The Trouble with Powers

It had been about a month since any traces of Aya or other mermaids. During that month, Micky had learned to almost completely let go of his merman obsession. He knew that this was foolish and selfish idea as well as being utterly dangerous to pursue. Also, during that month Mike could not get used to the fact that he became a merman every time he got wet. He had eventually reached the point he could admit that being a merman was actually pretty cool. It would be so much better if he could learn how to control it.

               As far as relationships went, Davy and Peter were open amongst friends, and happy to express their love for one another freely. Mike and Micky had since mended and rekindled their own relationship which had progressively moved beyond friendship during the course of the past month. Micky had also apologized to Trixie for everything that had happened on his part and convinced her to give Mike another chance at being friends.

                 One afternoon everyone spent time together on the beach. Much of the time they spent time hanging around a fire and having a cookout. But once the food was finished, everyone separated and went to different parts of the beach. Peter and Davy sat, cuddling together near the water. Micky and Trixie remained by the fire pit, relaxing and talking.

               Mike on the other hand was the only one unable to relax. He stood away from everyone else, pacing a little bit.  Every once in a while he would stop and focus on the water. He would stand like a statue, sometimes sniffing the air, and look sternly as though he was awaiting an attack. Though the others wondered about this odd behavior, nobody dared to ask him about it. They just let him be on his own, agreeing that he would alert any of them of all possible danger.

               Micky sniffed the air, thick with scents of the smoke and the food they had cooked. He leaned back full of happy satisfaction. Looking at Trixie with a slight grin, he casually mentioned how good the food that they had eaten was. She let out a small giggle and commented about his big appetite, and how all he seemed to think about was food. Micky merely snorted, but had no traces of denial about what she said. After a few moments of awkward silence, Micky looked over at her. He grinned slightly, though unsurely, as he attempted to speak what was on his mind right then.

               “So Trixie… is it hard?”

               She looked at him, her head tilted some. “Is what hard?”

               “You know… coming around here again. And being friends with Mike. Especially with him and me, um…. Well…”

               Trixie sighed and rubbed her belly as she looked away from him. “Well it is weird. Just being friends. And with the baby coming soon…” She sat quietly for a few seconds. “It’ll all take some time to get used to.”

               Micky watched her, drawing in his lower lip a little as she spoke. His eyes were serious and slightly saddened.

               “I’m really sorry. I mean I feel so responsible for everything that happened between you and Mike.”

               “To be honest… I often felt like he didn’t love me like he should have. I loved him more than he loved me. At least that’s how I felt.”

               Micky played in the sand as he contemplated her words. “Still. I was so stupid over everything. I am responsible for part of it.” He looked at her. “You’ll still let Mike see the baby when it’s born right?”

               “Of course. I’m not going to deny Mike of his child.”

               “Well that’s good then.” Micky leaned back placing his hands in the sand behind him. “I’m glad to see you both talking again.”

               She grinned a little and looked over at Mike. “It is nice.”

                 Right then, still with his eyes sternly focused on the water, Mike lurched forward. He took in a deep breath and then started running towards the water, reaching it right as something washed up on shore. Immediately, he dropped down in front of it, growing in concern. This drew the attention of the others as they gathered around him. Gasps were released and shock ran rampant throughout the group as they gazed down upon the body of a small boy.

               Mike gently scooped up the boy and cradled him across his lap. As he examined the boy, he relaxed and calmly said that he was breathing. The relief abruptly ended as confusion swept in over them. Mike frowned, almost upset, as he stared at the boy. But it wasn’t until the boy opened his eyes when they were all stunned silent. His features, especially his eyes, were strikingly similar to Mike’s features. All Mike could do was stare at him in disbelief.

               “Where’s mama?” The boy asked in a small voice.

               “Mama?” Davy looked up at everyone else.

               “Ah… Don’t worry, we’ll find your mama.” Mike gulped and gently sat him down. “Mick why don’t you help him warm up by the fire. I’ll uh, I’ll try to find something he can wear.”

               Micky nodded and helped the boy over to the fire. He then picked up their beach blanket and shook sand off it before wrapping it around the boy. Turning to the fire pit, Micky held his hands out in front of him and over the low burning coals. He tossed a little fire onto the logs to increase the flames. He grinned slightly and rubbed the boy’s back.

               “This should warm you up until we can get you some clothes.”

               The boy nodded, staring wide-eyed at the fire. It was as though he had never seen anything like this before.

               Meanwhile, Mike had hurried back into the house He went over to the couch and leaned against the back of it as he took in some deep breaths. Unaware that Peter had followed him, Mike jumped with a startled yell as Peter said his name. With a hand on his chest, Mike took a calming deep breath.

               “Don’t do that.”

               “Sorry.” Peter stepped closer to him. “Mike? Are you ok? You left in a hurry and I know it can’t be just because you wanted to find clothes.”

               Mike let out a frustrated sigh and then looked at Peter. “The boy looked just like me.”

               Peter nodded. “He did. Michael is that… I mean you and the mermaid… she told you that you fertilized her eggs. That was only a month ago.”

               “Peter I’m not sure what to think about this. He sorta showed up out of the water. If he is mine with that mermaid then these mermaids must do a whole hell of a lot of growing as soon as they’re hatched.”

               “I-I suppose…. But what other explanation is there? This boy shows up out of nowhere and he looks just like you. He came from the water Michael.”

               “I know that! What am I supposed to do about it?”

               “I don’t know.” Peter looked down. “But you’re going to have to do something. This isn’t something for you to avoid.”

               “I’m not about to avoid it. I just don’t know what to do.”

               “I understand. But you have all of us with you.”

               “I know.” Mike nodded slightly. “Thank you.”

               Back on the beach, the others quietly discussed their ideas about the boy. Nobody was able to deny the boy’s resemblance to Mike. It didn’t take much for them to put things together about him, but Trixie had a lot of questions. Questions that they weren’t sure how to answer without Mike being present. This only left her with more confusion than answers and she began wondering things about Mike. Mostly, she wondered about what happened before she met him that he had neglected to tell her.

               Realizing they were talking about him, the boy looked up at the adults. While gazing upon them, his dark eyes flashed. He inched closer towards Trixie and patted her on the arm to get her attention.

               “Are you mama?”

               Taken aback, she placed a hand on her chest and awkwardly grinned. “What? No sweetie I’m not your mama. But maybe we can help you find her.”

               The boy looked at the fire and sat quietly for a moment as though in reflection.

               “Mama sent me here to find my daddy and a new mama.”

               “Oh… oh um… sweetie I’m sorry. I wish I knew how to help you.”

               Trixie looked at Micky and Davy, her eyes slightly widened with concern. Before either of them could say anything, Mike and Peter returned. Mike went over to Trixie and pulled her aside. He then began explaining everything that happened with the mermaid. When everything was said and thoroughly explained, Trixie sank back into the sand and sat there in silence. She stared ahead at the water and remained a bit rigid in her spine. When Mike knelt to her level to attempt to comfort her, she dismissed it with a slow shake of her head.

               Mike moved back some to give her a little space for a moment. He studied her to try to figure out what could be on her mind. As he examined her body language, he realized she wasn’t necessarily upset over the news. She swallowed. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. After a moment, she ran her fingers through her hair and then gazed up at him.

               “Okay Michael.” She said quietly.

               “Okay, what?’

               “I believe you. And I believe you never meant for any of this to happen.”

               “Well I didn’t. I never would have.” He sat next to her and sighed a little. “If I could go back and change what happened, I would. But I can’t. And now there’s this little boy here and that mermaid is still lurking about probably waiting to strike. This boy could be a trap to lure us in to where she is. The boy is innocent in all this though. But we still have to be careful. Until Aya shows up, I think it’s best we protect him. Take care of him. He is, after all, a child.

               “You’re absolutely right, Michael.”

               His only response was to stand and offer her his hand. She smiled softly as she accepted it, letting him help her to her feet.

               Micky lay awake for the past couple hours. He twirled his thumbs and stared at the ceiling almost as though he were watching television. In a way, he was watching his own thoughts unfold before him like movie scenes. Everything had happened so fast and it was just now catching up to him.

               Looking over at Mike he saw that he was sound asleep. Normally when Micky had trouble sleeping this would have annoyed him. But this time he was strangely intrigued by it. He turned onto his side and inched a little closer to the edge of the bed so he could have a better view of Mike. He had a strange need to see him. All of him. Even though he knew Mike wasn’t in his merman form, Micky still had to see.

               That tail, those fins, even those gills were all so fascinating to him. Seeing Mike in this form seemed so magical. He was… beautiful. Micky couldn’t help but wonder what it was like. He closed his eyes and imagined himself swimming with a mermaid tail. How graceful he would be, swimming about, gliding through the water with ease. He probably could swim farther and faster than he ever could before. And with gills he would be able to stay under water much longer. He would be able to dive and explore the ocean scenery without the use of scuba gear.

               Suddenly his eyes popped open. He gasped a little and a smile spread across his lips. Right then he knew what he needed to do. He needed to become a merman just like Mike. The only problem was, he had no idea how to do this. There was no way that he’d go into the ocean looking for Aya. That would bring too much danger for himself and his friends. But perhaps there was a chance that Mike could help him out.

               Micky lay back and turned his eyes onto the ceiling. He started thinking about everything and knew that if he were going to become a merman he’d first have to convince Mike it was a good idea. This was going to take some strategizing.

…………

               The next day, Micky followed Mike around, overflowing with his new obsession. Question after question he asked Mike about everything that had to do with being a mermaid. Just as Mike was about to lose it, Micky asked him a question that completely stopped him in his tracks with bewilderment.

               “You want me to what?”

               “I want you to turn me, Mike.”

               “Turn you into what?”

               “Um… a merman. Please Mike?”

               “Mick I… “ he sighed with his shoulders slumped. He knew there would be no easy way out of this new obsession of Micky’s. “I don’t even have any idea where I would begin with this.”

               “Well what did Aya do to change you? Maybe you could try that.”

               “I barely remember what happened. She had me under a spell. Besides, even if I did know how she changed me, that doesn’t mean I can do the same for you.”

               “Please Mike?” Micky bounced eagerly. “Pleeeeeeeeeease? Just try something. I want to be like you.”

               “Mick… Please just let it go. Even if I could change you I have no idea of how to do it.”

               Micky sighed and looked down. “Okay. This was stupid any way.” Defeated, he walked away, leaving Mike unsure of what to do.

…………

               The rest of the day had not gone any better. In fact, Micky persisted in his annoyance towards Mike. No matter what, he just could not get the idea of becoming a merman off his mind. He could not focus on anything. Even eating was difficult because of his constant distraction from his food. Micky had become absolutely obsessed with the idea of becoming a merman, even though he knew there was no point in pursuing it.

               Mike certainly had no idea if or even how he would be able to change Micky, and finding Aya to change him was too dangerous. He was going to have to remain unfulfilled by his new obsession, unless he found something to satisfy it. There had to be something he could do. But the more he tried thinking of a solution, the worse it made his obsession. He had to try to find a way to get this off his mind, but at this point it was going to be impossible.

                 Mike stood back and looked at Micky, taking in his current state. Micky sat on the window bench seat, staring out the window as though sadly lost in his thoughts. With a small sigh, Mike knew he should do something to help Micky out of this. But with never really experiencing Micky in quite this state during one of his weird obsessions, Mike didn’t know what he could do to help him. All he knew was, he needed the real Micky back.

               Thinking for a moment, Mike tried to come up with something that would distract Micky for a little while. He wasn’t sure how he would do it but he realized he’d have to come up with some sort of gesture. He needed to do something to make Micky happy for a little while so that, hopefully, his mind could relax. Once Micky was able to relax, Mike would be able to do the same. In that moment, nothing in particular struck him. But he knew something could come to him once he was alone with Micky. With a slight grin, he walked over to Micky and began to gently coax his attention onto him.

               “Hey so, Mick.” He cleared his throat and Micky looked at him. “Mick, ah, what do you say you and I go out for a walk?”

               “Just us?”

               Mike grinned. “Yep. Thought it’d be nice for us. Maybe we could talk…. Maybe have a little fun.”

               Micky couldn’t help grinning. “Yeah? I’d love to.”

               He stood up and practically bounced over to the door. His rising excitement was a little hard to contain as he hopped in his place while waiting for Mike. When Mike got there, he chuckled and shook his head.

               “Micky you’re like a puppy excited for a walk.”

               This caused Micky to stick his tongue out and pant like a dog. Resisting to laugh at this proved to be difficult for Mike. He even played along and patted Micky on top of the head.

               “Too bad I don’t have a leash for you.” He chuckled.

               “Yeah yeah let’s go!”

               With a chuckle, Mike led him outside and down to the beach. When they started walking, neither of them were certain where they were going. All they knew was, they wanted to be away from the house. It had been a while since they were able to have privacy, some quiet time to be just Mike and Micky. So the further they went away from the house, the better it would be for both of them. They realized that this walk was much needed for them both.

               For a while they enjoyed the blissful silence between them. The quiet was soothing. Mike walked them over to a more secluded area and over to the water. As they walked there, they started talking about everything they needed to share. Mike figured that talk would be another good form of distraction for Micky. It was also much needed for both of them as there was so much that needed sorted out. This talk had been a long time coming and both of them felt relief from it.

               Pausing the conversation, Mike moved closer to the water. He knew this was a risky move as far as Micky’s obsession was concerned. But it was a risk he was willing to take up in that moment. There was something he had to do. Ignoring Micky’s question of what he was doing, Mike entered the water and transformed. He swam out to a deeper part of the water and dove downward. He stayed under water for several minutes before resurfacing. The entire time he was under the water, he pictured Micky standing on shore, pondering his actions and anticipating his return, nerves all racked up inside him. Which he very much was. When Mike returned, he swam up close to Micky, concealing something carefully in one hand. Once out of the water and back in human form, Mike brought this object to Micky.

               “I got this just for you.”

               “What is it?”

               Mike opened his hand, revealing a wriggling and quite colorful starfish. The starfish coiled partly and wrapped a couple of its limbs around Mike’s fingers. Micky’s eyes opened wider and a gasp escaped his lungs when he saw it. He reached out with one finger to touch it but it coiled back.

               “That’s for me?” He asked, amazed. “Wow. That’s really groovy.” He smiled and held his hands cupped together in front of him. He then held his breath as Mike carefully transported the starfish into Micky’s cupped hands.

               “Wow. Thank you so much.”

               “You’re welcome.” Mike grinned. “We’ll have to find something to put that in.”

               Micky nodded, not taking his eyes off the starfish. “What’s it like under the water? Is it pretty?”

               “Have you ever been snorkeling?” Micky confirmed with a nod. “Oh well it’s 100 times better than that. No goggles, no need for an oxygen tank. It’s… incredible.”

               “I bet.” Micky watched the starfish in is hands. His smile began to fade and his expression shifted to become much more forlorn.

               “Is something wrong Mick?” Mike asked with his head tilted.

               “I was just thinking about how… well… I still really want to be able to experience that. I wish you knew how to change me. You could at least try something.”

               Mike sighed, the good mood being zapped out of him. “Mick we’ve been over this. Even if I knew how to change you, I have no way of telling if I even have the power to change you. You don’t know, maybe… maybe not all mermaids can change people. You know? Maybe it’s a really rare thing for them to be able to do. I mean Aya changed me because she wanted me as her lover. Perhaps it was her only chance to change a person and she used it already.”

               “You don’t know all that. You’re just guessing.”

               “And you’re just assuming that I can change you. When, really, neither of us have any clue about how any of this mermaid stuff works.”

               “I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to try something. Guess I was wrong.”

Mike pulled himself onto the ice and his tail transformed back into legs. He panted a little and ignored the awed expressions upon the other three guys’ faces. Once he was relaxed, he looked up at them. His eyes fell upon Micky who still stared at him.

               “What is it?” Mike asked, a bit irritated.

               “Mike… you’re… you’re a merman?”

               Looking at his legs, Mike rubbed them a little. For a moment, he sat in silent contemplation over the previous events. He then looked at the others again.

               “That girl… mermaid… whatever she was… I think she changed me when she kissed me. All I remember is, she kissed me and pulled me under the water and I could breathe and move easily. Took me a while to realize I had changed.” He looked toward the water with narrowed, serious eyes. “I have the feeling we’ve met her before.”

               “What do you mean? Met her before?” Davy asked.

               “How?” Peter added. “Where?”

               Mike looked directly at Micky. “I have the strange feeling that mermaid may have been that same thing, the dark cloud or whatever it was that possessed that Sammy chick.”

               Micky blinked in surprise. “What? Sammy? You mean that chick I dated while my memory was gone?”

               Mike tapped his nose. “Sammy was possessed by a strange sort of smoke, demon thing. I remember seeing it hovering above the water once, shortly before the mermaid showed up.”

               “Oh Mike…” Micky scooped him up and wrapped his arms around him. He sat behind Mike, enclosing his legs around his waist “Oh Mike… Mike…” He gently kissed Mike’s forehead. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Micky snuggled close to him for a moment, nuzzling his hair. After a moment, he suddenly pulled back in a bit of a panic. “Do you think this mermaid spell on you will wear off?”

               “Probably not.” Mike mumbled. “That’s not the worst of my troubles though. There will be more.”

               The other three looked at him confused and asked him to clarify what he meant.

               “The mermaid… Aya, she said in a month there will be more.” He swallowed and glanced at the water. “She told me I fertilized her eggs.”

               Loud gasps arose from the other three guys. For a moment neither of them knew what to say or do. Micky stood completely frozen as he stared at Mike. He began to tremble a little and tried to speak despite words failing him. When he was able to speak, rather than produce quiet squeaks, his voice was quiet and a little shaky.

               “Wh-what the hell, Mike? What- why? How could you?”

               “Micky relax. Do you think I would have done this if I hadn’t been under a spell?”

               Micky closed his mouth and gulped back forming tears. He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

               Mike stood up and gently placed his hands on Micky’s cheeks. “Babe, trust me. I wouldn’t have done this to you. Even after everything that happened with Trixie. I would never do anything to hurt you. I assure you, I had absolutely no control over this situation.”

               Micky nodded and looked down sadly. “Okay.” He whispered. He took in a breath and wrapped his arms around Mike. “It’ll be okay.” He nuzzled Mike’s neck. “But what if they come onto land and find you and take you away?”

               “Then we’ll just fight them off.”

               This caused Micky to laugh a little before hugging him again. The four of them talked for a moment before heading back to shore. Nobody knew what would come from this once they were back home. All they knew was this was just the start of a much bigger adventure in store for them.

…………

               Nobody got any sleep the rest of the night. Too much was on everyone’s mind and talk was very little because no one knew where to begin. They all shared one thing on their minds. In the few years they had their powers, they had never experienced anything quite this strange. Neither of them ever expected to see real mermaids, let alone have one of their own turn into one. It certainly was going to take some time to get used to all this.

               Mike and Micky sat together on Mike’s bed, unsure of a whole world of things. They didn’t say much to each other and barely even looked at each other. Finally Micky broke the silence by asking Mike what was on his mind. Mike had trouble answering at first, feeling a little embarrassed by what he had to say.

               “To be honest…” He sighed a little and then waved his hand in front of him while trying to get the words out. “I was thinking about taking a shower. But I am too nervous about it. I know the minute I get in the water I’m going to change.”

               Micky grinned slightly. “Is that all?” He chuckled. “Well Mike, how about instead of a shower, I draw you a nice bubble bath? That way when you change, you’ll at least be sitting down and won’t have to worry about falling or anything.”

               “That actually won’t be so bad. It would be better if I didn’t have to worry about changing whenever I got wet.”

               “Well maybe you’ll learn how to control it or something.” Micky rubbed Mike’s leg. “Hmm? What do you say about that bath? I’ll scrub your back for you.”

               Mike couldn’t help but grin a little. “I think I’ll take you up on hat offer.”

                 Just downstairs, Davy and Peter sat in their bedroom. They shared Peter’s bed with Davy stretched out across Peter’s lap. Peter reached down to gently stroke Davy’s hair, often brushing his bangs out of his face. When he would do this, he’d smile softly.

               Davy glanced up to catch him smile. “What’s that look for?”

               “What look?” Peter asked innocently.

               “That smile.” He sat up some.

               “Oh nothing. I just like seeing your eyes.”

               “Really.” Davy snickered.

               “They’re just lovely.” Peter smiled, blushing slightly.

               Davy sat all the way up and placed a hand on Peter’s cheek. He then gave him a smooth kiss full on the lips. The kiss broke and then Davy laid back down contently. After a few moments of silence, Davy glanced up at him.

               “So um… when you kissed me out there on the ice, Micky saw.”

               Peter’s eyes widened a little. “Oh man I forgot he was there! What did he do about it? Did he say anything?”

               “Pretty much, he asked how long we’ve been together and he said he never pegged me as the type to go after guys.”

               Peter couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Oh man that’s funny!”

               Davy frowned, looking at him. “It’s not that funny.”

               “Actually it is, because it’s true. You know, because of all the girls you’ve been with!”

               “Yeah yeah!” He rolled his eyes.

               “Don’t be grumpy about it.” Peter chuckled. “It’s okay anyway because I love you.”

               Davy blinked in surprise and then looked up at him. “What did you just say?”

               “I um… nothing.” Peter looked away and gulped.

               Davy laughed and pointed at him. “You just said you love me!”

               Peter blushed. “I-I did. I’m sorry.”

               “Sorry for what?” Davy sat up and wrapped his arms around Peter’s shoulders. “You looooove me!” He snickered and kissed him.

               Peter grinned and returned the kiss. “Is that alright?”

               “Yes of course it is.” He gave another kiss. “You know, somewhere out there, a million girls are preparing to riot in the streets because I’m with you and not them.”

               “Yeah well they don’t gotta know, do they?”

               Davy shrugged his shoulders. He then smiled and laughed. “Let them riot.”

               Peter laughed. He sat quietly for a few seconds before sitting up straight, surprised. “You mean you want to come out with this?”

               Davy looked up at him. He laughed and shook his head without saying another word. At first, Peter was confused but then he let out a small chuckle. He realized that there was no reason to discuss the matter any further.

…………

               Mike stared at the freshly drawn bubble bath. He stood there feeling uneasy about what was going to happen. He watched as Micky checked the temperature of the water. Micky looked at him with a grin and declared that it was perfect. When Mike didn’t move, Micky realized something was wrong.

               “Aren’t you getting in?”

               “I’ve never been this nervous about getting wet before. I know what’s going to happen but I’m not ready for it.”

               Micky stood and walked over to Mike. He squeezed Mike’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. Just get in.”

               Mike nodded and released a breath of air through his nose. He stepped into the tub and slowly sank in the water. As soon as he stretched his legs out in front of him, the inevitable happened. When this happened, it was as though the entire world around him came tumbling down. He rested his head against the back of the tub and turned his eyes to the ceiling. With everything going on inside him right then, there was no way he was going to relax in this bath.

               Micky knelt beside the tub. He rested his arms over the rim and placed his head on them. His attention was on Mike and he soaked in everything that he saw. He wished he could get inside Mike’s head right then so he could figure out exactly what brought on this mood. Seeing Mike this way was so strange. As much as he wanted to try to help Mike feel better, Micky was also so captivated by Mike’s emotional state that he just wanted to observe it.

               “Mike?” He paused as Mike looked at him. “What’s it like?”

               “What’s what like?”

               “You know…” He reached down and flicked some of the bubbles. “Becoming a mermaid.”

               “You mean this?” He made a small splash with his fins. “Bullshit is what it is.” He sighed and pinched the corners of his eyes. “It’s so frustrating to know that from now on, whenever I get in water, I’m going to turn into a fish.”

               “Well, I mean, you look more like part dolphin and they’re not fish.”

               Mike splashed with is fin, getting Micky in the face with water. “I don’t want to hear it!” He sighed and covered his face with both hands.

               Micky looked down, sorrowfully. “I’m sorry.”

               “It’s not your fault, Mick. You’re not the one who made me this way.”

               “Well no. But I still feel bad for what you’re going through.”

               “I’m not exactly… keen on the idea of changing every time I get in the water.”

               “Well then maybe you’ll learn to control it. I mean Peter doesn’t turn into a squirrel every time he’s near bird feeders.”

               This caused Mike’s mood to soften a bit. There wasn’t much of a smile on his face but he did laugh a little. He shook his head and patted Micky’s hand.

               “The difference between me and Peter is that’s his power to change into animals. Of course he can control it otherwise he’d be in a lot of trouble. But me… I wouldn’t call this a power. It’s more of a curse.”

               Micky looked into the water and flicked some bubbles as he listened to Mike. He looked up at Mike thoughtfully and grinned slightly.

               “You’re might call it a curse but… I think it’s kinda neat.”

               Cocking his head, Mike looked at Micky as though he was crazy. “Neat? What part pf this is neat to you? I mean you never once said Peter changing into animals was neat.”

               “That’s it though. I mean… Peter turns into animals. That’s cool and all. But mermaids are supposed to be a mythical creature. Nobody thinks they actually exist. But now we know there’s a whole city of them living in the ocean. Not only that but now you are one of them.”

               Sitting up, Mike was quiet as he let Micky’s words sink in. “I never thought of that.” He looked at Micky with a slight grin. “Sometimes, Mick, you come up with the most incredible things.”

               Micky blushed a little. “You think so?”

               “Of course.”

               Mike leaned forward. He lifted Micky’s chin to look him in the eyes. With a soft smile he then gave Micky a kiss.  

               “I think I’m ready to get out of this bath.”

               Micky nodded and drained the water. As soon as the water was gone, Mike transformed back into his human form. Slowly, he stood and stepped out of the tub. He grabbed a towel and dried off before wrapping it around his waist. Looking at Micky, he grinned a little. He took Micky by the hand and they walked back into the bedroom.

               Once in the bedroom, Mike got dressed and stretched out on his bed. He glanced over at Micky as a signal to join him. It seemed as though an internal shout of glee propelled Micky as he hopped over to the bed. He lay down next to Mike and cuddled up close to him. Turning his eyes up, he looked at Mike and grinned contently.

               “How are you feeling, Mike?”

The mermaid poked her head out of the water. She entered the cavern and then turned to wave Mike forward. Pulling the invisible line that connected them, she brought him closer to her and into the cavern. She purred and sang a little, seducing him further. Mike smiled and wrapped his arms around her. The mermaid wrapped her tail around his waist to bring him even closer. She tangled her fingers through his hair and planted a sensual kiss upon his lips.

               “Be my lover forever.” She sang softly.

               Mike nodded and melted to her touch. He leaned forward and kissed her on the neck.

               “Tell me…” he whispered “Do you have a name?”

               She moved into him and kissed him. “Aya.”

               He smiled and repeated her name as though it was the most amazing thing he had ever heard. Melting even deeper into her, he kissed her. As the kiss deepened, he felt something strange with her tail. It seemed to slither off him and then it wrapped around his waist and hips again. Only something weird happened; it had split in two pieces. The two pieces strengthened and they wrapped firmly around him. The scales smoothed out but no longer felt slippery. The fins also shortened and thickened into an odd shape. When Mike finally dared to break the kiss, he looked down and saw a pair of legs. He was startled for a moment and then he looked at her in amazement. She merely nodded with a smirk and pulled him into another kiss.

               Mike felt himself ease inside of her. The instant that he felt her was the biggest surge of incredible sensation that he ever felt. It was so surprising and he wanted so much more than what she probably could give him. He had never felt this good before. It was so addicting, just to feel her. She was nothing he felt before and everything he ever felt all in one. He needed more. He needed it all.

               It was in that moment when Peter, still in fish form, swam up to them. He transformed and gasped. He stared at them at first, then winced and looked away. Only he couldn’t look away too long. Aya’s pull was too strong. He had to look at her. Her beauty was hypnotic.

               Aya looked in his direction, her dark eyes shining. She smirked and blew him a kiss, which stabbed him in the heart. Peter melted and smiled at her. For just a moment he stared at her with a dopey grin, unable to do anything else. However, the moment that Aya tore her eyes off him and focused on Mike, Peter snapped out of his hypnosis. He blinked and then looked at them in confusion.

               “Michael!”

               Mike pulled away from Aya and stiffened his back. He snarled at Peter and swam over to where he was.

               “Get away, mother fucker!” He shoved Peter away. “You can’t have her, she’s mine!”

               Stunned by Mike’s actions, Peter knew he had to do something. He also knew there was no way that he alone would be able to get Mike away from the mermaid and her power. He needed the others to help him break the mermaid’s spell. With a huff, Peter turned into a bird and flew out of the cavern.

………..

               Micky clung close to Davy as they walked on the ice. The entire time, he was nervous about slipping. A few times he was so fearful to move that he slowed his pace to barely inch along. When he would do this, Davy would turn and glare at him. Davy would then grab his arm and pull him along. In reality, Micky wasn’t just nervous about slipping on the ice. Fear of melting the ice was also running rampant through him. He had never been near so much cold for so long without needing to use his power, and he didn’t know how long he would be able to hold out.

               Davy picked up on Micky’s nerves. He knew he would have to do something to ease Micky’s mind if they were going to seriously search for their friends. He decided to distract him by having him focus on the scenery. The view through the ice, which was clear as glass, was breathtaking. The ice seemed to illuminate the ocean below and expand upon the features. Everything in the ocean was now seen brilliantly. Micky couldn’t help but stare in awe at the magical, painting-like scene in the water below.

               “That’s… that’s beautiful.” He said, barely above a whisper.

               “It really is.” Davy said. “You feel better now?”

               Micky grinned, “I do.”

               “Good. Now come on. We have to find Mike and Peter. So, time to keep your focus, mate.”

               Micky nodded and gulped a little. “Right.” He held Davy’s arm and let him lead again.

               They walked along the ice, and kept a sharp eye for signs of their friends. After walking for what seemed like miles, they stopped as something in the distance caught their attention. They couldn’t tell what it was at first only that it was moving towards them. Once it was a little closer they saw it was a bird. The bird swooped down and splashed into the water. When they saw this, they knew that this was Peter.

               Peter, now a dolphin, swam up to them at full speed. When he reached the ice path, he turned back into a human. He panted as he struggled to climb up onto the ice. Davy and Micky helped him onto the ice and he started a frantic, yet, breathless, tale of what he had encountered. As he spoke, the other two listened in confusion.

               “I saw them!” Peter gulped in a deep breath of air. “Mike! He was- he was with- a mermaid!” he exclaimed between breaths.

               “What are you talking about?” Micky asked. “A mermaid? Peter you sure you weren’t hallucinating or something? Maybe you were under the water too long.”

               “No! I promise!” Peter pleaded. “It really was a mermaid! She took him to this cavern and she was doing sexual things to him. I think she had Mike under some sort of spell. He wasn’t himself at all!”

               Davy nodded, although he wasn’t ready to fully believe Peter’s story. “Alright. Show us where they were.”

               “The cavern was this way.” Peter pointed. “But they might be gone by now.”

               “But we still have to find them!” Micky exclaimed. “Even if they’re not in the cavern any more they could still be in the area!”

               Peter nodded with a firm lip. “Right.”

               “So let’s not waste any more time standing around here.” Said Davy, taking on a leader stance. “Let’s go fellas!”

…………

               Aya swam ahead, bringing Mike with her. They went deep into the ocean, much deeper than anyone had ever gone before. Mike often asked her where they were going, but Aya would just smile or laugh a little.

               After swimming a while, they approached a large, bubble-like dome. From a distance it looked to have nothing inside. But as they got right up to it, Mike could see an entire city full of mermaids. He looked at Aya, stunned.

               “What is this place?”

               She smiled. “Home.”

               Leading Mike inside the dome, Aya took Mike into the city. She led him a little ways, swimming past merfolk who welcomed her as though she was someone important. Soon they approached a large palace and Aya guided Mike inside through the back way. Mike could not take his eyes off anything and he took in every detail of their surroundings. They swam down vast corridors and into a room. Aya shut the door behind them and brought Mike over to a bed made of coral.

               “Come.” She smiled and patted the space beside her.

               Mike lay down beside her and smiled. “So this is your home?”

               “Our home.” She smiled, moving closer to him. “And in a month we will have our family here with us.”

               “What? A month? What family?

               She giggled. “You fertilized my eggs, silly.”

               His eyes widened. “Your eggs?” He gulped.

               “Of course! You’re going to be a father!”

               Mike froze, completely stunned as he stared at her. Suddenly, the strange hypnotic pull that she had on him broke and all sense and logic began returning to him. Shaking his head in disbelief, he moved away from her. He swam off the coral bed and hurried over to the room entrance. That was when reality hit him that he had changed. While checking out his body his breathing became heavy and panicked. He ran his fingers over his neck and felt the gills allowing him to breathe. A dorsal fin clung to his spine and his legs were fused together into a dolphin-like tail. That was how he was able to move so swiftly through the water.

               With bulging, mad eyes, he whipped his head up to look at Aya. “What have you done to me?!”

               “Careful with your temper or you’ll boil us.” She chuckled and then twirled a finger through her hair. “I improved you. You’re a merman.”

               “What?” He grew furious. “I demand that you change me back!”

               “You demand?” She laughed and swam up to him. “You don’t know who you’re talking to.” She wrapped her tail around him and poked his chest. “Nobody demands anything from me. I chose you as my lover and you’re going to stay here with me forever.” She smirked him, her eyes shining and dark.

               Mike broke free from her and knocked her away with his tail. He swam out of the room, only to get lost in the corridor. For now, his escape would have to wait until he could find a way out.

…………

               The other three traveled far, walking over Davy’s ice path. Once they got to a good spot, according to Peter, Peter turned to Davy. He gave him a deep kiss, not caring that Micky was there, and then dove into the water. He transformed immediately into a fish and swam as fast as he could.

               ”Good luck, love!” Davy called the moment Peter dove into the water.

               He turned to face Micky and caught his expression of confusion and shock.

               “Are you guys… together?” Micky asked.

               “Er…” Davy blushed grinning sheepishly. “Yeah I suppose we are.”

               Micky smirked. “How long?”

               Davy shrugged. “Not… not too long.”

               Micky chuckled. “Wow. I never would have pegged you as the type to go after guys.”

               Davy blushed harder. “Shut it….” He cleared his throat. “We’re supposed to be searching for Mike.”

               “Uh-huh.”

…………

               Peter swam as fast as he could, changing into different fish along the way. He often called out for Mike, not stopping a beat. His concern grew into worry and his worry started rising into panic when he still found no traces of Mike. But still, he didn’t give up hope. He knew Mike was around somewhere, and he was determined to find him no matter what it would take.

               Meanwhile, Mike hurried around twists and turns of the massive maze-like corridor. He made himself rush through, despite not knowing his way around. This was because he knew Aya would be right on his trail. He had to find a way out even if it killed him. But he wasn’t about to let himself die, not like this.

               Soon, just before Aya caught up with him, he found just the right turn that brought him out of the corridor. The only thing he could do then was let his instincts lead him to freedom.

               It didn’t take long for him to leave the underwater palace. The trouble now was, he had to find his way out of the merfolk city, and out of the surrounding dome. He had to do this without Aya catching him and bringing him back under her spell. He swam as fast as his fins could propel him.  He ducked and weaved around other merfolk, making his way even closer to the edge of the city. Soon he reached the dome and stopped to take in some calming breaths.

               Suddenly, he perked his ears up as he heard a familiar voice call his name. He listened carefully and then burst out of the bubble dome. Swimming towards the sound of the voice, he dared not to look back at the city. Stopping for just a moment, he listened to the voice. He jerked and then swam directly toward the voice.

               “Peter!”

               “Michael!” Peter called again, swimming forward. “Where are you?”

               Mike swam some more, searching for whatever form Peter may be in. “Peter! Stay where you are! I’m coming! Keep calling me!”

               Peter stopped and called out, directing Mike towards him. When Mike got there, Peter swam up to him, circling his body, laughing in glee. Neither of them said a word about Mike’s appearance, or even exchanged as much as a hello. They just immediately swam back toward Davy’s ice path.

………..

               Micky and Davy stared at the water as they waited. Neither of them spoke for nerves overtook them. They were sure that something had happened to their friends by now. But still they waited, hoping for a good outcome.

               Suddenly, Davy jumped to his feet and pointed at something moving towards them under the water. Micky joined him and gripped Davy’s shoulder. Both men held their breath as they watched as whatever it was come closer to them in the water.

That night Mike was extremely restless in his bed. He tossed and turned, unable to stay comfortable for too long. Once he was able to get some sleep, he was disturbed by a strange dream that often verged on a nightmare. The images were dark and eerily familiar, as though he had actually lived them. He actually wasn’t sure if he didn’t live this scene.

               He sat on the beach facing the water. He was alone but he felt as though he wasn’t alone. There was a voice calling him from the water. It was far away, and yet it surrounded him. It enveloped with both sweet, soothing, and dark, sinister tones. The voice called him by name and drew him into the water. He could not fight the pull of the voice as it continued to call to him, singing sweetly to him.

               Mike followed the voice into the water. He felt himself become swallowed by the water as he closed his eyes and listened to the song. The song was like nothing he had ever heard before, which drew him in to it even more. He smiled as he listened to, the sweetly sinister voice singing to him, and didn’t notice as he went under the water. Hands came from the darkness of the water surrounding him, and they grabbed hold of him to pull him deeper and deeper into the water. Everything felt so surreal… so… magical. He did not want to leave.

               Once he began hearing a second, and more familiar, voice calling out to him, everything shifted. He tried to block out the sound of this second voice and just listen to the singing. But once he recognized who the second voice belonged to, he began to panic. He struggled to breathe against the water and tried to swim away. He was paralyzed. The water had him trapped and he panicked some more, especially once everything went black.

               Mike bolted upright in his bed. He panted and sweat dripped from his forehead. Glancing at the clock, he saw the early morning hour and he groaned in displeasure before plopping back down onto his pillow. He heard Micky stirring from the next bed, but tried to ignore it.

               “Mike?” Micky asked before yawning. “Mike is something wrong?”

               “No, Mick. Everything’s fine. Go back to sleep.”

               Micky sat up and turned to face Mike’s bed. He peeked through the darkness with a sleepy eye, struggling to see properly. “No what’s going on? I heard you shout.”

               “I’m fine, really. It was just a dream.”

               “Do you want to talk about it?”

               Mike shook his head. “No, I’m fine, Mick. Just go back to sleep.”

               Micky sighed a little and lied back down. “Okay.”

               Mike lay back and stared at the ceiling. Feeling uncomfortable, he folded his hands together over his chest. He took in deep breaths and let them out slowly in an attempt to relax. This only made him more on edge since he could not get the images of his dream off his mind. These images were so clear that he could almost hear the singing as though someone was just outside the window. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to block out the images in his mind, as well as the singing. This worked for a short moment but the singing brought it all back.

               The singing. It was so loud and so clear that Mike couldn’t ignore it. He sat up and covered his ears, trying hard to think of something else in order to get it out of his head. While sitting there, he started to grow frustrated over not being able to get rid of the singing. His back stiffened as he sat up straight. He frowned, narrowing his eyes as he listened. Chills began to run through his body the moment he realized. The singing actually was coming from outside.

               Mike stood and walked over to the window. He opened it and looked outside. At first, he didn’t see anything but he heard the singing. He glanced over at Micky’s bed to see if he heard the singing as well. A frown came to his face when he saw that Micky was turned away from him and seemed to be dead to the world asleep. Mike couldn’t understand how he was the only one, as far as he could tell, who heard this singing.

               Staring out the window, he listened to the sweet, haunting song. Everything slowly dissolved around him, leaving him nothing but the eerie singer, calling out to him. He fell into a hypnotic trance and became compelled to follow the sound of the mysterious voice.

…………

               Though it was late and a time when they normally would be asleep, Davy and Peter sat together in the living room. They cuddled on the couch while quietly talking to each other. It turned out that neither of them was able to sleep due to the events of the day weighing heavy on their minds. They talked about everything that happened, but mostly they focused on Mike. Neither of them could stop thinking about how Mike had almost drowned. They all were so close to losing him that day, and in such a way that neither of them ever thought would happen.

               Even though Micky was a bit shaken up and probably confused when he said Mike tried to kill himself, and even though Mike said he didn’t remember what happened, they both felt as though it wasn’t a suicide attempt. It just wasn’t something that Mike would do, no matter how tough things got for him. Then again, Micky was the only one out there as Mike was drowning, so he was the only one to really know what was happening. Though they didn’t see anything plausible about this near drowning being a suicide attempt, Davy and Peter still only had Micky’s word to go by. And they weren’t sure how good his judgment was at the time. Either way it happened, this still was something that they could not shake.

               They quieted their conversation for a few moments to take in the silence of the room. As they were about to speak again, they were distracted by Mike at the top of the stairs. They greeted him and asked why he was up, but he didn’t reply. His movements were odd, almost like a drifting spirit, gliding down the stairs. The expression on his face was blank and he stared seemingly without a single thought in his head. The two men on the couch looked at each other completely baffled as Mike headed over to the balcony doors. They watched, puzzled as he seemed to glide along without touching the floor as he went outside.

               Davy looked at Peter, puzzled and astonished over Mike’s strange, ghost-like actions. “What’s that all about?”

               “I don’t know.” Peter narrowed his eyes, still trying to watch Mike. “Maybe we should follow him.”

               “Do you think he might… try something?”

               Peter shook his head slowly, still focusing on the glass doors. “I don’t know, Davy. Micky said he tried to drown himself.”

               “Might not be a bad idea to keep an eye on him.” Davy nodded.

               They both got up and followed Mike out to the beach. Once they got outside, they were stunned over the fact that Mike wasn’t anywhere to be seen. They were stunned while standing there, not knowing where to go.

…………

               Mike stared ahead, pulled forward by the hypnotic sound of the voice. He kept walking until he got to the edge of a rocky cliff. There he stood, staring at the water below. A shadow figure danced above the water and seemed to meld with the movement of the waves. It hovered above the water for a moment before diving down below the surface. A woman emerged, singing and waving her hands in slow movements as though she was pulling an invisible string. Her voice and the action of pulling on the string sparked something inside Mike. He stripped down to his underwear before jumping off the cliff. He landed in the water with a big splash before swimming over to the woman.

               Meanwhile, Peter and Davy searched the area near the house for any possible traces of Mike’s whereabouts. They used flashlights to look for footprints in the sand, hoping it would give them a trail to follow. Davy shined his flashlight over a set of footprints he believed to be fresh and pointed them out to Peter. Nodding agreement that these footprints could very well be Mike’s, Peter walked forward, leading Davy along the fresh, sandy path. They walked along the path and arrived at the cliff before seeing the prints reach the edge. Mike’s discarded clothes were found resting nearby, adding to the mystery. Once the two men reached the edge of the cliff, Davy looked down and gasped.

               Peter trembled a little and his eyes widened. “Davy you don’t think he…” he gulped, unable to finish his sentence.

               Davy stood still, though appearing in a near panic. He stared toward the bottom of the cliff and scrambled in his mind to try to figure out what to make of the situation. Suddenly, with flashlight still in hand, he walked over to the edge of the cliff and started slowly climbing down.

               “We’ve got to find him!”

               Feeling a little antsy about following Davy, Peter hesitated for a second at the edge. He bit his lip and transformed into a bird. Swooping past Davy, he raced down to the bottom of the cliff.

               Davy huffed and tried to hurry down the cliff, slipping a little bit every few steps. “Hold up! Not everyone can transform themselves you know!”

               Peter stopped and transformed back into a human as he waited for Davy. When Davy got there, stopping to catch his breath, Peter looked at the water.

               “Davy I can go in there as a fish and search for Mike. Why don’t you stay here on shore and look around?”

               Davy gave a quick nod. “Better yet, I’ll go back to the house and get Micky. He’ll help us look.” He reached for Peter’s face, placing a hand on his cheek to bring him into a kiss. “Good luck.”

               Peter grinned and turned to the water. He dove in, immediately transforming into a fish. After watching him go, Davy turned and raced back to the house. Both of them knew that they had to work fast if they were going to save Mike. Unfortunately, they had no idea exactly what they were saving him from, or if it wasn’t already too late.

…………

               Strangely, Mike found it easy to breathe under the water. He moved about with no difficulty at all, much like if he were moving through the air. Everything seemed so much like a dream. He looked around and smiled when he saw the woman who had been beckoning him to come near her. She waved him closer, still tugging on the invisible string that was attached to Mike. And she sang.

               “Come to me… come to me my lover… be mine…”

               Mike reached out to grab her but she quickly swam away with a laugh. Her tail and fins flipped behind her to stir the water a bit. Mike watched this feat, intrigued. It had not dawned on him until this moment that this woman was a mermaid. His smile broadened and he was more compelled to follow her. She continued her song and teased him a bit as she led him further and further under the water. Finally as they nearly reached the bottom, she stopped and turned to face him directly.

               Mike reached out and wrapped his arms around her. “Ah ha!” he laughed “Gotcha!”

               She wrapped her tail around him. “No. I got you.” She peered into his eyes and sang again. “My lover… stay with me forever…” She ran her fingers through his hair and purred. “Forget your life above and stay with me…”

               Mike smiled, gazing deeply into her eyes. “Yes… Yes I’d love to stay.”

               “And be mine… forever.”

               She held him tighter and gave him a deep, sensual kiss. As she kissed him, she nibbled lightly on his lower lip. Her teeth pierced the skin on his lip and she injected a sort of venom straight into his bloodstream. Luckily for her, Mike was so immersed by the kiss and so deeply entranced by her, that he didn’t notice anything during this little love bite. Breaking the kiss, she took him by the hand and started guiding him away. What neither of them realized was the fact that Peter was close on their trail.

…………

               Davy burst in through the glass doors, out of breath from running the whole way from the beach. He called for Micky before hurrying to the stairs. When there wasn’t a reply, he shouted up the stairs again. This time, Micky stumbled out of the bedroom, startled and still half asleep. He rolled his eyes and started to ask Davy what was going on, but before he could get two words out, Davy started frantically telling him about Mike. Davy dashed up the stairs and grabbed Micky by the arm. He continued telling him about what happened as he pulled Micky down the stairs and over to the doors to the balcony.

               When Micky’s tired brain became alert and made sense of Davy’s frantic explanation, he jumped and bolted out the door. This time, Davy had to chase him and try to get him to slow down. However, there was too strong a sense of urgency as they both ran to the cliff. They both made it to the cliff and climbed down to the edge of the water. As soon as they reached the water, Davy ran in to where it would be up to his knees and tried to call for Peter. There was no response so Davy called again. Realizing Peter wasn’t going to answer, Micky placed a hand on Davy’s shoulder and coaxed him out of the water.

               Davy looked at Micky, his eyes wide with worry. “We’ve got to go look for them!”

               “How though, Davy? We don’t have any powers to make us able to go under water or anything… If that’s even where they are.”

               Davy huffed a little as he stared at the water. “No we don’t…” he stared into the darkness for a moment before his face brightened a bit. “We may not be able to go very far under water. But we can at least walk on it! I’ll freeze the water!”

               Micky gasped a little and a smile began to form on his lips. “You can do that! How far can you freeze it?”

               “As far as we need.”

               “Then come on, Davy!” Micky said, excitedly as he grabbed Davy’s arm. “Let’s go!”

               They ran to the water and stopped there for a few moments as Davy concentrated. He held his breath and lowered his temperature. The water rippled around his feet as its temperature began to match that of Davy’s body. Davy concentrated some more and outstretched his hands in front of him. Ice sickles began to form on his fingers and the movement of the water began to slow down as it started freezing.

               Micky shivered from the chill in the surrounding air. He gasped and his eyes widened as he stood in awe. He tried to speak, with intentions of expressing how amazed he was over Davy’s feat, but he failed to form proper words. Watching Davy freeze the ocean was the biggest thing Micky or anyone ever saw him do with his power. As astonished as he was over this, Micky managed to bring himself out of his excitement once the seriousness of the situation came back to him. He bit his lip and looked at Davy, worry returning to his face.

               “You really think this will work?”

               Davy nodded. “Unless you’d rather get a boat or something.”

               “No this way is better! Let’s go!” He hopped and started toward the water.

               Davy reached and grabbed Micky’s shirt. “Hold on! Micky it’s ice! You don’t want to slip do you?” He kicked off his shoes and removed his socks. “Ok we can go now.” He stepped onto the ice. “I’m used to walking on ice but I know you’re not. So you might want to hold onto me.”

               Micky nodded and held onto Davy’s arm as he stepped carefully onto the ice. “Thank you Davy.” He whispered.

               Davy grinned and patted Micky’s hand that gripped around his arm. “Stick with me and you’ll be safe.”