Splash

Ch. 3

Mark busied himself around his house. Tom would be leaving any minute to go work and Mark tried to act natural.

"What the fuck are you up this early for?"

Fuck. Normally he would have still been sleeping. He's never up before at least 11 and now he's trying to get up at 8 like its no biggie, "Um...cleaning?"

"Cleaning..." Tom repeated with little belief in what he brother was saying.

"Yes...cleaning," Mark said trying to sound convincing.

"Mark?" Tom inquired and Mark hummed in acknowledgment, "We live underwater. You don't have to clean."

Mark looked around and pretended to be shocked, "Oh gods! We are underwater!"

"Freak, I'm leaving. Whatever you're up to I don't want to know about it because then when you get caught I can say I had no idea."

"As always?"

"As always."

"Also, Tom..."

"What?"

"There's a turtle in my room. He's going to crash with us."

"I'm leaving."

-

Mark floated under the dock looking up at the sky through the slits between the wood paneling. The morning sky was beautiful, it held the same colors that a sunset had but for some reason seemed warmer, softer somehow. Maybe because it held the hope of a new day and better things.

His thoughts drifted to Jack. He started to wonder why he was still living and breathing? He was supposed to be dead, drown himself at the mere sound of a single note from Mark's mouth but didn't? It didn't make sense

Mark was snapped out of his thoughts by someone walking above him, blocking his sky view and over to the edge of the dock. Mark silently followed below as the human sat at the edge, unknowing that Mark was under him.

"Is it nine?" Mark asked rather loudly in the silence around them.

Jack yelled and something went flying from his hands and into the ocean. Mark quickly swam out from under the dock and into view of the human. Jack was gasping and clasped his hand to his chest, "You scared me!"

Mark laughed and watched as Jack tried to calm himself down. Mark swam over to find what Jack had thrown and pulled out a soggy mushy thing with what looked like meat in it. Mark held it up, "What the hell is this?"

"My breakfast sandwich! You asshole now what am I supposed to eat?"

Mark ignored him, "Sandwich? I don't see any sand in it, also you eat sand?"

Jack looked at him like he had 3 heads, "You don't know what a sandwich is? And of course, there is no sand. You can't eat sand."

Mark shook his head, "I know that's why I was asking idiot. You eat this?"

Jack nodded slowly, still confused about how this guy didn't know what a sandwich was. Maybe he's really rich or foreign. His thought was cut off when he watched Mark take a bite of his soggy sandwich, "Don't eat that!"

"Why not?" Mark said still eating it. It was unlike anything he had ever tasted, it had so many flavors, "This is amazing."

"It's microwaved."

"Microwave?"

Who the fuck was this guy, Jack thought, "Nevermind," Mark continued eating the sandwich, happily munching on it as Jack watched feeling oddly content, "You're not from around here are you?"

Mark looks up, "What makes you say that?"

Jack chuckled, "Well for one you don't know what a sandwich is? Or a microwave or anything–"

"Human," Mark mumbled.

"Yeah," Jack said standing up, "like dude do you live under a rock or something?"

Mark watched as Jack lifted his shirt over his head, "Or something."

"Anyway we should meet again next week. Friday? Same time? I don't have work or anything."

Mark nodded, "Sure I'd love it," Jack tossed his shirt on the pier and started undoing his pants. Mark watched curiously, he was pretty sure humans didn't undress in public. Then suddenly Jack jumped out of his pants to reveal a second pair and jumped into the water. It happened too fast for Mark to react. He quickly darted away from Jack. Jack bobbed back up laughing, "Thought I'd join you in the water."

Mark shook his head, "No. You should get out."

Jack finally seeming to notice the distance between them tried to swim closer to Mark who swam away jut as fast, "Dude why are you acting so jumpy?"

Mark felt his face flush. He knew this would happen. He should have just listened to everyone and stayed away from the humans. They were too curious, "I just, I don't know. You make me uncomfortable."

Suddenly, Jack stopped swimming towards him. Make watched his crestfallen face and felt himself quickly backtrack, "I just mean umm...I'm not wearing swimming pants and ummm I don't want you see me without your consent."

A smile returned to Jack's face and he laughed, "Are you serious naked? That's ridiculous," and then it happened. Jack, while chuckling, dunked his head under the water only to quickly come up while gasping, "Tail."

Mark felt bile rise in his throat. His eye filled with water for some reason and started running down his face. He swore the whole world stopped and all that remained was the gentle lapping of the water.

"Jack," Mark whispered flicking his tail so he swam closer to Jack, "I–"

He what? What could he possibly say? Hey, Jack I know we only met about 72 hours ago but could you be the bestest friend in the world and maybe not tell the rest of the humans mermaids are real?

"Jack," Mark said starting again, "I'm a mermaid."

More silence surrounded them only to be broken by Jack screaming. Jack frantically started swimming back to the dock followed closely by Mark, "Jack don't do this. Look it's no biggie right?"

Jack yanked his body quickly into the dock and started shifting into his cloths as fast as he could, "No biggie?!" Jack turned to look at Mark, his eyes wide and shaking, "No biggie is when you spill a pint. This? This is big biggie!"

"So what now? Gonna run away and tell the whole human population so they can come kill us all!" Mark yelled, wishing not for the first time he hadn't gone near humans.

"Fuck no! I'm going home to order scuba gear!"