Chapter 424: Alira
I say goodbye to the other merfolk and swim home. If I am late, my mother is going to nag at me.
She is so overprotective. My other mother pretends to be less involved, but it does not matter how far I swim or run—I always see the purple bird.
Genuinely just as overprotective, even if she pretends not to be.
The water becomes shallow. I switch—from tail to paws, my body shifting with the ease of someone born between two worlds. My paws hit the wet sand. I walk home on all fours, the familiar rhythm of the panther form settling into my bones.
The island is quiet. It is always quiet here. I like it.
The closer I get to the cabin, the louder I hear sounds from Mother's show—that show with the odd-looking people. I smell something sweet too. Mum must have been baking.
I do not use the front door. Instead, I sneak through the kitchen door, planning to steal some cookies.
