Aquaris

Aquaris 28

Yes, I realize it has been about six months now since I updated-
My excuse? I started high school. As in public school. As in no longer homeschooling.
Yes, I realize you definitely want to kill me-
Therefore, here is an update. Now I am running away to hide in a cave until y'all's wrath blows over.
If it ever does.
Or maybe I will die first.
Whichever comes sooner.
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Cold chills creeped up my spine into my bones. I stirred into consciousness and shuffled into a sitting position. For a few minutes I just sat there, like when you wake up from a long nap and can't quite pin anything down in your mind. When I obtained the ability for my mind to process what had happened, I began to look around. Surrounding me is four stone walls that seem to be pressing together trying to squash me in. A slight crack in one wall let enough light penetrate through for me to be able to recognize the outline of a metal, bolted door in the far wall. Achingly, I struggled to rise and twitch my tail enough to move over to the door. I pressed my ear to the cold metal to hear if anybody is on the other side. I picked up voices alright, but everything is muffled to the point where I can't tell if it's the door causing the voices to be muffled, or my shocked air. Focusing only on my labored breathing, I let my self slowly collapse against the door. Closing my eyes, I'm not even sure what happened next.
Deep shadows moved towards me. They creep along the ground trying to snag my feet. I back away from them and look into the darkness drinking me in, in search of anything or anyone to help me. A cold breeze seeped from the darkness, bringing with it black ooze poisoning the air.
"Run, Aquema, RUN!" The voice of my mom sent my legs flying into action as I started to run from the darkness.
"Mom! Mom where are you!?" The voice didn't reply, but the wind picked up and tugged at my hair. Endless wailing and snapping of teeth and bones pierced my ears. "Mom!?"
Suddenly, she appeared right in front of me. I gasped in surprise and almost run smack into her. Her eyes burned into mine as if trying to tell me a story from the pain and suffering that reflected off in them. I blinked and broke the contact as I heard the overwhelming torture noises and felt the darkness closing in on us.
"Mom come on! We need to go!" I tried desperately to get her to move, but she didn't budge and just continued to stare at me emotionless.
"Remember Aquema, I'm not the one you need to fear." As she finished speaking those few words, the darkness closed in on her. I watched as in a split second it swallowed her body. A few seconds later I heard her scream through the darkness with the sound of suffering. Panicking, I turned on my heels and prepared to run. I halted and stumbles when I saw the darkness reaching out on all sides. I'm surrounded!
A deep laughter rumbled from all around. It seems to mock me and rejoice in success. The laughter sounds very familiar... I had no time to figure out who it is when I am now at the very edge of the darkness.
Just before it swallows me in, I feel a force swipe across my face, and her another voice.
"Hey Aquema."
"Hey. Hey! Do I have to slap you again?!" An annoying voice woke me, as I brought my hand to my stinging cheek.
"Ugh. You pathetic excuse for a mermaid." It grumbled to itself from the corner of the cave-like room. I squinted my eyes to see who was insulting me. To my confusion, the person is... Fradjas.
"What the crab are you doing here?! Oh let me guess, you joined the itty-bitty bad mermaid side?" I growled at the Barbie doll, irritated.
She snorted unattractively, fitting the rest of her perfectly. "Oh no. I think you mean the winning side. After all, how can Aquaris win when they put their hope in a pathetic little mermaid like yourself? And might I add, captured little mermaid."
"Have you ever seen a gun?"
"Excuse me?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Have you ever seen a gun?" I repeated the question slower so her tiny fish brain could comprehend the words.
"No? What is that?"
"It's this thing people use to blow the brains out of things. It would work great on something with as big of a head as yours..." I pretending to be imagining what it would be like if her tiny brain burst out of her large head. Of course I omitted the part of how guns wouldn't work underwater. Or how I don't have one. But those are just unimportant details.
She tensed up, looking a bit concerned as if I am going to pull out a gun any second and splatter her make up all across the room. "I bet you don't even have one," she said, unsure.
"But I very well could. You wouldn't know one if you saw it sweetheart." I tilted my head at her, mocking compassion. "Now before you find out what one does look like, you should get out of here." I don't even know how she got in here, seeing I'm still sitting with my back pressed against the door.
Uncomfortably, she eyed the door behind me and shot towards it in fear. Her tail twitched and smacked my head, causing me to go dizzy and bend over forward. This gave her the chance to slip through the door and lock it on the other side.
So that's how she got in, and why my head hurts. I groaned at the thought that she probably had left the door unlocked while she was in here. I could've escaped.
Feeling safe that a metal door is now between us, Fradjas yelled through. "Ha! Your still such a pathetic excuse for a mermaid! And don't think I didn't see you and your jealous friend spying on me and Darlis before!"
I rolled my eyes at her attempt to "win" our little argument. Now that that thing is gone, I can focus on the nightmare I had. If that's even what it was.
What could it mean? If it meant anything at all. My mind is telling me that nothing happens down here without meaning or reason. I should know that for sure by now. But even though I have been a mermaid for quite some time, I still have a human brain. This comes as a massive disadvantage to me when trying to understand the mystical ways of the sea. The only thing I have come to accept is that the sea itself can interact with you. It can be your friend and act in your benefit, or it can sometimes lead you into a confusion of something way out of reach of the mortal mind.
Whatever the dream is about will have to wait. My main focus right now should be to figure a way to escape and get back to Aquaris. There cannot possibly be much time before the final battle.
Right then the door was banged against and shoved open, forcing me to move away from it and rise. A merman entered the room with heavy armor and tattoos covering every inch of his chest and arms. The only bare areas are his face and tail. A long dark spear is held in the palm of his right hand threateningly.
Oh and someone must have spilt his morning coffee on him or something. The look on his face is quite grumpy and unpleasant.
"Come. Chalem would like to see you." He sneered the name out as if there was something more to what he is saying.
I furrow my eyebrows in deep thought. Chalem. That's the old merman to whom Axarion brought me to when I first arrived! Does this mean I am not in danger...? Or is he not the man I thought him to be. Whichever the case may be, I am not going to trust the name or the man easily.
I cautiously but willingly let the man guide me out of the room and through stone hallways. After a few turns we entered a stone chamber in which the grumpy merman closed a door behind us. He then made his way to the other side of the chamber and heaved back the bolt on another door. This door opened with a high pitched creek like you would hear in a horror movie. The mer stepped back and looked at me expectantly. I took this as a hint to walk through in front of him. I entered the room and he followed close behind me, closing the door as he did so. The room we have entered is sort of grand with black marble walls decorated with gold symbols and designs. At the back of the room is a matching black marble throne. The merman sitting in the throne is none other than Chalem in all his glory. The same white hair, chunky form, and tired eyes. The man who instructed Axarion to bring me into the sea in the first place. I think you can imagine the amount of confusion swirling in my head right now.
"Here she is Chalem." The tattooed mer who is still standing behind me addressed the old mer.
Chalem eyed me slowly and without removing his eyes from mine, he responded, "You may leave now." Mr. tattoo dude quickly left and bolted the door behind him with a loud clang. After a few seconds of tension filled silence, he spoke again. "Well, well, well. We finally meet again. I have been waiting for this moment. But honestly, I had hoped it would have been sooner." He finished with an intimidating smirk.
"Yeah..." I replied unsure.
He let out an amused booming laugh. "You really do not have the slightest idea of what's going on."
I spoke in reply, my tone of voice confirming his statement, "You're that guy Axarion brought me to when he turned me into a mermaid..."
Chalem nodded but didn't say anything. Instead he burst into a fit of deep raspy laughter, leaving me dumbfounded. While he is still laughing, he swept his frail but chunky arm across the space in front of him. Black mist appeared where his arm passed and spread like wildfire until it engulfed the whole room. The laughing died, but when the mist cleared up, Chalem is no longer Chalem. The tired eyes are gone and replaced with pure black ones with a sparkle of red flint. His face is more chiseled and defined of a younger, but not too young age. He no longer has tiredness in his eyes and posture. Now he is burning with evil energy and fire. I stare wide eyed in apprehension and awe. The once old tail with a straggly fin has been transformed into a powerful black tail. It is slick as if polished, and the fin is sharp and dangerous.
This new form of a merman took one glance of my expression and let out a different laugh. A strong laugh of mockery in a way, smug in satisfaction.
There is something very wrong here... I know that face... I have seen it before. Who could it be? Worry crept over every possible inch of my body as I came closer and closer to recognizing the face before me.
It is impossible. No. No it just can't be. It cannot!
I gasp and fling myself back against the door as far away from him as possible. "Dad!?" He merely grinned slyly at me, as if all is going as he has had planned.
"Ahh Emma, Emma. Or should I say Aquema now?"
Que evil laugh.
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No hate please?
No?
Kay.. I go hide in hole now..