Her family could say a lot of things about her, that she was too curious, too restless, or that she spent too many hours day dreaming and off by herself. Her brother maybe even insisted that she kept too many secrets and needed them to keep two sets of eyes on her. But nobody, not her parents, her brother, or any of her grandparents, could ever say that Mara was not careful.

She always had been curious about everything. The reefs, the trenches, the tunnels and caves that she often found, even sunken ships, all of them had offered some soft of mystery for her. She needed to go to them, see everything for herself, experience the unknown. But she was just as cautious as she was curious, and she always made an extra effort to make herself, and her family, feel more secure before she went exploring. Mara wasn't foolish, at least not completely, and she knew all of the cautionary tales and took them into account before taking any sort of risk. She had always been this way. This caution had never left her, not even when her curiosity began to outgrow the miles and miles of ocean that covered the globe and became fixed upon the surface world. Dry land. Where the humans lived.

There wasn't a little mergirl or boy alive who hadn't heard the stories of hundreds of merfolk being captured and killed, or put on display like some sort of freak, by the humans. Children went to sleep terrified that a vessel carrying humans would come along and capture them all if they didn't behave. Mara had been one of those children, but years had passed since her last nightmare and the mysteries of the surface had grown too enticing for her. She had made her fist secret trip up to the surface when she had been fourteen. It had been a quick one. She had simply broken the surface and had taken in a breath of air, just as easily as she did while under water. She had looked up into the sky, the light from the sun nearly blinding her after years spent in the depths, and felt the warmth and heard the songs of birds. It had lasted maybe half a minute, then she had ducked down under the water again and started descending towards home again. She had felt elated about the forbidden trip, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she went back.

For four years Mara had been traveling back and forth, from her underwater home to the surface, but she had always been careful about it. She made sure she was as far from human habitation as possible, never staying too long, and was always mindful of predators and the human vessels with their nets. She didn't want to end up like her great-grandmother, Una. Caught and never seen again. No one ever found out where she spent her free time, not even Aron and Zale, who for so long were under the believe that their little sister needed their protection. She could hardly believe it herself, since Mara was part of the Elder's family, and the only daughter of the next Elder in line. But some how, with a great deal of care and a little luck, her fascination with the surface had never been found out.

It had become even easier since she had turned eighteen. Over the past couple of months Mara had been allowed more freedom than ever, and her brothers had begun to admit that she was good at taking care of herself. That was why she had started taking more risks. Staying at the surface longer, venturing a little bit further away from home each day, and even allowing herself to get close and closer to humans. In particularly an island with a human village. It was quiet, for a human home, and beautiful to look at. The only thing she needed to be careful of were the vessels and nets that seemed to surround it. It wasn't too hard, though. It was actually sort of fun, in a dangerous sort of way. There were a patch of not too far away where she liked to lay out in the sun and watch the island.

That is where Mara had spent that afternoon, eyes closed as she felt the heat of the sun soaked rock against her bare back and the warmth of the sun against her cheeks and stomach. Her long red hair was fanned around her head and she could feel them drying into their natural loose curls while she flicked her fin lazily through the water it was still submerged in. There were several seals lounging on the rocks around her, and she reached out to stroke on ling next to her. The animals didn't mind her company. Sea animals were rarely afraid of merfolk. She would have stayed a bit longer if she hadn't felt the storm brewing in the air, and the seals hadn't started to vacate the rocks. Mara's eyes opened and she pushed herself into a sitting position and shivered slightly. No one, not even a mermaid, wanted to be caught in the middle of a storm.

She lowered herself down into the water and dove back beneath the depths, preparing herself for her swim back home, when she heard a terrified chattering not too far off. She turned, unable to stop her curiosity, and it didn't take long for her to find the source. A young dolphin was caught in a human net, crying for help, while her mother hovered about in distress. Mara knew she needed to go home, that she couldn't linger, that nets were dangerous. But she wasn't heartless. She couldn't leave and allow the mother to loose her child. She darted forward and began to coax the young dolphin into calmness as she set about unraveling her from the net. It didn't take as long as she feared it would, and the mother and child were soon darting away to safety. Smiling and satisfied, Mara flicked her fin to start her journey home.

The motion that had always been so natural and graceful was stiff, clumsy, and painful. And she didn't move an inch. Mara looked back and down and felt a cold panic fill her. She had been trying to be so careful as she had untangled the dolphin from the net, but she saw that her fin had become tangled in the material instead. She had always been told not to panic if she found herself caught in a net, to remain calm and make no sudden movements. It was easier said than done. She couldn't stop herself from making sudden movements. Mara foolishly began to try to jerk and pull herself away from the net, then tried to yank it off of her tail, but it only made it worse. Soon her arms were caught and rendered motionless, and as she twisted she felt the net begin to wrap around her and weigh her down until she was hopelessly trapped. If she could cry underwater she would be, and she knew that there was no way her parents or brothers would be able to find her.

Then the storm began. She could feel the water around her beginning to churn as she wind and rain beat against in, and the currents started growing stronger, as did the push and pull of the waves. The net was thrown backwards ad forwards, with Mara caught inside. She couldn't move, couldn't do anything to brace herself against the pain, and couldn't even scream. Then, after what felt like hours, she felt and heard the ropes keeping the net in place snap.

As the storm currents pulled the freed net through the water, Mara was dragged along with it. She felt herself being painfully thrown around, thrashed, and beaten, horribly awake for all of it. Then she felt her body strike something hard and all she knew was pain and the thought that she was going to die an instant before she fell unconscious.

The morning after a storm was always so beautiful and calm, and the waves flowed gently in and out around the limp, but miraculously alive, figure of an unconscious Mara. She was still tangled in the fishing net, and her back was pressed against the damp sand of an isolated cove. Her wet hair was sticking to the pale skin of her neck, shoulder, and cheeks, and when she woke her entire body was going to ache from the beating the storm had given her. But she was still deeply unconscious, with her eyes closed and her breathing steady.

“Who's my father?”

That was a question Mayumi asked so many times that the words no longer had real meaning to her. She was half American and half Japanese. She looked it too. She was the only one on the island who looked different. Everyone else was cookie cutter white. There wasn't even a black or Hispanic person living here. It was kind of disgusting to her. She wished there was more diversity. How in the world had her mother met a Japanese man so many years ago when her mother was born and grew up on the island, never to step one foot off of it? It did not make any since.

Her mom said she never left the island.

Mayumi was obviously her mother's daughter and obviously fifty percent Japanese. Her mother knew nothing about Asian culture, so in turn Mayumi also knew nothing about it. The island did not exactly have connection to the Internet. There was a library, but it was very outdated. Their schools were laughable, too. It was a wonder she even knew how to read and write.

“Well, at least it's peaceful here.”

Mayumi kicked off her flip flops and laid back on her bed. She shared a room with her little half sister. Gina was seven and looked just like her father, unfortunately for their mother who hated his guts for cheating on her and then leaving the island to go live with some blonde bimbo who had come here with a tour group. This all happened before Gina was born.

Luckily, the island did not get many tour groups. They were not even on any map. The people of this island had lived here for many, many generations.

Glancing toward her window, she looked outside at the water that was lazily lapping at the beach. She smiled, dreaming of the creatures under the water. It was so fascinating to her that a whole different world was beneath the surface. Of course, everyone at the island warned people from getting in the water. The merfolk were said to be vicious.

Outside this little island, not many people knew of the merfolk's existence. The islanders had only grew into this knowledge one hundred years ago or so. When the news found it's way off the island, nobody ever believed it. Of course not, people were too close minded to believe merpeople were real.

It was a close guarded secret among the islanders though, because it was rumored that if you wanted to actually see a mermaid, the island was situated the best for the change. The islanders did not want to suddenly be on tourist radars. Getting the odd tour group once in fifty years was more than enough for them.

“But who could he be?” Mayumi asked herself, again coming back to the whole father issue. “It doesn't make sense. I've looked into the town records. Eighteen years ago, there was no tour group, so no possible way we'd have a Japanese visitor, and mom swears she never once left the island.”

She got out of bed, threw on a pair of pink jean shorts that showed off her tan legs, and a yellow bikini top, Mayumi grabbed her traveling back pack, putting in her flip flops, sunscreen and various other things she needed. Then she put on some socks and a pair of good tennis shoes. She would need these to help her climb the rocks that hid her secret place from the rest of the island. It was a good climb, but Mayumi had been doing it since she was little.

How she even managed to find the secret place was a mystery to her. When she was four years old, she woke up with a bump on her forehead, already at the secret cove. It had beautiful white sand of the beach, and a cozy little cave. It had been the best thing she had ever seen. Rocks raised up all around it, only leaving a small area to get out to the sea. Not even a boat could come back here. She had worried at first about how she'd get home, but being an active child, she eventually realize she could climb the rocks.

She went there every day, hoping to see something magical. A mermaid.

When she climbed over the rocks this time, at first nothing looked out of place, but on a closer look, she noticed something on the beach, near the gap that went out to the ocean. It was the form of something.

Mayumi fished her glasses out of her short pockets, hurriedly putting them on. Her vision cleared up and what she saw made her gasp, falling the rest of the way down the rocks. She didn't get hurt too badly, a scraped knee and scuffed up palms were the worst of it.

Her injuries were nothing compared to the mermaids.

Mermaid?

Yes, it really was a mermaid.

Mayumi put her hands over her mouth and stared, her brown eyes wide and unbelieving.

“Oh my gosh.”

She kicked off her shoes and socks and ran down the sand, until she was next to the passed out half fish, half human. She was tangled in a fishing net and had many bumps and bruises all over her, but she was breathing.

“Are you okay?” Mayumi set down next to the mermaid. “Please wake up.” Not sure what to do, she splashed a little of the sea water on the mermaid's face.

Mara's consciousness started floating back, little by little. One of the first things she noticed was that she was still alive. Her moment of happiness at this realization was interrupted quite rudely by the sudden sensation of aching and pain that seemed to fill her entire body from the top of her head to the tip of her tail. She made a pained little moaning sound and tried to shift her position but was rendered immobile by the fishing net that was wrapped tightly around her and pinned down by her back. Once the pain and soreness hit she felt her self waking up and becoming more in tune with her surroundings, but she still couldn't force her eyes to open. Not yet.

She could hear the sounds of waves crashing, seagulls cawing and flapping their wings, and the morning breeze. Mara could feel the breeze on her wet skin, as well, and she shivered, noting the feeling of the sand hard against her back. So...she was on the shore. On the island? Maybe. But the storm had been strong, one of the strongest she'd ever seen and probably one of the worst to caught in the middle of. She could have ended washing ashore on any beach in the world for all she knew. She probably should have been a battered corpse by now, and dissolving into sea foam. Never to be found.

But Mara wasn't dissolving into sea foam. She was alive. Wonderfully and miraculously alive. She wanted to smile and scream out in victory. But she couldn't. One reason being she was still massively exhausted, the second reason being that she was too sore to even think about moving, and thirdly because she was still tangled up in this horrible net. Oh and she was on a beach somewhere. On land. Maybe even with humans. What if they found her? Killed her? Or put her in something Great-Grandfather called a tank where she would have watch humans through a glass surface as they paid money to oggle and stare at her. She wasn't out of the choppy water yet.

But it hurt too much to think about it right now. And she was still half asleep. Mara knew that she needed to find a way out of the net and back into the ocean, but her body refused to wake up all the way just yet. So she laid there on the shore for...must have been hours but maybe it was only minutes, and she couldn't tell when she was dreaming or not. She thought she heard a voice. A female voice speaking right beside her. It sounded hazy to her half unconscious ears, and Mara thought that it must have been a dream. Until she felt cold sea water splashing on her face.

Consciousness crashed through her instantly and Mara began raggedly coughing up whatever seawater was still in her throat from the previous night. Her body attempted to shift against the confines of the net, and her arms and torso and tale ached as she did so. She finally stopped coughing after a few moments and breathed deeply, though shakily as well. Her large, dark brown eyes finally flickered open, and Mara blinked back to shock of morning sunlight a few times before she was able to keep her eyes open. She was looking up at a blue sky and the concerned face of a human girl. After a brief moment of surprise Mara let out a startled gasp as her flight instincts kicked in. Well...at least they tried, and she wound up struggling against the net, wriggling painfully and futilely.

"Wow. um... stop, please stop."

Mayumi pushed her glasses up on her nose, and scooted a few feet away from the thrashing mermaid, not wanting to scare her even more. She understood why the mermaid would be terrified, but hoped that she would eventually calm down and see that she meant no harm. She only wanted to help and perhaps get to know the mermaid. It would be really fantastic if they could even become friends. It would be like a forbidden friendship, which on this island was seen as taboo. Most likely seen the same way for merfolk as well.

"I won't hurt you. Oh gosh, I hope you can understand English. Can you?" Mayumi twisted her long black hair in her fingers, scooting even further back in the sand, getting some stuck up her shorts and all over her skin, but the half Japanese girl did not care. "I will get you out of the net. I promise I won't hurt you." She did not know how else she could reassure the mer-girl that she was safe with her. There was even the change that there was a language barrier.

"Um getting closer now, okay?" Mayumi stood up, brushed some sand off her butt and then slowly walked toward the struggling mermaid. "I'm knelling next to you now. Hold still." Mayumi studied the fishing net. It was wrapped around the poor girl so many times, there was no possible way she could just untie her. The rope would have to be cut. As luck would have it, Mayumi always carried around a first aid kit and a survival kit. She had learned never to go without them the hard way.

"I have to cut the rope, miss. It's knotted and wrapped around you too many times." Mayumi pulled her backpack to her and started to shuffle through it until she found her survival kit. She opened the small plastic container and pulled out a pocket knife.

She showed everything to the mermaid and let her watch what she was doing with the backpack. "Will you allow me to get close enough to free you?"

Mara paused for a moment at the sounds of the girl's voice, and her eyes returned to the human girl, who had moved back some while Mara had been struggling. The small space was...comforting. At least a little bit. If the girl meant her any serious harm then she wouldn't have backed away, would she? She would have presumably gone right for the kill or the capture. Her tone of voice didn't sound particularly malicious, either, and Mara was glad to hear her speaking English, a language she recognized. Lea, her grandmother, had taught her grandchildren the language, as well as other human languages, many years ago. She had said it was important to learn as many languages as possible, even human ones, and since they had lived so close to America they had primarily focused on English.

Her thrashing had become less violent, and she was mostly still except for the occasional nervous struggle. Her wide eyes watched the human, partly wary and terrified, but also undeniably curious. She was who she was and new things, even scary things, always fascinated her in some capacity. After watching humans from a distance for so long she never believed she would actually be so close to one before. A part of her always wondered if everything her elders had told her about humans was absolutely true. Surely there had to be some exceptions...but she had never wanted to risk it. Now here she was and she could only pray that this human wasn't as monstrous as the stories claimed.

The girl said she wouldn't hurt her, her tone sounding genuine to Mara's ears, and she asked her if she could understand her. Mara couldn't help but nod in response. She wriggled a little, moaning a bit in effort and from her aching limbs. She hated feeling so confined, she was used to having the freedom of her arms and tail and the freedom of an entire ocean to swim through. Maybe the girl noticed her wriggling because she promised to get her out of here. And not to hurt her. Mara looked at the girl as she rose to her feet, looking intimidatingly tall on her two legs. As she approached Mara wriggled nervously again, but when she was asked to stay still she managed to do so and took the moment when the girl was kneeling beside to look into her face. The girl was young, not much younger than herself. That was a comfort. Surely she was too young to be malicious and bloodthirsty.

She was told that the nets would have to be cut off, and a few moments later the girl was holding a knife. Mara's instant response was to wriggle again, and she became wracked with nerves as she tried to breath normally. Then she looked at the girl again and went still. Her face was young, sincere, and free of malice. The knife wasn't a big as Mara feared it was, and she didn't think the girl could kill her with it. And she knew that without help she would never be free of this wretched net. So when she was asked if the girl could approach to cut her free from the net Mara closed her eyes, took a breath, and allowed herself to believe that the human girl meant her no harm.

Mara's large brown eyes met the girl's and she nodded her head.

Mayumi moved closer to the mermaid, sand cutting into the wounds in her knees, though she did her best to ignore the pain. She looked down at the poor frightened creature... no, creature was not the right word. Weren't they both creatures of this world anyway? No the right word, was beautiful. Instantly, Mayumi was fascinated by the way the mermaid's red locks curled around just right. It was so pretty and the sunlight made it glow in a way that reminded her of fire. Mayumi knew she wasn't ugly by any means, but this mermaid made her feel like a pauper by comparison.

“Um, so....” She opened the pocket knife. “This is a pocket knife. It has various handy tools inside.” She flipped open the nail clipper. “This one keeps our fingernails trim.” She opened and closed the rest of the tools, telling the mermaid what each of them did, sometimes having to explain some more, especially when she told her one of the tools was a bottle opener. The mermaid probably did not know what a bottle was.

“This is the knife. It's not very sharp, but should handle the rope just fine.” She reached out and gently pulled up some of the net, her hands brushing against the side of the redhead's shoulders as she did so. “Hold very still, okay?”

Mayumi cut piece after piece, putting the net aside to throw away when she was finished. She did not want something else to become caught in it, though now it was cut into too many small parts. Still, a fish could swallow one and become choked.

It saddened her the way humans treated the water. Didn't they realize life lived down there? Life like this amazing mermaid.

“I'm so very sorry, the fishermen are usually really careful about their nets.” She lowered her head and shook it ashamedly. She knew the mermaid shouldn't judge them for fishing, because after all what did mermaids eat? But she felt so ashamed that one of their nets had caused so much harm.

Her glasses slipped off her nose and fell onto the stomach of the now freed mermaid. Mayumi looked up, her cheeks dusting. “I can never remember to get those fixed. They are always falling off.” She put the pocket knife away and then held out her hand. She didn't want to just reach down and snatch the glasses back. What if she spooked the mermaid.

“May I have them back?”

She looked on at the mermaid, openly, though shyly, studying her face. They seemed to be of similar ages, though mermaid years could differ from human years. Mayumi couldn't help peeking at her tail. It was prettier than anything she had ever seen in pictures or movies. The green and blue scales almost looked like jewels, they even dazzled in the sunlight. Mayumi desired to see what they felt like, but did not dare to ask if she could touch them. For all she knew, touching mermaid tails could be seen as a very intimate act.

Mara remained still as the human cut the net, watching her every motion and feeling her nerves slip away with each passing moment. The restricting material was loosening around her and she could start moving her arms again, which made a small smile flicker across her lips. It didn't take long for her to be able to prop herself up on her elbows as the last the net was being cut and pulled away from her. She didn't reply to the girl's apology for the fisherman's net but rather gazed at her thoughtfully. She supposed she couldn't blame the humans for trying to catch fish when her own people did the same. And she had gotten too close to the net out of her own freewill. But would that dolphin have been as lucky as she had been and survived the experience? Mara supposed she'd never know.

Something fell against her stomach, distracting her and making her jump. The item the girl had been wearing over her eyes. It must have slipped from her face. Mara stared down at the thing for a long moment, fascination etched into her expression. She glanced up at the girl when she asked for them back and nodded in response before picking them up. She hesitated, holding them in her hands before curiously raising them to her eyes ad slipped them on the way the girl had worn them. Mara pulled them away almost instantly, blinking her eyes and shaking her head a little. Everything had been so blurry through the clear lenses. Too blurry. But she was smiling a little as she turned back to the girl to hand the item back to her, and saw her staring.

Mara wasn't really used to attention like this, being looked at by someone who had never seen one of her kind before. She could feel the warmth of a blush spreading across her cheeks and when she met the girl's eyes Mara almost immediately glanced down at the sand, biting her lip shyly. She placed the lenses item in the girls outstretched hand and chanced another glance up at her face and caught the girl peering at her tail and fin. It made Mara blush a little bit more and she subconsciously flicked the fin so the blue-green and gold scales caught the sunlight and sparkled.

She took the opportunity to shifted her position and roll off of the last scraps of net that had been pinned under her. She rolled over onto her stomach and pulled herself up onto her elbows and sighed at the feeling of the stretch. It ached, of course, but being free of the net was what she cared about the most. She should be trying to get away now, to go back in the water before this got anymore catastrophic. But this girl had saved her, and Mara couldn't leave just yet. Not without thanking her. If only she could gather the courage to speak.

It took a long moment before she did anything, but Mara finally took a deep breath and looked back up into the human's eyes. "Thank you," she said softly, managing a small smile as she did. "Thank you for freeing me from the net. You didn't have to and ..." Mara paused as took another nervous breath. "I'm very grateful for your kindness, and I wish there was something I could do to repay you."

A giggle escaped Mayumi's lips as she watched the mermaid look at her glasses for a few moments, before she put them on her face. The way she reacted made her stifle another giggle. She did not want the mermaid to think she was rude. It was actually kind of cute watching the mermaid discover something for the first time. It was like a newborn child or a kitten. Of course, Mayumi would not tell that to the girl. She had a feeling that would be offensive.

She took her glasses back and popped them back onto her nose. They slid down again, making her roll her eyes. She took them off again and put them in her glasses case and put that into the backpack. Her vision was a little blurry now, but not so bad that she couldn't see what was right next to her. She could even make out some distance, but seeing details from far away was the worse. Her mom had promised time and time again that she would take her to the mainland to get her glasses resized. Her mother never seemed to want to leave the mainland, even when Mayumi had to just to go to school. The island was too small to have it's own school. Going to school on the mainland was great, especially if the tide got too high; they got to miss without any sort of punishment.

"Thanks. I need to get them resized to fit my face better, but..." She trailed off. The mermaid probably would have no idea what she was talking about. No, scratch that, of course the mermaid would have no idea what she was talking about. Last time Mayumi went to get her glasses, she had to go with a chaperone her mother picked, because her mother claimed she was too busy to leave. Excuses. That is all they were. What did her mom have against the mainland? Or leaving the island?

Mayumi watched in wide-eyed amazement as the mermaid started to shift around. For a moment, she felt a pang of disappointment in the pit of her stomach, thinking the girl was going to dash off into the water again, never to be seen for the rest of Mayumi's life. Instead, the mermaid turned to lay in a more comfortable position on her belly.

She propped herself on her elbows and stared right at Mayumi. It was really something that should have been painted in a fantasy book. This mermaid, so unique and breathtaking to behold. The colors of her tail alone took Mayumi's breath way. Her hair as well. It was so red. Mayumi had never seen hair as red as the mermaid's. Then there was her face, so pale, so flawless.

When she started to speak, Mayumi couldn't help blushing. The sound of her voice seemed to tickle at her skin, it was almost like music... and even magic. Just seeing the mermaid was like seeing magic. She was magic. Her fellow villagers were wrong. Mermaids were not evil. How could they be? Would an evil being thank someone? Would they speak so softly, so politely?

"You have no need to thank me. I was happy to help. I-I always wondered what... " She blushed and looked down at her scraped and sand filled knees. She winced. Now she noticed the pain. Ouch. "I mean, I just wondered what a mermaid would look like in person." She looked back up, her black eyes sparkling. "Do you have to go so soon?" She bit down on her lower lip. There was so much they could both gain from getting to know each other. It was an opportunity that neither would most likely ever have again.

"I'm Mayumi." She looked at the others tail again, still really shy about doing so. It was like she was breaking in on the mermaid's privacy. She just couldn't help it. The tail was so wonderful. She'd never seen anything like it, like the mermaid. "I'm sorry for staring. You're... just really beautiful."

Mara smiled when the human's pretty face took on a pink sort of glow as she blushed and she bit her lip thoughtfully as she listened to her speak. The girl mentioned that she had wondered what a real life mermaid would look like, and Mara felt her smile widen a little bit more and another blush on her cheeks. She wasn't used to this kind of attention, but at the same time she felt a little bit flattered. After a moment she finally responded, "Well...I hope I lived up to your expectations." The girl's next words made the smile falter a little. She had asked if she had to go soon. Mara adverted her gaze, looking back over her should to the ocean as she considered the question. Yes. And no. She should go, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

She was cute, this human girl. She had a smile that seemed to light her whole face and her eyes were dark and seemed to sparkle. She envied the girl's tanned skin more than she cared to admit. Mara enjoyed sunbathing as much as she could, but her own skin remained as pale as ever due to her life in the dark, cool depths of the sea. The girl seemed to radiate friendliness and it had been so long since Mara had mat someone new that she wanted to believe that she could be friends with this girl. But they couldn't, could they? They were from two different worlds, ones that were probably meant to stay separated. If her family or her pod ever found out that Mara had let herself be seen by this girl, let alone that Mara had actually spoken to her... She didn't want to think about what would happen. So she should leave. Now. Before...something happened. Before she could befriend a human. Even if a part of her really wanted to. Really wanted to learn more about a girl who had been kind enough to help someone that wasn't from the same species as her.

No. This was dangerous. She needed to go home now. A mermaid couldn't be friends with a human.

Then she heard the girl introduce herself, and Mara's eyes lifted to Mayumi's gaze once again. Then she felt her reservations fade as she looked into the kind girl's eyes and she stayed exactly where she was. "My name's Mara." She smiled, feeling a sort of elated rush from this forbidden action. Then the other girl's eyes shifted and Mara turned her head to see what she was looking at. It was her tail and fin, and when Mayumi spoke again Mara turned back to look at her. She bit her lip when Mayumi told her she was beautiful and glanced down at her hands. "Thank you, Mayumi. So are you, you know." She said it in a sincere voice, and her head rose so she could smile up at her.

Mara's fin flicked and she glanced back at it for a moment before looking back to the girl. "You can feel it. My tail. If you want to. I don't mind." Her smile was reassuring as she shifted her position in the sand once again and rolled over onto one side, still bracing herself with in elbow. She used her free hand to brush some loose sand off of the scales, then rested it gently against them. "It's alright, really. You can touch." Mara met Mayumi's eyes and nodded her head, inviting her to come closer.

Mara? Even the name sounded magical. Mayumi said it in her head a few times. Mara. Mara. Mara. It flowed very easily. She would have tried testing it out loud, but was afraid she would look really stupid. She did not want to seem stupid to the mermaid. She wanted the mermaid to think she was really intelligent, funny, and just fun to be around, qualities Mayumi admired in a person. She couldn't believe Mara was talking to her and didn't seem to want to leave. It was astonishing.

Then Mara said she was beautiful as well. Mayumi blushed and shook her head furiously. Oh no, she wasn't. She was just rather plain for a human, even for a half Japanese girl, at that. Her dark hair and dark eyes were very common among Asian girls and her skin was only tanned because of always being in the sun. She wasn't unique, not like being a magical mermaid.

"I-I am not..." She trailed off, bushed deeper and then looked down at her hands. They were shaking slightly. She was so nervous. This had to go right. She would be so distraught if something happened to make Mara hate her. "Thank you. I hope I live up to your expectations as well." She had no idea how she could. "And don't worry, you really do. Live up to mine, I mean."

Mayumi watched with wide eyes when Mara turned around onto her side, her pale, flawless skin glistening in the sun, and the scales on her tail seeming to glow. She scooted closer to Mara, until they were nearly touching, hip to where Mara's human body turned into her tail. She reached out hesitantly, her hands shaking some more and lightly put the tip of her fingers on the side of Mara's tail, the place where a human hip would be. It felt really unusual. Good unusual. It was soft, and did not feel slimy like a fish. There was warmth there, too.

She ran her hand down the length of Mara's tail, getting a little more bold, putting her whole palm down. She had been invited, after all. Right? As she touched the mermaid's tail, she looked up and sought out her eyes. She blushed. This felt awfully intimate a thing to do with someone she had just met. But the mermaid did not act like it was that big of a deal. So maybe it wasn't?

"You feel really... I mean, well..." She stuttered, fumbling around with her words. "I like the way your tail feels. It's really nice." She bit down on her lower lip and wondered if her desire to touch the mermaid's tail was mirrored in the mermaid's mind. Was she curious about human legs? So far Mara had not really glanced at her legs, so Mayumi didn't say anything, a little embarrassed at the idea.

"Are you able to be out of water long? I mean... can you breathe fine? Nobody can see us here. The only way in is through that gap," she pointed to where water came into the little oasis. "I imagine only a mermaid could get in here. I found a secret way, but to get here, it is a really dangerous climb." She smiled and pointed to the high rocks surrounding the cove.

Mara's eyebrows had furrowed slightly when she heard Mayumi tell her that she didn't think she was beautiful, and she tilted her head slightly as she studied the girl. Did she really believe that? She had wanted to say something, to assure the human of her beauty, but Mayumi had started speaking again and her words had taken Mara's mind off of the subject for the moment. Her smile had flickered across her lips and she had nodded. "Well, you saved me, and you didn't try to kill me. So far you've exceeded my expectations. Thank you for that." Mara had bit her lip shyly when she was told that she lived up to the human girl's expectations and had looked down at her hands again. "Thank you. Or...I guess I mean...you're welcome."

Now she was propped on her side and Mayumi had gotten very close. Mara didn't feel the apprehension that she had felt earlier, before she had been freed from the net, and she smiled encouragingly at Mayumi. The human girl reached out her hand until fingertips lightly contacted the side of her tail. Mara watched the girl's expression, suddenly slightly nervous that she would be disgusted by the way her tail felt. Why hadn't she thought of that before? But Mayumi's expression conveyed no such disgust, and she didn't pull her hand away either. Instead she ran the hand along that long limb of her tail, and Mara could feel the scales the girl touched seeming to tingle. The feeling of the fingers and hand tracing along her scales had felt a bit comforting. It had been a long time since anyone had touched her tail, and she realized now it was the first time that someone who wasn't a member of her family was touching it. It made her blush a little, the knowledge that she had so quickly allowed this girl to touch the limb. But she could tell that Mayumi had been fascinated by it and that she had wanted to find out what it felt like. Besides the girl had saved her life. Mara felt like she owed her something.

Mayumi's removed her hand from her tail and Mara lowered herself back down onto her stomach, holding herself up with her elbows and resting her chin on the palm on her right hand. She could feel herself blushing again as the girl complimented her tail and and nodded. "Thank you, Mayumi." For the first time Mara's brown eyes flickered down to Mayumi's legs and she looked at them curiously for a moment. It must have been strange to have two limbs instead of one, but they looked long and strong. And Mayumi had looked so tall when she had stood and she had done it so naturally that Mara was a little envious. She couldn't stand without feet and only one limb, and felt a little vulnerable knowing all she could do was lie down or sit.

The girl asked a very important question and Mara looked back up into her eyes. "I'm...not sure really. I think this is the longest I've ever been out of the water. I mean...I can breath on the surface just as naturally as I can underwater, and I feel perfectly normal. But I don't think I should let my tail to get dried out." She glanced back at the scaly limb, which looked like it always did. Maybe she could stay out of the water for hours without consequence, but she had never heard any stories about that. The merfolk didn't want to encourage their young to try and go on land. "I really don't know, though. This is new for me."

Mayumi started commenting on their surroundings and and Mara took the opportunity to look around for the first time. They were isolated. This little cove was almost completely surrounded by a barrier of rocks, and the only opening was small and let out directly to the rest of the sea. The gap was too small for allow sort of vessel access, but a person could slip through. A human or a merperson. "It's lovely, Mayumi," Mara commented, nodding her head. 'I'm just glad the storm brought me here rather than someone more...public."

She was quiet for a moment, studying the girl in silence before she spoke in a reluctant tone. "It was lovely to meet you, Mayumi. Really. And I'm so grateful for you kindness, but I really have to go home. I got caught in the net and the storm on my way home last night, and my family... They must be terrified. They probably have the whole pod out searching the entire ocean for me, and if they happen to find me here with you..." She trailed off, not wanting to think about it. Her great-grandfather had become determined to keep the merflok's world protected and secret from humans after the loss of his wife had nearly killed him, and her grandfather had to uphold those laws now that he was Elder.

Mara's eyebrows had furrowed slightly when she heard Mayumi
tell her that she didn't think she was beautiful, and she tilted her head
slightly as she studied the girl. Did she really believe that? She had wanted
to say something, to assure the human of her beauty, but Mayumi had started
speaking again and her words had taken Mara's mind off of the subject for the
moment. Her smile had flickered across her lips and she had nodded. "Well,
you saved me, and you didn't try to kill me. So far you've exceeded my expectations.
Thank you for that." Mara had bit her lip shyly when she was told that she
lived up to the human girl's expectations and had looked down at her hands
again. "Thank you. Or...I guess I mean...you're welcome."

Now she was propped on her side and Mayumi had gotten very
close. Mara didn't feel the apprehension that she had felt earlier, before she
had been freed from the net, and she smiled encouragingly at Mayumi. The human
girl reached out her hand until fingertips lightly contacted the side of her
tail. Mara watched the girl's expression, suddenly slightly nervous that she
would be disgusted by the way her tail felt. Why hadn't she thought of that
before? But Mayumi's expression conveyed no such disgust, and she didn't pull
her hand away either. Instead she ran the hand along that long limb of her
tail, and Mara could feel the scales the girl touched seeming to tingle. The
feeling of the fingers and hand tracing along her scales had felt a bit
comforting. It had been a long time since anyone had touched her tail, and she
realized now it was the first time that someone who wasn't a member of her
family was touching it. It made her blush a little, the knowledge that she had
so quickly allowed this girl to touch the limb. But she could tell that Mayumi
had been fascinated by it and that she had wanted to find out what it felt
like. Besides the girl had saved her life. Mara felt like she owed her
something.

Mayumi's removed her hand from her tail and Mara lowered
herself back down onto her stomach, holding herself up with her elbows and
resting her chin on the palm on her right hand. She could feel herself blushing
again as the girl complimented her tail and and nodded. "Thank you,
Mayumi." For the first time Mara's brown eyes flickered down to Mayumi's
legs and she looked at them curiously for a moment. It must have been strange
to have two limbs instead of one, but they looked long and strong. And Mayumi
had looked so tall when she had stood and she had done it so naturally that
Mara was a little envious. She couldn't stand without feet and only one limb,
and felt a little vulnerable knowing all she could do was lie down or sit.

The girl asked a very important question and Mara looked
back up into her eyes. "I'm...not sure really. I think this is the longest
I've ever been out of the water. I mean...I can breath on the surface just as
naturally as I can underwater, and I feel perfectly normal. But I don't think I
should let my tail to get dried out." She glanced back at the scaly limb,
which looked like it always did. Maybe she could stay out of the water for
hours without consequence, but she had never heard any stories about that. The
merfolk didn't want to encourage their young to try and go on land. "I
really don't know, though. This is new for me."

Mayumi started commenting on their surroundings and and Mara
took the opportunity to look around for the first time. They were isolated.
This little cove was almost completely surrounded by a barrier of rocks, and
the only opening was small and let out directly to the rest of the sea. The gap
was too small for allow sort of vessel access, but a person could slip through.
A human or a merperson. "It's lovely, Mayumi," Mara commented,
nodding her head. 'I'm just glad the storm brought me here rather than someone
more...public."

She was quiet for a moment, studying the girl in silence
before she spoke in a reluctant tone. "It was lovely to meet you, Mayumi.
Really. And I'm so grateful for you kindness, but I really have to go home. I
got caught in the net and the storm on my way home last night, and my family...
They must be terrified. They probably have the whole pod out searching the
entire ocean for me, and if they happen to find me here with you..." She
trailed off, not wanting to think about it. Her great-grandfather had become
determined to keep the merflok's world protected and secret from humans after
the loss of his wife had nearly killed him, and her grandfather had to uphold
those laws now that he was Elder.

–

Mayumi felt her face fall at the idea of Mara leaving so soon. She really wanted them to become friends, but maybe that was out of the question. Their two species were so different, and each had a bad idea about the other. She could tell by the way Mara had reacted at first that perhaps merfolk did not like humans, didn't trust them, even hated them. It was harsh, but it was the same for humans just because of something that had happened a long time ago. Nobody would even say what it was. They probably couldn't even remember why they had started to dislike merpeople.

'Because they are different from us,' Mayumi thought. 'That's most likely it.'

"I'm very sad you have to go so soon, but I understand." She looked toward the sea, a wistful look on her face. "I bet it is magical down there. All the fish and coral. I've seen pictures, but they could never compare. Your world is beautiful." She sighed heavily.

"Do you think... no, probably not." Mayumi looked over at Mara, her dark eyes swimming with emotions. She bit down on her lower lip. Why was she so nervous about asking someone to come meet her again?

"Mara, about what you said before. I would never, ever hurt you or any other merpeople. I don't really know anyone who would to be honest. This is a small island. There are not many people here. It is true that the people here might have a fear for the unknown, but they wouldn't hunt you or hurt you." Mayumi truly believed that. She just wished Mara would believe her.

"I wish both our kinds could fight the fear and really start to understand one another." She sighed again. "If they could... I would... I would want to ask you to meet me here again." She glanced over at the redhead. "Do you think that could ever be possible? Could you ever get away to visit me again?"

–

Mara took a moment to look back at the ocean, at her home, after Mayumi stated that it was beautiful. She loved her family and her people, but they could be paranoid and stubbornly old fashioned, which is why she so often tried to get away, if only for a few hours. But her home itself, seemingly endless and filled with lost things, forests of coral reefs, and unimaginably colorful wildlife, was incredibly beautiful. "It is," she said in agreement, smiling a little as she looked back at this kind and peculiar human. Peculiar could be a good thing though. Wasn't Mara herself peculiar for a mermaid? "I wish you could see it, Mayumi. I think you'd love it."

Mayumi started to speak again and Mara looked at her curiously, meeting the girl's emotional gaze and feeling guilty and reluctant to leave her. She shouldn't want to stay, shouldn't want to befriend her or learn from her, but Mara knew that she did. She had taken risks before for less, and this risk felt worth it. Still...she had to be cautious. 

She truly believed Mayumi when she said that she'd never hurt her or anyone of her kind, but she felt less sure about the rest of humanity. She wanted to believe that the people on this island were good, but she wasn't sure if she could. At this moment, at least. But how could she ever find out if humans weren't all the monsters she'd been terrified of as a child unless she learned about them?

Her new acquaintance asked if it would be possible for Mara to come back and visit her. "I'd love to visit you, Mayumi," Mara said softly, honestly. And then she was quiet in response for a moment, thinking and gazing at the girl with a pensive expression. No, she couldn't. She was letting this get out of hand. She should never have even spoken to Mayumi. She was breaking every rule, betraying the trust her family had given her. But at the same time...hadn't she already been breaking rules by taking trips up to the surface for these last few years? And no one had ever found out about them. She'd always been so careful about it. Why couldn't she be just as careful about taking trips to visit Mayumi? She was more than just a human. She was kind and fascinated by her kind and world, and Mara knew that she liked her. She wanted to be friends with Mayumi. And it had been so long since Mara had made a new friend.

"I think...I can try?" Mara said after a moment, nodding her head a little more certainly with each passing second. "Yes...it might be possible, if I'm careful about it." She looked up at the girl, a smile on her lips and a mischievous glint in her brown eyes. "If you promise to come tomorrow...I'll promise to try my best to be here. But now I do have to go." Mara began shifting herself back towards the water, smiling a little as she touched it, but before she submerged she looked back at the human girl. "Tomorrow, alright?"

Mara smiled at Mayumi before turning and diving down into the depths. Slipping through the water felt as wonderful and natural as ever and she flicked her fin quickly to swim as fast as she could. She had to get home quickly. And with a strong excuse for where she had been all night if she ever wanted to be able to go off on her own again. Mara just hoped her family hadn't started sending out the search parties just yet.

–

Mayumi stood up and walked closer to the water's edge, letting her feet sink into the water and soft sand. She smiled the brightest smile she had given in a long time. Her long, wavy dark hair blew in the gentle breeze. Her eyes sparkled in unreserved joy. A soft glow of excitement filled her stomach, a tingling feeling traveling all the way to her toes. She dug them into the sand, delighted with how it felt. Mara was so lucky to be part of such a world. Mayumi's own world had it's beauties, but she was not able to see them, stuck on the island as she was.

Watching as Mara went in and out of the water, swimming away, was breathtaking. She raised her hand in a wave, waving until she could no longer see her.

"I can't wait. I really can't," she said to the wind. Mayumi giggled in a pure child-like way. Everything happening around her seemed so magical.

Going back to her backpack, she picked it up. She slung it on her back and then walked toward the rocks, pausing to put her shoes and socks back on. With some reluctance, she climbed back over them. When she got to the top, she looked around, making sure there was nobody who would see her climbing down them. There wasn't. There never was. The rocks were a little too far from where the active part of the beach was.

When she got home, Mayumi was in high spirits. She gave her mom a kiss in greeting, hugged her little sister and played with her kitten Holly. She loved the kitten. She had got it on Christmas a couple months ago. Holly was her favorite companion and as odd as it was, she even liked the water.

---

The next morning, Mayumi got up as early as possible, having no idea when Mara planned on showing up. She did not want to miss her chance to meet the mermaid again. She walked around her room, pondering on the things she should take to show her possible new friend. In the end, she decided on her Ipod because it was full of amazing pictures and music that Mara would have never heard or seen before. She also picked a couple books, her favorite snow globe. In the globe was a peaceful cabin, with a lighted Christmas Tree outside. When shook, the snow on the ground fluttered around the cabin and tree.

She put everything into her backpack and then went for a quick shower. When finished, she wore a pair of green shorts, and a blue bikini top that had kittens all over it.

Mayumi put on her backpack, tossed a blanket over her shoulder and went to the kitchen, where she grabbed an assortment of foods for Mara to try, if she could try human food, that is. She put the food in plastic bags and then into her backpack.

Holly came up to her and started to rub her leg. Mayumi smiled and picked up the three month old kitten.

"Wanna go to the beach?"

She put the kitten into the front pocket of the backpack, amused when it settled down without a fuss. She hoped Mara would like land animals.

---

After arriving to the private cove, Mayumi set out the blanket close to the lapping water. She let Holly out of the backpack and settled down, watching the kitten play in the sand and in the water. Holly never ran off, which was a real relief. She thought Mayumi was her mother.

–

When she had finally returned home to the underwater city in which her pod lived Mara had found herself swarm by relieved and concerned family members. Her parents, her brothers and their families, neighbors, friends, and even her grandparents all surrounded her, chattering and questioning her, pulling her into embraces and checking over every inch of her body looking for injuries. Her mother, usually so calm and collected, would not stop speaking and holding her, and Mara could tell that her stoic father had been in danger of being torn to pieces by his worry. The only one who had not been there had been her great-grandfather. Bradan had rarely been seen by their little community since he had retired from the Elder position and her grandfather had taken his place. Instead he had stayed inside her family's large home, choosing a solitary life with nothing but the anger  that had kept him alive since his heartbreak at loosing his wife.

It took a while for the excitement to calm, but then finally all of their podmates seemed find something better to do since the Elder's granddaughter had returned unharmed. Then came the interrogation. Grandfather looked her in the eyes, and she stared at the man who was so serious and led their pod with unquestioning confidence and aspire loyalty. He was Elder. He upheld and enforced their laws, even the crueler ones, because it was his job, and if he found out what she had done... But at the same time this was her grandfather, a man who always smiled at her and was kind and gentle with her. A man who loved her. Mara feared what her betrayal would do to that man and she promised herself in that instant that he would never know. Not any of them.

And so she told them a story about how she had been exploring a cave when she had sensed the storm, but knew that she would get caught in the middle of it if she attempted to swim home, so for her own safety she had spent the night in the cave. It was a simple story and not unreasonable. They knew she enjoyed exploring. They knew that she would know better than to risk getting caught in a storm on her way home. Her family accepted and believed the lie. Because Mara might have been curious, but she was also cautious. She was a good girl, and they had no idea that she enjoyed spending her free time on the surface. They had no reason to believe that she had gotten too close to a human, nor that she was planning on letting it happen again. Her family just smiled and embraced her and her mother urged her to return home earlier from now on, which she promised to do. And then their lives went on as they usually did, while Mara planned her next escapade.

The next morning she woke fairly early, which wasn't unlike her. Sometimes she liked to head out early to go for a nice swim before setting off on one of her explorations. No one would think anything of it. She had a small bite to eat before she slipped out of their home and through the ravine in which the city was located. Merfolk greeted her and she greeted them back as casually as she always did. Then she was out in the open ocean and swimming rapidly in the direction of Mayumi's island. 

It had become much easier to slip away since she had turned eighteen, but even easier now that both of her brothers were mated and married. Aron and Zale sometimes used to follow her around, claiming they needed to protect their little sister, but now they had lives of their own. Aron was twenty four now, had been married to Lora for three years, and the couple had a young daughter, Brigit, as well as another child on the way. Aron was also busy learning how to be Elder. Grandfather would soon be retiring and their father would take his place. And before long it would be Aron's turn to be Elder. Zale, meanwhile, had reached the mermen's mating age of twenty one a year ago, and was wed to Hana. Mara knew that a mermaid's mating age was eighteen, but hadn't thought about it much in the few months since her birthday. The topic had not been brought up much, thankfully.

She slipped through the opening into the private little cove and breached the surface, slicking her red hair back and blinking her eyes as she took in breaths of fresh air. After a moment of admiring the blue sky her gaze lowered to the shore where she saw Mayumi there waiting for her. At the sight of the human girl Mara smiled, nervous and excited all at once, and waved a little before swimming the rest of the way to the shore. She pulled herself up onto the sand in front of Mayumi's blanket and settled there, lying on her stomach and keeping herself up with her elbows as the waves moved in and out around her tail. Her fin flicked lazily through the water, and Mara was smiling. "Hi," she said shyly, biting her lip for a moment. "I hope you weren't waiting for me too long." Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted movement and turned her head to see the tiny animal playing in the sand. Her eyes widened slightly at her first proper look at a land animal and she leaned forward curiously. "Is she yours?" Mara asked softly as watched the animal with a smile. "Or...he I suppose."

–

“Oh!” Mayumi exclaimed in shock at the sudden arrival of Mara. She had been looking down at one of the books she brought to show the mermaid. It was one about different land animals, with pictures and descriptions. The other books she brought were novels, some fantasy romance stories. One was about an elf female meeting and falling in love with a human male and against all odds, the two got together, despite the differences between their races. It reminded her a little of merpeople and humans. The other book was a collection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

“Hello,” Mayumi said. She tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear and watched as Mara pulled herself toward the blanket, her tail still in the water. They were sitting very close, as if they were on a picnic together and maybe they could have a little on. That was if Mara could digest the food she had brought.

“Yes, this is Holly. She got the name because I got her three months ago on Christmas Day.” She bit down on her lip. Oh, Mara would not know what Christmas was. “That's a holiday a lot of humans have once a year. It's traditionally to celebrate the birth of Christ. Um, that's our God. Oh, but other cultures have different holidays and different Gods they believe in. Sorry, I make it sound so complicated.”

“On Christmas, families and friends come together and give and receive gifts. Holly is made from plants, used to decorate... So that is where her name came from. I'm so sorry for rambling. I'm just so happy to see you.”

Mayumi took her items out of her backpack and laid them down on the blanket next to the mermaid. “I brought some things for you to see. I thought... well, they might be interesting to you.” She laid out the food, animal picture book, fantasy romance novel, the Grimm's Fairy tale book, her Ipod, and last but not least, took out her snow globe.

“Do you want to try some human food? I wasn't sure if you'd be able to digest it, but I hoped you could.” Mayumi smiled. “This is bread, and this is what we call crackers, this is what we call cheese dip. You dip the crackers in it. This is chocolate, M&Ms. They are basically junk food that humans love, like for a snack.”

“This is soda pop,” she said, taking out a glass soda bottle of sprite. It was still cold. “It's called sprite. You drink it.”

–

Mara was watching the small animal with interest, but she was also listening to everything Mayumi was telling her. At the mention of Christmas Day she looked up at the girl with an eyebrow raised, and Mayumi immediately started to explain. At least attempted to, but Mara thought she understood the important bits. It was a human celebration (merfolk had celebrations of their own), and the celebrations and religions of humans were plentiful and diverse. Also not unlike those of the merfolk. She was smiling as Mayumi explained as best as she could, and when the human girl apologized Mara shook her head.

"No, you have no need to apologize. Trust me if I was attempting to explain merfolk customs and cultures and the differences between all of the pods all over the world I would be rambling, as well. Honestly Mayumi. You're completely fine." She was smiling and had blushed a little when Mayumi expressed how glad she was to see her. "I'm glad to see you, too." Mara had been afraid that something would happen and she would arrive at the island too late. That Mayumi would have given up on her. That was why she had left so early and she was grateful that Mayumi seemed to have planned the same.

"Hello, Holly," Mara said softly, looking back at the small animal and reaching her hand out. She wanted to feel the animal's soft fur, but waited for Holly to approach her. "What sort of animal is she?" Mara asked, looking over at Mayumi again so see her setting out an array of items in front of her. The mermaid watched, looking at each item with curious fascination. At the prospect of trying human food the expression of equal parts nerve and excitement returned to her face. "Okay." Mara was nodding her head as she inspected the food Mayumi had brought. "I think I'll be fine. I mean...humans and merfolk both eat fish and drink water, don't we?"

She looked over the bread and the crackers with the cheese dip and the M&M's pensively, then noticed the bottle in Mayumi's hand. She called the clear liquid inside "Sprite," and it looked more bubbly than water. Mara reached forward and took the bottle before inspecting it more closely for a moment. Then she raised it to her lips and took a tentative sip. She blinked in surprise and lowered the bottle as she swallowed and coughed a little. "It's so sweet!" she said, "And fizzy! Nothing like anything I've ever tasted before." She looked back at Mayumi. "I don't even know if I don't like it or not. I'm just so used to everything tasting salty." It was clear, though, that she was enjoying this new experience, even if she ended up deciding that she didn't like the drink. "I think human food will take some getting used to." And Mara was excited about the prospect.

She handed the bottle of Sprite back to the girl before taking another look at the items before her. What caught her eye was the snow globe, and Mara gingerly picked up the thing with her left hand and gently stroked the smooth glass surface with her right finger tips. She gazed into the rounded top and at the tiny objects inside. "It's so beautiful," she commented softly, her smile spreading across her lips once more.

–

“She is from the feline family. There are many types of felines. Some are in the wild and some live as household companions, or some call them pets. Do Merfolk have anything like that?” She wondered if they kept cute little flounders as companions or pets like in The Little Mermaid. She blushed when she realized she was comparing merpeople to fictional versions of them. They were most likely 100% different. Though the idea of all those mermaid stories had to come from somewhere.

“Since she is a baby, she is called a kitten. She's only three months old. You can also call her a cat. That's her species. Her type is tabby because of her orange fur. You can pick her up if you want, but cats do have claws and she's just getting used to hers.” Mayumi grinned, becoming more excited at Mara's curiosity.

When Mara sampled the sprite, she couldn't help but giggle. “I'm sure it taste weird to you. Humans love a wide variety of salty foods, but I can't think of a salty drink we like. The crackers are salty. There are many types of drinks, some are fizzy and some are not.” She set back, eyes glistening in amazement. Was this really happening?

“That is called a snow globe. Do you know what snow is? Maybe you've seen it when you came to the surface? It is the white, cold stuff that falls from the sky during winter weather. If you shake it, it looks like snow is fluttering around.” She reached over to help Mara give it a good shake. Their hands brushed together and there was some sort of static electricity shock. Mayumi blushed deeply. She could swear her whole hand was now tingling. Her hand stayed atop Mara's a little longer than it should be there.

“I have many more snow globes. I collect them. I can bring back another each time we meet... Oh, I mean...” She looked down at the blanket, watching as Holly did some silly rolls on the ground. She was playing with sand and then seemed to have her eye on an insect. She ran after it, paused and pounced, but the bug got away every time.

“That is if you plan on coming again. I-I would really be so happy if you did.”

–

When asked if merfolk had pets Mara shrugged. "In some pods it's more common than in others," she responded. "In my pod...not really, no. But sea creatures come naturally to all merfolk. They let us approach them and they're comfortable around us. They trust us. It's easy to form friendships with that sort of innate trust. There are several schools of fish that live with my pod in our home. It's more like we...coexist. But there's a pod near Australia and their members sometimes keeps sharks as companions. It depends where you are in the world, I think." Mara smiled, a little embarrassed at how easily she was giving Mayumi information. But she felt certain she could trust her. She wasn't sure why she was so certain, only that she was. "I hope that makes sense."

She was looking at the snow globe with her large, curious eyes, repeating the name in a murmur after Mayumi told her what it was. She nodded a little when she asked if she knew what snow was. "I've heard of it," she confirmed, " But I've never experienced it. We typically migrate south in the winter. to where it's warm. And I guess you can't really experience snow in the water. I'd like to though, I think."

Mayumi reached forward to show her how the snow globe worked and their hands touched. It was like some sort of...shock. Mara felt it when their skins connected and it gave her hand a lingering, tingly feeling that gave her goose bumps all over. Much like what she had felt the previous day when Mayumi had been touching her tail. Mara stared at their still touching hands as Mayumi helped her shake the snow globe, admiring how warm the other girl's tanned skin felt against her own. She wasn't even aware of how long their hands were touching, just when it was over. Then she looked into the snow globe to see the cloud of white swirling inside and she let out an awed little sigh. "I definitely want to experience snow now. Real snow." Her tone was dreamy as she watched the swirling slowly end and she looked back at Mayumi with a smile and handed her snow globe back to her.

The girl was mentioned that she had other snow globes that she could show Mara each time that they met. Then Mayumi went quiet, as though embarrassed, and Mara's brow furrowed slightly as she looked at the girl. Before she could ask what was wrong Mayumi spoke again, asking her if she planned on returning to visit her ever again. 

Mara knew the immediate answer was yes, but she felt a little mischievous at the moment. Maybe it was a side effect of all of the rule breaking she'd been doing. "Oh," she said casually, shrugging her shoulders as she looked down at the items before her. "Maybe one or two more times." After a moment she smiled and peered up at Mayumi again. "Or five or six more times. Or ten or twenty. I haven't really decided yet." She looked at the other girl intently, very serious about this next statement. "Honestly, Mayumi, I plan of visiting you as many times as I possibly can, for as long as you want me to. It's the least I can do for the girl who saved my life. For a friend."

She smiled, genuine as she could possibly be. "Besides your world is fascinating to me. Like a mystery. So I want to thank you for bringing all of these things and sharing them with me. I just wish...I wish I could find a way to share some of my world with you."

–

For a moment, she felt sadness when she thought Mara was being serious about only wanting to come back a few more times, but then a bubble of happiness swelled inside her chest. She looked up quickly meeting the mermaid's eyes. She smiled, her cheeks taking on a shade that was almost as bright as Mara's hair. Holly climbed into her lap, but she didn't even notice because she was staring too intently at the other. It never felt uncomfortable or awkward, though she felt warm all over. She gently dumped the cat out of her lap and scooted closer to Mara.

“Do you really mean that? Friends?” She really wanted to express herself like she would with a good friend or her family, like give Mara a huge hug. This was all so out of this world. It was like every single holiday and her birthday had come at once. No, it was even better than that.

“Oh Mara, that's wonderful. I feel this connection to you; like we were meant to meet each other.” She scooted even closer to the mermaid and leaned over and gave her a hug, making sure not to make the mermaid face plant in the sand. “A hug to celebrate the start of a new friendship. I hope it lasts for a very long time.”

She hoped it would last forever.

“I wish there was a way for me to see your world. I can only hold my breath for three minutes. It's my new record. I would love to go in the water with you if it were possible.”

Mayumi did have access to scuba gear, but it would be hard for her to carry it over the rocks. If people saw her lugging around scuba gear toward the rocks, they would get suspicious anyway.

She pulled away from the hug that had lasted a little too long, though she didn't mind. Everything was on over drive for her. Her skin tingled, even her hair felt more alive. On impulse, she reached up and touched Mara's hair and smiled. She really liked to watch it sparkle in the sun as it ran through her fingers.

“I wish we could experience more things together. Share more of our worlds with each other. I'll keep bringing things to show you, but there is so much more out there, in both our worlds.”

Shifting around, Mayumi laid on her stomach in the sand, mirroring Mara's position, their elbows and forearms almost touching. She looked into Mara's eyes and felt her cheeks flush.

–

Mara smiled as she bit her lip and nodded when Mayumi asked if she was honest about them being friends. "I really mean it." Mayumi was kind and honest and Mara enjoyed being with her. It should have been wrong, should have wracked her with guilt, but it didn't. Being in Mayumi's company made her feel happy, the happiest she'd ever been, and it was fun. It felt like this was the way it was meant to be, that she was supposed to befriend this girl. It felt so natural and right that Mara couldn't see how it was wrong. But she knew no one else she knew would see it that way.

Mayumi's own happiness made it even better. Mara's smile widened at the girl's enthusiasm, and felt herself let out a surprised little laugh as she was pulled into a hug. Squeezing the human girl back, she rested her chin on Mayumi's shoulder and sighed contentedly, though Mayumi's words had stuck with her. She said she felt connected to Mara, like they were meant to meet. It surprised her a little, that they were having the same thoughts. And it couldn't have been a coincidence that out of all of the merflok and human beings on the planet they happened to be the ones to meet. That Mara had washed ashore in this cove that only Mayumi knew, that Mayumi had been the one to find Mara in the net. Things like that...they couldn't just happen for no reason, could they?

"I feel the same," Mara admitted truthfully, and that was all she was able to say. A hug for a long friendship. Mara was positive that it would last, not thinking about the fact that her mating was going to happen inevitably soon. It was at the very back of her mind, and didn't seem important at all. 

The hug eventually ended and Mara settled back down onto her stomach, giggling slightly as she balanced her chin on her hand and gazed at her new friend. She knew Mayumi would love the underwater world, and there had to be some coral forests close enough to show her. But they would need much longer than three minutes. There had to be a way... Surely something in her world would allow a human to survive underwater. She'd look for it when she went home again. But she didn't have to leave for a long while.

Mayumi was lying on her stomach directed across from her, and they were so close, nearly elbow to elbow, while they gazed at each other. They were at eye level and for a moment Mara just looked into Mayumi's dark eyes before she smiled. "So tell me about your world. Your life, I mean. You have family, don't you? You could tell me about them."

–

She felt the same way? A friendship meant to be? The whole notion was so romantic. Mayumi would admit that she had had crushes on girl celebrities from time to time or even thought about what it would be like if the right girl lived on the island. The right girl did not and there was no right boy as well. She wasn't getting a crush on the mermaid because that would be really wrong, right? It was just the excitement of how forbidden their friendship was to both their worlds. That must be it. Mayumi pushed all the blushing, tingling and the rest of it out of her mind. Right now, she was just going to enjoy the mermaid's company without thinking about complicated things.

“Yes, of course,” she answered. She found that she was still playing with Mara's hair and again, it felt like the most natural thing to do. She blushed, but didn't pull her hand away because the mermaid did not seem to mind. “I have a mother and a half sister. I do not know who my father is. It's kind of complicated.”

“I don't know if you've ever spied any other human on this island, but you might notice that they all look a little different from me. That's because my father was Japanese. Japan is another country in my world. The country we're in is called America. I'm sure you call it something different, but...”

“The thing is, my mom swore she never left the island in her life and there is no record of a Japanese man ever visiting this island. It's all so strange.” She lowered her eyes down to the sand between them, every so second, they flickered back up to Mara's face.

“Mom mom met someone else and had my half sister with him, but he left her, for another woman and to leave the island.” With the hand that was not touching Mara's hair, she began to draw shapes in the sand. “My sister is six years old.”

“Mara, what about your family?” She moved her hand from Mara's hair; it brushed the mermaid's shoulder, before landing softly on the ground.

–

Mara enjoyed the feeling of Mayumi's fingers playing with her hair. The long red strands had been drying in the morning sunlight and warmth and were gently curling. At first having dry hair had felt so strange. She had never known the hair would curl and she was  so used to the strands floating around her head while she was suspended in the water. But she'd grown used to it, and the feeling of someone lightly toying with the long soft strands was oddly comforting. She felt very relaxed, lying on the warm sand of this isolated little cove with Mayumi right beside her. She liked knowing that their conversation was private, that they were sharing secrets with each other. It just added to the excitement of their forbidden friendship.

Mayumi described her family and Mara listened intently. Humans and merfolk didn't seem to have similar concepts about marriage and reproduction. When merfolk mated it was for life. The merman and mermaid remained together for their whole lives until they died together. Or one of them died, but it was rare for the other to live much longer. The love and bond between the mates was so deep and intimate that the heartbreak of losing their love normally was enough to kill the the surviving spouse. It often worked this way for the love between parents and children, as well. She had once asked her mother why the love and bonds between merfolk were so strong, but Kali had told her that that conversation was for when she was older.

Her great-grandfather Bradan had survived his heartbreak, though, but folks often whispered that those who found ways to survive the loss of love had a fate worse than death.

Humans didn't seem to mate that way, since Mayumi told her that her mother had two children with two different men, and they both seemed to have left her. But Mara didn't think that it was necessarily bad the way humans mated. Just massively different from what she knew. When Mayumi commented on how the people on the island looked nothing like her Mara though about the humans she'd seen from a distance. Most of them were from this island and she realized that she had never seen anyone who had quite the same facial features or coloring as Mayumi. But the fact that she didn't know who her father was obviously troubled her, and Mara didn't know what she could do to soothe her. Probably nothing. This wasn't the sort of pain only kind words could heal.

Mayumi asked about her own family and Mara took a breath. "I have a large family," she began, almost apologetically. "I have my mother and father, as well as two older brothers. Aron and Zale. They both have wives, and Aron has a child of his own. My little niece, Brigit." Mara smiled fondly. She loved her niece. "Aron and Lora are expecting another child soon, a boy, I think. I have a grandmother and grandfather, as well. My grandfather is the Elder of my pod, and my father is next in line. And there's my great-grandfather, but I don't know him all that well. He's a little...isolated. But in merfolk pods everyone is very close, so it's like everyone in my pod is an extended family member."

–

“It must be so nice having a family like that,” Mayumi said wistfully. “My mother is an only child so I don't even have any aunts or uncles. It's just mom and my little sister, oh and Holly. She's like one of the family.” She looked down at the little feline. Holly was no going back and forth between them, rubbing everything she could touch. Mayumi's eyes followed her as she tried to climb up Mara's tail, but she fell down. She shook her head in confusion and made a soft mewing sound that made Mayumi giggle.

“She's never seen anything as beautiful as a mermaid, either.”

Holly hunched down and then suddenly jumped in the back of Mara's tail, landing where a human's behind would be. She made a couple circles and then laid down. Not long after, she was purring away. She seemed to really like the mermaid. That made two of them.

“How old are you, Mara? I'm almost eighteen.” She looked away from her and out to the water, thinking about all the wonderful things the other had been explaining to her. Why couldn't humans hold their breath longer? She wished she could go out there and see everything first hand.

Mayumi reached over and grasped one of Mara's hands. She gave it a good squeeze, her eyes shining, as if she held a mysterious secret. Of course she did. They both did. She leaned her forehead against Mara's and sighed, and then giggled like a giddy child.

“We are going to be the best of friends. I just know it. I know our worlds are different and we each have our own traditions and beliefs, but... is it kind of strange that I feel like I've known you for a very long time? I've had dreams of being on the ocean, seeing things, and meeting merpeople.”

She pulled away slightly, their noses only inches apart. “I think I saw you in a dream. There was always this mermaid, she had hair just like yours. Your tail, too, it's all the same.” Her cheeks flushed. “I'm sorry, that sounds really weird.”

–

"It is nice," Mara admitted, smiling a little, "I love my family, but it can get a little crowded a lot of the time. Sometimes I just need to get away...be on my own for a while. It's nice to have people and someplace to come back to, though." She looked down at the feeling of something soft rubbing against her and smiled when she saw Mayumi's kitten between the two of them. She watched the cat with an interested gleam in her brown eyes as Holly  made her way around her and tried to clamber up the side of her tail. The cat slipped, and Mara couldn't help but laugh softly, unable to think of anything beyond how different land animals were to the sea creatures she was used to.

Mayumi made a comment, calling her beautiful again, and Mara looked back at her, cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "You should see my brother's mate, Lora. She's the most beautiful mermaid in our pod. And I met these mermaid from a pod near Africa once...they had siler scales and thick hair. And lovely brown skin. They were very beautiful, too..." She trailed off, feeling a little embarrassed that she wasn't just thanking her for the compliment. But she wasn't used to receiving so many, not when there were so many lovely young mermaids of mating age in her pod.

She became distracted by something light landing on her back and she turned her head gently to see Holly curled on on the back of her tail, making a soft, contented sound. It made her smiled again. Mayumi asked how old she was and Mara turned around to look at her again. "I turned eighteen a few months ago. Technically I'm matured, but compared to how long merfolk live I still feel like a child. But I am old enough to mate." She shrugged her shoulders noncommittally. 

Luckily she didn't have to spend too long thinking about mating because she felt Mayumi take her hand and Mara instinctively clutched it back. The girl's eyes were large and sparkling mischievously, and they smiled each other over the secrets they were sharing. And the secret of their friendship. They touched foreheads and Mara found herself giggling along with her friend. Her human friend. Oh it was so forbidden that it was exciting. Mara had never felt so close to someone before, so quick to trust someone. Especially after meeting them so recently. But for some reason it didn't feel like that.

Mayumi spoke again, and after she said she felt as though she had known Mara for a long time Mara was caught off guard. This girl always seemed to know what she was thinking or how she was feeling. "I'm not sure," she said, "But I think I feel the same?" Mayumi described dreams that she had had, of the ocean and of merpeople, and Mara blinked her eyes when Mayumi said she had seen her in her dreams. "Me?" She was quiet for a moment, thinking it over, but then she smiled reassuringly. "It's not that strange to me. I've heard stories of merpeople who received images of the future in their dreams. Maybe it's the same for humans."

Mayumi's descriptions of her dreams had left her with memories she had thought long forgotten. Dreams of her own she had had frequently throughout her life. In these dreams Mara had been in the human world, but it was more than that. She had been human. She had had legs and had been wearing human clothes and had been running and laughing. And she had always been running after someone. A human girl with tanned skin and long, wavy dark hair and an infectious laugh. Mayumi's laugh reminded her of the dream girl's laugh. But surely she was reading into it too much.

Mara realized she had been gazing into Mayumi's dark, pretty eyes and blinked. Her face flushed a little and her own brown eyes flickered down to the sand. "So...what other wonders from the human world did you bring to show me?" she asked, feeling rather shy once more

–

“Oh!” Mayumi jumped back from Mara, crawling to her knees, she knee crawled back to the blanket and grabbed the animal picture book and her Ipod. She made her way back to Mara and handed her the book, their hands brushing again. It was like their hands had some sort of magnet, because they were always making contact.

“This is a picture book of animals. There are ones from both land and sea.” She set real close to Mara and leaned even closer, their faces almost touching. She flipped the book open. On the first page was a big cat, orange in color, with a huge mane around it's head. “This is a lion. It's another type of feline, a cat.” She glanced behind Mara at her sleeping kitten and smiled. “They are wild and in the jungles of Afica. You can see them in zoos and animal sanctuaries, too, but there is none of those close to this village.” She bit down on her lower lip. Mara would probably disapprove of zoos.

She tried to explain what zoos where, hoping she described them in a good light. People were usually for them or against them and she was sure merpeople would be no different. Then she described what a sanctuary was like, how they would rescue injured animals and care for them until they could be released again and sometimes they would be too hurt or too familiar with humans to ever be in the wild again, so they cared for them until their end.

“See, some people like to get an exotic pet like a monkey, not knowing how much work and time they require, so a sanctuary would rescue them from those people. Sadly, they would be too tame to go back in the wild.” She turned the page in the book. Low and behold, there was a monkey.

“Zoo's are not really bad. It has a lot to do with education, so humans can learn about these animals up close, to better understand them and how to preserve them in the wild. But, I guess there is the entertaining factor, too. As you can see, the animals in this book are amazing.”

To her merpeople were not like animals, just another type of human, that happened to be part fish. She hoped Mara would not wonder if humans would put them in zoos. Mayumi wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to that, but she figured it would be no, since merpeople were sentient.

“There are horses on the island,” she said, pointing to a page with horses. “They can run really fast and humans use them for transportation or recreational riding. The horses love it, especially when you give them a carrot.” She grinned. “Oh that's a food we grow in the ground here.”

Mayumi took her Ipod and put one of the ear-buds in her ear and gave the other to Mara. “This thing plays music.” She turned it to a soft, love song, not wanting to break the mermaid in with Heavy Metal or something. She had to learn her head close to Mara's, so they could both share the headphones.

“What do you think?”

–

Mara inched herself a little bit closer, though was careful not to disturb the sleeping cat, and took the book that Mayumi gave her. Their fingers brushed together (their hands seemed to be unable to not touch), and she experienced a gentle shiver down her spine. Of pleasure? She wasn't sure. Mara wasn't sure why she was acting this why at all? She had never behave this way around anyone else she'd ever known. Maybe it was because Mayumi was human.

She was quiet as they looked through the book of animals and Mayumi explained what they were to her. Although sometimes she had the tendency to go off trying to explain every detail. But Mara didn't mind. She liked listening to Mayumi speak. Zoos were a new concept for her, and she wasn't entirely sure if she completely understood. But she did get that there were good and bad aspects to them and she  supposed she needed to get a better understanding of them before she made any final judgement. But weren't zoos the sort of place that great-grandfather always said that humans would display a merperson? They sounded like it. Could there be a zoo out there right at that moment with a trapped mermaid or man as their main attraction. She didn't ask.

They flipped through the book and she tried putting zoos out of her mind. Mara looked at the animals she didn't recognize with curiosity as Mayumi explained them, and when she saw pictures of animals she did know her face lit up in recognition. Soon the animal book was set aside and Mayumi returned with a new object. It was a small rectangle that she held in one hand there was some sort of cord attached to it that split into two ends. Mayumi gave her one end and Mara saw that the other was in Mayumi's ear. So she held it against her own as Mayumi told her the object played music. She noticed they were huddled very close together, their heads nearly touching. It made her excited and nervous all at once again and she suppressed another shiver.

Soon the most strange and different sort of music filled her ear, and it became all she could think about. Her eyes widened and her free hand covered her month in happy surprise. Merfolk music mostly comprised of singing, though they had a few instruments, and it was very simple. But the music she was listening to now contained so many instruments that she had never heard before. It was startling in the most wonderful of ways and she was soon laughing.

"Oh, Mayumi, I love it! This music is so wonderful and different! And the lyrics...the singer's voice is lovely. This is nothing like I've ever heard before in the best possible way." She reached forward and squeezed her friend's hand, feeling that tingling sensation again but mostly focusing on the music. "Thank you. Thank you so much for today. It's been wonderful." Mara was smiling at the other girl, gazing at her with fondness. "You're one of the best people that I've ever known, Mayumi. Thank you."

–

“You really think so?” Mayumi felt her checks flush so much that it actually felt like they were burning. Nobody had ever said that to her before, not even her own mother. Somehow, coming from Mara, made it so much better as well. She did not think it was just because Mara was a mermaid. She was way more than a tail. Merpeople were still people.

“Mara, you're amazing. Honestly, I feel the same way. I've never had a really close friend. This island is really cut off and there are not many people here my age. We go to school on the mainland, so the students there kind of look down on us or something.” She shrugged. It was just the fact of life. Mainland kids thought islander kids were weird.

She leaned over and threw her arms around the girl, pulling the earplugs out of both their ears. “Ow, whoops. That happens sometimes.” She unhooked the headphones from the Ipod. “You can also listen to it like this.” She hit play and set the Ipod aside, letting it cycle through all her songs. She had a wide variety of songs, from country to alternative rock. There were even some Japanese songs on there, though sadly she had never been taught what should have been her native tongue; at least in part.

“It does more than plays music, you know. When I am at school, I can hook it up to the computer... To you, it would look like a big container that has a screen on it. You can find a lot of info in them. It shows you pictures and so many other things. Anyway, I can hook the Ipod up to the computer there and put videos on my Ipod.” She bit her lower lip and then chuckled. Mara wouldn’t know what a video was, either.

“They are moving pictures, I'll show you.” She reached for the Ipod again and went to her saved videos. She selected one that was a five minute video of funny animals. Mayumi always found those the most entertaining and cute. There was cats and dogs and other kinds of land animals.

“That's not even the half of it, Mara. There are so many moving pictures that my people make for entertainment. They are called movies and some are called television. Oh man, I'm so sorry if all this is really confusing.”

She gave the Ipod back to Mara so she could watch the animal video. Again, she scooted as close to Mara as she could, this time their bodies touched and Mayumi knew she was doing that on purpose. She just really enjoyed the way being this close to Mara made her feel. It was electrifying.

–

It should have struck her as strange, and maybe it did a little, how in sync the two of them were. How close they had become so quickly. They both felt connected to one another, like they really knew one another despite the short time it had been since they had met. Mara trusted Mayumi so instinctively, trusted her in a way that should have taken years to build. Not to mention the tingling shocks she seemed to feel whenever they touched, or the way their gazes seemed to meet, or the way she blushed when Mayumi looked at her. No one should feel this way about another person so quickly, especially two people from two separate worlds. It shouldn't have been possible. But...it was the way she felt. She was certain of it. Mara just wasn't certain why. Or what it meant.

But giggling and hugging and experiencing the music player was what she was focusing on. And the fact that she'd never felt so happy before in her life. She watched Mayumi show her how to use the device and explain more things about the human world. Computers and moving pictures, it was all so much. She wanted to experience it all...but knew she was limited by the fact that she could not leave the beach. And there were only so many items Mayumi could bring to her.

She watched the moving pictures of the animals on the small screen on the music player, and she felt Mayumi press close beside her. Their skin touched, she felt the tingling and the shiver down her spine, and she liked it. She liked it a lot. If Mara didn't already know better she would say that it felt like magic.

A few hours must have passed in which Mara asked Mayumi to read to her from the other books she had brought (she couldn't read English, and merfolk records were mainly oral anyway since they did not have paper beneath the sea), and she tried some more of the human food. She enjoyed the salty crackers most, and the chocolate was very surprising as well. But Mara knew that she couldn't stay much longer. If she came back too late after she promised her family she would come home earlier she'd draw attention to herself and her activities. 

"Mayumi...I had a great day," Mara told the other girl earnestly, pushing herself up slightly to stretch. "One of the best days of my life, in fact. I just wish I could stay a bit longer, but I don't want to press my luck." She adjusted her position so she was able to give Mayumi a hug. She lingered there with her arms wrapped around the girl, not wanting to let go. Not wanting to say goodbye just yet. But she knew she had to and she reluctantly released her. "Tomorrow's no good for me," she said softly, chancing a look into Mayumi's eyes. The dark irises were like the deepest pool she'd ever seen. She could feel herself sinking into them. "There's a ceremony type thing that I can't miss." As the current Elder's granddaughter and the future Elder's daughter she was expected to attend all ceremonies and celebrations. "But I can come sometime the day after? Is that fine?" 

–

All she could think about the whole day was seeing Mara again tomorrow. She hardly paid attention to anything else as she went about her day. At school, she gazed out the window toward the sea, wondering what her friend was up to; what were mermaid ceremonies like? She wished she could go to one, but knew that would be impossible. When school let out, she was the first one to the ferry. The ferry man gave her a cheerful wave and hello, but she barely even glanced at him, which made him frown.

"What's got your head in the clouds, miss?" he asked, making Mayumi jump out of her daydreams. She looked at the aging man and flushed. What could she tell him? Would he be shocked? Most everyone talked as if the merfolk were abnormal, bad even, but she knew that was not true. This mad was very kind. Maybe he would understand? How could anyone possibly think mermaids were creatures to be feared?

"N-nothing Old Pete," she muttered. Old Pete was what everyone called him and the name really fit. He was probably in his 90s, though he sure looked older. His skin looked like decades old parchment paper. Regardless of how old he looked, he still had a youthful sparkle in his soft brown eyes and he always had a smile, and a story about the old days.

"Mmhmm, I bet," Old Pete said with a barking laugh. "Young girls these days. Always thinking about boys."

"I'm not," Mayumi protested. "I've just got a lot on my mind." The laugh that followed said he did not believe her. She shook her head and sighed softly. If he only knew the truth.

((Sorry for the crappyness of it. ))

Throughout her life Mara had always looked forward to the Full Moon Festival and Ceremony every month. It was one of the most important celebrations of the merfolk and no one ever wanted to miss it. The celebration of the full moon was vital to their lives, since the moon was so important. It influenced the entire ocean, and by extension it influenced the merfolk of the world, as well. Legend said that it was the combination of the ocean tides and the moon's light that had given birth to the first of the merfolk. They worshiped them both, the sea and the moon. But the was almost like a mother figure to the merfolk race.

Throughout the day the festival was filled with music, food, stories, games, and dancing. The Elder and his family, as well as other more noble merfolk houses that resided in their underwater canyon of a home, would partake in a sort of parade, and when she had been small she had felt like a princess. And then in the evening, when the full moon was at its highest peak over the ocean, they would ascend to the surface as a pod, the rarest of occasions where going to the surface was approved.

Maybe that was why Mara loved the Full Moon so much. Maybe the ceremony was what had fueled her fascination with the surface world.

That day, however, while the rest of her pod enjoyed the festivities, she couldn't focus on the celebration that she loved so much. Mara just could not keep her mind off of the surface. More specifically she could not keep her mind off of Mayumi. She tried imagining what her human friend was doing for several moments throughout the day, which was impossible, but mostly she just wished Mayumi could be here with her. Mara knew the girl would love this underwater celebration. There were so many things Mara wished she could show Mayumi, parts of her world she wanted to share, but the girl was human. She needed the air to live. But Mara couldn't believe that there was no way for Mayumi to experience at least a little bit of the world beneath the surface.

So she sought out the Record Keepers. They were among the oldest of their pod and were tasked with remembering the history and legends of their kind. If there was a way for a human to survive underwater, even for a limited amount of time, they would know. She was recognized instantly by the men and women, it was hard not to be when your grandfather was the most important man in the pod. They nodded respectfully at her, and she responded in kind, but she didn't stop until she found the youngest of the Record Keepers, and the one who might be the most willing to accommodate her strange request.

He was looking over a long wall of carvings and paintings when she found him. "Kole," Mara said softly and the young merman turned his head at the sound of his name.

"Lady Mara!" he said, delight and surprise in his tone, and he gave her a short bow. It wasn't like she was royalty, but she was a part f the Elder line. Her family was the oldest and most noble in their pod. That gave them some sort of power and status that the rest of their pod didn't. But it was more ceremonial than anything else. "What can I help you with? Are you looking for a new story to tell your niece?" Even though he was the youngest in his profession, Kole had still dedicated hours of his life to memorizing all of the merfolk's records. It was difficult, since they didn't have paper to write on and only the most important history was recorded through the carvings and paintings, but the Record Keepers were dedicated.

"No," Mara said shaking her head and swimming a bit closer to him. Her voice became softer and she looked at him intently. "A question, actually. This is...an odd sort of request. And I would love it if we could keep this between us. But I... heard Lea telling Brigit a story the other day. Of a human sailor who fell overboard during a storm, and despite pulling pulled underwater over and over again he didn't drown. Because of a mermaid." It wasn't a complete lie. She had heard the story before, but it had been years. "I was curious. Is there a way for the merfolk to keep humans alive underwater?"

Kole was looking at her strangely. "Why do you want to know?"

Mara felt a nervous flutter in her chest but she managed to remain composed. "Curiosity, honestly. An academic sort of curiosity. And Brigit was asking the same question, but she's a little too shy to ask. I would ask my grandmother myself, but I knew that the Record Keepers would have a better answer." She looked at Kole, her brown eyes round and hopeful and she smiled. "And I know I can trust you, Kole. You've been a good friend to me for years."

"Well," Kole started, smiling a bit, "Flattery will get you...everywhere. Now....let's see." His face contorted in thought and Mara hardly dared to breath.

~~~~~

The next day Mara breached the surface of the water in Mayumi's little cove, flicking her wet hair away from her face as she moved smoothly through the water and carefully pulled herself up onto the shore. It had taken her a little bit longer to get away this day, but she didn't think Mayumi would give up on her easily if she had to wait. Mara knew that she wasn't going to, now that she was the one waiting. She folded her arms in the sand in front of her and rested her chin on her forearms as she bit back a smile. She wanted it to be a surprise. She only hoped that Mayumi would be brave enough to try.

The girl behind her had flowing red hair. It was beautiful the way it swirled around her slender body. She could not make out her face very well, but in her mind, she knew it was Mara. Mayumi smiled while she was dreaming, turning over onto her back and kicking off her bedsheets. She always had this dream, or some variations of it. The redhead was always in them and always following her, or Mayumi would be chasing her. It was like a fun game of cat and mouse; they never managed to reach each other.

Which was why most mornings she woke up with a happy, yet frustrated feeling. It was a lovely and magical dream, but why couldn't she ever get close enough to see the mermaid's face, or touch her hand? She shook her head and then sighed. Mayumi climbed out of bed and quickly went through her morning routine, fed Holly and grabbed everything she needed for her trip to the secret cove.

This time, she put on a yellow pok-o-dot bikini and a pair of lime green jean shorts over the bottoms. At the beach, she would take the shorts off, maybe this time get in the water with Mara. She may not be a mermaid, but they could at least swim together a little, right? What could it hurt? She grinned stupidly at the idea.

"Bye Holly!" She yelled to her fuzzy feline and made a dash out her front door, grabbing a piece of toast on the way. She gobbled it down and ran toward the beach. When she got to there, she slowed down, took a deep breath and tried to act like a normal girl going out for a swim. She did not want any nosy person to follow her to the rocks and wonder why she'd be nuts enough to climb them.

When she was near the rocks, she looked around, making sure she was alone. Mayumi got over them in record time, though she managed to scrape her leg on a jagged rock, cutting it enough that it started to bleed. She did not even notice, because she was so eager to see Mara.

"Oh hello," she said when she got to the water's edge and saw her friend waiting for her. She dropped her duffel bag, kicked off her shoes, socks and shorts and then walked out to meet Mara. "Did I keep you waiting long?"