Mermaid origins (Complete)

Chapter 2

Real quick. Jakey and Bri absolutely hate each other. Jakey's just better at hiding it than she is.

Writing Bri was fun, and I took some inspiration from Tsunami in Wings of  Fire for some of the insults.

Bri's POV

I grinned at Austin as we swam back into my room. I personally was overjoyed. It's been a full week with Austin, just laughing, visiting charities, and generally having an amazing time. Speaking of which.

Austin looked exhausted, but happy as well. We'd just come back from an early morning swim together, going through parts of town no one visited anymore.

But before I could start talking, a knock rang out on the door. And in came Colin.

"Hey, uhm my lady. Real sorry, but apparently, Prince Jakey is back temporarily, and well same as always." He said sheepishly.

I groaned and let myself fall onto my bed. "Uuuuuugghhhhh. Why do I have to even ever see that squid brained, kelp blob?!!" I complained. "I really hate that guy. So mysterious and distant, and angry and stubborn and WE GET IT, YOU MISS YOUR CHILDHOOD SWEETHEART BUT THE WORLD IS UNFAIR, GET OVER IT ALREADY!"I screamed. Colin and Austin glanced at each other, both looking very uncomfortable.

 "Well...He's your fiancé" Colin mumbled.

"I mean..." Austin said "if he ever does find Bryan, you won't have to marry him."

"Yeah but that's not going to happen. Because people don't disappear for 10 YEARS AND JUST COME BACK ALIVE, HE'S DEAD, SO INSTEAD OF MOPING AND BEING A TRAGIC STARFISH NOSED KELP SNORTING STING RAY MAYBE HE COULD, oh I don't know, HELP ME GET OUT OF THIS STUPID ENGAGEMENT!" I huffed and rolled over so I was facing away from the door.

"You may not believe it, but I have in fact tried to get out of this wedding as well" A familiar voice cut through the water, and when I sat up, low and behold, Prince Jakey was there in the doorway. 

"Trust me" he added "I don't want to marry you either."

Before I could scream at him to stay out of my room, he launched into speech again.

"I only came here so the king won't try to stop me leaving. Now there's a coral reef I think is worth checking out. So if you'll excuse me." He turned and left.

There was second of silence, as I felt my anger rising.

Austin and Colin glanced at each other, and Colin spoke "I have to go too."

I saw him mouth 'good luck' to Austin as he closed the door behind him.

My anger exploded.

Brandon's POV

I was merely idly swimming through the streets, when, passing by Lady Bri's home I heard a scream of pure fury. Not two seconds later, my little brother Jakey swam out of the building.

"Jakey! Is, is everything ok?" I asked glancing up to the window where the screaming was coming from.

"Of course" he said dryly "that's just my lovely fiancé. The king made such a great decision pairing us together."

I saw the pure hatred in his eyes and couldn't help but flinch at his words, I glanced down my tail fins. "You can call him dad" I mumbled

I heard the door close again and looked up, a servant swam out and, after bowing to me, which made me very uncomfortable, he turned to speak to Jakey.

"Hey If you want help checking that coral reef, I'd be glad to help out."

My head snapped up upon hearing this.

"Wait you're leaving? Again? You just got back! I thought Bri-"

I was interrupted by a loud scream of "THAT STUPID FROG FACED, FISH SPIT, SHARK CHOW PRINCE. AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHH" followed by a crash.

"...ah Nevermind then." I muttered.

"I'll see you around Brandon." Jakey said, and swam off.

I sighed as I swam towards the library. Mario would probably know what I could do to help Jakey. Mario knew everything.

"Mario?" I called as I swam in. I noticed the librarian tense ever so slightly as I swam towards her, but she kept reading, head bowed and seemed very focused on her work.

"Uhm..." I started, hoping she would glance up.

No such luck, she turned the page of her book. I awkwardly glanced around, noticing Mario's usual table was desert and seemed to be missing a chair.

"Uh. Uhm Excuse me?" I said

"Yes?" She answered quickly, still not looking up.

"I'm, uhm have you seen my brother?" I asked studying the details of the desk

"Who?" She asked "you're going to have to be more specific than that. Lot of "brothers" show up, then leave again." She said, still not looking up.

Part of me was tempted to apologize and swim out of there as fast as I could. But Jakey needed me, and I needed Mario to help Jakey.

"MY brother, Prince Mario." I said firmly, trying to uncurl my back. She finally looked up and , a look of panic crossed her face.

Oh no! Did I scare her?

But just as fast as it appeared, the fear vanished.

"Prince Mario... lets see..." she stopped and started thinking.

I looked around the library, now I noticed some pieces of coral lying lifeless on the cold floor near a cabinet of books, they looked as though they were once a chair.

"Oh yes, he was in, earlier, but he left, something about studying something somewhere else, I'm not sure, I wasn't really listening, sorry." She said dismissively, looking back down at her book.

"Oh... oh ok well thank you anyway" I said sadly and started swimming out.

"Good luck finding your brother Prince Brandon" she called after me. 

Kay's POV 

As I heard the door close behind Prince Brandon, I glanced up and, once checking I was alone, let out a sigh of relief, and rest my head on my desk.

"I just lied to a member of the royal family." I muttered to myself.

Whatever Princ- no just Mario, he said. Whatever Mario was doing and why it required as few people to know he was missing was beyond me, but I chose not to ask questions.

I straightened back up, and set the book i'd been pretending to read down. I was honestly lucky Prince Brandon wasn't as attentive as his older brother. The book was entirely empty.

I should clean the broken chair up....