It was dark outside tonight, the moonlight's glow making shimmering silver patterns on the seabed below.
A silent figure lurked there, hiding herself from view of the land above. Turquoise colored scales glistened with the smallest of movements as long auburn hair seemed to be blowing delicately in the wind, as she waited patiently for the docks to clear.
Her pale skin contrasted with the darkness, as though she herself was glowing neath the waves.
One more minute and she'd go. She was always careful when rising up to the surface, especially around the docks. See, the isle is a deadly place. But this was pirate territory, the most dangerous place for any living mermaid.
Her mother would tell her to stay under the water, the other side of the island, where it's safe.
But Lydia was adventurous, she'd always find her greatest treasures there, buttons, daggers, hats... Anything that caught her curious green eyes.
However, as much as the pirates fascinated her, she dreaded to think what would happen if she was captured by them.
It was time. Lydia darted through the water, stopping right at the surface, taking one last look to make sure she was alone.
Slowly, she popped her head out of the water, sneaking towards the docks, looking for something to take back to her grotto.
After a few minutes of looking. She finally found it, a silver, curved and sharp shiny object rested on a wooden crate. It was beautiful.
She tried reaching for it from the water, but alas it was too far. She sighed, using all her strength to get up on to the ground.
The moment her glistening tale touched the land it turned into a pair of ivory legs and her chestnut hair dried instantly. She couldn't help but admire both for a moment.
She sighed, almost wishing she could stay that way just a little longer. She tried to stand a few times until the frustration told her to give up. Finally looking back to her new discovery.
Every time she transformed was the same, it was never easy to walk on her feet, she could always feel her legs wobble at some point before falling over. If it had been easier, Lydia probably would've explored the whole isle already.
Just as she went to grab it a hand came out of nowhere and pulled her up to her feet, causing her to stubble a little.
She came face to face with a pair of menacing blue eyes. She only had to take one look at him to know he was a pirate. What intimidated her even more was the height difference. He was at least a head taller than her.
"Well well well," He teased, looking her up and down. "A theif an' a whore...Wha' a nice suprise."
He picked up the silver object and brushed her cheek with it, causing her to squirm slightly as he pushed her hair behind her shoulder, revealing her naked body a little more.
"Do ye know wha' we do te pretty little thieves around here?" He whispered threateningly, sending shivers down her spine.
It was only when he did that did she become aware of how exposed she actually was. Lydia was in shock, she'd never been seen by a human before, let alone had she been caught by one.
Although it seemed he hadn't seen her turn human. He didn't know what she was. If he let go, all she had to do was jump back into the sea.
With the grip on her wrist, however, it seemed unlikely he'd let go any time soon.
"I-I'm not a theif..." She all but pleaded with him, avoiding those blue eyes of his as she struggled in his grip. "Let go of me." She snarled, trying to sound braver than she felt.
He scoffed, only pulling her closer to him. "Ye went for me hook." He sneered. "I'm not blind, love."
Hook. So that's what it was. Like most of the things she'd stolen before, the hook had been nothing but another unnamed pretty object sat there for the taking.
Her eyes widened in realization. Hook. As in Captain Hook. This was his son. Harry Hook. He had a reputation as bad, if not worse than his father.
He was prideful, sneaky and always ready to kill. Lydia was told that he was wild, unpredictable, off-kilter, and just plain crazy.
Now she was scared. "I-I was just a-admiring it." She lied. "I-It's really b-beautiful..." She was starting to understand what it was for now, the way he held it against her neck threateningly.
Harry's grin startled her. He was pleased, but at the same time she could tell that he saw straight through her lie.
"Why don't I give ye a personal demonstration." He rose the hook into the air and quickly, as though he was going to cut her, slammed it down beside her cheek before stopping abruptly beside it to frighten the poor girl.
She flinched as he grinned at her cruelly. "Now, tell me... Who are you? And wha' are ye doin' snooping around here... Like that." He gestured to her uncovered body, almost mockingly.
She didn't know what to say. She'd never been in a situation where she had to lie before.
She glanced at the sea for a moment, wishing that she could just jump back in. "I... I'm Lydia..." She whispered. "I... I... Was just..." Her heart was pounding rapidly against her chest. "Looking for a place to spend the night... Before I..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Harry glared at her. "Before what?" He snapped, clearly becoming impatient.
"B-before I was robbed." She lied, hoping that just maybe he'd believe her.
He thought about it for a moment. "Ye were robbed?" He sneered. "Weak little thing like you? I'm not surprised."
Lydia narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not weak!" She spat angrily. Trying to kick him away from her.
The pirate laughed at her pointless attempts and roughly pinned her against the wall after kicking the wooden crate out of the way. She gasped in pain at the impact, her back no doubt bruised now, along with her wrist.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "No? Ye seem pretty weak te me."
Lydia felt his breath on her face as he spoke, "Look, If you just let me go.. I-I won't ever come back. I-"
He tilted his head, cutting her off. "Now why would I do that, ey? Not only are ye trespassing, but uh..." He grinned, a crazed hint in his voice. "The isle is a boring, ugly place, ye know. It's rare te find such a pretty lass around here... Especially one whose already unwrapped for me."
"I didn't mean to trespass... Please, just let me go." She begged him, only half understanding what he wanted from her. "Please."
Harry placed his hook under her chin and forced her eyes to meet his. "Aw, Lydia... Ye not gonna cry are ye?" He feigned pity.
She didn't notice the tear rolling down her cheek, until he wiped it off with his thumb and licked it off. Her tears were salty. Much more than the average human's. He frowned at her curiously, noticing the difference.
Before he had the chance to speak, Lydia decided to change the subject, to afraid of where this one was going.
"I-I know who you are." She told him, glancing at the hook.
He smirked, catching on to what she was doing. "Pray tell."
"You're Harry Hook, s-son of Captain Hook... Captain of the Lost Revenge..." She glanced behind him, where she could she his ship, swaying slightly in the water, no doubt full of hidden treasures."You're... You're evil."
This made him laugh. "Everyone's evil here, lass" He reminded her, "Although looking at yer little innocent face, I doubt you are, ey?"
Lydia didn't know what she was, her mother wasn't exactly evil, she was just jealous of Wendy and tried to drown her once. But as soon as Peter told her and her friends to back off, they didn't ever attack her again.
Lydia was a theif, it's true, even if she does prefer the word 'collector'. But she would never hurt anyone. "I-I g-guess not." She whispered.
Harry tilted his head slightly, trying to figure out who she really was. "Who are yer parents? Ye know so much abou' me, I know nothin' abou' you. Doesn't seem fair, now does it?"
She wouldn't tell him what she was. Her life depended on it. "I... I'm no one, I guess... I mean... I don't know who my family is." She stated, lying through her teeth. "I don't exactly have a home, so I just go where my fins-uh feet carry me..." She mentally slapped herself for that little slip up. "I-I guess they just lead me here this time." She bit her lip, silently begging that he didn't catch her mistake.
She was still caged between him and the wall. Harry caught her in her lies, but he enjoyed watching her struggle with her words. "So, ye don't know where yer from? Hm?"
Without warning, he grabbed both her wrists and hauled her up, so her bare feet were barely touching the ground. "Put me down!" She yelped, the pain on her writs was almost unbearable.
When she realized what he was doing she started thrashing around in his arms. He was dragging her towards the water. If he let go she'd be free. But he was so strong, and if she transformed she knew his grip would only tighten.
Suddenly an idea came to her. "Stop!" She begged. "I can't swim!"
Harry pondered for a moment, another idea popping into his head. A plan to force her to reveal herself without setting her free. "Fine."
So to her suprise he let her down, only to grab some rope and tie her hands to one of the cleats on the dock. Then she understood what he was doing. "N-no... Please don't..." She whimpered, knowing that any chance of escape she had now was gone.
Harry stepped away and admired his work before giving her a dark smile. She was close to the edge already when he moved closer and closer causing her to back up right at the edge of the dock. "I'll give ye one last chance te tell me the truth. Maybe I'll even go easy on ya... Ey?" He smirked maliciously. "Who are you?" He demanded, hook raised warningly.
Lydia was too petrified to speak at this point. "I-I already t-told you! Please, I'm begging you." She shivered. "Don't do this!"
Harry stepped foward, "Just remember, lass. Ye had yer chance. YA!" He yapped at her, making her lose her balance and fall into the water, her wrists securly tied to the cleat.