Sea of Secrets

Chapter 6: What's This?! What's This?! There's Merfolk Everywhere!

"Hurry up, Pat!" a young boy called, an expression of mischief glued to his face.

"Not my fault you've got the better fin!" another boy called, swimming up to his friend with a bit of a struggle.

The two boys were in their final year of junior high, adventurous and brave, filled to the brim with energy. Even though one was a royal, soon to one day be the king of their city, they got along as if they were brothers. As if there was no difference.

"Come now, Patton! Your tail is just as mighty as mine!" the first boy commented, skin as tan as sand you'd find on beaches, though quite a bit smoother. His ecstatic red eyes shined brightly with his glimmering smile, teeth pearly white. His tail though, was the true masterpiece.

It was a marvelous display of reds and oranges, all sparkling proudly thanks to the shining sun above their ocean home. Two smaller fins stuck out on his sides, glowing an eye-catching gold, a royal color that matched his strong and mighty fin. It truly was a sight, just as much in strength as beauty, one of the strongest there was for his young age.

"Roman, you know that's not true," the other boy scolded lightly, though he beamed at his friend once he at last caught up.

"You can prove it true with our next challenge!" the royal said, voice similar to a game show host's as he pointed to the large purple structure behind them.

Patton let out a lazy smile, his joy never leaving no matter what he did. "Another challenge? We just swam like a thousand miles! We're so far from the city!"

"Our final challenge then! To prove who truly is the mightiest," Roman cheered, spiraling upwards with joy.

"You've beat me in all the other challenges. You've already won, kiddo."

"Patton, we're the same age. I'm even older than you!"

"Maybe on the outside," the younger boy teased, his hands held together tightly behind his back. "Moving on, what's this final challenge?"

"Who can make it to the farthest limits of merkind, that's the challenge! We shall both swim up to the surface, and from there climb this large rock as far as we can! First one to make it to the top or if the other yields wins!" he explained, swimming up to his friend to show the sparkling excitement in his ruby eyes.

Patton pulled a determined look, his own baby blue eyes scrunching up with delight. "Let's do it!" he replied, though he let out a small yelp as the royal grabbed his pale hand, tugging him towards the rock.

"Are you ready?!" Roman yelled, even though they were right next to each other, not another soul in sight it seemed.

"All set!" Patton cheered back, letting go of his friend's hand and looking up, preparing for the swim ahead.

"GO!" the two cried in unison, beginning to swim up as fast as their tails would allow. Roman at once was in the lead, his large and sturdy fin slicing through the water one swish after the other. However, Patton wasn't far behind, using his arms as an extra boost, that determined expression holding on tight.

They were swimming for a while, about 50 feet below the water's sacred surface. Every once in awhile Patton would surpass the royal, only to be push back down to second. It was close for sure, but when they jumped through the surface, it wasn't over yet.

The two boys had never been out of the water fully before. It wasn't allowed often, not to mention there were no structures near the city that got close to the top of their ocean kingdom. So both their hearts were racing with joy as they broke free, feeling the water droplets cling to their skin for dear life.