Magic
They weren't deep, but the water was dark. Mighty waves churned above as Tikki led Marinette further out to sea.
A flash of blue light. The muffled sound of thunder rumbled through the water. Marinette instinctively dove a little deeper. Lightning could cook a mermaid if she was too close to where it struck.
Tikki didn't flinch. She glided through the ocean as if drawn by a string.
She turned down sharply. The further they went the dimmer it became. Marinette didn't like the dark cold of the ocean deep, where the pressure made her joints ache and the fish were glass eyed and strange. Surely, Tikki's grandfather didn't live that far below.
"We're close now. It's just down this canyon," Tikki said.
Marinette didn't get the chance to ask how far.
A large, rounded structure jutted out of the sea canyon's steep walls. Dim orbs of pale white light drifted around the home like fish on a reef.
Magic.
Marinette knew that some merpeople had the gift, but none in the Bay Community showed any aptitude for it. Why didn't Tikki tell Marinette this crucial detail about her grandfather?
The lights floated lazily over top of the dwelling. Patches of paneling peaked through the fine layer of green moss. Tikki's grandfather's home was made out of wood.
"Grandpa! It's me!" Tikki called through one of the windows, a ring of rusty metal.
"Tikki? Back so soon?"
A short, balding merman with kind eyes emerged from the bottom of the unique wooden house.
"Oh," he said, spying Marinette. "You brought someone with you. Would you be Marinette, by any chance?"
"Yes," said Marinette quietly. How did he know? Was it his magic?
"Tikki's told me a lot about you. Not many mermaids around here would wear human cloth," he explained with a wry smile.
Oh. That made sense.
"I never expected I'd get the pleasure to meet you," he said, folding his arms and gving Tikki a disapproving glance. "It's one thing to get oneself into trouble, Tikki, but it's another to drag your friends into breaking the law."
She tucked her chin, contrite. Tikki shouldn't be scolded on Marinette's account.
"Tikki brought me here so I could hear about being in exile," she said, swimming between them.
Tikki's grandfather frowned. "Such an unpleasant topic. And with respect, none of your business."
Marinette winced. He wasn't wrong.
"Why would you want to know about that?"
Marinette and Tikki exchanged looks. Was it alright if she was honest? Tikki nodded encouragingly and Marinette gulped. Time to divulge her life of crime to a total stranger.
"I spoke with a human. No one knows except Tikki and me…"
Tikki's grandfather unfolded his arms and stared at her. "Is the Bay Community going to be in trouble? Is this human going to try to find you again?"
"No! He promised me he wouldn't." Marinette clutched her shoulder, "He's kind and selfless. He wouldn't do anything that would put the community in danger."
"You don't know that," Tikki whispered.
"I do!"
Tikki flinched.
"Sorry," Marinette murmured, ashamed of snapping. "I just don't understand why the laws are in place. The humans aren't going to all hop on their ships and harpoon us if they know we exist. Adrien certainly wouldn't. I don't see why I shouldn't be able to see him again… Sir," she ended, lamely.
"I see," Tikki's grandfather said, eyes melancholy. "You may call me Master Fu. Why don't you come inside?"
Marinette and Tikki followed Master Fu through a rotted hatch on the underside of his abode. The interior was almost too dark to see. A ball of light brushed by Marinette. It was pleasantly warm.
More orbs flew inside, illuminating the cabin. The place felt unnatural. Its planks were clean of algae but they lay at awkward angles, tilting the room askew. Marinette withheld a delighted gasp upon spotting a shelf littered with human things. Strange metal screws, intact bottles with miniature ships inside them, a half disintegrated book, and more populated the slanted display.
"Hundreds of years ago, humans did hunt the merfolk," Master Fu said. "They feared and desired our magic, or so the stories say. Humans are completely devoid of magic, you see." Three orbs of light danced around his hand before nesting themselves in the darkest corners of the cabin.
Mr. Fu continued his tale, "The laws against contact with humans exist because humans can't be trusted to not let their barbaric natures get the better of them. 'Anything mysterious, they will seek out, anything pure they will sully, and anything beautiful they will try to claim as their own.' This is what the scholars of the Silk Sea say."
"Adrien's not like that!" Marinette insisted. "He saved me and kept me hidden when it would have been easier for him not to. Not all humans are the way you say they are."
Mr. Fu nodded. "I know. I'm sure your human isn't a bad person. But this is the way things are now." He ran his fingers along the lopsided shelf. He crossed his arms behind his back and faced Marinette.
"If you want my advice, let go of your attachment to humans," he said. "Saying that exile is a difficult weight to bear would be an understatement. All food I eat must be harvested or caught by myself. I've given up fish, not because I don't prefer them to seaweed, but because I can't afford to attract sharks with their blood. The sharkers don't protect me out here.
"Exile hasn't uprooted only my life, but my family's as well. Tikki's parents followed me here across the sea. I did not ask them to, but their concern for me drove them out of their own community." Mr. Fu huffed, "At least, that is what they told me."
Tikki curled up in the corner and looked out one of the round metal windows.
"You think the Silk Sea community chased them out because of your banishment?" Marinette asked, horrified.
"Or at least no longer treated them with the respect they used to," he said. "Made it so uncomfortable for them, emigrating was their best option. I can only guess." He motioned to his cabin. "Half of the reason I chose to settle here was so my family could peacefully reside nearby in the Lunimar Bay Community. I visited the bay long ago, before my banishment. I know how beautiful it is. It would be a great shame to never see it again." He looked at Marinette. "The beautiful reefs and kelp forests, your family and friends. Are humans worth more to you than all these treasures?"
It was an awful question. So much of Marinette's identity was tied to her relationship with humans and the things they made. She taught herself how to sew, she memorized their songs and their words. Her time felt wasted when it wasn't dedicated to learning more about them.
But Marinette loved her friends and family. Her parents were considerate and patient with her. She shared all of her darkest secrets with Tikki. The reef was quiet, but it was the loveliest spot in the whole bay. It was the place she called home.
Marinette took so long to answer the question, Tikki turned away from the window to check on her.
"It shouldn't have to be either-or," Marinette declared. "I love the humans. I love their ships rolling across the waves and the songs they sing as they draw up the sails. I love their clothes and their glass and their metal. I want to know how they make such amazing things. I want to make them, too."
"But Marinette…" Tikki's voice quivered.
Marinette wasn't done. "I want to know the names of all the flowers they embroider on their silk taffeta gowns. I want to know what mirrors and lenses do to make the lighthouse beacon burn brighter. I want to wear a dress and watch it flare out as I turn. I want to see a ladybug! And I want to be able to want these things without putting everyone I love in danger."
Marinette's pulse pounded in her ears. She'd never said anything like that aloud. It felt good. She was tired of pretending she was happy enough stealing scraps of cloth out of the surf. Or that it was enough for her to listen the the sailor's shanties without singing along.
Tikki clasped the walls of the cabin. Her mouth was open, but she stayed silent.
At some point during her speech, Master Fu turned his back and was playing with the objects along the shelves. "You sound exactly like an old friend of mine…" his voice was hollow. Mr. Fu looked at Marinette out of the corner of his eye. "What if I told you there was a way to get everything you wanted?"
What?
"Grandpa, what are you talking about?" Tikki shook her head.
"I have something. An old, mer artifact made for people just like you." Mr. Fu waved his arm and one of the glowing orbs floated to the shelf, right above a polished black box. "Magic."
"What kind of magic?" Marinette asked, transfixed.
"I have a pair of earrings that will turn you human."
Another rumble of thunder echoed through the water.
"Something like that exists?"
"Yes, if being human is what you want." Mr. Fu swam up to her and met her eyes. "Is it?"
Her, human? She'd never entertained the possibility. If she were human, she'd have human clothes. They'd stay soft and warm all the time. She could talk to humans, maybe even Prince Adrien! She could find out about their strange, colorful, complicated world. She could sing along with the sailors. She could dance!
Being human was what she wanted most in the world. She just hadn't figured that out until now.
"Maybe… it is," Marinette whispered. "Yes. I want them."
"Marinette, no." Tikki swam between her and Master Fu. "Think about what you're saying," she pled.
"How much do they cost?" Marinette asked.
"I will give them to you for free," Master Fu said. "But the earrings come with a price all their own. There's a set of rules you must follow, or else there will be consequences."
"What kinds of consequences?"
"You might end up human forever. And if you do, you may never see your family and friends again."
"No," Tikki moaned.
"Tell me the rules," Marinette said.
Master Fu snatched the shiny black box off his shelf. The hinged lid swung open like a clam's mouth. Inside on a deflated pillow sat two matching, round earrings.
They didn't have hooks, like Chloe's sapphire earring did. Shiny silver needles, devoid of rust, protruded from behind red gems, impaling some manner of twisted metal clasp. The crimson jewels shimmered in the eerie glow of magic. When the light hit them just right, Marinette could see three black dots swimming in the heart of each earring.
"When you wear these, every time you remove yourself from the sea you will transform into a human being," Master Fu said. "You can remain human as long as you want. Years, decades even, as long as you never enter the ocean again. Because if you do, you will turn back into a mermaid."
That sounded perfect. With magic like that, she wouldn't have to restrict herself to land or sea. She could go between. It was too good to be true.
"That can't be the end of it," Marinette said.
"It's not. The earrings only have enough magic left in them to allow you to walk ashore three times. See the dots? Every time you return to the ocean, one of those dots will disappear. When all three dots are gone, the magic will be spent, and you will never turn human again."
It was three more times than she ever expected to be a human. Where was the catch?
"Okay. What scenario leads to me being stuck human forever?"
"These earrings were forged at the height of merfolk paranoia over human discovery. They contain a magical failsafe that exists to protect a mermaid's identity at any cost. If you are ever found out as a mermaid while wearing these earrings their spell will be broken. You will remain in whatever form you were when your secret was discovered, be it mermaid or human.
"This might be tricky for you," he added. "You've been seen by a human before. If he recognizes you while you walk on legs, you will be a human forever."
Marinette thought it over.
"It was dark when we spoke. I wore a mask. If I had to, I could avoid him," she said sadly. She'd like to talk to Prince Adrien again. If she were human, they might even become friends. But if told to choose between her family, friends, her home and the handsome human prince she met last night— well, it wasn't even a competition. "Are those the only rules?"
"One more. You must never take the earrings off on land if you wish to become a mermaid again. Removing the earrings while in human form will result in you staying a human permanently, even if you haven't used up all their magic."
"Why is that?"
"These magical artifacts are designed to be only used by merfolk. The earrings won't stay in your ears unless you put them on as a mermaid. So wear them at all times while you are human, understand?"
Marinette nodded. She could do all those things. She hid her human fascination from the mermaid community already, how hard would it be to conceal her mermaid life from the humans? And being a human didn't have to be forever, not if she didn't want it to be. She had chances. She couldn't ask for anything more.
"Do you still want them?"
"Yes," Marinette said without hesitation.
"Then I will give them to you. Here." He offered her the box.
Marinette picked up the earrings. The jewels lacked the hard cut of Chloe's sapphires. They were smooth to the touch.
Her fingers trembled as she brought the first earring to her head. Her ears weren't pierced. No mermaid's were, at least not in the Bay Community. But Marinette was prepared to shed blood if that's what it took to become human.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shoved the needle through her lobe. The earring pierced painlessly through her skin. Marinette fumbled to push the backing in. It fastened. She mirrored with her other ear, and it was done.
Marinette pinched and rubbed the earrings, appreciating the new, strange weight they added to her head. She didn't feel anything else, though. No powerful surge, nor gentle buzzing, nor warm blanket of mysterious energy. She probably wouldn't feel anything until she left the sea.
"Go. Walk among the humans," said Master Fu. "Find out for yourself what the land above is like. I know right now you struggle between the air and water. Let this experience help you decide which world you belong to. Because you will have to decide, Marinette. And when you do, be sure in your choice and be happy with what you have."
"I'll try. Thank you, Master Fu."
"Come back and visit if you ever need to talk. When you have a tail, I mean. I might already be exiled, but I don't want to stir up more trouble for myself and my family."
Tikki swam out of the room without a word. Marinette caught a flash of her kicking upward through the window.
"Tikki?" Marinette called after her.
She didn't turn back.
"Go," Master Fu ushered. "Good luck, Marinette."
"Thank you."
Marinette squirmed out of the cabin and out into open water. She pumped her tail as hard as she could until she caught up.
"Tikki? Slow down. Are you alright?" Marinette called. A low rumble of thunder rippled through the sea.
Tikki stopped mid stroke, and twisted around to face Marinette. Her little hands balled into fists and her cheeks puffed out.
"I'm mad!" Tikki declared simply. "This trip didn't go how I wanted at all!" She threw her hands up toward the surface. "How could he just give you something so dangerous? And how could you take it? You want to be a human? Since when?"
Her questions were fair. Marinette tried to keep her voice even as she explained.
"Tikki, I don't fit in down here. You know it, I know it. I'm strange." It hurt Marinette to admit it out loud.
"There's no guarantee you won't be strange to the humans, too. In fact, it's a certainty!" Tikki said, eyebrows knitted together.
"I know, but I'm dying to learn! I feel more enthusiastic about this than I ever felt about, well, anything before."
"But if you become human, I'll never see you again!" Tikki hid her face in her hands.
"I won't be human forever," Marinette took Tikki's hands into her own. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I'll be just as miserable up there as I am down here and I'll come splashing back and resign myself to kelp forest foraging for the rest of my life."
Tikki held still, her eyes wide. "You're miserable down here?"
"I'm not happy," Marinette said. "So I want to see what it's like to be human, even if it's only for a little while… Do you understand?"
She rubbed her arms, waiting for a reply.
Tikki focused on some point far away.
"…Not really," Tikki said, finally. Then, firmer, "but I'll support you, anyway." She wrapped her arms around Marinette, who returned the hug, gratitude overwhelming her.
"Thank you, Tikki."
"You're not heading up immediately, are you?" Tikki asked. The sound of distant lightning cracked against the ocean's surface. "I think it's storming."
Marinette laughed. "No, I don't want to be in the middle of that. I'll wait it out. I need to stop by my parent's house anyway and come up with a cover story about why they won't be able to find me for a while."
"Will you come get me before you go ashore? So I can say bye one last time?" Tikki asked.
Marinette was touched. Tikki never liked the shore, and had always politely refused when Marinette invited her along.
"I will."
-o-o-o-
Her dad grinned. "So you're taking our advice. Wonderful!"
Huh?
"Which direction were you thinking of going, north or south?" her mom asked.
Oh! They suggested earlier that she take a trip to go find her place in another community! That's right. It was the perfect cover story. Marinette wished she had thought of it.
"I— um…" Where could she 'travel' to? She struggled to think of the name of a mer community. Any mer community.
"I think the Seashell Lagoon Community uses those human metal hooks for fishing. I bet you'll make a lot of friends if you go there."
"Yes, that one! That is where I am going. I will go to fishhook… Seashell… Community." Marinette was a terrible liar, but her parents didn't notice this time.
"We're so proud of you."
"And if it doesn't work out, you're always welcome back here."
"Of course!" her dad agreed, tousling Marinette's hair affectionately. "You're being really brave."
Guilt thrummed an ugly chord in Marinette's chest. Lying always felt terrible. But she was going to have to suck it up. The earrings meant that Marinette would have to commit to a lot of lying when she became human.
When she became human…
The notion filled her with courage. It drowned out the guilt and she hugged each of her parents and said honestly, "Thank you. I'll miss you."