Ocean's Secret

Brie

It had been one solid week since Esa had been released into her habitat. She hardly came out of her cave, and she never stuck around to long when the humans were near.

They always seemed to be watching her. Taking down notes with small yellow sticks, even coming into her tank, only to clean the glass, wearing those dark suits and shiny masks.

But there was one human girl in particular who always seemed to be around, and Esa despised her with all her being. She had sunny blonde hair, very blue eyes, and looked to be about Esa's age.

And she was always dressed in the same blue shirt and brown leg coverings, which were called "pants." Every time Esa saw her, the girl always looked sad. She would be at the glass, at the floating platform in the back end of Esa's tank, or just at the railing near the top. I wish she would go away and leave me to die in peace. Esa scowled. I wish they would all go away.

All the humans Esa saw wore that same blue and brown uniform. Except of course, for the man called Janitor. He wore an all blue single piece of clothing. And he always carried that stick around that Esa had learned was called a "mop."

~~~

Esa floated sadly in her cave, staring up at the gray, cloudy sky. Raindrops were slowly but steadily falling. The rain carried with it a sense of home. Esa choked on a sob and let herself sink to the bottom of the cave's soft, sandy bottom.

She lay there with silent tears flowing, only to disappear into the water around her. Esa lay in that one spot for a long time... Until at last, she fell asleep.

It was the sound that awoke her. A soft splashing. It sounded like the platform at the back of her tank whenever someone stepped onto it. Esa swam to the surface. The sky above was dark, the rain had stopped, but a cold breeze was blowing.

Esa cautiously left her cave. There was no one at the glass, no one at the railing. But she could see a figure standing on the platform. It was too dark to see who though. So Esa swam underwater very slowly towards the platform, now she was curious. When she was close enough she could see the sunny blonde hair of the girl she despised.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and Esa came out of the water only so much that her forehead and eyes were visible. The girl gasped very quietly, but got down on two knees and faced Esa. "I won't hurt you." She said. "I'm Brie, could I know your name?" She continued, a look of honest curiosity in her eyes.

Esa felt a spark of anger and brought her whole head and shoulders out of the water. "You don't have the right to know my name." She hissed.

"I know that you're angry, and that you're scared. And it was wrong that you be taken away from your home in the ocean and brought here, but I want to help you, any way I ca-." Brie was saying, but Esa interrupted.

"You know nothing about me. You don't care about me, and it's because of your kind that I'm here." She spat, and with a hiss she dove underwater, making sure to flick her tail a bit, sending a splash towards Brie. 

She heard Brie coughing, and waited underneath the platform for a few moments until she heard Brie sigh sadly and start to leave. "I know how you feel, I was taken away from home too." Was the last thing she said, and then she left.

Esa's anger still burned, but with less ferocity now. What did she mean, she was taken away from home? Esa wondered. Her anger was quickly disappearing. She was probably just trying to make me feel sorry for her. Yea... that's it. Esa reasoned with herself before returning back to her cave.

~~~

For the next three nights Brie kept coming, she would wait on the platform and try to talk to Esa. The first night she brought a strange round, fuzzy brown thing that she called a kiwi. But Esa quickly realized it was a bribe and threw it hard at Brie, hoping it would make her go away.

After that Brie didn't bring any more kiwi's.

The fourth night Esa was waiting to ambush Brie as she arrived.

Esa waited on one side of the platform, her eyes once again the only thing visible from the surface of the water. Her brown hair floated around her in every direction.
She heard a door shut softly and Brie appeared, climbing down the steps to the floating platform in the water.
As soon as her feet touched the platform, Esa heaved a huge wave her way, it shot light a liquid cannon ball and hit Brie from the side.
She started to scream but was cut short as she flew backwards into the water. With a mighty splash she fell into the water.

Esa shot towards her and yanked her up by the front of her shirt. "I can't swim!" Brie coughed violently, and Esa almost felt bad for her.

She pushed Brie up onto the platform, swam a few feet away so Brie couldn't counterattack, then crossed her arms over her chest. "Why did you do that!?" Brie whisper yelled.

"Because I don't like you and you wouldn't leave me alone!" Esa said loudly. Brie put a finger to her lips and shushed her. "Quiet or the night guards will hear you! And I'll get in trouble!" She hissed.

"Oh you will huh? I have half-a-mind to let them haul you off to wherever the bad humans go, which is ALL OF YOU." Esa spat.

"Please don't! I'll stop coming, but I just wanted to say something to you, it's important!" Brie begged Esa, she looked pathetic, almost as pathetic as Esa did the day she first woke up in that tank, surrounded by the people who had taken away her freedom.

Footsteps sounded suddenly, echoing through a nearby hallway. "I heard something over here." A male voice said.

"Please." Brie begged, her wet hair dripping into her face, and her eyes widening in panic as the footsteps came closer. 

"Fine." Esa said. "You'd better not make me regret this." She swiftly pulled Brie into the water and took hold of either of her arms. Then swam quickly down into the tunnels and resurfaced in the cave. Esa led Brie to a nearby rock and she took hold, gasping for breath.

"Thank you." Brie gasped. Esa waved her off with her hand and pulled herself up onto a nearby rock.

She saw Brie eyeing her tail out of the corner of her eye and and glared back, sitting up straighter she watched Brie climb up onto the rock she had been holding on to.

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" Esa asked running a hand down her tail and feeling the scales, a few came off much to easily and Esa gasped, hiding her hand behind her back. A mermaid out of the ocean will die in a matter of weeks. The thought echoed in her head. She remembered hearing it from one of her teachers the first year of lessons, when Esa and her family had been in their old pod.

Brie looked startled for a moment, but respectfully pretended not to see. "I um... Wanted to tell you that..." She paused for a moment, but took a deep breath and seemed to gather her thoughts for a few seconds.

"Earlier today I went to my favorite coffee shop downtown and heard some guys talking about a canal to the sea that just finished construction. It leads directly to the ocean, I was thinking that, I could use it to help you escape..." She stopped and seemed to wait for Esa's reaction.

A small smile crept across Esa's face. "Really?" She asked hopefully. "Yes, really. The only thing is that there are huge metal bars across the entrance to the ocean." Brie replied. Esa's smile disappeared.

"Then I'm doomed, if I don't get back to the ocean soon, I'll...." Esa stopped sadly and stared down at the scales in her hand. "You'll what?" Brie asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I'll die." Esa said simply, still staring hard at the dull scales in her palm.
Brie had a look of shock and worry on her face. "I'm going to help you." She said. "If it's the last thing I do."