Page 22

Soulara knew instantly the moment Autumn saw the small island. Her mouth and eyes opened wide.

“It’s beautiful.”

Soulara beamed at the compliment.

“Yes, it is.”

Soulara helped Autumn out of the water and pulled herself out of the sea. The magic danced over her skin as it always had, but this time was different. Everything about this time made her more exposed than she had ever felt in her life.

Autumn watched in open curiosity and wonder as Soulara’s fluke split.

She was a princess, so being looked at wasn’t an unusual occurrence. While she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, pinpoint exactly why it seemed so different to any other time, she couldn’t decide if she liked it or not.

“Are they heavy?” Soulara had been raised in the palace and been taught ways to deflect in all circumstances. “Those coverings?”

Autumn smiled, and it radiated heat from Soulara’s chest to the apex of her new legs. Now that was new. And something Soulara most definitely wanted to explore.

“They are now.” Autumn laughed and pulled at the covering over her chest.

“Why now?” Soulara asked as she lay on her back on the dry sand and relished the sun as it soaked up the water from her skin.

“They’re wet, and that creates a lot of weight.” Autumn hesitated before joining Soulara.

She lay down just close enough to Soulara for her to feel the brush of Autumn’s wet sleeve against her arm.

“Oh.” Soulara wasn’t entirely sure what else to say. Instead, she searched her mind for something else. There were so many things she wanted to ask. But each question flew by in her thoughts, pushed roughly aside by yet another one.

“What did you think of your first swim?” Soulara finally settled on a safe enough question.

“I enjoyed the end.” Autumn flicked her eyes to Soulara and then back up at the sky.

“As did I.” Soulara moved her hand inch by inch until her fingers brushed the back of Autumn’s fingers.

Autumn’s hand twitched. Just before Soulara moved her hand away, Autumn’s little finger hooked itself around Soulara’s.

“I don’t think they’ll believe me.”

“Who won’t believe you about what?” Soulara asked.

“About what’s in the water here.”

“Why wouldn’t they believe you?”

“I’m not an important person to my people.”

“Everyone is important,” Soulara said. This was a very basic concept. One she had always known and always lived by. How could these humans think any one less than?

“Maybe in your world, but not in mine.”

From the corner of her eye, Soulara saw Autumn move her head back and forth, shaking it in the negative.

“In yours?” Soulara prompted.

“In mine, I’m barely worth the food I cost to keep alive.”

“That’s horrible. And it’s not true.”

“It’s okay. It’s better than I had on Earth. But still, I’m just a grunt, a nobody. I tried to question what we saw and I was just shut down.”