The New Adventure Awaits

Naomi

Those men... they weren't mermen. I wasn't a mermaid either, but at least I had a tail. They didn't have a tail.

And they were breathing under water.

The men didn't have helmets or anything on to protect their bodies.

Those men. These men are the weird ones. 

I was about to swim over to them when Naomi stopped me. I thought she left, but she waited for me to come out to pull me back again.

Naomi grabbed my arm and started to swim. Fast. She wasn't slowing down, no matter how much I yelled at her to stop.

We got almost a mile away in less than 30 seconds.

I pulled my hand away, and looked back at the town.

The town was still visible, but I didn't see the men or Sharky...

I stared at the town, falling to the ground slowly. I felt tears fall down my face and disintegrate into the ocean.

"Chris... you have to leave." She said, swimming in front of me and sitting in front of me, putting her hands on my cheeks. "You have to go back to the surface. I can help Sharky, but you can't. They could hurt you. Neither Sharky or I  want you to get hurt."

I stared at her, then hugged her. "You know I can't do that, Naomi..." I said softly.

She didn't say anything, because she knew I wasn't going to do what she asked me to.

"Thank you, Naomi.." I pulled back. "I have to. He would do it for me without hesitation... even if it did hurt him."

She stared at me, then sighed.

"I know he would..." She smiled. "So I'll help you."

I smiled back. "Thank you."

We went back to the town, but stayed under the radar so that the people that took Sharky wouldn't see us yet. We had to see the situation first, then we could get him back.

We both swam behind a building, then looked out of the corner of it. We didn't see anyone, then we swam to the next building to get closer.

I saw Sharky laying on the ocean floor. I wanted to go to him. I wanted to hold him in my arms like he would me.

I stared at him for a few seconds, then looked around to see if anyone was near. I started to inch closer to him, the urge to hold him and comfort him overwhelmed me. I had to go to him. I had to.

Naomi noticed and pulled on my hand. I looked at her. Her eyes were soft and comforting.

"Chris..." She whispered so no one would hear. "They want you to go to him. That's why he's there alone."

I looked down, then looked back at Sharky.

She was right. I couldn't barge in there. Not right now.

Naomi talked to me in a whispered tone over and over again to calm me down. She asked me questions about my relationship with Sharky. I answered everything, also in a whispered tone, but I didn't feel calm.

I still felt weary and scared for Sharky and what he was feeling. I was scared someone would come up behind us and snatch both of us. But I was more afraid of what those people wanted with me.

My mind made up so many scenarios about what they wanted.

And I think that is what Naomi was preventing.

                              •~~*~~•

We waited for what felt like hours. We sat there, watching Sharky to know the best time to swim to him.

My eyes stayed on Sharky, until I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye.

It was the smallest movement, but it took my attention. All of it.

My eyes quickly went to a plant in a shop a few buildings away from us.

That small movement could have been anything. Someone walking in the shop. The water pushing the plant just slightly. Or someone hiding in it.

My eyes never left that plant until I saw what it was.

After a few minutes, the plant moved again. I saw a face behind the plant.

And I knew it saw me.

I dashed for Sharky, grabbing his arm quickly, then pulled him close to me. I swam upward as fast as I could. I turned, swimming strait to another town.

We got to that other town, and I put Sharky down, checking everything to make sure that he wasn't hurt.

Sharky had a few scratches on him, but it wasn't major. However, he was unconscious.

I sighed, my head went back, sitting next to Sharky, who I put on the ocean floor for him to rest.

My eyes widened.

Naomi...