"Tada!" Sheila put several of those peach coloured pearls into a glass jar and closed it's lid; then started shaking it vigorously, sticking her tongue up at the corner of her mouth.

The pearls lost their lustre, they started to look like a bunch of marbles. "I still don't get it. But I'm waiting." Zaren crossed his arms with an impatient eye roll.

"These are pills." Sheila undid the lid and picked one to examine between her thumb and index, it had the squishy feeling of a jelly bean.

"For what?" Kai extended his fingers to touch it. Instead of him, Sheila went over to her brother to explain about it in detail.

"Zar. We can turn back to humans with these pills. Merfolk have been using these pills from ages to transform back into human form to trade with humans. But it has its limitations, one should get back into the water before an hour of consuming one pill. And I could afford to steal barely five of them," informing that she carefully placed the pill back into the jar, and watched it settle to the bottom longingly.

"Why would you do that? It's a suicide mission." Zaren pursed his lips, as his brows pressed into each other, under the worrisome wrinkles of his forehead.

"Because I want to meet father, Zar. For one last time."

"Come on, accept it. Your life is now bound to the ocean. you'll not sacrifice your second chance at life, would you? I mean, you didn't even remember him once when we were stranded up there." Zar sifted his fingers through his thick brown hair.

"I didn't remember him because, I believed in you, Zar. I thought you'd take me to him eventually, no matter what."

"Are you blaming me for all of this?" Zaren swam closer to her, towering himself a whole head taller than her. Kai tried to keep up with the heated conversation with a pair of watchful eyes.

"I am not blaming anybody. I want to say a proper goodbye to him. We couldn't do that to mom, remember?" Sheila took one of the pill and raised her shoulders, sucking in a long breath. "Now, will you take the pill or not?"

"No. Why should I?"

"Fine I'll do it myself." She placed the jar on the table and created a huge bubble by blowing into a small ring made of a very light metal.

"What's that for?" Kai proceeded towards her, his face full of curious question marks.

"If this experiment is successful, I need something to breathe into, in my human form." She played with the enlarged bubble and held it carefully in her hands.

"Sheila, I...I'll do it. Give it to me." Kai stretched his hand out to receive the pill, only to trigger Zaren again.

"It's none of your business, Kai. Stay out of it." Zaren pulled him around, his eyes bloodshot and face red hot.

"If Sheila is my business, then everything about her is my business." Kai was already pinned to the wall behind, Zaren's strong forearm was choking his throat.

"Captain, I haven't used my claws yet, beware of them."

"You think you can scare me with that. Huh?" Zaren dragged him to the ground and punched him in the jaw. Kai's teeth caught the flesh of his lips, and an iron taste of oozing blood spoiled the aftertaste that was lingering on his tongue from the ceremonial delicacies.

"Zaren. Stop it. I am giving you the last warning." Kai released himself from the ground to stand stronger, his claws moved forward, as his face muscles tightened in rage.

"Guys, please." Sheila tapped her fingers on Zaren's back. But, for the rebel he always was, he rose up and stood levelling head to head with Kai. He simultaneously pounced at him to attack again.

There was a punch on Kai's face, another jolt to Zaren's chest. They were both indulged in the fight of their lifetime. The hatred and jealousy they had for each other was pouring out seamlessly.

But, Kai also saw something else while he was caught up in the situation, which seemed to happen a hundred times faster than it should have. "Sh..She...ila." Kai struggled to call her name out while he was being choked to death.

"What?" Zaren loosened his grip to turn around.

"Sheila!" She was on the ground furiously jerking her limbs, her hood and manes had transformed back to hair and legs of human form. She was being smothered by the unforgiving sea water. Her once beautiful black eyes now had rolled upwards exposing the whites. The bubble she had created earlier to breathe into was, now, no where to be found.
"You idiot!"
Kai didn't dilly-dally around to do what he had to. He instantly placed his mouth on her soft pillowy lips and started breathing into her lungs. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her closer to his screaming heart. 'I can breathe for both of us,' he chanted inside his mind to convince himself, that he can't afford to let go of her.

She slowly opened her eyes and her black beads gained focus into his green orbs, which now seemed to have dilated in excitement. The nervous tickle inside their bellies forced them to squeeze and shut their eyes again. What started as a rescue breathing, turned into a passionate kiss. Minutes went by within a blink. Her long black hair flowing onto the floor, started magically turning into a hood of thousand colours. Her blue skirt transformed into a mane of purple and green blending into each other perfectly.

'You stole my first kiss!'

Kai heard her thought inside his head, as if she was whispering it into his ears. He suddenly pulled his lips off of her.
'It is your first kiss,' was what Kai intended to say, but he cleared his throat to say a whole another lie. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to."

"Oh Sheila." Zaren leaned over to hug her tightly, he seemed to have sobbed as his voice was broken and was choking on his uncontrollable tears. "You idiot, I'll do anything for you, I'll take all the pills myself and we'll go find father. Don't you dare do anything like that again." Although Zaren seemed to say very mature words, his tears spoke for him that how much he was scared.

Kai got up dusting his tail off. There was a knock on the door. Sheila's body felt tired and limp, but she tried to get up with Zaren's help and started arranging everything into her stationary bag again. "This will be a top secret. I'll kill you guys, if you utter a word to anyone."

Zaren and Kai nodded their heads briskly as if they were listening to a very strict mom. Kai dismissed himself to swim over to attend the door.

"What took so long? Why did you leave the ceremony so early?" Gabby entered through the door with a look of suspicion etched on her face. Chip, Tibby and Bo followed her into the house.

There was another knock. "I'll take that," saying that Gabby opened the door only to find Sal in a mess. His eel fish tail flapped in an unsynchronized motion while he swam inside, his eyes were droopy. He hiccuped all the way to his room.

"Did you know *hiccup, mer-people drink too? I found this brewery *hiccup in the market, they make grog from several things. This place is a hea...ven..." wailing that he sunk into a bed inside a room.

Kai sighed and turned to face Gabby. She shrugged her shoulders and took kids to put them to bed. He then awkwardly met his eyes with Sheila's, which were filled with so much emotions. But, she instantly shied her look away.

"Kai," Zaren waded towards him, "I am sorry for being a jerk earlier," with that said he turned around to leave, but something told him not to. He stopped with clenched fists as if he was frustrated, "and thank you. But, stay away from her."

Kai nodded, but a tingle clawed up his spine immediately to remind how much more he had to fight against her evil twin brother all his life.

************************************

Kai's and Sheila's eyes met once in a while, only to gasp and look away.
"You guys are acting weird nowadays." Gabby rolled her eyes, as she scanned a diary that she had received from Ava's mother. Her tentacles were busy cooking something tasty in a pot placed on an underwater hot spring. "By the way, Ava's family recipes are delicious."

"Hmm...Ava..." Zaren sighed dreamily, as he rested on the couch which was placed in the corner.

"Zar, do you like her?" Sheila playfully teased him, while she etched something on a transparent paper.

"I mean I don't hate her, that's something I don't do very often." Zaren grinned looking into the ceiling and the romantic chandelier turning in circles.

There was an impatient and harsh knock on the door. Sheila hastily put everything back into her bag. Last thing she needed was to be found red handed sketching her fool-proof plan to meet his father. Meeting any human was forbidden in the city, unless they took a permission from the high priestess for a genuine reason, which was as good as impossible.

Kai swam over to open the door. Three peace-keepers, all Orcans, rushed inside. One of them came forward with a warrant letter, with a glowing temple seal on it. "Ms. Sheila and Mr. Kai, you are hereby charged for having done a felony, with an accusation of stealing the transformation pills from the temple tower and also for inadvertently using them without permission. You shall be jailed until further notice from the court of priestesses."

The other two peace keepers came pointing their spears towards Sheila and Kai, untill they cornered them.

"Zar, do something." Gabby cried in a high pitched tone, placing her stubby fingers on her bust.

"Please." Sheila bit her lower lip, while her fingers nervously clawed into each other.

"I...I am sorry Sheila. I am bound by the law." Zaren put his head down and retreated back into his room.

"There's a huge misunderstanding sir, if you can give us some time." Gabby pleaded holding her hands together to the peacekeepers.

They listened to no one as they moved forward to bind both of their hands in shackles. "Move it lady." They grunted, pushing Gabby aside as they dragged both of them away.

"Kaaaiii!" Chippie cried and punched into a peacekeeper's fin, only to be pushed aside. "Leave him alone, leave my brother alone!"

"Chuchip. Come here." Kai nodded to her. She slowly went over with a wilted face. "I am bringing you new hairpins and toys from the market. Now, tell me you'll listen to Gabby and Zar."

"Mm mh." She nodded her head gently, "pinky promise?"

"Of course. Pinky promise." Kai hugged her for a little longer time, until the peace keeper signalled him with a nudge. He got up giving a stern look to Gabby until he left the house, as if he was leaving all of his responsibilities on her shoulders.

___________________________________________________________

Wc- 1870

Are you guys enjoying the underwater part of this book? Share your thoughts with me.

Also, is it okay to have a scene involving kiss in this story? I am so torn, I didn't intend that to happen. It was pantsing to be honest. Since, I categorised this book as 'children's/ middle grade', I am a bit worried. :(

And, have a nice day!