Splash

Ch. 1

"Mark, look you're job is simple. It's easy." Mark looked out the window in the cove cave. A sea turtle was sorta floating its way by,  it looked really confused. Maybe it wasn't supposed to be this far north. He'd make sure to ask it if he saw him again, "Mark are you even listening?"

"Yes I just can't do it," Mark mumbled. He watched the bubbles leave his mouth and float to the ceiling and slid across the ceiling and out of the cave, "You know that, Tom."

His brother just sighed, "I know. Trust me I know but Mark your 31 and have never made a snatch. Most people make their first at 18. People are starting to notice. Do you know what will happen if they figure out you can't fucking go out into the open sea?"

"What? What will they do? Banish me to the land? Fine. I'd love it for the time I'd have out of here and then I'd die," Mark said raising his voice and slamming his hand on the table.

"You," Tom said with a pause to stress what he was saying, "are a merman. You live in the ocean. You can't be scared of it. It's like saying you're scared of water. Even the humans need water. You have to go out to deep sea to find ships. It's simple.

You swim to a ship. Sing for them a little. Make them hop on into the water. They drown. You snatched them. Simple."

Mark was watching the sea life again from his seat. The sea turtle was gone. Maybe he'd figured out where he was going. "I don't care."

"Damn it Mark, you have a year!"

Mark turned to his brother. His eyes were flashing with anger and fear, "A year for what?"

"To snatch or else you're being made to leave."

Mark felt as if all the water was rushing out of his body. He was always a lil shit, saying he never wanted to live in the ocean but at the end of the day it was his home even if he couldn't go any farther than their kingdom. "I-what?"

"Mark just find someone easy. Just some young kid."

"A child?" Even Mark knew that was a cheap shot to go after children, "you know we were meant to save the oceans. When did that become killing—"

"Snatch."

"No. It's killing. When did our job change from saving the oceans to killing humans?" Mark said glaring at his brother.

"When the humans decided to destroy the ocean beyond saving."

Mark floated up. He was done with the conversation, "That's just an excuse you all use because you don't know what to do to save the ocean or care enough to try harder! I go out ever day and all I see is trash. I try to help, clean the ocean, while you are all out snatching I'm alone. Saving this shit plant isn't a one man job! Sooner or later the humans are going to figure out that too many humans are dying for it just to be freak ocean issues and come looking. What happens when they look and find us?"

Mark speed out the door, he heard his brother shout at him to come back but with a sharp snap of his tail he was gone. Mark felt the water scream by in his ears. Any faster and he could race a torpedo and probably win.

The sea life around him started disappearing as he got closer and closer to the shore. He technically wasn't supposed to go anywhere near the land and humans but he did, he always did. He knew where to go and when to go so he could remain unseen by the humans. Mark surfaced and floated just at the edge of one the shores deepest docks. It was a long walk for a human so they usually didn't come this far and if one came he could quickly dart under the water.

Mark turned to look out at the ocean. It was flat, it was always just flat and blue. Always blue. The ocean was boring, it held no secrets he didn't know. Mark thought about the land, about all the history it held. All the different surfaces, he longed to just go once. Forbidden or not.

Mark brushed the foolish thoughts away and opted to just watch the sunset. It was lovely, honestly. The colors reflected onto the ocean surfaces and the shades of red and orange seemed to dance around the top. Mark looked down to his tail and watched it turn a bright red.

Mark let a smile seep across his face. He liked red. He wasn't supposed to change his tail for aesthetic reasons but he couldn't help it. He remembers the clans first reaction to his hot pink tail. They had been none to pleased but he kindly told them to fuck off and months later he changed it to blue which was more common except his was a blue unlike something natural. Red was sure to piss someone off, but it looked like the sun and he loved the sun.

It was so warm and bright, unlike home.

Mark felt  a song start to dance in his head. His music is the only reason they  never kicked him out of the clan. He apparently had the best voice the elders have ever heard. He was forced to teach music to the young since he refused to go out and snatch. It made him sick sometimes to know they would use it to snatch but he had no room to argue.

The elders told him if he would ever actually go out and snatch he would be able to entrance an entire ship with one note. He would never find out.

Mark started humming as the sun dipped deeper into the edge of the sky before he humming a song he had heard a human playing on his hand box months ago. It was something about his home, it made him happy. He felt the words building in him, 

"Somewhere beyond the sea
somewhere waiting for me
my lover stands on golden sands
and watches the ships that go sailin'

Somewhere beyond the sea
He's there watching for me
If I could fly like birds on high
Then straight to his arms
I'd go sailing"  

"That's a lovely voice."

Mark let out a very manly screech and spun himself around to look at the voice. He thanks the gods it was dark enough that his tail was hidden under the waves. Mark started gapping at the man laying on the dock, head propped on his hands and staring at Mark.

He had blue eyes much like the ocean Mark hated but for some reason, Mark felt he could explore the deeps of the man's blue eyes with no fear. He also had an unnatural green shade of hair. Mark sorta liked it.

"How are you alive?" Mark whispered.

"....I don't know? Why are any of us alive?"

A/N So there it is, first chapter of what will hopfully be a fun story. If anyone has questions about what the 'mermaid world' is like I will try an answer. Im trying to build up a fake world here so cut me some slack. I really need feedback on this and for you guys to try and share it because this isnt like a oneshot. So please, read and cheers. Also ...yes bioshock inspired...