Blood Pearls
III

The girls all high-fived one another triumphantly. "Damn, we're on fire!" Sasha praised the lot of them. Cloe, Jade and Yasmin had brought various grocery bags of chips and party mixes and set them on the table.

"Can we just talk about how absolutely freakin' gorgeous this beach house is?" Jade exclaimed as she ran her freshly manicured nails along the cheetah print upholstery on the dining chairs. The chairs and table were deep mahogany, the cupboards in the completely updated kitchen matched beautifully. "Whomever did the interior design for this place was on point."

The girls could definitely agree on that. The place was gorgeous. Phoebe joined them shortly with various coolers and multiple bags of ice. "Iden told me the fridge can make its own ice but if this place is gonna be packed… that refrigerator won't be able to keep up."

Sasha grinned and filled a glass with ice and dispensed some water. "Lord better have mercy on my soul tonight, I'll be downing tequila and regretting it tomorrow morning!" It wasn't very often that Sasha got out to partake in any partying. It was always studies, extra-curriculars and bed to get up and do it all again. Sometimes she was finding it hard to keep her part in the magazine alive.

Yasmin giggled and smiled. "I just hope someone fills your guardian angel in or they're in for a real treat of a night." She planned on getting a little reckless too. Just a bit.

Cloe sighed. "Not gonna lie girls, I could use this night out. The last month of school has been pretty stressful on me."

"You?" Jade questioned. "It's been stressful on all of us, Angel."

It was a bit rough with her family too though. Nothing bad, just sibling fights that really could be put off for another couple weeks or so. "That's true, I'm sorry girls."

"No, no… don't be sorry." Phoebe had only heard the last little bit since she brought the rest of the items in. "We all need some relaxing time. Iden told me to bring these trays of cookies, I don't know why but he told me to leave them on the counter so that I will do." She walked over and placed them just so. "I'd like to be one of the first back here to pour chips out and such but we'll have to see I guess."

Sasha looked down at her eighteen karat white gold Tiffany & Co. wristwatch her father bought her for graduating with honors. It was five minutes to three already! "We'd better go ladies, I have a hair appointment in twenty-seven minutes that I'd rather die than be late for so let's go!"

The girls locked up the beach house and hid the front door key under the quaint flower planter they found it under. It was prom-prep time!

It had been a couple hours since last time he checked on the heir, the young blonde was given the duty of updating the royals every few hours. He finally reached the doorway of the suite though he wanted to scream when he noticed the all-important heir wasn't where he should be. "Oh no, she's gonna kill me." he said out loud as he quickly turned around to to find the heir's parents to inform them that he was missing – again.

Nearly out of breath, he swam into the throne room trying to find the words to inform the queen. How do you explain that you lost someone within a few hours without losing your job? "Umm... your highness. I regret to inform you that the young, stubborn heir… is ah, he's kinda missing." The young blonde cringed.

Samudra lightly sighed. She knew this would happen. Every single time she sent him to his chambers he left. The boy was like clock-work. "I know." She decided she'd relieve this young guard of his impending doom feeling. "He left an hour ago."

The guard swore he felt his heart stop for a brief moment, she seemed a lot calmer then he thought the queen was going to be. "So do you want me to send out a search party or something? I'm sure he couldn't have gotten that far."

She shrugged her shoulders. "If you feel that would help. He takes the same route to the surface. You'd know what it was if you actually followed him and not creeping around the reefs with your forever mate."

"Y-yes ma'am, you're right ma'am." The young guard replied before hurrying off to find some merfolk to help him bring the heir back.

The small yacht tilted this way and that way. It jerked back and forth and the rain was beating down hard. "Everything will be fine! Just hang on!"

They tried to. Both of the boys tried to hang on but an angry wave crashed upon the boat and knocked the young teenagers overboard.

Cameron stared out into the ocean. The moonlight shining down made it look beautiful tonight. Looks could be deceiving… the ocean almost killed him once and took his parents away from him forever.

Burning… his lungs burned like they never had before. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't scream. Dylan? Where was he?! His body became cold first… then numb… before he was rendered unconscious by the cruel depths of the endless ocean.

Cameron pulled his foot up when he swore something touched it. It made him shudder and almost drop his beer into the ocean below. Below. He set the red solo cup down on the flattened rocky surface beside him.

The blond exhaled sharply. He tried to wish away those bad thoughts but it was hard to do so when he was merely ten feet away from where he woke up after near-death. But at least he woke up right? Sure… orphaned though.

The ocean was a cruel, heartless bitch. His parents couldn't have a proper funeral since their bodies were never found and it killed him inside. "I should be over it… what, four summers ago it happened?" He knew no one was there, but sometimes it felt good to talk out to… anyone who might listen.

He shook his head and felt some slight vertigo. Iden and pushing his damn criminal cookies on everyone. A splash and gasp pulled Cameron from his intoxicated thoughts. Was something there? Someone? "Hello?" He called out softly.

Under the water, Penn glared up at the blonde who was on his rock. Well it didn't have his name on it, but it was were he liked to stay whenever he came to the surface. He circled the rock a few times to see if there was a way he could get the other male off of it without actually revealing himself. He soon paused mid-circle and turned his attention back towards the other when his tail brushed the human's feet.

Even though Penn was still under the water his hearing was impeccable. It only came out slightly muffled for him but he could understand it for the most part. "It was just some slimy ass seaweed… I hope." He dipped a toe back in, only to have it tickled. Cameron nearly fell off the rock he was seated on as he scrambled to stand on it.

Suddenly a head poked out of the water. "I would watch my step if I were you." Penn tried to warn the other before he cut his bare foot on the sharp rocks.

"Holy shit!" Cameron caught his breath and regained his composure. "It's not cool to scare people like that." He was relieved yet startled at the same time to find someone else out here. Had he been here the whole time? "Did you like prom?" He asked, assuming the other graduated with them yesterday and went to the prom that took place earlier this evening.

The whole graduation ceremony was a blur for Cameron, he kept looking out into the auditorium and hoping to see his parents looking up at him, proud for accomplishing something in his life so far.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would be here. No one is normally out this far." Penn said moving a bit closer, he had a feeling this human was familiar to him. He just couldn't place him. Maybe he had seen him on the beach before? "Prom? No... I've been here all day." He replied, trying to not feel stupid for not knowing what this human meant by 'prom'.

Before Cameron could ask anything else, he heard some splashing behind him along with Eitan, Koby, Iden and Zack running towards him at top speed in the shallow water. Before Cameron knew he was shoved into the ocean.

After being mercilessly thrown from the yacht and almost drowning… one of the first things Cameron did was take swimming lessons. He wanted to know proper techniques just in case he'd ever have to meet up with the ocean unexpectedly again he'd be ready this time. "The fuck guys?!" Cameron spat angrily at them. "Don't do that shit when someone's not expecting it!"

The more they laughed the angrier he felt. They stumbled away mumbling and laughing, not making sense to anyone other than themselves.

It wasn't until something brushed up against him again that felt like the slimy seaweed from earlier. "What is that?" Cameron asked wide-eyed.

Penn turned around looking to see what Cameron was talking about shortly after it clicked that the blonde was talking about his tail. He backed away from him slowly. Maybe this wasn't a good idea? His sliver-blue eyes watched the human for a moment. "Please, don't freak." He asked, worried that it might cause too much attention on them.

Cameron blinked. He couldn't tell if it were the combination of things clouding his hazy judgment or pure fascination. "I-I won't." He spoke barely under a whisper. "What are you?" He questioned.

He lifted up his tail to show the other his fin, as the moonlight revealed the coloring of his scales. "Well the proper term – is merman." Once he was sure the other had see the fin, Penn tucked it back into the water. Just in case the other males showed up again.

This was the biggest mind-fuck Cameron had experienced… ever! This was only shit you read about or watched growing up. It wasn't real… or was it? "It's real?" He swam away from the 'mer-person-fish-hybrid-kinda-human-thing' and pulled himself back up onto the rock. "I'm just… I'm gonna be honest, this has got me fucked up!" He exclaimed in a quiet whisper. "I mean… this ain't real… no way."

"You can say what you want, but it doesn't make it true." Penn said, feeling slightly agitated at how Cameron was reacting to his honesty. "The fact remains that I am what I am." He added going under the water for a moment, then popped up a little farther away. Penn didn't understand why it hurt him that this human didn't believe him.

Truthfully he should be lucky the other wasn't believing him, for if his mother found out that he revealed the merfolk were not just fantasy, she would have what humans call, a cow and a half. Penn just continued to float there… he watched this human carefully. He tried to see what the other might do next.

"Wait," he really wasn't sure why he was calling after the serpent, no… mer-man? "please… don't go." He sighed. "I don't want to be alone with my thoughts..." It was why he didn't partake in… this, party scene… very often. It always opened up the depths of his mind that he'd rather keep hidden.

As Penn watched this human carefully, he tried to see if it was a trick. Last thing Penn wanted was to be caught off guard. Penn dove under the water for a moment, before slowly appearing in front of the blonde. He stayed, not saying a word as he stared at the other. "I'll stay as long as you want." It was all he said as he noticed the pain in the other's eyes.

"Thank you," Cameron noted. No one had ever actually stayed when he wanted them to. "you're the only decent part of this ocean. I hate it." He told him. Though he wasn't sure if he'd be offended. Wasn't this his home?

"That makes two of us." Penn stated, as he slid onto the rock beside Cameron while he watched over his shoulder. He took in the view of the humans on the beach... dancing? "Magical." It was all he said before turning his attention back towards the human beside him, wondering what made him so different from the others.

Cameron chuckled. "Not magic, it's called being under the influence. It makes you do stupid things." He glanced behind him as Meygan took her shirt off, cheered and tossed it into the fire pit. How the hell would she explain that one to her folks in the morning? Stupid. They all were.

"CAM! BUDDY!" Someone shouted for him. "WHERE IS MY HOMEBOY?"

Cameron panicked slightly. "You have to go..." but he didn't even get the name of this… creature. "be safe." He urged the other, giving him a little push as he scrambled to jump off into the shallow waters on this side of the rocky wall. "H-hey… what's up?"

"Shots! That's what's up!" Cameron rolled his eyes, he hated that he had to leave… the fish-boy he just met. He met them half-way instead of putting his new friend in danger.

Though both Cameron and Penn wished their conversation hadn't been cut so short… and that they got each other's names. Next time! At least… they hoped there would be one.