6. What flow?

Kassandra's standpoint

"Now I understand why you are daydreaming, he is so hot," I blurted out. Claudia nudged me with the back of her shoulder, mentally nudging me to shut it. "Ignore me." I whispered, hiding my masked face behind her back.

I stayed there daydreaming, I was getting married to him already and carrying our baby. I only opened my eyes after Claudia stepped away, causing me to stumble to the ground face flat. "Ow! My beautiful face!"

"Kass, be serious," she whispered yelled, "this dude is saying things that you should listen to. Now stop acting like a klutz and be professional."

I lift myself up to my knees and glared at her. "I was professionally daydreaming about our marriage, you ruined it." I chided.

"Are you trying to annoy me now you little…"

"Don't you dare call me what I know you want to call me," I warned, pointing a finger at her.

"Will the two of you stop bickering and focus," Claudia snapped. "must I do everything myself, that is what Suz would say if she was here. Do you want her to be here?" She huffed.

"Well, blame her, she ruined my dream. That is what I would say if she was here." I folded my hands adamantly. Claudia facepalmed herself before turning back to the man.

"I'm sorry about… Where's Beatrice?"

"She left," the guy said coldly.

"Okay, you have our ears, speak."

"My name is Finn, I'm a sort of gentleman sailor," he rolled his eyes at his words. "I came here looking for a lady or ladies that would help me retrieve an item from a sacred temple, a temple only pure-hearted virgins or soul can enter. Beatrice believes that you can help me."

"And what makes you think we are ‘virgins’?" I asked derisively, making air quotation.

"One, Beatrice believes you all are and two, you don't necessarily have to be, just have a good and pure heart."

"We are literally thieves, how do we have a good heart?" Claudia snorted. I burst into laughter, stretching my legs out.

"Look on the bright side, sis, someone finally saw the aureoles on our heads," I said laughingly. Claudia rolled her eyes and placed her palm on her forehead.

"I'm not so sure about the pure heart thing, give us another job." She said softly.

"At first I doubted Beatrice but seeing you girls now, I can now see what she sees, you are the ones to help me. My coming here is not a mistake, please help me. I will pay you whatever amount you want."

"Where are we heading to?"

"The sacred temple of the twelve wizard of Horitha," that sounds dangerous, this is Suzanne's job.

"That temple have been sealed for years, what do you want with it?" I looked at her, she knew. "The temple belongs to the wizard of Horitha, they were said to own the celestial gems. Each gems holds different power and purpose, each stands for different thing and balance the universe in a way. Which one of the gem are you after?"

"How come I don't know about it?" I asked poutingly. She sighed again.

"Because I spend more time listening to Suz speak than you do," she snapped, "now stop interrupting and let me finish!" She looked at Finn with blazing eyes.

"I am after the gem of life, fate and time,"

"Three out of the strongest, and we get paid, right?"

"Whatever you want," Claudia nodded.

"I don't know much about this thing, my youngest sister would have to…"

"I'm here," Suzanne said calmly from behind him. He turned around in a flash. Suzanne wore her full facemask and coat, the only thing one could see was her ocean blue eyes. The moment their eyes met, the wind around us changed.

It was like something snapped, something shifted, a powerful force. I could feel it squeezing my heart, holding the breath from passing through my lungs. I looked at Claudia who looked at me too, we both felt it. I looked back at them, I could feel some kind of electricity, a strong spark flying between them. Suz stepped back, like a reel.

"Vampire," she whispered loud enough for us to hear, "you are a vampire, a strong one."

"What are you?" Finn asked back, stepping closer to her. She stepped back further.

"A human who reads a lot, a human who knows too much," she lied so smoothly even I believed it for a second. "I do not think I want to get involve with your kind, not when I don't have the map to the temple. The temple may be legendary, but I do not know the way there, even when it concerns the sea."

Finn quietly pulled a golden cloth out of his pocket and threw it over to her. She daintily caught the cloth between her fingers, face straight up. Suz lowered her head and unfolded the cloth. She let out a chuckle and shook her head. "you have the cloth, but not the map."

"Meaning?"

"First, let's talk about the price, how much are we getting paid? The sea is a dangerous place you know."

"Now you're talking," Claudia said happily, "come, girls, let's talk about the money first." She walked off, going further away from us. I stood up from the comfortable grass and followed her, Suz doing the same thing. When we were far from him, Claudia spun around abruptly. "Are you crazy?" She whispered yelled. "you want to get involve with a vampire?"

"The vampire less concerns me, what we would gain do. For the longest of time I have been looking for the temple, the map to get me there and it is right there. I need the gems to forge what would save my life later, he is going to provide transportation and food and money enough for us to finally start afresh somewhere far. We wouldn't have to steal or do anyone's dirty work again, we would be free. You and I both know that I haven't been able to leave this islands because when I fell here, my spirit was sealed to never leave until another mystical power gives me authority to leave. This… 'man' inviting me out is breaking my shackles. I also didn't find a way to leave because I can't stay in the water for too long or my scent would spread. He would provide everything I need to get there and that's a fair deal."

"You do realise that he needs the gem of life, fate and time, right?"

"There are twelve gems and other sacred items, sacrificing three won't shake me. Girls, I really need this but I can't do this without you both, please help me." She pleaded.

"What if he tries to suck our blood? Your blood especially?" I asked worriedly. "he would find out your secret and take your powers." Suzanne chuckled, raising her brow at us. Yeah, it won't be that easy to suck her blood. She's a strong mermaid.

"My blood is poison to all who I do not give it to, he takes it, he dies. Plus, I don't think he would want to harm the only people who can help him," she looked back at the guy waiting patiently. "So what do you say, girls?"

"Two chest of golds or nothing else," Claudia concluded. Suz nodded and walked back to him.

"Why do I have a bad and yet good feeling about this?" I asked rhetorically.

"Because with a vampire, nothing ever ends well. And two, he doesn't look like an ordinary one, we don't even know what he wants with the gems." We remained quiet as we watched them talk, that invincible spark still flying between them. Why are we the only ones feeling it? There's something odd going on, that's for sure. Maybe it was the spark of meeting a being like her; a supernatural.

"Fate," Claudia said softly, breaking the silence, "fate has brought those two together for a reason and we have to go with the flow."

Flow? What flow can a mermaid have with a vampire?