ugly - mashton

one

- ONE -
JUNE 17th, 2004

MICHAEL

"Michael! Come here!" A woman yelled, searching for her son.

Michael gasped at the sound of his mother. She was a loud woman and he could hear her all the way from his backyard.

"Coming, mother!" Michael shouted back. He swam towards his backdoor and slid it open, instantly smelling cooked fish with lemon. "Mother! You know I don't eat fish!"

"Oh, Michael. You'll get over this little phase soon. Now why don't you set the table for us?" The boys mother responded.

Michael sighed and looked through the cupboards for the dishes needed. He set up three plates and glasses, as well as the silverware needed.

When he was done setting the table up, Michael swam down the hall and into his room to freshen up. He sighed to himself as he looked into his mirror. It wasn't because he was ugly, more because he was beautiful.

Michael was still only fifteen at the time and still had his pretty merman features. He had a button nose and pale skin that complemented his pale pink lips and bright green eyes. His hair was a soft white color with pink mixed in, which matched his tail.

All of the boys family was confused when his tail colors had settled. His ancestors had always had orange and blue tails, but he had a white and pink one, with tints of purple.

As he grew up, the white in him made sense. It stood for his innocence and purity that most of his family didn't have. His family was more strong and loyal, but happy and bright.

The pink in his tail was frowned upon by the men of his family. His father was the only one who didn't mind, even though it was a feminine and compassionate color. The purple was the color he was most worried about.

Purple is for royalty. The Clifford family was far from royalty, they were just regular civilians. They had money and treasure but they weren't rich, nothing compared to the kings family. The light shade of purple on his scales could just be for romance, but mermaids take color meanings seriously and Michael could get in a lot of trouble just for being born with a little bit of purple.

"Michael, dinners ready!" The boy heard his mother from the kitchen. He sighed once more and made his way to the table.

"Oh, Michael." His mother said as she turned around with a dish in her hands. She shook her head, "You know it's just the two of us right now."

The boy pouted, "He might come home, you never know."

"Well he's not here right now, is he?" The woman yelled as she picked up a plate. Michael flinched and closed his eyes when he saw his mother almost throw the plate, but nothing hit him.

"I'm sorry," Michael pouted.

"Just eat your dinner," She said and walked away to put the extra set of silverware away.

Michael pouted and started to play with his food. He didn't like fish, they were his friends. He was also too upset to eat.

His father had went out for awhile. He wasn't dead or anything, but he left so he could become handsome again. The day his wife called him ugly was the day he left to find a human to love him.

This happens a lot in the ocean. People want to become pretty again so they venture out to find somebody. Most of the time they are captured and die, or they become lost. Michael is just hoping nothing happens to his own father.

"May I be excused, mother?" Michael asked after moments of them sitting in silence.

"You haven't even touched your food," His mother sneered.

"I told you, I don't eat fish," he shrugged.

"Eat the damn fish, Michael," she replied angrily.

"I'm sorry," the boy whispered before taking a small bite of the fish. Michael really hated his mother at times.

His mother was usually a nice lady. But that's only to people who aren't her family. She was awful to her family, especially her husband and son.

The reason she was like this is because she's beautiful. Before she met Michael's father, she made a man fall in love with her at the age of twenty. She was only ugly for two years.

She constantly would brag and boost about her good looks, which made others feel down about themselves. Michael didn't like her because she always told him he would be ugly forever after August 24th and that no one would ever love him. It hurt him sometimes.

"I'm gonna go out for a swim," Michael said once he was done with his meal.

Michael rolled his eyes when his mother barely acknowledged him and swam out the door. He sighed once he was out and threw up in his own front lawn. "Gross," he whispered.

The boy continued to swim through the streets of his small neighborhood, saying hello to everyone outside with a smile. "Oh my gosh, Johnny! Look how big you are!"

Michael held the small child with a blue tail up and twirled him around. Johnny smiled and laughed until Michael put him down, "Hi Michael! Wanna play?"

"I'm sorry bud, i'm busy. Maybe tomorrow?" Michael offered.

The child nodded and they said their goodbyes and Michael continued his way through the streets. He sighed again at the familiar houses. He was bored of the streets he grew up on where all the houses looked the same. He wanted something else, something more.

He wanted to go on land, where the humans were.

It was always one of his dreams, and he knew it was possible. He heard stories of mermaids going up there all the time. He just wants to be one of them.

Michael looked around to see if anyone was watching him. When he realized there was no one around, he swam up instead of forwards.

Any other mermaid would probably say Michael was being an idiot at that moment. He's only fifteen and had never been outside of his town, let alone outside of the water. He was dumb and naive to think nothing would happen and he could make it onto land.

Thoughts ran into Michaels mind on how wrong it was. Mermaids do this when they are ugly and want to be pretty, not because they're a little mad at their mom. His brain was telling him to turn back around and go home, but the child in him was what kept him swimming up.

He was curious and wanted to know what happened up there. Michael knew land was so far from his home and could take days even for a mermaid to get to, but he was upset and wanted to do something with his life.

Whether that be running away from his beautiful mother or finding his ugly father, the two human legs dangling off a wooden structure and its friends would soon find its way into his story.

And somehow Michael knew everything would turn out alright.

•~•~•

Sorry this took so long but thank you everyone for reading!

I'm not the best writer and it's not great but I hope you guys like it! Also sorry if i mix up the tense every once in awhile, it gets confusing some times lol.

Please comment and vote on this chapter! Thanks!