The Ocean's Daughter (Sequel to Sirene)

As promised, Chapter 6 is up :) Chapter 7 should be up next Saturday, if all goes well :) enjoy :)

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Chapter 6.

 “Just look at that,” Oceana mused to herself as she made her way down the crowded streets of London, “there are times when the sun actually decides to show it's face on this smoggy city.”

 “Miss Oceana.”

 Oceana recognized the voice as belonging to the Lt. Wesley Chesterton she had met two days ago and groaned inwardly. Of all the people she could meet in this city, why did it have to be him?

 “Lt. Chesterton, what a surprise.” Oceana stated with a forced smile as she turned to face him.

 “And from the look on your face not a very pleasant one.”

"More like a very unexpected one. But then I suppose I should expected to meet anyone here. This is London after all. Chandler used to call it a great melting pot of people.”

“That is an interesting way to put the city.” Wesley politely stated. He didn’t have the least idea as to who Chandler was but didn’t really feel comfortable asking. Not with the attitude Oceana was giving him so far. He was very happy with his accidentally meeting the young beauty and was determined to put himself in her good graces before he started asking questions about her life.

 Oceana hoped the bothersome lieutenant would go about his way and leave her with her business, but Wesley was in no hurry to leave anywhere.

 “I’m surprised to see you are not in the company of Miss Warren.” He said, hoping to get a conversation going.

 “I’m not her puppy, I don’t always have to be in her company.” Oceana retorted.

 “Very true, but I seem to remember at the party she was very particular on having you near her. I take it you must be very close friends.”

 “I take it we are.”

 “You’re not very friendly today are you?” Wesley pointed out with a chuckle. “At Miss Warren’s party you were pleasant enough, but I’m guessing you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning; either that you must have a headache. Whatever the reason, I feel it my duty to warn you, Miss Oceana, that if you are hoping to drive me away with rude behavior, it is not going to work.”

 “Lt. Chesterton, I have to admit, you are very perceptive.” Oceana had to relent and allowed her features to brighten a little. “Though if you are going to be so honest I too will admit as well that I do not like it when people stalk me.”

 “I am not stalking you. This is a purely accidental meeting. I only just saw you walking down the street and having made your brief acquaintance two days ago, I figured this is a perfect opportinity to know you better. Surely you have no objections to that.”

 A million smart answers came rushing to Oceana’s head, but after a moment of reflection, she decided she would be polite. “In answer to your question earlier, I am running away from Beth and Miss Patterson.”

 "Running away?” Wesley raised his eyebrows in amusement, inwardly congratulating himself on having gotten Oceana begin carrying on a conversation.

 Oceana broke out into a giggle. “They’re busy trying to turn me into a fashion queen and I can’t take another minute of it. I’ve been bearing with it for long enough and now I need to get away from them and breath some fresh air, though finding fresh air in London is easier said than done.” Oceana sighed.

 “Any place in particular that you are heading for?”

 "Pentonville Prison”

 “WHERE?” Wesley couldn’t believe his ears. “Miss Oceana, such a rotten area is no place for a young lady as yourself. Whatever could induce you to go there?”

 “You of course don’t know this, Lt. Chesterton, seeing as you have only just met me, but I have an ‘’unhealthy attraction’ for prisons. I think that was the way Beth put it.”

 Wesley gazed wide eyed at Oceana.

 “Allow me to explain.” Oceana said with a laugh. “I have a friend, a doctor, who does medical work for the inmates. I met him as a child and we have been good friends all these years. I greatly admire the work he does, administering to the inmates and telling them about God as well. I mean, could there possibly be a more noble work in this city? When Newgate was still around, I would often go there, though it was mostly for reasons of my own, but I would see him there all the time. Now Newgate is gone and I want to see where else Dr. Wilkens practices his trade. I’ve been meaning to go for so long, but Beth and Miss Patterson have kept me chained between the two of them. I got up early this morning and literally fled from the house, though I did leave a note as to where I went. It’s a pity there is no way to see the looks on their faces when they read it.”

 “I see.” Wesley didn’t know what to make of all that Oceana had just told him. Oceana, seeing his confused look decided it was time to change the subject. “So, Lt. Chesterton, I think I remembering hearing from someone that you are in the navy.”

 “Yes, I am.”

 “And how long have you been in the navy?”

 “For as long as I can remember. But if you mean officially in the army, I was first commissioned at the age of 16.”

 “So you’ve spent most of your life at sea?”

 “Yes, I have.”

 “Is anyone else in your family in the army, navy?”

 “The only family I have is Admiral William Chesterton. The only life he ever knew was the navy, so that was the life he gave to me.”

 “Ah," Oceana's eye's filled with sympathy. "That's ironic though," she stated after a moment of thought, “your initials are the same.”

 “What do you mean?” Wesley was puzzled.

 “Think of it, William Chesterton, Wesley Chesterton, W.C. W.C. I like that name William. It's origin is from the Old German and it means "determined protection".Wesley actually comes from an old surname meaning West Meadow, though perhaps you were named in honor of John Wesley...if you parents were Methodists that is.”

 “I see you have a thing for names.”

 “I do.”

 “What does Oceana mean?”

 “Lt. Chesterton, I should think the answer more than obvious, it means ‘ocean.’ It is derived from the name Oceanus, he was a Titan father of river and water nymphs. I read about him in Greek mythology.”

 “Ah, you enjoy Greek mythology?”

 “I do indeed. I like Roman mythology too, but the Roman mythology is heavily based off the Greek, so I tend to like the Greek more. I read The Odyssey when I was eight years old, well, more like I had it read to me. Fascinating book; though not as fascinating as the Bible.”

 “Let me guess, you’ve read the entire Bible?” Wesley joked.

 “As a matter of fact, I have actually, from cover to cover, more than once.”

 “Oh, and how old were you when you first read the Bible?”

 “Ten years old.”

 “And what would you say is your favorite book in the Bible?”

 "The Book of Revalations, no doubt about it. Have you ever read it? No? Oh, it is an amazing book, I strongly recommend you read it. Nothing in this world beats the book of Revelations. I also love the Psalms and the Gospels of Luke and John. Ooh and the two books of Samuel are another personal favorite. Paul’s 1st epistle to Corinthians is another great favorite of mine. All about love and the gifts of the spirit. Ruth was fun too, such a beautiful love story, and of course Esther, have you read those books? No? Goodness, have you read anything in the Bible at all?”

 “Umm,” Wesley felt a little on the spot, “I’ve read the Gospels, don’t think I’ve read anything else. I’m not much of a reader. But I can see plain as day you are.”

 Oceana giggled. “I am, I can’t help it. Chandler was a great reader and taught me to love books with as much zeal as he did. Though of course the books he read were, shall we say, not all that good.” Oceana glanced over at Wesley and caught the look in his eye. “Oh go ahead,” she gave in to the topic she had been desperately trying to avoid all this time “go ahead and ask me.”

 Wesley had been waiting for this moment. “About what you told me at the party, is it…I mean, that is quite a claim, where did you come up with it?”

 “I’m going to get one thing straight, right from the start; I did not come up with it. I’m only going to tell you once, and I wish for you to remember it. I did not make anything of this up.”

 “If you say so.” Wesley said with a shrug, a little perplexed with her forwardness but curious enough not to be bothered by it. “Still, you must understand that it is a wild claim and yet you still don’t seem to be very embarrassed by it.”

 Oceana burst out laughing. “If I was embarrassed, I wouldn’t say anything about it. I know it is probably the strangest thing you have ever heard, but I can’t help that.”

 “You mentioned Chandler, is he your father?”

 “No in the least, Chandler may have been a Frenchman but he was not in any way related to me.”

"Yes, I remember now, you mentioned your father died before you were born. Here is a question that has been bothering me ever since I met you. If you are half mermaid, why aren’t you living in the water?”

“Because she is also half man.” A voice sounded on their right. Oceana and Wesley turned to see Dr. Wilkens standing no far away from them.

 “Oceana, where you on your way to Pentonville?” Dr. Wilkens asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

 “I was actually.”

 “Lost your way?”

 “No, not this time. Oh, allow me to introduce you to my traveling companion. Dr. Wilkens, this is Lt. Chesterton, Lt. Chesterton--Dr. Wilkens.”

 “Please to meet you.” Dr. Wilkens shook Wesley’s hand.

 “Likewise, I’ve heard from Miss Oceana but your trade, very noble of you.”

 “Thank you. And from the way Oceana introduced you, I of course take it that you are in the army?”

 “The King's Royal Navy to be exact.”

 “Ah, you are a sailor? I urge you to be careful, sir, mermaids are known to bring about the end of sailors.” Here Dr. Wilkens winked at Oceana, who couldn’t help turning a bit red.

 “Really, Dr. Wilkens,” she mumbled.

 Dr. Wilkens burst out laughing. “It comes with the package, my dear Miss Oceana. You can’t go about claiming to be half mermaid and not have people tease you on such subjects.”

 To say that Wesley was very perplexed would be a great understatement. He looked from Oceana to Dr. Wilkens and back to Oceana.

 “Pardon my asking, Dr. Wilkens, but you also obviously know about Miss Oceana’s claim and you seem to be very at ease about it, almost as though you believe her.”

 Dr. Wilkens let out a chuckle. “I first met this here young lady when she was a little child of ten. Oceana was wandering around London looking for Newgate prison when we bumped into each other. She of course told me her story and I found it very fascinating. I mean, how often do you meet a child who tells you her mother was a mermaid? I of course cannot say whether it is true or not, but I will say that it does make her stand out from the thousand other girls in this city, it makes her unique and that is what I like about her and her story. Has she told you her past in detail?”

 Wesley shook his head.

 “Ah, if she ever has the time you must try and get it out of her. The way she tells it is quite the thing in itself. Oceana has quite a talent for storytelling, she’ll pull you into the tale with the first couple of sentences and keep you spellbound right to the very end. Though of course if I were you, Lt. Chesterton, I would be on my guard whenever around this young lady.” Dr. Wilkens’ eyes twinkled with jest, it was obvious he was having great fun teasing the two young people.

 “Dr. Wilkens…”

 “I know, Oceana, I know, you say you are half man, but half man is not whole man so it is really only half safe to be around you; especially if one happens to be a man who lives a life at sea.”

 “Dr. Wilkens, you really are taking this too far!” Oceana felt her face turning red.

 "As I said, my dear, it comes with the package. But there, I will stop teasing you about all this, though it does provide great fun. Am I correct in assuming you were on your way to see me?”

 “I was indeed.”

 “And the lieutenant?”

 “I merely happened to chance upon her.” Wesley hastily explained. He too had been rather uncomfortable with Dr. Wilkens teasing and was glad it had come to an end.

 "I see. Perhaps you should like to come with us.”

 “Are you really going to take her to the prison?”

 “Not inside, I’ll just show her what it looks like from the outside.”

 “Dr. Wilkens!” Oceana frowned in dismay.

 “Now my dear, Stephanie and Beth have a point when they say prisons are no place for the likes of you. Stephanie made me promise I would not take you inside.”

 Oceana pouted loudly, but knew it was futile to try and get Dr. Wilkens to change his mind.

 “Actually, I regret to say that I have an appointment and much as I would like to come with you, I’m afraid that if I do, I will be late and since I am meeting with my captain, being late is something he won’t forgive me.” Wesley replied. He caught Oceana’s gaze and could tell she didn’t believe a word he said. “I assure you Miss Oceana, I am not trying to weasel my way out of this,” he hastily added, “I really do have a meeting with Captain Morrely and I’ve got to meet him in about half an hour.”

 “If you say so, Lt. Chesterton.” Oceana replied with a slight shake of her head. There was a smile on her lips though and her eyes, though still hinting mistrust in his words, sparkled with amusement as well.

 “It was good to meet you once more, Miss Oceana, perhaps someday you will actually tell me in detail about your mysterious past.”

 “Perhaps not in detail, or else it will no longer be mysterious.” Oceana said, “and I should very much like to get to know more about the young navy officer who is perhaps the first person I have ever met who can read me so easily. This brings to mind, will you be attending Beth’s engagement ball?”

 “If I were to tell you, Miss Oceana, that would spoil the mystery.” Wesley replied with a wink and with nod at Dr. Wilkens he walked away.

 “He seems like a very pleasant sort of fellow,” Dr. Wilkens stated once Wesley was out of earshot, “I liked him.”

 Oceana didn't reply, but her mind was racing with thoughts about the young sailor. To her own great surprise, she found herself hoping that he would show up at the engagement ball. Why exactly, Oceana couldn’t explain herself, but there was something about him that was quite unlike anyone she had ever met. Even though she knew his was a face she had never seen before, something in his clear, happy, dark brown eyes that reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t quite place who.