Marker; 6,791 reads and 415 votes (Published 12-24-2018 Merry Christmas!)

An; Short chapter, but made me dang excited to continue this story!

"No!" I yelled without thinking, tossed the yellow raincoat aside, and dove into the water and paddled towards my sisters. The glowing water felt warm against my skin.

I reached my sisters in three clumsy strokes, and grabbed in-between their arms and tried to yank the man to the surface, but with little success. The cave was full of the sound of his splashing, while he desperately tried to reach the air above before all chance of life was snuffed out.

Celeste broke away from the rest of the sisters and pushed me away until my back was pinned to the rocky wall of the cave. I squirmed between her weight and the rough black rock that dug into my back hard before I had an idea and reached towards the rock behind me and fumbled for a grip.

Not finding one immediately, I attempted to glance behind me only to lock eyes with Mr. Walters who was looming behind me. He stared down coldly and raised his foot and hovered it above my scrambling fingers. But before he could do anything, I found a firm grip. Using both arms, I shoved myself down below the surface. It was dark under the water, and my eyes didn't have time to adjust. The long skirt I had on tangled my feet, but still, I struggled blindly towards the spot where

I felt the current from Celeste's tail before it hit me and when it did, it smacked me hard between my shoulders and caused me to gasp, and all my air escaped the lungs that could no longer breathe water. I had no choice, but to surface and surface I did. And when  my head broke the surface, I was greeted with absolute silence.

I looked just in time to see my sisters were backing away, while the corpse of the man floated towards the surface face down.

A loud wail escaped my lips, and I paddled over to him and gently turned him over and looked down at his body remorsefully.

Suddenly, I was no longer in the cave. I was under a gray sky and looking into a pair of brown eyes that stared blankly upwards. I sobbed while I cradled her head in my arms.

"Elizabeth, no, please! I love you! Don't go!"

"Why are you saying that you love him?" I heard Delphine say from behind me, and I was back in the cave. I looked down to see that I was holding the boy once again.

Mutters of agreement rose from my other sister who had positioned themselves on the various stone islands in the cave. Their voices bounced off the cave walls.

I noticed that some of my sisters had pulled themselves up on the rocks around the pool's edge, but none of them had pulled themselves on the one with the crumbling house, and for that, I thanked mother ocean. That place was my holy ground. The small rock with that small house swirled with memories from another time, and if I had it my way, it would not be disturbed until the old cliffs above us collapsed and finally gave into the waves.

A thought occurred to me suddenly, I could no longer save this boy, but perhaps I could save another.

"Because," I began and I instantly felt the weight of various eyes on me. "I feel in love with another human and he, Tom, loved me too. At least I thought, but I guess not if you guys were able to spell him to drag him off his boat," I said and cradled the stranger in my arm whose name was most likely not Tom. "That's why he attacked Delphinia. He was trying to protect me."

This was how I was going to save Tim.

Delphine looked apprehensively at the boy, "He was wearing a hat, and I didn't get a good look at his face, but I think this boy is him? So that would explain why he jumped in the water."

"So is it true, Marina? You have let yourself become enthralled with another human?" Orca said, her voice full of dismay

I felt great relief flood through me as I looked at the disappointment on my sister's faces, the bought the lie. I noted Ray's expression was different from the others. She just looked sad.

"Yes, but I didn't want to reveal it, because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Nor my punishment to worsen. I just want to live peacefully with the humans."

None of them said anything, they barely looked at me, while one by one my sisters slid off the rocks and immediately disappeared into the black inkiness of the pool, except for Ray who swam up to the dead man and dragged him away with her departure but not before giving me a curious look.

I realized, almost too late, that I should have more of a reaction to my sisters taking away the body of my lover.  I let out a couple more wails, before collapsing back on the stone. I waited for what felt like long enough before sitting up again.

My eyes traveled around the cave, no sign of my sisters. I was alone with Mr. Walters. I swam to the side and pulled myself up, defeated, cold and tired, and I just laid there.

"Come on Miss Oceans," Mr. Waters said impatiently, and I heard the sounds of his approach.  His thin face appeared above me, and he bent down as if to pick me up. I was not having it.  I quickly scooted away from his long, skinny fingers and scrambled to my feet.

Without a word, I stormed past him and approached the steps leading to the surface. The light coming from the water was rapidly fading, but I had just enough light to guide my way. I heard Mr.Walters follow close behind.

When Mr. Walters caught up to me, I was sitting in the boat, with my feet drawn up to my chest. I didn't acknowledge him while he stepped into the boat with me, but suddenly, there was a tug on my arm, and I was being pulled to my feet by his long boney hand.

"I know you had never seen that boy until tonight. Why are you lying?" Mr. Walters asked, his piercing blue eyes narrowing.

"I am not lying!" I lied, attempting to pull my arm away from the tight hold he had on my arm.

"Mr.Walters may I borrow my sister for a moment?" Ray's voice floated out from the churning water without warning.

I had the pleasure of watching Mr.Walkers jump in surprise. The boat tipped violently to the left, and his skeletal frame almost tumbled into the water, but at the last second he righted himself. In the meantime, I had moved to my knees, in order not to fall over in the swaying boat.

Ray's fingers appeared on the side of the boat, and she pulled herself up, so her neck and shoulders were visible.

Mr. Walters stared down at her with poorly disguised distaste. "You don't need my permission, take her," he replied coolly.

Ray did not answer him. Instead, she motioned for me to come over to her.

"What is it, Ray?" I asked and moved towards the side of the boat.

She gazed back at me stone-faced, "I thought you might want to help me bury your one true love," she said to me in the language of our people.

At that moment I had the undeniable sense that she knew I was lying, and I was overcome with the desire not to go with her. But what I want to do even less was go back to that dry house tomb and wonder all night what father would do to me next when she told him. He might actually kill me.

Mr. Walters knew I was lying too, but he wouldn't dare say he thought that my father's verdict had been mistaken. Mr.Waters was far too smart of a man

"Yes, I want to wish him a proper farewell," I responded in the language of our people, and held my hands out, and let her drag me into the water. The water was freezing compared to the pool in the cave.

"There aren't many ships in the area, so we should be fine on the surface."

"Where are you going?" Mr.Walters asked.

"To take her to lay to rest her... human man," she answered in English. "There's a remote beach that she could give him a proper burial."

"How considerate," he replied, sitting back down in the boat.

"Least I can do. Bye now," she said and pushed away from the dock with me safely in her grip.

Soon Mr. Walters and the boat were lost in the pelting rain that was coming down in sheets all around us.

"Where are you really taking me?" I asked Ray when we were a safe distance away.

"To a secluded beach to help me lay Arthur to rest. You know his name is Arthur right? Or is Tom your nickname for him?"

"Yeah that is his nickname."

"Marina you can stop lying. I know. The other sisters don't know this but I was caught with Arthur by father's guards on Arthur's yacht. And since the father is a little bit sensitive about human and merpeople relations due to your "shameful" actions 50 years ago, father insisted that the human I brought tonight was Arthur whether I wanted to or not," she said angrily.

"You did not want to kill that human?" I asked. I was confused by the anger in her voice.

In the distances, I could see the faint outline of land. When drew closer and closer to it, and it became more of a real thing, instead of an idea. I could make out two figures standing on the shore. Both of whom, I recognized.

One was Arthur, the boy I had just watched my sisters drown. Even from a fair distance away, I could see how angry he was. I didn't blame him. I would be upset too if I were nearly drowned. But if he was still alive then..."

"You see Marina, and it appears I ended up following your lead, and foolishly fell in love with a human. And I did something foolish to save them."

I knew what that foolish thing was, she didn't have to tell me. That other being standing on that shore with Arthur could only be there for one purpose. And that purpose wasn't good.