It has been a month since Marina and Charlotte were rescued by Ismael, and since then everything has been good for both the siren and the pirate: after seven days, Charlotte's wounds healed completely, and she immediately tested her body to make sure it had no sequels. For her good luck, nor her strength nor agility were affected, and the last vestiges of her wounds were some recurrent headaches, for which she was drinking a herbal tea prepared by Ismael. Once Charlotte was recovered completely, she and Marina helped Ismael with his daily house chores.
He taught them how to collect fruits and how to hunt, as those were his main activities to do for a living. He also taught them how to farm vegetables on the little crop he had on the backyard of his cabin. One day he took the girls to a small town far from the coast where he would sell a part of the food he collected to get money and buy some supplies he needed in the cabin.
During that month, Marina never touched the water. Once all of her chores were done, she would go to the beach and walk down the shore until she was so far from the cabin that it looked like a little dot on the horizon. Every day she was invaded by the homesickness, but she never entered the water and left the beach instead. Marina knew quite well that there was no place for her on land, but this did not make her feel uneasy or made her homesickness grew stronger. Instead, it just made her more wishful to know all the wonders that existed in this world completely new for her.
Plus, there was her relationship with Charlotte. During their time with Ismael, she and Charlotte had created a strong bond with each other and they barely spent time separated from each other. On Marina's head, there were always the same questions rolling around every time she walked on the beach. "What will happen with Charlotte once we take our separate ways? If I return to the ocean, will she continue with her life as if nothing had happened? Will I be able to continue with my life if I leave Charlotte behind?" And Marina did not imagine that her pirate friend was feeling the very same way and she shared the very same doubts.
Since the day they have met, Charlotte felt huge affection for Anna, her captain, and with the pass of time that feeling grew stronger, to the point she wondered if the things she was feeling were what people called love. But then she met Marina and everything changed. Her beauty had surprised her, and all the conversations they had had since the day Marina was captured made Charlotte start feeling some affection for the siren, which was a very similar feeling to the one she had for her captain in the past but she did not feel anymore. Instead, every time Captain Anna's name popped into Charlotte's head, the girl felt worried with the possibility of meeting each other again, as it would mean Marina would be in danger and Anna would try to hurt her. But Charlotte would not let it happen.
One day, both girls were taking a walk on the shore. They had finished their chores early and Ismael had to go for some supplies to the town, so they had some free time. After walking for a few minutes, Marina stopped walking all of a sudden and Charlotte did as well when she noticed her.
"Is anything wrong, Marina?" Charlotte asked while turning around to look at her friend.
"Charlotte, there is something I want to ask you," Marina replied while averting her eyes and toying with her fingers.
Charlotte had noticed this gesture a couple of times before and she knew it meant the siren was nervous about something, and she immediately thought Marina would tell her something bad. After a short silence, the siren finally spoke.
"Charlotte… What will happen… when I have to leave?"
This question left Charlotte in shock. She had not given a thought to the fact Marina would have to return to the ocean sooner or later, and now that she had to face that possibility, she did not know how to respond. In the end, she just said the truth. "Being honest… I have not thought about that."
Charlotte looked into the horizon and after a brief silence, she continued talking. "The truth is I enjoy your company and I do not want you to leave, but if you have to go then I will not stop you."
The pirate kept her sight fixed on the horizon when she said that, and then she started feeling her eyes watering a bit, as she was about to cry. She had never shed a tear before, and the idea of doing it now was strange for her. Still, she kept her composure.
Marina got close to Charlotte and took her hand softly. The pirate girl was surprised by this gesture and turned around to look at her friend, who hugged her tightly once they were face to face. Charlotte did not know what to do; she could not remember the last time she received a hug, so she just let Marina keep it going.
"I do not want to go either… but I have to go back to my home," Marina said while sobbing. She was about to break into tears for the idea of getting away from her friend and saviour. "I cannot imagine living so far away from you," Marina said in between sobs.
Listening to this, Charlotte shuddered. Even though they barely knew each other and their relationship started in between the worst possible conditions, she already felt a strong connection with Marina, and it seemed the feeling was mutual: the siren felt affection for her and none of them could picture a life away from the other.
Charlotte put her arms around Marina's hips and pulled her body closer. Marina said nothing and allowed the warm feeling of the hug enveloped her, making her feel safe and stopping her sobbing. At that moment, Charlotte said in a very low voice, as if she were about to reveal a very important secret "As long as I am by your side, I will not let anything happen to you."
Marina and Charlotte kept hugging each other for a while, and it was so long that the Sun started to set in the horizon, marking the end of the day. Both girls were enveloped in a warm sense of safety after the conversation they had. Now they knew what they felt for each other, and they both felt happy for that. It did not matter what would happen in their future, as long as they were together everything would be fine.