Chapter 1

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"Stay away from that ugly creature!" my dad bellowed after I admitted that I have been hanging out with a hippocampus. "He's NOT ugly! He's beautiful!" I responded, flicking my tail in anger. "He's a deceptive creature! Arista, I will not allow you to get involved with such a monster!" he shouted. I frowned and quickly swam away.

I swam and swam until it felt like my tail would fall off. I didn't care where I was going. I was too focused on my anger at my father. Who did he think he was anyway?

I didn't notice that I was swimming into the depths, until I finally calmed down and decided to show my dad the hippocampus' kindness.

Uh oh, I thought. Where was I? I sensed the high water pressure, and everything was as black as a squid's ink. Suddenly, I heard a hissing snarl.

"Who's there?" I asked. I looked around, trying to act brave, but with fear poisoning my mind. Nobody answered; but somehow that made me feel worse. It seemed like I was in a timeless void of darkness. 

I froze. The silence was beginning to get unbearable. How could I be so foolish to swim to the depths by accident? Suddenly, I heard a growl, frighteningly close by. I looked in the direction it came from, and could've sworn that there were two threatening yellow eyes staring at me. 

I barely had time to dart away when a huge goblin shark thrust itself after me. I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm going to die, I thought over and over, as the shark got closer and closer.

It shot after me like a torpedo. I swam as fast as I could towards the surface, but I knew it was too far up. As the ugly snout revealed its jagged teeth, my heart sank as far underwater as I was.

Then, it snapped on my tail. I felt a burning pain flood through my body, and wished that my last words with my dad weren't insults. Then, I closed my eyes, thought of my long lost mother, and prepared for my demise.


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