#prb2019

“I should have never agreed to this. I should have just stayed home when I had the chance.”

Annoyed, Daisy rolls her eyes as Penelope complains for the millionth time. They’ve only been stuck alone together for thirty minutes, but with the amount of whining Penelope has done, to Daisy, it feels like they’ve been trapped in this jungle for an eternity.

“Penelope... If you complain one more time, I swear, it won’t be the dinosaurs you have to worry about!” Daisy warns, glaring at Penelope, who responds with a frown.

“Are you threatening me, Ms. Howell?”

Daisy sighs. “Seriously? You’re still calling me by my last name? We’ve known each other for ten years,”

“Well, considering you’re practically my arch nemesis in this job, yeah,” Penelope nods.

“Arch nemesis? I think you’re taking it a bit too far now,” Daisy scoffs in response, shaking her head.

“Ask anyone who knows us. They’ll tell you the same thing."

“Oh, whatever. Just be quiet. We’re trying to hide from dinosaurs. Specifically, a t-rex,” Daisy seethes. “Unless you want your head chewed off, then by all means, keep talking.”

“You’re in a mood today,” Penelope mutters.

“Well, you’re not the only one suddenly wishing they had stayed home!” Daisy cries.

Suddenly, the ground begins to rumble. Leaves shake and nearby animals scatter as the all-too-familiar sound of loud footsteps and roaring echoes throughout the forest. Adrenaline shoots through Daisy’s body. She looks over at Penelope, who stands frozen in shock, having the exact same realisation as she. 

“Fuck. Penelope, we have got to get out of here.”

Poking her head out from the bush they’ve been hiding behind, Daisy gasps when she sees a Tyrannosaurus Rex heading directly towards them.

“Now! Let’s go!”

“Go where?” Penelope shrieks with panic when Daisy grabs a hold of her wrist tightly.

“Look, Penelope, I don’t know! We’ll figure it out along the way!” the brunette exclaims, yanking the frightened woman in the opposite direction of the T-Rex. Frankly, she has absolutely no idea how they’re going to get away from this terrifying situation, but one thing she’s certain of is she’s not giving up without a fight. She’s too young to die, and she still has so many hopes and dreams she wants to conquer.

All Daisy wanted was a nice trip to Isla Nublar, with a group of co-workers, Penelope being included, and check out Jurassic World that was meant to be opening next year. They were here for an advisory trip. Nothing more, and nothing less. And yet somehow dinosaurs escaped from containment, and now Daisy is running for her life with someone she considers to be an enemy. 

She and Penelope Lester have never gotten along - always one-upping each other whenever they got the chance to, calling each other silly and childish names whenever they were near one another. And now, somehow, Daisy finds herself running for her life from a posse of escaped dinosaurs with no one else but Penelope fucking Lester; her number one competition, little miss goody two-shoes, the face of an absolute angel…wait a minute- what?

Daisy quickly shakes her head, pushing those thoughts away. Now isn’t the time for that.

“We’ve been trying to get back to the park for like thirty minutes!” Penelope whines.

“I know that, genius, but we have to keep trying, alright?” Daisy groans in response. “I mean, we can’t be the only ones out here in the middle of the jungle running for our bloody lives!”

“Well no, of course not. The other girls must be out here somewhere as well. Honestly, whoever thought that it was a good idea to have our group split up is an idiot.”

Daisy snorts. “I’m telling Louise you called her an idiot.”

“Howell!” Penelope shouts, glaring back at her enemy. As she does so, her eyes widen as they land on something much, much worse than Daisy Howell; a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Chasing after the two women. She screams, and starts running even faster.

Daisy is unable to stop herself from bursting into laughter at Penelope’s reaction. “What the hell, Lester? Did you forget we were being chased by a bloody dinosaur?”

“No, shut up! I just haven't looked at her yet!” Penelope cries.

“Keep running!”

After a few minutes of constant sprinting, Daisy and Penelope find themselves standing on the edge of a waterfall. The T-Rex is right behind them. They can both hear the rumbling of the ground.

“Now what the hell are we supposed to do here?” Penelope asks with panic, glancing back.

“Obviously we’re supposed to jump if we want to outrun the dinosaur,” Daisy replies, trying to catch her breath from all the exercise. She looks over and rolls her eyes when she sees Penelope’s eyes widen for the second time. “Oh, come on. Don’t give me that look. It’s the only way. The T-Rex isn’t going to jump into the water after us! I’m pretty sure they don’t even swim.”

“And, how exactly do you know that?” Penelope asks, frowning.

Daisy sighs with annoyance, and then harshly grabs Penelope’s arm, shoving her forward.

Penelope lets out a scream as she falls into the huge mass of water. Daisy looks back and squeaks when she sees the T-Rex quickly catching up with them. She doesn’t need another second to think before jumping in after Penelope, who’s already swimming out of the pool and back onto dry land.

Daisy pops back out of the water, gasping for air and looking around with panic before making her way over towards Penelope, gripping onto the grass as she hauls herself up from the mini-lake. “I’m never saying yes to one of Louise’s trips again,”

“At least not to Isla Nublar,” Penelope mutters, groaning and flopping onto her back.

“Hey, don’t get too comfortable,” Daisy says as she pushes herself onto the land, looking over at Penelope. “We’re not safe yet. There’s still other dinosaurs out there we have to be careful of.”

Penelope rolls her eyes in frustration. “I honestly hate you so much,”

The brunette doesn’t reply, only feeling a pang of sadness as she pushes herself back onto her feet.

Penelope looks at Daisy and gasps when she sees a bloody wound near her ankle. 

“Hey, your leg!” she quickly pushes herself up to crawl over to Daisy, who glances down and frowns when she sees that her leg is in fact injured, only she didn’t feel the pain until Penelope pointed it out. 

“Oh,” she mumbles, bending down to touch the gash. “I must have hit my leg on something jumping into the water. I’m sure it’ll be fine. There’s nothing we can do about it at the moment, can we?”

Penelope looks up at Daisy and frowns. “Will you be able to run with an injured leg?”

“I’ll be fine,” Daisy snaps, glaring at Penelope, startling the older woman with the harsh tone in her voice. “Besides, why do you care? I’m sure seeing me suffer will bring you joy,” she scoffs angrily before taking a step forward and wincing when pain shoots through her leg.

Penelope watches with concern as Daisy starts limping away, before jumping up and following her.

“You’re honestly the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met in my life,” Penelope grumbles.

“Anything else you wanna get off your chest while you’re at it?” comes Daisy’s angry reply.

“Erm, maybe now isn’t the time for this. We’re running away from bloody dinosaurs and are supposed to be figuring out how to get back to the island.” She pauses. “Do you think the group will leave without us?”

“They better not, or I’ll sue every single one of them once we get off the island.”

Penelope lets out a sigh. “Daisy, I just don’t understand why you like... totally hate my guts,” she says, catching her co-worker off guard. “I mean, I don’t remember doing anything super horrible to you.” They’ve never had a conversation about why their relationship is so tense, or how they actually became enemies in the first place. It's never something Daisy wanted to discuss with the older woman.

Daisy hesitates as she thinks about what she’s going to say. 

Is she really about to confess her love to someone who’s supposed to be her arch nemesis? She never planned for any of this to happen. She never planned on telling Penelope even after ten whole years of knowing this woman and secretly being in love with her, because they were supposed to hate each other, not fall in love.

“Look,” Daisy begins, stopping to glance over at Penelope and forgetting that they were currently running for their lives. “I never… I never actually hated you, okay?”

“Really?’ Penelope asks, raising her eyebrows. “Because it sure seemed like you did.”

“Well, because I thought that you hated me, and that… hurt me. I never hated you, not from the start. Actually, in fact, it started when we first met. I- I tried to be your friend, but you gave me the cold shoulder. I thought you hated me, and that hurt me, because I…” she mumbles, shaking her head in disbelief. “Fuck. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but-”

“Daisy? You’re starting to worry me...” Penelope frowns.

“Penelope, ugh, shut up, okay? I’m trying to tell you that I- I l- love you. Is that what you wanted to hear?” she cries, taking a deep breath. “I love you, and... I’ve practically been in love with you ever since the very first time we worked together on a project, but you obviously never felt the same way that I felt. You always had to be better than me at everything we did!”

Penelope’s eyes widen with shock at Daisy’s confession. “I-” She begins, stunned.

Daisy yelps when the two suddenly hear a distant roaring, alerting them that a dinosaur is nearby. “Fuck!”

“We have to go!” Penelope cries, grabbing Daisy’s hand and leading the way.

“Penelope, my leg!” Daisy is trying her best to keep up, but the pain is starting to become too much for her to handle, and they’re nowhere near close to being safe.

Penelope stops running and looks at Daisy. “Are you heavy?”

“Excuse me?” Daisy snaps, finding the question slightly offensive.

Penelope rolls her eyes. “That sounded rude. I’m sorry. I mean, do you think I’d be able to lift you?”

“Oh, uh… I don’t know. I don’t think I’m that heavy. I work out a lot?”

“Of course you do,” Penelope mumbles, shaking her head. “I have no other choice, so-”

Daisy yelps as she’s suddenly being lifted off her feet, and being carried in the arms of Penelope. She had no idea that her co-worker was so strong! If Penelope Lester can actually manage this without getting either of them killed, then Daisy will be incredibly impressed - not to mention grateful for saving her life.

“What can I say? You’re not the only one who works out,” Penelope replies with a grin, earning a laugh from Daisy. “As much as I’d like to continue this little conversation, there’s a dinosaur chasing us…”

Penelope somehow manages to carry Daisy as she finds her way out of the jungle, eventually coming across an abandoned old building with two broken down Jeeps inside of it. “Oh, yes! Perfect! This is exactly what we needed to get out of here!” Penelope exclaims when she spots the cars.

“Perfect? What are you going on about? They’re broken. They’re useless!”

Penelope rolls her eyes and leads Daisy over to one of the Jeeps, opening the door with a free hand and carefully helping Daisy to sit down in the passenger seat.

“Good. Okay, sit there while I work on getting this thing up and running again,” she orders while walking around to the front of the car, ignoring the annoyed look Daisy is giving her.

“Honestly, do you even know how to get one of these started? This thing is probably ancient.”

“I fixed cars with one of my old friends as a summer job. So, yes, I should be able to get it started. If not, then I’m afraid I’ve failed my friend, and that simply cannot happen,” Penelope replies with sass as she pops open the hood of the car, looking around at what she has to work with. “Okay. We’ve got minimal time left here. Please let this work so we can get the hell out of here.”

Just like that, Penelope actually manages to get the vehicle running again after about fifteen minutes of cursing and frustration, surprising Daisy once again with her hidden skill. But Penelope certainly wasn’t going to give up when they were so close to the island, and Daisy still needed help with her injury.

Daisy glances back and peaks through the window of the jeep as Penelope celebrates fixing the car. Suddenly, she notices the shape of a T-Rex on the edge of the jungle, and lets out a gasp.

“Penelope! We’ve got a problem!”

“Wha-?” She looks up and gasps when her eyes land on the T-Rex. “Shit!”

“Come on! We’ve got to go!” Daisy yells, flailing her arms in panic.

Penelope slams the hood of the car shut and runs over to the driver's seat, jumping into the car and fumbling around with the wheel, trying to get the car started as fast as possible. “We’re almost there. Fuck! I’m not gonna lose this for us,” she says, feeling confident for the first time since being stranded and being chased in the jungle by a bloody dinosaur. After starting the car she looks over at Daisy to make sure that she’s alright, but frowns when she sees how the other woman is staring at her. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Penelope questions curiously.

“No reason. You just... look really hot right now,” Daisy admits, smirking slightly.

Penelope blushes instantly, never thinking Daisy Howell would ever call her hot, but here she is. “Fuck. Now’s not the time for that, Daisy,” then backs the car out of the building. As soon as they’re outside, the T-Rex has nearly caught up to them, which they both realize simultaneously with a scream as Penelope speeds off towards the island, which is thankfully now in view, and Penelope is suddenly grateful for the summer she spent fixing cars, otherwise they’d still be stuck in the jungle. 

“Thank God the park isn’t officially opened. Otherwise, everyone would be dead!”

“Something tells me that the park is never going to open after today’s events,” Daisy mutters. “Now speed!”

“So demanding,” Penelope teases, before she puts pedal to the metal and floors it.

Finally.

Finally the girls make it back to the island. They find their group. Not everyone is there. Some of the girls haven’t returned from their duties yet, which worries the group as there’s still four girls missing.

“Don’t worry. We’re not leaving the island until we find the others,” Louise tries to reassure Daisy. “Now, what the hell happened to your leg, and… why are you both wet?”

“We had to jump into a waterfall to get away from the T-Rex,” Penelope explains, before frowning slightly. “Wow. That’s a sentence I neer thought I’d say. Anyways, she was still following us when we were coming back to the island. I hope there’s someone to take care of that when she finally reaches us.”

“Don’t worry, it’s being sorted. We’re safe,” Louise replies. “Come on. You need medical attention.”

Louise starts to help Daisy, but Penelope suddenly rushes to take her place, surprising them both.

“Wait! Let me,” she interjects, carefully  wrapping her arms around Daisy’s waist, helping her stand up. She looks up at Louise and smiles innocently. “Lead the way?” She holds onto Daisy protectively, and Daisy instantly melts into the hold, grabbing onto Penelope for balance.

Louise looks at them back and forth. “What happened while you were in that jungle?”

Daisy blushes and looks up at Penelope. “A lot can happen while you’re running for your life,” she says, maintaining eye-contact with the woman next to her. “By the way, you smell awful.” She laughs when Penelope lightly punches her on the shoulder.

“Come on you two. You need medical attention, immediately,” Louise pushes again. “Weirdos.”

“I do feel a bit lightheaded,” Daisy mumbles, groaning in pain as Penelope starts walking towards a medical tent set up for the girls who were also injured.

As Daisy is being looked after by a nurse, Louise and Penelope stand aside chatting together.

“So, have you two finally kissed and made up with each other or what?” Louise asks.

Penelope rolls her eyes as she looks over at Louise. “Kind of. Turns out Daisy is in love with me.”

“Well, yeah… even a monkey could have told you that,” Louise snorts.

“What?” Penelope asks, frowning. “Has everyone known about this except for me?”

“Yup. Kinda sad that it took you ten years to realize this, but… I guess life always, uh, finds a way, right?”

“Yeah. I guess so,” Penelope replies with a soft sigh. She shakes her head before walking over to Daisy, who the nurse has left alone for a second to grab more medical supplies to help with Daisy’s injury. “Hey, by the way... I don’t know if I made this clear or not, but I don’t hate you either.”

Daisy blinks a few times as she looks up at Penelope with shock. “Wh- What?”

“Do you wanna go on a date when we get home?” Penelope bursts out, glaring when she hears Louise laughing at her. “Oh, shove off, Louise! Mind your own business!”  She looks back over at Daisy. “Look, I’m not really good at this whole dating thing. My longest relationship lasted two months...”

“That’s okay,” Daisy giggles. “Neither am I. I would love to go on a date with you when we get home. But, it better be more than just a boring old movie. I’m an adventurous kind of girl, y’know?”

Penelope lets out a sigh of relief when Daisy speaks those words, “yeah, I can tell,” and then she quickly leans down and presses her lips against Daisy’s, bringing the younger woman into a sweet and soft kiss. When she pulls away, the girls from their group are cheering loudly for the two. Everyone has known about the Howell vs. Lester feud for years, Penelope imagines everyone is relieved that they’ll no longer have to put up with the constant fighting from the two. Penelope coughs, blushing. “What a day, huh?”

Daisy laughs. “Yeah… I guess you could say that,”

-Dan’s POV-

The ocean is a beautiful and serene place. Dangerous yet peaceful, mysterious yet full of joy. And forbidden. Completely and utterly forbidden. Ever since I was born I've been told horrific stories of winged creatures flying too close to the waves and getting lost in the blue depths. Unable to escape because their wings are sodden with saltwater and the tears of drowned sailors. I’ve been told that every creature that lies below the surface is my mortal enemy, destined to destroy me. That I should never venture to the sea for as long as I live. And yet, I seem to have an unhealthy fascination with the sea. Specifically with a dark-haired merman whose eyes shine brighter than every star in the sky.

I first saw him years ago. I had just gotten into a fight with my parents. This wasn’t a rare occurrence, it seemed that my father and I were always at each other’s throats, and my passive mother almost never took my side. I had stormed off in my usual manner, but instead of retreating to my room, I found myself walking the seldom tread path to the coast. I sat on a rock, closer to the sea then I had ever been before. I was gazing off at the skyline when my eyes caught a shimmer of light in the shallows. Curious and feeling rebellious, I moved closer. It was then that I locked eyes with the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Full of terror and amazement I quickly turned away and ran back up to the sanctuary of the forest.

And here we are. I’ve been coming back every day since to try and catch a glimpse of the mysterious sea dweller. Pathetic, I know, but I can’t bring myself to stop. One more look I tell myself, just one more complete look and then I’ll be satisfied. Today is a gloomy sort of day. Dreary and cold. The type of day that sinks through your skin, chilling you from the inside out. I don’t expect to see him today, but my subconscious seems to be driving me towards the water anyway. I walk past the cliffs that surround the cove. Craggy and leering, like giants sent to protect the land. I feel my feet sink into the sand as I close my eyes and breath in the ocean air. I feel the mist settle on my skin and the wind whip through my hair. The serene moment is interrupted by a loud splash. I jump at the sound and dive behind a rock. I cautiously peek out from behind my hiding place to be met with the exact thing I had been searching for. I tell myself that I have to go. I’ve gotten what I wanted and now I must return back to safety. But I can’t tear my eyes away. He turns, and quickly I duck down, but I know he’s seen me. I hear the gentle sound of water lapping against the coastline and tentatively emerge from behind the boulder. In front of me is a merman. Dark hair, pale skin, shining blue eyes, and a long scaly tail. He looks nothing like the drawings of mermaids that are in history books. Those mermaids are fearsome and ugly. Eyes full of rage and mouths full of fangs. The creature standing before me looks like he was crafted from sunbeams, and wrapped in layers of serene waves. Once my mind has started working again I realize that he’s looking at me with as much unfiltered awe as I am with him. Has he never seen a human before? But surely he must have if the tales of these creatures are correct. I come to my senses and abruptly turn around. I can’t just stand there and let myself be distracted by how he looks. Looks can be deceiving and while his skin may be devoid of imperfection, there are horrors in his mind. I get no more than two steps when I hear a gentle timid voice.

“Wait!” He says, his voice apprehensive as if testing it out. “Please stay.”

I turn around and see the look in his eyes, curious and pleading. I take a few steps back and sit down on the sand a few paces away.

​“Hello,” I say, with a surprisingly steady voice. I know I should be scared, terrified even, but I can't bring myself to feel anything but wonder.

“Greetings, I am Phil”

I feel a small smile start to spread across my face, matching the one that Phil has adopted.

“I’m Dan.”

 -Phil’s POV-

 ​I’d never seen a fairy before. I’d heard about them, horrible winged creatures sent down from the sky on thunderbolts, with a personal vendetta against the ocean. But looking at the being standing before me, I don’t know how he could be dangerous. His eyes were ringed with red as if he’d been crying, and every part of him from his curly hair to his oversized jumper to his soft gray wings looked safe and warm. Such a contrast from the harsh blues and steely grays of the coastline. Suddenly he turns around and starts to run. I think “No, wait!” but the words are stuck in my throat and I watch as he disappears among the cliffs. And then he’s gone, so quickly that I was certain I imagined him. I sat there for a moment before slipping back below the waves.

​That was years ago. I thought I’d never see him again and that it was probably for the better. When I had gone back to the ocean teeming with excitement at my discovery, no one believed me. They couldn’t fathom that a fairy would come anywhere near the water. And so I waited. I resisted the urge to go back up to the surface to try and catch another glimpse of the boy I had seen so long ago. Today was different. It was a dreary mid-October day. The ocean floor was empty, my parents always went away once the leaves changed to seek warmer waters, and most of the marine life went with them. However, I seemed to be the exception. The brisk weather had given the ocean a dreadful chill. The sun was not strong enough to pierce the layer of waves and seafoam and warm the sand underneath. I made the decision to go on the shore. Maybe I could find a nice rock to lay on, and the sun could chase the chill from my bones. As my head breaks the surface, I see a creature standing on the shore. A creature with curly hair and soft gray wings. My eyes widen in surprise. It couldn’t possibly be the same fairy, could it? But it must be. His wings displayed the same patterns that had lived in my dreams for years. Slowly he turns around, and stands motionless, looking me directly in the eye. Then he jolts, as if startled, and turns and starts to run. This time I manage to voice the words that I hadn’t been able to say last time.

“Wait! Please stay.” I say, immediately self-conscious of the tremor in my voice.

He hesitantly turns around. Finally facing me, he takes a few small steps in my direction and sits on the sand.

“Hello,” he says, his voice calm and smooth.

“Greetings, I am Phil.” I wince at the overly formal greeting, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I begin to smile. He does too, a shy grin growing on his face.

“I’m Dan.” He says, then hesitates and blurts out a sentence so fast I can’t understand what he’s saying.

“What was that?” I ask, with a slight chuckle in my voice. He is clearly embarrassed, his cheeks flaring red as he stumbles over his words.

“I’ve been, um, waiting for you. For a while. Since I was young. I’ve been coming here every day hoping to see you again.”

“So you are the same fairy! I’d hoped I wasn’t making a mistake.”

“Um, yes. That would be me, I think.”

“So. Dan. You’re a fairy. Aren’t you supposed to hate me?”

“Oh, uh, well not exactly hate you. Resent and fear you more than anything else. And frankly, shouldn’t I be asking you the same question? Isn’t your species hell-bent on killing off every single fairy?”

“That’s ridiculous. I’ve never hurt a fairy in my life. Neither has any other merfolk that I know. I’ve always been told that it was fairies that were set on destroying my species.”

“The only reason we ever wanted to hurt you was because of the pain and suffering you’ve caused us. Do you have any idea how many faires your relatives have drowned?”

I start to feel anger replace the curiosity that had bloomed inside me. What right does that boy have to come down to our ocean and start accusing my ancestors of murder?

“Maybe you should go. Who knows, if you stick around maybe my murderous grandma will emerge from her home and eat you.” And with that, admittedly petty, comment I sink below the waves, making sure to splash some of the icy water back up on the shore.

 -Dan’s POV-

 At first, all I'm feeling is rage. But slowly it starts to turn into guilt. He was just defensive of his family, if I had been in his position I would have done the same. Besides, he clearly had very little knowledge of the bloody rivalry between the two species. Maybe if I go back and apologize we can come to an understanding. But not yet. He probably won't be back today, if the way he stormed off was anything to go by. My shoes were now soaking, which definitely made me a little less apologetic. If I give a little time for the dust to settle hopefully we can ease the tension a little bit. For now, I should probably just go home and try not to catch a cold.

When I first wake up I have no memory of yesterday's events. As I drag myself out of bed my conversation with Phil comes back to me. I stand still for a minute, trying to process what had happened and where to go from here. I eat a quick breakfast and gather a small collection of things to bring to Phil.

​When I return to the small cove, I see no sign of Phil. I move closer to the water, probably closer than I’ve ever been, and hesitantly call his name. I wait a few minutes,  then come to the realization that he’s not going to show up. Maybe he’s still mad about yesterday, or maybe he just didn’t feel like indulging a stranger who accused his family of murder. As I’m about to turn away, I instead decide to sit down on a warm rock dangerously close to the coastline. I never realized how peaceful the ocean was until now. I start to zone out until I hear the sound of something moving in the water and I quickly snap back to attention. It’s Phil. He looked like he was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

“You came back.” He says, sounding confused, and then his expression shits to annoyance. “You’re not here to slander my species’ reputation are you?”

“No,” I said indignantly. “I actually came back to apologize. Plus, I brought peace offerings.”

I begin to pull a couple of sweet rolls out of my bag. “I don’t know what you eat, but these are some of my favorites.” I hand him the food, and he takes it, looking at me suspiciously. He takes a hesitant bite and I immediately see his eyes light up.

“They’re good, aren't they?” I gloat with a slight smirk on my face.

“These are quite possibly the best thing I’ve ever tasted!” He exclaims loudly.

I let out a short bark of laughter at that. He quickly finishes both of the rolls and proceeds to come a little closer, resting his elbows on the rock I’m resting on. I find myself inching back instinctively, but instantly regret it after seeing the downcast look on Phil’s face.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For assuming that you and the rest of your species were murderous beasts? I brought one of my history books so you could see it from my perspective.” I slowly pull the book out of my bag and hand it to him, making sure not to drop it in the water. He opens it and flips through the pages. Then, to my complete and utter surprise, he bursts out laughing. Hysterically laughing. Laughing so hard that his tongue pokes out of his mouth. He quickly puts the book on the rocks so that he doesn’t drop it.

“Why are you laughing? I thought you would be...well I don’t know what I thought your reaction would be, but certainly not laughter!”

“I’m laughing because this is simply the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen. Merfolk’s don’t look like this! They all look like me! Well, similarly to me anyway. If I looked like this I would have converted a long time ago.”

“Converted?” I ask, confusion evident in my voice.

“That is what I said yes. Any merfolk can choose to become human. It’s complicated, supposedly painful, and it doesn’t happen very often, but it is an option.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, there seems to be a lot of things you don’t know.” He sounds teasing as if he was talking to an old friend and not someone he had met yesterday.

“Maybe you could teach me?”

“Are you really willing to learn? You still seem scared of me.”

“I am still a little scared, to be honest, but it seems that our historians got some things wrong when it comes to the ocean, and I want to know the truth.” He smiles brightly, and in that moment I knew that I would do whatever I could to see that smile again.

 ----

To my surprise, visiting Phil has become my favorite past time. I bring him food and books and stories, and in exchange, he teaches me about his life, tells me stories, and gives me the gift of friendship. I am going back home after one of such these days when I find a letter from my parents. Great. I love my village, I’ve got a small house perched on top of a tree, and I love visiting the markets and walking on the soft pine needle carpeted floors. That being said, everything about my home is tainted by my family. I was never anything my father wanted to be. I stopped studying and became a pathetic drop out living off of odd jobs and his parents’ financial support. So getting a letter from them asking to come over for dinner is far from good news. Nevertheless, I prepare to endure the endless streams of questions such as ‘Do you have a job?’, ‘Are you eating enough?’, Or perhaps most annoying of all, ‘Do have a girlfriend?’ My parents are obsessed with micromanaging my life. They’re constantly trying to set me up with horrible banking jobs and nice mellow mannered girls from good families. I hate it with a passion. And yet I don’t have the courage to tell them that I don’t want either of those things. I arrive at my parents' house. I take a deep breath and knock on the door.

 ----

 Dinner is awkward, to say the least. There’s a blanket of silence that lays over the table that almost never accompanies family dinners. It’s nice, peaceful even. It allows me to have the illusion that I’m not a disappointment to the family name. That is until my father clears his throat.

“So, Daniel,” I hate when he calls me that. “Where have you been going every day? Did you find a job?” I stutter and nearly choke on a bite of potatoes. They noticed. Of course, they noticed. I’ve been so stupid. They cannot find out about Phil. It would only end badly for both of us.

“Oh, not exactly.”

“Care to explain?”

“I’ve been um, studying uh, history?” I grab at the first excuse that enters my mind.

“History? Where?”

“The next town over has a nice library. I’m thinking about pursuing a career in it.” There, that should keep them satisfied for now.

“Oh! That’s wonderful Dan!” My mother says with a warm smile on her face. I begin to feel guilt growing in my stomach. If she knew what I was really doing would she still be smiling? Certainly not. And I hadn’t seen her this proud of me since primary school. I smile weakly and try to eat more food even though I now feel sick to my stomach.

 -Phil’s POV-

​After a few months, Dan slowly becomes my favorite part of my daily routine, and I often find myself missing him when he’s not here. Although there are other things to look forward to, my parents are visiting today. It’s still too cold for them to stay here for long periods of time, but they claim to miss me, so they’re swimming down for a day. I’m waiting for them just outside of our house, rubbing my arms together to try and ward off some of the chill. I begin to see their dark silhouettes emerging from the murky water, and I quickly swim out to meet them. My mother quickly embraces me with a warm hug, and out of the corner of my eye, I see my father smile warmly. My father has never been as affectionate as my mother, but over the years I’ve learned that he shows his affection in different ways.  

​The minute we get back in the house my mother immediately comments on the lack of nutritious food.

“Goodness, Phil! Have you been eating at all?”

“Um, well…” I stammer at a loss for words, unsure how to explain to her that I’ve been eating large amounts of fairy food every day.

“No matter,” She interrupts my mildly panicked mumbling “Fortunately I predicted this and brought some food with me.” She begins to pull food out of her sack, far too much food for three people I might add, and I chuckle fondly.

“So Phil, what have you been doing lately?” My father inquires. I freeze. Should I tell them? I can trust my parents with anything, can’t I?

“Well, I’ve um, been spending some time on the beach…”

“Not too much time I hope,” My mother says jokingly “We wouldn’t want you to grow legs and run off somewhere!” I chuckle weakly.

“Well actually, I’ve been making some friends,” My mother looks at me confused and before she can interrupt I rush to continue “His name is Dan, and he’s very nice, I’ve been teaching him about merfolk culture.”

“This...Dan, he’s not a pixie is he?” My father says apprehensively, sharing a worried look with my mother.

“Well yes, but…” My father breaks me off. “Absolutely not. Fairies are dangerous. All they want is to hurt us. Humans I could possibly allow, but I will not see you talking to fairies.”

“I know dad, and I thought that he wanted to hurt me at first too but he’s actually very caring, and he just wants to understand,” My father stands up abruptly.

“We need to leave, and this time you’re coming with us. I can’t have you endangering yourself and others.”

“What? No! I’m staying here! I like it here!”

“Phil,” My mother says weakly “Please don’t do this. We need you to stay safe.”

“Why does everyone hate them so much anyway? What did they ever do to us?”

My mother and father share another loaded look.

“A long time ago, when your grandmother was still a young girl, fairies discovered the ocean. They were fascinated, naturally, they had never seen anything like it before. And the merfolk were scared. These creatures were coming to close for comfort, and tensions were running high between the two species. One day, a curious fairy wandered to close to the water. There was a mermaid there, the boy was fascinated, he’d never seen anything like her before, not knowing what she was he tried to capture her. The mermaid, scared and confused, tried to get him to go away,” My father breaks off, his voice choked up. “And when he didn’t, she drowned him. After that, the two communities were at each other's throats. Merfolk began mercilessly killing off fairies, and fairies were hunting and capturing merfolk by the dozens. Eventually, the fairy council and the merfolk council made a peace treaty. No more fighting, no more killing. But you can see why we don’t exactly get along.”

I sit in stunned silence. We had both been right, me and Dan, our ancestors had tried to kill each other. Finally, my father speaks breaking the tense silence that had fallen over the room.

“Phil I can’t force you to do anything. But please consider what I’ve told you.” He turns to face my mother “I think it’s time that we go.” She rises nodding silently and goes to hug me, just as tightly as before, although this time it was lacking warmth and joy.

---

As soon as I saw the end of my father’s tail disappear into the fog, a thought struck my brain. I have to tell Dan.”

 -Dan POV-

​

When I get down to the beach the next day, Phil is already at our meeting place looking anxious. When I approach he looks up suddenly as if startled out of his thoughts.

“Are you ok?” I ask, worried about my normally chipper friend.

“There's something I have to tell you.” Anxiety swirls in my stomach, those words almost never lead to something good.

“Last night my parents visited.”

---

By the time Phil finishes recounting the horrific event, I feel sick to my stomach. I stand up quickly the minute he finishes speaking. I don’t know what to do. My thoughts are running wild and nothing is making sense.

“Please don’t go” I hear Phil’s voice say. He sounds scared and confused, his voice reflecting  my thoughts exactly.

“I know it’s awful and confusing, but I’m hoping that we can work it out together. Just because our species have a bloody and dishonest history doesn't mean that we can’t be friends.” He sounds nervous as if there is any universe in which I wouldn’t be his friend.

“You’re right. I want to be friends.” I say with a small smile. I sit back down on the rock and Phil sets his elbows up next to where I’m sitting, causing water to splash up beside me. I flinch, my natural reaction when coming in contact with ocean water. Phil must have noticed because a small smile starts to form on his face.

“Have you seriously never been in the ocean before?”

I shake my head no, and Phil lets out a startled laugh.

“You have to try it! It’s the best thing ever!”

“Nope. No. Definitely not.”

“Please Dan? For me?” He looks up at me pouting with big blue eyes and how could I possibly say no to that?

“Fine. But only so you’ll shut up.” I say, rolling my eyes. I try to feign nonchalance but my heart is racing. Surely the water can’t be that dangerous. I cautiously dip my feet in. It’s cold and slightly terrifying, but calming at the same time. I stare in fascination at the spot where my feet disappear under the water, waves lapping at my ankles.

“That doesn’t count! You barely dipped your toes in!” Phil looks at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes and the tip of his tongue poking out of his mouth. Suddenly I understand Phil’s train of thought.

“No, Phil-” But it’s too late. Pale hands wrap around my ankles, pulling me down into the ocean. I emerge sputtering and wiping water out of my eyes to find Phil doubled over in laughter.

“You absolute twat! I could have drowned!” He scoffs.

“You wouldn’t have drowned. Not only is it shallow here, but I’m also here to pull you out if you were in any real danger.” I huff, but in spite of my annoyance, I feel a smile building up inside of me. I look at Phil, and I feel pure unfiltered joy. I wish I could live in this world forever, just me and Phil. My sentimental thoughts are interrupted by a shiver that wracks through my body.

“Bloody Hell, Phil! It’s fucking cold!” Another wave of laughter hits him before he opens his arms invitingly.

“Come on, a hug will warm you up.” I try to keep up my pretense of being cross, but I can’t resist the temptation to tread through the water into his arms. He wraps me up into his arms and I immediately warm up. He seems to be a swimming heater. I stay there for what feels like hours but was in reality probably less than a minute. I pull back slightly and find my eyes locked onto his. Mine brown, like the earth I had walked on since I was a very young child. His blue, like the ocean in which we were currently standing. We were so close together I could feel his gentle breath on my face, and I feel my gaze subconsciously dropping to his lips. I break away from his embrace and chuckle nervously.

“I should probably go, I don’t want to catch a cold.”

“Yeah, that’s, uh, probably a good idea.” He seems so disheartened compared to a few minutes ago, and I long to say ‘No wait! I made a mistake, I want to stay here forever!’ but I need time to process the thoughts running through my head. I slowly pull myself out of the water. I stand up and turn to walk away.

“Dan?” I turn around,

“Yeah?”

“I- I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely.”

---

By the time I get back to my home, thankfully without being spotted in my sopping wet clothes, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that I fancy Phil. This is a terrifying thought because there is absolutely no way that Phil could ever reciprocate my feelings. I suppose the best solution is to ignore these feelings until they go away. After all, it’s just a little crush.

---

This isn’t working. Every day my feelings for Phil grow stronger. It’s like a rose blooming in my heart. Soft beautiful petals representing the happiness I feel when I am around him and the hope that perhaps he could feel the same way, while the thorns represent the facts of reality.

 -Phil’s POV-

 Ever since I got Dan to come into the ocean, I can hardly keep him out of it. Nearly every time he visits he immediately jumps into the waves. This has done nothing to help my growing feelings for the other boy. When Dan was on land and I was not, there was a clear, visible barrier between us that helped keep my feelings at bay. But now that he is in water with me, so close that I could reach out and touch him, I find my feelings snowballing every day. How could someone not fall in love with Dan? He’s perfect. Absolutely, amazingly, perfect.

---

A few more weeks pass, and I think I have to tell Dan how I feel. It’s getting impossible to bottle it up. Dan’s constantly being flirtatious, without ever officially making a move. The hope that my feelings could possibly be reciprocated continues to grow. But how? In what way can I possibly reveal the romantic feelings  I harbor without humiliating myself? The question hangs over my head, making the task seem even more daunting.

---

It’s a beautiful day, sunny and warm. Dan is lounging next to me on the same sunny rock that he sat on the first time we talked. We’re not talking, but the silence isn’t awkward. With Dan, gaps in conversation are never uncomfortable. The quiet understanding covers me like a blanket. Instead of talking I take time to simply sit and watch Dan. His eyes are closed, face turned up to the sun. He has a small smile on his lips making his dimples pop. I’m struck with the sudden realization that I might be in love with him. It’s terrifying, but my brain is invaded with thoughts of growing old with him, of living together, of having a family with him. The tidal wave of emotions causes me to take a sharp breath. Dan turns to look at me, his warm eyes gazing at me fondly.

“What’s up?” I feel my heart burst in my chest and I know I have to tell him.

“I have something I need to tell you.”

“And that is?”

“Um I- I like you. Actually I mean I might love you, but that’s a rather recent development so I’m not completely sure-” I pause at the look on his face. He has turned fully towards me, and his mouth is open in shock. I immediately feel shame growing inside me and rush to apologize.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything, and you probably hate me now -” I’m cut off by Dan once more, however this time it is from Dan pressing his lips to mine. I melt into the kiss, his lips lotting into mine like they are pieces of the same puzzle. He pulls away, his face splitting into a  shy grin.

“I think I might love you too.”

 - Dans POV-

​ 

The months after we confessed our feelings are some of the happiest of my life. The many months that I’ve spent with Phil have been a roller coaster of emotions. Curiosity, anger, fear, infatuation, and now we seem to have fallen in sync with each other, a feeling that can only be described as love. But alongside the happiness there’s also pain. I can only see him for a few hours every day, and even then I can only hold him close to me for a small fraction of that time, and I’m sick of having to sneak back from visiting him everyday because my clothes are dripping with saltwater. These thoughts have been plaguing my brain for weeks now, and after a lot of research I think I might have found a solution.

---

​It looks like it’s going to rain. Not ideal for visiting the ocean, since I usually get soaked anyway and the rain adds an extra layer of chill.  I sit on the rocks, dipping my feet in the water, anxiously waiting for Phil to arrive. When he finally swims to the surface my eyes light up with excitement.

“Phil!”

“Dan!” He exclaims, mocking my excited expression. I take a deep breath, a cocktail of anticipation of nerves swirling in my stomach.

“I have an idea to propose to you. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and we both know that our situation isn’t ideal, to say the least. I did some research, and I think that there’s a way for me to become human. I know you’ve mentioned converting before, but I know it’s a hard and permanent decision. But even if you don’t want to do it, I still think I will, I love you more than I can put into words, and I want to escape this prison that I’ve put myself into. The past between our species horrifies me, and I hope that by converting I can begin to break down that barrier. I want to be able to hold your hand and go on adventures with you, and I-” My voice breaks and I realize that I’ve started to cry.

“Dan,” Phil says, voice cracking with emotion, “I want that too. All of that, and honestly I’ve been thinking about the same thing, and if you’re sure you want to do this, I want to join you.”

“Okay, alright, then let’s do this,” I say smiling as I wipe a tear from my face.

“Let's do this.”

---

My first thought when I get back to the forest is that I have to tell my parents. At least my mom. If I disappear off into the human world, she deserves at least some sort of explanation. With that thought I change directions and head to my childhood home.

---

I approach slowly and knock faintly on the door. Despite how quiet my knock was, my mother still answers within seconds.

“Dan! What a wonderful surprise! Please come in, I just finished making biscuits.” We walk in to the warmly lit kitchen and she ushers me to the stools by the kitchen counter. I take a seat, and she bustles around gathering plates and mugs. She sits down, placing a mug of tea and a plate with a biscuit on it.

“So dear, not that I don’t love it when you visit, but why are you here?”

“Well,” I start, I break eye contact and instead gaze into the murky brown of my tea. “I-I um, I think, and I’ve thought about it a lot, and done some research, and I uh, want to become human.” She looks at me with soft eyes.

“You met someone, didn’t you?”

“Well I mean, yes. I met someone.”

“Who is it? What girl is so special that she can draw my baby into the human world?”

“For starters, his name is Phil,” my mother’s eye brows raise in surprise. “And he’s not exactly human, in fact he’s actually a mermaid. But don’t worry! He’s very sweet! Probably the sweetest person you’ll ever meet, and he’s going to convert too, and-” I break off in surprise as my mother rises from her seat and quickly envelopes me into a hug.

“Darling, I want more than anything for you to be happy. And I trust you to make good decisions about who you spend your time with. If you need help, I’m always here.” Instead of words, I decided to just pour all of my love and gratitude into the hug.

---

“Now Dan,” My mother is once again seated across from me, this time her face serious. “Converting isn’t easy, and it’s permanent.”

“I know. I’m not rushing into this.”

“I know.” She smiles. “It’s not complicated, you must simply have someone cut off your wings at the very base. Now the tricky part is that if you have any reservations about it, any at all, it will be extremely painful. More painful than anything else you will ever feel. That being said, if you believe that you are truly doing the right thing for yourself, the cut will be quick and painless.”

I swallow, nerves swirling in my gut. But then I think of Phil, of his eyes and his smile, and all my doubts melt away.

“Can we do it now?”

“Now?”

“Yes. I want to do it as soon as possible, and there’s no one that I’d rather have do it then you.”

“I- alright then. If you're sure.”

“I am.” I hear her take a deep breath as she rustles around looking for a knife. I hear her come up behind me.

“Can you, take off you shirt for me dear? It will be easier that way.” I do as she says, and then take a deep breath to steady myself. I feel the cold metal against my skin, and then a soft tingling, similar to the feeling you get when your foot falls asleep. I feel my wings fall, and for a moment I feel my skin melding together, leaving no trace them. I turn around and see my mother smiling.

“Did it hurt?”

“Not at all.”

“Then you should go to him. I’ll always be waiting for you if you ever need to come back.” I hug her tightly a few tears falling from my eyes onto her shoulder.

“I love you.”

She gives a wet chuckle, “I know, my darling.”

 -Phils POV-

​

I decided a long time ago that I wanted to convert to human, and now that Dan’s doing it too my decision is set in stone. I also decided a long time ago that I didn’t need my parents’ help or acceptance. The merfolk history nauseates me, and now that I know the truth I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life as one of these creatures. According to Dan, his conversion was easy with no complications. When I saw him walking down to the ocean, a large grin replacing his wings, I cried tears of joy. He jumped into the water and wrapped me up in his arms. Unfortunately, the merfolk are a little more dramatic. In order to properly convert, it has to be a full moon. I have to remove ten scales and then my tail will supposedly fall away to reveal legs. Technically, no one else had to be there, but I told Dan many times that I want him with me regardless. As I gaze at the ocean, lounging on a rock while waiting for him, I hear him approach.. I turn around excited to see him. He looks tired and disheveled as if he’d just woken up. Which, to be fair, he probably did. I curiously look at the bundle of clothes he has in his arms.

“What are those?”

“Oh, uh, those are clothes. For you. After you transition, I mean.”

“Oh yeah, of course. I didn’t even think of that.” I give a nervous chuckle. He sits down next to me and pulls me into his arms.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” His whisper tickles my ear.

“Of course.” I pull away slightly and begin tugging at my scales. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. I hesitate. Dan locks eyes with me and gives me a small smile as he gently squeezes my hand. He says so much in that smile. He says ‘I love you’ and ‘I will support you no matter what you do.’ I take a deep breath as I pull the last scale.

---

I inhale sharply in amazement as my scales begin to slide off of me, forming a puddle around where I am sitting. I begin to see pale skin replace the deep blue. Dan passes me a shirt and a pair of trousers and I quickly turn and dress. Or try to. I’m clearly not used to legs, or being on land. Dan laughs loudly, and quickly stands up to help me stand. I fall into his chest and join in his laughter. He pulls away slightly and places a gentle kiss on my lips.

“Do you want to leave now? Or wait?”

“Now. I want to get started on my new life with you.”

---

As we’re walking through the forest, on the way to a train station that can take us to London, Dan pauses behind what must be his parent’s house. He looks and suddenly the back door swings open. A kind looking middle aged woman walks out, Dan’s mother I’m assuming. She looks at us. At first her expression is shocked, but then it slowly transforms into one of happiness and love. She winks, then turns around and closes the door.

 -Dan’s POV-

 Dear Mom,

​I’m sorry I haven’t contacted you before now. Phil and I are really happy in the human world. It wasn’t easy at first, we had to find someone who could give us fake information to make everyone believe that we had been in the human world forever and didn’t just spawn into existence a year ago. I am going to give this letter to the agent that helped us, and I sincerely hope it gets to you. Fortunately, this letter is filled with happy things. I wrote a book, about the magical ‘fantasy’ world of fairies and mermaids, and Phil has been working as a marine biologist ever since he found his ‘land legs’. We have a house, a dog, and a gaming system where we spend way too much time playing mario kart. Don’t get me wrong, there a lot of things that are bad here. Take taxes for example. But at least here me and Phil can have the life we’ve dreamed about. In fact, I’m trying to put some of those once distant plans in motion.  After I finish this letter I’m going to propose to Phil, that is unless I back out, and I hope with all my heart that he’ll say yes. Because I love him. So so much. So much that someday I want to have a family with him, as scary as that is. I want you to be a part of that too. Please write back, maybe we can plan a time to meet. I want you to meet Phil, formally this time.  

​Much Love,

​Dan

 I put my pen down and fold my letter into an envelope. I put it on the kitchen counter, nearly tripping over Otto, our corgi. I walk out to the back garden where Phil is sitting on a bench looking out at the sea. I place a gentle kiss on his forehead before sitting down next to him.

“Phil?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you ever miss it? The ocean?”

“Sometimes. But it doesn’t matter, because you’re worth a million oceans.” I shove him lightly, a fond smile on my face. I take a deep breath and pull the rings out of my pocket. Phil gasps, and it takes a lot of self restraint to not burst into laughter at the look on his face.

“Phil, you are easily the most important person in my life. I would cross continents for you, and it is my deepest hope that you would do the same for me. So with that thought in mind, I would like to ask you to marry me.”

“Oh my god Dan, yes! Of course yes.” I smile as I slip the ring onto his finger. It’s simple, containing a small bit of feather from my wings. It matches mine, the same design but with some of Phil’s old scales instead of feathers. He laughs.

“What are you laughing for?” I say indignantly.

“I’m sorry, it’s just so cheesy.”