Romance with the Cursed Siren

CHAPTER 22. Genuine Friend

“Crystal! Thank goodness I found you! I’ve been looking for you the entire day!”

Pearl’s worried voice echoed beneath the enormous Creekwood Bridge as she carefully climbed down the rocky slope near the seawater below. The bridge connected the main part of the city to another district across the sea, and because of the strong currents underneath, civilians were prohibited from going down there.

Yet somehow, Pearl ended up there.

Maybe it was luck.

Or maybe the stars truly guided her to Crystal.

“I honestly thought you already left the city,” she added breathlessly while carefully stepping across the slippery rocks.

The dim lights from the bridge posts barely reached the dark corner where Crystal sat.

Curled up on a large rock, Crystal hugged her knees tightly against her chest. Her soaked dress clung heavily to her trembling body while strands of wet curly hair covered most of her face. She looked cold, exhausted, and completely broken.

“Stay away from me,” Crystal muttered weakly without lifting her head.

Pearl sighed softly and ignored the warning completely.

Instead, she slowly sat beside her.

“How are you feeling?” she asked gently.

Crystal finally lifted her face a little.

Her eyes were swollen and red from endless crying.

“I’m not okay,” she answered in a shaky voice. “I’m starving.”

Pearl’s expression instantly softened.

“Wait—I brought something.”

She quickly opened her bag and searched through it before pulling out a chocolate snack bar.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here, but I bought snacks just in case.”

She tore the wrapper open and handed it to Crystal.

Crystal didn’t hesitate even for a second.

She grabbed it immediately and took a huge bite.

Pearl couldn’t help smiling faintly while watching her eat desperately in the darkness.

“You really were hungry,” she whispered sympathetically.

Then she reached into her bag again and pulled out a folded sundress along with a fresh pack of underwear.

“And here,” Pearl continued softly. “You should change into dry clothes before you get sick.”

But the moment Crystal slowly turned her gaze toward her, Pearl suddenly froze awkwardly.

“Oh… right…” she mumbled nervously.

She scratched the back of her neck.

“I mean… do sirens even get cold?”

Crystal blinked slowly at her.

“You stayed in the water for so long, so maybe your body is already used to it?” Pearl continued awkwardly. “Or maybe not? Honestly, I have absolutely no idea how sirens work.”

Crystal stared at her silently for a few moments before quietly asking—

“Why are you doing this?”

Pearl looked at her sincerely.

“I told you already,” she answered softly. “I just want to help.”

Crystal lowered her eyes again.

“But you can’t,” she whispered sadly. “No one can.”

Pearl leaned back slightly against the rock while the cold ocean breeze passed beneath the bridge.

“Maybe I can’t fix everything,” she admitted honestly. “But I’d rather try helping you than leave you alone suffering.”

Silence settled between them for a while, accompanied only by the distant crashing of waves against the rocks.

Then Pearl slowly reached for Crystal’s cold hand.

“Crystal… don’t be afraid of me.”

Crystal looked at her quietly.

“I’ve loved the ocean since I was little,” Pearl began softly. “My father used to take me diving almost every weekend. We explored coral reefs, underwater caves, and deep waters where schools of fish swam around us.”

A nostalgic smile appeared on her lips.

“Sometimes we’d stay underwater for hours just admiring how beautiful everything was.”

Crystal listened silently.

“We traveled to different countries too,” Pearl continued. “Mostly to visit marine sanctuaries and help with outreach programs about protecting the ocean.”

Then she sighed sadly.

“But no matter how much awareness people spread, there are still many who continue destroying the sea.”

She shook her head disappointedly.

“Which is heartbreaking because everyone depends on the ocean whether they realize it or not.”

Crystal slowly lifted her eyes toward her.

“I devoted most of my life protecting marine life,” Pearl said sincerely. “And now I’m teaching my daughter to love and respect the ocean too, hoping she’ll continue my father’s legacy someday.”

Then she smiled warmly.

“So trust me when I say this…”

She gently squeezed Crystal’s hand.

“I would never hurt you.”

Crystal’s expression weakened.

“Gabriel told me almost the same thing,” she whispered painfully. “But he still betrayed me.”

“But I’m not Gabriel,” Pearl quickly replied. Then suddenly, she straightened up dramatically and extended her hand toward Crystal with a playful smile.

“So…” she said cheerfully, “friends?”

Crystal blinked in confusion.

“Friends?”

“Yes!” Pearl answered brightly. “Real friends don’t abandon each other.”

Crystal’s eyes dimmed again.

“But Gabriel did.”

Pearl frowned slightly.

“Then maybe he was never truly your friend to begin with.”

Crystal stared at her hand quietly.

Then, in the softest voice—

“Could you really be my friend?”

Pearl’s entire face brightened instantly.

“It would honestly make me very happy.”

For the first time that night, a faint smile appeared on Crystal’s lips.

Eventually, Pearl convinced Crystal to temporarily stay at her house.

After changing into dry clothes. Crystal looked far more comfortable now. At least she no longer appeared like someone freezing to death beneath the bridge.

As Pearl drove through the quiet streets of Creekwood, she kept stealing curious glances at Crystal.

“I still can’t believe any of this is real,” she admitted softly while focusing on the road.

Crystal quietly stared outside the window at the passing city lights.

Without Pearl even asking further questions, Crystal slowly began telling her story.

She spoke about the curse, the hidden island, her parents, her life between two worlds and Gabriel.

And how everything fell apart the night bandits attacked the island.

Pearl listened in stunned silence the entire time.

“I seriously thought Roxanne was just imagining things when she said she saw a fishtail,” Pearl muttered while shaking her head.

Crystal looked at her.

“My daughter told me yesterday that you had a beautiful tail underwater,” Pearl explained. “I thought she was just making up stories.”

She exhaled deeply.

“I spent my whole life believing sirens were nothing but myths old people used to tell children.”

Then she glanced toward Crystal again.

“But now there’s literally one sitting beside me in my car.”

Crystal awkwardly lowered her gaze.

“I’ve been diving for more than ten years,” Pearl continued. “Yet somehow I never encountered someone like you underwater.”

Suddenly, Crystal’s stomach growled loudly.

Both of them froze.

A second later, Pearl burst out laughing.

“Well,” she teased, “that confirms snack bars are definitely not enough for sirens.”

Crystal looked embarrassed.

Pearl chuckled warmly.

“Alright, let’s get you real food.”

But then she suddenly paused and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Crystal.

Crystal blinked.

“What?”

Pearl pointed dramatically at her.

“Don’t tell me you eat raw fish underwater.”

Crystal’s eyes widened in pure horror.

“Of course not!” she exclaimed immediately. “Fish are part of our kind! I’m not some terrifying sea monster!”

Pearl immediately laughed harder.

“Okay! Sorry!”

“Sirens eat seaweed and underwater plants,” Crystal explained while grimacing in disgust. “But honestly… they taste awful.”

Pearl laughed again.

“That actually sounds believable.”

But Crystal’s expression slowly turned sad afterward.

“Every day after my switch,” she whispered softly, “My Da always prepared warm meals for me when I got home.”

Her lips trembled slightly. “I miss them so much.”

Pearl’s smile faded.

“I hope they’re okay,” Crystal added quietly.

Pearl tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

“They will be,” she assured firmly. “Tomorrow we’ll rent a boat and return to the island.”

Crystal slowly looked at her hopefully.

“And we’ll report everything to the police too,” Pearl added.

“They can help rescue your parents.”

Crystal frowned slightly.

“Police?” she repeated innocently. “The humans who capture criminals?”

Pearl nodded.

“Yes.”

“But my parents aren’t criminals.”

“I know,” Pearl answered gently. “But the people who kidnapped them are.”

Crystal stayed quiet for a moment while processing everything.

“Don’t worry,” Pearl continued reassuringly. “Everything will be okay. Trust me.”

“You really think they can help?”

“That’s literally their job,” Pearl answered with a wink.

Crystal slowly nodded.

A few minutes later, Pearl pulled into a fast-food drive-thru and ordered several meals.

Crystal stared at the bags in surprise.

Pearl laughed softly.

“Yes, all of that is yours.”

“Crystal!”

The moment they entered the house, Roxanne immediately ran toward her excitedly and tightly wrapped her tiny arms around Crystal’s waist.

“You came back!” the little girl exclaimed happily.

Crystal smiled softly and knelt down to match her height.

“Why are you still awake?” she asked gently. “You should already be sleeping.”

Roxanne puffed her cheeks dramatically.

“Mom promised she’d bring you back,” she said proudly.

“So I waited.”

Crystal’s heart softened instantly.

“You’re such a sweet girl.”

Pearl smiled while removing her shoes.

“Crystal, this is my younger sister, Carol,” she introduced.

“She’s in college, but since it’s summer break, she’s helping me take care of Roxanne.”

Carol smiled politely and extended her hand.

“Of course I know who you are already,” she joked lightly. “Roxanne hasn’t stopped talking about the mysterious ocean girl.”

Roxanne giggled proudly.

“She cleans underwater!”

Carol laughed softly.

“Well, welcome anyway,” she said kindly. “I hope you enjoy staying here.”

“Thank you,” Crystal answered shyly while shaking her hand.

“Alright, baby girl,” Pearl interrupted while gently fixing Roxanne’s messy hair. “Time for bed.”

Roxanne sighed dramatically before kissing Crystal’s cheek.

“Goodnight, Crystal.”

Then she kissed her mother too.

“Goodnight, Mama.”

After Roxanne disappeared into her room, Pearl turned toward Crystal.

“Come on,” she said gently. “I’ll show you your room.”

She guided Crystal back to the same room she used the previous night.

“You should rest,” Pearl explained while leaning against the doorway. “Tomorrow, before sunrise, I’ll take you back to the sea. We just need to leave early before too many people start showing up.”

Crystal quietly sat on the bed.

“Pearl?”

“Yes?”

Pearl pointed toward a pile of neatly folded clothes nearby.

“These are mine, but you can wear whatever you like,” she explained warmly. “I noticed you prefer sundresses.”

Then she grinned proudly.

Crystal looked at her emotionally.

“Thank you so much,” she whispered sincerely. “I promise I’ll repay you once my parents are safe.”

“Don’t mention it,” Pearl replied warmly. “I’m honestly happy I can help.”

Her expression softened afterward.

“I just hope tomorrow works out.”

“Me too,” Crystal whispered sadly. “Because if I lose my parents…”

Her voice cracked.

“I honestly don’t know what kind of future I’ll have anymore.”

Tears slowly filled her eyes again.

“Sometimes… I feel like dying already.”

Pearl’s face immediately turned serious.

“Hey,” she said gently while sitting beside her. “Don’t say that.”

Crystal remained silent.

“You’re not alone anymore, okay?” Pearl whispered softly.

The next morning, Pearl woke up early to fulfill her promise.

However, instead of immediately bringing Crystal to the sea, they first decided to visit the police station while Crystal still had several hours left before her transformation.

Unfortunately, the visit quickly became frustrating.

“There’s no record of an island matching your description,” the officer behind the reception desk stated lazily while barely looking at them.

Crystal and Pearl exchanged worried glances.

“And Christian Alonzo,” the officer continued dismissively, “the son of billionaire Teofilo Alonzo living on some isolated island? Impossible.”

Another officer nearby snorted quietly in amusement.

Pearl clenched her jaw.

“There’s also no public information regarding his family,” the receptionist added.

Crystal’s face slowly fell in disappointment.

“We’ll record your concern,” the officer continued halfheartedly while lazily writing something down. “And once officers become available, we’ll check the area.”

Pearl stared at him in disbelief.

Several officers behind him were literally lounging around drinking coffee.

“Seriously?” she muttered sarcastically under her breath.

Not wanting to waste any more time, the two immediately left for the harbor instead.

Thankfully, renting a boat became much easier than expected.

Mostly because of Crystal’s tears.

The tiny pearls formed from them instantly caught the boat owner’s attention.

“Where did you get these?” the man asked while examining the glowing pearls carefully beneath the sunlight.

Pearl smiled awkwardly.

“My father got them from an island years ago,” she lied smoothly. “He said they were siren tears.”

Crystal silently stared at her from behind in disbelief.

Pearl was literally using her tears as bargaining material.

“I’ve never seen pearls this beautiful before,” the man muttered while inspecting them further.

“Of course not,” Pearl bragged proudly. “You could dive underwater for an entire week and still never find pearls this shiny.”

The man sighed in defeat.

“Fine. Just return the boat tomorrow.”

“Deal!” Pearl exclaimed happily.

The moment they boarded the boat, Crystal quietly sat near the edge while staring at the ocean.

“I thought the police would help us,” she whispered sadly.

Pearl started the engine.

“Well…” she sighed honestly, “sometimes they’re disappointingly useless.”