Luna

I am forced to sit up against the bars of the rail that runs around the tiny platform. I cannot help but wince as the movement causes pain to shoot down my tail. I do not know how long it has been since they opened it up, a few days probably. Whatever chemicals they give me forces me to heal fast and without scarring, but I think it makes it more painful. I glance at my tail sadly. A large line of pale, thin skin runs down the length of it where my scales were cut, the broken pieces plucked off. I wonder how long it will take for them to grow back.

The man who brought me up here returns with some more equipment that he sets down. His attention returns back to me. I attempt to give him a defiant stare, but when he grabs a fistful of my hair and tugs, I quickly wind up cowering. My head is forced back and a hand is placed under my chin. The man’s fingers push against my cheeks harshly, forcing me to open my mouth to reduce the pain. I try to pull against him, but his grip is firm and unyielding. I watch him pick up a very long clear tube. He sticks the end into my mouth and I begin to struggle. I hate it when they do this. He pushes it in further and I begin to choke on it. I cough and try to pull away, but my face is still trapped in his grip. He does not speak or even look at me as he pushes it further down my throat. I can see the little black line on the tube. He will not stop pushing it in until that line is past my lips. In the last few seconds, I give in and attempt to swallow. The tube slips down my throat and the man stops feeding it through. I try not to be sick and breathe sharply through my nose. The length of tubbing is wrapped behind my ear and released. He then sticks it to my face with lots of sticky material. I watch him hook the tube up to a device and then he drops cut up pieces of fish into the opening on the top. There’s a grinding noise and then a mush begins to flow through the tube and into me.

I do not understand why I need this. I can eat just fine on my own. It is not as if they cut open my mouth, or throat, or belly. I am left alone as the man begins putting together the net sling. Two metal poles hold a sling of soft ropes in place. He attaches it to the tank and drops in into the water. I am place inside and strapped down, before left.

I glance around, looking for Katie. I spot her in the other tank. She is curled up and asleep. It must be very late or very early. Her nose scrunches up and she shifts in her sleep. I long for her to wake up and notice me. I have missed her and I want to hear her voice. She makes me happy. I wish I could call out to her.

I shift slightly and wince as the chain around my neck gets caught in the ropes. I tug it free and bring my fingers up to touch it. I hate it very much. It is tight and itchy and just another way for him to hurt me. Katie has one too and I begin to wonder if our fangs would be strong enough to cut through them. I watch her shift in her sleep again. Suddenly she sits up and glances around. When she sees me, her eyes widen and she darts towards me.

“Luna,” she says, her fingers lacing themselves between the ropes. “Are you okay?” She presses her forehead against mine. “I'm sorry, Luna, I wanted to protect you, I tried. It-”

I slip a hand through the sling to put my finger against her mouth. I shake my head. ‘I know.’

“It wasn’t enough.”

‘You could not stopped it. Not fault,’ I tell her, wishing my sentences were not so broken. ‘Thank you… for trying. It means lot. No one try help me before.’

Katie smiles and nods. She reaches through the mesh of the sling and runs her fingers through my hair. “I'm always going to try and stand up for you,” she promises. She frowns and taps on the hose in my mouth. “What’s this?”

‘Food,’ I tell her. ‘No know why need though.’ She swims around and examines the sling.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, I get the sling, to help keep you from swimming and irritating the wound on your tail, but it’s not like they touched your stomach or throat or anything that would prevent you from eating on your own… However, I wonder if they’ve done it so that you aren’t twisting and turning to try to eat in that thing. This way, you don’t need to move,” she guesses.

I snort. I still hate it.

“I'm sure they’ll take it out and release you once your tail heals,” Katie says. “Can I see it?”

I nod my head. ‘No can move tail though,’ I reply. My tail is still strapped down in the sling and I can’t move it. Katie dips down and swims underneath me. She does not touch my injury, but I can feel her fingers ghosting over the scales near it.

“It doesn’t look too bad,” she comments. “Irritated and sore, yes, but everything seems closed up and healing. Your scales are probably going to grow back soon. Jenny said that the exhibit opens next week, I wonder if it will be fully healed by then. They probably won’t put you in there still injured and they won’t want to wait either. Do mermaids tend to heal quickly?” She asks.

I shrug. How should I know, they could just give me chemicals that would force me to heal. That would make sense. I stare at Katie, hating my limited current communication skills. There are so many things I want to tell her and teach her too. She is not human anymore, yet she still acts like it and I want to teach her to be more Mer-like. That is the other thing. I have no idea how to get her to stop calling us mermaids. The human term is wrong. We are just Mer. And I feel like she should know more, or at least the little bit that I do remember, since it does not look like the process is reversible.

“Well, hopefully you do, that way you won’t be in pain for too long. Does it hurt very badly?” She hesitates on the question.

I frown, but shake my head. It was definitely painful when it happened, but I have been through much worse so it does not seem so bad to me. ‘Not too much,’ I tell her. ‘Teach me?’ I request. I want something to do and expanding my vocabulary seems like a good way to pass some time.

Katie smiles and nods in agreement.

“Do you think that you’ve got all that?” Katie inquires. I nod. My head is swimming with new signs, but I think I can remember them all.

‘Yes, I think I have most of them,’ I agree.

“You’re getting a lot better,” Katie says. “Your sentences are far less choppy and you’re getting faster too.” Then her belly rumbles and she blushes. “I wonder what time it is,” she murmurs. “I'm getting hungry.”

‘Why do you talk to her?’ I ask.

“Who, Jenny?” I nod.

Katie shrugs. “Why wouldn’t I?”

‘She is-” I begin the recently learned sign for human, but stop.

“Human?” Katie finishes flatly.

‘I am sorry, I did not mean like that,’ I state. ‘I did not mean to upset you. You are my best friend, not a bad person.’

“I know what you meant,” Katie sighs. “You meant because she works here, right?” I nod my head. “Luna, where someone works is just like what species they are; it doesn’t define who they are. Just because Jenny works here, doesn’t make her a bad person. Dr. Patron and Dr. Auldon and many others here are cruel people, but it isn't because they work here; it’s because of the choices they make. Jenny is just following orders. She’s nice and I like her. That’s why I talk to her.” I nod my head slowly. It makes sense. I guess I have just come to think of most humans, especially the ones here, as bad. It is all I have ever known them to be. Except for Katie, of course. I think I would have liked her even if she was still human.

‘Do not tell her, okay?’

“Tell her what?”

‘About this.’

“Sign language, why not?”

‘Less they know, better,’ I state. ‘They should not know you can speak other way and I do not want them to know that I can understand. They just use to hurt.’

“Alright,” Katie agrees. “I won't say anything.” She squeezes my hand.

I chew the inside of my lip. ‘If you never turn,’ I tap her scales. ‘If you just come here. Would you still have want to be my friend?’

Katie pauses for a moment. “To be honest, if they hadn’t brought me here, I likely wouldn’t have known about this place, I live on the other side of the world. I suppose if they still opened the exhibit, I may have eventually come, but even then, I doubt I’d have been able to actually meet you. Though I likely would still want to. But I can tell you that even if I woke up tomorrow with my legs back, I would never just leave you. I would still stay here and try to do everything I could to get you out of here,” she replies. “I don’t know what it would be like if things were different, but I’m glad I met you. There are many things that I regret and hate about this situation. The people who did this and even the tail for example, but meeting you isn’t one of those things. You do understand that, right?”

I nod. ‘I glad that you are here, too. Been lonely by myself.’ I jump at the sound of a door. It isn’t long before that Jenny woman comes into view. She climbs the steps to the platform and I feel her shadow fall over me. I shiver. Despite Katie’s words, I cannot help but feel exposed and helpless in the sling that keeps me within arm’s reach of the surface. Katie glances up and flicks her fin gently to propel herself to the surface. I twist in an attempt to roll over. I want to be able to see what is going on, just in case. Katie glances at me and leans over to undo the strap holding my tail down.

“Just be careful,” she whispers.

“Hey! Don’t undo that!” The woman exclaims. I shift slowly onto my back and watch them from below the water. “She’s strapped in so she doesn’t make her injuries worse.”

“She’s okay,” Katie replies, her voice soft. “Don’t worry; I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Part of me wants to be offended, I don’t need to be watched over, but I know she’s also covering for me. I asked her not to say anything and she isn't.

“Alright,” Jenny caves. “Just make sure she’s careful, okay?”

“Did you bring food?” Katie ignores the woman’s statement.

“Yes,” Jenny laughs.

“What did you bring?”

“What do you think I brought?”

Katie groans and lets her head fall forward. “I am so sick of fish,” she exclaims. “What I wouldn’t give for a hamburger and chips, or pizza, or cheesy taters…” Katie trails off.

“You're drooling,” Jenny comments.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry,” comes Katie’s sheepish reply.

“Sorry kid, fish it is,” Jenny states. Katie groans again. “You know that I would, but I'm not allowed to. Especially not after your actions the other day. I can’t believe you actually bit someone. You know Charles needed eleven stitches. They aren’t too happy with you at the moment.”

Katie’s fin swishes through the water near my face. “I was trying to protect her,” she whispers.

“Suzie has been here for many years. This isn't new for her. Getting yourself into trouble is stupid. I’m just glad that it didn’t screw up your gift.”

“What?” Katie asks.

“I’ve been discussing it with Dr. Auldon and the superintendent the past couple of days about it. You see, there’s some bad news.”

“Like?”

“Things didn’t work out the way either of us thought. Once the exhibit opens, my contact with you becomes greatly limited. My job is to make sure you’re both fed, but there’s a much more experienced handler that takes full charge of you two. He plans to train you to do an underwater show. So next week, Bailey becomes your only identity and pleasing crowds your only task. You grew up at a marine park, I'm sure you know how this works. Don’t upset them. They can do much worse than make you go hungry.”

Katie does not reply immediately. “All of this is so fast,” she finally says, her voice broken. “It’s too much.”

“That’s why I got them to agree to allow you to have one last act as Katie Waters.” I sit up and poke my head above the water enough to see them properly. Jenny hands Katie a white, fluffy piece of fabric. “Pull yourself out of the water and dry your arms and your hair if you can.”

Katie does not question the woman as she does what she is asked. The woman places three colorful pieces of thick paper on the floor beside Katie. My friend frowns as she scans them.

“These are birthday cards,” she says.

Jenny nods. “Yes. To go with this.”

She hands Katie a small box. Katie takes it and opens it. Her breath hitches and I hear her gasp. I lean forward slightly as she pulls out a chain. It looks similar to the one around our necks, but thinner, longer, and it’s a golden color. At the bottom is a small circle with a little silver dolphin hanging below it. There is some symbols carved into the front, but I cannot hope to understand what it means. But I know it means a lot because Katie’s hand shakes as she struggles, but manages to open the little gold oval. Inside is a very tiny image of two people. I don’t really recognize either of them though.

“I got the picture off of her Facebook page,” Jenny says. “It was the best one I could find. I hope it’s okay.”

“You did this?” Katie asks.

Jenny nods. “It seemed really important to you. I’m taking it to her personally, so I’m going to be gone a few days.”

“I thought she couldn’t know,” Katie says. “What are you going to tell her?”

“Most of your stuff was given to her when she was told about your death,” Jenny states. “Your camera and other stuff that had been loaded onto the boat. Everything except the backpack you were wearing at the time of the kidnapping. It didn’t have much, just your phone and some clothes. She’s been asking for it, but it was brought with you so they just told her that whoever hit you probably took it. Well now they’ve recovered it. I'm going to take it to her. Say that the gift was inside and addressed to her,” Jenny explains. She hands Katie a thin blue stick. “Pick whichever card you want, write anything you want. You just can’t write anything that would suggest where you are, what happened, or make it seem like you knew you were going to ‘die.’ Basically make it what you would say to her if you knew it was the last time you got to talk to her, but didn’t want her to know that.”

Katie nods. “Okay,” her voice is broken and tears are running down her cheeks. I can't tell if she’s crying because she is happy, sad, or both, but I move a little closer to her anyways.

“Katie, there is a condition to all of this,” Jenny states. “They agreed that I could do this as long as I made something clear to you. This is it. Within the next ten minutes or so, Katie ceases to exist. You need to forget about Katherine Waters and accept that you are now a mermaid and your name is Bailey. Do exactly what they tell you to do and nothing that they don’t. I have to make you promise before any of this can happen. No more lashing out, no matter what they decide for you or Suzie. You understand?”

Katie glances at me. We both know that this promise means she will not be able to protect me. Not that she could do more than try anyways. This is really important to her, I know that, and I am used to the cruel treatment anyways. I give her the tiniest of nods.

A small smile touches her tear-stained face. She turns back to Jenny and nods. “I understand and I promise.”

“Pick a card sweetheart,” is Jenny’s response. I watch Katie scan over her three options. She chooses the middle one, flips it open, presses her blue stick against the paper, and begins to write.

I can’t understand any of the neat, curvy symbols, but by the time Katie has finished, blue symbols coat almost every part of the card. She closes it. Jenny picks it up and flips it open. Katie makes a small noise of protest.

“I have to,” Jenny says. “I know it’s personal and I’m sorry, but you know that I have to. I’ll try to forget it okay?”

Katie rubs at her nose, but nods.

Jenny is silent as her eyes dart over whatever Katie put on the page. I’m curious, but I know I will never ask her. Jenny doesn’t comment either, just folds up the card, sticks it into a closed paper holder of some kind and hands it back to Katie. She takes it and writes a few symbols on the front, then closes off the holder. Jenny puts the little box and the card into a small, colorful bag. She squeezes Katie’s arm gently before standing and leaving without a word.

As soon as she’s gone, a sob escapes Katie. She hugs her shoulders and begins to cry very hard. I ignore the pain in my tail and push myself up onto the deck so I can hug her. I'm not sure about most of what happened, but I know she just lost everything. I hug her tightly. It does not matter what they call her or decide for her. I do not care if she is Mer or human or both as she is. She is my very best friend. My sister. They can call her Bailey. Force her to do as they say. She wanted to protect me, and I know she will always try. Now I realize that I have to try to protect her too. So no matter what happens. She will always be Katie to me.