Ocean's Secret

Escape

Esa pulled herself out of the water and onto the floating platform with a huff. With her full strength it would have been easy and almost effortless, but being out of the ocean really takes a toll on a mermaid.

Esa felt a sense of urgency as she waited in the dark, sprawled on the platform, for Derek and Brie to distract the other guards and come get her.

She waited for what seemed like hours, the darkness pressing in all around her except for the soft caressing moonlight shining down from the hole in the ceiling.

"Esa." Brie's voice hissed from the darkness at the bottom of the platform steps.

Esa whipped her head around and saw Brie, she was crouched beside the last step, Derek appeared behind her. His blonde hair looked silvery in the moonlight, and his blue eyes sparked with a look of determination. Derek stepped carefully down the steps and knelt beside Esa, she got a whiff of sweet cologne as he leaned close.

"Put your arms around me." He whispered quietly. Esa did and he lifted her off the platform and up the steps, grunting as he did.

Walking slowly, they made their way to the exit sign above the hallway closest to the platform steps.

Brie went on ahead, walking slowly and cautiously, stopping often and putting her hand up for a signal to Derek telling him to pause as well. The tension in the air was almost thick enough to cut in half. And Esa was terrified a guard would appear at any moment and throw her back in her tank, which would mean certain death.

"Hopefully it will take till morning for anyone to notice you're missing." Derek whispered to Esa, she looked at him and replied, "I hope so." Her voice was quiet, and she felt suddenly shy as she looked into the blue depths of his eyes. She hoped he wouldn't notice the heat rushing up in her face, and quickly turned away.

"Get down!" Brie whispered urgently, moments later. Derek ducked into a nearby closet and closed the door except for a crack, Brie quickly joined them.

"What is it?" Esa whispered.

"Guards, two of them, coming this way." Brie responded, peering out through the crack in the door.

"I'll take care of it." Derek stood and walked out of the closet, shoulders back and spine straight.

"Who are you?" A male voice asked, only moments after Derek had left the closet.
"And what were you doing in there?"

"Securing the area, I'm new here, hired to protect the mermaid." Derek responded confidently.
"Well then, let's see your I.D." Another voice said gruffly.

There was some shuffling and then silence for a moment. Esa and Brie waited in tense silence, dust floated past in the light peeking from the crack in the door and Esa stifled a sneeze.

"All right, you're clear, but don't let me catch you lurking around." The first voice said. "Thank you sir." Derek said before the two men's footsteps faded away down the hallway.

He ducked back into the closet quickly.
"Let's go."

~~~

Brie ducked back through the last door leading into the parking lot and motioned silently with her hand that the coast was clear. They had reached the exit out onto the parking lot where the getaway van was parked, engine idle and ready for action.

Derek and Esa slipped through the door silently and headed for the black and shining van sitting only a few yards away.

Brie opened the doors on the back of the vehicle and Derek approached, he stepped up into the back of the van, grunting, and gently lowered Esa into a cramped tank of water that might have been previously used as a large fish tank. Grime and dust clung to the outside of the glass, the water was fresh, but very warm, as if it had sat out in the sun for a day, a slimy residue laced the inside of the tank and Esa tried to keep her tail and arms off the greenish gunk.

"I hope this doesn't take long." Esa grumbled, with a disgusted look on her face as she eyed the tank she now half-lay in.

"You'll be back home before you know it Esa, don't worry." Brie gave Esa a reassuring smile before climbing into the driver's seat, Amber was sitting on the passenger side, hunched over her laptop.

"The camera's are up and running now. We'd better get out of here." She said with a sense of urgency.

Derek closed the back doors quickly and Brie began driving the car away from the aquarium and towards the canal.

The van's motor hummed along and the water in Esa's tank sloshed back and forth. Most of it was spilling out and onto the floor of the vehicle. Derek was soaked along one side, he gazed out the back windows and Esa noticed he was clasping and unclasping his hands as if nervous. She realized that, for a human, taking part in an illegal "mermaid rescue" would be pretty strange. 

"Thank you for helping me, you didn't have to and I really appreciate it." Esa spoke to everyone in the van, Derek turned his gaze towards her and he gave a small smile. "You're very welcome Esa." He said her name somewhat uncertainly and Esa shivered happily.

"Of course Esa, I'm glad I agreed to help, I'm just hoping we don't get arrested and thrown in jail for the rest of our lives." Amber said, she seemed to be an anxious, logical, and think-it-all-through kind of person.

Brie just laughed, "I would do anything for my friends Esa, I consider you a very good one."

"We've got cops behind us!" Derek suddenly shouted. "Step on it Brie!"