25 The Tides of Time (1/2)

Months had passed, summer had come and gone and Darya still wouldn't talk about what happened in the cave. She still hung out with Marty every day and lived a normal life as if she had never met her father and never visited his kingdom under the waves. She kept to her studies once school started again and even began to make higher marks than the previous year.

After the first semester came to an end and the winter break began, Darya had decided she wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps. She wanted to be a marine biologist and study the sea that she loved so much all while keeping a secret that could tear two different worlds apart.

Darya entered her house on the last day of school before the break and threw her bag on the bench just inside of the doorway. She walked lazily toward the living room and plopped down on the couch. The house was quiet and dark aside from the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room and the lights strung up along the trim of the house.

She sat in the darkness with a mind filled with questions and theories about what's going on under the waves. She knew that she made the right choice. Him being in her life was dangerous and even though that poison worked on Johnson there was still his stepson walking around with the knowledge he has.

Tyler still believed that Darya was wearing one of those fake tails they made for performers and doesn't believe what they told him about his step-father and him thinking she was a real one. That was the biggest silver lining that came out of the whole situation; Tyler was ignorant.

An hour passed by and Darya barely noticed. It wasn't until Marty opened the back door and walked into the house that she moved at all.

”Darya? Why are you sitting in the dark? By yourself?” He asked her as he made his way to the couch where she was still sitting.

”Darya?” He asked again when she didn't answer him. Marty knew Denise was out of town for the last couple of days so he had been spending nights with her to keep Darya company like he usually did.

”Sorry, I'm not paying attention today.” Her words were quiet and soft. She didn't even notice when a tear slipped out of her eye and down her cheek.

”Are you crying? What's going on?” Marty asked her when he took a seat on the couch. He knew she hadn't been the same since she told her father to leave and never come back but it's been six months and all she's been doing is studying and sitting by the ocean.

”I didn't realize I was crying, sorry.” She wiped her tear away and stretched a fake smile across her face. Marty, of course, saw through this.

”Stop bullshitting me, Dar. I'm your oldest and best friend. Hell, I'm your only friend and I can't see you like this anymore. I'm sorry you didn't get the father-daughter story you always wanted. I'm sorry that Johnson ruined everything for you, but this funk needs to stop. I'm not usually mean to you but I'm going to be right now.” He stood up and took Darya's hands in his even when she protested, he still pulled her off of the couch.

”The only way to get you out of this funk is to show you that you made the right decision.” She didn't understand what he was saying until he pulled a little blue shell out of his pocket.