The Merman's Hold

Chapter 1

~

By the time they got back to the hotel, aria was beyond exhausted. The moment the sliding doors opened to the cool, air-conditioned lobby, it felt like a slice of heaven. The soft whoosh of chilled air was a balm against her slightly pink skin – sunburn. She closed her eyes for a second, savouring the contrast between the heat outside and the cool interior. The smell of chlorine from the pool mixed with a faint scent of floral cleaning products, making her long even more for a dip in the water.

The plush carpet beneath her sneakers felt like clouds compared to the rocky cliffside path they had just endured. She lagged behind her family, her feet dragging across the carpet as they made their way to the elevators. Her parents chatted softly while the twins, somehow still full of energy, bounded ahead.

"Hey, you okay?" Her dad asked, glancing back at her with a grin.

"I'll live," Aria muttered, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Barely."

He chuckled, the sound bouncing off the marble walls of the lobby. "Toughen up, kid. You've still got the rest of the week."

She groaned. "Don't even remind me."

The elevator ride up to their room felt like the longest two minutes of her life. The mirrored walls only served as a cruel reminder of how bedraggled she looked. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, her cheeks red from the sun, and her clothes stuck to her like a second skin. She glanced at her siblings, who were laughing at their reflections, seemingly unaffected by the heat. How do they still have energy? She wondered, watching them bounce on the balls of their feet. It was like the hike had given them a second wind, while she felt like a balloon that had deflated hours ago.

When they finally reached their room, aria wasted no time. The door barely had a chance to close before she made a beeline for the bed, her sanctuary, collapsing face-first onto the soft mattress. She didn't even bother to kick off her shoes – she just let herself fall; her limbs splayed out as if she were making a snow angel.

The cool sheets cooled her skin, and for a brief moment, everything felt perfect. The mattress was like a cloud, soft and enveloping, and her aching muscles sighed in relief. The hum of the air conditioner was a low, comforting sound, blending with the muffled laughter of her siblings and the rustling of their bags. She pressed her cheek into the pillow, letting the coolness soothe her sunburnt face. If she could stay like this forever, she would.

As Aria lay sprawled out on the bed, savouring the coolness of the sheets against her light pink skin, a voice cut through her brief moment of peace.

"Aria, don't even think about getting too comfortable!" Her mom called from the bathroom doorway, one hand on her hip. "You need to shower before you ruin those clean sheets."

Aria groaned and buried her face in the pillow. The last thing she wanted was to move, let alone deal with the effort of peeling off her sweaty clothes and standing under a steam of water.

"I'll do it later, mom," she mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Nope. Now. You smell like a sheep farm and sweat," her mother insisted, crossing her arms. "The sooner you shower, the sooner you can relax properly."

Aria sighed, knowing she wouldn't win this one. She sat up slowly, her muscles protesting as she trudged to the bathroom. A quick shower wasn't a terrible idea, she supposed. The thought of washing off the sticky layer of sweat and dirt did sound nice – almost as nice as collapsing back into bed afterwards while reading her novel.

Ten minutes later, freshly showered and wrapped in a fluffy towel, she re-emerged feeling somewhat human again. Her hair was damp, her skin no longer sticky, and her body felt marginally lighter without the grim of the day clinging to it. She slipped into her favourite pyjamas and flopped back onto the bed with renewed satisfaction.

The pull of sleep was strong, her eyelids growing heavier by the second. But another pull was stronger: the promise of her romance novel, sitting untouched on the nightstand. Even though her body screamed for rest, her mind craved the escape that only a good book could offer. She reached for the paperback, her fingers brushing the well-worn cover before flipping it open to the bookmarked page.

As she nestled into the pillows, the familiar scent of paper and ink wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Her eyes scanned the words, quickly losing herself in the world of fictional love and drama. The pages seemed to turn on their own, the weight of the day melting away with every sentence. The characters in the book were old friends, their banter familiar, their chemistry eclectic. Aria felt a smile tug at her lips as the heroine found herself in the arms of the brooding, mysterious love interest. Ah, this was what she had been waiting for all day – no hiking, no sweaty clothes, no sheep dung in sight. Just romance, tension, and the trill of the next chapter.

But, of course, her moment of peace didn't last long.

"Ariaaaaa!" Tommy's voice pierced through the bubble of tranquility, followed by the unmissable sound of something heavy thudding against the floor.

She groaned, lowering her book and glaring toward the adjoining room. "What now?"

Sabrina's head popped around the corner, her face a mix of amusement and mild panic. "Tommy dropped his tablet behind the bed and now he's stuck trying to get it."

Of course, he was. Aria set her book down with a sigh and dragged herself off the bed, her muscles protesting with every step. When she reached the adjoining room, she was met with the sight of Tommy, half under the bed, his legs sticking out and flailing as he tried to reach his tablet.

"Tommy, seriously?" She muttered, grabbing his ankles and yanking him back out from under the bed. He slid out easily looking up at her with wide, sheepish eyes.

"It's not my fault! The bed's too low," he protested, pointing accusingly at the space between the bed and the floor.

She rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. "Alright, alright. Move over." With some effort, she managed to fish the tablet out from under the bed, handing it back to him.

"Thanks, Aria," he mumbled, his cheeks slightly pink with embarrassment.

She ruffled his hair. "Yeah, yeah. Now leave me alone, I'm trying to read."

As she trudged back to her bed, her limbs feeling like lead, she couldn't help but feel a small twinge of affection for her siblings. They were a handful – always getting into trouble, always needing something – but they were her handful. She wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Except, maybe, for a few more uninterrupted minutes with her book. That would be nice.

Collapsing back onto her bed, she picked up her novel once more, determined to steal at least a few minutes of peace before the next inevitable interruption. The familiar world of fictional romance welcomes her back, and this time, she vowed to stay there as long as possible. Let her family have their chaos – she was staying right here in her little bookish bubble, where the love story was dramatic, always exciting, and most importantly, always blissfully uninterrupted.

At least for now.