Under the Sea *Book One* Water Trilogy

~Fifteen~

Finn's P.O.V

I dove under the water and swam away, allowing Audrey to go back to her everyday life. It hurt to leave her about as much as it hurt to avoid answering questions about my family and exactly who I was. I wanted her to know everything about me just like I wanted to know everything about her. It didn't both me that we had met recently. People in my family were engaged sometimes before they ever even met.

I swam hard and fast, resisting the urge to go back to her, turn into a human, and run up to her house. But that was an even worse idea then her sneaking me into her room at night. I imagined myself running out of the ocean and banging on her door. Her whole family would be there though. What was worse than running up to her house with them there would be running up butt naked and screaming for their daughter.

Like I said, awful idea.

I reached the city of Atlantica, located deep within the ocean and hidden from mankind, covering the ocean floor so deep that none on land ventured there.

Instead of making my way through to the Capitol where my home was, I circled around the edge of the city. I didn't feel like facing my mother's questions or my father's lecture for making her worry. I could practically hear his voice thundering in my ear already, the same thing he always said.

"Some day you're going to have to grow up. Someone in your position can't go wandering off wherever!" He would say. "The people need you. You have responsibilities and they're only going to grow bigger. "

My shoulders slumped at the thought of disappointing him again. The conversation was all in my head but I still felt the impact. I tried to occupy my mind with something else. I fidgeted with the shark tooth hanging around my neck and smiled at the thought of sharing my embarrassing nickname with Audrey. The story that came with it would make her laugh and I looked forward to telling it.

"Thinking of her again?" my youngest sister Meri said as she swam up in front of me. I took in a deep breath and gave her a glare and she smiled in response. "I want to meet her."

"You can't-"

"Why not?" she pouted. Her hair was silver and her skin was pale. She was like a piece of foil. A bag made of seaweed was slung across her, more than likely filled with objects she collected but wasn't supposed to have.

"You know why."

"Because she's human?" Meri laughed. "Since when has that stopped me from breaking the rules?"

She was right. Meri had an obsession with anything human related like shipwrecks, ports, and objects. Now I was something human related and she was focusing her obsession on me. All of these things were off limits unless you were one of the few who decided to live on land.

"No-"

"Why not!" she yelled. "You're in love with her aren't you?" I froze. "I want you to be happy and if she makes you happy then you should do what you have to do."

"It's not that simple." I snarled. "I can't just get up and leave because I'm in love."

"So you do love her-"

"That's not the point," I said. "It just can't happen because I have responsibilities. Besides, I don't know if she feels the same way."

"They have Caspian." Caspian was my little brother and the very youngest of all my siblings.

"He's nine," I pointed out. "If something happens to father he isn't anywhere near old enough to take over."

"So? I think you should go to her." I shook my head in defeat. "Can I at least know her name?"

"Audrey, her name is Audrey." I whispered.

"What does she look like?"

I pictured her the first time I had seen her. It had been a week before the first time we had met by accident and I had saved her when she fell in the water. Her hair fell a little past her shoulders, straight and blonde. I remember thinking how soft it looked as random strands were blown around playfully by the wind, very unlike how hair floated in the water that I was used to. How tan she looked. I pictured the dark green of her eyes and the freckles across her nose and cheeks. Pain filled me at the thought of her not being mine forever.

"Beautiful." Was the only thing I said to Meri before I swam away, heading home. She followed along but didn't say a word.

Once home I was found by my four other sisters who were giving me disapproving looks.

"Where have you been?' Asked Nahla, my only older sister as I came in. Her hands were on her hips as her black hair rose and fell with the currants as her red lips formed the question they were all thinking.

"Who cares where he's been," said Serena. She wasn't a fan of drama but apparently she decided to make an exception. Serena was the forth in line out of eight of us, including me, and she was eerily beautiful. Being semi-transparent she appeared to glow from within. Nearly all the guys of the city referred to her as The Siren. "He was gone and didn't bother to say where."

"Someone's going to be in big trouble," sang Harmony, who was fifth in line of my siblings. Her pink and gold tail matched with her hair and bubble gum pink lips.

"Right?" Cordelia agreed with Harmony. She held a small mirror in her hands and was looking at herself. Everything about her took on a jewel-like sparkle as she moved.

"He was with me," lied Meri smoothly. Lying was her talent. It wasn't a good thing to thrive on, but when you weren't perfect in my family, it came in handy. "We were picking up objects from a sunken ship."

"You know you're not supposed to do that, right?" said Harmony.

Meri shrugged her shoulders and adjusted her bag. I went with it. Picking up human objects would get me in a lot less trouble then actually socializing with a human in tail form. Or being in love with one.

"Whatever," Meri said casually. For being only thirteen she was brave to take them all on. Causing trouble was something my sisters were good at. "Where's mom?"

"In the meeting room with father," Nahla said. "They wanted Finn to come there as soon as he got back."

I nodded my head and left the room quickly only to wish I had stayed when I saw my father's face as I entered the meeting chamber.

"Where have you been?" His voice boomed.

"With Meri." I answered automatically. His expression was blank and that was even worse than having an emotion, even worse than showing anger.

"I don't know what I am going to do about you," he mumbled. Just those few words were like a crushing blow. "How are you going to become what you were born to be if you keep messing around?"

Just as I was about to answer another person came in.

"My King!" He gasped to my father. "The sharks are coming!"

I looked at my father who looked at my mother and I in return.

"My Prince," he said to me. "We need your help!"

I grabbed my coral sword and joined my father for battle.