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Charlie lay on his back, staring at the roof of the tent he was currently sharing with Luke and trying to block out the loud snores coming from the blond boy. He could hear the ocean calmly pushing and pulling along the shore, a soothing and constant presence in the quiet stillness of the night.
A few of the guys had decided to take a road trip for the last week of their summer break, packing up into Diego’s dad’s truck and driving through the coast of California and some neighbouring states and they had convinced Charlie to come along. He wasn’t sure what city they were in, he wasn't driving so he allowed himself to zone out as they passed the exit signs on the highway. The landscapes blurred together and Charlie felt completely at ease surrounded by his friends.
This was the third night into the week, third night camping together on a far out portion of the beach they had rolled up to a few hours before and Charlie hadn’t had any trouble sleeping before so why was he now? He loved sleep, could sleep pretty much anywhere and everyone who knows him would say that he sleeps like the dead but tonight was different.
He felt as though something was calling out to him, tugging at the back of his mind and coaxing him to leave the safety of his tent to lead him to wherever he needs to be. The thought was ridiculous but he still convinced himself that maybe he just needed to go for a walk, expend the built up energy that comes from sitting in a car for hours on end and get some fresh air while he’s at it.
He checks the time on his phone, seeing that it’s a little past 2am and they’re in a pretty deserted part of the beach so it should be safe to venture out on his own. Even if it wasn’t, he’s pretty well built, so he can probably defend himself if he needs to. Charlie quietly shuffled out of his sleeping bag, slowly as to not disturb Luke who was a surprisingly light sleeper, and exit the tent.
The fire they had made earlier was dwindling, bright red peeking through the ashy cracks in the wood and a small stream of cloudy smoke cutting through the crisp air. Charlie looked out at the ocean, a calm settling over his mind as the tugging sensation seemed to stop for a few seconds before it came back, seemingly with more direction, more purpose this time.
Charlie didn’t even have to think about which direction to walk in, his feet had automatically taken him to turn left and walk parallel to the shore. He knew he wouldn’t get lost, walking in a straight line at least meant he could easily find his way back, so he just allowed himself to be pulled in whatever direction his sleep deprived mind decided to go.
It had taken him about half an hour before he reached any sort of landmark. There was a gathering of large rocks that didn’t seem to look like all that much was there, but Charlie could see a small alcove in them. He slid in through the gaps between the rocks, not expecting to come across a barely outlined path that sloped down to a destination he couldn’t see.
Against his better judgement, he followed it, walking down the rocky path and cursing himself for not bringing his flip flops or even his phone to give him some light to guide him down safely. It was too late now though so Charlie walked for a few minutes, stumbling blindly and spitting out swear words when a particularly sharp rock dug into the soles of his feet. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was bleeding.
He saw a faint light shimmering against the wall of the cave, only having to walk a few more steps before he saw the circular opening, a pool of clear ocean water in the middle that was reflecting the light streaming down from above. The ceiling was dark and rocky but directly above the pool was an opening that gave Charlie a clear view of the full moon and twinkling stars.
Charlie felt a wave of exhaustion settle deep into his body, seeping to his bones so suddenly it made him reach out an arm to steady himself against the wall of the cave. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for a moment before he carefully walked to the edge of the pool, sinking down onto the smooth floor and lowering his legs into the cool water.
A content sigh escaped Charlie’s lips, eyes fluttering shut and head tipping back to face the moon. He wasn’t sure how long he sat like that, lost in the feeling of the water as he moved his legs backwards and forwards, gently as if to not disturb the peace of the night.
He let his mind go blank, noticing that the tugging feeling that had tucked itself into the folds of his mind was gone. The walk had helped, he assumed, since he felt calm and grounded and he knew once he returned to the camp he’d be able to finally fall asleep. He let out another sigh, allowing himself a few more seconds to appreciate this before the reality of having to go back to his friend, which meant finishing the road trip and going back to school, came crashing down on him.
His eyes snapped open when something suddenly wrapped around his ankle and tugged lightly, legs up and out of the water in an instant and he wasn’t sure how he had moved so quickly but the next thing he knew he was standing with his back pressed against the wall of the cave. His breathing was rapid, heart hammering in his chest out of fear and his eyes darting around the cave before settling on the pool.
A head poked out from the water, a teasing smile and bright blue eyes were the first things Charlie noticed before his attention shifted to the red… tail?
“Uhh…” Charlie struggled, blinking a few times to make sure he was actually seeing what was in front of him and it wasn’t some elaborate hallucination.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” The creature said, their tone was monotonous but their voice was delicate, bordering the line of hypnotising, and Charlie had unconsciously taken a few steps back towards the pool. “It’s not often I see a human in here.”
The words echoed against the walls of the cave and no matter how many times they bounced around him, Charlie didn’t properly hear them. His eyes didn’t move from the scaly red tail poking out from the water, transfixed on the way it elegantly dipped up and down. The scales were a deep, blood red. Shimmering in the light of the moon above them and as more of the tail was exposed from the water he could see patches that shifted to a dark purple, almost like fresh bruises amongst the blood. The ugly colours usually reminded Charlie of the aftermath of a fight but in front of him in this form it was the most beautiful combination he had ever seen.
“You know, it’s very rude to stare.” They spoke again, a more teasing tone to their words this time but the voice was still hypnotic, almost lulling Charlie into a trance before their words registered in his mind.
“S-sorry, it’s just…” Charlie trailed off, pointedly trying to not stare at the tail but then his eyes landed on the arms that were folded and leaning atop the edge of the pool, the creatures head resting on them as they watched Charlie stutter through his apology.
The creature's arms were pale, like the other parts of his body that were human, but they were dotted with patches of dark, blood red scales. They weaved seamlessly into the snow white skin of the creature and Charlie couldn’t help but think of it all as purely beautiful.
“It’s okay, you’ve never seen something like this before. I understand.” They said, lifting more of their tail out of the water to show that it really was okay. “You can look, you can ask whatever you want.”
“So are you a… mermaid? Or, merman, I guess?” Charlie asked. He had seen The Little Mermaid before so his limited knowledge on folklore and fairytales at least covered this much.
“I suppose you could call me a merman.” They shrugged. “My name is Alex, though, you could also call me that.”
“How are you breathing right now?” Charlie blurted out, wincing at the possibility of offending the merman in front of him. When Alex didn’t show any sort of offense to his question, he continued.
“I-I mean like, you have lungs?” Alex nodded in response. “So do you use them or do you have… gills?”
“When our gills are in the water that’s how we breathe, when they’re out of water we can breathe air.” Alex explained, lifting his head from where it was on their arms and shifting back in the water. Their tail splashed up, a small spray of water showering against Charlie’s clothes and arms. He gave Alex a small glare, receiving a light, airy laugh that sent a flutter through Charlie’s stomach.
“Okay. Um, where are your gills?” Charlie asked nervously, unsure if his nerves came from Alex’s laugh or if he was scared of offending the creature.
“Hmm, it depends, most of us have them on their ribs. Myself and some others have them on their necks.” Alex lifted a hand and pointed to the skin just under their jaw.
Charlie leaned forward slightly. He could see the light indentation on the pale skin, unnoticeable unless explicitly pointed out. His eyes flickered up ever so slightly to a small patch of those glittering red scales that painted the skin of the creature's jaw, creeping back behind their ear and disappearing into their damp brown hair.
“Do you want to feel them?” Alex asked, voice breathy and slipping deeper into the soothing register that it had been earlier into their interaction. “The scales?”
Charlie nodded, barely even aware of what he was agreeing to but his mind was fuzzy and Alex was pretty so he couldn’t bring himself to really care.
Alex took Charlie’s hand. His cold fingers slipping down to circle around Charlie’s wrist, thumb pressed steadily against his pulse. They guided Charlie’s fingers closer to their face, settling his index and middle fingers on the patch of scales. Charlie was surprised at how cold it was, his thumb was grazing Alex’s soft, pale skin that seemed to radiate warmth and the contrast between the two temperatures was jarring. He stroked his fingers down against the scales. They were slightly slimy to the touch but, surprisingly, it wasn’t in an unpleasant way.
Charlie was so focused on the feeling of the scales he hadn’t noticed the way Alex was staring at him, bright blue eyes studying his face and the small ways his features shifted at the exploration of the creature’s unfamiliar body. Charlie’s eyes flickered up to meet Alex’s and he couldn’t help but compare their eyes to the ocean, a never ending clear and bright blue that put the ocean to shame and Charlie could die happy looking into those eyes.
“Anything else you wanna ask?” Alex asked, a seemingly innocent question but there was only one thing Charlie wanted from them.
“Can I kiss you?” Charlie asked, a surge of his usual confidence overtaking him.
Alex didn’t respond, their pink lips simply stretched into a pleased smile. Their eyes glinted with something akin to pride, as if Charlie had passed some sort of test before slightly pushing forward. Charlie mirrored his movement, leaning down most of the way until their lips were just barely touching. Alex’s hands moved to Charlie’s shoulders, using him as their only support in the water.
“I’m so sorry, Charlie.” Alex spoke softly against his lips, their voice dipping back into that hypnotic tone and Charlie almost missed the words they had said.
Charlie had only just been able to pull away a few inches, a frown forming on his face as he opened his mouth to ask why? What are you sorry for, Alex?. In the back of his mind he realised the creature knew his name, but Charlie had never told them what it was. Before he could get any words out he felt hands wrap around his neck, wet and scaley against his skin and the next thing he knew he’s being dragged down into the water, his whole body submerged, Alex’s arms a surprisingly solid and crushing weight against his body.
A gasp escaped his lips, bringing in a stomach churning amount of salt water to his lungs. He choked on it, trying to get it out, but that just caused more to fill his lungs and mouth. The lack of air was causing him to feel dizzy, he didn’t know how long he was being dragged further and further under. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t see, he couldn’t do anything. Charlie just let his body sag against the arms around him, his stinging eyes slipping shut as he finally went to sleep for the night.