Free Always Remembered by Kelly Risser

aren’t many places like that here.”
She slumped back in her chair, lost in thought. A minute later, she
popped forward and grabbed his hand. Luckily, it was not the one
holding what remained of the hot coffee. “I know where we can
go.”
    He quickly stood and placed the food tray on
the garbage can nearby. She danced from foot to foot while she
waited. Laughing, he held his hand out to her. Her enthusiasm was
infectious.
    “By all means, lead the way,” he said.

 
     

    My first
date with a Selkie, and I was wondering what I should wear. I
pondered this while staring out my bedroom window. The sun, high in
the sky, heated my skin, and a warm breeze caressed my hair. The
waves were relatively calm—the perfect day for a swim. Arren and
his friends played on the wet, rocky shore, as close as they dared
to go these days. The occasional waves rolled over their feet.
    How much longer could we endure? Supplies
were dwindling. Selkies didn’t fish in boats. No swimming meant no
fishing. We could conjure a fish or two, but not enough to sustain
a whole population for the foreseeable future. Like the last batch
of swords that I conjured, that much magic, used consistently,
would harm the person who performed it. Uncle Padraic resorted to
serving stews and soups, stretching our meager reserves as far as
he could. Soon, it wouldn’t be enough. We’d need to steal from the
mainland by transporting food, or we’d starve.
    “Are you in here by yourself?” Ula poked her
head in the doorway.
    I’d left it ajar to increase the airflow—it
was stuffy and hot in my room. Although the weather should be
cooling for the fall, we were experiencing an unusual heat wave.
The castle was quiet. Almost everyone was outside.
    “Why aren’t you out enjoying this gorgeous
weather? It’ll cool off again soon. Fall can be brutal here.” She
joined me at the window, placing her hand on my arm. “You’re okay?”
Her green eyes searched mine.
    My vision blurred and tears fell when I shook
my head. I wasn’t okay. I was worried and scared. It was enough
that Ken took Evan, and I had no idea if he was okay or not, but
now I was worried about my dad and aunt. Dad said they’d be back in
a few days. Now, days turned into weeks and we had no news.
Something happened to them, I knew it. We could only pray that they
were still alive. After losing my mom less than a year ago, losing
my dad, too, would be more than I could handle.
    Ula conjured a box of tissues and silently
handed one to me. She guided us to the edge of the bed and we sat.
With a sharp laugh, she snatched a tissue and blew her nose. “Now
you have me crying, too!”
    Sniffling, she rested her head on my
shoulder. “They’ll be okay,” she said. I wondered who she was
trying to convince—herself or me. “Brigid is tough. Nothing can
stop her.”
    I knew my aunt was a force to be reckoned
with, but it didn’t explain why they hadn’t tried to contact us.
“Why haven’t we heard from them?”
    “I don’t know.” Ula’s voice was quiet. After
a moment of silence, she sighed and then jumped up. “Come on. They
wouldn’t want us to stay indoors and be depressed. Let’s go outside
and enjoy the weather.”
    I let her pull me up and transport us to the
edge of the water. Arren and his friends were playing a game in the
grass. It was similar to volleyball, only they didn’t use a net.
The guys and girls alike wore swimsuits that showed off their
tanned skin. Apparently, I was one of the only ones who spent the
last month indoors.
    Ula crossed to a large, flat boulder. She sat
and removed her sandals to dip her feet in the water. “I sure miss
swimming.” She patted the spot next to her and looked up at me.
“Have a seat.”
    I slid off my shoes and joined her. The water
was cool against my skin. I worried the temptation to dive in was
going to be torturous when all I could do was get my feet wet.
Instead, I found the ocean soothing. The waves quenched my