Beneath the Depths

Her hand lazily swirled the seaweed, drawing out patterns with it. It danced between her fingers, the silky texture fluttering against her skin. She flipped it, once, twice, following it's movements with her sea glass colored eyes. She liked it out here, behind the last coral reef barrier before the ocean opened up, cold and empty. It was a place off limits to the rest of the kingdom, but everyone knew it was better not to try and press the law on her. She had her flat boulder that she lazed on, hidden in the shadows of the brightly colored coral. It kept her far from everyone else, which was just the way they (and unbeknownst to them, she) liked it.

It was easier out here, in the wide open space. Nothing but her own thoughts and the sunbeams that filtered hazily through the water to keep her company. Sure, there was the occasional fish, but they didn't really want anything to do with her either. It was almost as if everything under the current could sense what she was hiding. There was a darkness in her, one that couldn't be explained or ignored. It showed in her hair, and it most certainly showed in her grin. Good thing she didn't smile often. In fact, ask anyone, and they would tell you they couldn't even remember a time when the young girl had even opened her mouth.

She didn't talk, and she most certainly didn't sing. Well, not that they knew of. That, paired with her haunting face haloed by hair that was darker that silt, kept them at bay. The only ones who wanted something to do with her were her parents, but they too had begun to waver off. It didn't bother her much, anyhow. She was a solitary creature. So, she took refuge, playing in the seaweed and singing quietly to herself. She loved to stretch her vocal cords, and would give anything to allow the sound to break free from her chest. But as much as she could want, she knew the dangers behind that. She had discovered what she really was long ago, and kept it locked within her own depths.

Her tail flicked, and she rose, growing tired of just lying there. The surface was calling to her. She floated upward for a second, before giving another flick. The dark purple scales glittered in the light as she moved towards it, her hair fanning out behind her. The different jewels she kept on her person winked and clinked against each other as her fingers cut through the water, aiding her tail's movement. The surface of the water laid just beyond her fingertips, and with a mighty gulp of water, she broke free.

And that's when she heard it.

As soon as the sound hit her ears, her teeth began to ache.
It was the sound of a man, quietly humming to himself as he went about his work. He was further from the shore than most of the humans usually went. The daring type, she presumed.
She flipped around, careful not to make any noise as her instincts took over. A tiny part of her begged to dunk back under the water, to hide from the human before he could see her. This part was beaten down by the predator. It had its sights set on a target, and wouldn't give up until it was clenched within its jaws.

She swam, mimicking a more human way of doing so. They were sloppy about it, and it nearly pained her to look so ungraceful. Her hands thumped against the water, diving in and resurfacing in a circular motion. She hated it, but it was the only way to properly hunt. She laid on her stomach and continued moving her arms, the same way she had seen the human girls near the shore do it. In no time at all, she was gently bumping against the side of the boat. It was but a simple sailboat with high sides, a gleaming white in the sunlight.

She quickly righted herself, making sure her bottom half was hidden by the water. She pushed out her chest a bit, push her hair back with a flick of her hand. An innocent look overtook her face as the man looked over the side of his vessel. He was attractive, she would give him that. Light auburn hair, framing a young face, with eyes the color of driftwood. Stubble lined his chin, and he looked a tad bit frazzled. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of her, eyes traveling down to her chest before quickly snapping back up. Typical sailor.

"Excuse me, sir?" she raising her voice a few octaves, trying to resemble that of a young human girl. "Do you think you could help me? I got caught in the riptide and have been trying to swim back to shore for what feels like hours."

"The riptide?" his head titled to the side in confusion, "I didn't see any warnings about that before I shoved out this morning."

"That's because it was coming from the other side of the shore. Strong, nasty thing. I'm not even sure how far it dragged me out. But I'm cold, and scared, and..." she began to blink rapidly, playing out her role for everything it was worth, "and just want to get home! My mother must be running frantic trying to find me." She gazed up at him, eyes wide and hopeful.

"Do you think you could find it in your heart to help me?" His expression softened, and she saw the switch cross his features. She was no longer just a pretty thing floating in the water, she was a damsel in distress.

"Of course I can, sweetie. Let me just grab a rope and I'll pull you up. I'll have you up here and safe in no time."

"Oh, thank you so much! I thought I was going to die out here!"

Her smile turned smug as a length of rope snaked its way down to her. She grabbed hold and looked back up to see the sailor staring down at her once more.

"Alright, I'm going to hold this steady and you just try and climb up. I'm going to try and pull you once you get out of the water enough. Got it?"

"Yes, I've got it." She tilted her head, grinning up at him. "Or should I say, I've got you?"

His confused expression quickly turned frightened as he took in the sharp rows of teeth that made up her smile. Poor thing didn't even get a chance to scream before she yanked on the rope, pulling him over the side of the boat and into the water. Her strength never failed to impress her. As he splashed in, she released the rope and pounced on him, dragging him behind her as she shot downward through the water once more.

He kicked and pulled, fighting against her just as they all did. But even the mightiest human couldn't survive without oxygen for long. She pinned him against the ocean floor, a puff of sand cushioning his body. His wide eyes stared up at her, and she knew his head must have been pounding from the pressure pushing against it. She wouldn't let him suffer for too much longer, she just wanted to see him thrash a bit more.

Her nails dug into his wrist as she leaned in close to him. She brushed her lips against his own, relishing in the feeling of the last bit of oxygen leaving his body through tiny bubbles that tickled her skin. She wanted to play with him just a bit more, but the pain shooting through her body reminded her that the time for games had passed. She moved her head, lips trailing along his jaw until she found the sweet spot.

And with that, she ripped out his jugular.