My Little Mermaid

Juliette stared at the ceiling, wondering where she was. The ceiling was curved and transparent. There were fish swimming over head. Silence was all around her. She didn't know what to make of that. She felt like she was on something soft. It felt like a bed. But her fingers was being hit with something wet. Water. Looking down, she saw the water. It was clear with a green-blue tint to it.

She didn't want to move from the comfortable position upon the heavenly bed. It seemed to cradle her very body, floating it upon air. But that didn't last long when Nicolas came into the room. He floated onto the chair next to the bed, looking at Juliette. “Good to see you're awake.” She stared at him, wondering why he was here with her. He never struck her as the time to stay with someone they didn't like.

“Where am I?” Her voice sounded hoarse and scratchy even to her own ears. She coughed a few times, trying to get it back to sounding normal.

Nicolas grabbed a glass with a bit of water in the bottom. He held it out for Juliette. She slowly sat up, looking down at the water around her waist. But it didn't come up farther than that. Nicolas started to grow tired of holding the glass and shoved it into her hand. “Here.” She fumbled it before grasping the glass with both hands, staring. “It's for you.” Juliette looked at the partially filled glass, swishing the liquid around. It splashed up against the clear sides. It was cold. The condensation gathered on the outside.

“Thank,” she coughed trying to get her voice back to normal, “you,” in the end she just whispered. It was all she could do to not sound like a camel with a fur ball stuck in its throat. Tipping the glass back, she sipped the water before realizing just how thirsty she was. Gulping down the little bit, Juliette wished for more.

“You are a horrible mermaid.” Nicolas' statement caught her off guard. She stared at him, nearly letting the glass slip from her hands. “We filter what water we need through our tails.” Juliette gazed down at her tail, flipping it up a few times. Droplets of water dropped back down and sprayed up towards the ceiling.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

She tilted her head slightly to look at Nicolas. “Really? So you don't drink water normally? Through the mouth?” she asked, gesturing to her pink lips. Nicolas furrowed his brow, staring intently at her mouth. Feeling uncomfortable, Juliette shifted. Her gaze fell to the water and her tail once more. “I apologize if I have offended you,” she muttered quietly.

“You are....” he waved his hand around, trying to find the right word to describe the teenager before him. She was oblivious. She was frustrating. She was incomprehensible. “Do you know nothing of the world? Do I look like I eat and drink a different way?” Nicolas was annoyed that she could figure these things out just by looking at him. But seemingly, she didn't.

Her eyes scanned over his form, taking it in once more. Analyzing every muscle and curve of his body before realizing he was exactly like a human except for the color and the tail. For eating and drinking, he was human. He didn't appear to have any other way of getting food or liquid into him. Besides the tail taking in much needed water.

“Are you always like this?” Nicolas asked, curious and frustrated. “This oblivious?” Juliette never considered herself oblivious. She thought she was very good at picking details out. But apparently, she wasn't as good as she thought.

The mermaid shrugged her shoulders, not knowing if she was or not. No one ever pointed it out before; not that there was anyone to do so. Nicolas grasped the glass, prying it from her hands. He pulled himself closer to a small table at the far wall. On it was a pitcher full of the clearest water she had ever seen. Even the water back home wasn't that clear. It was like glass with no imperfections.

He poured a good amount, but not even half full before coming back to her side. Handing it over, she drank it greedily. Her body was craving water. It was like she couldn't get enough of it. “You were dehydrated and exhausted,” Nicolas stated before she could even think of the question to ask.

Juliette sighed. She knew it was her fault. If she didn't follow that man, everything would be normal. She would be at home, trying to be as invisible as possible. But I would never have learned about Solatium. Would I have this chance without doing that? She didn't know if she would have gone back to change what she did. At least not yet. Maybe in the future she would want to change what she did. But now, she didn't. It gave her a new chance at life.

“Nicolas,” Matt called. He appeared from around the corner, swimming with his head above the water. Juliette stared. It looked as if the water level was lowered. But she didn't know if that could be done. She didn't know a lot about technology. And she had proved that many times over. “I see she's awake.” His voice brought her back from her thoughts.

“Yes, Matt. She is awake,” Nicolas said sarcastically. “Did you bring any food?” Matt held up a bobbing sphere that the food was in. The younger man nodded before gesturing for the bodyguard to move toward him. This time he actually had on his usual garb that signified his status: a bodyguard. A belt with a short sword and a vest with an insignia, the royal symbol. An olive wreath with wings on each side and three stars within the wreath. The stars signified the status of whoever wore it. Three stars represented a bodyguard of the Primary's children. Two stars, the Secondary. One star, the Primary. If it was one star and a sword that meant the council.

Not that Juliette knew any of this. She just figured it meant something of a status, but she didn't know what.

Matt handed the sphere to Nicolas, staying back. He didn't know what think about Juliette. It seemed Nicolas knew her more than he was saying. The two of them were hiding something. They were hiding something big, but Matt didn't know what. He was going to find out though. He knew there were other societies like Solatium. There were about five more of the same size as well, but there were about half a dozen or more smaller ones. He was going to check up on her with the other societies. She could be a spy or someone that will ruin them. He had to know. He had to make sure.

The three of them were quiet. Nicolas had the food set out upon the table beside the pitcher of water. It appeared to be soup. The steam was curling from it up towards the ceiling. But Juliette wondered how they could make soup underwater. In fact, she wanted to know how they could cook underwater. It wasn't like they could use electricity or fire beneath the sea.

Nicolas picked up the bowl and moved carefully over to Juliette. She watched him. Questions whirled around in her head as he handed the bowl to her. It was broth mostly with a few soft noodles and sparse vegetables. “Eat. Erin said you needed something in your stomach before she sees you.” Nicolas gestured to the hot soup. Juliette glanced between the two men and the bowl, thinking. As she was thinking, she slowly ate.

She slurped the soup as she went. It was warm, and it warmed her on the inside. It felt so good. “Shall I go call the doctor?” Matt asked, glancing warily at Juliette. He did not want to leave Nicolas alone with her for long.

“No. I'll do it.” Matt nodded and moved to the side, letting Nicolas through. The heir dove into the water, leaving Juliette and Matt alone. Juliette finished her food, feeling much better than before. She glanced at Matt, noticing how he watched her every move, waiting for her to do something wrong.

Biting her lips, she turned to the far wall, looking at the sea. Fishes of all colors swam along in schools. They swam slow and then quickly. She watched the fishes until Matt cleared his throat, startling her. She forgot he was there. “You are not who you say you are,” he stated. “How does Nicolas really know you? Are you his secret lover? Admirer?”

She didn't what to say to him. Secret lover? An Admirer? She wasn't one of those. She was just a girl that cursed herself for stupid mistakes and her love of mermaids. That was what got her in this mess. Thinking about it more caused she start to tear up. Her hands gripped the bowl.

Matt looked at her surprised. She was crying, and he didn't know what to do. He was never good with crying girls. They made him uncomfortable. And then, he didn't know what she was crying about. Was it what I said? Matt had no idea. “Are...” he started, “are you alright?” She shook her head, ignoring him and berating herself more about what she did. Juliette couldn't believe she had been so stupid and gullible. That she actually believed the man would grant her wish. That it could be granted in the first place and that he knew it.

“Hello?” Matt tried, not getting an answer from the crying girl. She set the bowl on the table near the bed and curled up, bringing what would have been her knees to her chest and ducked her head. She couldn't hold it all back now. She had opened the floodgates.

Juliette sobbed, hiccuping the longer she went. Matt didn't know what to do. He looked around before coming to the realization that maybe he just has to give her a pat on the shoulder, a rub on the back. Something simple as that. Tentatively, the merman reached out and patted her shoulder awkwardly. But that signaled her clinging to him, crying into his chest. His whole body tensed up, not expecting it. His arms raised to his shoulders, not knowing where to put them. She cried and hiccuped against his chest. Slowly, Matt lowered himself against the bed, relaxing as he wrapped his arms around her. He was still uncomfortable, but she seemed to need someone to cry on—however annoying that was.

Slowly the crying stopped. She pushed off of his clothed chest, feeling the leather like material. Juliette lowered her hands into her lap, brushing her fingers against the skin. It felt smooth and nearly slimy. “So...” Matt started, not knowing what to say after a break down like that.

“I'm sorry,” she muttered, embarrassed she cried on him like that. Her cheeks were tinted pink as she glanced up at Matt. He waved it off, not wanted to cause her more stress than she was already experiencing.

The two sat there in silence after that. They had nothing to say or it was too awkward to. Luck was on their side for Nicolas came back at that moment.

He swam in, not looking at them before sitting down. “That took you long enough,” Matt said, suspicious of what Nicolas was doing. He was only going to call the doctor.

“I decided to get her myself rather than call.” Matt knew there was something more to it, but he didn't voice that opinion in front of Juliette. He still hadn't ruled out that she could be a spy. All he had to do was prove it.

Another person popped up, Erin. She glanced at the three before moving over to Juliette. The girl shied away, not knowing who this person was nor what she was going to do. The woman smiled warmly. “I'm the doctor. Erin Roth. I hear you had a bit of trouble.” Juliette wondered if Erin knew the truth. The truth about what happened to her. The knowing look said that she did. And that surprised Juliette. She didn't think Nicolas would tell anyone.

“I guess you could say that,” she mumbled.

“Well, let's see those wrists of yours.” Erin held out her hand, allowing Juliette to accept the contact. It had been so long since she had someone touch her with care. She was deprived of touch. And it was starting to show. She couldn't handle much in the way of touch. Anyone that touched her initiated a fear response. It activated her sympathetic nervous system—fight or flight.

Slowly, Juliette placed her left wrist into her hand, freezing it there. Erin noticed the tension in the girl's muscles and smiled, locking eyes with the scared girl. Hazel eyes locked with green. “I'm not here to hurt you, Miss Juliette.” Juliette glanced at her arm and then back up to Erin. The doctor continued to smile as she just held her hand, not moving, waiting for her to relax into her touch.

Fiber by fiber, her muscles relaxed and dropped her hand into Erin's. The woman gently grasped it. “Thank you.” Hearing that sent a thrill of pride into her heart, which surprised her. She didn't think a simple “thank you” would cause her to react like that. But it seemed so special to hear those words spoken to her so sincerely.

Erin slipped her fingers under the sides of the white bandage and pulled, snapped, it off. She gently handed the dirty piece back to Matt, knowing he knew what to do with it; incineration. They didn't know if she had any disease and not taking that chance, they would burn any bandage that touched her until they figured everything out. It was more of a precaution than anything because they had the ability treat just about any disease out there.

Matt moved over to the far wall, nearly slamming his hand against the glowing green button to open a hatch. It slipped to the right, allowing him to toss the bandage inside. He knew Juliette had one more, so he didn't close the hatch just yet. Erin turned to the bodyguard just as he got back to Nicolas' side. She handed him the other one. Matt didn't voice his thoughts as he swam back to the open hatched. Tossing the offending white thing with its partner, he pressed the green button once more. A hiss sounded and then a whoosh as condensed air forced the small circular platform up the tube and away.

Nicolas glanced at his bodyguard. He knew he was on edge. But this showed how much. Nicolas knew he would have to tell Matthew some time in the near future about Juliette. This was too big to not tell him. Especially with what happened with him in the past.

“Calm down,” Nicolas hissed. Matt turned to him and sighed. He knew he had to, but it was hard. He felt like he was missing something huge that the three of them knew. Matt felt that this secret was being kept from him for more than one reason. But what those reasons were, he did not know. “I can't have you scaring her now.” Matt furrowed his brow at Nicolas, wondering where this caring side came from. He rarely care for anyone besides family. Not like “I care you survive” sort of care, but one more profound than that. It was more of a “You have to live and stay close” sort of caring.

A light. An epiphany. Matt understood. Nicolas did care. He cared about Juliette more than he would express in words.

But the question was, “Why?”

The blue tailed merman snapped his head to his bodyguard, staring. At first he didn't understand what Matt was asking. It just was a question that could have a multitude of answers. Then it sunk in. Matt was asking why he cared about Juliette's welfare. Why did he take this newly changed mermaid under his wing? Why didn't he just leave her when he found her? All of those questions and more were wrapped up in a single word: why.

Nicolas didn't want to answer. Not yet. Not when he didn't really know the answer himself. Something was different about Juliette and he wanted to know more about her. She was a puzzle. A puzzle he was going to solve.

"I owe her," he said cryptically.