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She didn't really know what it was about the humans that fascinated her. She should be scared of them with what her father told her, and she knew nothing about them otherwise.
But somehow she knew what it was about them. It was everything. The ocean was an amazing place, but with the traditions and rules, there was only so much one could do.
Of course, she'd broken a lot of the rules; she was breaking one right now.
She broke the surface, treading water easily. The sight in front of her was something she'd seen a thousand times before, but no one had seen it from where she was in at least thirty years, fearing her father's wrath upon finding them on the surface. Even Ariel shivered to think of his reaction to discovering his daughter staring at his worst enemies in wonder. But even a glimpse of the boat was worth it.
There was a party going on, that much she could tell from looking at the bright explosions shooting off of the decks. Ariel swam as close to the boat as she could, touching the wood and marveling at how it floated so leisurely. The shouts from above increased and something like a song started up. Intrigued, Ariel grasped the ridges of the boat and pulled herself up to a small hollow outside a window. She sat in the hollow and grabbed the edge of the deck, raising herself just enough to see the mysterious events unfolding.
A band of humans were surrounding someone, singing loudly and off key to him while another man brought a—was it called cake? — and held it in front of whoever it was. Ariel winced at their off-key melody, but as the crowd of men parted she could see that the man was grinning from ear to ear.
He's very handsome, she thought, noting his jet black curls of hair so long that they almost obscured his chiseled face and bright blue eyes. When the song ended, the man grinned and started talking to the others, but Ariel was distracted by a huge gray and white beast that darted towards her, baring its teeth. Before she had time to duck back to her hollow or dive into the sea, it was upon her. Ariel winced and closed her eyes, but opened them in surprise when she felt its tongue rasp against her cheek. The animal beamed and licked her face again. Ariel suppressed a giggle, fearing someone might hear her, but she did pat its head gently. Huh. Maybe this creature was more like her pet seahorse, and not a shark.
"Max?"
The animal turned and bounded toward the speaker, who had been the center of attention earlier. Clearly she had been right about this Max; it was obviously the man's pet. The man's intense blue eyes swept over the deck where Max had been snuffling around, and stopped at her.
Oh no.
She dropped from her spot on the deck and swung into the hollow, ignoring the stranger's call of, "Hello? Wait!" A second later she heard the man's boots overhead as he scanned the surrounding area. Two small thuds sounded as he knelt down to check the hollow. Ariel huddled against the wall and prepared to dive into the water twenty feet below. Although it looked like it would hurt, it was her only option. Before she could leap forward though, a voice sounded, "Eric, what are you doing? We can't have you drowning on your 19th birthday!"
The man stood up and turned away from the sea, replying, "I know, I just…thought I saw…Never mind, it's probably just my first glass of wine."
His name is Eric. And he's only one year older than me! Ariel shoved these thoughts out of her mind. As much as she wanted to meet Eric again, there was no way it was going to happen. Her more immediate attention went to her arms, sore from holding herself up for so long. Clambering back down to the oh-so-familiar waters, she took a deep breath, savoring the air before she plunged back into the ocean.