Chapter Text
Sea Glass
Glass tossed on the shore, broken, and worn smooth by the waves…
Livid storm clouds cover the coastal town of Bristol Cove, blocking out what little starlight could be seen on the night of the new moon. Thunder rumbles through the sky, but the rain has yet to begin battering against the buildings and almost empty streets. Eccentric, long time resident Helen Hawkins hastily walks home with a bag of last minute groceries tucked tightly against her chest. Arriving at the storefront of Helen’s Antiquities, she shifts the brown bag to rest on her hip as she searches the pocket of her jeans for her keys. It’s then that from the corner of her eye, a warm, glowing light in the distance draws her attention.
Out past the adjacent buildings and sandy shore beyond, the inky ocean waves toss and crash against the outlying rocks with great force. A sizable boat undulates back and forth atop the water. Helen almost thinks them insane for sailing on a night such as this, but their presence isn’t what is most shocking. The entire vessel is alight with a blazing fire, an inferno contrasting against the pitch depths below. She nestles her groceries under the shop’s awning and begins jogging down the street.
Helen reaches the beach in record time, the burning boat now clearer to see as it drifts farther up through the cove. She considers turning back to call for help when she notices a trembling figure huddled down by the water’s edge. Taking a cautious step forward, she sees that they’re wrapped in some kind of wet, canvas cloth, hugging their knees up close to their small form. From where the cloth fails to cover, Helen also sees a thin cut running down their calf. Miniscule blood droplets collect in the sand beside their bare foot until the tide comes and carries them away.
“Hello?” Helen comes slightly closer, speaking just loud enough for the person to hear her over the waves.
It’s instantaneous. The figure snaps their head around faster than Helen can gasp out in surprise. She is taken aback and a bit heartbroken as she fully registers the sight before her. There sitting in the damp sand is a child, a girl no older than the age of seven with eyes appearing as dark and tumultuous as the stormy sea and sky. Helen finds she is unable to look away from the girl’s gaze, entranced by its intensity, and she carefully holds her hands out towards her conveying that she means no harm. A resounding clap of thunder breaks the spell between them and then comes the rain.
“Here we are, home sweet home.” Helen holds open the apartment door long enough for the mysterious girl to pad her way inside. She stops in the living room and her eyes dart about the many knicknacks lining the shelves. Helen watches her curiously before she acknowledges the sea and rain water soaking into the area rug beneath their feet. She places the groceries on the coffee table then grabs a clean towel and shirt from a laundry basket next to the couch.
“Let’s get you dried off. Can’t have you catching a cold.” As Helen kneels and reaches out to take the soaked canvas from her shoulders, the child flinches and eyes her warily. Helen stops short and offers her a reassuring smile. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Within a few seconds, the girl considers Helen’s words and nods curtly. Helen removes the cloth only to discover her to be completely bare underneath. While being as delicate in her movements as she can to not spook the poor thing further, Helen quickly dries her with the towel and pulls the oversized shirt over her head. The action tussles the child’s mop of hair that then comes to cling against her cheeks, yet she pays it no mind.
“There we are,” Helen breathes out as she leans back on her heels. The girl studies the shirt’s flowy length on her frame and spins around admiring it as if it were a princess’s elegant gown. Helen chuckles, “You like the shirt, huh?”
She looks up at the woman and nods in agreement, sending her unruly, black locks bouncing.
“Do you like the color?” Helen asks, receiving a blank stare. Clicking her tongue, she points out, “Ah, you see, the color of this shirt is blue.”
“Ba… Ba-loo.” Even in her broken speech, the girl’s voice is pleasant to Helen’s ears. Soft, but strong. In a way, it reminds the woman of her dear mother’s.
“Blue,” Helen repeats, pronouncing it slower.
“Blue.”
“Yes, very good.” Helen smiles and gently takes the child’s hands into her own. “Now sweetheart, do you remember your name? Or where you came from?”
The girl inhales and releases a deep breath and thinks. Her eyebrows scrunch together before she shakes her head “no.” Helen sighs, glancing at the clock on the shelf, and pats her small hands.
“That’s alright. We’ll figure it out in the morning. Let’s get you into bed.”
Helen leads her into the quaint bedroom, pulling back the covers for the girl to slip under. In all the fuss, Helen realizes she forgot about the girl’s injury. Looking down at her leg, the woman’s mouth falls open. The cut running the length of her calf is nowhere to be seen. Astonished, Helen quickly looks back up to find her fast asleep, clearly exhausted from the night’s events. She pulls up the blankets before stepping out, quietly shutting the door behind her, and leaning her back against it. There is only one explanation Helen can think of, and she has to convince herself that this isn’t all a dream. Her thoughts race in time with the beats of raindrops pelting against the windows. She stares off into space as a flash of lightning illuminates the room.
Sleep had all but evaded Helen, and she finally decides to give up as the sun begins spilling through the sheer curtains. Getting up from her makeshift bed on the couch, she moves into the kitchen to get the kettle heating on the stove. She hopes that a nice, hot cup of tea will soothe her unsettled mind. Tiptoeing over to the bedroom, she cracks the door open to peek in before pushing it wider.
“Oh, good morning. You’re up earlier than I expected.” Helen figured her peculiar house guest would still be worn out, yet she stands in front of the window watching the early morning rays filter into the room. Perhaps they had drawn her to rise with them as well. Despite her awake state, she remains silent. With no sign that she hears Helen speaking to her, the woman tries again.
“Would you like some breakfast?”
Barely another second passes before the child finally turns and responds, “Yes, please.”
Helen smiles victoriously. “Come on then, I’ll whip us up some eggs and toast.”
The girl sits at the dining table swinging her legs back and forth as Helen brings the pan full of steaming scrambled eggs over. The sunlight coming through the kitchen window shines into the child’s eyes, letting Helen see that they’re not black or even a dark brown as she had originally thought. They’re a deep, green tinted hazel that dares the woman to come closer still, yet she resists their pull. Scooping some eggs onto their plates, Helen spots a patch of dry, scaly skin peeking out from under the girl’s sleeve reminding her of last night’s realization.
“Does that hurt?” Helen juts her chin towards it.
She shakes her head and answers, “Kind of itches.”
“You know, I have it, too.” Setting down the pan, the woman pulls her own sleeve up to reveal her inner forearm. The girl lightly traces a dainty finger over the similar patch found there, and Helen adds, “It’s been called an autoimmune disease, but I think there’s more to it than that.”
Helen pauses to gauge the girl’s reaction, but she only returns her hand to her lap, letting her legs come to a stop. So much for that idea.
“Anyway, there’s the matter of what to call you. Have you remembered anything?” Helen fixes her sleeve and sits in the opposite chair.
“No,” she says too quickly, looking away. Of course Helen knows for certain that she’s lying, but for now, she won’t push.
“Hm, I suppose we could give you a new name? Just for the meantime.”
The girl purses her lips and looks down at the table. The large shirt she’s wearing catches her eye.
“How about Blue?”
“Blue,” Helen tests out how the name sounds. “A unique choice, it suits you. Blue… Blue Douglas.”
“Why two names?” She sends the older woman the funniest confused look, the kind only a child her age can produce.
“I figure giving you a first and last name will hold up better should anyone ask. Better to be prepared.”
The girl’s brows soften as she hums in understanding. She begins picking at the eggs with her fingers, completely ignoring the fork that had been previously placed beside her plate. Helen folds her hands together on the table contemplating what to do next. It’s obvious the dear has spent some time around other people, though Helen can’t be sure it was under pleasant circumstances. Judging from the state she was found in, it’s not very likely. From what she assumes to be true about the girl, she can’t bring herself to turn her away when she needs someone the most, especially in a town like Bristol Cove.
“Blue,” Helen sighs. “Whatever happened on that boat, I want you to know that you’re safe with me.”
Blue’s fingers pause, and she looks up with a hopeful gleam in her dark eyes.
“I can stay?”
“Of course you can.” Helen’s heart melts, her mind made up.
Over the next several months, a routine forms between them. Every morning, Helen opens her shop while Blue gravitates to the many books lying around both there and in the small apartment. Once she has read everything in sight, Helen introduces her to the wonders of the local library. Blue pours over book after book while Helen works, and in the evenings, they retire upstairs for dinner and movies. Day in, day out, it’s the same thing, but it’s wonderful. Helen never gave much thought to family or children of her own, but she’s beyond thankful that Blue had come into her life. They have become family in all but blood, and together they can weather any storm that comes their way.
One Year Later
It’s a peaceful Thursday afternoon. Helen skims through a catalog considering what new items to order for the shop. The silver chains attached to her reading glasses sway occasionally as she flips the pages. The bell above the entrance chimes, breaking Helen from her thoughts, and she glances up in time to see two young boys barrel inside.
“Hi, Ms. Hawkins!” They shout and make for the far side of the shop just as none other than Elaine Pownall comes trailing in through the door behind them on her expensive, stiletto heels.
Wonderful, Helen huffs to herself.
“Hello, Helen. How are you?”
“I’m well, thank you. How’s the family?” Helen pulls her readers from her nose and settles them against her chest. She plasters on a tight but convincing smile, one that’s been rehearsed for such an occasion.
“We’re doing great! Ted just finished the business expansion and the kids are, well,” Elaine motions to the boys chatting away over a decorative fishing spear, “they’re inquisitive as always. Lately, Ben’s taken to learning more about marine life, mermaids included. He’s been begging to drop by your store all week.”
“Children and their imaginations are wonderful things, aren’t they?” Helen chuckles genuinely. Before Elaine can respond, the boys hear something rattle behind one of the shelves and get startled. Ben jumps and steps back, but his friend, Xander McClure, stays glued to the spot closest to the sound.
“What was that?” Xander asks.
Elaine grabs her son by his arm, pulling him close. “Ben-”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Helen attempts to ease Elaine’s concern. “It’s just my goddaughter, Blue. She likes to read back there while I’m working.”
Hearing her name, Blue peaks out around the shelf and her long, wavy hair brushes the floor from her crouched position. It’s not very often that she meets new people. She usually prefers to keep to herself, but there’s something about this group that has her intrigued. Ben’s eyebrows raise in surprise when he sees her. He breaks away from his mother’s hold and walks back over to Xander and the new girl.
“Goddaughter?” Elaine questions, “Who are her parents?”
Helen makes a point to lower her voice, whispering, “I, uh, don’t like to talk about them in front of her. They died tragically, and she saw the whole thing.” Another well rehearsed lie. It’s simple, but it keeps people from asking too many questions about her young charge.
“Oh my, how awful... I’m so sorry.”
“No harm done, Elaine. Would you like to look at the new jewelry that just came in? There are some pieces that I think would look just lovely on you.”
Thankfully, the smartly dressed woman accepts the offer. While they begin perusing through the jewelry displays, Blue quickly tucks back into the corner as the boys approach her reading space. Ben and Xander crouch and sit cross legged in front of another shelf, respectively. Blue hardly maintains eye contact with them, but they don’t take it to heart as they glance at the various objects surrounding her. There’s a clear jar full of sand, various sea shells, and a plush mermaid doll propped along the bottom of the shelf to her left. In her hands, there’s a paperback book hugged to her chest.
“Hi, I’m Ben, and this is Xander.” The first boy motions to the second who grins and waves in response. Blue takes a minute to look between them. Her expression is unreadable, but she does finally speak up.
“Blue.”
“What?” Xander asks gently.
“My name’s Blue.”
“Nice to meet you!” Ben exclaims, revealing his toothy grin.
Xander smiles, too, and Blue shyly returns the kind gesture. She's unsure of what to say next. Then again, she's never really had the need to with it just being her and Helen. She begins drumming her fingers against her book, and Xander is quick to pick up on her nervousness.
“Whatcha reading?” he encourages her, changing the subject.
Blue says nothing, but she turns the book around to show him the cover.
“Cool, I like that one, too! I have the next ones at home.”
She then gives Xander her undivided attention with an excited sparkle in her eyes.
“May I borrow them sometime? I promise to give them back after I finish. I’m a fast reader.”
Xander is initially shocked that so many words come out of such a reserved girl, but he sputters, “Uh, sure!”
Blue leans over towards him in an instant, locking her arms around his neck and almost knocking him over in the process. Ben laughs at their interaction as an undeniable flush explodes across Xander's face. Patting the girl’s back lightly, Xander sticks his tongue out over her shoulder at his best friend whose giggles drift throughout the antiquities shop.