Life as a mermaid was certainly not easy despite what many may think. Zaira basked in the sun, her body bobbing in the water. She shaded her eyes with one hand, the other on her tanned stomach. It was her favourite pass time, watching the clouds. Even as her scales shriveled and threatened to fall away, she couldn't bring herself to return to the ocean below where her responsibilities waited. She released a worried sigh, feeling the weight on her shoulders. The Matriarch saw her as the perfect child, born with the voice of Gods, she could accomplish anything that was desired of her. But this, this was too much. It had been weeks, perhaps months, since the last boat had crossed into their territory and if it hadn't been for the pod's Malloran guardian, it wouldn't have been a problem. But Kat had to feed soon or else she would feast on a mermaid instead. Zaira never wanted Kat to join the pod, but it wasn't her choice to make. As the middle child of the Matriarch, she had no voice. Especially since the majority didn't mind the consequences of housing her.

Murder.

It was no secret that they had all grown jealous of the humans on land. They had everything they could ever want. They had a community they could trust. In a pod, you stay because you're blood, and no other pod would ever accept a mermaid abandoned by a previous pod. No matter how much any of them wanted to part, they couldn't. This was a truth Zaira had learned the hard way. Absentmindedly, she brushed her fingers over the ghastly scar across her abdomen, remembering the pain she'd felt when the shark had torn into her. If it hadn't been for the pod, she would have died alone, something she feared more than she would ever want to admit. Zaira was jealous of humans because of their freedom, but her jealousy remained just that and nothing more. It was a different story for the pod. Their jealousy twisted around them, clouding their judgment and blackening their hearts. They had no qualms with killing humans, in fact Zaira felt it was fair to say they enjoyed it.

Perhaps that was the one good thing that came out of her gift. She never had to drown a human, she simply had to bewitch the seas with her voice as her twin trapped the humans with her own.

This brought along yet another unpleasant responsibility and Zaira groaned in frustration. She angrily watched a boat shaped cloud pass overhead, lost in though. The Matriarch wanted Zaira to teach her twin sister Milla how to bewitch the ocean, even if it were something she could teach, she would never help the vile creature. Knowing Milla, the moment she learned how to conjure a wave she would send a tsunami to sweep the entire town into the ocean. Even worse is that none of the mermaids would condemn such actions.

Through the sensitive scales submerged in the water, she could feel the vibration of a motorized boat. It was distant so Zaira paid no mind, but as it drew near she began to worry. She shook it away, water splashing around her body and coating her mildly sunburned flesh. She tried instead to listen to the sound of the gulls, their argumentative squawks somehow comforting her.

Her body stiffened when she heard the first whistle. It was at a pitch far too high for any human to pick up, but Zaira knew it well. The boat had entered their territory.

Oh how her sisters must be rejoicing. Their first kill in such a long time. Already, she could hear them arguing about who would drown who and the thought of assisting them made her chest clench painfully. They were excited, but they waited patiently for Zaira to begin the hunt. And so, she did what was expected of her.

She swam quickly through the black water until she emerged a small distance from the fishing boat. She waited a moment. They were so close to the edge of their territory, she wanted to give them the chance to retreat, but they did no such thing. It must have been a father and his son. They spoke animatedly about things she probably wouldn't understand and she felt that sharp pang in her chest again.

Without delay this time, Zaira took a deep breath, her eyes closed as she felt peace overwhelm her. Then, she sang. Her voice came out sweetly, quietly at first, only causing a slight stir in the water around her but she gradually, picked up the pace of her song, quickly latching on to the strongest emotion she could feel.

Guilt.

It twisted within her, bubbled like a storm and the sky around her mimicked it, thunder rumbling violently as guilt turned to anger. The feelings merged together and the first tear fell as the sky opened up. Her song was loud now and the men could clearly hear it. The wind and waves provided a harmony and the thunder, a beat as Milla's voice finally joined her own. The mermaids swam excitedly beneath her, waiting for the first man to leap into the waves to pursue the enchanted voice, and finally, he did.

What came as a shock to her was the voice that followed.

"No!"

Zaira's song stopped abruptly, as though struck by lightning as she stared out at the single silhouette on the boat who was completely unaffected by Milla's song.

"That's..." impossible, she thought, unable to finish her sentence. The young man leapt into the water after the older as the storm around them dissipated.

As though possessed, Zaira dove after him, quickly catching sight of the young man. He tried to swim towards the other man who was now surrounded by mermaids. They dragged him deep into the sea, bubbles rising from their mouths as they cackled with glee. No one had noticed the young man yet and she found herself met with the most difficult decision she'd ever had to make.

Should she risk her life and save him?

She knew that if she didn't, she would regret it for the rest of her life. So with her decision made, she darted towards him, grasping him in her arms and continuing the way the two had come. He wasted his air trying to scream, but she couldn't hear him over the rushing water. She hoped none of the mermaids heard him. It didn't take long for him to fall unconscious and Zaira pushed herself to swim faster. If he drowned before she could save him then all would have been for naught.

Despite his loss of consciousness, he continued to tightly grip her biceps in fear, making it difficult to swim as fast as she wanted. Her muscles burned from exertion. To her relief, the sand drew near to her belly and she knew she had arrived at the abandoned beach. She struggled to hold him above water as she shuffled her body onto the hot sand, grimacing at the burning sensation on her sensitive scales but otherwise ignoring it. She pulled him up, hands under his armpits and his deadweight nearly crushed her. Rolling over, she observed his chest only to discover that he had stopped breathing.

In a panic, she tried to recall the one time she'd seen a human revive another. It was the time she had gotten too close to the shore and she happened to witness it. She carefully placed her hands on his chest and pushed, but was distraught when nothing happened. By the third time, his face had begun to turn purple. As a last attempt she took a deep breath and pressed to his, forcing air into his lungs.

He coughed and she jumped back in shock, stuck between staying to ensure his safety and fleeing as fast and far as possible. She chose the former, cautiously leaning over him as his eyes slowly opened. They were unfocused and he seemed confused at first but he opened his mouth and managed to choke out a word.

"M-mermaid..." He coughed again as he attempted to sit up, but she pressed a hand to his shoulder and forced him down. There was no point in denying it after he'd clearly seen her.

"Yes. I am, but you can't tell anyone of what you've seen today. If you know what's good for you then never return to the sea." Zaira was shocked at herself. It was perhaps the most she'd ever willingly spoken to another. "I saved you once, I don't know if I can a second time." She brushed away the hair on his tanned forehead gently, sending a soft smile to him as his eyelids fluttered before falling shut. "If we're lucky, we'll never meet again." She whispered to herself as she struggled to pull herself back into the water. She wasn't worried about him. Someone would see him there and take care of him.

She only hoped that he didn't return to exact revenge against the pod. She would understand if he did, but he would surely perish. Now wasn't the time to think about that though. She was in far more danger now than the human was.

She took a deep breath before diving beneath the waves.