Mermaids in Massachusetts

The City

He crossed the boundary. He did it. Austin squeezed his eyes tight, bracing himself for what would most likely be a painful, agonizing death. He fliched.

And yet... he felt nothing.

He looked around the area he was in. It looked just like the other side- same light of day, same colored sand, same colored plants. He examined the line, looking at the coral near it. On the side he was currently standing, the coral looked alive and thriving, but on the other side, it looked dead and dreary. The water was murky.

"What the fuck," Austin muttered, looking over to see Ian, not twenty feet ahead. Austin swam up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Ian said, looking over at Austin.

"Why did you cross?" Austin asked, and Ian stared at him blankly. "Ian, you crossed the boundary," Austin said, and Ian nodded slowly, seemingly lost in concentration. "Why did you cross?"

"Mason is over here," Ian said, and Austin nodded. Of course, Austin thought. His Kaitiaki connection.

"Right. Well, I'm gonna let the others know-"

"Holy shit," Ian interrupted him. Austin was almost certain that was the first time he heard Ian swear.

"What is it?"

"I... holy shit. Is that? That is a mermaid."

Austin swiveled his head, looking in the direction where Ian looking. There stood a woman with long black hair, the tips dyed pink. Her tail was the pearly, glistening design of the Virgo, elongated and silky.

"This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder," Austin said. She must have heard, because she turned to face them. Her eyebrows shot up when she finally caught sight of Austin and Ian.

"You're boys," she said, staring at the two of them. "Holy shit."

"That is what I said," Ian said, staring at her.

"Oh my god." the girl said, looking between the two of them. "Uh, I'm Olivia, Oli for short and... hi."

"Yeah, hey," Austin said. "I'm Austin, this is Ian. Um, what do you know about the boundary?" Austin asked, and she shrugged.

"Can't cross it. Don't know why, but I've never really wanted to. Why? Also, how are you boys because that makes no sense."

"We crossed the boundary," Ian said before Austin could say anything.

"Um, okay. Sure. Let's just pretend I believe that. How... exactly did you-"

"We have no fucking idea," Austin said, and Ian shrugged. "Wait, I told Tanner I'd look for him, he's probably losing his shit right now."

"I'll come-" Oli started, but Ian sent her a glare. "Or, you know, not. I'm okay with that."

Austin slipped back across the boundary, faced immediately with Tristan and Tanner. "Oh, thank fuck," Tanner said, wrapping his arms back around Austin.

"Told you I'd come back," Austin said under his breath, and Tanner hugged him tighter.

"What is it like over there?" Tristan asked, and Tanner pulled away.

"It's, well, almost exactly the same," Austin said, and Tristan smiled.

"Haha, very funny. What is it really like?" Tristan said, and Austin shrugged.

"The only differences is the mermaids."

Tanner shot him a disbelieving look, and Austin smiled. He reached for his hand, but stopped himself, remembering what the group had told him about holding hands. "You have to see it to believe it," Austin said, gesturing to the line. "After you."

Tanner and Tristan crossed over, and Austin followed, met with the same setting as before. "Tan, Oli speaks sign language. She is literally so cool." Ian said, a grin over his face.

"Oli, huh? Nice name," Tanner said, looking into the distance. Austin knew he was still thinking of Oliver.

"Your friend here hates talking. You should learn it, too," she said, smiling.

"How? Other than Ian, I have never met anyone that knows sign language," Tristan said, and Oli raised an eyebrow.

"You mean you don't have school?" Oli said. Ian signed something to her, and she sighed, signing something back. "Anyways," she said aloud, "I think I know of someone who'd like to see you." She began swimming, and Ian nodded, following her.

"Mason is this way anyways," Ian whispered, and Austin nodded. He understood now why Ian didn't want anyone to know about his Kaitiaki Connection, especially after the whole debacle with Tristan.

They followed Olivia wherever she was headed. Austin knew it was risky to put so much blind trust in the girl, but she came off as an honest, trustworthy person. They only swam for about a mile before she stopped, gesturing to a large set of gates, enclosing what appeared to be a city.

"Oh shit," Austin said, looking at the city in awe. Buildings were littered all around, with the occasional skyscraper almost threatening to peak above the ocean waves. Mermaids were everywhere, talking, laughing, and swimming along. To Austin, it was beauty. He hadn't seen something like this in well over a year, and suddenly he wanted nothing more than to live among the mermaids, talk with them, understand their jokes. It was beautiful.

"What? Where are we?" Tanner asked, looking around. "This place hardly looks sufficient for hunting."

"Hunting? You mean, you use the siren's call for hunting? We haven't done that for centuries," Oli said, looking strangely at Tanner. Tanner frowned, shaking his head.

"I just don't understand..."

"You're using contractions again," Austin murmured, and Tanner rolled his eyes.

"Maybe we did not get enough to eat, and are suffering from visions of some sort," Tristan said, and Austin shook his head.

"And we're all suffering from the same vision?" Austin said.

"Perhaps. It seems more logical than the other possibility," Tristan said.

"Yeah, well," Austin said. He took another look around the city. Mason would have loved this, he thought, looking from the tall buildings to the women inside of the gates. He would have loved this a lot.

"But c'mon, we need to go inside," Oli said, smiling at the group. "I just can't believe I'm meeting actual real life boys. The Travellers always talk about them, but I never have met one in real life."

"The Travellers?" Tanner said, and Oli nodded.

"You know, the people who travel back and forth from land to sea. The Travellers," Oli said.

"You mean the Tauruses?" Tristan asked. His tone was almost... accusative. Does he think that she was lying to us? Austin thought, narrowing his eyes.

"No, I'm pretty sure I mean the Travellers," Oli said cooly.

"Hmm," Tristan said, looking everywhere but at Oli.

"Right..." Oli said. "Anyways, the Mayor is definitely going to want to talk to you," she said, leading Ian, Tanner, Tristan, and Austin into the gated city.

The city was even more beautiful on the inside. To Austin, the people here seemed so much more carefree and peaceful than where his Teach was from. He noticed food shops and corner stores along the narrow streets, meaning that there must be some sort of currency here. As the group of them walked along, many girls stopped what they were doing to stare. This must be as weird for them as it is for us, Austin thought, sticking close to his Teach.

In the center of it all there was a giant building, looking incredibly pristine and refined. Oli lead them straight to it, opening the marble door and gesturing into the corridors. "After you," she said, and Austin ventured in, the rest of his Teach on his heels.

"I am literally freaking out. I have no idea how to act around girls, what the hell do I do," Tanner muttered to Austin, who chuckled, wrapping an arm around Tanner's shoulder.

"Just keep calm and be yourself, that's what my mum would say. Also, don't make any stupid jokes, that usually helps," Austin said, and Tanner nodded, taking a deep breath. Austin smiled, and they continued walking down the long hallway.