It was hard to act normally when one was planning on breaking the rules. Tal barely said a word to his father or brother when he reached their cave but luckily, they assumed he was still upset about the incident at dinner. Tal claimed he wanted to go to sleep and curled up in his mossy bed, right by the entrance. He hoped the others would be tired, but Menlo and Anyir seemed to talk endlessly about tides and migration patterns. He nearly fell asleep himself listening to it.

Finally, finally, the cave quieted. Tal raised his head a fraction of an inch off his bed and peeked at the others. His father was in the back, snoring softly, his arms crossed on his chest. He looked stern even in sleep. Anyir was curled in an interesting position, with his arms sprawled in two directions and his tail bent, sticking almost straight up.

He watched the steady streams of bubbles exiting their mouths for a couple of minutes, to really make sure they were asleep. Then, he slipped out. The lagoon was eerie at night. Moonlight from above sent ripples of silver light across the rocks, the only source of illumination. The activity of the day was gone. Nothing moved except sea plants, waving gently in the calm water.

Tal swam quietly past the other caves. Soon he was heading towards the seaweed forest, with the caves at his back. A brief moment of panic shot through him as he realized that he wouldn't be able to tell if anyone was still awake. He did a quick glance behind him and saw that it was as silent as a graveyard.

Arriving at the exit point, Denali and Rukiani were waiting for him. "We thought you changed your mind," Denali whispered, when seeing him. They didn't look nervous at all, unlike him. After carefully moving the boulder aside, they slipped through the tunnel. The water in the tunnel felt suddenly cooler and Tal felt himself shiver slightly. The twins were silently waiting for him on the other end. Tal pushed the boulder back into place, their exit concealed.

Not much was said between them as they cut through the dark water. Tal wondered if the twins were having any doubts about this, like him. He didn't think so. They were always going things like this, but this time he was included.

Up ahead, Denali froze in the water. His long hair floated around his face as he peered through the water.

"What is it?" Rukiani whispered. His brother signaled to them to join him behind a large boulder on the ocean floor.

"I see a sentry," Denali said to them. "A few yards ahead. I saw moonlight reflecting off of his scales."

Tal sucked in his breath. "How are we going to sneak past him?" The twins exchanges glances and he felt his heart drop as it dawned on him what they were thinking. "Oh no," he began to protest. "I'm not going to-."

"Its perfect!" Rukiani said, cutting him off. "You're faster than anyone. It won't take long for him to give up the chase. Meet us back here after you lose him."

"And don't let him see your face," his brother added.

Tal shook his head but Denali shoved him out from behind the rock. Tal dropped quickly to the sea floor. Rukiani gave him a thumbs-up. He glared at them.

Tal snaked along the floor like an eel, trying to stay out of the merman's line of sight as long as possible. His heart was pounding so hard, he was probably going to give himself away. Who knew how good the sentry's ears were? He cursed Denali and Rukiani for forcing him into this pathetic plan. It was never going to work. He had half a mind to turn back and go home, but a stronger part of him urged him on. What was there to lose?

The merman on watch was a few feet away now. He was positioned vertically in the water, flicking his tail every so often to remain so. He carried a long spear that he shifted from hand to hand, a sign he was bored.

This will be a night to remember, Tal thought bitterly to himself. Before he lost his nerve, he put on a burst of speed. A cloud of sand ballooned around him as he sped right under the tail of the sentry. A surprised help confirmed that it got his attention. Tal didn't know where he was going, only that it was away and as fast as he could. There was so much ocean all around him. No walls or barriers to stop him. He could go wherever he wanted. Tal's heart nearly burst with joy. He finally felt free.

Tal plowed through the water, using his arms as well as his tail push the water aside. This was a technique scorned by many as it resembled how humans swam. Of course he had never seen one swim but his father gave him a very long lecture about it in his youth. Tal didn't understand. If it helped, why not use it?

In the case with this sentry, it was quite helpful. Tal glanced behind him to see that the merman was slowing down. The twins' plan had worked. Tal turned and began swimming in the opposite direction, taking a slightly different route back to where the others were hiding. He didn't make it far before Denali and Rukiani swam up to him. They must have decided to follow him instead.

"That was great!" Denali cheered. "The look on his face was priceless!"

Rukiani slapped Tal on the back. "We knew we could count on you."

Tal couldn't help smiling. Now the entire ocean was open to them. "Let's go," he said.

"Where?"

"Anywhere."

They stuck true to those words. The three young mermen traveled through the ocean. Tal loved the feeling of the water through his hair, along his hair. He swam slowly now, wanting to just revel in his euphoria. He felt a sense of peace in himself. The longing finally satisfied.

"Hey Tal?" one of the twins called, breaking the spell. "Doesn't it seem like its getting harder to see?" He was right. While it was night already, the moonlight that had pierced the water was gone now.

"There may be a storm coming," Tal said, not feeling at that bothered by it.

"Maybe we should go back," Rukiani said. For the first time, he sounded a little apprehensive.

Tal wasn't ready. "I want to check it out," he said. "Come on." He began swimming up towards the surface. The others followed slowly.

Tal, Denali, and Rukiani poked their heads out of the water. Tal pushed his wet hair out of his face. The sky was completely dark. No stars and no moon. In the distance, a blot of lightning snaked down from the sky, appearing to scrape the surface of the ocean.

Denali clutched Tal's arm. "A storm is coming! We need to go back now!"

Tal stared at him. "What's the matter with you? i thought you wanted to do this."

"I did! But I don't want to die in the process!"

Tal rolled his eyes. Turning away from the lightning, he caught sight of a dark, narrow stripe that ran along the horizon. "What is that?" he asked.

Rukiani swallowed hard. "Its land."

"Well, let's go closer before the storm comes!" Tal said. His curiosity and urge to explore was filling him with courage. He began swimming toward the strip, using the waves to move himself more quickly.

Tal spotted something on the water that was even more impressive than land. "Look! A boat!" he pointed.

Denali slapped his hand down. "Shhh!" he hissed. "There are humans on board."

"Let's go," Rukiani pleaded.

Tal ignored them and swam closer, keeping his head close to the water. There weren't any humans on the deck on the boat that he could see. Maybe they were sleeping. Tal caught a whiff of the wind blowing across the vessel and he gagged. It smelled like rotting fish. They were fishermen! Tal felt his blood run cold. Sure enough, there was a giant net attached to the end to the boat. Tal saw it went under the water. He ducked under to see how big it was. He gasped at the sheer size of the net. It could hold a whale!

Tal suddenly spotted a dark shape in the net. He swam down to see it was a sea turtle. It flapped its flippers, trying to get out. Tal began pulling at the net, trying to untangle it from around the creature. he heard the others come up behind him. "Do either of you have anything sharp?" he asked quickly.

Rukiani handed him a tiny knife he had in a sheath on his forearm. Denali held the net taut as Tal sawed at it. It was hard work because he didn't want to hurt the turtle but he had to do it fast. Finally the turtle was free. They cheered as it swam away, flapping its flippers as it went. Denali and Rukiani swam after it and Tal stayed behind, looking at the net. It was a cruel device. It was really hard to see in the water as it was so thin.

He turned to follow the others but ran right into a piece of the net. Tal looked around him in a panic. A section of the net must have moved in the current right around him. He was trapped! He realized he still had the knife. Fumbling, he tried to get a better grip on it, but it slipped through his unsteady fingers and fell towards the ocean floor.

"Help!" Tal screamed. "I'm in the net!" The twins were there in an instant. Rukiani went to retrieve the knife while Denali looked for a way to unwrap the net. They jumped as a loud roaring sound filled the night. Tal looked up and saw frothy bubbles coming from the end of the boat. It was beginning to move! Denali shouted to his brother to find the knife but it was too late.

His panicked face was the last thing Tal saw before the net pulled him away.