4 Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Gladys and June took knives and moved to shield Neo while watching Jack go to the door. They knew that an attacker wouldn't ring the bell but they had to be cautious. Neo's heart felt like it wanted to jump out of her throat.

"Vuyo" Jack said after opening the door. Vuyo was Gladys's younger brother and the traditional healer that's been helping the family.

"Gladys sent me a text saying that you need my help again" Vuyo said before walking in after Jack stood aside. Vuyo pushed the dreadlocks that hung over his face to the back.

"You guys even called uncle Vuyo?" Neo looked at them all.

"Dineo Precious Carr, please sit down so that we can finish telling you the story" June calmly said in her stern mommy voice. Dineo knew that Vuyo was Gladys's brother and that he was a healer but she wondered where he fit in the story.

"Okay" Neo said before sitting down. They all joined her in the lounge.

"I brought some sea water," Vuyo said before taking out a bottle filled with sea water. Growing up Neo was told that sea water was important to African people and so whenever she was sick, her loved ones made sure to pour a bottle of sea water over her head.

"Come, Dineo" Gladys said "Feeling the water wash over you will make you feel better" she added. Dineo was not in the mood of having water poured over her but in the past, a sea water cleanse always made her better.

"Dee, please do this for yourself" June begged. Neo stood and took the bottle from Vuyo's hands.

"Thank you, Uncle Vuyo," she said before leaving them. She stood in the shower and titled the bottle. Her eyes closed when the water flowed over her body. Her throat began to feel better and more open afterwards.

"Don't forget to apply the cream" Gladys said while Neo dried herself. Neo took the tub and did as instructed. She joined the family again after a while.

"I'm ready to hear the rest of the story," Neo said before she sat.

"Where was I?" Jack asked.

"My father from the sea," Neo reminded him.

"Yes, he didn't tell us his name or yours but he asked us to take care of you. We did not trust at first but we didn't feel any ill intentions coming from them both. They told us that you'd have difficulty adapting to life on land. They told us that they would come for you before you turn 28 because if you don't return to sea full-time, you will die" Jack said. Neo was sobbing as he spoke.

"So you knew that I would die this year yet you said nothing?" Neo asked "What am I then if you found me at sea? Am I what that thing was? Will I wake up and strangle you all someday?" Neo asked.

"No, no, you are nothing like that thing" June assured Neo "When the two beings swam away, we saw they had tails that resembled those of fishes. Honey, we think that you are a mermaid" June said "A very important one if your biological father trusted you with strangers on land rather than his kind at sea" she added. Her heart broke when Neo began to weep.

"But I've got legs" Neo held her legs.

"We don't know the entire backstory. All we knew back then was that we'd look after you. At first, you had distinct features that showed you were different but as time went by, you looked completely human but you always struggled to breath here"

"You knew?" Neo asked Gladys and Vuyo. They nodded simultaneously.

"That thing tried to come for you just days after we came home with you and Gladys was here to witness the scary ordeal. It attacked us all except for her" Jack explained.

"It didn't touch me because my family is filled with water healers, just like Vuyo. So I was protected by river spirits. My entire family is' ' Gladys said while looking at Vuyo who was nodding "After we temporarily chased the creature away, I contacted Vuyo immediately. We took you to our sacred river and there we asked our ancestors to protect you as you are important to me. Because you are not my blood, they couldn't be with you everywhere you go as they are with Vuyo and I but they agreed to protect you. The cream that your mother makes for you has water from our sacred river so the spirits cover you whenever you apply it" Gladys explained while wiping her tears.

"That's why we make you apply it everyday, especially when you are anywhere close to the sea" June said "Vuyo also made us realize that you heal faster when you pour sea water over yourself. That's why whenever you were sick, we poured sea water on you. It can't completely heal you but it eases symptoms. You speak better so I assume your throat feels better?" June asked and Neo nodded.

"We know that it's too much to take in but we had to tell you the truth" Jack said.

"So these merpeople...my father and his friend" Neo stuttered because using merpeople and father in the same sentence was strange "When will they come for me?" she asked. All of them shrugged.

"I had a vision of us all at the river just before Gladys sent the text. I think that we must go there first thing tomorrow morning. I will sleep over and protect the house to the best of my abilities but I feel like all protective measures will wear off soon. It's important that we reconnect you with your sea family. Hopefully the river spirits will be able to connect us with the beings in the ocean. Sometimes the river and sea meet so we may finally find answers.

"I need time alone to process all of this" Neo said before standing "Please don't interrupt me" she ordered before leaving them.

"Let me start securing this house" Vuyo stood and so did Jack.

"We appreciate your help" Jack shook Vuyo's hand "Both of you" he added while looking at Gladys "Had it not been for the two of you, that thing would have gotten to her long ago"

"We love Dineo" Gladys said "Hell will freeze over before I allow harm to come to her" she continued and they all nodded. Keeping Dineo safe was the task they had in common. All of them felt Dineo was important or else that sea dragon wouldn't have bothered tracking her to try to kill her.

Neo stood in front of the mirror and touched her birthmark "Who are you?" she looked at her reflection "Or rather what are you?" she asked before breaking down in tears.