Chapter Text
The best part of the ocean in your opinion was the sound. Not the droning of a crowd on a busy beach but the steady roar of the waves. You swung your legs off the edge of the peer and were content to just take it in for a while.
A worn notebook sat beside you, weighed down by your shoes so the loose paper jammed inside wouldn't fly off in the wind. You didn't have any ideas to write at the moment but you were confident you'd think of something eventually. Probably.
The sun was out in full force and you mentally kicked yourself for not remembering sunscreen. You could already feel the sunburn forming on your shoulders but you were too lazy to go back and get it.
Instead, you peered back down past your feet to the water below. The peer stretched far away from the shore so you couldn't see the sandy bottom of the ocean. You contemplated, not for the first time, saying screw it and jumping in.
But alas, no swimsuit. Probably for the best considering you weren't a strong swimmer to begin with. You had little knowledge of ocean currents and didn't feel like getting a crash course first hand should you jump on in.
If was up to your mom she'd have forcibly sent you off with at least four pairs of floaties. She's become increasingly concerned over the past weeks, especially after you said you'd needed a break from it all.
But she'd needn't have worried. You could already feel the stress peeling off of you in layers. Going back to how things were was going to be rough but you put that out of your mind right now.
You looked back up and peered out at the waters. That stuff could wait.
Something caught your eye when you went to stand.
You squinted and raised your hand in a futile attempt to block out the sun. There was a jagged outcropping that seemed to be part of a cove/cave system that continued out to sea farther out in the water.
It was entirely too far to tell but you could swear there was someone sitting on one of the rocks. You couldn't see clearly but the constant movement that caught your eye seemed to be the person waving their arms around?
Were they trying to get your attention?
Your stomach bottomed out. Were they stuck there? Could the person swim?
Peering behind you you saw a few scattered tourists and a family or two. No lifeguards and certainly no boats for a prompt rescue.
Your lips pressed together in a thin line as you pulled out your phone. Calling 911 might not be the best option at the moment but it's probably the best chance of getting that person help.
You had the first one typed in when you glanced back up. The person seemed to realize they had your attention and tried to sit up straighter in their precarious position.
Then promptly slid off the side and into the water.
"Oh shit!" You gasped, fumbling with your phone. The slick screen slipped right out of your hands. You watched, slack-jawed, as your phone bounced off the pier and landed in the sea water with a splash.
"Oh come on!" You shrilly yelled.
You looked back up to see if the person was still in view but there was just the rocks and waves.
Spinning around you saw that the majority of people on the beach had moved farther down and away from you. By the time you ran to get someone it'd be too late. There's no guarantee they could even help.
With wide eyes you turned back towards the sea. If you squinted really hard you could see splashing in the waves as they struggled along. They had drifted closer to the cove and the jagged rocks of the shore.
As a last ditch effort, you took off at a sprint back down the peer. You kept glancing back to check that he person was still there. Occasionally you could see some splashes but it got harder as you put some distance between you and they slipped from view a few times.
You hit the sand running full pelt towards the cove. Damn running on sand sucked! Your speed suffered as you almost face planted a few times in your hurry.
There was only a small pause as you reached larger rocks instead of sand. It hurt like a bitch with no shoes but you ran as fast as you dared. Clambering up onto larger boulders you looked out to the ocean again.
You could see glimpses of the person more clearly now. He was a man with a shock of black hair from what you could tell. Any further analysis was impossible as he suddenly dipped back into the waves and stayed there.
Your stomach was in knots as you tried to hurry. The cove was formed in such a way that there wasn't an easy access point by just walking. You had to do a bit of climbing to get around to it and there was a ring of scattered rock formations poking out around it. The man disappeared just outside that ring.
You had to be careful as the rocks were slick and you had negative traction with bare feet. Taking big steps and hopping where you dared, you ventured out farther and farther along the rocks.
When you reached the point where the guy went under you were scraped and bruised from your haste. You squinted down at the water and leaned forward.
Looking back and forth, you cursed as you couldn't see jack in the dark water. With a huff, you untangled your jacket from around your waist and went to toss it aside. Hopefully your rescue attempt didn't end in both of you drowning.
When you looked back at the water you had to do a double take.
There he was, a few feet under the surface.
He peered up at you with an excited if not slightly apologetic expression. You dully noted he had warm brown eyes and a wide grin as he went to rub the back of the neck like he was nervous.
Well, he was probably nervous for good reason considering he didn't have any legs.
More accurately, he had a tail instead.
You couldn't quite see all of it, but curled underneath him was a striking red tail. The sunlight glittered off the scales like a disco ball as it moved back and forth. The scales also seemed to be clustered around his eyes and formed a half moon of glittery red around them.
This dude was a mermaid. Merman? Mer-something-that-shouldn't-exist!
This guy lured you out here, he clearly did. Oh god, he was going to eat you wasn't he? He'd wait till you fell in like a dumbass and drag you down until you couldn't tell which way was up. Or he could leap up and grab at you and expedite the process.
Slowly, so as not startle him into attacking, you took a step back. You didn't take your eyes off of the merman for a second. That proved to be a mistake.
You registered his eyes going wide with shock before your feet slipped out from under you. The fall was short and pain exploded in you back as you connected with sharp stone edges.
There was a split second of panic before you were in the water.
The salt stung at your eyes but you couldn't see much in the flurry of movement and the bubbles. Since you fell in mid-scream, water readily filled your lungs and your body involuntarily spasmed in an effort to go up. You felt your foot connect with something and hysterically noted that you just kicked a fucking merman. Hopefully in his face considering he was probably going to eat you shortly.
You tried to fight to the surface to alleviate the pain from your lungs. A strong pair of arms roped their way around your waist and thwarted your efforts. Despite your struggles, you could feel yourself being pulled downwards and toward the cove. The glittering sunlight was so close too!
Oh god, you were so screwed.