4 Water, water, and more water

Celeste hugged Vinnie close to her chest as she stared at the rising sun with a blank stare. It had been two days since she left the island and all she's seen since was water, water, and more water.

She hadn't eaten, nor had she slept. Each time she closed her eyes she'd see the green-haired vampire with the chainsaw that took one of her wings. Every time she thought about it, her healing wound would ache.

Celeste was feeling hungry, tired, and alone. She once tried drinking the saltwater of the ocean, but it was too salty and burned her throat. She was sick for three days afterward with nausea and chest burns.

After eight days have passed, Celeste learned about true suffering and was exposed to feelings of despair and depression which were foreign to her before. She was so hungry that it hurt and so thirsty her mouth tasted like sand.

By now Celeste had stopped crying, she convinced herself that it would not change her situation and that she deserved her suffering. Countless merpeople died because of her, and a good person like Kole gave up his life to save hers.

She didn't deserve his sacrifice.

Voices in Celeste's head told her to capsize the boat to end her suffering, but then she'd hear Kole's voice; his last words to her.

"Stay alive," Celeste muttered, her dried chapped lips trembling. She closed her eyes, welcoming the nightmares she was sure to have.

Sixteen days passed and Celeste's body had thinned horribly. Her limbs were like twigs and her ribs were pressing against her pale skin.

Her dark brown hair which shone magnificently in beautiful waves that cascaded down her back was now dull and messy. Celeste's silver eyes lost their shine and had far sunken into her hollow face.

Celeste was staring death in the face as she closed her eyes for what she thought would be the last time. That was when the boat suddenly stopped moving.

"What is it, Ben?" Celeste heard a woman question. Her eyes were still closed; she was feeling too weak to reopen them.

She felt the boat being pulled further ashore before hearing a man respond, "It's a little scrawny girl."

"Barely alive, I think," he added. Celeste felt the man take her in his arms and lifted her from the boat.

She could feel the hair on his arms against her skin and how big and soft his belly was that rubbed against her small frame as they walked. The scent of the salty ocean Celeste grew accustomed to slowly fading.

"I'll go find some herbs," Celeste heard the woman say. "Take her inside for now."

Celeste had to rely greatly on her other senses; she thought these people sounded a lot different from the Merpeople, and the environment was also very different.

She was terribly afraid; where were they taking her?

Celeste could still hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore. There was a minty scent in the air as well as the scent of trees; it was a lot easier to breathe. She could hear the lovely voices of singing birds, a croaking frog, and a hive of bees.

The scents and sounds reminded her of the great forest in the Celestial Kingdom. She would spend most of her time there reading a book or playing with the animals.

The memory of her favorite place calmed her. The tension left her shoulders as she inadvertently parted her lips to release a sigh. The sound of nature coaxed her to sleep in the arms of a beast.

In the forest close to the ocean was a thatch hut. It was the home of an elderly couple who found a little girl on the verge of death in a boat that washed ashore.

The elderly woman's name was Cara; she was nursing Celeste back to health. She placed a warm, wet white towel on the sleeping angel's head. "I wonder how long she's been adrift in the ocean," she thought with a pitiful expression.

Cara looked at her husband who was crushing the herbs she found into a wooden bowl with a mortar. "She's so pale and thin," she started in despair. "There's barely any meat on her."

Ben sat beside his dismayed wife. "Don't worry," he told her. "If we take good care of her everything will be fine." He offered Cara a reassuring smile as he added, "We'll just have to be patient."

Cara returned his smile and nodded as she stared into his brown eyes. Ben placed the bowl of crushed herbs in her hands. "Pour this into warm water and bathe her," he commanded. "I'll be back soon with dinner."

"Okay, be safe," Cara wished her husband as she got up from the wooden stool. She sat Celeste up on the bed made of wool, before carefully undressing her.

Cara threw the tattered white dress and scrunched her face in displeasure as she stared at Celeste's naked body. "You're just skin and bones," she muttered under her breath.

She ran her shriveled hand across Celeste's chest; her breasts were just starting to develop. "She's still very young." Her mouth salivated as she thought, 'Her flesh must be so tender."

Cara prepared the bath first before lifting Celeste from the bed. It felt as though the little girl didn't weigh anything; she was as light as a feather!

She placed Celeste into the water that was made green by the herbs and started washing her with a yellow sponge.

After some time, Celeste's sickly pale skin began to brighten. Cara wasn't the least bit surprised by Celeste's rapid healing; her husband was a herbalist who only can't conjure a mixture to bring the dead back to life.

Celeste's dark brown hair shone brightly against her tan skin. Her lips brightened to a warm and natural shade of pink as her face returned to its original appearance.

Shortly after, Celeste's eyes shot open. A loud gasp left her lips as she sat upright in the wooden bathtub, splashing out some of the green water.