Hydrophobia

Meeting My Own Kind

                                                                              *Rose's POV*

Shark had dragged me all the way to the large group of mutants and they had all stared at me, their eyes filled with hatred. I knew that there wasn't anything I could do or say to make them hate me less so I kept quiet as they dragged me further and further away from my home.

"So what's it like living up on the surface with all those disgusting humans?" a Siren near me asked.

He looked normal... well at least for a person I guess. He had a normal face that, even though he looked at me like I was the most horrible thing ever born, was a handsome face. His eyes were an interesting brownish green color and his hair was a big blond mess of hair that hung down into his face. I was surprised he could see at all. His nose angled up a little and when he smiled it was lopsided. Thankfully his teeth looked normal.

"I actually can't see why you hate them so much. They haven't done anything to you." I said honestly.

"Haven't done anything to us!? They pollute the water, they kill more fish then they need to eat, sometimes just for sport, leaving us with less food to fed ourselves with, they send boats out to gather these fish that cause us harm with their motors and their nets, not to mention they leak gas and oil into the ocean without meaning to. How can you say they  haven't done anything to us?" He said shocked by my answer.

I understood where he was coming from but I also knew that not all humans were as careless as he made them out to be. I didn't know what to say to him so I kept my mouth shut. We swam on and on until finally I just gave up any hope of being able to get home. I'd get lost before I even got out of their range. Suddenly in the distance I saw what looked like light in a big rock wall. I shivered as the water got colder as we swam deeper down into the abyss.

"We're home." A Siren who had a striking resemblance to a dolphin said.

I looked around and my mouth dropped open. The lights I'd seen came from different caves drilled into the side of the rock. There were so many of them I couldn't even hope to count them all. Other Sirens swam in and out of these caves and I was relived to see that they didn't all look like mutants.

"This is amazing!" I said looking around me. 

"Yes. We use what we can to survive. Now that there are more threats under the water we are forced to hide in caves instead of building great cities as the Merpeople do. The Merpeople are less worried about the humans then we are and don't seem to realize the danger of such a big city out in the open. We have to stay hidden so humans don't find out about us. If they did they would come after us and put us in cages like they do to some of the other creatures that live here." Shark said still dragging me behind him.

I sadly had to agree with him. But really. Thinking of their teeth and tails it would be hard to catch them and even if they were caught they'd probably kill them with their teeth. 

"Why are you so scared of them? You could probably kill them if they came after you." I said. 

"We could kill the first few but after a while we wouldn't be able to keep ourselves safe. Everywhere we would turn there would be another human with a net. It would wear us down and we would be forced to surrender." He growled.

I decided not to say anything about it. It obviously was a deeper grudge then I had originally thought.

"You will be staying here." Shark said shoving me into a smaller cave with a single likght and a small cot looking thing in it. 

It looked like a cell. I realized that it was one when the gate like door closed locking me in. 

"How long will I be left in here?" I asked starting to get really scared.

"Don't worry, We're not done with you yet." He said and swam off.

I looked at the small cell and couldn't help but feel that I was in a lot more trouble then I thought. I took off my back pack that held me clothes and realized that all my clothes were now soaked and my make up was completely ruined. I'd have to buy more if I ever did get home. I looked down at my tail and felt sick again. How was it even possible for me to be like this? I tried to think back to what I remembered of my parents. Maybe there was an answer hidden in the few years I'd been with them. If only they hadn't died when I was so young! There was a knock on the bars of my cell and I looked up to see another hideous creature. It looked like a Siren from the neck down but it's head was a totally different story. Instead of two eyes it only had one big one that took up it's whole face. It had no nose or mouth and it's hair was just a swarm of tentacles. I wondered how it ate but then it's hair/tentacles  moved and I caught a glimpse of what looked like a beak. So that was how.

"I was told to give you this." The squid person said handing me a wad of something green and then what looked like a bikini top, only made of seaweed.

I held the wad of green up and found that it was a curtain, also made of seaweed.

"We aren't used to having females here so we though you may want some privacy. The top is so you don't have to wear those... human clothes." He said. 

"So there are only guys here?" I asked trying to figure out how to hang the curtain up.

"Yes, the females are left to look after the children. The older men who can't get here because of their age stay and train the young boys." He answered. "Would you like some help?"

I had gotten my tail tangled in the curtain and was having trouble getting it off.

"Yes please..." I said then realized HE would be the one helping me. 

I didn't want him to come any closer then he already was so I quickly told him that I was actually OK.

I struggled with the curtian and got it off then started hanging it up.

"Um... That will be all?" I said wondering how to get the squid man to leave.

"Oh!... Ok." He said and swam off.