Diving in Deep

by Melinda Craig

  I could feel the eyes of the pod surround me as I swam towards Myra and Darrin. They knew what happened. Most assumed she had died with the others. I let them think that so they could grieve and move on.

  Seeing her awake did nothing to reassure the pod and even worse, it made them question my authority. Those who had lost someone they loved would want revenge. The others who hadn’t lost were worse; they looked at Myra’s Siren gift and saw power.

  But waking up, that was unheard of. I saw it in the pod's faces. The question, the awe, they all wondered how she did it. No one had that kind of strength, until now. They were all waiting, waiting to see how their leader would react.

  I stopped as Darrin swam in front of Myra. It was a sign of territory. He claimed her under his protection. I glared. I expected better from Darrin. Did Myra’s gift manipulate him? I sent my voice to his mind.

  “You had one task, and you failed. You knew this was a challenge and assured me it would get done, no matter the cost. It was our most important task in getting the pod to safety. Tell me, Darrin, what’s the top priority of being in the guard.”

  “To protect the pod, Sir.” There was no submission in his answer.

  “So tell me, why is Myra here? Better yet, why is she alive?” I asked.

  “She woke.” He said.

  I swam a circle around Myra and Darrin. Darrin followed my movement; his body sheltering Myra’s. I could end them both if I chose. I flexed my onyx tail, it’s length longer, stronger, than anyone in our pod. It would take one strike, and it would be all over. My eyes met Darrins, and for a brief moment, I paused. I thought of the times Darrin had followed orders without question, and a few childhood memories flashed before me. We had been close once. A long time ago. That distant memory saved him.

  Lauren wriggled in Alexis’s grasp, but for once, my sister did as she should. She held Lauren back and allowed me to continue my interrogation. I let them wonder, keeping them uncertain of my next move. It was good for them to remember who was in charge.

  “She woke. You better explain it better than that.” I said.

  Finally, Darrin averted his gaze. The challenge was over. He knew I would not end his life today.

  “I couldn’t murder her. It was one thing being under the sleeping curse. We knew she was probably as good as dead, but she woke.” Darrin glanced up, his eyes filled with question.

  I hated that look. It meant he questioned me as a leader. He looked away, his tail swaying back and forth.

  “Waking from the curse requires a strong gift. I am not about to cause harm to Myra when she fought to survive and wake. Her intentions aren’t to harm and if we train her...” Darrin hesitated.

  “Well thanks to you, I’m out of options unless I kill her myself.” I leveled a hard look at them both. Darrin moved his hands behind him as if to keep her from my gaze. He was making a mistake, claiming her. She was trouble.

  Without wasting another moment, I turned my back on Darrin and swam towards the tunnel where our pod was waiting. I had dismissed them both. Today, Myra and Darrin both live. Tomorrow, we would see.

  The tunnel held a large and ancient stone in the opening. It had been centuries since I needed to come here. The stone was carved with a forgotten language by all except my bloodline. I didn’t need to read the chant, I knew it by heart.

  I hummed a song, the chant that would open our world. I pulled my dagger from the belt around my waist. The notes had to meet at exactly the right time, and when I reached the last syllable in my mind, I sliced my palm.

  Droplets of blood floated and swirled in an inky red spiral. I watched as the blood danced its way to the stone, highlighting the faded grooves and re-emerging the language that was worn smooth. With the stone now activated, I placed my palm on its center and hummed another tune.

  Light emerged from the cracks around the stone, multi-faceted colors of turquoise, emerald, red, and orange burst through the edges and the vibrating continued until the stone shook free. The colors swirled in unison, suspending the stone above us and I nodded my head forward, beckoning to my pod.

  “It’s time to go home.”

  The Tunnel

  The rainbow of light continued as we swam inside the tunnel. It spiraled around us, glistening off our scales and bouncing along the walls. The effect was an endless magical light that led our way.

  Alexis swam beside me as I kept a close eye on Lauren ahead. Darrin was in the rear, making sure our remaining pod came through before he closed the gate. The swim through the portal was beautiful, but an eerie feeling surrounded me the moment we entered. I suspected Alexis could feel my unease and her conversation was a welcome distraction.

  I learned that Darrin was the only one who knew how to close the gate other than Nathaniel. Darrin was lucky enough to be entrusted with the closing spell.

  “Aren’t they the same?” I asked.

  “What, the enchantment?” she laughed, “Oh no. Opening the gate is much more complicated than closing it. Our ancestors were more concerned with not letting people in unless they were our kind. I guess closing it, didn’t seem to be as high of a priority.

  “Oh, I see,” I said, still feeling puzzled over the whole thing.

  I was surprised Nathaniel still trusted Darrin, especially after he brought me back. It was easy to see how angry he had been when I arrived. I wasn’t sure he would ever stop hating me, and if not for Lauren, I wouldn’t have dared tried to follow the pod. I’d done enough damage.

  Nathaniel was an unusual man. Even his relationship with his sister, Alexis, just seemed off. I would have thought a closer bond would exist between the two of them, but he was cold and aloof with all of the pod.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Alexis said.

  I shook my head, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.

  “I’m sorry Alexis…I didn’t realize I was sending my thoughts to you. I’m still learning this whole thing.” I apologized.

  Alexis gave a kind smile, seeming unfazed.

  “I don’t have to read your mind or even hear your thoughts, to know what that confused expression means. It’s ok, Nathaniel and I may be brother and sister, but we are nowhere near similar to our ideas with running the pod. He leaves me out of the important stuff because I suppose he doesn’t want to hear my opinion.” She laughed.

  I offered an encouraging look and hoped she would continue her story. She didn’t disappoint, and as we swam side by side, she filled me in on a past that seemed hard for her to discuss.

  “You know, it wasn’t always like this Myra.” She said.

  I nodded, swimming in stride with Alexis and still gazing at the light bouncing through the tunnel walls.

  “Where we are going is my home. It belongs to all of our kind. It’s been nearly two hundred years since I’ve seen it and I didn’t think we’d ever go back.”

  I tried to wrap my mind around Alexis being over two hundred years old. She didn’t look a day past her mid-thirties — just another Mer thing I would have to get used to. She smiled and gave me another moment to compose myself before continuing.

  “We called it Poseidon’s Hall, our home…it was lovely. Buildings made out of pearls and shells were polished, shined, and used in everything. We had walls that glistened with jewels and lined in every shade imaginable. Our people had made a place of refuge for our kind. It had been safe for a millennial. My parents had been a part of that world, the one that gave us peace and rest from running.”

  I caught the remorse in her voice. Alexis had seen more than I could imagine. What kind of people were my people and what did that make Lauren and me?

  “This would be easier if I could show you?” Alexis said.

  I tilted my head. “Show me?”

  “Oh yes, another one of my gifts. I can share memories through touch.” She said. “Could I?”

  I slowed my stride and stopped. Could she really do that? Just when I thought I’d begun to adjus
t to this world, I learned something else new and incredible. Alexis swam beside me. We both moved towards the tunnel wall, letting others pass beside us, more than a few had curious expressions, but none stopped.

  “I’m sorry, if that’s frightening, I can continue my story another time. I thought seeing our world, rather than hearing it, could prepare you for it.” Alexis said.

  “No, I want to see it. You just surprised me is all. I’m still amazed at everything the Mer people can do.” I said.

  “You’re Mer too.”

  She reached towards my forehead and placed her thumb on the center of my brow. Bursting light surrounded my mind, and I was whisked away into another time.

  Her home was more than lovely; it was magical. The jewels, pearls, and woven seaweed all combined to make a kingdom far grander than I ever could have imagined. The homes surrounded a tall diamond wall, wrapping around it in a circle. It was a village filled with life, all connected by the center wall of jewels.

  We were swimming in her memory. The closer we got, the more the wall looked like a huge tower. Several openings lay inside its jeweled structure, and I could see a few homes tucked deep within its walls. It was hard to miss the lavish grandeur of the homes, and I imagined a royal family living inside them.

  The water was unbelievably clear, even without Mer sight you could tell it was free from human pollution. It was a place I longed to go to.

  “It was beautiful, and it was home. But we Mer people are inherently curious, Myra. Some of us like to walk the line between being human and Mer too close…and then, some of us are born without a choice on which side we are more of. I can tell you, once the balance shifts, it’s nearly impossible to turn back.” Alexis said.

  Another burst of color inside my mind and I was brought to another memory. A young Alexis with a group of mermaids swam beneath the water. They resurfaced by a sandy beach.

  Their change happened instantaneously, something I couldn’t fathom doing. The young mermaids ran on the beach giggling and whispering to each other. Their light-weight beach dresses fit in with the humans, and each girl set her sight on a handsome onlooker.

  Each mermaid had a dress with a 1930’s type of pattern. They almost fit perfectly in, except for the flowy material of their dresses. My vision changed to nightfall and I watched young Alexis with her Mermaid friends dance and flirt the night away.

  “We love to see the world, Myra…but remember what I told you. Some of us are wired more Mer than human, and that can be a terrible thing. Losing the human side makes us more like monsters. I suppose every species has their monster, those who aren’t quite right. When you’re already considered a monster, people expect the rest of the species to be the same. When something terrible happens, it’s not easily forgotten.” Alexis said.

  My line of sight changed and the focus began to heighten on another young Mermaid. She was breathtaking with hair black as the night itself and skin so pale that it shone under the moonlight. Her lips parted in a light laugh as she touched her companion’s arm in a flirty manner. He was tall and young with a football build and appeared to be high school age. His sandy blonde hair was styled and combed to the side, a wavy piece hanging down towards his eye. Muscles lined his arms and torso, and the raven-haired mermaid clearly enchanted the athletic kid.

  Slowly, as though he was under a spell, he began to take step by slow step away from the group. The raven mermaid gave him a playful look. Couldn’t he see the sinister expression, underneath her smile? My heart sank as I continued watching her pull him further away from his friends.

  I looked around trying to see if any of the other young mermaids were doing the same, but none moved towards the water. All were too playful, too interested in their new partner to pay the raven-haired mermaid any mind.

  She had succeeded in getting her new admirer towards the edge of the water and I watched in fascination as she plunged beneath the waves. Her transformation was immediate and well-practiced as she resurfaced with a deep red tail that bore black spirals on its scales.

  Her handsome teenage admirer gaped open-mouthed at her mermaid form. She threw her head back in laughter while teasing and splashing him with her tail. She beckoned him to join her.

  Unable to look away or stop the vision, I was trapped to see what played out between the two. I looked on, watching the young man wade further into the water. It rose to his waist, then his neck, until he could no longer stand and had to swim. The red-tailed mermaid opened her mouth, and a song left her lips. Lifting her voice higher, it carried towards the boy. Any hesitation he had in going forward, was lost in her song. He could not look away, and as he swam, he had to strain to stay above the water…keeping his head just high enough to stare at the beautiful mermaid.

  She smiled the closer he got, and each time the boy made it to where she was, she dove deeper and swam further away, only to resurface to lull him farther into the water. Several times I saw her do this and toy with her new admirer. His expression went mad each time he lost sight of her until she stopped, a song still on her lips but this time softer. She held her arms out until the young man had swum into them, his face one of disbelief and utter fascination.

  I reached out to wake him from his trance, but my hand went through his form, reminding me what I saw had already happened and his fate sealed. Tears slid down my cheeks as I watched what I knew was about to take place.

  The dark-haired mermaid wrapped her tail around the boy, pulling him closer into her embrace. Ending her luring song with a kiss, she pulled away from the teen, and he began to wake from his daze. He grinned, smiling like a fool from the kiss, not realizing the threat. He whispered something in her ear and she laughed all the while never releasing him from her grasp.

  There was a sudden change. Perhaps it was instinctual, as all prey begin to realize danger. He had made a small movement, barely a struggle, just enough to alert him that his mermaid wasn’t releasing her hold. Her tail wrapped tightly around his legs. He gave a half-hearted laugh as he tried again to move and found himself tighter within her grasp. The mermaid’s smile widened as she watched him feel powerless. She tilted her head to the side and asked the boy if he wanted to be released.

  The teen chuckled, still afraid, but not quite ready to let go of his pride. He nodded something unintelligible to the raven-haired beauty, and I watched as she released him…his breath beginning to even and his pride returning in full force. He thought she was flirting.

  Grinning, he began to swim back, only to find his raven-haired mermaid circling him. Each way he turned, she blocked. His smile faltered, and worry etched his face.

  “Don’t you know, we can have so much fun right here?” She teased.

  She flicked her fiery tail and wrapped him within its grasp. This time, he didn’t try to laugh or make a joke. All pretense of fun was gone, and he knew. He knew without a doubt that trouble was around him. She yanked him under, allowing his arms to be free and thrash as he tried to get loose.

  She tilted her head in morbid fascination, watching him struggle beneath the water. A scream, one that no one else could hear, left his mouth. His lungs filled with water and she continued her curious gaze, watching the human teen weaken until all thrashing stopped.

  When she was certain life had left him, she released her hold. She shrugged her shoulders and pushed the corpse away, sparing only a glance at the lifeless boy. Then, as though nothing had happened, she set her sight towards the beach and swam, not once looking back. She reemerged, once again, human and walked to her other Mer friends. Her presence was unmissed by all except one.

  Young Alexis emerged, searching. Anguish filled her eyes as she looked at her raven-haired friend. I could feel that somehow, she knew. The dark-haired mermaid met Alexis’s gaze and lifted her chin in defiance.

  The vision ended.

  The Monsters Lurking Inside

  “You see Myra, being Mer isn’t just a fairytale. It’s a war between predator an
d human. We are both you know. One side of us instinctually gifted in knowing how to find shelter, food, and dominance, the other grounds us in emotion and allows us to build relationships. We are a race balanced between human and monster.” Alexis said.

  We were back in the tunnel, far behind the pod now. The tunnel wall was cool against my back, the brilliant lights bouncing and reflecting around it. I focused on the light as I processed what Alexis was sharing with me.

  “What happened to her, the raven-haired mermaid? Did you punish her? What system of justice does the pod abide by?” I asked.

  I had so many questions. Alexis’s vision awakened a thousand more. I looked at Alexis. She was the one who had saved me, brought me back to my daughter, but was there a monster lurking inside her too? Was this who I was as well? Why was she telling me this?

  We swam in silence for a few moments, making our way back towards the pod. An eerie heaviness rested between us. Part of me wished she had not bothered sharing the memory with me. The other half wanted answers. Again, as though she sensed me, Alexis spoke.

  “It wasn’t easy you know. I knew what she was capable of, but I didn’t want to believe it was going on. Looking back, I think I didn’t want to face the truth. I did all I could to ignore it. The woman you saw Myra, the one who drowned the boy, she was my closest friend, and my lover’s sister.”

  I looked ahead, swimming within the current, trying to find Lauren now that we were back with the pod. Darrin looked back at us, a questioning gaze on his face. Alexis must have spoken to him because he nodded and turned. Finally, I found my daughter. Seeing her swim beside Gabriella, put my mind at ease. Feeling reassured, I asked Alexis to continue and explain what she was trying to tell me.

  “I don’t tell you these things to make it worse for you Myra. I want you to understand that I know the struggle. I get it.” She said.