Chapter 11
Pearls POV

When I saw the knife come out of his pocket. All I wanted to do was scream.
I could hear Pale swallow.
"I'll give you one more chance," Pete said. "Can you speak English?"
I wanted to scream "Pale is a princess and she speaks English just like me!" But I knew I couldn't. Pale knows about humans more than I do, so it's best she handles Pete.
"Fine," Pete said. "You asked for it."
Pete set the knife on her gills on one side of her neck.
All of a sudden Pale winced in pain.
Pete was cutting the knife into he gills.
Pete dug in deeper.
Pale screamed in pain.
The knife dug deeper into her neck.
"Stop!" Pale yelled and Pete released the knife from her neck.
Pale collapsed on the floor. Gasping for breath. She was bleeding all down her neck.
"Yes I...can speak English...and...so...can...Pearl... over...there...and yes...I am a princess of an underwater kingdom," Pale said gasping for breath in between.
"And what is this kingdom called?" Pete asked.
Pale sat up. "Why would I tell you?" She sassed.
Pete raised the bloody knife up to her face.
Pale's face turned white.
I could tell she was torn. She didn't want to get hurt, but she also didn't want to give any information away about the mermaids.
"I will not give any information about my people," Pale said strongly.
"Fine, I have mainly destroyed your first gill set, maybe I'll destroy your second, and last, one," Pete said.
"No!" I yelled.
Pete whipped around to me. "Mermaids are real creatures just like humans, we just look different! Stop putting Pale and I though this torture!"
"Well," Pete stood up and walked to her. "Maybe you could care to tell me any info about the kingdom?"
I looked at Pale and she nodded. I knew what she was saying. Give the info and don't get hurt.
"The kingdom is called Atlantica and it is the home to all merpeople," I said.
"You mean there is more of you creatures?" Pete asked.
"I won't give any information about my people," Pale said. "I thought I made myself clear."
Pete twirled the knife in his fingers.
"You know your just asking me to slice your neck open," he said smirking.
"And doing that you'll kill both of us, losing the only connection to the merworld," Pale said.
"But I have two of you, and what's a kingdom without a leader? One that won't last very long," Pete said.
He's good. Maybe too good for Pale.
Pale sighed. "Yes there are more of us."
Pale winced in pain, I saw tears form in her eyes.
Even if a knife wasn't digging into her throat, her cut still hurt.
"Where is this kingdom located?" Pete asked.
Pale didn't hesitate anymore when answering a question. At least he wasn't asking if she was becoming queen.
"Off the coast of Bermuda near the middle of the Atlantic Ocean," Pale said.
"Do you have any siblings?" Pete asked.
On this question Pale hesitated a bit, but not for long.
"I have a younger merman brother, he is a prince and I have a daughter she is only two," Pale said.
Pete looked a bit queasy at that part. And honestly, every fisherman should, a human-fish hybrid having a daughter. It sounded disgusting.
"Well that's all for today," Pete said. "It's getting late. What do you mermaids eat for dinner?"
"Raw fish any kind is fine," I said.
"Wait," Pale said as Pete was getting up. "You said 'all for today' you mean, this isn't a one day thing? You aren't going to let us go?"
"Do you really think I would let a over 1,000 year old legend slip through my finders like that? I want to get everything out of you two and then I'll sell you, or maybe keep you as my own. But I'm not letting you go," Pete said.
He walked out the door slamming it with a loud bang.
"I can't believe it," Pale said when the door slammed. "He's not letting us go."
"He's a fishermen, of course he's not," I said.
I wanted to hug her, but my tail would fall apart from my body, so I decided to stay still.
"I mean, he knows I'm a princess, so he obviously knows I've got a kingdom to run," Pale said.
"Maybe he doesn't know you have a kingdom to run," Pearl said.
"It's just so sad how there is a human so cruel out there who would keep two poor mermaids locked up in a room," Pale said.
"And he damaged your gills," I said. "Does he even know what he did? You could like drown."
"He obviously doesn't," Pale said.
"Does your neck hurt?" I asked.
"It stings a bit," She replied. "My real fear is the cut will get infected."
I nodded. "Oh yeah."
I heard the door open a crack.
"I guess Pete's back," Pale said.
The door opened, and Pete wasn't standing there, instead, it was someone much younger.
He had a light tan and beautiful brown eyes. He had brown hair cut in something called a crew cut and was wearing just a plain black shirt and jeans.
His eyes widened when he saw Pale.
"Oh my god did my dad do that to you? I'm so sorry. I'll go get you something to help," the boy said.
He closed the door quickly.
Pale turned to me and shrugged.
"Maybe he's scared?" I asked. I gasped. "Your blushing!"
Pale shook her head. "No I'm not!"
"Yes you are! You like him!" I yelled.
The door opened again. The boy came in carrying a wet washcloth.
He ran over to Pale and knelt beside her.
She smiled as the boy reached and began dabbing her gills with the cloth.
"Is that your gill?" He asked.
"Yeah," Pale said. "And it hurts."
"Did he damage it?" The boy asked.
"Yeah I think he did, but don't worry I have another set on the side of my neck," Pale said.
"My dad has been obsessed with mermaids for his whole life. I always thought they were fake. He always wanted to sell one and it looks like he tortured you too. I'm so sorry he did that," he said.
Pale bit her lip as the boy dabbed her gills a little bit more.
"Hey you have a little but more blood on the back of your neck, let me get that for you."
The boy leaned in closer until he turned his head and Pale and the boy were an inch apart.
The boy leaned in and kissed her right on the lips. It was short, just a peck. I guess the boy might of felt embarrassed because he pulled away.
"I'm sorry," he said as he began dabbing her neck again.
Pale smiled. "It's okay."
"I'm sorry, your just so beautiful."