The moment I open the refrigerator door in the kitchen, I know that I've hit the jackpot, but in an apocalypse version. Boxes of ready-made meals stack in the freezer. Untouched.
Man, whoever had lived here must have hated cooking.
In the past, I could never find such food products in my house, because Mom hates how processed and unhealthy they are. But right now, I'm so happy to see them. It's a wonder how they have not yet been raided, but that's about to change because of me.
I grab a frozen pizza and place it in a microwave. The beep sound startles Zarius when I set the timer. He stares oddly into the oven and watches as the food revolves on the turntable.
I rest my elbows on the island counter, watching him as he explores the kitchen. He opens the refrigerator door and stands in front of it, feeling the cold air that touches his skin. Right now, he is acting more like a curious child instead of a six feet tall merman.
"Why are you here, Zarius?" I ask. "What made you come up onto the land? Are there more merfolks like you out there?"
Zarius turns, and our gazes instantly connect. "We've been evacuating our people, especially those who haven't turned. Among those you've come across so far, merfolks are superior beings in the waters. We're far stronger than others, so it's harder to be affected by whatever is in the water."
I'm fascinated. "In other words, merfolks rule the oceans."
"Yes."
"And you've a safe place to go? A shelter?"
"Yes," he confirms. "That's the reason I'm here. I came up to find someone—a friend of the family. He disappeared when the mutants went to the surface. I need to take him back with us."
"Is that what we're calling them now? The mutants?"
Zarius blinks once. "I overheard some humans calling them like that when I surfaced. Do you have a better choice of name?"
The corners of my lips lift to form an amused smile. "Not really, but mutants fit them perfectly," I agree. "About this friend that you've been looking for...you haven't found him yet? Not a single trace?"
A weary sigh escapes his lips. "I have not, but I will."
The microwave lets out a loud ding and I pull out the piping hot pizza with an oven glove. Zarius watches as I sit on the island counter, blow on a pizza slice and take a huge bite out of it. As the delectable flavor fills my mouth, I throw my head back and let out a pleasant moan. It tastes a hundred times better than when I last ate it.
Zarius wrinkles his nose at the smell in the air. "Does that...taste good?"
"Of course! It's amazing!" I push the box towards him. "Do you want to have a bite?"
He looks as if I'm serving him a plate of pickles and olives. Boy, I hate that stuff. "I appreciate the offer, but no thank you."
"But aren't you hungry?"
"No. We don't require food as often as humans do."
"Is that so?" I snatch up another slice, munching away to fill my stomach. I must be a lot hungrier than I thought because I haven't eaten properly in days. "Tell me more about the merfolks."
Zarius tilts his head at me. "How much do you know?"
I give a light shrug. "Not much. Just the fact that I can't eat seafood and have a fast healing ability. Oh! I can hear the thoughts of the sea creatures out there too. Well, not all the time, but it has happened twice before."
He shakes his head at me. "Your knowledge about us is incredibly little. If your mother is human, what about your father? Do you know his identity?"
"I don't know. I've never met him before. Mom doesn't tell me much, not even his name. But I know how they met. Mom said she was out kayaking with her colleagues then. A powerful wave swept her out to sea and tore away from the group. Dad found her and you can probably guess the rest."
Mom has shared with me this story a few times as I grew up. When she spotted a bobbing head in the water, she screamed so hard that she fell off her boat, not knowing she had encountered a merman. Dad obviously caught her and after calming her down, he steered her and her boat back to land.
After that incident, Mom would return to the beach and Dad would be there waiting for her. It sounds like one of those fairytale stories, but unfortunately, not all of them have a happy ending.
Because somehow, I happened.
I was a miracle baby. Dad had to leave us because we couldn't be a family. I wasn't supposed to be born and Mom was terrified that the merfolks would take me away from her. To this day, she still is.
I wonder what she would say when she finds out I've been talking to a merman.
"Zarius," I whisper. "Why did you save me?"
He returns my gaze with a thoughtful silence. "First, it was curiosity."
"And now?"
"Now," he says, "it's different. The world has changed drastically." His glacial-blue eyes draw mine, trapping me in the depths of his emotions. "I may have lost far too many family and friends, but I would welcome a new ally to keep myself sane."
His words sound so genuine and relatable that I can feel a hard lump rising in my throat. I blink back tears, swallow hard before looking away. Without Zarius around, I realize I would be all lost and alone.
"Me too."
***
By the time I finish my last pizza slice, Zarius stops playing with the buttons on the toaster machine and makes his way over to me.
"It's time to go."
"What?" I'm confused. "Go where?"
He looks at me as if I'm a drunk person. "I'm bringing you back with me."
I'm appalled. "No, I'm not! Didn't you just mention a rule that humans and merfolks are not allowed to be friendly with each other? I will be seen as a freak and be imprisoned, wouldn't I? I will be under their scrutiny."
Zarius shakes his head. "Times have changed," he says. "A part of you may be human, halfling, but you've our blood too. You're one of us. Now that the human world is in destruction, the losses we have suffered are immense. We've to protect those left, and you will have our protection. Mine, definitely. I will put in a good word for you to the Council."
They have a Council too? Wow, life under the seas sounds a lot scarier than I thought. I rub my arms and hug myself. "And what about my father? If he's still alive, people will trace my existence back to him."
"I will grant him protection as well."
Regardless of how confident he sounds, I'm unconvinced. "But what about you? You're going to get yourself in trouble for talking to me. Who's going to protect you?"
Zarius raises his brows, as if he can't believe what I've said. "You do not have to worry about that."
His tone is final and not to be questioned. He moves towards me, but I back away from him. Shaking my head in vehement protest. There's no way I'm letting him take me away from here without finding out what has happened to Mom. She's out there somewhere, and she needs me.
"I'm not going with you. I've got to find my mother."
"Then we shall find her and my friend. Afterwards, we leave."
His insistence is overbearing. "No, Zarius. It will not work out."
"Why?" He takes a step towards me until my back hits the wall. "If you're afraid that our kind might reject you because of your human blood, you're wrong. We treat people the same way they treat us."
I gnaw on my bottom lip. "That's not it."
My response only deepens his frown. "So what's the matter, halfling? If you stay on this land, you will die."
My cheeks heat in response. "Because I can't swim at all!" I confess loudly, embarrassed and irritated. "It sounds like a joke that someone with merfolk's blood can't swim, right? But I'm not lying. It's the truth."
There, I've done it. All my deepest secrets are finally revealed and spread out on the table. It's like I've peeled away my layers of armor and shown my heart for all to see. To laugh at me.
Zarius stares at me, stunned. And I take the chance to escape to the bedroom.