Chapter Text
Salt water spray sprinkled all over you as you gripped the railing. The winds were fierce, the waves were high, and you were having the time of your life. Sure, your dad was a bit hesitant of taking the yacht out when the weather so fidgety, but could he ever resist the charms of his little precious girl, especially on her eighth birthday? So, after some lip wibbling, he'd caved and now you were cruising the choppy waters.
You could say that instead of blood, you had seawater running through your veins. Your great- grandfather was a a humble fisherman, your grandfather had built up a fleet, and your father had inherited and grown the fishing business to an international empire. At any one time, he had ships off the coast of Argentina, near the shores of South Africa, dodging icebergs in the Antarctic, and casting out near Newfoundland. Which led to your family being very, very wealthy. Of course, you didn't know it at the time, being just a child, you just thought that every child could go on their own boat on their birthday. That being said, while your dad told you that one day you would take over, you didn't seem to find the idea appealing. You loved the sea for what it was, not for what you could take out of it. Your father just chuckled and said you would understand better when you were older.
“Sweetheart, make sure your life jacket is on tight!” you heard your father yell over the waves, as he wrangled the ship's wheel.
“Yes dad!” You yelled back, and rolled your eyes. You hated wearing the thing, it always restricted your movement. So despite what you just said, you had already undone some of the straps. Besides, you were the best swimmer in your swimming class, you could handle anything. You ran across the deck, and when you got the railing, you spread your arms out, like that picture from that movie you mom wouldn't let you watch 'until you were older'. The waves were tall, tipped with white and you imagined you were on a little toy boat in a giant's bathtub. The winds whistled sharply past you, carrying sea birds with them. You followed them as they flew off to horizon, but then your eyes were distracted.
At first you thought the flash of brilliant blue was a trick of the light, but then a glare of red... and the pale colour of skin, and silvery-white. Placing your hand up to block the glare, you squinted to see, it wasn't trash, or a boat, or a really colourful bird. It was one...no two... people swimming in the ocean. And on further inspection, you could barely make out they were....kids? That was weird, there were no other boats in sight, and you were miles from shore, how did they get there?
You waved and shouted “Hey!”, and even though they were far away, and you were certain your voice had been drowned out by the sound of the waves and wind, they stopped what they were doing, and you could have sworn they were staring at you. Perhaps they were in trouble?
You waved again, now with both hands out, but at the exact worst moment. One of the swells, much larger than the other, hit the starboard bow with the force of car, smashing into you, and before you could grab the railing, you were swept off the deck. All around you was a mass of water, pummeling you this way and that, and without warning, the only remaining snap on your lifejacket undid itself, and your lifeline to the surface was washed away.
You flailed like a ragdoll, a slave to a frenzy of currents, unable to figure out which way was up to air and safety, and which led down to death. Your lungs burned as they demanded more oxygen, but you were unable to comply, as you tumbled around like some clown at the circus.
Eventually, after a half minute, your arms became heavy and tired, so you stopped struggling against the inevitable, and went completely slack. Your eyesight began to fade, your hearing... wait, were there voices?
“HEY! ARE YOU OKAY?”
“She can't answer underwater, you idiot, we need her to get to the surface right now.”
“But what if they see us?”
“She'll die if she stays down here, we have to take the chance”
You felt the tug a pair, no two pairs of hands around your waist, and you were suddenly jerked in an unexpected direction. Suddenly, the pressure of the water on your face dissipated, and you could hear clearly again. You gulped air, attempting to cram the entire world's atmosphere into your aching lungs. You were still disoriented, cold and wet, but you were aware of three things, the sky had become darker and more threatening, the waves were higher and rougher...
.... and you were protected by the brunt of it by two figures that you clutched for dear life.
“The boat's too far away! She'll never be able to swim to it, even if there wasn't a storm!” You were vaguely aware of red scales that glittered like rubies, even in the ever diminishing light.
“We have to get her somewhere solid, somewhere she can hold onto until it passes, the humans don't start looking for them until the storm ends” A shimmer of iridecent blue scales flickered in and out of your sight.
“Well there's the shore...”
“Too far away, and we might be seen”
“Lookout Rock isn't far, but she won't be able hold on, not in this weather!”
“It's her only chance, let's go.”
You felt yourself being... dragged through the water, with the figures (they couldn't be much bigger than you, were they children?) attempting to keep your a head above the waters, but every so often a wave would envelope you, dragging you back under for a few terrifying moments.
“Sorry!” the one in red called out after a particularly large wave. The one in blue remained silent as he lifted you above the crest of yet another wave. You tried to doggy paddle, to help, but you were so tired.
Finally, your fingertips touched barnacle covered rock, and you gripped onto the rock with all your remaining strength.
“Up” a voice ordered, and you struggled to comply, but you were just so tired, and it took everything to just hold on to the slick algae covered portions. You heard an annoyed grunt as the one in blue pushed you up, and you heard the distinct sound of fish slapping against something solid. (you'd heard it a million times, when your father would take his business partners out deep see fishing fishing). Looking down, you saw brilliant blue fins... no, no it can't be right. From his waist down, the boy helping you was completely fishlike. But above, he looked like a normal kid, except with hair as white as sea foam. You were tired, and your eyes were playing tricks on you.
“You stay with her Verg, I'll go get help!”
“Wait! Dante! There's no one out there in th-” but the one with red (fins? Maybe you hit your head on a rock or something) dove back into the water.
“Idiot” he muttered, “I always have to chase after you, little brother...” and you felt him pull away. In a fit of panic, you whirled around and grabbed his retreating arm. You stared into his piercing grey eyes, and pleaded, barely more than a whisper.
“Please don't leave me”
And so, grumbling incoherently, he pressed back onto you, shielding you from the worst of the waves as the wind as you clung to the rock, and while he never spoke to you directly, you heard him say “Humans are so weak, it's a wonder you survive on land, let alone out here..” But you didn't mind, tired as you were. You felt safe and protected, calm, like in the eye of a hurricane, and as the wind died down, you eventually passed out.
*****
You awoke, bleary eyed in a warm, dry bed. What an intense dream! But... this wasn't your bed, your room, or even your house! You were much higher than your bed, and the beeping of machines was almost annoying as Timothy at school. Above you with smiles and tears on their faces were your mother and father. This made no sense. They both loved you, but as your dad had once said, they didn't love each other anymore. And they were never in the same room together if they could help it.
“Oh Sweetheart, you're awake!” your father sniffled as he held your hand.
“Dad?” you croaked, “What happened? Where am I”
Your mother stroked your cheek, “You fell off the boat, sweetiepie, and during a storm too.” she glared at your father “For shame Charles, what possessed you to take our daughter out in such weather, and without a proper life-jacket!?”
“Carolyn, I told you we would not discuss it in front of her, not right now...” your father growled back between clenched teeth. That uncomfortable tension from a few years back, before your mother moved out of your house had returned with a vengeance. You hated it.
“How...did I get here?” you asked, attempting to derail the argument. It worked, because both their faces softened.
“The coast guard found you, clinging to a rock a mile or so from where you fell off after the storm. How you managed to get there and stay on it in such terrible weather is a miracle”
You blinked, and wanted to argue that it wasn't just you, some merpeople had helped you...but then you bit your tongue. After all, merpeople didn't exist, except in movies and books.
You ruminations were cut short by the crinkle of paper, and the pressure of a wrapped box on your lap.
“Happy Belated Birthday, dear” your parents said in unison, for once agreeing on something.