Strangers of Sea & Land

Chapter 2

Water pushed against me, swishing and swaying, I felt stable. A tight pressure surrounded me.

Quickly sitting up, I spat out mouthfuls of water, the sunlight harsh against my eyes. Almost blind, I sat trying to take in what just happened.

I took deep breaths, head heavy, I slumped slowly to one side, only to be caught by taught arms.

Looking up, I could only make out his strong jaw and dripping dark hair, eyes still sensitive to my environment.

I owe him my life, where did he come from?

I thanked him, but it only came out as a small whisper, my voice was sore and scratchy from the salt. Exhausted, I was close to passing out once again.

"W-who...ar-," I began, straining my energy.

"Shh...," He began, I wearily closed my eyes as he laid me on my back.

"Half asleep, and just alive~" My rescuer sang.

His voice...sounds...so...

I fell into a dark slumber, his voice fading away, faint traces echoing in my ears.

-

I left her on the beach, as I noticed more humans came looking for her. My tail flicked at the water as I watched them take her further into the land.

Her red and white clothing making her easy to spot.

Such color, their little town.

I didn't understand why I hadn't just taken her back to Mother, like all the others. Diving down into the waves, I swam back to the caves.

Deep in thought, I questioned my purpose and my curse. Something in me had held back my instinct, my hunger.

The red on my fins glowed faintly as sunlight could not break through the thick seaweed and hard cavern walls. A sense of familiarity came to me.

My brother swam past me, leading one of the merfolk into his den. He glared in my direction before disappearing behind a curtain of sea ferns.

I smirked, 'Lucky catch, brother,' I thought to myself. Mother must be out hexing the barriers.

I sped out to my cave, in a dark and secluded corner of our underwater cove.

The opening was covered by seaweed and ferns, scrabbling along the dark rocks. Snails and squids clinging to the stalactites.

I grabbed a snail and swam in. My I flicked my tail and runes on the ragged walls glowed to bring a dim light into the cave.

Mother had taught me these types of dark magic, ones that were essential to survival. I learned spells and hexes, while my brother excelled at hunting. His complex songs lured in even most willful victims.

I swam over to my cauldron, a bowl made of deep cut obsidian, and set down the snail. Gathering bottles of all different sizes, I arranged them around the bowl.

I pulled the snail from its shell and flicked it into the cauldron, watching as sparks of color shot into the water above me.

Carefully, I threw in various vials and bottles, watching as the mixture crackled and popped. I did the math in my head, calculating the precise measures.

Magic began to spark from my webbed fingers, I smirked, waving the brew into the water. And in the smoke, her figure appeared.

-

I woke up in the infirmary, my sweatshirt still damp. Each breath stung and I could taste the salt in my mouth.

My head throbbed, I sat up slowly, only a lamp illuminated the room.

"H-hello? Nurse?" I spoke hoarsely.

A teenage girl in scrubs walked in quietly, glasses glinting, she smiled and skimmed her report.

   "Hey Katt," she started. "How're feeling?"

   "Not too great."

   "You've been through some rough stuff, by the looks of it you were caught in a riptide. Almost drowned but luckily your friend Zoey found you and brought you in."

I took a deep breath, "But that's...how long was I out?"

"We got you a few hours ago, during sunset, you were out cold when you were washed up on the shore. I assume Zoey performed emergency CPR, she's been training in First Aid here."

Nodding, I smiled and thanked her for taking care of me.

"It's my job, Katt! You know that." She grinned.

"Am I cleared to go?" I asked, wanting to change into dryer clothes.

"Yep, your mother came by as soon as she heard the news. We couldn't keep her here, so you'd better get home. Your brother is just outside in the car."

"Thanks again, Izzy," Rubbing my eyes, I smiled back to her.

"I'll stop by tomorrow, I've got a lot to tell you..."

"Bye! Get home safe."

"Goodnight!" I walked out to the car and climbed into the backseat. Sam had a worried expression.

"Glad you're safe Katt...Mom's gonna chew you out when we get home."

I winced, Mom was scarier than anything the ocean could do.

But still as I rested my head against the suede seats, flashes of the crashing waves and strong currents kept coming to mind.

My breath quickened and I squeezed my knees to calm myself.

I remembered the fear and panic...but more importantly I remembered my savior.

It wasn't Zoey, I know it wasn't. Who could've been out there? The beach was empty...

An image of a blood red fin and shiny scales came into focus. A sudden memory popped into my head.

-
The smokey water dissipated. I gasped and pushed away from the cauldron.

She remembered.

Sweeping away the remains of my spell, I realized what this meant.

Those legged beings, the humans, shouldn't be able to recall an encounter like this.

This girl, Katt, she's not like the others.

I groaned.

Don't get attached! She's only prey to us, how special could she be? Mother would never approve.

I relaxed a bit into my bed of dark seaweeds. Curling my tail into a sleeping position. I began to fall asleep, all these things on my mind.

And as my eyelids slid closed, a shadow suddenly blocked the red glow of my cavern walls.

A female shadow, sharp fins and a bony figure.

Mother.