Chapter 44: She Didn't Belong Here

Spending time with the water fairies was an interesting experience. Talori watched them interact with each other so easily. As easily as any of Zale's mermen did with him. She supposed this was how things were when fae were where they belonged.

She had never felt like she belonged anywhere since her mother's death. She had her brother but everyone else treated her as if she was either crazy or a bubble that could pop at any time.

Obviously, Talori knew she belonged in the ocean with Zale. Living up here certainly came with his challenges, as she had been reminded of earlier.

Not being able to get around so easily on her own…having to constantly drink water or submerge herself…answering the same questions over and over whenever she met someone new because no one up here had ever met a mermaid before.

She was used to it by now and how much she was learning made those things not so difficult to deal with. But she couldn't deny that she felt like an outsider at times. Especially right now.

Brennan might say that other water fairies thought he was weird and he didn't fit in well with them but he certainly seemed to be doing fine. He had a small smile on his face and occasionally laughed at things his friends had to say.

Talori had come to realize once they left the ocean and he wasn't super excited about everything he was learning that he wasn't the most excitable fae. His smiles were usually small and if he did laugh those were small too. The only things that riled him up were the ocean (in a good way) and humans (in a bad way). The rest of the time he was incredibly calm and nothing fazed him.

It wasn't quite to the same extent as Castian. He was so calm and quiet that he almost never talked and Talori wasn't sure she had ever seen a single facial expression from him.

Brennan talked a lot but rarely revealed what he was truly thinking. He usually focused on what others were saying and worked off of that.

That pattern was especially apparent today when he was among his friends. He talked about their lives and families more than he talked about himself but when he did he only mentioned the basics like work and things that he and Talori had done on the weekends.

He seemed more comfortable here than he had originally hinted at. At least he seemed to be having fun bowling. He was fairly good at it too, not getting a single gutter ball. He must have a lot of practice doing this.

Talori didn't get gutter balls either but only because of the ramp. It was easier to aim with it than without it.

Brennan helped her adjust it every time. Even if he was in the middle of a conversation with someone else when her turn was up, he would stop what he was doing to help her out.

He had to be keeping an eye on her even as he was in the middle of something else. Wasn't that tiring? It reminded her forcefully of Zale and how overprotective he was. He was probably doing it because he felt responsible for her as the only fae she really knew here.

His kindness made her feel slightly guilty. She was always burdening him, wasn't she? He had to do so much to take care of her while she was out of her element. That was part of why she had wanted to get a job—so he didn't have to do that anymore.

Watching Brennan interact with his kind made Talori wonder why he didn't spend more time with them. He did seem to be enjoying himself at least as much as he did when he was with her or Harmony.

She knew he lived in Miami because of work but why not visit them more often? In the months she had been here this was the first time it happened and he really didn't live that far from them. The drive made daytrips totally doable on weekends.

Did he normally see them more often but wasn't now because of her? Was this yet another way she was burdening him?

Talori sighed internally. She didn't like feeling burdensome. It was bad enough back home with everyone always taking care of her and thinking she couldn't do a thing herself. Here she actually couldn't because of the physical limitations of being on land. It was rather frustrating.

She didn't belong here. This strange, exciting world wasn't hers.

As much as she liked visiting, she longed for home. For a future where she could be useful to both her brother and her kingdom.

How was Zale's plan coming along? Was he doing alright? How long would she be stuck up here?

These questions and more plagued her throughout the rest of their time with the water fairies. She remained engaged with those who were speaking to her but they simmered in the back of her mind. And once they were in the car they took over full force.

"You okay?" Brennan asked, noticing how quiet she was being.

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"I'm fine," Talori lied. "I was just thinking about some things. Your friends seem nice."

"They are nice. Kyle and I met at the witch coven not long after I moved here and he and his family have been very welcoming even if they don't understand why I prefer the ocean to freshwater."

She had noticed that almost everyone present seemed to be a relative of Kyle's in some way. His brother, parents, aunt and uncle, cousin, girlfriend, daughter, and a few others who were connected to his various family members be it through dating or friendship.

"Why don't you see them more often?" Talori blurted.

Brennan shrugged. "Families aren't really my thing. I've bounced around a lot of them since losing mine and even though they were all nice I know I don't actually belong there. I don't belong anywhere since my home was destroyed."

Right. He had mentioned that before. His home had been destroyed and he had no one to go back to on a permanent basis so he had become a nomad.

That was really sad. Talori might be curious and adventurous by nature but she had a place to go back to.

"Are you not planning on staying in Miami then?"

"Not forever. I have a pretty good setup for now though. I have no reason to leave and won't unless a better offer comes along. I like it better than most places I've lived," Brennan admitted.

"Because of Harmony?" Talori asked.

"She's part of it, I guess. But mostly it's because I have the chance to actually do something to make a difference here. I have no reason to leave now that I have the chance to work with you and your brother…even if it isn't for a while. Where else am I going to get the chance to work with actual merfolk?"

Relief filled her chest. She was part of the reason he didn't want to go anywhere. She didn't have words to explain how good that made her feel.

She knew it was because he cared about the ocean rather than because he cared about her but that didn't change anything. As long as she was still able to see Brennan once she went home, that was what mattered.

"That's good to hear," Talori said, not knowing what else she could say to that.

"What were you thinking about so intently?" he asked suddenly.

"Oh. I was thinking about Zale."

It was at least partially true. The majority of her conflicted thoughts had been about her brother, though there had been some about Brennan mixed in as well. He didn't need to know that.

"Are you worried about him? You're the one always saying how capable he is."

"Yes and no. I am more worried about his emotional state than how he is going to be able to pull off his plan…and how long it will be before I am allowed to go home," Talori confessed. "I'm sorry. I truly am having a good time up here but I still get homesick so often."

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I get it," Brennan reassured her.

He probably did. He had lost his home on a permanent basis. For her it was only temporary. Did he get homesick to this day? It sounded like he had lost his home a long time ago.

Talori didn't want to ask because the subject was most likely painful for him. She should really be handling her own homesickness better.

She was a big girl. She had wanted to prove she was capable, hadn't she? This wasn't helping!

She needed to do better. She had to be strong for Brennan's sake and for her brother's. Zale was probably handling things a lot better than she was.. He had always been the strongest fae she ever knew.

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