Working Title

My Life

Underneath the surface, the ocean is bubbling with life. I am a part of that life. I live with my mom, dad, younger brother, and older sister. Our small house is located in the village of Pacoona, which is a part of the Atlantic Ocean. Yes, I am a mermaid. I know you're probably rolling your eyes and brushing this off as a fictional writing, but you're wrong. There was a time when I thought humans weren't real! Living deep below dry land, you don't really see that many humans, if you see them at all! In my small village, humans were thought to be mythology. No one had ever seen one. It was the mayor who enforced this. maybe that was just because his wife had gone up to dry land one day, and never came back. I mean, who wouldn't be paranoid after something as traumatic as that?

On this particular day, I sat on a rock, weaving a new basket from seaweed when my brother, Joey, called me in for supper, "MEE-MEE! Time for dinner!" I loved his cute little way for saying my name! It was adorable! I quickly swam into the kitchen and was greeted by my mother, before we all sat sown and said grace.

Unfortunately, when I glanced down at my plate to see what was on the menu that night, I found a lump of cod and a salad. Being a vegetarian, I turned my nose up in disgust. "How can you eat that!" I scoffed at my family.

"Oh! Gee I don't know," My sister, Mia, responded. The sarcasm was thick enough to slice with a knife, "Wait! The reason is coming back to me... Hold on a second... AH! I know! We'r starving and this is the only thing we can afford to eat on dad's low salary! Sorry!" Seeing the hurt expression on my face her tone softened, "Gwen, we're all doing our best here. Mom cooked us this beautiful meal, so can't you just be grateful and try to enjoy it? Please?"

"I just can't bear the thought of harming another living thing. I wouldn't eat this if it-"

Dad slammed his fist down on the table, "ENOUGH! YOU ARE GOING TO EAT THAT CODFISH AND YOU ARE GOING TO LIKE IT!" Talking about our money problems always made him angry.

Joey started to cry and Dad unclenched his fists. We finished our meal in silence.

***

After the catastrophe that dinner turned out to be, I decided to stay in my room for the rest of the night. At about seven o'clock, an idea struck me: What if I were to sneak out and go to my best friend Brook. I thought that was a wonderful fantasy and decided to follow through on it. I scrambled out the window and hopped onto the back of my hippocampus, Gloria. When we reached Brook's i began to cry and told her of the events that had happened. Her family was going through some tough times too, so she knew what I was going through. It was great to have an understanding friend like her.

"Isn't your dad going to be mad at you for sneaking out?" Brook asked me.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him" I shrugged.

After about three hours of talking, Brook began to grow tired. I rode Gloria home, and since I figured everyone at home would be asleepI spared myself the trouble of having to climb back in the window and simply used the front door. I stood frozen in shock when I saw what was happening inside.

Mom and dad were pacing back and forth in the kitchen screaming about who's fault it was that I had been 'kidnapped'. Gia sat with little Joey on her lap, both of them looking equally terrified. "Where were you!" Gia gasped, depositing Joey on the floor ing rushing over to wrap me in a warm hug. Her wavy, raven black hair floated around me, encircling her head like a dark lion's mane. I marveled at the beauty of my sister and was overcome with a feeling of jealousy. She had been granted a gift which I had been deprived of. Gia grasped my face with her pale hands and stared at me with her sea green eyes that matched mine, "Where have you been?"

My mother chimed in, "We thought you had been kidnapped!"

"I just went to Brook's house, ok! I needed a break from you people!

"Go to your room young lady!" Dad roared, "We will discuss this in the morning!"

I stormed off to my bedroom but still, I caught the last snippet of conversation, but from whom the last phrase came, I was unsure, "What are we going to do about that problematic girl"

What was that supposed to mean? I wondered if my parents would start thinking of me as 'the problem child'. Why did stupid Gia and Joey have to be so perfect? It was so unfair for me to be denied freedom! As a teenager, I had the right to do whatever I felt like! After all, my mom had always told wild stories about when she was a teen. Was it wrong for me to follow in her footsteps? No! Not at all! I knew all these thought were crazy in the back of my mind, and that it was just drowsyness that was giving them to me.I succumbed to sleep with a final idea of giving my parental units a talking to in the morning, when I was more alert.

A/N
Hey guys! Thanks for reading. I got bored today and felt like writing about mermaids so... Here ya go! I actually like the plot I'm coming up with in my head for this. Do you guys like the fact that the mermaids don't believe in humans? I was actually complaining about how mermaids know humans exist and humans do not know mermaids exist in most stories so I decided that while I was stuck on the subject of mermaids, I could include that in the story. I might continue this story. It just depends on if people like it or not.
Stay strong readers.
-Amelia Pond