Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

forget to take off your boots!” Mom barked from the kitchen. “And take your swim bag with you to your room—hang up your towel and suit too.”
    What am I, like five? With an eye roll, I kicked off my shoes as instructed and trudged towards my room. Yes, I’d forgotten to remove them, but the formal speaking of my name wasn’t necessary. “Did you forget I didn’t have practice today? And call me Ash,” I said under my breath.
    Mom poked her head around the corner and grabbed my arm, stopping me. I scowled while she put some of my stray hairs back into place behind my ear. “Your name is beautiful and you should be proud of it. It honors Grandpa, God rest his soul.”
    My middle name was after my late Grandpa Frances, or Frank for short. I used to like it until Mom said it every chance she got. I quickly turned towards the stairs to escape, knowing a probing conversation brewed on the tip of her tongue.
    “ You’re home early. Is everything okay?” she asked behind me as I took the stairs by twos.
    “ Perfect,” I grunted.
    “ Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes—”
    I closed my bedroom door so I couldn’t hear anything else and slumped down on my bed. Fin had flirted with me in the past, but that was—what was that? Was he about to kiss me and chickened out? Or did I read his signals wrong?
    My cheeks burned remembering my willing response—hanging my lips out there, ready to be kissed. And just when I thought I had a grasp on the situation, he’d do something like this to my emotions. Hot or cold—never easy for me to read.
    “ Oooh,” I grunted, grabbing an innocent pillow and chucking it across the room.
    I went to my window and looked toward their house. Trees blocked most of it from view, but his Jeep was visible enough. The sight of it rolled my stomach over. How one guy could be so adorable yet so frustrating irked me to no end.
    If it weren’t for the fact that I’d lose my best friend, moving away seemed ideal.

4
FIN

    With a pop, gills opened behind my ears, allowing me to breathe as water rippled across my scale-covered skin. With a final exhale, I pushed out the last of the oxygen, lessening the resistance as we leisurely dove further into the inky depths towards the secret tunnel 1,600 feet down. Gel lenses slipped down over my eyes like goggles, enhancing my night vision and clarity. Our dive—easy for us to traverse—would be impossible for humans without some expensive equipment. Our mer bodies were unaffected by the glacial water and tremendous pressure.
    Tatch swam alongside me; her worried thoughts met mine. “Are we getting relocated?”
    I smirked, trying to keep our internal conversation from gaining mom’s attention. Mer twins often had mind-talking abilities. “Stop overreacting. If whatever Azor asks is going to move us away from here, Dad will decline like last time. Maybe he has to go somewhere and I’ll get to guard Tahoe in his place.”
    “ You? Why would they pick you?” She clutched her charm bracelet that held her most prized possession—a tiny vial filled with a blue colored liquid—the essence of our life.
    “ I’d be the most logical choice,” I said indignantly.
    “ Yeah, right. First of all you’re not old enough and second, you’re single.”
    “ Nothing but technicalities.”
    Though the prospect of a bigger assignment when I got older was tempting, following in my father’s footsteps and freedom apart from the colony appealed to me more. I just needed a chance to prove myself.
    Tatch turned towards me, tilting her head. “You could come with me and Ash to college you know.”
    Tatch’s response bitterly sliced through my excitement; I spouted out with internal laughter. “Ridiculous.”
    She looked downward towards our destination. “No. What’s ridiculous is how they make it seem like you control your destiny when you don’t. This huge honor is just a disguise for a huge crap sandwich. Your life will always belong to the King and the rest of the Council. Luckily, Dad has groomed you specifically for this territory by setting up Captain Jack’s, giving you some sort of freedom. But you’ll still be owned by them and at any time, like now, they could take it from you. You know it and so do I.”
    “ Have you forgotten Dad is actually on the Council? He’d never let that happen.”
    We looked at each other for a moment—my twin, my little sister by five minutes. If she actually chose to leave us, to go to college and