"Isabella! Enough about this love! It is things like this that make you unfit to marry the good mermen around. Forget about this foolish idea!" my mother Renee yelled at me, "Look at Phil and I. We are perfectly fine together. We had you, did our purpose to the tribe."

"Alright mother. I'm going for a swim," I sighed. I swam out of the coral reef I used to call home. It wasn't home now. Home was where my heart was. I longed to go to the surface and see if love really did exist. Even I was starting to doubt myself now.

My tribe, we were not human. We were merpeople, mermaids and mermen. We lived in the coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean. There were quite a few tribes, but we rarely associated with them. I didn't even have many friends in my own tribe. All the girls my age were so vain. Always looking in the little pieces of reflective glass ,found at human shipwrecks, at their reflection. Always combing their long hair and shining their tail. I didn't bother to do either, yet my long hair and my tail always looked immaculate. Really, doing that stuff wasn't necessary, just vain. As mermaids, the girls never cut their hair, long hair was envied. It stopped on it's own when it got below our waist.

I did have one friend. I enjoyed her company even though she liked to hang out with the other girls. She was different, I knew I could trust her with my life. The others, you'd tell them a secret and the next thing you knew people on the other side of the reef knew.

Angela, I told her everything. Even about love. You see, I was out exploring a couple years back, when I came across an old shipwreck. There were these human books, novels about human things. And one told me about love. It's my favourite book. I secretly kept it in my wooden chest. My mother didn't know, she thought I just came up with the ridiculous idea of love. Angela, she knows about it and my fascination with humans and love.

You see, love is this feeling where you want to be with this other person. And how you always love them. I think it'd be wonderful, to know you love someone and know that you can spend the rest of your life with them. But there's no true love here. Most people become best friends with their partner, but nothing more. They are given partners and they do what the committee says they should. But I'm looking for love.

I swam to Angela's reef. She was out tending to the corals.

"Hey Bells!" she greeted me.

"Hey Ange," I replied. "Renee and I had an argument again. I'm considering it, you know. I want to try to find love."

"But that means you'd have to," she started.

"I know, but I have a feeling it'll be worth it!" I told her.

"You know that I'll miss you. Please think this through Bella. Remember, it can't be undone," she warned me.

"I'll miss you too. And don't you think I know?" I assured her.

"Of course! Just reminding you, because you're my best friend!" Angela added.

I left her reef more confused than ever. Would I really risk it all to see if this love existed?