#samplesunday of THE MERS, Mermaid Dystopian

Shore 

The little things always stood out to Mira, like when Edith smiled with her lips yet hated with her eyes, or when Nerin used to say they were friends but always with a hint of mystery in his tone. Mira noticed something now, too. Poseidon moved toward them, a tinge off balance, with hesitant motion on his left side and well aimed direction on his right.  

Something about him was different. 

As he got closer and closer, Mira gripped onto the edge of the rail with her hands turned behind her. Ethan  slid next to her and both shrunk as the man appeared more like a wild animal released from a cage. 

“I see my training is earning you both your powers,” The King lifted his chin. “And I hope you understand the importance of using these gifts for your family,” his eyes pierced Mira and then Ethan, “because if you don’t realize it yet, any insubordination will cost you not only your own life but the lives of your friends.” 

Nodding, Mira quickly agreed. What turned him so suspicious all of a sudden? Then as Mira asked herself the question, she noticed the chest full of the hidden potions tipped over. Surely from the Greystorm waves. The potions gone, and the chest empty. 

Opening up his wrinkled and worn hands, Poseidon caught Mira’s attention with all the bottles. “Explain to me what these were doing in the chest? Poseidon didn’t look forgiving. 

Ethan jerked between the King and Mira to answer, “We thought we needed more power to defeat the rebellious Mers.”

“Then why keep it a secret?” Poseidon growled, his wet tunic sticking to his skin.  

“It wasn’t a secret...it was...spur of the moment,” Ethan defended them, and Mira nodded, trying not to appear guilty. 

Poseidon stood, searching their body language, their expressions, anything to reveal their betrayal. But one thing Mira had gotten used to over this adventure was  learning to lie. In fact, she had gotten so good at it, she began to scare herself. With Ethan to uphold their story, all she needed to do was look innocent and sweet. Pouting her lips, batting her lashes, and furrowing her brow to show confusion would secure the deal. “Very well, then,” Poseidon squinted his eyes, which meant he didn’t completely believe them, but would overlook this infraction for now. “One potion each. I’m holding onto the rest.” 

“Smoke,” Ethan reached his hands out to his father and grabbed the silver bottle. Mira picked up on the cue and saw her chance to retain at least one magic flask. 

“Kaboom,” Mira grabbed the gold bottle from his hands before he had time to disagree. 

“Very good children, quick to make decisions,” Poseidon applauded as the bald Pirate grimaced behind the King. He didn’t like the fact the kids held spells in their hands, bad enough they could cast them from their minds. 

Resting in the quarters below deck, the two spent the last of their unfettered time washing up and redressing in warm, dry clothing. As the war vessel pushed over the waves, hours passed and the morning sun glistened before the sea water shone like a thousand emeralds. They would arrive soon. 

The closer the ship got to Liberty Shore, the more intense Mira’s stare became. She eagerly watched the horizon, her forehead pressed against the bottom-deck window and her nose pressed against the glass; she didn’t even notice when mouth-air fogged her vision. 

Someone tapped her from behind. Startled, she jerked her head around. Ethan. His soft eyes fell over her face with inquiry, searching for the tiny flake of land they could both barely see from the window.

“Do you see anything yet?” Ethan questioned. His hand pressed down on her shoulder, but not as a means of comfort, more to help him see out of the window. 

“I...I can’t be sure yet. We’re still too far away.”

“Do you think Meredith and the others are safe?” Ethan began to worry. Mira swallowed her fears and decided to be strong. 

“Yes, for sure,” She nodded with her words, convicted. She couldn’t bear to imagine any other scenario, one where Nerin might end up...heaven forbid, dead. 

“For sure,” Ethan repeated and they glued themselves to the only window, watching as the land came more into view. Neither could be sure, but when they looked at Liberty Shore, they could distinctly see a set of bobbing figures on the docks. 

Minutes passed and the vessel drew closer; the shadowy figures became more clear...“Oh, God, are some of them still there!?” Mira hit her hand on the window. “Go! Run!” She shouted to deaf ears.

“They can’t hear you,” Ethan corrected. 

“We have to do something!” Mira squealed.   

“What?” Ethan raised a brow and then frowned. “If we try something now...we WILL get caught. There are too many people aboard the ship. We have to stick to the plan.”

The plan, right. The plan Ethan and Mira went over at night when they were at the castle. That plan. But Mira couldn’t think rationally, she could only see Nerin standing on the dock and a bullet from the war vessel slamming right into him.

“No! We must protect them!” Mira squirmed out from under Ethan and managed to run through the corridor before Ethan grabbed her and wrapped her in his thick arms. 

“No, we stay here. Nerin knew Poseidon would come. He has a plan up his sleeve too, I know it,” Ethan encouraged as Mira struggled out his grip. 

“I can’t just let them die,” Mira squirmed under his arms, but Ethan would not release his grip. She couldn’t determine wether Ethan’s action’s resulted because of a care for her, or because a determination to fulfill the plan.

Suddenly, they heard a BANG shoot out from the ship’s bow! Ethan, surprised, loosed his grip and looked around. Mira took the opportunity to escape. She hit her elbow into Ethan’s side, allowing herself to be freed and then rushed up to the front of the ship. Wind pushed her stark red hair back while her blue silk dress billowed. 

She stood there staring, almost paralyzed in grief as Ethan bounced up behind her. Too late. Bullets shot out of the canons hitting the docks, crashing them into the ocean below as more metal pellets ricocheted through the small, wet village.  

Her entire village, or what was left of it since the last Greystorm, crumbled before her eyes. Nothing remained. “Noooooo!” She screamed, but her sorrow became muffled under the cacophonous firing and sinister laughter of Poseidon. Ethan held onto each shoulder from behind as if he could keep her from falling apart, lashing out, or simply giving up. 

After the first set of firing ceased, Poseidon waved his hand as he commanded his troops. “Into the villages and shoot anything that moves!” A merciless warrior, Poseidon left nothing living in the towns he plundered, not even the animals. And he left no stone unturned. 

Turning to Mira, Poseidon lied, “Don’t worry I’m sure your friends are fine.” 

Practically carrying Mira, Ethan pulled her away from the bow; she didn’t need to see this up close. Dragging her down the flight of stairs leading under the deck, Ethan slid the door to her quarters open and gently laid her on the cot.

“Don’t think about it. Your friends are fine. Your family is fine. When all this is over, we will accomplish our plan and Poseidon will be no more.”

Tears fell from her eyes, turning the usual grey-blue into a midnight blue. Soaking her pillow case, she laid her reddened cheeks over the sheets as she sobbed and Ethan caressed her back. 

What felt like hours to Mira, but perhaps had only been twenty minutes, ended when she heard Poseidon in the corridor arguing with the bald Pirate below deck. 

“What do you mean they are not there! What were my canons shooting at!” Poseidon growled.

“Sir, the Mers evidently tied up rows of swordfish and clad them with clothing. We hit fish, sir, fish!” 

“Damn those Mers! They knew of our arrival...and only two others knew we would come here! MIRA!” he shouted, his rage echoing through the hall, and vibrating through Mira’s veins like poison. 

Jumping from the cot, she recomposed herself and Ethan helped to dry her tears. Pinching her cheeks, Ethan finished the disguise. 

“Now take a deep breath,” Ethan guided. Mira breathed in heavily and as she let her breath out, Poseidon slid her door open.

“MIRA!”

“Yes, father,” She never called him that, but she had to use all of her tricks now.

“Don’t give me that...father!” He rolled his eyes. “You warned the Mers about our coming here!”

“No, I didn’t,” Mira moved backward to her cot, the King moving toward her, the space between the two of them shrinking.

“They knew we would come! They are not here! In place of their despicable bodies, we have swordfish!” Poseidon fumed.

“I...”

“Don’t lie to me!” Poseidon yelled, clasping his palm around her neck. Mira’s life teetered in the balance of Poseidon’s merciless hands, and she sensed lies might cause him to do it...to kill her.

“OK! I told them,” she gasped out. She felt his intense grip ease and she was able speak. She reasoned a partial truth might hold up against him. “But...but that was before I realized what side I was on, before you revealed to me what I was...a mermaid, and that we are better than them, that we do deserve the waters and lands. We are the next wave of life,” she sounded so convinced that even Ethan had to give her a second look.

Resting his glare on Mira, Poseidon let go of her, causing her to fall on the back. His loud bark was soothed, “So how do you plan on making up for this mishap?” he questioned with a fine, thin stretched lip. 

“The Mers knew we would arrive on shore, and so must have left Liberty Shore to head further inward. There are towns built closer inland and more Mers to be found.”

“More enemies...but that means there is more dry land to conquer. Good, I will send the rest of my soldiers inland and be rid of these Mers, once and for all,” Poseidon almost looked proud of Mira’s decision to turn on her friends. Betrayal was a useful trait among the royals. 

At the clanging sound of the King’s leather boots fading at his departure of the room, Mira sighed. Ethan helped her stand up straight.

“Close call,” Ethan whispered. “And clever...that will lead his men further away from the ship, giving us the time we need.”

“What if I can’t do it?” Mira stood like a deer in head-lights. For the first time she began to feel as though she was not strong enough. What if she couldn’t save her family or her friends?

“Can’t do it! Mira he could have killed you, would have killed you if you didn’t think fast on your feet,” Ethan fought.

“But but he is still my....father,” Mira looked down to the floor, the truth, however unbearable, was still true.

“He didn’t try to protect you when you were sent away with Meredith. He suspected Edith would try to harm you, but he cared more about watching out for himself. He had no reason to believe you would be useful to him until you turned up at our castle, humming. Then he knew, then we all knew. You had the gift, too!”

“You mean...he only wants my gift.”

“Yes, Mira. He wants to use your gift for his own benefit. Mine too. For a long time, I made myself believe he cared about someone other than himself. But he doesn’t. Never did. Never could. Look at where he put his wife of thirty years, in a cell. He is only using us, and if we don’t stop him, no one will be able to.” 

“But...” 

“Think of Nerin, Nerissa. Your Mer parents. Do you really think he will spare their lives after he has what he wants?”

Staring at the floor, Mira knew the truth. Poseidon would spare nothing. 

“If you want your family and friends to live, we have to stop him.” 

“All right,” Mira nodded and stood up straight. Her chin rose and confidence exuded every pore. “Let’s do this.” 

   

#SampleSunday (The Invasion of 2020)

CHP 1

Meteors

Fourth of July, 2020

Somewhere in the dense forests of the Kenai Lake in Alaska, strobes of colorful light flashed across the grey fogged skies, one red light descending toward a lone ranger wanting to catch a glimpse of the firework spectacle. Stumbling and then falling, he scraped his knee as his brown cap tumbled to the ground.

“Damn. What the hell was that?!” The strobe etched his skin, burning his arm. Intent on the intrusion, the ranger hawk-eyed the ball of spitting photons as he felt the extreme level of heat emitting from the strayed light...and then as if guided by itself, the light then turned on the man like a rabid animal, darting at his chest.

With a few heavy, quick breaths, the ranger sensed danger. Not the kind of danger he ever experienced confronted by wolves or bears, but a danger unknown and uncertain. 

Racing past the dying campfire he had set hours earlier, the last of the embers took a crackling breath. Quiet, the woods offered more than entertainment, they offered sanctuary. But tonight, they only brought fear. Darkness consumed the forest as the fire drew on the last of oxygen and the ranger felt as if he took his last breath too; hyperventilating, he couldn’t see and something was out there. Something that wanted him dead?

The only sound, a light buzz of the strobe and the only thing visible, a splattered flash here and there of red. 

“What the hell are you?” he commented under his breath as he felt mesmerized, paralyzed and panicked all at once. Buzzing again, the strobe rushed toward him, scraping against his leg and burning his pants. “Damn it! 

Fleeing from the dead campfire, the ranger plodded over thick grass and dashed through heavy foliage, dodging branches  and trees with his sense of touch and memory. Several more steps and the red strobe stopped him in his tracks as it descended in front of him before his eyes. Blinking like erratic traffic lights, the strobe began to spin, a whizzing noise emanating from its quickened motion. 

Jumping away from the light, the ranger darted up the grassy path leading uphill. The further the ranger climbed, the closer he should be coming to his vehicle. But upon the top of the hill, and in the dark, he noticed he had climbed too early. His jeep sat still many yards away from him. 

“Have to get to the next hill.” The man grumbled as the red enemy pushed past the trees, branches, fog, and grass and confronted the man yet again. “What do you want?!” he screamed out of more fear than inquiry. “Stay away from me!” 

But the light persisted. 

Each movement the strobe took forward, the man moved back...until the man inched his way to the edge of a cliff. Waves from the lake crashed up against the rocky descent and the sound of them breaking on the rocks set a rush of goosebumps up the ranger’s spine. 

Fueled by fear, the man teetered on the balance between falling and standing, his boots resting on the ledge like a crazed tight-rope acrobat. “Get away from me! What do you want!” he shouted again, pushing his hands outward in a ‘stop’ position. 

But the strobe pressed forward, the heat glazing over the man’s face and body, the buzzing ringing in his ears, the adrenaline pumping his blood. Stepping backward, the ranger felt the balance fall into the enemies favor and his feet slipped out from underneath him. 

Plummeting to the abyss below, his body caught the waves and washed out to sea.   

* * *    

    

The same night, on the beaches of the Kenai Lake, Uri Petrov and Julia Smart, his girlfriend of two years, sat on the white crystal like sand. Both wore faded blue jeans and sat with legs crossed over each other. Fingers twined, they occasionally exchanged glances as they admired the fireworks in the sky. Students anticipated the Fourth of July firework show, and most drove several hours from Anchorage to get there.

A gray summer evening popped with colors and blared like a loud horn from the crackling and sometimes vibrating acoustics of the fireworks. Yellows, reds, blues, purples, oranges, silvers and more saturated the evening sky like an exploding rainbow.

Turning to Uri, Julia pressed her lips on his rough cheek before speaking. “The show is spectacular; better than I thought.”

“What you think? I take you to boring place?” Uri cracked a joke in his heavy Russian accent and broken English. But nothing about him touched Julia in a rigid, broken way. To her, he was perfect. Rustic. Robust. Usually with stubble on his chin.

Combing her long strands of curly, blonde hair, something he rarely saw in Russia, her icy blue eyes watched his, waiting for him to draw close to her. Like the storm on the ocean, Julia seemed to Uri, crashing in like a wave just to pull back to the sea, a flowing and ebbing of emotions. He hadn’t fallen for any Russian girls as much as with Julia — perhaps it was the hair — but he loved her.

Born in St. Petersburg, his parents determined early on their son would study English in America, and relayed their wishes on his fifteenth birthday. Leaving his friends, his school, his neighborhood, that would be best for him? By his sixteenth birthday he conceded. Dreams of Uri Petrov making something more of himself than the son of a coal miner and seamstress pushed him aboard a ship bound for Anchorage, Alaska when he turned eighteen. Now at twenty-one, in his senior year at university, he couldn’t even remember what all the fuss was about then.

Sliding his right arm behind her, he yanked Julia into his warm, encasing chest and they fell upon the sandy shore. With sand rubbing between their toes, he smothered her with wet kisses and her laughter only encouraged him.

“Uri, Uri...please.” She chuckled, small white teeth showing. “I am trying to watch the firework display.”

“Ah...yes. The fireworks. American freedom and all that.” 

She rolled her eyes at him and his accent, as if she didn’t know the real reason he brought her here. And it wasn’t for the firework show.

“I want to watch, because it’s only once a year.”

“Yes...yes.” He felt chided and often did with Julia, but he liked that about her. No nonsense. Pulling a bottle of Chardonnay from his wicker basket, he popped the top and poured a glass for Julia which he kept beside the bottle in the basket.

“Thank you.”

“Ne Za Shto,” Uri finished before sipping his own glass. He used that phrase a lot with her, with his friends. She determined it meant something along the lines of no matter, or don’t worry about it, or it was nothing.

With their eyes fixed on the lights exploding above them, the sheer brilliance radiated on their faces and bodies, making their skin glow. That effect fascinated Julia and she rubbed her fingers over her tanned skin to see the strange colors return when she took her hands away.

Laughing, she responded. “Now isn’t that something?”

Uri joined in the laughter as he caressed her neck. “Da, da.”

To their left and right sat couples and groups of friends. Uri’s good pal Paul Boyette barbecued with a few of his buddies just a few yards downwind. Breezes scattered dead fireworks toward the crowd as peers blew on noise makers. Stacked beer cans waited to be discarded as soon as the show ended, and students whistled through their teeth at the start of each firework explosion. A few chose to dance about and some men ripped their T-shirts off, like gorillas gone mad.

Reggae music permeated the air and rushed over Uri and Julia, basking under the night sky. The firework show ended when the last trail of sparkling color slowly faded. Couples fell into each other’s loving arms, swaying or simply rocking each other. Sweet sounds of smacking lips saturated the air. Even Uri now could appreciate the full magnitude of bringing Julia to Kenai Lake. His friend Paul made the suggestion. 

Nestled between his thick neck and shoulder, and with legs propped outward, Julia relaxed her back in the soft sand. Her white tube-top revealed her belly button piercing. She found where she wanted to spend the night. Nothing was more serene than that moment.

Somewhere in the middle of necking, the youthful bodies shook at the loud bang resounding in the sky. More fireworks? Jerking his head skyward, Uri disturbed Julia’s comfort as her head fell backward, but the two set their eyes on the vibrant array of what appeared to be a series of shooting stars. Like cylinders comprised of various spectrums of light, the spectacle crossed the horizon and came towards them. The display marked the sky with as many colors as the firework show.

“What is it?” Julia nudged him with her shoulder.

“Meteor shower?”

“But aren’t stars...meteors...yellow?”

“I...I’m not sure.” A wrinkle broke between Uri’s brows and his left eye twitched as it did when he didn’t quite grasp something. 

“Maybe we should take pictures?” Julia jumped up and dusted the grains of sand from her pale jeans. Pulling her miniature camera out from her square silver purse, she snapped photo after photo as the stream of stars...meteors...lights...whatever they were...flooded the skies and shot across Kenai Lake, heading towards the forest.

Placing his hands over her back, he stood behind her. “You get picture you wanted?” Uri asked.

“I think so.” Julia spun toward him on her heel to let her boyfriend see the exuberance in her face. This was exciting, more entertaining than three years of university had been for her.

“Look!” Uri pointed with his right forefinger, leaning toward the uncanny sight in the distance. A glow like neon lights beamed golden and then hovered over the lake for a moment before shooting across Kenai and into the forests, disappearing.

With mesmerized attention on the blaring lights, the two took time to finally pull their focus away from the skies and noticed people standing on the beach with them, watching the lights in stunned awe. To their left and right and behind them, the sandy shores filled with curious spectators, mostly students from the University of Alaska and a few permanent residents of Kenai.

A few couples spoke in the background. “Is this part of the firework show?” a female voice asked.

“No, no,” a male with a deep voice answered. “This is...those are shooting stars.”

“They are not,” another female interjected. “That is a meteor shower.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” the male retorted.

“No.” The female stomped her foot. “They are completely different.”

“I don’t think so,” the male’s voice commented.

Between the man and woman bickering, Uri threw his arm around Julia’s neck and motioned her forward. Wanting to step away from the soon-to-be-argument and hoping to catch a better glimpse of the lights shooting across the skies, Uri strolled with Julia along the shoreline with their bare feet getting wet by the lapping shore.

“Much better,” Uri said.

“Yes.” Julia pinched her lips together in a strange contorted pucker, caught between holding in a laugh and preparing to kiss him. His ability to disengage from the world around him amused her. Forget the crowd, heck, even forget the unique sky lights. Uri only wanted one thing, and that was to spend time with her.

“You warm enough?” Uri asked as he rubbed his hands over her back, leading up to the nape of her neck.

Nodding, she just about rested her head on his shoulder again before another light, a purple-white strobe, flashed across the sky. Hovering for a few seconds several yards above them, the purple-white light then blasted toward the thicket of trees and disappeared behind the web of branches and spruce.

“What do you imagine that was?” Julia lingered, her left foot teetering between moving forward and heading back. A tall man with tousled brunet hair stood to their left, holding the hand of his girlfriend. Overhearing, he felt compelled to answer.

“Aliens. They’ve come.” His scratchy voice made the words more ominous.

Turning his head toward the man, Uri sputtered, “A...aliens? What you smoking?” The Russian accent took a moment to register before the man responded.

“You’ve never seen the little green men?”

“Green men?” Uri guffawed, gripping his belly, unable to control his laughter. Julia smiled at the man as she tried to hold Uri up straight with the brace of her arms.

“This is not a joke.” The man grew defensive, his dark brow arched.

“A joke...a good joke.” Uri nodded with an inviting smile, in the way that said you are a friend. Shaking his head, the man turned to his girlfriend who rubbed her temples.

“Let’s just go home,” she suggested.

“Home, sweetie!? This place is perfect to see them coming!” Both agitation and excitement crossed his face, as if he couldn’t make up his mind which emotion made more sense for him. But leave? He couldn’t leave now. With a sigh from the girlfriend, everyone knew who won that discussion. 

Yanking Uri forward with her arm underneath his, Julia guided him away from the couple and farther down the shoreline. The silence didn’t last long before someone jumped up behind Uri and grabbed his shoulder.

“Wait up!” Paul declared. Uri turned, seeing the hopeful eyes of his best friend. The fashion-challenged business major who he met his first year at university sighed.

With his foot sinking in the wet sand, Uri glared at his friend. “Paul?” Uri sounded disgruntled. “What you want?” That was Uri’s way of saying go away. Paul knew this, but these lights were too mysterious to enjoy without his best friend — the guy who did everything bordering illegal with him.

“Isn’t this something!?” Paul raked his thin piano fingers through his dirty blond hair. He frequently played piano when he wasn’t studying for his business classes. Blue eyes fixed on Uri and widened.

Squirming, Uri couldn’t make up his mind what he wanted more, fulfilling his curiosity about the lights or his curiosities about Julia. The latter seemed more relevant to his life and he curled his lip under in answer, like an angry mutt.

“Aura Borealis more bright. Light shows all year round.” Uri waved his hands and began to walk away from Paul.

“No, no...not like this.” Paul gripped his shoulder. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Is this only happening on the Kenai Lake?” Julia inquired to no one in particular.

Uri kicked a pebble on the wet sand. Now, Paul drew his girlfriend into the craziness. The lake already soaked in curious whispers and awe-struck citizens. She didn’t need to be added to the bunch. Up and down the beach, flashes from cameras marked this event permanently. The images were burned forever into the minds of the spectators.

“I’m going to call my sis in Anchorage. Maybe she knows.” Paul flipped his cell open and after a few rings began to talk. “Are you seeing this light show?...No, no, no...not the fireworks...the...the meteor shower?” he asked with a strong question, because he wasn’t sure what kind of lights these were. “Yeah, some kind of shooting stars for the past twenty minutes....all kinds of colors. Purple, silver, gold, red, yellow, blue....Nothing? Turn on your television, anything?” He waited a minute before responding, his eyes searching the skies above him. “Really? I’ve got to show you these pictures. Later.” Click, the phone shut off and he snapped another image before turning to Uri.

“What did she say?” Julia questioned.

“She didn’t know what I was talking about. There is nothing on the news and she hasn’t seen anything but fireworks in Anchorage.”

“But wouldn’t it be rare that a meteor shower would be seen all over the state?” Julia stated.

“I don’t know.” Paul shrugged. “But this sure is interesting.”

Slipping his phone into his back pocket, Paul looked skyward again, as did all eyes on the Kenai Lake. Silence fell over the shore, whispers quieted and then a rush of awe. Even Uri turned away from Julia for a moment to see what brought on such a reaction.

Twenty lights of various colors darted across the evening sky at once, and without a sound. Then all the lights disappeared behind the trees as quickly as they began. The lake sat silent and empty for ten minutes with students and residents just standing, staring, hoping a light would return and spark up the sky again. But nothing. Then ten more minutes passed and the spectators grew restless, packed up their things and headed to their cars.

“Do you think the lights will come back?” Julia asked Uri with puppy dog eyes. And how could he refuse her?

“Certainly.” He squeezed her shoulders. The three turned away from the water and toward the parking lot up the hill.

#sample sunday (The MERS)

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  Poseidon’s Secrets  

The next day, the three awoke before the sun rose and hurried out of the lighthouse, making certain to seal the door. Nerin and Nerissa hung out along the shoreline. They enjoyed the smell of the sea and the fishery provided good cover. There were all kinds of toys and knick-knacks to hide behind or inside of, if needed. Besides, Mira had her hands full with Ethan. 

Meeting at Poseidon’s Secrets, Mira arrived later than Ethan. She noticed his strong Artisto features as he leaned against the front wall. His silver tunics and metallic robes fluttered around him. He appeared to her like a young man coming from the ocean’s waves.

“Got here before me, I see,” Mira panted after her swift walk from the shore.

“I’m excited to see you made it,” The king’s son said gripping her elbow. “Are you full of more questions for me today?”

Giggling, Mira blew off the comment. She didn’t want him to know she merely used him for information; it would raise suspicion. “Care to go inside?” She asked with a tilt of her head. She noticed the sunlight glistening over his robes. “Sure, after you.” He gestured for her to walk in front. The store still appeared as dim as ever, with a musty smell. She guessed the owner didn’t believe in bright light. Shawls hung over the entryway and kept most sun rays from entering. 

Each careful step led her to an item that ignited either fear or righteous anger. The smell of the soaps stunk of Mer skin. She couldn’t shake the scent that lingered with her. 

  Wigs hanging from the ceiling only reminded her of how little humans valued Mer life. She could imagine Nerissa in one of the wigs, Nerin in the other, her own parents...Marina and Zale. Remembering how tender her father always treated her, she lowered her head in sadness of everything around her. He would never -never- treat these humans the way they had treated her people. Chills ran down her spine. She couldn’t shake how sick she felt, like poison from a rattlesnake slowly coursing its way through her veins. Mother would be so disappointed in this world, and Mira began to doubt for the first time if coming here had been the right decision. 

What were mother and father doing now? Did they miss her as much as she missed them?

She spun around, trying to shake how much she missed home off of her as her arms wrapped around her waist. Then, she bumped into Ethan again, head-to-head. 

Laughing, he exclaimed, “Warn me next time. You have a tendency to to wander away!”   

“Sorry...” Mira headed to the front desk. She contemplated how she could learn more. If she had to suffer this unsavory environment, at the very least she could answer some nagging questions, “How often do you get shipments in of Mer goods?” Mira asked the owner. 

His disheveled appearance only marked his commoner status.  “Each month we get new goods. It is the Pirates’ contribution to the city.” 

“You can say that again,” Ethan snuck up behind her. “Pirates are either bringing us Mers or causing havoc on Remnantville.” 

“Havoc?” Mira pried.

“Remember last month when they brought their last shipment?” Ethan rested his arm on the counter. 

Chuckling, the owner joined in on the incident, now the town joke. “Sure do.”

“Two Pirates carried a Mer prisoner in shackles to the center of town. They thought they had him secure,” Covering his mouth with his hand, Ethan let out a laugh. “But obviously they had not. That headstrong Mer broke the iron chains. How, we will never know, and proceeded to race around town with every pirate after him.” 

“What finally happened?” Mira bit her lip, hoping for a happy ending for the Mer.

“The Mer was stabbed, wasting his eyes and hair. The blade went through the back of his head and ruined any chance for a wig or amulets.” 

Mira stood, silenced. She wanted to react to hearing of the brutal incident that could have involved Nerin or any of her loved ones, but she couldn’t let her sympathies show. Zale had warned her about the Pirates on many occasions. “You have to be tough," her father warned. Keep a strong spirit. 

Holding in her desire to defend the Mers, she managed  to turn her grimace into an awkward smile and changed the subject, “I guess you get a lot of business here?” Mira pointed to the most dazzling amulet with a yellow-orange hue. Unlike most of the eyes that shone yellow, this one glowed slightly different. 

“I do very well, thanks to the Aristos,” the owner commented, handing the amulet to her. After laying the necklace across the counter, Mira touched the glass that held the eyes and felt a distinct shock, like electricity, run through her veins. 

Jolted back, she landed into Ethan’s arms, “Gotcha.” 

“Geez, sorry again.” 

“Don’t worry about it; I have that effect on women,” Ethan joked, making Mira smile. Inside, however, she wondered why she had such a reaction to all the Mer paraphernalia. She grew up with the Mers. That much was certain. She loved the Mers, but could that alone be the reason she felt the eyes calling to her, shocking her? The reason that the smells of dead Mer hair and skin made her mind foggy and dizzy?    

“Do you want to get out of here?” Mira moved her slim form toward the door, feeling nauseated. 

“Sure.” His eyes conveyed something that Mira couldn’t quite figure out, something that made her all the more curious and nervous.

Strolling along the road, the Commoners were neatly tucked away inside their assigned shops while the streets remained bare. Good fortune to find the streets empty as that gave more time for Mira and her friends to go unnoticed. 

But Nerin and Nerissa chose to stay near the lighthouse, and from the looks of it, the fishery remained busy all day. Mira briefly wondered how her friends managed, but the sound of Ethan’s shuffling steps drew her back to him.

“I’ve been meaning to ask...I know I should know this as they teach it in school...and I don’t want to sound dumb...” Mira batted her long lashes in his direction.

“Go ahead, what is it?”

“Well, I couldn’t remember why...and probably because I was not paying much attention when we covered this, but why there are so few children?” She tried to convey an apologetic tone and hoped he didn’t notice her terrible attempt at lying.

“Oh, is that all?” Ethan grew lightheartedly, “I thought you would ask me why the maps my father sketched are not in the geography books in class.” He shook his shoe, releasing a pebble caught inside the textured sole. 

“Oh...well, that is a good question, too.” Mira looked up at him.

“Well as we’ve seen over time, many commoner children, and some Aristo children are born with webbed features. Every year there are more of them,” his face expressed repugnance, “Twenty-years ago when Remantville was formed, the Magi warned us that, we would be wise to take care of the mutated children by returning them to the sea before the Mers grew in number and consumed our only lands.” 

Mira cringed and instinctively almost blurted, “Good God!” But she stopped herself. 

“But with such few children left, who will be left to repopulate?” Mira crinkled her brows.

“There are enough children. Besides, the best of us, the Aristos, have more unaffected human children every day. We don’t need the commoner’s young.” 

“Right,” That had become Mira’s new favorite word. After all, nothing an Aristo said was wrong. She was sure that was some unspoken rule. Only Commoners could be wrong. Forbidden to do what they wanted; forbidden to enjoy the luxuries of Mer goods and upper class living. With such class distinctions, with such control, the Aristos wielded over the Commoners, it was not shocking the Commoners did not know who the Mers really were.  

The travesty of giving children who possessed Mer features back to the seas due to superstitious beliefs boggled Mira’a mind. Marina saved her, desperate for a child of her own. Why would anyone throw such life away? 

But no one proved more superstitious than who she ran into next.

Standing beside the corner wall of the a pearl structure, Mira longed to pry more information from Ethan’s brain, but didn’t want to push. She, an Aristo, should certainly know such things. She must find it out alone. 

Her fingertips grazed the smooth, slippery rounded beads outlining the revered constructs, and at the sight of the pearly embossed A.C.H., Mira finally made sense of the abbreviation: Aristo City Hall. 

Apparently, one A.C.H. would not be enough for Remnantville. The Aristos had such egos they needed one A.C.H. every several blocks. Or maybe they had such large numbers, they needed many meeting halls? Mira decided the reason must be the former. That conclusion made sense with her observation of many Commoners, opposed to the six Aristos as of yet.  

Rounding the pearl A.C.H., she stopped at the sight of an unearthly darkness, an ominous panther-black tent. Smoke rose from the base and slithered out like snakes through the thin creases and openings. Curious, Mira quickened her step, moving away from Ethan. 

“Where are you going?” He called out with cracking treble, but her stance remained fixed; she was determined to find out what laid underneath the tent fabric. She sensed something sinister, but curiosity dominated any fears. Sliding the entry sheets to the side, she pushed her long frame inside and stood, stunned, catching whiffs of burning incense. 

Elders, garbed in muted black with grey hair tucked under silver turbans and an amulet over each of their necks, stood huddled. One tossed a wad of white powder into the air, the dust rendering them momentarily invisible, followed by a rush of chatter. Whispers permeated the air, hitting Mira head-on.

“These eyes will pull a high price from Poseidon’s Secrets.”

“Let us not forget that female Mer skin is worth much more than male Mer skin. We want to separate the genders before putting the layers into the storage facility.”

“I had a special request from the Queen herself. She wanted us to create a cure from Mer blood for her unpleasant cough.” 

“Mixed with milk or tea?”

“Milk. She says the bitter taste blends better.” 

Shrinking away, Mira grabbed the sheet, her form still in the entryway. Sick to her stomach she felt dizzy with anger. She wanted to throw up, scream, and hit something all at the same time. How could anyone treat a Mer that way? Like some kind of fish! But as she stepped backward, she crashed into a rounded table and knocked over an amulet, smashing the glass against the hard dirt floor. All eyes veered to her.

“What did you do!?”

“Who are you!?”

Questions pounded in her brain, and to be honest, she couldn’t answer without stumbling over her words. Who was she? She hardly knew. A human? A Mer? An Aristo? Something else? Something more? She certainly felt more than human. Her connection to the Mers felt more than human. And why could she suddenly hear better and smell better than she ever did on Liberty Shore?

One of the men with a finely combed beard that reached his chest seized her arm and jerked her toward the huddled assembly, “Look what you did! How will you pay for this, you careless girl!?” 

Her cheeks burned hot, and then Ethan glided in, pulling off his cap and revealing his stark-red hair cropped around the ears but dangling to his shoulders.

“Prince Ethan,” the men wooed. 

“We had no idea you’d be visiting us today.”

“Come to pick up the elixir for your mother? We need a bit more time.” 

Ethan cleared his throat, “No, no. I’m with Mira.” He placed his hand over the scared girl’s shoulder, and the angered man released her.

“We are so sorry. No idea she was with you.”

“Accept our apologies.”

“No need to mention our discourtesy to your father, the King?” The man swallowed a bitter mouthful of pride. 

Mira absorbed everything like a sponge, the reactions were almost fearful of Ethan, of the King. 

Then Ethan waved his hand at them, forgiving their atrocity, and the six men bowed before Ethan exited with Mira on his arm. 

“What was that all about?” Ethan looked agitated.

“I...I wanted to take a peek.”

“At the Magi’s magic? You know that is forbidden, even for Aristos. Only the royal family has rights to see the magic.”

“Right,” but her agreement didn’t fool him this time, if it ever had. 

“You’re not really from here, are you?” Ethan said pointedly. 

“I...I’m” Mira considered revealing the truth. He protected her from the Magi; he acted like a friend. But then, she did appear human. Remembering the disgust in his voice as he spoke about the Mers, she re-thought her decision. “I’m from the north, Washington state.”

“Come to our humble abode to learn?” Ethan nudged her with a grin.

“Something like that. My Grandmother really does need some gauze and we have little of it in Washington.” She considered staying close to her initial lies would be best, because she didn’t want to explain why she’d really come here.

“Well, why did you lie to me?” Ethan looked dumbfounded as if no one -not a single soul- had ever lied to him before Mira. 

“I was new here and wasn’t sure who I could trust.” 

“Then I guess it is best to bring you to where this town was founded.”

“Where would that be?”

“My home.” 

Nervous excitement bundled up inside her. She would meet the King, the man with maps of land, the man who ruled this town. Oh, God! She could not go back now.