Chapter 69: The Cliff

The sea was unusually calm that day, more so than it had been in recent days. It could've been a sign of hope that the chaos of life had begun to calm. Or, it could have been an omen The calmest seas usually came before the strongest storms. It never failed. With one being tied directly to the ocean, the feeling came on strong. Although the water was fifty feet below, down the rocky cliff side in an almost vertical drop, She still felt that connection as strong as ever with the sea. The cliff itself was a powerful feeling, a sense of strength and defiance over the abyss beyond it.

Sara stood on that cliff, gazing over the sea with a sense of melancholy. One week had passed since… Sara shuddered. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Raven's limp body was all she saw when she closed her eyes. Sleep rarely came in the past week. She didn't need another powerful reminder of her failure. It was all she thought about; day in and day out. That's why she was here, thousands of miles away from her problems and pain. At the very least, it was giving her time to reflect on her life and how she got to this point. She needed that at least. It was the first time since moving to Australia that she had a long time to think about her life. Ever since then it had been chaotic.

Sara sat herself on the cliff's edge, looking at the lapping waves a long fall below her feet. It felt strangely to feel that close to the edge, mere feet away from the open air and a vertical drop which led to almost certain death. When she first arrived, landing near the cliff after her flight, Sara had been so distraught about the hell her life had become. She had contemplated throwing herself off of the cliff and onto the rocky base far below. There was no other option for her. She had ruined everything and had thought to just give up and die.

But, Sara didn't go through with it. She couldn't go through with it. The fight wasn't over yet. Sure, Sara was at rock bottom now, but she had to force herself to move on. She couldn't lay down and give up now, there was so much work to do. Now, everyday since her arrival, she stared out over the cliff to meditate about what she cared about most in life. It was therapeutic.

She looked out to the west, focusing on the landscape. Peeking out from the mountains, she noticed the small surfing town of Bakio, a glitter of apartment buildings shoved into a valley in the Cantabrian Mountains. It seemed peaceful there, in the mountains. After the chaos that was unleashed on the world, she needed time to think. Sara thought about what her life was like several months ago before Australia, back to when she still lived in Gibbon. Back then, on the plains of Nebraska, life seemed so much simpler. It was just her and Jenny taking on the world one day at a time. Joining sports, high school drama, her weight loss, all seemed simple and manageable, looking back. But… Then she moved to Australia. And then became a mermaid. Now, even that world. The simple world of swimming and mermaid life was shattered. No.. I'm glad I came to Australia. I'm glad I became a mermaid. This is who I am now, and I'm going to fight through to make sure everything turns out right.

"Sirena! A comer! Eat!" A voice called from behind, somewhere back up the hill. Sara managed a small smile. It was kindness that had kept her here, hidden from the world. When she had landed from her flight onto the cliff, weak, tired, hungry, and depressed, she had come across Amaia Etxeandia, an old widow living all alone on the top of the cliff. Amaia's cottage and yard squished against the cliff and the mountains behind, with a small gravel road passing through; her only link to Bakio and the rest of the world. Amaia helped to nurse Sara back to health and allowed Sara to live in her home to gather her strength and plan her next move. Sara had no idea why the old woman had taken her in, but Sara had no intention to turn down her good will, especially in her moment of weakness.

Sara stood from the cliff, careful to avoid losing her balance and falling forward. Steadying herself, she clambered back up the hill toward Amaia's cottage. She called Sara "Sirena", which from what Sara deduced meant mermaid in Spanish. Sara liked the name. It reminded her of who she was. Even with Amaia's kindness, she wasn't ignorant to who Sara was. This gave Sara strength. She knew there were people all over the world like Amaia who would still accept her and help her for who and what she was.

Amaia stood at the gate to her cottage, arms crossed in a distinguished manner. She was short and wrinkled, yet with intense eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. Sara greeted her with a warm smile when she met her eyes. Amaia nodded smally with only a tiny uptick of a smile. She was a friendly woman, but she had too much pain in her long life for too much happiness. Sara had found out that her husband had died a few years before, and her children and grandchildren were split all over from Bilbao to Seville and Berlin with even her youngest daughter living in Chicago of all places. "You thinking? Was good?" Amaia asked softly. Her English skill was very low, and Sara's ability in Spanish was equally as poor. Their communication was reduced to basic words and phrases like eat, sleep, yes, no, etc., but they could still communicate effectively, especially with Amaia's English/Spanish dictionary.

"Sí, muy bien," Sara responded, flexing her three years of high school spanish to the best of her ability.

"Bueno," Amaia responded. "Food aqui. Come." Amaia beckoned Sara into the cottage, and Sara followed, careful with her footing on the rocky path leading to the front door. Amaia waddled up to the door, opening up the old and creaky door for Sara. Sara crept slowly into the old house. Surprisingly, it had some amount of electricity running through the place, only lit dimly by scattered light bulbs across the many small rooms. The stove where Amaia was cooking was gas powered as a pot of stew simmered gently on it.

Sara sat at the kitchen table where Amaia had set a place for her with a bowl, spoon, and a glass of water all prepared for the meal. Amaia ladeled several spoon fulls of the thick pork stew into Sara's bowl. Sara was famished, so she gulped it down strongly, packing it back within moments. It was unique how Amaia was able to gather food. She was too old to make the trip down the mountain to Bakio all the time, so many villagers would come up to visit her every now and again. Sara hid in the attic during that time, not wanting anyone to see her and recognize her.

"Friend come tomorrow," Amaia spoke bluntly. "You be not seen."

Sara nodded. "When?"

"Morning."

"Yes. I go hide." Sara affirmed

"Vale." Amaia confirmed.

Sara continued and finished her soup. She still felt hungry, but she didn't want to eat anymore. She was tired and didn't have much an appetite since leaving Australia. She picked up her bowl and set it in the sink.

Suddenly, she heard another consciousness in her head, almost dropping the bowl into the sink. It was Farley. He had tried talking to her several times over the last week. Same with Mia and Katy. She couldn't deal with them and what she had done. She shut her mind away from him. Most likely he was just gonna tell her how much he missed her, how much she wanted him to come home, bullshit like that. She had a job to do. I have to fix the mess I created. This is my burden and I'm going to solve it. Sara thought to herself, careful not to broadcast it to Farley.

Sara sighed and turned to face Amaia, who was slowly ambling up to the sink to wash. Amaia turned to Sara and said "You. Tired. You sleep."

"I can't." Sara responded, gesturing to her head. "Sadness."

Amaia sighed. "Sleep. Calma tu cabeza. Peace." She grabbed Sara's hand's and held them, her wrinkled, knobby hands gripping strongly. "Sleep good. Sirena."

"Ok," Sara responded, feeling a tear brimming in her eye. Wiping it away, she smiled at Amaia. She smiled back, the first time Sara had seen an actual genuine smile from the old woman.

Sara moved away. Amaia went back to her dishes as Sara slunk away back upstairs to her borrowed room. It was small, with one tiny twin bed that creaked too much. It was Amaia's daughter Ana's old room. Amaia let Sara borrow some of the clothes in the closet, as Ana no longer needed them. Sara went to the bathroom to wash her face. She stared herself in the mirror, looking at the foreign face looking back at her. She looked skinny, her face becoming lean and gaunt with the week of little sleep and no appetite. It was pale too. She spent a lot more time indoors, away from possible onlookers from the road and hiking trail. Her hair had been cut short as well, the first time she had ever cut her hair really short. It was supposed to make her less recognizable but Sara wasn't so sure. I have the most recognizable face in the entire world. No way will cutting my hair, being more skinny, and being pale will ever make people not recognize me. She thought to herself.

Sara glided back to her room in a daze and sat on her bed. She was exhausted. One week without good sleep took its toll on her. She yawned, trying to ward off the sleep. But it was of little use. The lack of sleep had caught up to her. She was ready to drift off again, this time ready to fight the nightmares that would plague her.

Suddenly, an intense pressure hit her head hard, as if it was splitting from the inside out. Sara fell off the bed and onto the floor, bracing herself with her hands from slamming too hard into the floorboards. She felt Katy enter her mind and attempt to connect. Sara shut her mind off from Katy. Everyone had tried to contact her a lot over the past week, and she always shut them down.

But this felt different. The pressure was immense, and Sara struggled to resist. Her eyes watered as she could barely focus on what was going on. Sara felt Katy reach through her mind to a certain point. Then…. Another consciousness came into focus

Farley

Sara was barely paying attention through the pain, but she could tell that Katy and Farley were talking with each other. They had given coordinates, and planned to meet with everyone. The two groups of her friends… All making plans to be together. All at once the pressure ended, and Katy and Farley's consciousnesses faded away. Sara collapsed to the floor, a few beads of sweat trickling off of her brow. She slowly pushed herself upward, fighting to get back onto the bed where she fell back onto, her rapid breath slowing down.

"So… They're planning to meet after all…" Sara whispered to herself. She guessed that Farley had left with Denman from California and Katy had left from Australia with Mia and Zane at least… But that's all she knew. That was all Sara dared to care about. The world had shunned her, and she needed to hide from it before things got out of hand. A sudden wave of exhaustion fell over Sara. She was tired… But this time felt different. There was a sense of peace she felt, for the first time since leaving Australia. Her friends were figuring things out, and it made her feel ok. She closed her eyes, and was immediately asleep.

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The next morning was mired by the same boredom Sara had felt for the last week. But this time was different than ever before. She felt rejuvenated. She had slept well the previous night, marking the first time in a week that she had good sleep. The thought of her friends still fighting had made her feel better. And it lifted her spirits. Today begins the day that I begin to plan things out. Sara thought to herself. She had no idea where to begin or even what to do… But at least she felt the motivation to do something. For once, things were going her way.

Sara stood at the edge of the cliff again, this time feeling it's strength. It no longer represented her sadness and how much she had wanted to throw herself off of it. Now, it meant strength and rising above the tide. She was going to use that to escape the problems of her path and forge a new future. She only had to decide what to do with it.

Sara's meditation was interrupted by what sounded like a low whine, somewhere out over the sea. She squinted her eyes against the sun and peered out over the waters. Her eyes spotted something a ways out. As it came into focus, she could see the telltale blades of a helicopter come into view. Panic erupted in Sara… did they know she was here. Sara bounded up to her feet, watching the helicopter going on it's way. She started backing up quickly, never taking her eyes off of it. It didn't seem to be going anywhere near her though, as it was a few hundred yards out to sea, paralleling the coast and nowhere near Sara. She kept backing up though, not willing to take any chances on it spotting her and changing course.

Suddenly, a plume of smoke appeared from the back end of it, thick and black. Sara watched in horror as the helicopter began to slowly lose altitude, it's propellers losing speed with each revolution. Within less than twenty seconds, the helicopter had dropped all the way down and crashed into the waters, disappearing below the surface straight out from Sara.

Sara didn't have to make up her mind. She sprinted toward the cliff as fast as she could, leaping out over the emptiness at the last moment, plunging her out into open air. She activated her wind powers instantly, gliding her down at an angle toward the water. She dove in when she was close to the waves, far out from the cliff. Within moments, her tail appeared and she raced ahead, kicking as hard as she possibly could. She had to save someone!

It took mere seconds, and she was at the helicopter. It was military style, completely blacked out. She stretched out her hand, feeling the water around the door. Without even thinking about if she had the power, she pulled back with her hand. The strong center door ripped away from it's hinge, cascading quickly down to the depths.

Sara pushed her way inside the now waterlogged helicopter. The cockpit had two men strapped into two seats at the front. Sara gasped as she the pilot. A wound was open on his throat, with blood spilling out around shards of glass from the broken front window. She grabbed the co-pilot, who was slightly conscious but out of it from the shock. Sara slammed the seat belt release, pulling the man free from his seat.

Sara froze as she turned back around, still holding the co-pilot with her right hand. In the back seat, eyes wide in abject terror, was a young girl. She only seemed to be 12 years old at the most, dressed in shorts and t-shirt like most normal kids. Her eyes connected with Sara, and Sara swear she thought hope flashed across her eyes.

Sara maneuvered back to her, hitting the release of the seat belt. But it wouldn't release… Sara hit it a few more times, but nothing would give. The terror returned to the girl's face. Determination filled Sara as another idea filled her head. She pointed at the girl, and covered her face, trying to signal that the girl should do it. Immediately she did, understanding what Sara said. Sara reached out with her free hand, and felt the water around the seat belt hook like she did the door. With a yank, Sara pulled back, shattering the seat belt release, and the strap fell away, freeing the trapped girl.

Sara grabbed her with her free hand, with no time to waste. She kicked her tail massively a few times, shooting out of the helicopter wreck, mere seconds before it hit the ocean floor. Sara strained hard, carrying two people while swimming back to shore as fast as she could. Sara screamed underwater as her tail ached from the extra weight.

Within short but tense seconds, Sara exploded above the surface with her two passengers. They were just twenty feet from shore, but it was shallow enough to get the two of their heads above water. With the last of her strength, Sara hoisted the co-pilot and the girl onto the beach and out of harm's way.

Both of them started coughing up seawater immediately, while Sara collapsed onto her back, the water lapping at the end of her tail. She was breathing heavily, giving her a second to regain her strength. I just saved two people's lives… Sara thought quietly. I will never be the monster they see me as. Sara rolled over on her stomach, and caught eyes with the girl she had just saved.

"Tu… Sara Meyer!" The girl exclaimed softly. "La Sirena!"

Time to go. Sara focused her power and looked backward. She collected the water on her body and flung it off into the sea. Within a second, her legs were back. She hopped to her feet, and the girl gasped in surprise. By this time, the co-pilot had turned back around to see Sara. He stared up in shock, eyes agape just like the girl next to her. Sara didn't have time. It wasn't long before word got back to the authorities and she would be taken in. She sprinted toward the cliff.

Sara felt the wind around her, and when she came close to the rock, she forced her hands downward. Sara rocketed up thirty feet and onto the edge of the cliff, maybe a quarter mile from Amaia's cottage. Sara put feet to ground and sprinted the entire way, legs shaky as the anxiety coursed through her… Gotta get away gotta get away gotta get away.

She rounded the corner onto Amaia's front yard and burst through the front door. Amaia jumped up from the table when Sara burst in. Sara stared straight out her, barely acknowledging the other lady sitting across from Amaia who looked in disbelief at the famous mermaid standing in her presence. "Sirena que pasa?" Amaia asked inquisitively.

Sara didn't answer. She turned and ran up the stairs two at a time and got to her room. She shoved everything in a small bag that was there. Amaia had told her that if she ever needed to suddenly leave that she could take a few things. Sara appreciated her kindness… But now was the time to leave.

Sara sprinted back down the stairs to a loud argument between Amaia and her friend with flying hands and emotion between the two women. Their conversation stopped abruptly as Sara appeared before the two of them once again. Amaia took a half step forward. "You go?" She asked.

Sara nodded silently, the sadness filling her that she had to leave Amaia's kindness. "I go."

Amaia stepped to Sara and grabbed her hands. "Love is in this world," Amaia spoke calmly in the most clear English she had ever spoken to Sara. A tear began to form in Sara's eyes. In all the people she had met, Amaia was one of the purest souls. Amaia reached up and brushed Sara's cheek, wiping away the singular tear that appeared there. "No cry… You go. Live your life."

Sara nodded. "Vale. Gracias Amaia. For everything." And with that Sara, turned and went straight out the front door. She didn't look back and jogged away into the pure unknown.

And Sara is back! I wanted to talk about the other characters before coming back to her. Now the first things are set in motion for the end. I plan on writing a lot more. I want to finish it before October (which will be the 3 year anniversary of when I started writing this). I doubt it will happen but damn it I'm going to try. Anyway leave a review of what you thought! I love seeing what yall have to say.