“So how old are you?” I ask. Luna glances up at me, sadness sparkling in her blue irises. She just shrugs. “Let me rephrase, how old were you when… you know.” She holds up six fingers. I feel my heart clench. No one should have gone through this alone, especially at such a young age. “Well the scientists said that you’ve been here for about six years,” I say. “So I guess that makes you twelve.”

She nods, but stares at her hands. I guess the information wouldn’t really make her happy, to know that she’s literally spent half her life here. I wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“It’ll be okay,” I tell her. “We’ll figure out a way out of here. No matter what it takes, okay?”

She meets my gazes and smiles a little, nodding her head.

“Now come on, let’s keep working on your signs. You’ve gotten much better. You’ll be fluent in no time at this rate,” I tell her. It’s true. I’ve been teaching her over the past three days and she’s a very fast learner, now capable of several sentences, questions, and responses. It helps that I give her different tasks and challenges with it. Yesterday I had her doing laps. After ten, I’d ask her a question and if she answered then I shaved five laps off her total, if she couldn’t then I added on five. I wore her out, but she got much better. Today I just settle for teaching her some new things, rather than having her memorize them.

‘I am…hungry?’ Her sign is hesitant as she tries to remember.

I nod. “Yeah, I'm getting hungry too. I wonder how far off dinner is.”

‘You got here, now I fed more often,’ Luna admits. Her grammar is bad and she’s missing some words, but I know she’ll get better with time.

“Dr. Patron doesn’t seem like he’s overly concerned with your well-being,” I reply.

Luna shakes her head. ‘He hurts badly.’

“How badly?” I ask.

“Bad. He… I do not know word,’ she breaks off to think, then slides a finger up her stomach. ‘Open.’

“He cuts you open?” I demand, showing her the proper signs.

She nods. ‘Yes. Cuts open. Hurts much.’

“You're awake? You can feel it?” She nods again. I pull her into a hug. “What he’s doing is wrong, you know that right? That it’s not okay and it’s not your fault, you don’t deserve that.”

‘Sometimes my fault,’ she replies. ‘If fight back, make mad and hurt more.’

I shake my head. “Luna, look at me. You have every right to fight back against them. They should not be allowed to do that to you. Dr. Patron is a sick, twisted man and I will find a way to get you away from here, away from everyone who’s hurting you. I promise I'll never stop trying, okay?”

She nods. ‘I know. I glad you here. Glad met you.”

“I'm glad I met you too. How about we play a game?” I offer. Luna nods in agreement. “Okay, so we are going to play…” I break off and glance around the tank. She’d kill me in tag, being so much faster. Then I get an idea. I head to the surface and rummage around in the basket of toys until I find what I'm looking for. Dangling from a thin, yellow rope is a plastic whistle in the shape of a conch shell. I dive back down and hand it to her. “Put this on and we’ll play Marco Polo,” I decide. She tilts her head at me. “Marco Polo is like tag,” I tell her. Her eyes light up, she likes that game. “Except a little different. Whoever is ‘it’ closes their eyes when they’re chasing the other person. To help them find the person they’re trying to tag, the person who is ‘it’ will call out ‘Marco!’ and the other person is supposed to reply with ‘Polo’ so that the seeker can follow their voice. You can call ‘Marco’ as often as you want. In your case, blow the whistle okay?”

She nods enthusiastically and pulls the whistle over her head.

“Okay, do you want to be it first? Or do you want me too?”

She taps a finger to her chin, then points to herself. ‘I will.’

“Alright. Close your eyes, count to ten,” I order. “And be careful not to smack into the glass.” The second that her eyes close, I turn and swim away from her. I choose a corner in the other tank and hover in it. I hear the whistle a few seconds later and call out my reply.

When she gets close, I dart underneath her and swim away. However, she quickly gets good and it isn’t long before our roles are reversed.

Suddenly her whistle sounds in a very shrill pitch. She’s been much softer with it and I didn’t even call out yet. Worried, I open my eyes and glance around. Luna is near the surface, her tail most of the way out of the water and her eyes wide with panic.

I’m by her side in seconds. There are two men, whom I don’t recognize, on the platform struggling to hold Luna’s tail down and haul her out of the water. I grab both her arms and pull back with all my strength. The fear in Luna’s eyes makes me fight even harder. What do they want?

A thick wooden pole is dipped into the water and jabbed towards me. It smacks against my collarbone, slightly winding me, and pushes me back. The moment my grip slackens, they’re able to pull Luna from the water. I don’t bother wasting time thinking or planning as I throw myself out of the water and at the closest person I can get to. I land on his back and sink my fangs into his muscular shoulder. He hollars in pain and attempts to shake me off. I wrap my tail around his waist, squeeze, and bite down harder on his vile tasting shoulder. I growl low in my throat as I do. The other man is holding Luna down and shouting, but I'm too focused on my task to bother with processing his words.

The pain is sharp as I’m hit at the base of my skull with something hard. Dazed, I fall from the person’s back and hit the concrete of the platform with a painful thud. My vision blurs for a few seconds before I try to shake off the dizzy feeling and push myself up. A foot is planted in the middle of my still bruised spine, forcing me back down against the floor. I lash my tail and hiss angrily.

“This isn't easy,” one of the men complains. “Trying to get two of them out of a giant tank like this.”

“Luckily, that’s why we did it, to make things easier. Dr. Auldon states. He kneels down into my line of sight. “You’re becoming quite the troublemaker.” I curl my lip and snarl at him. Reason, and quite possibly intelligence have gone out the window and until Luna is safely back in the water; I doubt either of them are coming back. “Maybe this will curb some of that attitude.” He pulls out a small silver chain and holds it up for me to see. It’s very short and doesn’t look like it would fit around my neck, but the silver plate with the name Bailey engraved into it tells me it’s mine. He clasps it around my neck. There’s and intense heat that singes the back of my neck. “There, that clasp isn’t coming off any time soon,” Dr. Auldon says. I twist and attempt to touch it. It’s really tight and irritating against my skin.

I'm dragged further away from the edge of the platform and am allowed to sit up. Luna is practically thrown beside me. An identical chain is around her neck, the only difference is the engraving on the silver plate. Suzie. She begins to pull at it, an angry hiss leaving her.

“What, you don’t like your collar?” Dr. Auldon states. “And after we worked so hard to make them for you both. How ungrateful.” There’s a sparking noise and suddenly a painful rivet of electricity is shooting through my body, it causes my muscles to spasm at the sharp pain, and steals a scream from me. Luna’s fin smacks against the floor and I know she’s being shocked too. The shock fades as quickly as it comes and leaves me shaking on the floor. Luna doesn’t look so good either. “Maybe that will teach you two to be a little less temperamental and more cooperative from now on,” Dr. Auldon warns. “Bailey, better teach that lesson to your little friend. I don’t care how, but do it, or you’ll both feel the shock. Grab them.”

I'm picked up and roughly slung over the shoulder of one of the men. The other, that I bit, left earlier, so Luna gets to hang over this guy’s other shoulder. She bares her fangs and I'm close enough to hear the hiss building in her throat. I meet her gaze and shake my head. The hiss dies as she gives me a confused look. I shake my head again. I don’t want her to get into trouble and be shocked again. She goes limp and looks away, but I don’t miss the tears that begin to brim in her eyes. I get incredibly dizzy hanging over the man’s shoulder as he climbs, backwards, down the ladder, the floor getting closer. We’re dropped heavily onto side-by-side metal gurneys. Dr. Patron smiles at us, revealing his teeth. The sadistic gleam in his eyes makes me shudder. The man who carried us down wastes no time in strapping Luna down. Panic crosses her features and she begins to pull against the restraints. Her efforts are in vain because within seconds she’s strapped down tightly. Leather restraints run across her forehead, shoulders, wrists, elbows, hips, midway down her tail, and just before her fin. Her head is slightly turned so I'm able to see the defeated terror that gazes over her eyes as they water up. She’s not smiling now and my anger returns. She looks so pretty and innocent when she smiles, why are these vile creatures so determined to destroy that? I don’t know if it’s the new genetics and instincts in me, but I feel a much more primal rage settle over me. I growl, low in my throat and show the man my teeth... He hesitates.

“Do I have to restrain this one too?” He asks, uncertainty in his voice. It nearly brings a smile to my face. “What do we even need her for?”

“Nothing,” Dr. Patron shrugs indifferently. “I want her to watch. Now lie her on her stomach and strap her down, just once across the tail will do.”

The man approaches me and I glower at him, silently fuming. I eye the slight distance between my gurney and Luna’s wondering if I could successfully make the jump without hurting her. My distraction gives the man time to get behind me. Suddenly his hand is grabbing my hair and tearing my head back so he can flip me and strap me down. I struggle and buck against him. His hand slides on my tail and he curses. Probably cut himself. Good. Still, I'm at a disadvantage and he manages to pin my tail beneath a restraint, leaving me relatively mobile, but still secured down.

Then we're moving. Dr. Patron is pushing Luna’s gurney, which remains side-by-side with mine. I meet her gaze, but I don’t think she can see me. Her fin quivers, the tips curling with distress. Her fingers dig into the side of the gurney, her nails scratching. Upon closer inspection I notice several sets of scratches all along the rim of the gurney that is slightly too small for her as it is. The bloodstains are more prominent too. Fear and anger consume me. I know where we're going, what they are going to do to her, what they are going to make me watch. Most importantly, what they are going to make her endure. She knows already. I can see it in her eyes.

The room has grey stone walls, but harsh florescent lights. It smells strongly of disinfectant in here, enough to make me gag. Luna is pushed into the middle of the room, while my table is put against the one wall; close enough to see everything, but far enough away that I can’t interfere. A small cart is wheeled over; several different surgical tools are laid out on it. I chew the inside of my cheek and strain against the restraints. I'm so sorry Luna, I should never have suggested a game that involved closed eyes. I should have known better, I could have prevented it. I watch Dr. Patron slip on a pair of plastic gloves. He presses two fingers into Luna’s stomach, traces some invisible scar. “What do you think, Thomas? Should this be our opening point?”

The other man peers over Dr. Patron’s shoulder. “Hmm. What if we go lower? We haven’t spent much time looking at the tail because of how difficult it is to slice through the scales, but that new blade came in. We’ve been promised it will do the job. Why not slit the tail from waist to tip and get a proper look inside? It would be good for the records before we no longer can. You know what it will be like once the public gets their claws into these two; it’ll be all about the pretty mermaids and their well-being.”

Dr. Patron nods. “Yes that seems like a sufficient use of our time. Prep the sawblades, will you?” Thomas nods and walks off, but I don’t bother paying attention to him for long. Dr. Patron picks up a thin scalpel and twirls it between his fingers before placing it flat on Luna’s stomach. I see her stiffen, fear coating her eyes. “Ah, yes, you remember this. Not today my little demon, but you’ll feel its edge again soon, that I promise you.” He picks the scalpel back up and gently traces the point over Luna’s stomach, up her arm, and over her neck. He doesn’t pierce the skin, simply torments her with it. I growl and his head whips around to stare at me. “What? You don’t like it, well what are you going to do about it?” He grabs my chin, forces me to meet his gaze. “You’re so untouched, while she’s full of hidden scars, hardly fair is it?” He presses the blade against the side of my face, allows it to cut through my skin and deeper into the flesh below. I wince and pull away from him. My blood coats the end of the knife. He pats my head. “Oh, don’t worry; I’m careful not to let it scar visibly. I just want it to hurt.” His hand moves swiftly, I don’t register it until my head is snapping to the side. “Don’t cross me. You’ll learn that quickly,” he threatens.

“Dr. Patron, it’s ready,” Thomas says.

“Excellent,” Dr. Patron says. I watch as Thomas wheels over what looks like a miniature crane or portable x-ray machine. Except instead of the weird box on the end that takes the pictures, there’s a circular blade. It’s smooth like a giant pizza cutter, with the occasional tiny nick it. With a flip of a switch the blade begins to spin, rapidly, but silently. Luna’s eyes widen and she begins to struggle again with renewed vigour. I struggle to. If I can slip my tail free maybe I can get to her and try to do something to stop this. Unfortunately all I can too is watch as the blade is lowered. It slices easily through her scales, a few broken pieces fly into the air, sapphire shards that were meant to protect, not to be severed. The process is painful, I can tell by her face. Her eyes are squeezed shut, her nose wrinkled, and her lips parted in a silent cry. Her fingers are clenched and if she weren’t held down, she’d likely be trying to jerk away. When the blade stops spinning, there’s a clean cut all the down her tail and it’s bleeding profusely. I turn away, unable to watch after they begin to stretch the incision. I can hear her nails scratching at the sides of the gurney and her teeth grinding against the pain. I start to feel sick. She’s not even a teenager yet, this shouldn’t be her life. This shouldn’t have been her life for the past six years. Tears water in my eyes. I’d take her place if they’d let me, but speaking would only get me into trouble and Dr. Auldon made it clear that he didn’t want Dr. Patron cutting me open. Something I'm grateful for, I just wish Luna could have the same curtesy.

When I finally do glance up again, Thomas is in the middle of closing and binding Luna’s tail. Luna’s eyes are glassy and faraway, and I doubt she’s actually seeing anything right now. I wish I could reach her, hold her hand or hug her, and tell her it’s going to be okay. Offer her any comfort that I can. Once his task is finished, Thomas pushes Luna’s gurney out the door.

“Where is he taking her?” I demand. Electricity crackles through the collar around my neck and I cry out.

“Be quiet! It’s none of your concern,” Dr. Patron shouts. He grabs the handle of the gurney and pushes it swiftly down the hall and back to the room with the tanks. He leaves me there.

It’s Jenny that comes running up to me. I glance around.

“Where is she?” I ask. Jenny unbuckles the restraint on my tail and picks me up, but she doesn’t answer. “Where?” I repeat. Jenny meets my gaze.

“I don’t know, sweetie, they didn’t bring her in and I'm not scheduled to feed her for the next few days so I don’t think she’s coming back tonight,” she explains. “Now hold on tight.” She begins to climb the ladder.

“No,” I argue. “Stop, don’t take me up here, take me to her, I have to stay with her. Someone has to,” I can feel myself growing frantic. “No one there cares about her, she shouldn’t be alone. Jenny please!” I start to squirm, desperate to go back down. Jenny grabs me with one arm and pulls herself up the last rung and onto the platform.

“Calm down!” She exclaims. “She’ll be fine. They aren’t going to kill her or anything. The exhibit opens next week. Just try to get some sleep okay? You shouldn’t have had to go in there. Relax and go to sleep. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong and they’re bringing her back tonight.” She doesn’t wait for a response before she pitches me into the water. By the time I surface, she’s descended part way down the ladder. She pauses to closes and lock a thick wooden gate, dashing my hopes of attempting to follow her; not that I could have with my tail anyways.

I sink down to the bottom of the tank and lie down. I’ve gotten used to her being right beside me at night and can’t get comfortable now. I clench my hands into fists and sob. I wanted to protect her, make her feel safer, yet all I’ve done is let her down. I curl into a tight ball and drift into a fitful and broken slumber.