Scavengers of the Sea
Part 4
It had been three weeks since Antonio last saw Lovina. Three long weeks, mostly spent kicking himself for being so stupid.
Francis and Gilbert were both sympathetic, in their own ways. Gil mainly seemed to view his friend's current misery as something that should be plied with alcohol. They spent plenty of evenings these last few weeks sitting in lawn chairs on the beach, drinking until the world turned on its head. Antonio even woke up one morning with sand in his mouth and a seagull staring at him from a few feet away, apparently puzzled by his presence on its early-morning beach.
Francis, on the other hand, was more the type to offer a listening ear. He told Antonio that he shouldn't beat himself up over upsetting the mermaid. After all, it was an honest misunderstanding. They couldn't speak the same language.
Although, he admitted, he couldn't quite understand why Antonio pushed the girl away. "It sounds to me like she was making her interest in you rather clear, so I'm not entirely sure what the problem would be. Granted, I can't say I know anything about mermaid courtship and I'm not entirely sure how the mechanics would work..."
Antonio blushed and tried to explain. It wasn't that he wasn't attracted to Lovina—he definitely was, which had, admittedly, made him question a few things about himself—it was that he couldn't know for sure how Lovina felt about him. Yes, he could make assumptions based off her actions, but there was always the chance that he might make a mistake.
He'd rather be safe and not do anything, than take the risk that he might do something she didn't want. He just wished that he could've explained that to her.
Antonio spent most of his evenings on the dock where he first met her now. Sometimes with Francis or Gilbert, but usually by himself. It was a peaceful place; he could sit and watch as the sun set the waves on fire. He spent that time thinking over all sorts of things.
His thoughts often returned to Lovi. He wondered if she was safe—the ocean was a really dangerous place, after all—and he wondered if she was happy. Maybe Lovi moved on already and found herself a nice merboy. The thought made his stomach twist in sadness, but really... It would be for the best. They lived in two different worlds, after all.
The nights were starting to grow cooler. Antonio wasn't sure if he'd continue coming out here once the seasons changed. Even if Lovina wanted to return, he rather doubted that she'd go anywhere close to the surface once winter hit. He wondered what she did during the winter, actually. Did she have a nice, warm home under the waves? Or maybe she swam to a warmer ocean, near the equator.
It would have been nice to ask her these questions. He wondered how mermaids lived. He knew that she had a sister, but what about parents or aunts and uncles?
Antonio stared at the darkening sky and shifted his weight on the wooden boards. He always forgot to bring a cushion to sit on. The soreness in his rear was probably a sign that he should head back. His madre would be finishing up work soon and he needed to start dinner.
He was just about to rise to his feet and begin the trek toward his home when he heard something. It was muffled, but it sounded like...
"Toni-o!"
He definitely hadn't expected that; he almost ended up jumping right off the dock when a head suddenly popped out of the water in front of him. A girl—a mermaid, as made clear when her turquoise-colored tail broke the surface of the water.
For a minute, he just stared at her in amazement, but then he recognized her. Feli, Lovi's sister.
"Toni-o!" She grabbed onto the dock and stared up at him. She looked panicked; her eyes were wide and she gripped the wooden slats so tightly that her fingers turned white.
"Feli? What's wrong?"
He had never actually talked to Feli before. Lovina never brought her to see him, even though he said it would be okay. Apparently, Lovi taught her his name, though.
Unfortunately, it seemed like that was the only English word she knew, since she just stared at him, then repeated his name again before she dove under the water. She returned to the surface in a few seconds and sent him a look of desperation.
"Did something happen to Lovi?"
His own thoughts were turning to panic. Why else would she be here? What happened?
Feli made a sound that he assumed meant something in her language, and then disappeared under the water again. After a few seconds, she returned and sent him another desperate look. He realized that she must want him to follow her.
That was a problem, because he couldn't swim. Not well, at least. He could doggy-paddle and keep himself afloat in calm water, but he wasn't able to swim long distances.
But, Antonio's emotional side of the brain immediately protested. If Lovi's in trouble, then I need to do something.
He hesitated for a moment, but then shook all logic away and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it carelessly onto the dock. He had to help. He'd figure out something. He removed his phone from the back pocket of his shorts and hurriedly typed out a message to his mom, 'gonna b late for dinner. theres leftovers in the fridge.'
Then, he hurriedly typed out another message to Francis and Gilbert. 'lovis in trouble. come to the beach asap.'
There wasn't time to wait for them, but maybe they'd be able to follow him or help somehow. If he didn't come back—but he wasn't going to think about that. He placed his phone on top of his shirt and toed off his sandals, setting them on top of his phone. Hopefully everything would still be here when he got back.
He then took a deep breath, sat down on the edge of the dock, and pushed himself into the water.
And yelped, because it was freezing.
Feliciana wasn't going to give him time to adjust, though. She made a frantic sort-of-clicking sound at him and then disappeared under the water again. He could see the trail on the surface as she immediately began racing away from the shore. Antonio knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep up, but he was going to try anyway. He walked along the sandy bottom until the water reached his chin, and then began to doggy-paddle after her.
He quickly regretted this choice. He'd always been a terrible swimmer; this was possibly the stupidest decision he ever made. He was struggling in a matter of minutes, water entering his mouth and nose as he tried to keep his head above water. He started to panic, his kicks and paddles becoming more desperate.
But, then the mermaid reappeared beside him. He didn't stop to think; he just reached out and grabbed onto her.
If she was a human, this would have been another terrible choice. Thankfully, she wasn't. She jerked at his touch, but didn't try to drag him underwater or swim away. This gave him the opportunity to catch his breath.
That hurt. His throat burned as he choked and coughed. He had wrapped his arms around her neck and was now clinging to her with a strength that was probably painful, although she didn't complain. He knew he should let go, but his brain apparently wasn't sending the proper orders to his muscles. "Sorry. I'm not very good—" He had to stop to cough for a while. Yeah, that was definitely not a good idea. "I'm not very good at swimming."
She obviously had no idea what he said, but made another noise that seemed reassuring. She then reached up and set her hands on his wrists.
The animalistic part of his brain immediately panicked—she was going to force him to let go, she was going to drown him—but she just loosened his grip and moved his arms down to wrap around her shoulders.
She made another clicking sound, sort of like a dolphin, and turned her head to look at him. Her lips were downturned and she cocked her head to the side, as if asking whether he was okay.
"Thank you." He was never going to tell anyone else about this. Francis and Gilbert would kill him if they ever found out that he almost drowned himself. He should know better, but if Lovi was in trouble...
Ah! Lovi! He almost forgot!
"Feli, can you swim like this?" He paddled a hand in the water, hoping she would understand what he meant. "To Lovi?"
Another click and then her expression changed to something more thoughtful. He felt her move her tail from side to side, and then up and down. It took a few moments, but she eventually figured out the most effective movement and they began to travel forward.
She moved faster than any human, even with his extra weight. It probably wasn't the most graceful-looking thing, but as long as he wasn't struggling and almost drowning.
He wasn't sure how far they traveled. It was much, much farther than he would ever be able to swim by himself. Not that that was saying much.
He could eventually see some shoreline in the distance, along with an outcrop of rocks that she began heading toward. She stopped a few yards away and started to make rapid clicking sounds. She began with a series of staccato beats, then stopped for a few moments before repeating the series and pausing again.
It only took a few seconds before he recognized that she was trying to call to someone. Probably Lovi?
He listened, hoping to hear the response.
It was faint, but eventually he heard it. The soft clicking that obviously made up the mermaid language, mixed with some of the more creative curse words that he knew Gil taught the mermaid. Without his permission, of course.
He felt a wave of relief. If Lovi was okay enough to swear, then she probably wasn't in immediate danger.
He released his grip on Feli and began to clumsily swim toward the sound. He could see that there was a gap in between some of the rocks that made up the outcrop. This seemed to be where Lovi's voice was coming from. As he moved closer, he realized that it was actually a shallow cave.
And inside was Lovina. His beautiful, wonderful Lovi, hopelessly tangled in a large and tightly-woven fishing net.
Antonio could see scuffs on the rock from where she dragged herself into the hiding place. He could also see remnants of netting, what he assumed she managed to tear away with her teeth. He could immediately tell that she wasn't going to be able to escape without help, though. The net was tangled and knotted around her tail and upper body. He knew that she must have struggled, which probably made the situation worse.
He felt his stomach roll in dismay at the sight. She was currently biting at a knot that was keeping her wrist bent at a painful-looking angle. It didn't look like she was making much progress.
"Lovi?"
She jumped, and then spun her head toward him. Her eyes were wide, obviously startled.
"Are you okay, Lovi?" He pulled himself out of the water and squirmed his way into the narrow space, using the same path she obviously had. There was barely enough room for him; he had to crawl forward, carefully keeping his head down. Feli, who had followed him, remained in the water as he moved toward the trapped mermaid. "Do you need help?"
He thankfully couldn't see any major injuries, but there were areas where the ropes were pinching her skin and her palms and elbows and tail were bloody and raw. That was probably caused when she climbed into the cave.
Antonio paused a few feet away, his stomach twisting as he stared at the girl. He knew that he should avoid getting too close until she responded to him. She was probably scared right now and he had felt how muscular and powerful a mermaid's tail could be. He didn't want that strength turned on him.
He needed to help her, though.
For a moment, Lovina just stared at him. It was hard to read her expression in the dim light, but, after what seemed like ages, he heard a sigh and then, "Antonio."
He immediately crawled closer, until he was lying on his stomach right beside her. He reached out and, without thinking, grabbed her free hand. "Are you okay? How did this happen?"
She opened her mouth, but then hesitated. She probably didn't know how to answer the question in English. Antonio felt a twinge of annoyance at this inability to communicate, but hurriedly pushed the emotion away. Anger wasn't going to help anything. He didn't need an explanation anyway; the answer was pretty obvious. Some fishermen left a net somewhere, she got tangled up in it, and then presumably swam here with her sister to try to get herself free without anyone seeing her.
He was grateful that she was able to escape. What would happen to her if someone caught her? Would she get locked up in a zoo or aquarium or studied in a lab? Had that happened before?
He pushed the thought away and reached into his pocket, pulling out the small Swiss army knife that he always carried with him. He was lucky that he hadn't lost it during his almost-drowning. "Don't worry, Lovi. I'll help you get out of this."
He released her hand and reached toward the ropes that were tangled around her wrist, but she suddenly jerked away. "No!"
"No?"
She turned her head to glare at him. "Stupid." She looked at him like he was the one who trapped her here. "Stupid Antonio. Hate you. Go away!"
...Was she still mad about him pushing her away?
"Lovi..."
She tried to smack him with her tail. The netting stopped her, but it was obvious that she was trying to hit him. She made a sound of obvious frustration and then repeated, "Go away!"
He wasn't sure what to do. He turned toward the water and caught Feli's eyes. She was staring at him with a pleading expression, obviously begging him to help her sister. That was why she brought him here, after all.
Antonio knew that it wouldn't be safe for him to try to cut her free while she was thrashing at him. He might accidentally cut her, and that wasn't something he was willing to risk.
He wanted to explain what happened. He wanted to tell her that he was pretty sure that he was in love with her, even if he knew it couldn't work. He wanted to explain so many things, but she couldn't understand.
Lovi made a frustrated, animalistic sound, and tried to hit him again.
He scooted backwards and decided on a very simple approach. He waited.
It was clear that she'd been struggling to free herself for a while. He knew that she'd tire herself out very quickly, so he just had to wait and then he could help.
Eventually, she quieted, stilled, and finally just stared at him. She looked like she'd love to tear his throat out, which she probably could with those piranha-like teeth.
"I'm sorry, Lovi. I know you're still mad at me."
She turned her face away. "Stupid."
"Sí, I am kind of stupid." He slowly shifted forward again, looking over the tangled maze of ropes. It was getting dark, which meant that he'd need to free her quickly. He didn't want to be out here, on the water, at night. Besides, it'd be hard to see what he was doing and that might lead to him injuring her.
It looked like the main problem was her wrist. Once he freed that, she should be able to untangle herself from the net with a little help.
He flipped the blade out. Lovi eyed the object with obvious suspicion, so he sent her a hopefully-reassuring smile.
"Hopefully I can cut through with this." He began to saw at the ropes that were tangled around her wrist. It seemed like it took forever to make any progress, but eventually he could feel it weakening. He was about to say something, but Lovi suddenly gave a sharp tug and it broke.
"There! You'll be free in no time, Lovi!"
She was already using her newly-freed hand to tug at the netting that was tangled around her fins. She did take the time to look over at him, though. Her expression was difficult to read. She still looked annoyed, but slightly less so...
He knew that this wasn't the time or the place for a confession. Yes, he wanted to explain that he hadn't pushed her away because he didn't like her. It was actually the exact opposite. He thought she was the most incredible girl he ever met. Not just because of the fishy thing, either. She was so smart and beautiful and spirited, as well as incredibly stubborn. He pushed her away because she was so wonderful.
But, he knew that he shouldn't try to force her to forgive him when she couldn't even escape. He imagined that she was probably embarrassed; she wasn't even meeting his eyes anymore.
Man, this was really frustrating.
He sighed and focused on cutting through the netting. She continued biting at it and working on the knots with her fingers. Antonio found himself watching her and wondering what his madre would say if he told her that he was pretty sure that he was falling in love with a half-fish girl. His mamá was really wonderful and open-minded—she loved both Franny and Gil after all—but even she might have a bit of trouble with that one.
"Lovi?"
He hadn't meant to speak, but apparently his mouth was working faster than his brain. She twisted her head and broke the rope between her teeth before turning toward him. "What?"
"I'm sorry." Even if she couldn't understand the words, he hoped she understood his tone. "I didn't want to hurt you. I would never want to hurt you. I just—I don't want to do anything that you don't want, but I don't know exactly what you want and I think I'm falling in love with you."
...Yeah, his mouth was definitely working faster than his brain right now.
Lovi was now staring at him with an expression of complete confusion. Obviously she hadn't understood a word he just said.
Antonio lowered his eyes and glared down at the netting. He had felt so lost and lonely since Lovi left and now she was here, right in front of him, but he still couldn't say anything.
Maybe it would make him feel better if he imagined that the ropes under his fingertips were the bonds keeping him from being able to talk to Lovi. At the very least, it'd help him work faster and then he could get out of here and move on with his life and forget about her.
But, then he suddenly heard a clicking sound from behind him. He jumped, then turned his head. Feli was still there. He almost forgot about her.
Lovi clicked something back and the other girl tilted her head to the side, as if confused by her sister's response. At Lovina's answering glare, however, the girl nodded and suddenly disappeared under the water.
What was that about?
Lovina didn't explain, of course. She returned her attention to biting at the ropes. It seemed like she was pretty close to freeing herself. Antonio doubled his own efforts, sawing through the net and then searching for weak places that could be pulled apart.
It was getting cold. This little cave was protected from the ocean breezes, but the temperature was dropping as evening turned into night. And he never really totally dried off. He distractedly wondered how he was going to get home. It was way too dark to swim, but he obviously couldn't stay out here all night. He'd freeze, and for all he knew, this little cave might end up covered by the tide at some point.
Maybe Lovi would help him to the shoreline. He knew that she still hated him, but she wouldn't leave him here. He could probably walk to somebody's house, ask to use the phone... He wasn't sure how he'd explain how he ended up out here, but he'd have time to think about it.
"I think you should be able to get into the water now," he finally said.
It was hard to see, but he could feel that the ropes were loose now. He brushed everything he could see away and then waited, as he felt Lovi wiggle her tail from side to side and up and down.
He was a bit surprised when she didn't immediately re-enter the water. He wondered if maybe she was hurt. Maybe there was an injury on her back or something... He was about to ask, but then a hand suddenly settled on his chest.
To say he was startled would be a rather huge understatement. "Lovi?"
He could barely see anything right now; it was almost pitch black in their little hideaway. He squinted at her as she moved her face into sight and stared down at him.
"Antonio stupid."
He felt his heart sink at that, but then she suddenly moved her hand to his face and brushed her fingertips against his cheek. "Stupid, but not hate."
"Not—?"
She suddenly smacked him on the head, which was not the reaction he expected. "Not! Fuck!"
"Ow." That actually hurt. He sat upright—or as upright as he could. He still had to keep his head ducked down. Lovi rolled onto her side to face him, frowning.
Okay, so she said that she didn't hate him, right? That's what that meant? But, then she hit him?
"You're sending me kind of mixed signals here, querida."
She clicked at him. He would assume it meant something like, 'You're a dense idiot.' Then she rolled onto her back, sighing softly. He watched, as her dark hair pooled around her head like a halo and her chest rose and fell.
He hurriedly turned his eyes away, cheeks heating up. "Ah, Lovi...?"
Antonio could feel her tail brush against his legs as she moved. "Yes?"
"If I—I—" He couldn't think of a way to explain, so he decided to just not think.
He scooted across the narrow space between them and moved so he was bent over her, looking down at Lovi's face. She didn't flinch away, just stared up at him with a slightly curious expression. He felt a weight suddenly settle over his legs and glanced back to see that she'd curled her tail around so the bottom fin was laying over his feet.
Okay, so that was definitely a good sign. Antonio felt a little braver now as he took a deep breath and gazed down at her. "Um, so... This is what we call a kiss. I hope you're okay with it. If you're not, you can just hit me or something."
It was easier to show that he liked her through actions than words. He just had to be very slow and not startle her... He began lowering his face toward hers.
Except, she suddenly squeaked and jerked backwards. Antonio hurriedly jumped away, hitting his head on the ceiling in the process, mouth open in immediate apology. But, she followed his motion and—before he could say anything—brought her mouth to his neck and bit.
Not hard; it felt like a sudden pinch and startled him more than anything. He jumped away with a surprised yelp. "Ow!"
And that was definitely the wrong response again. Lovi stared at him, her own eyes wide with surprise, and then he saw her cheeks color before she suddenly turned and practically threw herself into the ocean.
"Wai—!"
There was no way he was going to stop her.
Antonio didn't swear very often, but he was pretty sure that it was warranted right now.
A/N: Poor Antonio. Life is hard for him and his really really bizarre mermaid romance. xD
In other news, once this is done (which it will after next chapter), remind me to never write a story like this again. xD It is sooooo hard to write a scene where the only two people there can't really talk to each other and are from entirely different cultures, so they don't really know what the other's actions mean either. It makes my tiny brain hurt. Kind of fun in a challenge sort of way, but man... Poor brain.
Also, poor babies. They need an interpreter. But where, oh where, could they find one? Hmm...