Trapped and Sold

Chapter 1

Nathalie lived a peaceful life among the arctic glaciers; she was an exotic subspecies of mermaid. With an incredibly vibrant set of colors perfect for finding a partner in life and love. Nathalie could have had anyone she wanted whenever she wanted, but she never took interest. Suitors came every day claiming of the large abandoned ships they called home and the treasures that filled them. And she answered them in the same way she answered everyone. "Please leave before I escort you out myself.." Then adding a menacing look to scare them off. She loved her dominant position over men, and she only had a soft spot for her friend Penny.
Penny had bright Magenta scales with light pink skin, and her fins looked as though she was a species of beta fish. She was a beautiful woman who gave up her freedom to be with Jagged, a merman known for rambunctious tendencies. Nathalie couldn't understand it.

She preferred to read her stone tablets; she understood everything on them; the ancient stories of their ancestors always intrigued her. She was deep in thought as she swam through the ice formations with absolute agility and grace. And If you must know where she's going. She was off to work, generally stuck with hunting duty considering her advantages. She'd rarely heard of someone never returning, but that didn't mean it hadn't ever happened. Deaths happened by Polar bears typically, but there were unnatural causes too. Ones that came from above the surface in large metal machines carrying nets and harpoons. Some people were stupid and always said, " Aw, let's give them a second chance. A second chance?! They don't deserve one! She was always more hostile about this topic than others.

Her eyes burned a bright magenta. She got her trident and fixed her hair; sighing, people can be foolish sometimes, she thought. When she arrived, she was the only one there. They usually did hunting duty in pairs, but I guess today she'd have to go it alone; apparently, that blonde mermaid slept in! "People these days with their messed up sleep schedules," she grumbled. She swam towards the sharper glaciers heading away from the town, Laughing it off. Nothing but peaceful quietness, as she thrust her trident through the thin ice area, making a series of cracks so just a simple tap, and it would all crumble to pieces.

She saw her home grow farther and farther away. It never worried her; she could perfectly defend herself against other sea-dwelling creatures. The cold water ran along her body smoothly, invigorating her. Her scales glimmered a lush blue with hints of pink. Everything on her felt like bliss. A feeling nothing else could compare to; it's obvious she has not tried caffeine yet.

"I wonder..do the others feel the same? They're always trying to contact the people from above... such idiots-" Bam! She turned around to hear something crack loudly with the water separating behind her. Upon closer inspection, two glass shells that have liquid inside them? With a pink puffball on the end of it? She pulled it out of the ice seeing a needle. It seems to have broken once going into the ice. Crack! She could feel something prick into her back; she pulled it out, and the syringe was empty and the needle laced with her blood. Oh, no, no, no, this isn't good, she thought. Having no idea of what this thing could do to her, she headed home as quickly as possible, but she was unbelievably tired... It all happened within a matter of seconds, and her head pounded before she blacked out, and just before Nathalie lost her vision, she remembers...
..Tranquilizer..

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The next time she awoke.. she was in a bathtub? It must have been an experienced group of hunters... A fishing line was wrapped around her neck, tightly tying her to the faucet. Her blood dripped down, making the water pink after the hours she must have been there.
She heard the door slam shut with loud voices in the distance before she saw a bottle of vodka hit against the wall beside her making her flinch.
A drunken man stumbled in, throwing up in the cardboard box beside her making Nathalie look away, disgusted with his actions.
"Your gonna make me rich!" He laughed manically; obviously, he must have been out on the high seas without talking to anyone in months.

"and what makes you think that."

"Monsieur Agreste is in the market for mermaids this year. And look at you. Your tail and scales are perfecttttttt." He ran his finger along her tail before getting splashed in the face.

"Don't touch me, you bastard.." She growled.

"My mermaid, I'll do whatever I want!" He yelled before guzzling whatever was left in the bottle of liquor he was holding. He threw a fish at her, "there's your food, idiot." And with that, he left.

Nathalie already had a hatred of the man. But at least he seemed to be suffering; the man didn't have his sea legs, not to mention he was so drunk. But never mind that all she wanted to do was escape, but the fishing line around her neck, hands, arms, waist, and tail were all more painful than she expected...
All she could do was try escaping once she arrived at her new container.

When she woke up, she was in a new tank, much more significant but still small, with trees all around her and a large metal moving thing right behind her. And whatever she was on, it must have been moving fast! Everything was a blur! With something black underneath her and whatever she was on. It had white lines, too. She swam up to the front and caught a glimpse of a sign that said "highway.. something.."
She was very, very, very stressed! Where in the world was she! She wasn't expecting this! She huddled close to the glassy bottom of the tank, cowering. As long as nobody could see her, she could be as scared as she wanted to be.
She felt her neck, and there were bandages...That was very nice of them even though they were the ones who caused it! But yet no chance to escape.. despite it being more comfortable, she was still tied down.
Then feeling the car sway, she saw them slowing down, leaving the faster lane on some sort of exit.
Maybe she should try and get some rest; whatever was in this tank..it was awfully hot in there...