Except One

Regan swam to her favourite rock by a small, sandy cove where she could brush her hair, sing and admire the shine of all the glittering turquoise scales that made up her tail in the sun.

It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

It had only been four days in the water but already Regan had forgotten anything. She knew nothing about her previous life, she didn’t even know she had had a previous life. Now, she was simply Regan, the maiden of the sea. The cold waves had washed away her memories, and the bottomless blue, the strongest pull of all.

She swam with her new friends now, her comrades of the deep, her sisters of the surf. Occasionally a laugh would echo in her mind. A boys laugh, a light laugh, a familiar laugh. And she would see a bright pair of twinkling blue eyes in her minds eyes but no sooner had they come they were gone again and she would forget.

Nothing mattered to her anymore. The only thing she needed now, the only thing she needed to feel were the soft waves on top of the ocean and the comforting water pressure on either side of her body. She forgot about the beginning warmth of love, the melting feeling when he would touch her hand. The heat of his body when he pressed her into him. Everything was forgotten.

Breaking the surface, Regan pulled herself up onto the rock and smiling to herself, displayed her tail out for the sun.It curved beautifully against the stony surface and her fins dipped subtly into the small foam that lapped gently against the perch.

She sang to herself, combing her tangled blonde hair with her fingers, her eyes closed in peace.

Her voice rose and fell with the waves, an alluring, mystical sound that no nearby man could resist in the quiet Neverland morning.

“Hello”

The deep voice caused Regan to jump, startled, and she would have dove back into the waves if he hadn’t held his hands up in apology.

“Excuse me m’lady. I didn’t mean to startle ye. A beautiful creature like yeself should have nothing to fear.

Regan found herself straighten up proudly at the compliment, feeling smug. Her previous human self would have blushed in embarrassment and want to run away. But not now. Now in her vain mermaid body, she prided herself on her beauty and could stare for hours at her own reflection. She felt confident in her seducing female form. No man could resist her sea blue eyes, that echoed the waves. But look to closely and you could see the dark pits of blackness. For all mermaids were evil, designed to kill...

She looked closer at the man, her light blue eyes travelling to his handsome, sun kissed face, his chocolate brown eyes, his high cheekbones and brown, curling hair to his shoulder. He stared at her and she wanted to move closer, to touch him, to claim him…

She smiled and lowered her head, looking up at him through her long, curling eyelashes.

The charm worked on the man and he moved closer

“The names William…William Hook”

Hook. The name rang a bell, a warning even. Where had she heard that before? Once again she heard the high joyous laughter of a boy in her head and the sight of twinkling blue eyes flashed before her eyes but she looked at William and let the memories slip away.

She smiled at him, her sharp teeth glinting almost dangerously in the sun

“Regan”

Her voice was harsh, unused to the human tongue after so many days of speaking with the mermaids through whistling and hissing.

William moved closer still, his thigh grazing the side of Regan’s tail. His breath was coming in short gasps as she worked her magic on him. He wouldn’t be able to resist, they never were. Men were such weak, easily led astray creatures. Contrary to popular belief, mermaids were not just some pretty fish of the deep, they were ruthless hunters that used their beauty to hypnotise human prey. They wouldn’t think twice of pulling a man down to the murky depths to his death. It thrilled them. Their voices and body were used trap men. Men like William.

She reached out a cold, webbed hand on his cheek and he closed his eyes to her touch and pressed his face to her hand. Her other hand went to his chest and she ran it up to his shoulder which she suddenly gripped tightly ready to drag him under the blue surface.

She froze as she felt a sharp, cold point of metal press into her skin, under her ribs. She looked down at the extremely sharp dagger and then to William, his eyes open and a small smirk upon his face.

“You didn’t think I was that stupid did ye?"

Regan couldn’t help but smile at the danger he was presenting her with. It was exciting and she let go of his shoulder to replace it on his inner thigh. She wasn’t interested in killing him anymore. She watched him gulp, fighting his own desire.

“No, but I do love a man who’s dangerous” she purred in his ear, letting him tremble under the touch of her tongue on his soft, flushed skin.

“Regan…come!”

Regan turned her head to the sound of the new voice and looked at Rock, the stormy eyed merman and her companion; she stared at him, his sharp cheekbones and jet black shoulder length hair like Williams. His blue eyes which always reflected the ocean were a sky blue but they turned cold as he stared at William.

Regan smiled and before she jumped off the rock, back to her home, she turned to William, kissing him deeply, tracing his lips with her tongue and running her hand up his body…

She pulled away “Watch for me”

And disappeared under the surf, leaving the pirate speechless on the rock