The Unknown World Around Us

“No Mizuki, you're a mermaid,” Mamoru breathed. “And you said you weren't a magical creature.”
“I didn't know I was, it never occurred to me that I could be a fish,” I mumbled.

“Wait, this is not good, not good at all. We have to get you out of here before anyone else sees you! Swim away quick, go on get in the water and swim away!” he fretted.
“Why should I? Why should no one else see me?” I inquired. “And besides I wouldn't even know where to go.”

I heard footsteps behind us and turned my head. There was a guy coming onto the beach. He had light blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He was wearing a leather jacket with a white t-shirt and jeans. I bet he thought he was so cool. He gasped when he saw us and quickly got out his walkie talkie.

“A mermaid?! Hello? Hello? Yes, I need all the help I can get; there's a mermaid on the beach!” a guy yelled into a walkie talkie. Mamoru quickly ran up to the guy and covered his mouth.
“Oh never mind, false alarm. Bye!” Mamoru said into the walkie talkie, trying to sound as much like the guy as possible.

Then he knocked the guy out with one punch and hid him by a tree. “Hew! That was a close one! I'm sorry you had to see that, but I had to do something to him or he was going to report you to the boss. Plus, I'm not the smartest guy around. Please, don't ask about the boss right now, we don't have time; we have to get out of here....NOW!” he babbled. Mamoru grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder.

“Of course, over his shoulder, why didn't I know he was going to do that?” I said in my head.

Even though he was a chiyu, he ran just as fast as a vampire. “I guess that chiyus have some of the same powers as the creature they're disguised as.”

We were in a dark cave now, and I couldn't see a thing. He was doing something, but since it was dark, I couldn't see it. All of a sudden, a secret door opened in the wall. He walked into the room which actually had some light; there were lit torches in this room.

“Finally some light!” I exclaimed. “Finally some light! Some light! Light!” my voice echoed back.

Mamoru set me on the ground and sat down next to me. “Ok, you should be safe here. I have to go back out there or they'll come looking for me. Except for the guy that I knocked out, everyone probably thinks the mermaid was a false alarm. You have to stay here, and stay quiet. Here's some food, water, and some disguises in case you need them, in a bag. I'll be back by morning, I promise,” he explained. He handed me the bag. “Oh I almost forgot, if you need help, just use this,” he said handing me a strange item that was like a whistle type thing.
“What is it?” I wondered.
“It's an instrument that makes a sound so high only chiyus can hear it. I have to go, bye,” he told me.

He ran out of the secret room, shut the door, and ran out of the cave. Even after the door was closed, I could still hear his footsteps.
“Well this is just great,” I sarcastically thought to myself.

It felt like it had been an hour now. My tail had dried and my legs were back. I was starting to get hungry so I grabbed the bag Mamoru had given me and quietly tried to open it. The food he had gotten me was some crackers, fruit, pastries, and vegetables. I took out some crackers and as quietly as I could, nibbled on them.
“Why this stuff? This kind of food makes lots of noise unless you're careful,” I thought in my head.

After I was finished eating, I looked at some of the disguises Mamoru had given me.
“Oh wow!” I breathed. I put on a vampire disguise which included fake fangs, some black jeans, a white t-shirt, and a zebra striped jacket. Then I slowly slid to the ground which made a loud thud.
“Oh that's not good,” I said, scrunching up my face. I was probably in trouble.

I heard footsteps and I bit my lip to try to keep quiet. The problem was that I bit my lip so hard that it started bleeding. It wasn't bleeding that badly, but the blood that did come out splattered on the floor. Tears started streaming down my face, but I kept my mouth closed. I guess I was crying partly because my lip hurt, but also partly because of the fear of being found.

The footsteps were getting closer and louder with every step. I tried to stop crying but I couldn't. I heard something that sounded like a rock moving. Then all of a sudden the secret door opened and a girl walked in.

She had short black hair, and lime green eyes. She was wearing a brown tank top, blue shorts, black flip flops, and a red bandanna.

“Hey, why are you crying?” she asked. She looked on the floor, then at my face again. “Oh, did you bite your lip?” I nodded. “Oh, ouch. Well, let me see if I can help,” she took off her bandanna and got out a water bottle she had been carrying. She poured some water on the bandanna and put it on my face. “Don't worry, it won't even show up on the bandanna,” she laughed. “So are you ok now?” I nodded. “Good. Now, what are you? Are you a mermaid?”

I think my heart stopped beating for a full minute. My eyes were wide open, not blinking at all; I didn't know what to say or do. I knew someone would figure out I was a mermaid eventually, I just didn't know what I'd do when it happened.

My jaw dropped wide open and the fake fangs I was wearing popped out a little. “Oh! You're a vampire! Well, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be on the girls' side of the camp,” she replied.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me with her.
“Wait, my stuff! I can't leave without my stuff!” I exclaimed.
“Oh right, sorry. Grab your stuff and let's go,” she said cheerfully. I zipped up my bag and and threw it over my shoulder.

We walked for about two miles; two long miles I might add.
“Are we there yet?” I moaned.
“Asking me that is only going to slow me down so, stop asking me that,” she smiled. It seemed she never cried, pouted, or even got angry. I was glad she was the one that had found me and not some crazy person, although I felt a little guilty.

“Mamoru told me to stay in the cave and now someone has found me, what do I do? I might as well see the girls' side of camp. Why do I always get mixed up in crazy and confusing situations like this? Mamoru probably isn't going to like this, but....I'll keep going with....uh....” I thought to myself.

“Hey, um...I never caught your name. So what is it?” I inquired.
“Oh, it's Tomoko,” she replied. “What's yours?”
“My name is...” I started to say. “I probably shouldn't use my real name,” I thought to myself. “Um..it's Sayuri. It's nice to meet you Tomoko,” I told her.
“It's nice to meet you too!” Tomoko smiled. I smiled back. “Anyways, I think you'll be happy to know that we're finally here!” she announced.

“Oh wow, it's really big!” I exclaimed.
“Yep, we have a lot of girls here. So anyways, the girls are expecting me to meet them for lunch; we're having sandwiches,” she acknowledged me, while clapping and cheering.
“Alright, that sounds good to me,” I replied.
“Then after lunch I have to go tell the boss that you're here! Oh he'll be so thrilled!” she laughed. “Come on!” She sang and skipped through the last few feet to a log cabin. Then she stopped and looked at me.

“Here it is. You wait here, I want you to be a surprise!” she sang. She skipped inside, leaving me alone.

“Well, she's sort of a strange character now isn't she? But she is a very friendly person, I have to give her credit for that,” I thought aloud.

Meanwhile, inside I heard her talking. I wasn't normally the kind of person to eaves drop, but I couldn't help it. I leaned directly on the door.

“Hey Tomoko, what are you making for lunch today?” I heard someone ask.
“I am making sandwiches,” Tomoko replied
“Yeah!” everyone cheered.

“But first,” she started to say. Everyone paused and was silent, waiting to hear what she had to say. “I would like to introduce someone to all of you, a new addition to our camp. Her name is Sayuri! Come on in, Sayuri!” Tomoko yelled at the door.

I froze, just standing there, not moving. I probably looked like an idiot because I was still leaning on the door. Tomoko opened it.
“Sayuri, come on in you silly!” she exclaimed. She went behind me and started pushing me inside the cabin. I looked around the room; this really was the girls' side of camp because it was filled with girls and only girls. Not a square inch of boy was around. “I present to you,......Sayuri!” Tomoko announced.

“Whoo hoo! Yay!” everyone cheered.
“What? Why are you all cheering for me?” I asked confused.
“Because, we like you,” said one of the girls.
“But you don't even know me,” I replied.
“Yeah, but we want to,” responded another girl. “Right girls?”
“YEAH!” everyone exclaimed.

“Why don't I get started making sandwiches?” Tomoko asked. She got on her apron, got behind a counter, and started making the sandwiches.
“Hey Sayuri, why don't you sit by us?” yelled a girl.
“Alright, I'm coming!” I waved.

I ran over to where they were sitting and tripped over a crack in the floorboards. I fell and my fake fangs caught on the table. I tried to pull away from the table, but the fake fangs were stuck.

“What the heck! They should just slip out of my mouth....unless they have super glue on them or something,” I thought to myself.
“Hey girls, come on, we have to help her!” one of the girls yelled.

A group of girls came and started pulling me. They couldn't get me separated from the table, so even more girls came and tried to get me loose. Finally, I broke loose from the table, the fangs still attached to me. But all the girls toppled to the ground, me on top of them.

“Jeez, you've got some strong fangs, girl!” exclaimed a red haired girl.
“Uh...thanks. I'll be right back, I have to go do something real quick,” I said.

I ran into the girls' bathroom and looked in the mirror. I poked the fangs; they felt
real. I pulled on them, which didn't accomplish anything except me falling on the floor.
“Ow! Stupid fangs! Why didn't Mamoru tell me that the costumes become real when you wear them?!” I yelled.

“Costumes? Do you mean you're not a real vampire?” said a voice from behind. I quickly turned around to find a girl, pale skin, red eyes, and blonde hair.
“Uh, no...that's not what I meant at all. I just meant...uh...I-” I started to say.
“Just tell me the truth, are you a vampire or not?” she asked.
“......No,” I sighed. “Are you?”
“Yes, but I won't tell your secret,” she said.
“Huh? Why not? Oh no, let me guess, you're just going to drink my blood and then-”
“No, no, I'm not going to tell anyone, or do anything except let you go. So, go on Sayuri! Get out of here and do what ever you came here to do!” exclaimed the girl.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I hugged her. Then I let go of her and sprinted out of the bathroom.

But I darted back in there and smiled at her. “By the way, I lied, my name isn't Sayuri. It's actually Mizuki,” I told her.
“Oh, well I'll keep that secret too,” she said, smiling back at me. “And my name is Kaminari.”
“It's nice to meet you,” I told her.
“Same to you,” she replied. “See you!”
“Bye!” I called, running back out.

“Hi! I'm back now; what's up?” I asked.
“Nothing much. Maybe I should introduce myself now. I'm Suzume,” said the red haired girl from earlier.
“Hi, you already know who I am,” I replied.
“Yep, now why don't we go get some sandwiches?” Suzume asked.
“Alright!” I responded.

After lunch, Tomoko cleaned all the dishes and tables.
“Are you sure you don't want any help, Tomoko?” I wondered.
“No, no, no, I couldn't possibly ask you to help. Don't worry, I'm almost done anyways,”

“Tomoko never let's anyone help her,” said Suzume.
“Oh, so that's how it is,” I said.
“Yeah, pretty much,” she replied.

A few minutes later, Tomoko was finished. She had cleaned anything and everything. It looked spotless.
“Ok, it's time to tell the boss about you. Come on, let's go!” she exclaimed.

She grabbed my arm and started dragging me out the door. I was terrified so I tried to pull away from her. but couldn't, Tomoko was too strong. She was stronger than she was nice, and that's extremely strong. I was terrified because I didn't know anything about the boss except for the fact that they were a male.

“What's wrong, Sayuri?” Tomoko asked, stopping.
“I'm just a little nervous about meeting the boss,” I told her.
“Oh I know, I was nervous the first time I met him too. But you'll be fine, trust me,” Tomoko said.
“Oh alright, I'll trust you,” I replied.
“Good, now let's go!” she said, dragging me again.

We walked for probably about ten minutes. We stopped when we reached a dark cave.
“We're here!” yelled Tomoko.
“This is where the boss lives? I'm not going in there,” I objected.
“Sure you are!” Tomoko smiled. She pushed me inside the cave and a door came down and left me stuck inside.

I thought I was alone and this was a trick. I thought that I had been fooled.
“Why hello. So who is the new girl everyone has been talking about?” asked a voice from behind.
“I know that voice...but it couldn't be.....wait.....of course! Why didn't I think of it sooner?” I thought to myself.
“You're the boss, Takeo?” I asked.
“And you're the girl everyone has been talking about, Mizuki?” he said, a surprised look on his face. “I left you to be vampire bait! Why didn't anyone find you?” he yelled.
“Who said that no one found me? Someone found me all right, and they were actually nice, unlike you. Why are you doing all this? What's your plan?” I asked.
“Wouldn't you like to know?” he asked, sarcastically.
“Uh yeah, actually I would, so start talking,” I commanded.
“Fine, if you must know, I will tell you. My plan, is to take over the world. But, I know that all the fairies, witches, and so on, would never let me do that. So, I told all the vampires I could, boys and girls, about my plan and asked them if they would come with me to a new island, Vampire Island, the island you are currently on,” he stopped for a moment as if to let me soak up all the information.

“What about the other magical creatures?” I asked.
“Ah, thank you, I almost forgot that part. I plan to capture them and bring them here to restore my army's health,” he explained.

“Wait, why would you need to restore their energy?” I wondered.
“Well for one thing, they get thirsty. Another reason is because when they train they use energy. The last reason is because I know that some beings won't stand for this and they will try to stop me and we will have to fight them. All the vampires in my army will have to do is bite one of the magical creatures and suck out all their blood. Does that explain everything?” Takeo replied.

“Yes, thank you for clearing that up. Now,......I hope you don't mind if I......STOP YOU! You will never get away with this, Takeo!” I yelled.
“Well of course I will, you can't stop me all by yourself!” he laughed.
“Who said I was going to stop you alone?” I asked.

I grabbed the strange instrument that Mamoru had given me and I blew it. I waited for a few minutes, but no one came. Not Mamoru, not Haru, not even Tomoko. No one was coming to help me stop Takeo.

“I guess I will have to do this on my own,” I mumbled.

“Hey I almost forgot to ask, what does all of this have to do with me?” I asked.
“You haven't figured it out yet? It's simple; you're a mermaid,” Takeo replied.
“Yeah, so what? And how did you know that?” I wondered.
“You foolish little girl! I guess I'll just have to tell you my story. And let's just say that I can smell the blood of mermaids from miles away,” he said.
“Oh, so that's how you found me!” I confirmed.

“Yes, that's exactly how. So anyways, I was really thirsty and injured badly; I was walking on the local beach. I needed a drink and fast, so I kept walking. I finally found something to drink; I saw a girl laying on the shore. I ran up to her and discovered that she wasn't an ordinary girl, she was a mermaid. I had never tasted mermaid blood before, but I was so thirsty I couldn't care less what it tasted like. I snuck up on her and bit her when she wasn't looking. I found that my health was completely restored after I had drank her blood. So do you get the picture now?” he explained.

“Y-Yes, I think I do, and I don't want to stick around here!”

I started to slowly back up; I turned around and ran up to the wall that had closed me in.

“Let me out! Let me out! Somebody help me! I can't do this all alone!” I yelled. Takeo ran up to me and pinned me against the wall; he lifted my head up so he could look at my neck.

“You have a very pr-” he started to say, but I cut him off. “NO! Don't say it! Don't say pretty neck! That's so lame!” I yelled.

He tried to bite me but I dodged and got loose of his grip. I got out the instrument that Mamoru had given me.

“Oh, please work this time! I don't care who shows up! Just please, someone that will help me!” I thought to myself.

I blew it one more time. I thought I heard a voice. Not only did I over think this, but I was stupid. I just stood there and thought for awhile, which gave Takeo time to sneak up on me. He bit me when I wasn't looking; I fell to the ground.

I could feel the blood being sucked out from my body. My energy started to drain. “No! Get away from her!” commanded a male voice.

It sounded familiar, like someone I knew. I tried to figure out who it was but couldn't because everything started to go black. Just before I fainted, I saw a white figure; it looked like a person.

“Haru?” I wondered. Then I couldn't see at all and I knew I had fainted.