Merstuck

Chapter 1

Jake stood facing the sea, his hands on his hips as he sighed deeply, the salty sea air filling his lungs. He exhaled deeply, his face softening with contentment.

"Well, Jade!" He exclaimed cheerfully, spinning on his heel to face his younger sister. "What do you think of our new fort? Pretty great, no?" She simply crossed her arms and huffed, blowing a piece of dark hair out of her face.

"Why couldn't we have stayed on the island?" She asked. Jake's smile changed into a half-frown. "It was so nice there."

"We couldn't stay on the island because we were alone and away from society. It was dangerous and inconvenient, especially after Grandma died." Jake explained. Jade looked down and sniffled.

"But I liked it there," She whimpered, rubbing her left eye to wipe away the tears budding there. Jake stepped forward, awkwardly wrapping his arms around his sister as he kneeled down to match her height. She returned the hug, trying to hold back the tears that wouldn't stop coming.

"Shh, Jade, it's okay," Jake murmured, rubbing her back as she sniffled. "We'll make a new life here for ourselves. You'll make new pals and learn a bunch of new things. Maybe we'll even learn a few secrets!" Jade smiled weakly, stepping back.

"I just miss my garden, and my tower..." She said, once again tearing up.

"We'll grow a new garden!" Jake told her. "I know you liked living alone, so we're going to be alone on the hill our house is on. We have a lot of space for growing plants! Probably even more than you had in your greenhouse."

"Really?" Jade asked, her smile brightening.

"Really!" He said, standing back up. Jade grabbed his hand excitedly.

"Let's go to our new house, then!" She cheered, trying to pull him off the boardwalk. He chuckled as she let go and ran towards the car, and cast one last glance over sea before turning and jogging after her.

--ooOOoo--

Jake stood back as he gazed at the tiny, pleasant house in front of him. It sat upon the small, grass-covered hill, seemingly glowing in the midday light.

It truly was the perfect house.

It had one level, and its walls were painted a pretty, washed-out blue. There were many large, clear windows, and all of the doors were glass. The hill it was on was on the edge of the town and was covered in short, bright green grass, but it grew taller and thicker around the edges of the house. Boulders dotted the sloping side of the hill, creating several small overhangs. Behind the house was a gorgeous view of the ocean, and in front of it, you could see the whole town.

Jade ran around the island, exploring the many nooks and crannies it had to offer with excitement and enthusiasm. Jake watched as she ran up to the edge of the hill, standing on the edge of the hill and gazing over the sea. She turned on her heel and looked down at the town.

"Hey, Jake!" She called, her voice distant. "I'm going to go explore the town!"

"Go ahead!" Jake called back, waving. "I decided to take a little stroll around town earlier. The citizens seem rather friendly, and I think I saw a couple of kids your age jogging around!" Jade smiled.

"I'll tell you about it later!" She called over her shoulder, running down the hill as she waved. Jake watched her leave, a smile on his face.

After a moment's hesitation, he followed her, walking down the thin, winding trail leading down to the village. He sighed, letting his thoughts wander as he strolled downhill. I wonder if there's any nice boys here, He thought.

He eventually came to a fork in the trail, the left path leading to the town, Skaia, and the right path leading to the ocean. He considered which path he should take for a moment before shrugging and turning right. He walked along a ridge, careful not to slip on any of the many roots snaking across the path. He skidded down a tiny, muddy slope, stepping out onto the thin, shrub-covered beach.

He walked along the edge of the beach, hands in his pockets. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the crisp sea breeze, stopping and turning towards the sea.

He cracked open his eyes and looked around, his eyes landing on a sharp bend in the beach. He stepped around the stone ridge, his eyes widening.

There was a short, wide beach around the curve. It wasn't very big, but it was absolutely gorgeous. It was hidden by the sheer cliff walls surrounding it, and several trees bent over the edge of the cliff, casting their shade across the white sand.

Quiet waves lapped at the beach, white foam seeping into the sand. Sky blue water poured into several caves on the corners of the beach, the sand curling around the pools of water surrounded by thick stone walls.

A sky blue stream cut through the beach, pouring into a large cave at the back of the beach. He raised his eyebrows, interested, and walked back to the cave, poking his head inside.

The stream formed a tiny pond. Rocks protruded from the sand, some jutting out into the water. Jake looked around, his face slowly brightening. This place was perfect for studying, writing journal entries, planning adventures...

He climbed on top of one of the boulders and leaned back, looking out the cave entrance. He pulled his legs up into a criss-cross position and closed his eyes, relaxing in the calm and quiet of the cave. He leaned forward, placing his hands on the spot of stone in the center of his legs-

-and fell into the pond. He cried out in shock, flailing wildly. It was much deeper than it looked. He tumbled underwater and tried to swim up, crashing into something on the floor.

It shoved him off of itself, and his head broke the surface. He gasped for air, exhaling through his nose to clear it of the water that had flooded it.

He broke into a coughing fit. Something heaved him onto land, quickly sliding back into the water.

Jake cracked open his eyes to see a very concerned man looking back at him. He wore the strangest pointed shades, and his hair was platinum blonde and spiked despite the fact that it was wet. Jake sat up with a jolt just as the man disappeared.

"H-Hey!" He called. He looked down at the water to see a tan and orange blur speeding out of the cave, darting into the river and diving into the ocean. "Come back!"

The last thing he saw was the fin of an orange tail, momentarily flipping out of the water as its owner dove deeper into the sea.