Journey Through the Depths

"You don't have to do this..." Mama said softly. "Everyone will understand if you-"

I stepped away, breaking our hug. "Mama, you may understand simply because you don't know what will happen...but I need to do this. He needs me and I must go. I promised," my voice rushed, on the verge of tears.

"He doesn't need you! Why are you doing this? You know we must never go into these waters!" her panicking breathes were uneven.

"Mama, I do know all these things...but Blue? He won't understand if I just leave him. I promised him I'd go after him...and now I must keep my word." I closed my eyes as the sun sank behind the horizon.

"Maya? Maya, don't!" I felt a fuzz spread from my brain down my spine. It felt warm, soft even. My mother's worried antics were replaced by a gentle ringing building in my ears. I felt the air rush from my lungs and suddenly I was floating.

The next moments were dark and silent. When my eyes opened again, I was looking into a lilac sky. I sat up quickly, taking in my surroundings. I was still on the cliff, but daylight had come again. I rose to my feet with weak knees, marveling at the crashing waves below.

"Blue?!" I called out. I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Blue, where are you?!" No response, my voice echoed back to me. My heart began to pound, almost feeling like it may break. "Blue, I'm here!" My eyes caught a strange movement far off the shore.

Without another thought, I found myself sprinting from the edge of the cliff and turning on my heels, sprinted back. The wind hit my face and I leapt from the edge, the air in my lungs escaping in one rushed scream. My body splashed into the cold water, sinking into the depths below. I opened my eyes, the sun glimmering through the depths like glitter.

My hair floated above me and I felt my body become entirely weightless as my eyes adjusted to the dimness. I felt a cramping pain in my spine and it began to course through my body, intensifying by the second. I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a siren-like scream as I arched my back. White hot pain spread throughout my lower back and legs, my eyes rolling into the back of my head.

The pain stopped as quickly as it had started. I surveyed my body and gasped. Replacing my legs was a beautiful tail with iridescent scales, my fingers now webbed, and my wind breaker was slashed to ribbons by fins on my forearms.

I kicked my tail carefully and giggled when I moved. No wonder my mother never let me play in the water when I was little, she was scared I'd never return. I felt a strange presence approaching me from behind and slowly turned.

My heart lurched in my throat and my eyes widened like a deer caught in head lights. Staring back at me was a huge grinning shark. I gulped nervously, feeling the gills on my neck contract. It remained perfectly still as it stared back, its eyes flickering back and forth between my abdomen and my newly grown tail.

I tried to will my body to move, to swim, to do something that would save me before this thing got hungry and tried to eat me. "Who are you? Why have you come here?" A deep voice asked. A shiver crawled up my spine, feeling an ache in my gills I released air, the bubbles floating up to the surface.

"I mean you no harm," I replied back, my mind still not completely wrapped around the fact that I was talking to a shark.

The shark let out an amused laugh, its head tipping to the surface I had broken through only moments ago. "A little siren? Harm to me? What silly nonsense. Answer my questions now," he replied in a rude tone.

I felt my nose twitch in annoyance and straightened my back. "My name is Maya. I've come looking for my friend. His name is Blue," I replied, forcing myself to keep my voice even and strong. The predator seemed to process my words for a moment and he tentatively began to swim closer.

"You're not from here...are you?" he asked, his voice softer now.

"No, I'm not. To be honest, I don't know how to explain any of this, but I'm here. I've come for my friend and I intend to save him," The shark's eyes remained unchanged, but he gave a chill chuckle.

"You? A mermaid? A hero?" His sentences were broken up by fits of laughter. "Forgive me, I have never come across someone so-"

"Brave?" I asked hopefully.

"Stupid." The small smile that had been growing on my face fell.

I rolled my eyes and spoke again through gritted teeth, "Look, like it or not, women can do things too. I come from a long line of...whatever it is I am, and I have never met a single woman in my family to back down from a fight. So either help me find him or get out of my way."

A curt chuckle was his response. "Is that all you can do?" I replied before I could stop myself. "Chuckle at others' misery? Perhaps that's why you travel alone." Suddenly, the shark was right in front of me and my breath caught in my throat. We were nose to nose and I could smell whatever prey he had consumed.

"You will take care of how you speak to me, siren. If you want my help, you will show some respect," the words were cold and firm. "I may know where your friend is. Do you want to find him or not?"

I nodded my head. "Yes, please."

"Then take my fin and stay close to my body. You aren't to let go or move away from me. Understand?" I nodded again. He slowly swam away from me and I dipped myself down, struggling with my tail. He showed patience and remained still until I was up against his long body, my webbed hands wrapped around the edge of a fin.

He began to swim through the depths, my sight seeming to heighten in the dark. "So, I told you my name...what's yours?"

"My name is Bruce." I fought back a giggle.

"And do you believe that fish are friends, not food?"

"I know not what you mean," he replied, confused. I kept my jokes to myself as I tried to get used to moving my tail as he guided me.

"It's a joke from the humans." I felt his fin almost recoil under my grasp.

"You're a human?" He sounded almost disgusted.

"Yeah...I don't really know to be honest. I didn't even know until a few days ago that I could turn into this."

A few moments of silence. "What is your friend, this Blue?" I glanced over at the shark's side, marveling at the dozens of scars, lining his gills.

"A squid, I think. He jumped into the water and...I couldn't stop him."

"A squid? You're certain of this?" I nodded my head sheepishly.

"Well...not exactly. A type of tentacle came through the waves...I thought it was him waving goodbye, but I don't want to leave him behind."

"You humans are awfully sentimental of each other." I nodded my head.

"Sometimes yeah. Don't you have a family?" Bruce was quiet for a few minutes.

"I had a son..." My eyes widened. "He was...captured by this net...he was mutilated, his fins all cut off, and tossed back to die." I looked up at Bruce's unblinking eye.

"Poachers," I said softly. "I'm so sorry. My parents have been trying to stop them, but sometimes they can't all be stopped."

"You are the daughter of protectors?" I raised a brow at him.

"Protectors?"

"Humans who protect us. Keep us safe." His voice was eerily calm and a brightness within the water captured my attention, drawing my eyes from his.

"Wow," I whispered, marveling at the sight of thousands of jellyfish peacefully floating together in weightless harmony.

"Do these look familiar to you?" Bruce asked. He stopped swimming and I released his fin, slowly drifting off towards them. Their colors were so beautiful and unique, but one jellyfish in particular caught my attention. My breath hitched in my throat as I attempted to swim towards a bright blue jellyfish.

"Blue?" The jellyfish all seemed to ignore me except for this one. It floated down and came to my eye level.

"Maya?" a sweet familiar voice asked. "Maya, what are you doing here?" I smiled and reached out, touching his formless head.

"I'm here to bring you home." I felt something building in my throat. "Your mom she's...out of her mind with worry. She wants you to come home...and so do I...please, Blue, come back...we miss you."

Blue's head bounced a few times as he thought. "I-I don't think I can," he replied sadly. "I've made friends here...and, Maya, for the first time, I feel I belong. I can't go back...I know you came all this way, but please...go back. Tell my mom I'm sorry." My shoulders drooped and I felt the lump grow bigger.

"But...I came...all this way...for you...a-and you don't even want to come back? W-what about the promise we made?" I asked, feeling my words growing angrier.

"I know the promise, but that was before."

"Before what?!" I shouted causing the grouped jellyfish to jump. I clenched my fists, attempting to bring myself down.

"Before I got here and realized that it's not so bad." I glared back at Blue, my teeth baring themselves.

"Maya," Bruce called, breaking my chaotic train of thought. I looked over my shoulder at him, watching him as he came closer. "You have to let him go. You can't return a content soul."

My heart broke in my chest and I felt the lump climbing up my throat now. I looked back at Blue, wishing I could just hug him one more time.

"I guess this is goodbye then..." I said. "I hope you have a good life here."

"I will, Maya...thank you for keeping your promise. I hope you can forgive me." I grazed his boneless head and swam disappointedly back to Bruce, who offered me his fin. I glanced back as Blue journeyed back to the top of his group and lost sight of him as they did their angelic dance towards the light.

I curled my body against Bruce's, clinging to him. "Thank you," I whispered softly.

"You don't need to thank me. I wish this would've had a different outcome. Despite popular opinion, sharks are actually very gentle and caring creatures." I rested my head against his gills.

"Thank you, Bruce." I felt myself growing tired and weightless.

"When you get back," Bruce said, his voice growing fainter. "I hope to meet you."

I shot straight up on the sandy shore, projecting water from my mouth. My lungs ached and my nose felt plugged. All I could taste was salt water. I felt a blanket being thrown around my shoulders and someone was kissing my head.

"Maya, oh my goodness, Maya! You're okay!" My mother was shouting into my water plugged ears as she held me tightly.

My vision slowly redeveloped and I blinked to see an older man before me. His skin was tanned, but his hair was greying. "Are you alright, little one?" He asked, giving me an almost familiar smile. I noticed the shark tattoos decorating his arm.

"Bruce?" I asked timidly. He nodded his head.

"Yes?" Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest.

"You found me," I whispered.