Pearl and Pale: The Mermaids

Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Pearl's POV

I sat on a large gray rock in the ocean watching the humans.
My yellow tail was slashing in the water as it hung over the large rock.
I have been watching the humans from a distance frequently. I found them fascinating, the way they ran and the way they swam. That was interesting. They kicked with two tails instead of one like me. But their tails were weaker than mine.
"Pearl, it's time to go," a voice said.
I looked beside me. My older sister Pisces was there.
Her orange-brown colored tail shimmered in the water below her. Her chocolate-brown hair was tied in a tight bun on her head. She had a white seashell clip on top of the bun.
"Okay," I said. I dove into the water.
Pisces and I swam side by side.
"It's interesting how they swim with their tails," I said.
"There called legs, and there ugly," Pisces ruddily replied. "Mom doesn't want you watching the humans anymore."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because, lots of people are swimming out far. They could see you, you don't know how far they could see," Pisces said.
Her tail began to move up and down more violently. She began to swim ahead of me.
"Hey Pisces!" I yelled out to her. "Slow down!"
"Stop seeing to humans and I will!" Pisces yelled back.
I moved my tail faster. I caught up to her. I was panting. Pisces was fast. Why did she have to be on the swim team?
Pisces tail moved faster and she sped ahead.
I pumped my tail and managed to get in front of her. I grabbed her shoulders and looked at her in the eyes.
Her sea green eyes were wide.
"Come on Pisces, don't be mad at me. Let's just go home and forget this whole thing, okay?" I said.
Pisces nodded.
We swam in silence until I saw coral houses lining the streets and in the distance I saw large coral skyscrapers and palaces.
Pisces and I quietly swam down the long street of the colorful coral-brick houses.
We went up to a purple coral house with a square shape. This was our house.
Pisces opened the door. We both swam inside.
My mom rushed towards us and gave Pisces and I a big hug.
"Mom, we were only gone for an hour," Pisces said as she laughed.
"I know," Mother said. "Come on! Dinners ready."
We all swam to the kitchen. The kitchen was only a coral table in the center and sea stone cabinets on the back wall.
Now, let me tell you about our dinner. Merpeople strictly eat a diet of only fish. Raw fish, that is. It tasted absolutely delicious.
A family was only allowed to have two fish a night. The parents got the head and the tail of the fish while the siblings got the inside.
Mermaids didn't eat with forks or knives or spoons. We only used knives to separate the tail and the inside.
Mother cut the head and the tail on to her plate and Pisces and I each grabbed a piece of fish for ourselves.
We ate I'm silence. The fish tasted really good today. It was mackerel.
"Pisces," my mom said. Pisces head perked up out of her plate of fish. My mom hesitated for a second to say anymore.
"Pearl, Pisces and I need to talk about some important things, I need you to go up in your room. Okay?" My mom said with a smile.
My tail flicked. What would mom need to talk about without me?
I nodded. "Okay."
I stood up and began to swim down the hallway.
I didn't want to go to my room. What ever mom and Pisces were talking about it had to be important. And if it was important it wouldn't hurt to let me in on the secret. Or at least try and get as much information as I can.
I swam down the hallway and faced the stairs. I didn't go up it though. I swam near the kitchen and had my back against the wall and I waited to listen to their conversation.
"Pisces, I think it's time you got married," my mom said.
Pisces shot up from the table. "What? No you can't do that!" Pisces yelled.
"Your sixteen now Pisces. King Neptune and I have started to look for husbands for you. We think Trench is right for you," my mother said.
King Neptune was the King of the merpeople race. He got to decide who gets to marry who with the mother of the child.
When Pisces and I were little, we used to joke around that King Neptune was more of a human dictator than a merman King.
"Now, I know you love James, but you have to let him go," my mother said calmly.
James didn't sound like a merman name. Who was he?
Pisces had a look of desperation on her face. "But I love him!" She cried tears came poring down her face. Mermaids had a special kind of tear that you could see in the water.
"Your going to have to...how does his kind put it? Oh yeah, break up the next time you see him."
Pisces looked like she was going to explode into tears.
"But-but."
"No buts," mom replied. "When is the next time you will be seeing him?"
"Tonight at ten o'clock. But-"
"No buts," mother said putting her finger on Pisces lips.
Mother turned around.
She was going to see me soon. I dashed under the table as she swam passed me, closely behind followed Pisces.