Flerae: A Lie Untold

Chapter 8: Insulted Look

- Ocean -

Every day, every day, I come to school, hoping that this'll be the day she has my classes ready so I can finally get an education. But no, she always has an excuse. She had to do this, or had to do that. It takes not one week, but three weeks of anger, frustration and throwing things - at home... most of the time - before she finally hands me a piece of paper, and says, "Your classes start tomorrow, I have already notified your teachers."

Back home, I once again turn back to turning the paper over and over, trying to read it. Giving up, I toss it under a rock, and jump into the water to get my brother. I look everywhere for him in his seaweed hideout. No luck. He must be in school, I think, as I swim to the surface, where I return to turning the paper over, and over, and over and over...

The paper gets wrinkled after a while. This starts to make me wonder if Seaweed will still be able to read it like this. I return the paper to it's home under the rock, and resume my search for my brother.

I find him in his hideout with our sister Coral. Her fur, a coral-brownish color, the same color as mom's fur, floats in the water, making her look like a poof ball. She is very pretty, but of course, looks can be deceiving. She remind me a little of Carp, but instead of using claws and teeth, she uses words. Like now.

My siblings stand in front of a small mer kitten, who looks to be about two years old. Coral flicks her ears and insults the kitten, telling her how small she is, how unpretty she is, how weak she is. 

Seaweed just stands there, letting her go at it, not adding to the hurtful comments or even telling her to stop. My anger for my lack of reading know-how changes to anger at my sister for insulting this kitten. I've been there. I've been the one getting insulted. My parents were the ones insulting me. 

"Leave her alone!" I shout.

My siblings turn towards me. "Leave her alone!" I repeat, louder this time. "She doesn't deserve this, she isn't ugly, it doesn't matter how small she is, she isn't weak!"

"Yeah?" says Coral, "even if she isn't, you are. You're weak. You can't even stay underwater for more than a couple minutes."

Now that I'm in the mix, Seaweed decides it's time to turn on our sister, "Coral," he says, "please, leave him alone, he can't change that he was born without gills. Don't beat up on him."

Coral gives him an insulted look and swims away.