Mermaid hunting

Breaking rules

''Lucy-Loo!'' Sam whisper-shouted, ''Whatcha doing?''
''Accompanying father to his boring meetings,'' I sighed, ''Well hey! At least this is your last one, you're getting paired tomorrow... then you have to accompany your husband'' He joked around with me, he knew how much I hated the pairing ceremony. ''Well you can't say anything!'' I retaliated, ''Aren't you being moved into Heulu tomorrow?'' Heulu was a neighbouring city made specifically for catchers, I don't know what happens there exactly but I do know its far away. I can only joke about our twisted fates with Sam. He's been next to me all my life, but we've been set on different paths since we were kids and those paths keep on moving us further and further away from each other. Today is the last day I can see him with ease and I think we both know that. Sam changed the topic of conversation, ''Hey, wanna do something crazy today?'' I laughed it off but really I can think of nothing better than to break the rules for the last day that I can. Sam smiled, ''Let's go!'' He grabbed my hand and we ran between alleys away from the meeting hall, and closer to the corners. The perimeters of the city were closed off from anyone that wasn't a catcher. ''Sam we can't go through there!''
''Oh yes we can! I found a way through, I thought you could see the waters up close for once!'' We reached the edge and I was almost brought to tears with the beauty of it. All my life I've been dying to be near it, the sounds of the water were mesmerising.

----------------------The council room--------------------------

'The catchers aren't coming back, theres been a significant increase in loss at Sea recently. Is there a change in tides that we haven't accounted for?''

''According to my researchers, everythings in order. Heulu's orders are in check with the findings, ''

''We've spoken to the commanders at Heulu too High commander. There's been no changes in the training regimes we issued.''

''A team of 6 have yet to report back to station. They're currently late by 15 days sir.''

''Then where the hell are they?!''

''Until we can figure this out, close the borders no catchers to enter the blue under any circumstances, understood?'

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I couldn't think of anything else, I was drawn to it. I wanted to touch it. AJ turned around to pick up a shell for me. I didn't think twice about bending my knees and diving head first into the waters, for a millisecond I could her Sam scream for me but after that the only thing I could focus on was the pain. I was drowning in a torturous, crippling fever. My skin was burning, my bones were cracking under the unforgiven blues weight. All I could do was scream, I didn't have the mind to even thrash. It felt like I was being scratched by a thousand needles. And my eyes, my eyes were ready to leave my skull, they burnt hotter than I could have imagined possible. I wanted to pass out but the pain wouldn't let me, I screamed in silence as my once beautiful feet bent and cracked forward. The power of the waters tide smashed against me. I looked at my arms slower turning, the metal holding my rings together popped off as the bottoms of my fingers connected. I was a monster. With all this going I realised that I couldn't breath. I was going to die. An unsettling mutated noble.

I wanted this to end now, I opened my mouth to breath in the water, to fill my lungs and drown. I felt a hand clamp over my mouth and nose with aggression I could feel the scaly, rough texture against my lips. I forced my head to look at the body behind me, it was Sam. But an Sam with different eyes and a body I had never imagined. His mouth was closed but I heard his voice, Just a little longer, hold on. His hands were shaking he was feeling the same thing I was. Suddenly he let go of me and my body forced me to breath in. The feeling in itself was unsettling, liquid rushing into me but it was a life-saving breath. Breaths I would continue to take. I heard Sam's voice once again, ''What the bloody hell were you thinking? You could have died! Don't you ever think of anyone but yourself?'' I could feel his genuine anger, a side of him I had never seen. I'm sorry Sam, I said, shocking myself. I don't know how I did that.
''Do you think sorry's gunna cut it?!''

''It's okay, we can just go back in right? ''I started to swim as if it were in my nature back to the city. Sam grabbed me, pulling me away from our home. ''Stop moving without asking my permission from this moment on! Unless you really want to die.'' My aching body fills with sadness, this is an Sam I've never seen before, he carried on talking realising I wasn't planning on responding. ''Do you know how long I trained before I submerged into the water? Two years! Two fucking years Lucy! There's a reason catchers go out on expeditions, these!'' Sam points with fury at the gills on the side of his neck, ''These won't leave for at least two weeks after mutation, do you know what that means Lucillia? That means we're stuck out here for at least two weeks alone, and you have no idea what you're doing!''