2. Life moves on

I snap awake. It’s two months later, and I’m in the backseat of the car. My mom is driving. We are on our way to a new city. There have been more incidents in my old village, so we decided to move. Our family’s mermaid secret has almost been revealed as well, which means I need to start a new life keeping half of my identity a secret. I’ve also received a letter from Lakeside Academy, a school which is located in the new city we’re moving to. It’s going to get hard to get used to a new place. “Will we ever be able to go back to Whisperbay mom? Even if it’s just to visit for a little while?” My mom looks at me through the car mirror while driving. “I’m not sure, honey. We don’t know what else could have happened there since the accident. We’re going to have to get used to our new life in Crestwood.” I looked through all our stuff next to me in the car and found my bag. After diving in my bag, I pulled out Lyssara’s shell necklace, which was the only bit that survived the fire and was found by the fire department. I started playing with the beads. “Do you think Lyssara would’ve wanted to move to Crestwood too?” I asked my mom while touching the little cowrie shell hanging on the necklace. She looks at me twirling the beads and starts smiling with comfort. “The two of you are inseparable. I know she also wants the best for you, and she is still here with us.” She says while placing her hand on her chest. Sometimes I still wonder if she could still be alive. That night still haunts me almost every night. But life still moves on. I’m glad I still have a peace of her with me. It’s really like she’s still with me. Not just in memories or in my heart, but in spirit. Sometimes I feel like she just sits right next to me or something. Maybe I’m just getting delusional. I jolt out of my thoughts while we’re driving over a speed bump. When I looked out the car window, I saw a sign on the road saying Crestwood. That must mean we must be arriving soon at our destination. After 30 minutes of driving, we arrived at the new house. “Here we are, Zerafyn! Our new home.” My mom says in an exciting way. I looked out the car window and opened the door to get out of the car. It’s been a long trip, so I start stretching my legs first. “What do you think, Zera?” My mom asks me while stepping out of the car with a few bags. “It looks really nice.” I say while nodding and looking at my mom with an approved smile. “Let’s go in shall we?” My mom says while smiling and rattling the keys as she walks to the front door. I nod and grab a few boxes. Time to settle in. After sorting out the rooms, I start unpacking and decorating my room. One of the first things I found in the boxes was a picture frame with a photo of me and Lyssara. Looking at us gives me a smile and I place the picture frame on my desk. I’m going to make my room look like I took Whisperbay with me. Placing shells on the cabinets and hanging fishnets with pictures on my wall. There is still an old mirror standing in the corner of the room. I might never use it anyway, since I brought my own. The old one looks like it’s about to fall apart, so I took it downstairs to put it with the other stuff ready to be thrown away. “Zera! I completely forgot to tell you, but look at this!” I hear my mom calling me from downstairs. She’s outside in the backyard. “What’s up?” I ask while leaning against the door that leads to the backyard. “Look! We have our own pool. “You can practice your mermaid skills and take a swim.” My mom gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to make us some dinner.” The water is beautiful. We’re going to do everything to make it feel like home.