Sea Breeze

Sea Legs Splash

Marie awoke next to Jamie snuggled into her the next morning. She stroked his head and kissed his forehead before getting up to shower.

She contemplated her swim and the fun she'd had with Aenon the day before while she shampooed. He had seemed to have just as much fun as her, but was it just a ploy to get his brother back? Well when you put his intentions that way... but still he had no right to steal Jamie from her and his home. And what the devil did Shell mean by "You humans"?

Marie sighed and dried herself off before dressing in some jean shorts and a blue tank top with an orange hat. She had breakfast in the process of being made when the young boy stumbled downstairs and immediately hugged her, "Mommy..." he looked up and and sadness filled his eyes, "Mommy doesn't want me..."

Marie's heart clenched for him as she squeezed him in a hug, "Oh no that's not it Jamie... she just thinks she's protecting everyone by letting you go to the sea, but you know what?" She tilted his face up at hers, "I will never ever let them take you."

A knock sounded at the door and the blue eyed young woman went to answer it after kissing Jamie's cheek. At the door was a haggard looking man. Jamie yelled, "Daddy!"

The man pushed past Marie and ran to hug Jamie. He held him close and kissed his head, "Don't you ever leave my sight again my son. Never."

He looked accusingly at Marie, "And you." His voice shook with rage, "Don't think I'll let you get away with kidnapping."

Her eyes widened and she held up her hands in surrender, "I didn't! I fished him out of the ocean."

Jamie was hugging his father, "Daddy, Marie helped me. She saved me and bought me nice clothes and sang to me after mommy said I needed to go back to the water."

He looked incredulously at his son, "Your mother did what? She honestly believes those fish boys?!"

Marie's eyes softened, "They won't really drown everyone on the island. I'm sure of that and if they try I'll be the first to make sure that doesn't happen. Jamie won't be taken against his will."

The man stopped and reappraised Marie. He saw the determination in her eyes and plain resolve in her body language. His intuition told him he could trust this young woman, but his brain said to wait.

"Hey! Marie, Jamie!" A voice called from the direction of the sea. She recognized Shell's cocky lilt and marched out the door toward the sea.

Aenon looked up at the rising sun and sighed. He'd never realized just how much he missed his life as a human before then. He'd been forced to turn merman when he was sixteen. He'd had a girlfriend he was convinced he was in love with and was that football star that everyone loved.

Aenon had been happy to leave everything behind. He'd caught her cheating on him with someone he didn't even know and his best friend had died of cancer.

The best part was when he left, no one looked for him. He'd never had any parents and his care worker had hated him.

But today he actually missed running and feeling the sun heat his body. He actually missed the feeling of burning in his calves. An idea appeared in his mind and he slipped out of the kelp to swim to a rocky shoal. He pulled himself on a warm rock and waited for himself to dry while trying to remember the spell he'd used on Marie.

Shell awoke to find his friend gone and sighed. He looked around before deciding to go see if Aenon was with Marie, he swam up to the shore. Perplexed when he didn't see anyone he called, "Hey! Marie, Jamie!"

He was pleased when Marie came out but the look on her face confused him. He watched her storm up to the tide line and put her hands on her hips, "Apologize and tell the truth."

"And what would this be for my fellow blue?" He tilted his head to the side as he gazed up at her through his lashes.

Marie sighed exasperated, "The truth about what you told the citizens of this island to get Jamie."

He spotted a man holding Jamie tightly and understood. He flashed a smirk, "Oh that? Well for you my anglefish I'll say that we won't drown everyone, but we really do need Jamie to come with us. Well, Aenon needs his little brother because if he doesn't get Jamie he can't be accepted into the society as a warrior and his mother longs to see her youngest son."

Marie scowled her expression also revealed that she understood, "Well Jamie's not going back no matter how much you guys want him, he doesn't want to so he won't."

Shell rose an eyebrow adding to his cocky look, "I only said we need him, why are you getting so defensive?"

"Because no one should be forced to do something they don't want to."

Shell shook his head amused, "Well have you seen Aenon? He wasn't around when I woke up."

She shook her head and he cursed, "Bloody sea foam. Thanks anyway."

He swam around looking for Aenon before he found him panting against a rock.

Aenon had thought for a while before he remembered it. He cast it on himself when he was uncomfortably dry and lo and behold he reverted to how he was as a human, only the once baggy swim trunks he'd worn when he transformed into a merman were now way too small. He grinned as he stood and after gaining his balance, ran. He ran along the beach, through the grass, and along the streets he never thought he'd walk again.

He spotted a swim bag that a boy his height had just left. Sneaking over he swiped the trunks and ran. Once behind a few boulders he changed and sighed, much better.

He trotted along the shore feeling great but heard Marie chewing out Shell and froze. He saw Shell swim away, "Shit."

He broke into an all out sprint and managed to dive in the water and pop up next to a rock just seconds before Shell found him. He grinned panting, "Hey."