Mermaid_ A Twist on the Classic Tale - Carolyn Turgeon [66]
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Mermaid
THE SUN STREAMED INTO THE ROOM, WARMING LENIA’S skin. The waves crashing against the shore, lapping at the boats in dock, the faint sounds of voices, seagulls, footsteps in the corridor outside—all the sounds of the upper world rattled in her ears. She turned onto her side. Her mouth ached, and her body felt even more raw than it had before.
Painfully, she sat up, the sheets twisting around her. It was as if knives were being pressed into her calves and thighs.
Specks of dust floated through the air, illuminated by the sun. She observed them for a moment, fascinated, and then ran her hand through the air, watching them disperse.
She could still feel his mouth on her.
As she stood up, throwing off the sheets, she gasped in pain. It was as if the soles of her feet were open wounds. The day before they had begun to numb, and she had almost become accustomed to the pain, but now she had to acclimate to it all over again.
She took one step, and then two. Slowly, she walked over to the window, then peered at herself in the heavy glass next to it. To her surprise, she did not look at all as if she were in discomfort. She stepped away from the glass, then toward it again. Her body moved gracefully, perfectly, just as Sybil had said it would, despite the pain that shot through her with every step.
She opened her mouth, red and warm. The stump of her tongue was pink and flowerlike. The sight of it made her mouth ache even more than it did already, though she had barely thought of it until now, most likely because the pain in her legs was so much more vivid. Her eyes dropped to her breasts, the patch of hair between her legs, the dried blood on her thighs, her long, curving legs and arching feet.
In a way, this body was horrifying. Without thinking, she ran her left palm across the edge of the glass, and watched the blood drip from the thin wound down her wrist. Her skin was flat and so soft. She ran her fingers over the wound, rubbed the wet blood between her fingers and let the sting of it move through her.
Outside her door she heard voices. She stood still, her head cocked, hoping to hear his among them. But it was Katrina’s voice, and others she did not recognize.
Awkwardly she reached for one of the dresses Katrina had had sent to her. She stepped into it, tried to pull it up over herself, and was dismayed to see blood dripping onto it.
There was a knock on her door then, and she jumped, frightened by the sound. A moment later, a servant entered.
“Let me help you get into that,” she said, moving behind Lenia to lace her dress up the back. “The princess wants you to join her on the hunt today.”
Lenia nodded as the girl pulled the dress in tightly around her torso. She placed her palms against her sides, feeling the way the dress pinched in her waist. When she took her hands away, her dress was stained with blood.
“You’re hurt!” the girl exclaimed.
Lenia looked at the red mark on her dress in horror.
“Is something wrong?” another servant asked, appearing at the door.
“Yes, she’s bleeding.”
The servant bowed and rushed away as Katrina entered the room, splendidly dressed in a pink gown, with pink jewels hanging from her neck.
“What has happened?” she asked and then saw the blood before her lady could respond. “Oh!” She turned away, her hand on her head. “Have you called for the doctor?”
“Yes,” the lady said. “He is on his way.”
“Good,” she said, heading back out the door. “I need to lie down now.”
“She cannot stand blood,” the lady whispered to Lenia after the princess left.
A few minutes later, a man came in, very official-looking and holding a bag, followed by several servants, who helped Lenia onto the bed.
“She is cut,” he said, examining her hand. “It is not serious. It just needs to be bandaged.” He paused, pressing on her abdomen. Lenia opened her mouth, as if to cry out in pain. The center of her body raw and searing. “Ah,” he said. “There is bleeding here, too. This seems to be … a feminine matter.”
“Shall I call for the