to old spiderwebs, their owners long gone. He wondered where they went. If they had big spider families to return to. In all likelihood, they were dead, leaving behind nothing but a few cobwebs.

“You should have been killed as a babe.”

That’s what the stranger on the beach said. That was the fate of those born like him. A mutt. An unwanted bastard child.

“Halfling.”

The word sliced through him, making the corners of his eyes burn. All his life, he’d been plagued by the same question.

Why?

Why did he and his father live separately from others?

Why did the villagers in Corallina hate him?

Why did his father ultimately leave?

Atreus never got the answer; never knew why he was so hated. But in a span of seconds, all those questions were answered—thrown at him with about as much care as a butcher tossing fish guts.

He rolled over, tearing his eyes away from the abandoned web. The bed felt hard despite the mattress. He had the urge to sneak out, run to the beach, and dive into the waves. He’d never gone this long without Marvassa changing him.

“Unmasking the freak hiding beneath human skin.”