Even Lovers Drown - GaryCato Mermaid Au

Chapter 8

"You've been reading a lot lately, huh?" Little Cato pointed out, watching his dad read the book as he ate his breakfast "what's an Aicaya anyway?"

"It's a type of merfolk" Kevin spoke up as he entered the kitchen "very rare type"

"Really?" Little Cato seemed intrigued

"Really" Kevin affirmed as he brew his coffee "I have never met one before and do not know how to find one- they're especiallyhard since they can disguise themselves as a human"

"Woah! So they're like...just around?" Little Cato asked, glancing as Avocato set down the book

"They are human" Avocato sighed, finally pushing the book away to read later

"What?" Little Cato's eyebrow quirked in confusion

"Avocato is right" Kevin sat down on the table at last "Aicaya's were originally humans"

"Wait...so were they cursed or something? Oooh! This is so cool!" The boy bounced

"I suppose so..." Kevin hummed "though I do not believe them to be real"

"Why not?" Avocato asked, he expected Kevin to be the one to believe in any merfolk

"Rare to find, were originally humans and this is the only recorded thing on them? Doesn't sound like a real thing to me" the human shrugged

"If Mr Newton was cursed would you turn into one?" The young kit gasped

"Depends on the curse?" Kevin shrugged "Aicayas aren't really cursed"

Little Cato looked at the two adults in confusion before reaching for the book to try answer things for himself

"So...this is the only book you found on Aicayas?" Avocato asked as his son flipped through the pages

"Yes... Im sure there will be others but I've never seen any other merfolk books mention them" the human sipped on his coffee

"What? So...they aren't real?" Little Cato frowned

"Perhaps just a sad fairytale" avocato shrugged

"Sad?" Little Cato repeated

"Sad..." Avocato nodded, smiling softly as he stood up and picked his son up. He walked into the room with his son in his arms, Little Cato hugging onto the book curiously

"Long ago..." Avocato opened the book, simplifying some things for his son...

She ran through the rainforest in Jamaica, pushing past the trees and bushes. Her breath hitched, she was tired...her throat burned as if she was getting dried up.

How had it all come to this?
She did everything as her family had asked- she did everything as told.

Her feet were dirty from the soil and loss of her old shoes, her dress ripped into rags from the branches that tried to slow her down.
Behind her she could hear the shouts of her newfound family, of the man she was supposed to marry.

"Ah!" She screamed in surprise as she slipped down a hill, falling onto a shallow river.
The pebbles sank into her skin, her feet coming with the contact first- had she not bitten her tongue her fiance would have been sure to find her.

Soon the shouts had been washed down by the sound of the stream and other wildlife around, soon the chase had come to an end.

Thus came the night, the cold and darkness, the danger and fear.
She hid herself inbetween rocks and leaves, sobbing alone as she trembled afraid.

Had she known that man was all but kind, has she known he was a cruel heartless man- she would have never accepted hand in marriage.
Yet her heart ache for the man who had painted her body with dark bruises, her heart beat for his shouts and curses.

When morning had come, she was met with her fiance who had found her that dawn. He sat in front of her little cacoon, watching her chest rise and fall as she slept.

He could've hurt her as he did many times before. He cpuld have pulled her by her hair and shout at the woman, ask her why she ran away from him.
Yet he sat there, simply observing...as if watching his prey.

The moment she had awoken from her slumber, she froze in terror. Piercing eyes glaring at wide ones.

She did not utter a word as the man finally stood- all she did was wish she had been dead the night before as to not see him again...

"Your father and mother have disowned you" he said "you are no longer their daughter and they claim you have never been"

"You are to never return to our home..." he warned "as you do not belong there"

He didn't need to say anything more, being disowned was a great punishment from where they came from. She would not be welcomed anywhere from that day on, no matter how far she travelled.

So the woman ran.
Her feet hurt against the ground but she kept running until the ground had softened into sand- until she had ran straight to the Caribbean sea in hopes to drown herself.

However as she ran into the water- she couldn't help but wish she could swim faraway.

"That's it?" Little Cato looked up at his dad, the ending not sitting right with him

"That's as far as I've read it" Avocato nodded, adjusting Little Cato who was sat next to him on the top bunk

"So...Aicayas are-"

"People who were disowned by their native communities, their families" Avocato finished the sentence for him with a sad smile

"Then I'm glad they aren't real!" Little Cato nodded "I think I'd be very upset if I lost you then became a fish" he giggled

"SHE PRACTICALLY DISOWNED ME!" Gary shouted dramatically "KICKED ME OUT OF OUR WONDERFUL HOME THAT I PAYED NO TAXES IN!!" He cried

The blond was currently layed on the warm sand, talking to a big green blob

"Chookity" the blob said in disapproval

"You don't understand Mooncake" Gary sat up with a frown "it hurt....right here" he pointed to his chest "Like physically! It hurt!"

The human had been rambling for a while now and showed no signs of feeling any better. Perhaps venting to his good friend wasnt what he needed-

"Chookity pok!" Mooncake chirped happily, diving and swimming away before poking out of the water again

"Fine" Gary sighed as he stood up "I guess I'll join you"

The blond stepped into the water with his barefeet. His hair seemed to glow in response and blue freckles seemed to appear slowly.
He kept walking forth into the sea before he dived right in.

A blue tail splashing behind him.