In the Glass

Chapter 1

I stare at the people through the thick glass. It's the same thing everyday, kids knocking on the glass, cameras flashing, and the whisphers about me. And then there's the people dressed up as mermaids taking pictures with kids. But, I can hardly see through the glass today due to all the fingerprints on it. I hear music playing through the speakers. It's the soundtrack from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid. I haven't ever seen it, but I know the story. I also know that it is the reason all of the kids here call me Ariel. That's not my name. My hair isn't red, I can talk (although they don't know that), and I know what a fork is. I've been here for about a week and I'm already on display.
The crowd of people walk away and I know it must be closing time. A boy I have never seen comes to clean the fingerprints of my glass. He is cute with his gorgeous blonde hair and perfect complexion, but he has legs. He catches me staring at him and he gives me a look of disapproval, like I don't belong. He finishes his job and walks away. The next thing I know, is that I'm being pulled to the top of the tank and out of the water, my carmel-colored hair following me.
"All right move her over here," I hear one of the many scientists say. Another man drags me over onto a table and straps me down. He then enters needles and wires into my tail and hooks up the machine. A woman wearing a lab coat walks over close enough so I can read her name tag- Shelly. This woman must be new here, because I have never seen her before.
"Hello. My name is Shelly. I am here to ask you a few questions. Can you understand me?" She inquires.
I will not respond. They cannot keep me locked in a tank all day, and then expect me to answer questions about who I am and where I come from. The boy from earlier walks in and starts talking to one of the scientsts. I hear the scientist say that he is the new intern. He must be around 18 years old. I've always had a fascination with humans, just like every other teenage mermaid, and although I knew I could never meet them, I always secretly wished I could. I now know I was wrong, and would give anything to return to my home- the ocean.
The woman named Shelly is still standing here waiting for me to respond. She stares at me while a man with red hair jabs something into my tail, taking samples to study. I wince. The intern boy looks over and meets my eyes. He gives my look of sympathy, no, I must of been imagining it because he turns away and starts talking to the scientist again.
"Look, I know this must be hard for you, but if you would just tell us where you came from, we could help you return."
"Help me return? Your kind yanked me out of the water with nets and weapons, and now you're telling me you want to help me return safely?" I yell.
Everyone rushes over to the table and starts shouting. "She can talk!" I realize I shouldn't have said anything, but that just made me so angry. How dare they say they would help me.
"What is your name?" Shelly asks. I know that if I don't answer, they'll torture me until I do, humans are terrible creatures.
"Emmalina," I say. Now they know that I can talk and my name, I need to stop.
"Where do you come from, Emmalina?"
I close my eyes. I will not answer, I must not answer and betray my kind. I brace myself for the pain to come, but it doesn't. I open my eyes. Everyone is still there waiting for a response. I try to get out of the restraints, to pull myself free, but know that even if I do, I have nowhere to go except the tank. A man pulls the straps tighter and then sprays me with water. Idiot. He thinks I wil shrival up and die if I do not have water, although that is not true. They know nothing of my kind. Nothing in this universe would make me want to share my knowledge, not after the way they are treating me- like some sort of undiscovered animal.