ELEMENTS: Acquiesce Kathryn Andrews (guided reading books .TXT) 📖

stopped. She needed to get out, she needed answers. She also needed to see something other than the curved walls of her chamber. In the absence of her tears, cheering and laughter echoed in the tunnel outside. She splashed water on her face from the wooden barrel. It was salty. The voices were coming from the right, which led downhill, further away from the lighthouse. As Cordelia walked slowly along the tunnel the voices became clearer. She felt the sea breeze rushing past her as waves crashed against the rocks. The tunnel led to an opening in the cliff wall. Cordelia watched from inside as a group of teenagers about her age sat on the rocks watching a diving competition. It looked fun, if not a little dangerous. She spotted a man with green hair on the rocks lower down and an old woman with white hair. They turned and whispered to each other when they noticed Cordelia. Not knowing who they were, Cordelia retreated to her chamber.

Cordelia was filled with all kinds of emotions; excited about what she saw, nervous because she didn’t know them, guilty for wanting to be part of something that didn’t involve Flynn. Before she had too much time to think, Mazu knocked on the door.

“Come in,” said Cordelia.

“How are you feeling?”

Cordelia shrugged.

“Did you see the diving competition?”

Cordelia nodded.

“Did you like the look of it?”

Cordelia nodded again.

“The rocks they were sitting on, we call that the amphitheatre.”

“Who was the man with green hair?”

“That would be Triton Morgan. He’s the one who found you on the seabed the night of the storm.”

Cordelia felt bad for retreating back to her chamber but she wasn’t to know who he was. “What is he?”

Mazu smiled. “He’s a merman.”

Cordelia felt a lump in her throat. “A merman?”

“Yes, a great one too. He comes from merfolk aristocracy and is just as famous as his father.”

“Famous?”

“Amongst the sea community he is.”

“And the lady with white hair?”

“That’s Morwen Vanora, one of the elders.”

“Tell me about these,” said Cordelia, picking up a gemstone.

“You cry the tears of mermaids,” explained Mazu. “When a mermaid’s heart is broken her tears turn to aquamarine, a gemstone cherished by merfolk. Keep them safe. You never know when you might need them.”

“How can I have the tears of mermaids? I’m an ordinary girl who grew up on a fishing boat.”

“My dear child, you are far from ordinary.”

“I know nothing about mermaids. I wish I’d drowned with Flynn.”

“Impossible,” said Mazu. “Mermaids cannot drown.”

Cordelia wasn’t sure what to believe.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” said Mazu. “Flynn was a good man.”

“How do you know?” asked Cordelia. “You didn’t know him.”

“I know more than you think. We live here in the caves when we’re not at sea. It’s a closely guarded secret mind. Apparently we’re mythological; we don’t exist. If the town folk found out about us we’d all end up in a fish tank in Dublin.”

“You don’t look like a mermaid, and neither do I.”

“You’ve a lot to learn Cordelia.”

“I didn’t see any tails at the amphitheatre.”

“As I said, you’ve a lot to learn about merfolk. Do you want to learn?”

Cordelia nodded.

“Good. You can join in with classes tomorrow. How old are you now Cordelia?”

“Fifteen. I’ll be sixteen in May.”

“The students in your class started lessons when they were eleven so you’ll have some catching up to do.”

“Were all the students at the amphitheatre mermaids?”

“Merfolk Cordelia. Only the girls are mermaids.”

Cordelia’s eyes widened.

“Are you ready to brave the town?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“We need to buy you some clothes. You’ll need more than what you’re wearing. No need to worry about the cost. What do you say?”

Cordelia smiled and nodded.

They travelled into town by horse and cart, taking two of the horses that grazed by the lighthouse. The weather was dry with clear skies and there was a crisp chill in the air but neither of them felt the cold. They rode next to the sea wall as they entered the town and Cordelia’s eyes glazed over as they had done the last time she was there. She gazed across the bay. The debris had been cleared and the only sign that a storm had been were the few homes without roofs whose owners had long gone to America. Cordelia kept her eyes peeled, hoping that she might see Flynn.

There was no mistaking the girl with grey hair. The locals recognised her from the times she and Flynn had delivered fish in town and as she and Mazu rode past, they stopped their conversations and stared. News travelled fast in Kilfearagh and they knew the fisherman had been lost at sea. Cordelia sat silently and the horse’s hooves echoed inside her head as a single tear rolled down her cheek and turned to aquamarine. Mazu stopped the horses in Albert Road. Although Cordelia had lived in this town all her life, it was the first time she had entered the shops. They made their way to a tiny little shop that sold lace, linen and ladies clothes. A brass bell rang above their heads as they opened the door into the long, narrow space. It was poorly lit with a dark wooden floor and a wooden counter, which stretched the length of the room. A mixture of must and lavender filled the air and behind the counter stood an old lady with grey hair rolled into a fancy up do. She had a button nose and her eyes twinkled when she smiled. There were clothes hanging on a rail high up on one side of the room and others were neatly folded on shelves behind the counter. Cordelia glanced around the room not knowing what to look at first.

“Can I help you?” asked the old woman.

“We’re here to buy a whole new wardrobe,” said Mazu as she opened a velvet purse and tipped its contents onto the counter. Elated, the old lady quickly scooped the jewels off the counter and put them safely in her till. Mazu had met the