Aquarius looked over her cup of coffee at the rising sun from where she was sitting at her kitchen table. It was almost time to go to work at the Tea Shop. She smiled at the irony of that. She was drinking coffee when employed at the Tea Shop. Actually she owned the Tea Shop and didn't need to come in everyday, but it was her routine to and right now life had somehow gotten into a routine. Rising and picking up the newspaper she had refolded earlier, she headed to the living room. She turned off the TV where the news was playing and grabbed her keys. Might as well get started. Sipping some more coffee she stepped out of the house, locked it, and strolled easily down the sandy path to the road. Following this road north into town, she knew in 5 minutes she would be surrounded by the waking residents of this small town. Well, smaller than the capitol at least.

She glanced longing south, where another family sand path led from the road down to the ocean. With a sigh she turned and walked into town. Earlier than the two high school girls she had hired, she unlocked and opened the shop. No telling who might come in for what. She had made a lot of these teas. There was tea for literally almost anything you could imagine: flu, sleeplessness, growth, better stamina, better grades, love, etc. It was all there. Some of the teas were particularly expensive to ensure that only those who truly needed them would buy them. For the ingredients, the secret ingredients, had come from the ocean. From her home that she had there.

Aquarius had been raised as a mermaid, but when she was about 10 years old, her parents sent her to this town to live as a human would. She didn't understand why. Their faces full of worry and fear caused her to not ask questions, but silently obey. She hadn't seen them since and never returned to that area. However she had made a new home in the coral off the coast where riptides kept divers and other curious humans away. This was necessary since she never went far enough out to have her home truly safe.

Settling in at the counter, she opened the book that she had started reading the day before and picked up where she left off at. Unconsciously, she was fingering the key around her neck. It looked and was for all purposes jewelry. She would do nothing to change that assumption. For right now though, her eyes were on her book. Her ears on the door.

Carter hadn’t seen anyone for days. He’d lost track of the days, really, one blending into the next, dawn and dusk becoming indiscernible. And since his most recent failure, he hadn’t left the little beach he decided to call home. It was just south of the town whose name he couldn’t recall, hidden between a tall hill and a forested cliff top. The water there wasn’t always calm. It had the reputation of dangerous and unpredictable to swimmers and boaters, so he was left well enough alone. But at the moment, the water was like a mirror, reflecting the morning light as it grew brighter. With hands and feet buried in the sand, he gazed distantly through stringy pale blue-green hair. It was originally pure white, even for eleven years old, but being in the sea so much had colored it differently.

His name was so ordinary. Carter, a general name, had by so many others, so many other normal people, human and otherwise. But he had been cast aside for his abnormality, something his name refused to acknowledge. Something that pegged him an oddity, something more than simple white or greenish hair. His mind drifting back to that, he closed his eyes and lifted his hands and feet out of the sand. His hands were webbed, like a fish’s fins, and his feet were slightly longer than normal, but flat, also webbed. And unlike many other ‘humans’, he could breathe under water.

Being outcast at such a young age, Carter had never learned to read, but he could think. And think he did. Standing up from his sandy seat, he stepped into the water. It felt perfect, lifting him slightly as it moved the sand out from under him. Gazing at the endless expanse of ocean, he tried to clear his mind, but something hit his foot, cast about by the water. Looking around, he found a dark glass bottle, battered about.

Taking it up before the waves snatched it back, he tipped it over above an open palm. Though he had heard stories of messages being thrown into the sea, he found nothing but water, sand, and a small, long-abandoned hermit crab shell.

Aquarius watched her workers quietly talking to each other as they restocked the shelves. They had a good number of customers today and all of them ordinary. She calmly stood and closed her book, settling it carefully on the oak counter. "Ladies, I will leave you to close up the shop today. I am leaving a few minutes early. Make sure the door is locked and the curtains drawn when you leave." Listening to their "yes ma'ams" as she headed to the door, she allowed a small nod of acknowledgment. It wasn't often she broke her routine. However, there was a storm coming in later tonight and the ocean was talking excitedly. She knew it would be another couple hours before any of the humans understood and saw the changes in nature around them, but her ears picked up the signs early and she fled.

Walked calmly was more like it, but inside she was fleeing. To be caught in a rainstorm wouldn't be good. Sure, myths and legends claimed she would transform immediately. That was not true, but water would sting and hurt her until she did transform. She had no wish to be stuck in town during that time. A fleeting thought of all she couldn't do flashed through her mind: kissing in the rain, jumping in puddles of rain water, going down the waterslide at the park... fleeting. It was gone and no regret was felt. Her life was more enjoyable as she was and she couldn't wish to trade it for anyone else's.

Reaching home she raced at a less dignified pace up the stairs and into her bedroom. She changed out of her fine business casual outfit of slacks and blouse to a more comfortable outfit of jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt. Throwing her hair into a ponytail, she opened her bedroom window and jumped. Landing lightly, she sprinted down to the tree line and into the woods. Being nonhuman had its advantages. Why go to the road and take the sandy path to beach when she could race effortlessly through the woods to the cliff. With a joyful shriek she leaped into the air and flew... or so it seemed for a second before she plummetted down towards the ocean waves that were crashing below her. She plunged into the water and relished the sensation before pain took over. She gasped and for a moment remembered in her hurry she hadn't transformed during her dive. Then memory and all ability to think left her in the numbing pain of her skin encased in water.

Instinct guided her hand to the key around her neck. Struggling to not breathe she wrapped her hands tightly around the key, knowing her wish would be delivered to it. Her body turned to energy, reformed, and materialized with her as a mermaid. Gasping as the pain slowly seeped out of her, she wondered what had overcome her good sense. She rarely did that anymore. As a teen she had forgotten often and thought those experiences had taught her to remember. She slowly sank down and allowed the movement of the water to rock her. She closed her eyes and rested a moment, knowing that she should get her thoughts smoothed before fighting the riptides around her coral home.

Carter had made his way down the beach, not far, though, nearer to the cliff. He liked to be near the trees if he didn’t feel like returning to the water. Both places were quiet, in their own way, not well-known by others for their ever-changing maps. But the air had gotten a bit cooler, he could feel it through his thin shirt and overly-patched pants. Though it wouldn’t be evident for a long while, rain would arrive before the day’s end. He could smell it, humidity drawn in above the active ocean, heralding a storm. Therefore he would not enter the forest later on. It was dangerous for all the ancient trees, so close to the end of their lives, ready to fall to their final resting place at any particularly powerful gust of wind.

Throwing the barren shell into the surf, he stood and started toward the water. He would dive down to the bottom of the shallows, perhaps twenty feet around the beach he called home, to glide among the fish and avoid predators with them. Most were easily outrun, but certain big fish and sharks nearly took a hand or foot in the past, and he had learned the best route for quick escape. Moving toward the cliff to get onto the flat rocks at its base while the waves were small, he was startled by something above. It sounded like a scream, but not urgent or fearful. As he stepped onto the outcropping below the cliff, something flew into the air and sailed toward the water. Hair flew behind, clothes whipping through the air. Carter gasped, bright blue eyes wide as he watched the person, obviously a girl, fall to the water. She seemed oddly in control, though, not like a human.

When she hit the water and didn’t come up immediately, Carter froze. His webbed hands and feet grasped the slippery stone beneath him as a new wave splashed over him, but his eyes didn’t close. They stared at the water, until an urge to run came over him like yet another wave, jumpstarting his heart. But Carter didn’t move. Part of him willed his legs to leap into the water and speed away, but the rest of him stayed right where he was. Whoever it was wasn’t human, and in the back of his mind, he hoped they would come up again. Unconsciously, he lowered himself down, keeping himself braced against the water that intermittently flowed swiftly over his hands and feet.

Aquaris managed to get her heart to slow down instead a steady beat. One that matched the pounding of the surf above her. She slowly opened her eyes and willed strength back into her limbs. The pain was gone. Of the five races of mer-people, hers was the most intolerant of water when in the human state. Of course, hers was only one of the three races that could even appear to be human. She realized she still gripped the key and let go. It was a special key designed to work with the one whom held it first. She had been given it on her 10th birthday, mere days before she was evacuated to shore.

Testing out her tail and some simple maneuvers, she regained in less than 5 seconds what a few weeks and the sudden pain of a few minutes had stolen. Confident that all was well she looked through the water out towards the open ocean. As big as she was, few would threaten her there. As strong as she was, the marine life really didn't stand a chance against her. Once, she had gotten stranded in a fisherman's net that was strung between two boats. She had whipped and lashed around to no avail. Finally, a last minute idea of just using her hands to tear apart the netting had saved the day. Bet the fishermen didn't see that coming and were still puzzled over their torn net to this day.

With a powerful surge, she headed out to where the coral reef was. The side facing the cliff was the most dangerous especially at lowtide. With water crashing against the cliff and back towards the reef in addition with the incoming waves... well, there was a reason for the undertows and riptides in this area. A reason she knew no one would ever accidently find her undersea refuge. She swam confidently into the reef and down to the base of a large rock. Covered on all sides with coral, she carefully slipped underneath the shelf of the rock and up into the middle. It was the largest formation in the area and served her well. Coming up and into an open space, she pulled herself onto a ledge and admired the bluish bubble that composed of her home. All mer-people could create homes such as this, with devices that held the water at bay. Yet you could move around these open spaces as if in water. Small glowing rocks lit the ceiling of her home. She sank into the sand that spread out over the bottom of the cavern ledge and leaned against the rock wall of her home. Here was also where she kept her rarer tea ingredients and mixtures. Here she could listen to the ocean. Here she could rest, even in a storm.

Carter had made his way to the lip of the outcropping, where the water was foamy and powerfully churning below as it was sucked into the air pocket and battered about before being expelled and smashed against itself. He couldn’t even hear himself think, being as close as he was, sprayed with salt water. No one was near, but for a moment, he vaguely saw the form of a human under the water, and a large fish tail flitting away from the surface. Curiosity got the better of him, and without thinking about it, he leapt over the powerful churning water and dove headfirst into the clearer, softer waves.

It took a moment for his second set of lungs to adapt to the water world, his eyes protected by a second set of clear eyelids to save them from the harsh saltiness of the ocean water. Propelling himself forward, he looked around, silently cursing the bubbles that were created as he paddled. But somewhere to his right, he caught sight of that same form, only it was no more than that tail speeding away. That way, he knew, was a strong riptide, and a coral reef beyond residing on a large rock formation, but he had never gone too far past the riptide to investigate. Certainly he managed to fight the underwater current, but only once, and that was where the stranger was headed. Fighting his instinct, he swiftly followed, but almost immediately the form had vanished.

He had found, in the past, merpeople. Only several, farther out at sea, and he had never found the courage to approach them. Others like him, in a faint way, slightly human and slightly not, mere legends, in a way. But he, Carter, a freak, stared at and laughed at, shunned, friendless. He wasn’t envious, not of normal humans, not of merpeople. Though he was only eleven years old, he was content with his solitary existence, despite sometimes becoming inconsolably lonely. A bit of him, something he didn’t recognize as he sped toward the riptide and the coral bed beyond, wanted it to be a mermaid or merman, someone other than the marine life he so often kept in company, but his heart pounded at the prospect of encountering someone after such a long time isolated from others.

Carter dove down deep, getting by the worst of the riptide before being swept slightly off balance. It battered him along, head over heels, until catching onto a deep-rooted sprout of seaweed brought him to a halt. Getting away from that dangerous, quick-moving underwater current, he lifted up and dove into the reef, finding a giant rock nearly covered in brightly-colored coral inhabited by small, equally-brightly-colored fish. He spied a shelf in the rock, which seemed to beckon a path beneath. Squaring his jaw, he maneuvered carefully, avoiding the coral as to not harm its beauty, lifting into the water-filled path. A blue glow illuminated the water above him, that seemed to shimmer as though it were the surface. It clicked immediately that what was above him was a large enough air pocket, and the light was coming from the ceiling.

He breathed all the water out of his second lungs before surfacing, so that his other lungs could work without hindrance. His lungs were already small enough, making him easily winded. But he surfaced quietly, allowing his gaze to fall around the area. Silently, he took everything in, but something caught his eye. He gasped.

Aquarius was dosing on the ledge, thinking she should be almost dry enough to transform with minimum pain. She had towels here in case of emergencies, but was content for the moment to rest and relax. Suddenly she heard a gasp which sent alarm bells reeling throughout her nervous system. Sitting upright and swinging an arm in front of her to block any possible attacks, she stared at her intruder in shock.

It was a boy. He had strange white hair with a bluish/green tint. He stared at her in open awe and surprised. She clinched her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him. How was it possible for a human to get this far? Who was he and how did he fight the undertow of the coming storm? No mere human... she had yet to see the rest of him, he might not be human at all. With a deadly whisper she commanded him, "If you value your life, I suggest you slowly and carefully climb up onto the rock ledge. While you are doing this, it would be in your best interest to tell me who you are." She prayed her death glare would convince him to offer no resistance as well as keep all attempts at attack to a minimum. She remembered the day she last saw anyone in the ocean... ten years ago as she was spirited away from those she loved and places she called home. She had no clue the politics and ruling parties that now existed. She was in a lot of danger from mere ignorance of current events as she was from lack of intelligence of this creature before her.

Carter flew back when she lifted her arm, certain she was about to strike him. It had happened quite a bit in the past, receiving quite the stinging smack for getting too near someone or being somewhere others deemed unacceptable. And her glare was just like that he saw every day, especially when a mother was scolding him for even daring to look at her child. But her voice, it froze him to the core, sending a shuddering squeak out of him. He didn’t want to raise his hands, and show this near-perfect mermaid the bane of his existence. He was a freak, and she deserved no less than to be captured in eternal marble and put on display.

But with those eyes piercing into him, he lifted his shaking hands and levered himself up and onto the ledge behind him, trying to speak. It was a chore more difficult than he imagined: “I… Um, I… M-m-my name… I-is… I…” He gasped, heart pounding a mile a minute. “C-Carter. I-I’m Carter…” He gasped, finding it difficult to breathe under the scrutiny, shrinking back into the wall behind him. “I… f-f-followed you… I-I’m s-so sorry…” He hid his face. What did this mermaid think he was? A god in child form, stronger than he looked, intent on destroying her? He felt weaker than he knew he looked, painful tears stinging his eyes like the old memories she brought to the surface.

Aquarius watched the fear fly into his eyes and wondered if he would bolt. Keeping herself calm and collected she eyed him. She would gave chase, she had no doubt of that. Instead of sinking further back though, he hesitantly moved to the edge and pulled himself up. She kept a calm face as his hands came into view. They were webbed. As he pulled himself up on the ledge, she was surprised to see no tail. Seeing his feet finished answering her question on how he got through the undertow. That mystery solved.

Once he was up on the sand-covered rock, she watched his frantic face gasping for control. He painfully stuttered out Carter. She remembered the first night away from home and on land. She had been terrified and hid it behind a face of impassionate stone. She didn't talk for fear of stuttering much like he had just done. It was only a few weeks later that she learned all who saw her thought her a beauty. Cold and unfeeling, but an intelligent beauty that no one could rival. Now seeing him before her, her heart melted. She had been incredibly lonely that first year. The way he reacted, could he be lonely? Answers first. Then she would decide what to do with him.

She pushed herself up and checked herself. She was dry enough. Sighing, she reached up for her key and said quietly, "Key of me, unlock a human for others to see." With that her body turned to golden energy and reshaped itself. She stood on her own two feet and walked to where he was, placing a hand on his head and making sure he looked into her eyes she whispered, "Child, come." She used a handkerchief from her pocket to carefully wipe away his tears without them touching her skin, all the while keeping her expression steady and calm.

Then she turned and headed to the more open area of her room where a small table with a cabinet against the wall were waiting. "I'll make us something to drink. You look like you have had more than you can process happen to you in the last minute. I could use someone to talk to." In her mind she found herself pleading with him not to run. She forced herself to open the cabinet and pull out the hot plate, tea kettle, and two cups to place on the table. Then with a pause she asked, "Hot chocolate, coffee, or tea?" Only then did she turn and look over in his direction to see how he was responding.

Carter was cold. Cold from fear, of what she would do. But when she spoke, in a voice that calmed him, a golden light nearly blinded him as she returned to her general human form by use of what he could identify as some sort of key made into a necklace. As she approached, though, his fight or flight instinct froze him, and he momentarily glanced at the water beside him. So close was it. He could leap in, get away. She would need a moment to return to her mer-form. And he was confident he could outswim her. After all, he had done so many times, with even the fastest shark. And he could allow the current to sweep him up, toss him far away. But on land, where would he go? He had no home, other than the beach and the shallows. His feet would certainly slow him once on land.

But her hands were gentle, as was her voice. It let a sense of calm settle in his chest, but he was still tense. But at least he could see again, the tears wiped away. He understood, though, the risk she took in nearing him as soaked as he was. Merpeople in human form experienced quite a bit of pain when in contact with water.

As she went to the table and cabinet, Carter kept a crouch-height and moved forward on all fours, letting his balance steady on his webbed hands and feet. Deciding to follow didn’t come easy to his racing mind, but the young woman was so much more inviting than anyone he had ever met in the past. He didn’t seem to have a choice but to calm himself. Which he did, gradually, but he didn’t want to speak.

When the girl spoke and glanced around, he recoiled, a motion that wasn’t entirely conscious. It was a tactic he had to avoid a strike, even if someone was beyond reach. He turned his gaze to the floor. “Er… I… I wouldn’t mind… tea… If… I-if that’s all right…” His voice was almost a whisper. He just wasn’t used to being spoken to in anything less than a scream or yell. He forced himself to look up, at the young woman through a veil of hair.

She momentarily narrowed her eyes and she studied him. Then nodded and allowed her expression to return to its studied indifference. She knew that look. It was the same look her peers had given her in grade school. The girls had teased her in her younger years out of jealousy. When she lost her temper... well, her arm was stronger than a person of her build should have. The girls from then on would look at her in both fear and hate. At least until she was older. The boys, well, they had always adored her. No one though had ever had the nerve to approach her.

She turned and used the tap on the edge of the wall to fill the kettle. Placing it on the hot pad, she carefully turned it on and then moved to look through the teas she had on hand. She found one that was a relaxant and another that that encouraged trust. Not that she wanted it, but this boy knew her secret. She needed him to talk to her. To tell her if he worked for anyone... important. If not, perhaps he would be willing to be a friend. It would be nice to have a friend. That would have to wait though. He was obviously terrified and she was sure that he was tiring from the strain his own fear could cause if it wasn't addressed.

Moving to the tea kettle, she opened it and added two spoonfuls of the tea leaves from each of the containers she had pulled out. Then replacing them on the shelf, she closed it. On the opposite was another cabinet with a cot folded up beside it. She opened on of the middle drawers and pulled out a big, super soft, blue towel. "Since your here, I have to insist you dry off. I'm going to toss this to you. Use it, then hang it on the rack beside the cot to dry. She gently tossed it towards him and paused to see how he was faring so far.

When she turned away again, he put his gaze back down. His fear was back. He felt he had given the wrong look. The timidity that afflicted him only allowed a few looks, that of which could easily be given the wrong label. But through his hair, making sure not to let his gaze be misinterpreted again, he watched her move about, gathering water, placing it on the pad to heat, and looking for the right boxes of tea leaves. She moved easily, much differently than he did, awkward and clumsy from his abnormalities, and for that he felt all the more embarrassed.

He was so lost then he only caught the last few words she said: “… cot to dry.” He looked up just in time to see a massive blue object come toward him, and he gasped, raising an arm to shield his face, before realizing what it was and what to do with it. With a quick, jerky nod, he took hold of the blanket and patted his face and arms dry. He dragged it across his head, soaking up the water, and wrapping it around him to gather as much water from his clothes as he could. And though he didn’t want to move from his designated safe area, he wanted to listen. He had disobeyed before, and had sorely regretted it many times before.

Still not standing all the way, being small already, he skittered across the room to where the cot and rack was, spreading the blanket all the way out to dry. There, his timid nature returned when he saw the young woman’s gaze on him, and he sat right where he was. “Um… Th-thank you…” He muttered, gazing at the floor before him. He could still feel her eyes lingering on him.

She shrugged, "It isn't for completely selfish reasons. Thought you might prefer to be a bit dryer now that you are out of the water. Come sit at the table." With that she took the other seat and studied him. He was definitely still afraid. Maybe pulling out the chocolate mint cookies wouldn't be such a bad idea. Another secret ingredient... effective at putting on to sleep. There was a storm coming soon and once it hit, she was stranded here anyways. Might as well keep an eye on the kid too. She was happy to relax in the sand. When she was done talking to him and put some sleep into his system, she would stick him on the cot and she would take the floor.

But that was later. For now the tea kettle was whistling. Time to pour some tea for the both of them. Good thing she was immune to her own teas. Or was that a bad thing. Very few of her teas could serve her any purpose. She had trained her body to accept and discard a lot of her sea worthy ingredients. Pity too considering how much time that had taken. A lot of what she used was rare to even those who lived in the sea. She had traveled carefully to learn of the few locations she could find. Even then she had to keep them secret once found.

Carter looked up when she spoke. “Oh, um… It’s okay. I mean… I would hate to cause you any pain for accidentally getting water on you.” He could tell his lingering fear was coming out in the shake his voice contained. Though he was certainly reluctant to make himself any larger than a small ball on the floor, he decided to take the invitation and crawl to the chair, taking the seat and bringing up his legs. It was mostly a self-preservation maneuver while in a strange place.

The whistle of the teakettle startled him when he realized what it was. He kept his head bowed, but watched the girl move about. He found it odd she was so inviting, while he didn’t even know her name. She acted as though they had met before, so indifferent was she after her initial defensive response. As she moved and spoke easily, his paralyzing shyness and worry hardly allowed him to breathe easily.

Aquaris glanced at him as she filled their cups. Then she carefully replaced the tea kettle on the hot pad. She used to be upset that she couldn't ever drink a simple class of water. Through time she had learned that anything that wasn't pure water didn't harm her. So she had become good with teas and made it her career. However at home she also had mixes of coffee as well.

"It is a bit warm, but go ahead and take a sip." She stared into her cup for a moment and then took a careful sip. It was not too hot. She closed her eyes to enjoy the taste and allowed a small smile of satisfaction to appear on her face. Then she took another sip and opened her eyes to stare straight at him, her calm mask firmly back on. "You are probably wondering who I am. Since you haven't asked, I will assume you rather I did the talking. My name is Aquarius. I am of the Diac merpeoples. I'm guessing from your hair coloring that you are one of the Neo merpeoples since they are renown for their blue hair. You didn't transform as your people do with the small eao rocks. I have a jar of them if you want them. They are of no use to me and in my way, if that makes you feel better. You seem to have some... differences... in you as well. Do you know what abilities and skills they will bring you when you are older?

Waiting for her answers, she casually leaned back and reached towards the cabinet where the teas were. Carefully she got out a tin of chocolate mint cookies. Hopefully that tea was taking the edge of his fear away.

Carter put his hands around the cup in front of him, ears open for what the girl said. He finally got her name, though, Aquarius, after the zodiac. For fear of offending or insulting the young woman, who had been so kind as to not chase him away when she saw him, he put the cup to his lips and took a sip. It had been months, years, since he had ever had the luxury of something other than water. Its warmth spread, settling in his joints and allowing them to relax, if only a bit. He didn’t move from his position on the chair, and kept his gaze soft, letting it become absolutely expressionless, devoid of fear, worry, and anything else he felt in the past little while. Aquarius was a lovely name, but he didn’t say so while she spoke.

His courage wasn’t fully intact, and he was a more relaxed than he had been before. The answers to Aquarius’ questions, though, were far from within his grasp. “Er… I… I don’t know.” He admitted. “I was born on land. I was born with these hands and feet. My mother tried to use those same rocks, eao rocks, to help me move into my full human form, but… It didn’t work.” He stared at the cup clutched in his hands, at the reflection he could only just see. “I tried to live with it, and she sent me to school. I was… always targeted, bullied, shunned, inside school and out. My mother disowned me, and I’ve lived up at that little beach ever since then.”

He sighed shakily. He didn’t want to say anything else, but it didn’t seem to matter; the words were still coming, almost against his will: “I can communicate with animals, namely marine life, interact with them on a different level. And I can manipulate water. I know I can do other things, but I’ve never tried.” He cursed his weaknesses. He could have done more in his time alone, practiced and discovered his power. With the general fear seeped away a bit, he could breathe easier, but he felt a bit drowsy. Not shocking to him, however, since he hadn’t slept well in a few days and fighting the riptide had taken a lot out of him. Shaking it away, he turned his gaze up to Aquarius with a weak smile, to show he was no longer paralyzed by fear or worry.

Aquarius knodded in sympathy. It was true the lad was different. It seemed he had never transformed into his merman state. Which was a shame. She had a feeling that his true potential would be more noticeable when he did. She was willing to bet anything that this ugly duckling would start to turn into quite the fine swan when he was older. That was years away though, and his self-esteem was down now. I'm glad you seem to like my tea. Here, have some cookies. It is always good to have cookies and tea together. That is something all kids should do every once in awhile. She decided against mentioning that life would get better. Life was what you made it and no one could predict the future. Particularly his. She felt electric current ripple around her home. The storm was upon them. She was trapped in the ocean until it was over. For as long as it was raining, to her in her human form each drop would be like a needle. Each puddle would be like molten liquid. Each splash would feel as if she had taken the edge of a blade. She drank some more tea to sooth her own nerves and glanced at him to see if he was almost asleep yet. Soon, very soon. Where is your family now? Why have you not tried living in the ocean instead?

Carter leaned over his knees as she spoke. He really didn’t know how to take it, or how to react to her words being as they were, calm, kindly, something that let him drop his guard, if only a bit. Carter especially didn’t want to take what didn’t belong to him, more than he already had, but the remaining worry in the back of his mind gravitated toward how she would feel if he declined the cookies she offered. He let himself lean forward, coming out of his tightly-wrapped package and accepting one of the dark, round discs. “Thank you…” He muttered, taking small bites. He couldn’t help but wonder if she made them herself, from ingredients she found herself. There were many special areas around the ocean, places he thought only he knew of, where odd and interesting things grew or resided, rare, few and far-between. When Aquarius’ question reached his ears, he shrunk back a bit.

“I… I don’t know where my family is. They might have moved… Um… After I was born, and… and everyone knew their kid was a freak, they lost a lot of friends. Other people worried about them… Being their friend, that is, being around them. They might have left town by now. Oh, but I sleep underwater. I found a small crevice in the cliff a while back, and it’s… narrow. I can sleep there at night, and avoid being easy prey while I’m not awake.” It took a lot to finish speaking. Words were muddled in his head. Fighting the underwater tide must have taken a lot more out of him that he thought. He could feel the agitation around them, the storm so quickly arrived, and when thunder broke, it broke in his head. His hearing, especially powerful, was also especially unforgiving under the influence of loud noise. But it was short-lived; sleep had taken over, and he couldn’t stop himself from falling from the chair, landing on the ground, and losing all touch with reality.

With sleep, memories of his past surfaced in the form of dreams.

Aquarius jumped up and rushed to his side. She didn't realize how much energy going through the riptides had taken out of him. She wouldn't have used such a strong mixture otherwise. Glad the floor was a good layer of sand, she gently and easily lifted him up and walked to the cot. She adjusted him so that he was in one arm so she could wipe the sand off of him. Then she unfolded the cot and laid him on the thin mattress that had been folded inside of it. With him gently resting there, she got out a blanket and covered him with it. He remembered the jump of his eyes when the thunder cracked above. It was muted here, but he probably had a good sense of hearing. She got the laptop from on top the tea cabinet and opened it up. Finding gentle symphony music so play, she set it on a low setting. She had gotten a friend to modify the laptop so that it could be charged with on the powerful blue rocks she used on her ceiling.

Certain that he was safe in his bed, drugged to the world with the music as a lullaby, she turned and walked over to the edge of her pool. Grabbing her key in one hand, she made a graceful leap into the air, transformed, and dove down. Coming out from under the shelf of rock and gliding away from the coral she sped to the surface. Breaking through she was immediately hit in the face with the wind and rain. She looked around her for any signs of distress. Seeing none, she swam with her powerful strokes around the that area several times. Confident no humans had gotten themselves into trouble with the sudden storm, she returned to her ocean home.

Upon returning, she pulled herself up and onto the sand. It had been a long day and the patrol had taken a lot of time. She allowed herself the luxury of collapsing there in the warm sand with her hair tangled around her. The music was still playing, as it was set to play the whole playlist on a loop, and allowed sleep to take her. She made sure before she blacked out to alert an ear towards the boy. If he woke up, she wanted to know.

As soon as he fell into the dark of sleep, some bright, blinding-yellow light glared in his eyes, and he raised a webbed hand to shield himself from it. Instead of the warm, soft sand below him, he felt something hard, hot, and solid. Concrete, namely, blacktop. The same blacktop they used on the elementary school playground. Squinting, he managed to clear his gaze enough to see where he was. Indeed, it was the playground. In the corner, beside an old oak outside the chain link fence. The screaming voices of children playing all around him was the next thing to come to him, muted at first, but now incredibly surreal, like the rest of the scene. He looked away from the sky, the tree near him and his little corner of the playground, and gazed toward the swings. Little girls were there, their hands visible and plain, simple, ordinary. Their faces bright and smiling, calling to their friends. Little boys played on the four-square blocks, raced each other, played kickball with some select tomboyish girls. A few moderators wandered, carrying umbrellas to shield themselves from the unforgiving sun. It was near the end of the school year.

Carter kept his hands out of sight between his crossed legs, looking at the slide, where boys and girls took turns climbing the ladder. They all seemed to have someone to play with. In shame for his looks, his oddities and solitary confinement, he turned his face down to study his light skin, the flaps that connected his fingers that were very tough despite their flimsy appearance. When something shadowed him, he glanced up, and his heart leapt into his throat.

A little group of boys and a couple girls, had approached, six in total, led by an especially large, rough, slightly dirty boy with spiked blonde hair. “Hey kid.” He said, leaning down. “Thought I said this was our bit ‘o playground? What’chu doin’ here?”

Carter couldn’t reply before the boy grabbed his shirt and lifted him up. The others part of his gang had started talking with one another and had spread out a bit, hiding what was happening. “You don’t never listen, do ya?” The kid demanded, shaking Carter. He had learned not to fight back, or even raise his hand offensively. The entire group was one, and if their leader was threatened, they would all leap on him and do their worst before the playground moderators could even get halfway to them. “Why don’t yah go somewhere else!?” He pushed Carter back, into the fence. He was careful not to draw any other outsider’s attention. “Ugly and dumb, I guess.” He balled up a fist and hit Carter softly in the stomach, enough to force him over, but not quite enough to gather a noise from the boy. “C’mon, look here!” He took a handful of Carter’s white hair and shook him around. The stinging pain of hair being pulled out forced his hands to come up and wrap around his attacker’s.

The bully gasped and pushed back, and as though it was a signal to the others, the boys and girls tightened around him with sadistic grins on their faces. Carter shut his eyes.

He woke with phantom pains all over his body, nonexistent fists having beaten and clawed him, bitten him, pulled his hair. Tears stung his eyes, hot and shameful, and it took a moment to realize where he was.

Aquarius heard the boy wake. It didn't sound very pleasant. Almost as if he were in pain. Nightmare perhaps? Maybe he had injuries she wasn't aware of. Either way, the next time she made him tea she was going to mix a concoction that would push away nightmares and provided healing if he was injured. She lay still and kept her breathing even. She was still half asleep anyways. What better position to learn what he was thinking than to allow him a little freedom. What would he do when he finished waking up and found her asleep? She waited and allowed her senses to focus on him through her ears and the vibrations through the sand.

He pushed the pain away and shook the tears away, finding himself sitting on a thinly-cushioned cot and covered with a blanket. He brought his legs up, swinging them off the side of the cot and onto the warm, sandy floor of the softy-lit cavern. The world came back into focus, less ominous than his dream. He could hear the storm above, but it had lessened in strength, either ending or falling into an interlude. And through that, he heard music. He didn’t remember hearing music like that, not so easy and elegant. It brought a small smile to his face, and in that instant he had to look around for the one known as Aquarius.

She wasn’t far away from the entrance to the cavern, her hair wet and in her marine form. She seemed almost dry, though, and asleep. He sighed, glad she didn’t hear his sudden onset of terror and past pain resurfacing in his dreams. Breathing easily, he stood, wandering almost aimlessly. “Oh, my. Oh my, oh my…” He breathed. “What am I doing? What am I doing here? And… What did she do to me?” He put a hand to his head and sniffed, walking carefully past Aquarius and crouching by the water. “Rain, rain, soften up. Maybe I can get away.” He put a hand in the water, scooping some up. “Where would I go? Back to the beach. To my sleeping place. That’s all.”

He squinted, a sadness welling up in him like nothing he had ever felt. “Or… swim away. Go forever… Forever…” The word was so final. Forever. All he could think of was his entire life, past and future, the end of the world, death and all that ended life, rather than began. Forever. It made him collapse, scoot back into the wall behind him, and bring his knees up to his face to keep himself quiet. He wouldn’t want to wake Aquarius.

She heard his sigh of relief. Evidently he was glad of something. Probably that his dreams were not true. That probably ruled out injury. That is, unless he was glad she was not witnessing his moment of weakness. Men, she couldn't understand them sometimes. Whatever the case, it was evident he had nowhere to go and nothing to do with his life. Maybe, just maybe she could let him into her life. No, that was silly. Her life was one of danger. Those she traded her more expensive teas with were not to be trifled with. The informant network she was a part of had its fair share of danger. Yet she needed a friend. Someone to look out for if nothing else. He was too young to be her confident. He could be someone to trust though. There were few of those in her world.

Her world? What world? There were two. The one of adventure, but at least it was a life, among the humans. The one of peace and rest in the seas. She didn't see and did her best to avoid the merpeoples and other such creatures. She didn't know what life was like there and what had changed. It had been over a decade since she had been among her people and her family might no longer be nobility. Who knew how politics might change.

Stop! She must focus on the boy. He had come close to the water, but ended up somewhere against the wall curled up. Inside she sighed. He needed someone, might as well be her. He would probably not trust her though. She wasn't exactly normal in the eyes of those who had known her over the last few years. It was okay though. She would find a way. Sunrise would be soon. She needed to get back home. He must have had good eyesight to have seen this place. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. What else though? He spent most of his time outside. Well, that probably meant he understood foliage well enough. He could help her home, and maybe take care of her inside plants and the backyard herb garden. What else though? She didn't want to push him. Maybe, she should play the weak and innocent part? No, that was not her. If she ever, ever played that role then he would know in an instant she was faking. Might as well just act normal and see what happens. This was going to be fun... sarcasm intended.

Aquarius slowly sat up and carefully began pushing her hair up and out of her face. She feigned sleepiness in her slow manner and half-closed eyes. With her hair back and somewhat in order, she leaned back on her hands and regarded Carter who had pretty much frozen. "Hey there Carter, I hope you got some sleep. You were pretty tired and worn out. You fell asleep really quickly." And quite literally too, she thought wryly.

She reached to her neck and gently took the key. Her hair wasn't quite dry yet, but she was really wanting something to drink before heading home. Her quiet phrase turned her human, and she stood. Her damp hair against her neck brought a stinging sensation that caused her to flinch and freeze. Damn. She fell back to her knees wishing she had thought to wrap her hair in a towel or something. But with the situation less life-threatening, she wasn't able to transform back into a mermaid.

Carter cleared his eyes when he noticed Aquarius stir and wake. He let his sensitive ears dwell on her heartbeat, which he thought odd wasn’t as slow as he’d expected it to be as she had, so far as he could tell, sleeping more peacefully than he. She hadn’t been asleep as long as he thought she had been. She had heard, he feared, more than what he wanted her to. His teeth automatically clenched, not in anger, but without his noticing. Anger wasn’t something he felt easily. Any chance to leave, to run, swim, leave his useless life behind, had gone. Feeling a tinge of regret, he turned his eyes up and unknotted himself.

He nodded when she spoke. “Um, yeah…” He muttered. “I… Haven’t slept well in a while.” He didn’t bother to bring up his suspicion that she had put something in either the tea or cookie he had accepted. She didn’t seem as bad as all the others. And he didn’t have anything to give anyway. Passively, he watched Aquarius return herself to human form and stand, but she obviously forgot about her hair. His heart jumped as she fell back to her knees, and he scrambled up. From around his waist, he pulled the flimsy string that he’d tied up and stepped up behind Aquarius. In several motions, he brought her hair up, twisting it into a long rope and winding the string around it, securing it in a messy bun off her back and neck.

“I thought you remembered your hair was still wet.” He said quietly as he stepped back. “I hope this takes the pain away a little.”

Aquarius' heart slowly began to settle into it's normal beat as the pain slowly left her. She looked up at him sheepishly, all attempts to look like a goddess gone in that moment of feeling like a fool. In a tired and bemused voice she managed a small thank you. Forcing herself to stand even though her neck and back still have some stinging sensations, she stumbled to the table and sat. "I had gone on patrol while you were resting. When I woke up, I was only thinking how nice some tea would be. I forgot how little time has passed since I returned and now." She put the kettle on to boil and looked over at him curiously, "I'm making a tea that gives one a good morning energy boost. Do you want some? I have dried apples too. It isn't much of a breakfast, but it will do until I get home. What are your plans for today? Are you interested in work?

As she talked she had reached into the cupboard and pulled out an orange tin of tea. This tin was for mornings worse than this, but she felt it was still appropriate. It had a smiley face sticker on it that said Good Morning. You couldn't mistake that no matter how tired you were. She wondered what to do about him. He didn't seem very trusting, and probably had reason from what little he had said. However, he had helped her. Not even those in her informant group had bothered to ever return any favors. The sting was wearing off and she could finally breathe easily again. She glanced up at him and in a playful voice joked, "Don't tell anyone about that wet hair thing... it was clumsy of me and would ruin my reputation." It was meant to lighten the atmosphere. There was actually no one beyond him who knew of her secret. So he would probably be laughed at if he did say anything, but hey, there is always a time for some cheesy humor right?