Marinley
"Are you ready? We need to go now!" I shouted at Eliyah, pissed he was taking so long.
He made me wait to destroy their boat because he just had to be my backup.
What backup he is.
We should've been on our way by midtide!
"Okay I'm coming keep your tail on!" He came out from his room of the cave painted black.
Even his hair was black.
Even his fucking eyebrows were black.
I couldn't help the laughter that erupted in me. I never should've told him what I was doing and I could've been done already.
Now I have to deal with this fucking idiot painted black as "backup".
Help me now.
"What? It's so if they shine lights they won't see me okay! I stand out just a bit ya know!?"
I made a funny sound trying to hold it back but started laughing again anyways.
My best friend is an idiot.
"Okay let's go."
Ravini and Winla swam in front of our cave entrance, stopping us from leaving. They swam up to me and circled around me, brushing me with their noses. They were getting so big it kind of jerked me around but I loved it. They wanted to give me affection and I would happily take it.
"I won't be gone for too long, stay at the back of the cave and stay safe. No wandering without monay."
They shared a look but swam to the back of our cave, allowing us to leave.
And now my night begins.
I laughed pretty much the whole time we swam to the boating dock. I'd be surprised if no one heard me. I'd be fine and stop laughing and then I'd turn to check on him and forget he was like that and just start laughing again.
I wouldn't give him up for the world but...why him?
He's an idiot.
He wasn't taking my laughter lightly either. He kept giving me dirty looks and rolling his eyes. He even mocked my laughter he was so sick of me. I couldn't help myself.
We finally made it to the boat close to high tide, the men were just leaving the boat.
Eliyah and I surfaced, just our heads, and I bit my lips to stifle laughter as Eliyah gave me a serious look.
"I fucking hate you." He mumbled under his breath, low enough so only I heard it.
I grinned, shaking my head at him. If he hated me he wouldn't be here with me right now, risking his life to be my backup.
Some of these guys are dangerous.
A Mermaid isn't immune to a bullet wound. We heal faster than your average human, but a gun could kill us.
So we have to be careful.
We waited them out until the last guy left in his car to get on the boat. I made Eliyah wait as I scoped out the boat to make sure no one was staying in it. When the coast was clear, I whistled to get his attention. He came around the corner walking on his tiptoes and his arms scrunched up like a t-Rex.
Why is he this way?
"You're not being more discreet you know. You just look ridiculous."
Eliyah rolled his eyes and stood straight, grumbling under his breath-something like "you take the fun out of everything".
"Put the fellen weed in the gas tank. Make sure you don't touch it with your bare hands it'll give you a bunch of little splinters. It'll destroy the inside and cost thousands to repair. That holds them off for a while. Then I want you to go stand watch at the front of the boat and tell me if anyone is coming. I'm gonna destroy the boat and no-I don't need your help." I handed Eliyah the bag of fellen weed and pushed him towards the gas tank so I could get started.
I destroyed all of their nets, cutting out giant holes in them and tearing some to pieces. I went to the steering column and tore it apart, cutting wires, ripping off buttons, breaking switches. I destroyed the hell out of this boat. They deserved it too.
Something you know about is Mers is we're a lot stronger than we look so destroying a boat didn't even have me breaking a sweat. If we could sweat anyways. But what I've done so far has taken no effort from me. It was almost too easy. But the humans had their work cut out for them.
Teach them right for fucking with my home.
I went back to the middle of the boat and climbed up the wooden post in the middle of the boat-don't hate me, I don't know boat terms I'm a Mermaid they're not important-and grabbed the small flag at the top of the post. I kept those as a souvenir.
This one makes my tally at twenty-two.
Then I pulled out my knives. I stuck them into the sails and pulled down, hearing them rip apart as I moved the knives down to mutilate the sails. I cut through them with no effort needed-shark teeth are very dangerous and can tear apart and destroy almost anything.
I climbed down and looked around, trying to remember what I was forgetting.
I know it's important too.
What could I be missing?
Right!
The engine.
I made my way to the stern of the boat? I don't know I made my way to the back of the boat and found the engine easily. I opened my bag and pulled out the jar of crina slugs. They're highly acidic and can burn through most metals and other surfaces.
But with them in the engine they'll destroy it before the night is over.
They'll need an entirely new engine after the slugs are done with it.
I dumped them into the engine and shut it, making my way to the front of the boat to complete my final task.
All that was left was to paint a Mermaid on the side and I'd be done.
I got out my paint and got to work, doing a quick sketch of a Mermaid over the name of the boat where I always do.
The Mistress-a tacky name-has now been tagged.
See if these guys go after dolphins again.
"Someone's coming!" Eliyah whispered as he rushed towards me.
If it wasn't for a Mermaid's great hearing I never would've heard him.
I looked up and sure enough, someone was walking down the dock. I grabbed everything and tossed it into the water, jumping in soundlessly after it with Eliyah right beside me.
I pulled out a light rune and whispered a spell, activating the magic. A bright light shined from it, but we were deep enough to where it would look like a spec on the surface. We swam away but I had one more thing I had to do.
Probably the most important thing of all.
When we were far enough away to be safe and closer to the city, right where we needed to be, I surfaced again along with a confused Eliyah. I shifted to legs, ready to get out when he stopped me.
"Why are we stopping? Home's that way?"
I pointed to the telephone booth and he still didn't get it.
"I have to call in what I did so they get found out and shut down. It's what I do every time."
"You call the police on yourself?!" He shouted, looking at me like I was a crazy Mermaid.
And I was.
Obviously.
"It's not like they know it's me. My fingerprints aren't in their database I'm a Mermaid they'll never find me."
Eliyah's jaw dropped as he took in what I said. He was still looking at me like I was crazy too. But he also seemed to be a little impressed. "You really thought this through, didn't you?"
I shrugged, grinning slightly. "Maybe."
"Well alright, can I do it in this time?"
I rolled my eyes but nodded, watching as he got excited over it.
I love this goofball.
"How does it work?"
Right, he's not as caught up with human stuff as I am.
"I'll do it, just say you saw someone destroying a boat on Gregory Dock and you think they have a weapon. Works every time."
I dialed 911 and handed him the phone, rolling my eyes as he brought it to his ear upside down. I flipped it over the right way and pressed it to his ear for him.
This guy would get lost in our own home if he didn't have me.
"Hello-Yes-Hi-My name is-" I slapped his chest, shaking my head with a mad look on my face.
"My name is Lar-Ree. Yes Larree. I think someone is vandalizing boats on Gregory Dock. Yes they looked like they have weapons that's why we left! Yes-Okay. Okay thank you."
I hung the phone up for him and he smiled again, giving me a thumbs up.
"We just did something bad that was really good! Let's celebrate! I have a bottle of sinna we can drink! I've been saving it for a special occasion too!"
Sinna was alcohol of the Mer world.
I've had a beer and enjoyed it, I like the bubbles, even some shots of tequila and vodka, but no alcohol compared to Sinna. Instead of getting so drunk you can't handle yourself like I've seen plenty of humans do, Sinna is different. You're intoxicated, but everything is funny and warm and inviting and you're friendly and there's no falling all over the place. It can make you emotional though. But it's like being drunk without the drunk part. Some would say that's pointless but I don't know. I like it.
When we got back to the cave, Ravini and Winla came swimming way too fast and barreled into me, sending us back a few feet. I laughed as they rubbed themselves all over me, just like cats do their people.
"Yes hello, I am home babies. You are so cute yes you are!" I cooed as I pet them.
Seriously having two baby tiger sharks as pets is amazing.
"Why don't they love on me like that?" Eliyah whined, trying to get their attention.
"They must hate you." I teased, swimming into our cave.
Unlike what you're probably thinking, my cave is actually beautiful. There are holes through the top, big enough to let light in but keep others out. The walls are a beautiful stone, I'm not sure what it's called but it's pearlescent and shines in the light. There's three separate rooms, me having the biggest and Eliyah in the next biggest one.
I love my own space, with a bed made of the softest kelps and sea plants, light filtering through the holes and making it glow. My area is decorated with shells and little trinkets I've found. I don't have a lot in my space, but I love the simplicity.
I don't need a bunch of junk all over the place. Besides, I'm going to have to move to a bigger cave soon. Especially at the rate Ravini and Winla are growing. Not having a lot of stuff makes it easier to move.
The only big thing in my space aside from my bed was the jaws of a shark hanging above it. It was dead when I found it, most of it had been eaten away by bottom dwellers and I finished the job, cleaning up the sharp rows of teeth as sort of like a mantle. I believe that's the right word humans use.
I try to keep up with human culture, I know some are horrible and do bad things but that doesn't mean every human is horrible-just like what I said about sharks. Not all sharks are bad. I've met plenty of good-hearted humans in my lifetime. If I didn't love the ocean so much, I would probably be on land being one of them.
But I loved the sea, more than I could ever love the land.
"I'm blowing the bubbles without you!" I heard Eliyah call, a smile breaking out on my lips.
I was about to get wasted with my best friend.
This is going to be a great night.
I headed into the main area of our cave, where I found Eliyah sitting in one of the divots of the cave wall with the jar of sinna in his hands and the algae balls you drink it with. He loaded up one of the balls-or bubbles as he calls them-and pushed it towards me.
It floated my way and I caught it in my mouth, biting down. It popped in my mouth and I felt the instant coolness of the sinna. It tasted sweet and not at all bitter.
This was some good sinna.
Dangerous sinna.
I could drink the whole thing to myself.
"I'm still mad that you told a human about us."
Three drinks in and he already wants to bitch at me.
I should've seen this coming, he becomes very honest when he drinks. Even the human stuff.
It's kind of funny.
"I told you we can trust him-But you barely know him! How can you say that?"
I sighed, blowing another algae bubble full of that delicious nectar.
"Think about it. What can he do? Say "Hey I met a Mermaid today! Isn't that awesome?" No one is going to believe him."
"But what if he uses that thing you keep giving him and ambushes you or something? And I'm not there to help?"
I sighed again, pushing a bubble his way. "I always look from a distance before going up close. I'm not a bubble-brained fish. I know what I'm doing."
Eliyah sighed too, giving me a look of pleading. "Just promise me he won't hurt you."
"I've survived a shark attack, almost been harpooned, have destroyed ships with my bare hands, and singlehandedly taken down several illegal fishing operations, yet you're afraid of a little human?"
Eliyah's eyes were wide as he looked at me, his jaw dropped and hand stuck in midair. "You did what?!"
Right.
Maybe I haven't told him everything.
Oh well. It's out in the open waters now.
"Yeah...sorry?"
Eliyah groaned and leaned over, shaking his head. If he wasn't chuckling I would've thought he couldn't handle his drinks.
"My best friend has-what's the human term? Lost your mibbles? You have officially lost your mibbles."
Do I correct him?
No.
I'm just going to let him think it's mibbles.
It's pretty funny.
"Look, I just want you to be safe okay? You're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."
That got me right in the feels.
Leave it to Eliyah to bring out the emotional side of me.
I now have a love-hate relationship with sinna.
Eliyah and I are both outcasts. We've always only had each other. If I died, what would he do? No one can put up with his shit like I do, and no one can put up with my shit the way he does. I couldn't leave him, ever.
I don't think he'd survive without me to be honest.
"I promise I'll be careful okay? I'm not going anywhere."
Eliyah smiled and pulled me into his chest, holding me tight. He let me go and loaded up another bubble, pushing it my way.
"Now that we've got that out of the way, we need to drink more. Being that emotional sobered me up!"
I nodded in agreement, happily accepting another bubble.
"To being the weird outcasts stuck together because of what we look like!"
I cheered at that, tapping my bubble against his.
I didn't care that our kind didn't accept us.
We had each other, and that would always be enough.