Unsung Hymn

Chapter 4:

Kaylah wandered into the two story library and just stood there in awe. The human world was so beautiful and intricate and confusing all wrapped up in one giant clam. "How the heck am I supposed to navigate or find anything in here?" She whispered to herself as she scanned the place.

"Miss?"

"Oh good starfish…"

"Miss?" She started pacing around, probably looking like a complete fool. Someone touched her shoulder and Kaylah jumped. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you. You looked perplexed. May I help you find something?" A small freckled faced woman with her red hair pulled into a bun on the top of her head appeared before her.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I was overwhelmed by your selection. I was just figuring out where to start."

"So, you do need some assistance?" She pushed her spectacles up onto her nose and smiled. "What can I help you with?" Kaylah was shocked at how kind all these humans were, nothing like what Junic or the King had said. And here she was a Slaughtering Siren who had killed countless of them so meaninglessly. The emotion of guilt was rising and she tried to swallow it back down her throat. "Are you alright?" Kaylah only nodded and shook away those dreadful thoughts. "My name is Evie; I actually own this library and know every book in here." She was very young and Kaylah thought this library must have been a family possession for her to be the owner of it. The mermaid was only twenty-three herself.

"Well then I'm lucky to have the right person helping me. My name is Kaylah." The siren smiled. "Miss Evie,"

"Call me Evie, everyone does." She grinned again.

"Ok Evie. My requests might seem weird, but I'm on a mission to figure something out so bear with me." The redhead just raised her eyebrow slightly in response. "I need any books related to mermaids and then also an anatomy book of the human body describing different functions. Please?"

"Ok that's not too hard of a task." Kaylah had noticed the library wasn't that busy at all.

"Where are all the other hum-people?" Kaylah was just too curious not to ask. "I would think most people would come here to learn and study. Right?" In the mercity the library was almost everyone's favorite gathering spot. The merfolk loved to read.

"Well, unfortunately, most people have computers now and books and research material is all online. Libraries are becoming less and less needed when all you need is a machine and you type in what you're looking for and your answers just pop up in seconds." Evie seemed so sad by this and Kaylah wondered what a computer was and then she wondered if that would be easier for her to find her answers. But for right now she would stick with the books Evie let her look at.

Feigning concern Kaylah said, "Oh I know what you mean. I prefer books though. So, can we get started?" She smiled with enthusiasm.

"Ok lets!" Evie was happy again and this pleased Kaylah. The more people she could make happy, the better. It eased the blackness in her soul for all the humans she had killed. What a dark secret she had to keep. The next few hours Kaylah sat at a table while Evie piled book after book on it. Kaylah flipped through the pages and found nothing about what was happening to her. She needed her mer-library. That's when she decided to try and contact Rosco at the beach, but that put her in grave danger of getting caught by the King. Struggling to keep her eyes open, Kaylah skimmed though the human anatomy book and read everything she could about her new body's functions. It was intriguing. She flipped to the reproduction section and was more than a little embarrassed by what she read, but it helped her understand what to do if anything were to happen between a certain human male and herself. Closing the book with a thud, Kaylah got up from her table. The mermaid was worried about the time she had spent and knew she should get back to Derek before he started to worry. Evie popped up in front of her again. "Did you find what you needed?"

"Not really, I'm sorry to say. Thank you though for helping me. I greatly appreciate it and I'll be back for some lighter reading." Evie looked disappointed, but smiled when Kaylah said she'd be back.

"Ok, well best of luck then. Seeya around!" Kaylah wished she had someone to confide in here on land. Someone she could talk freely to and knew her secret without judgment. "Uhm, Kaylah?" As if someone had heard her wish, "I am kinda a boring person and I spend every second of my days in this library. I was curious if you'd like to hang out sometime. Go to lunch together and just chit chat?"

"I would love to! I'm actually staying with Derek Turvain. I'm going to be helping him fix up his place for the next month or so. I'd love to have some girl time too." Maybe this would work, Kaylah thought. Maybe she would be able to confide in Evie. "I must get going though. Derek is waiting for me."

"You're staying with him, huh?" Evie said in a strange tone.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Kaylah got defensive.

"Oh, no no. It's just he's usually very quiet and comes in here often. He seems unapproachable most of the time. It's surprising he would invite you to his home so suddenly." Was that jealousy Kaylah was detecting?

"Oh it's nothing like what you think. It's something we can discuss over lunch tomorrow?" Kaylah made it a question just in case Evie didn't want to hang out anymore.

"Oh of course! What time? Noon?" Her demeanor completely changed and her grin landed back on her face.

"Sure!" The mermaid agreed, happy that Evie was willing to talk. "Meet up here at noon then?" Evie nodded and smiled as Kaylah waved goodbye. It was warm outside, but the sea breeze was the right temperature to make it feel nice. Kaylah memorized where the beach house like a shark would detect blood in the water. It was ingrained in her. "I'm back!" Kaylah called as she entered the house. She could smell food cooking and already liked a hot meal unlike the merfolk counterpart of a cold slimy meal.

"I'm in the kitchen." Derek's voice floated to her.

"I hope I didn't take too long at the library. It was huge! I made a friend too."

"Oh, you met Evie, huh?" He said with a smirk.

"Why did you make that face just now?" Kaylah was worried that she had made the wrong type of friend.

"Ever since Rachel and I split, Evie has been trying to hint that she wants to go out with me. I think she's nice and all, but the lack of confidence is off-putting." He shrugged as he flipped something in the pan in front of him. "Unlike someone I know who faints on top of men naked. Heh." Kaylah blushed and smiled as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"And we come back to that again, huh?" Derek just grinned and continued his cooking. "Anyways, she asked if I could go and have lunch with her tomorrow at noon. Is that alright or did you have plans for us?"

"I'm not your dad; you can do as you please, Kaylah." Kaylah never had freedom to do as she pleased, so, his answer was a little bit of a shock for her.

"Oh ok. Cool. I just didn't know if you wanted us to start our projects." She played with the silverware on the table nervously.

"I was going to go to the store tomorrow to get the supplies that we talked about this morning. Then, I would like to start the next day, ok?" He dished out the food onto the plates next to the stove. It smelled wonderful. Derek placed the food in front of her. There was some type of meat with seasonings and sauce on it and then some type of green plant next to it. Kaylah wasn't familiar with human foods, but she knew a few things. "Hopefully, the broccoli is steamed to your liking. I like a little crunch to it myself and the chicken is just covered in some dill and a lemon butter sauce." Kaylah took her knife and cut into the chicken and placed it into her mouth. Derek watched her with anticipation. It was so flavorful and good. Kaylah loved it instantly. She took a small bite of the green plant and it too was very good.

"It's lovely. Very nice, Derek, it's good. You're pretty good at cooking." Kaylah complimented as she cut off another bite.

"Thanks, I always wanted to be a chef, but that never really panned out for me. I'm only an accountant. It pays the bills, but it's tedious and boring." He was blushing slightly as he chewed on his chicken. They ate in silence. "Rachel liked to do most of the cooking, so, I never really," He cut himself off, "Sorry."

"About what?" Kaylah questioned.

"I keep talking about her." He put another bite into his mouth.

"Well, how long were you with her? It would be only natural to talk about your girlfriend if you were together for awhile." Kaylah was trying to be a good listener, but she was getting a little annoyed with his mention of this woman who had cheated on him. If that woman was around, Kaylah would give her a piece of her mind. Derek seemed like such a nice guy from the little time that she had spent with him. Why would any woman cheat on him?

"I was with her for 5 years. I guess I just wasn't what she wanted. We were engaged for the last 2 years. I just wish she would have told me what I was doing wrong or broke it off before she resorted to what she did. Because that's just a slap in the face, you know?" Kaylah wanted to agree, but she never had any of the experiences Derek did.

"Unfortunately, I can't relate, but I can see how that would hurt…a lot." She tried to be sympathetic.

"You're a rarity, Kaylah. You're very lucky to have never suffered such heartbreak." Derek finished what was on his plate and put it away. The sun was setting out the window and Kaylah knew night time would be the best time to try and contact her dolphin friend. She would sneak out later when Derek was asleep. Lucky for her this little house was on the beach and she could easily get access to it. She too finished her plate and copied her host, putting the dish and silverware away. Derek put some leftovers in another container and put them in a very cold box with a door on it. Kaylah figured it was to keep things good for a little while. "We can have some of this tomorrow too. No need to waste." I think I'm going to call the police again and see if they've heard anything more about my friends. I doubt it, but I just want to know. If they're gone for good I'm sure their families will be preparing a memorial service or something." Derek pulled out a small device from his pocket and hit a few numbers and placed it to his ear. He walked into the other room and sat down on the couch. Kaylah couldn't listen. She paced back and forth in the kitchen, covering her super sensitive ears. Derek came into the room with a hopeless look. "Well, they found bits and pieces of the yacht and then they found a few…pieces of Ray. Will is nowhere to be found." Tears flowed down his cheeks and he wiped them swiftly away. "They're both gone. I have no idea why I survived. Will had kids and Ray, Ray had a girlfriend. Here I am alone with nothing to lose but myself and I'm the one that survives? How fair is that?" Kaylah was so upset she darted out to the beach.

"I can't do anything right! Here I am thinking I have a chance with this human, but I'm the one to cause him so much pain!" She collapsed to the sand, unable to pick herself up. She should be the one who should be dead. The siren gazed out at the sea, almost hoping the King would find her and lock her away or kill her even. "What am I supposed to do?" She wept. Kaylah had no idea why she saved this man or why she had legs because of it. She needed answers to her plight. The only way to find out would be to go back to the Kingdom and sneak into the library. If she got caught, so be it. Kaylah stripped off the nice clothes Derek had bought her. She glanced back at the beach house, but there he was, staring at her with heat in his eyes. Kaylah knew she had to leave him, knew there would be trouble and more heartbreak if she stayed. She didn't deserve this man. He walked slowly towards her, reaching out his hand. She wavered, but moved away. "I can't stay Derek. I belong to the sea. You will never be able to stay with me if you knew."

"You can't leave, Kaylah. I need you more than ever. I know we just met and I know this is just madness, but you saved me for a reason. Don't you think?" His blue eyes blinked quickly as he realized some of what she had just said, "Wait, what? Belong to the sea?"

"Oh, Derek. You have no idea what the sea holds captive and what secrets I can't tell you. I am flawed and unworthy of your touch or love. We can't. It's that simple." She turned her back on him, her brown hair flowing in the breeze. The mermaid turned her head to look at the man once more. "I think if I were human; we would have worked out splendidly. Goodbye, Derek." And with that she dove into the sea, the choppy waves covering her escape.