Our Complicated Love

Chapter 7

So it was official, I was the new poster child for dysfunctional families. Of course there was a tiny spot in the back of my brain that was estatic that I could possibly have more family a father, maybe an aunt, maybe I even had another set of grandparents. However for some reason the only thing I could think of was that my mother possibly lied to my face my entire life and kept me hidden away from a whole another part of myself.

"Seriously Tyne I don't see what me working out my tail has to do with anything." I said once I grew tired of swimming around the same piece of coral for 45 minutes. "Iris I understand how frustrated you must be but things have changed you're a royal and now our journey has nothing to do with finding my sister anymore. I now have to make sure you get safely back to the pacific kingdom."

"You know I always thought that a mermaid kingdom would be called Atlantica or Mermaidia or something." He rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger once he saw me trying to chase and catch the end of my tail. "Iris will you please stop acting like a child." Tyne said and it kind of sounded weird for him to just try and reign in his anger like he was trying to now. "What so you suddenly find out I'm a princess and you start to treat me differently?"

Tyne started swimming away from our little practice coral and I quickly followed easily able to keep up with him. High five me! "I told you Iris circumstances have changed." I rolled my eyes and swam underneath him and turned around so our fronts were facing each other. "By the way, I've been swimming in the ocean before so how come I only turned into a mermaid now." I looked at his face just in time to see him look away from me with a slight red tint to his cheeks. Tyne cleared his throat, "W-Well the mermaid gene is always dominant however you have to be exposed to salt water very soon after your birth in order to become one of us."

I thought to when my mother used to say that soon after I was born I was sick for a very long time, probably my human body at war with my mermaid gene. "Well I was never actually in salt water until I was 5." He shook his head, "That's much too late. My blood must of been the catalyst that woke up your other half."

"Well thanks for waking me up Tyne." I said as I looked at him to see another hint of red wash over his cheeks.

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After awhile of swimming with Tyne I realized that instead of focusing on swimming I could put my tail on a type of auto pilot. So since I had nothing to occupy my time with I resorted to the only thing I could think of... annoying Tyne.

I was currently in the middle of swimming in circles around him and asking every little question that popped into my head. "Are we there yet?"

"No."

"How long will it take us to get there?"

"Probably a day and a half."

"Do mermaids eat fish?"

"No. Do humans eat humans?"

"So what do we eat?"

"Seaweed."

"I'm hungry could you find me some?"

"No"

"Awww but I'm hungry and I'm your princess." I whined, it felt awkward to pull the princess card but what are you gonna do?

He sighed and stopped swimming, "Fine but follow me because you need to recognize what's edible and what isn't." He swam a little ways off the path we were previously on until we both came upon a small patch of different colors of seaweed. He swam lower and plucked up an assortment of different colors then he guided me to two smooth rocks so we could both sit. Tyne then pulled out a bright green one from the pile, "This is just your everyday meal. Instead of human food whose purpose is mostly pleasure the whole purpose of our food is to fil us up and give enough energy to get us through our days." He then handed it to me and I immediately scarfed it down. Soon enough the aching in my stomach started to ease.

Tyne then took a bright red seaweed out of the pile, "This is one of the things we actually use for taste. Try it." He said and handed it to me. I put it in my mouth and chewed for awhile and swallowed, "It taste like tomatoes!" He nodded and smiled, "We mix it with different types of seaweed to make a salad of sorts." Tyne continued to pull out different colors of seaweed some of them exploding with flavor and others that didn't have any taste to them at all. He finally pulled out a deep purple with a slight red tint to it. "Now this is called the red choker because if you eat it, it will cut off all your air ways and you will die in a matter of minutes."

I shivered at him bluntness, "Gotcha." He nodded and set it down next to a couple other deadly ones. "Now there's one more I actually want to show you I will be right back." I sighed and waited for him as I ate more of a yellowish seaweed that tasted kind of like lemon icing. Suddenly I felt something slithering up my tail and yank me backwards off of the rock I was sitting on.

I looked down to see a tentacle that was now curling up my torso. "Hmmm what do we have here?" I heard a dark menacing voice say behind me, I turned my head only to come face to face (more like face to eye) with a giant squid! "Purple tail and blue and purple eyes, you must be of royal birth."

I was to petrified to say anything and I couldn't look away from the giant red eye that made me feel like it was staring into my soul. "Hmmm then I suppose the prophecy will be coming true soon." Well that certainly shocked me out of my terrified state, "What prophecy?" Before the squid could say anything Tyne came out of nowhere and slammed in to the squid far away enough for it to release me from it's suction cups then it quickly swam off. Tyne quickly swam over to me and ran his hands across my face and neck checking for injuries. "Are you okay iris?" He said as he gently held my face in his hands staring deeply into my eyes. Out of the corner of my eye I saw tiny bubbles and I soon realized they were tears.

I wrapped my arms around Tyne's waist and buried my face in his chest weeping softly. "I had never seen anything like that Tyne. I was so scared..." I said as I cried in to his chest. He slid his arms around my neck hugging me closer to himself as he buried his face in my hair. "I will keep you safe Iris, I swear this on my life."

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Well hello lovely people! I give you chapter 7 alot earlier than expected in response to the crazy amount of votes that I've gotten recently so thank you for all the people that have voted for my story and keep doing what you're doing you great person you! And I know it's takeing awhile for the romance to kick in but I hate when characters in a book automatically fall in love with each other its like ugh it takes time for a relationship to grow man! Anyways, vote (like those), comment (love those), and as always.... -Lily out! ;)