Chapter 14: Kidnapped

Farley and Blake left the school promptly at the end of the last period. They both had to admit they were becoming fast friends. Over the past weeks of workouts and chemistry studying, they found out they actually had similar personalities. Even so, with Farley dating Sara, and Blake going after Mia, it was good that they all were friends as well. Even so, Blake wasn't official with Mia yet, as they were still at the "Just Friends" stage, but he hoped to change that soon.

"So what's the agenda for this afternoon?" Farley asked, yawning and stretching into the air.

"Don't tell me you're getting tired already, Farley," Blake joked, clasping Farley on the shoulder.

"You laugh, but I'm catching up to you in endurance," Farley shot back.

"Yeah tell that to me when you're the star of the rugby team."

"What's your position? Benchwarmer?" The two of them laughed at the ludicrousness of it. They continued walking, away from the school and toward another part of the city. Soon, Farley felt strange, he wasn't familiar with the area they were going. They ended out in a warehouse area, fishing supplies strewn about everywhere. Blake seemed to know where he was going, so Farley just followed.

Soon, Farley got worried. Blake just seemed to be trying to get somewhere, but the place where they were at only got more sketchy. "Ok Blake. Where are we? Why are we here?"

"Be quiet Farley," Blake responded, "There's something I need to do here."

"What why?" Farley asked, quieter this time. "What do you need to do here? And why did you drag me along?"

"Ok. I've been here a few times. There's this group of three blokes that are usually around here.. They seem to be criminals, so I've been visiting here a couple times to take pictures and collect evidence."

"Blake, what the hell are you going on about?"

"I think they're trying to ship in drugs somehow. I'm taking pictures from afar of all their operations."

"Isn't that a job for the police?"

"They know nothing about this. It's up to me."

"Damn it Blake, don't be so altruistic. Let's just ignore it and get out of here."

"Then you go! I have to do this Farley."

"But why?"

"I just feel like it ok!"

Farley just nodded his head."Good luck to you Blake, but I'm not getting involved in this." Farley took a step back, and jogged away.

Good luck indeed. Blake thought to himself. I'm going to turn them in for sure. He crept up closer toward the edge of the docks, hiding behind some pallets. He saw the men. They were working on their boat, looking like they were getting close to launching off. Blake pulled out his phone, snapping a few pictures.

He crept close as he dared, trying to get a good shot of their faces. He was now within twenty five meters of their boat. There were two of them on the boat, arguing about something. What are they planning? Blake snapped a couple more pictures, and shoving the phone back into his pocket.

Well, there's two of them? Where's the third? Blake stood in silence for another few minutes waiting for the third man of their group to show up. He knew he was taking a risk, but he wasn't just going to give up that early.

Suddenly, a driving force smashed into the back of Blake's skull, sending him flying forward. The sudden shock and pain hit him, and he was blacked out instantly.

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Farley couldn't help but be annoyed with Blake. He just had to play the hero. He grumbled to himself as he continued back toward his neighborhood. Why did he need to go on being a type of vigilante? Farley kept a quick pace, although he was mostly frustrated at Blake. He would plan on talking to him later, see what was going on in his head, and why he thought it was such a great idea.

He reached Rikki's Cafe quickly. He needed a fresh juice to cool him off after his somewhat anger over Blake. When he entered, he saw Mia and Zane behind the counter, arguing about something or whatever. They didn't even notice him approach.

"Look Zane, you're being ridiculous, the full moon is still a week away. We'll be fine. We don't need your friends' help," Mia complained.

"Oh? And how did that turn out last time? Just peachy. We just want to help you with this," Zane replied.

"Whatever 'll think about it. Just quit pressuring us all the time."

Farley cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of both of them, startling them. "What's this about a full moon?" he asked to Mia, quickly flashing his eyes to Zane. Zane just shrugged and headed back to his office.

"Nothing. It's all fine. By the way, shouldn't you be with Blake?" Mia asked, quickly changing the subject. "You two are usually attached at the hip."

"Blake's being… occupied now, so I ditched him."

"What did he do this time?"

"He's apparently trying to go after some criminals or something like that. Being too altruistic. I left him there. I'm not getting involved."

"What? Where is he? He's in danger!" Mia burst outwardly.

"He's by the docks on the far side…. Why? What's going…" but Mia wasn't paying attention, she was already out the cafe and running toward where Farley said to go. She couldn't let Blake put himself in danger. She had to go after him. No matter what she had said before, she cared about him.

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Blake slowly came to in a small room, that seemed to drift back and forth. His head was pounding, and he was almost delirious. His hands and feet were bound with duct tape, and he couldn't move. He pulled himself up to a sitting position. He was in some kind of storeroom, and by the rocking, he assumed he was on a boat. What happened? Damn it! The third guy! He must've snuck up behind me. "Let me out of here!" he shouted. No response came.

He hopped up to his feet, careful to keep his balance with his feet wrapped and hands bound. The boat jolted forward, sending him falling, only to smash into the wall in front of him. His face fell into a small window, and he brought his feet under him.

He looked out of it to see the docks, and the boat was slowly pulling away from it. Damn it! I'm trapped and going out to sea. What do they want with me? Then, he saw something strange. A girl appeared behind one of the buildings. It was Mia. The two of them made eye contact. She looked full of fear, and Blake knew he looked the same way to her. Blake saw Mia running toward the docks, diving into the water. What is she doing? She can't possibly hope to catch up by swimming!

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When Mia saw Blake in the window of the boat, fear in his eyes, she made her decision. She had to do something. If he saw her with a tail, so be it. She had to try and save him. She took ten strides on the dock and dove full bore into the water. When her tail appeared, she raced toward the boat, which had now gone to full speed, hurrying out toward the open ocean. Soon she swam alongside it. She had to come up with a plan to save Blake. Whoever had kidnapped him had meant him harm. She had to wait, see how their plan played out.

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They were farther and farther away from shore now, and Blake couldn't see the mainland anymore. He was alone in the open ocean. Mia had jumped into the sea after them, but Blake hadn't seen her after that. So, he assumed she had given up. He needed to find his own way out of this. He searched around the room, finding a sharp metal beam. He placed the duct tape binding his hands against it, grinding up and down to wear out the tape.

It worked after a few minutes, and the metal cut through the tape. He pulled away, freeing his hands. He immediately went to his ankles, pulling the tape away, freeing his legs as well. He jumped to the door. It was locked and he couldn't get it open. He rammed his shoulder into it twice. The door slightly seemed to give, but it remained locked up tight. He cursed, flexing his shoulder. He was about to charge again, but he felt the boat slowing down and coming to a stop. He pondered and went to the window. True to form, they had stopped in the middle of the ocean. No land was visible behind them. What's going on with them?

Within a few minutes, he heard a small engine start up. He looked out to see a small inflatable motorboat with the three men inside racing away. Why are they leaving this boat? It seems like…

BOOM! An explosion interrupted his thoughts. It came from underneath him, vibrating the whole ship. Blake steadied himself, but the boat began to lazily list toward the rear. Shit! They're trying to sink the boat with me inside of it! He ran full bore at the door, lowering his shoulder into it. The wooden fibers began to splinter, and he saw a hole through toward the bridge.

He stepped back, careful about the developing slope in the floor as the back end began to sink. He ran forward again, this time shattering the door at the handle, opening it up toward the bridge. Just as he made it through the doorway, the boat lurched, angling backward. He barely had time to clamber onto the wall next to the opening before the boat began moving toward straight perpendicular to the water surface. He looked right to see the water outside the glass windows. The boat was going under the surface.

Under him, in the room he was in previous, water began to gush in around the window where he had been looking out. He panicked, reaching up for the door out of the bridge, but it was locked too. He threw his shoulder against, but nothing, the water was too strong outside.

He looked back again, and the water had reached the doorway. He threw his shoulder against the door again, but it only managed to crack the glass. Oh shit…. The water crashed through the glass, flooding into boat. Blake clambered upward to the last pocket of air, taking deep breaths.

Within seconds, the last amount of air was beginning to be taken away, as almost the entire boat was underwater now. He took a last breath, going under the water. He moved toward the open window, but his foot caught on the steering column, sending him spiraling into the former floor of the boat. He steeled himself, still underwater. With his eyes open yet burning, he reached down to untangle his leg, but in his panic, he only made it worse.

His lungs were beginning to cry for air. His vision was fading in and out. This is where I'm going to die. If Blake could cry underwater, he would've. He thought about his family and friends. They would never know what happened to him. He looked out toward the open window.

Suddenly, Mia's face appeared in the doorway. The slight adrenaline rush made him awake for a moment. She glided into the opening and toward him. His last vision was looking at Mia and seeing a glittering orange tail connected to her. And then, he was out.

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The explosion had scared Mia. She swam away from the boat to regroup and assess the situation, and what had happened. She feared the explosion had killed Blake, but it seemed only in the base of the boat, but the entire thing began to sink. Eventually she brought herself back to the boat when it was underwater, only to see Blake struggling against the instrument panel, his shoe stuck. He seemed in bad shape, drifting in the water. But, when he approached, they locked eyes. For one second, Blake seemed shocked. Then, his eyes rolled back and he went unconscious. Mia did the only thing she could think of. She kissed him.

When their lips touched, she blew air into his lungs, helping his brain light up again. She freed his foot, yanking him out of the boat, with him in a state between conscious and unconscious. She made a choice. With it so close and Blake in trouble she had to.

She raced away toward Mako Island.

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Less than a minute later, she pulled herself up onto the beach with Blake, getting them both out of the surf and onto dry land. Blake's eyes were still closed and he felt cold. Mia wasted no time. She immediately went into CPR. "Come on Blake! Stay with me!" She pleaded as she pounded on his chest. She went to give him air again, then back to chest compressions.

A second later, Blake's eyes snapped open in shock. He turned over, spitting up the water from his lungs onto the sand, coughing and sputtering. He was on his hands and knees, facing away from Mia. In a minute, his breathing returned to normal. "Mia… is that you?" he spoke to behind him.

"Yes. It's me…" Mia held her breath, she didn't have time to escape or dry off. She was trapped. Blake would see her as a mermaid.

"So it wasn't a dream… How..." Blake turned around, eyes growing wide as he saw her tail. He clambered backward in shock. "It's real…. But… that's impossible."

"Blake… I know this seems odd to you…"

"Mia… you're… you're a… a... What are you?

"I'm a mermaid Blake. As you can clearly see by the long orange fin coming from behind me." Mia spoke sarcastically.

"But, that's impossible? How… That's just…" Blake stammered. He swallowed, tempering himself. "We've known each other for years… How are you like this? Were you born like this? Who are you really? And what about Sara? And Katy? Are they as well?"

"It's still the same me, Blake. I was turned into a mermaid. But for the most part, I'm still a normal human girl. The one you've always known." Mia had a look of sadness in her eyes. "And… I'm the only one who's like this. Sara and Katy don't even know about me." Mia knew she was lying, but she had to in order to protect the other two.

Blake began to feel brave. "Mia… This is too crazy. How did this happen?"

"It's a long story. I was in the right place at the right time. And then… magic happened. And it turned me into a mermaid. I promise Blake, I'm still the same Mia you've always known."

Blake crawled back over to her, laying in front of her. "I don't even know where to begin with this. But, you saved my life… Because you're this mermaid, you saved me. I don't know how to repay you. After all I had done to you, abandoning you in middle school… You still saved my life…"

"I couldn't let you drown. You mean a lot to me Blake… And I know we've had our differences, but I like how you're beginning to change."

"Looks like you've changed much more than I have though," Blake joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Mia smiled. "Maybe so. But still, being a mermaid does have its perks."

"Mia, I'll be honest. I can barely believe what's happened. But even so… Why did you come after me? You didn't have to… Yet you did. You risked this secret to save my life."

Mia sighed. "Ok. Blake. I heard you were coming out here, and I had to do something. I couldn't allow you to get in trouble. The truth is… I like you… Like, I really like you… I want to be with you… I was just putting on the tough girl act to make you work for it…"

"I don't know what to say… I really like you too… And that was before you saved my life and revealed your secret, sacrificing it to save me…"

Mia smiled. She felt as though she made the right choice. Blake smiled back. The two locked eyes. Blake leaned in, kissing her softly on the lips. Mia felt overjoyed. She had risked it all for Blake, and he not only accepted her, but now they were together after so long.

Just to give you a heads up, my release schedule might get a bit more rocky with christmas, new years, and a new semester coming up. I plan to get things out to you as soon as I can, but this is just forewarning.