The Heart of the Sea

Chapter 1

My heart raced as the water was tainted red. The pounding in my chest so fierce I expected my heart to leap from my chest at any moment. When the numb shock that had enveloped my body faded and I had enough sense to do something, I looked around, quickly spotting two people in the same situation as me. None of us had been noticed by the mermen, and all of us were petrified. Carefully, my fingers gripped the rock, pushing myself backward in the water enough that I could turn without my tail getting caught on anything. I moved as quickly as I could, trying to keep the bubbles to a minimum as I reached the two, who were cowering together. 

Their gazes turned to me quickly, one a piercing seaweed green and the other a soft bluish-green, resembling the water. I reached out a hand to each of them, which they reluctantly took before pulling them away from the colony. 

It broke my heart to leave at such a devastating time, but when word spread about the attack, mermaids would be hard to come by, and someone had to restore the water to safety. So I swam, the two girls beside me. By the time we reached land, we were exhausted, having to stop every so often so we wouldn't get too worn out. My brown gaze met theirs, and I flicked my head up, motioning for us to go up for a breath. 

Like whales and dolphins, we could only hold out breath for so long before we had to come up for air. Our heads popped up next to each other, each of us taking in deep breaths before looking around. The air felt cool against our wet skin, and the water brushed up against us. "Land is very close. We must be careful and be sure that we're not seen." I spoke firmly.

"Yes of course." 

I smiled at her, gently. "I am Maya."

"Grace." 

Grace's hair appeared dark brown, though it was likely much lighter when dry. Her piercing green gaze remained, even in the sorrowful time. Like most mermaids, her skin was tan, and she was very beautiful. Her tail was a pale purple, deepening in color as it reached the frayed end. "I'm Isla." 

Isla's hair appeared golden, so I assumed it would be blonde when dry. She was the one who held the bluish-green eyes. Her tail, like all mermaids, started off with a pale color; blue, and deepened toward the end. Only hers, instead of frayed like Grace's, flowed out, resembling a water lily. "It's very nice to meet you."