“Well you are right we aren’t from around here.” Confirmed Damon as he looked at his wife and his friends. Chloe had a look which could kill and wanted him to cut to the point so seeing no other way he turned back to Cura.
“Well…until an hour or so ago we where humans and didn’t know Merpeople where even real.” Admitted Damon as Cura blinked for a moment and shock her head before looking at the sand.
“Sorry to hear that, I assume you found that child and it used it’s magic to transform you into a new family.” Said Cura as her strawberry blonde hair moved a little in the water.
“Yes…how did you know that?” inquired Monica
“Well it isn’t an uncommon story, I think about half our village can trace their ancestors to something like that.” admitted Cura “I was born a mermaid but I think my great great grandmother was a human. And considering I was sent out to look for a missing merchild, I assume that it. We found the remains of a merman and mermaid from a shark attack, look like it made its way to shore and it found you. I am sorry, we had hope to find it hiding in seaweed or a small cave. This is something none of us wanted.”
“So this is common, so you can turn us back?” inquired Chloe
“I can’t.” stated Cura as Chloe glared at her. “While young every merchild has magic as a defense against attack that magic fades around adulthood, I can only erase memories of people who see me, I have done that to a few human fishermen and some limited water magic to defend myself.”
She moved her hand as a spinning ball of water formed in her hand.
“Other then that I don’t have any magic.” stated Cura “The only people who could change you back is members of the royal family or the high families, they keep enough magic to possibly transform you back.”
“Ok…where are they?” inquired Chloe
“Well not in my village, we are only a few hundred, the nearest place a royal could be would be a full day swim to the south.” stated Cura as everyone’s eyes widened.
“A FULL DAY!” yelled Ana
“Two days at least, we would have to swim there and swim back.” Stated Chloe “I have a date tonight.”
“Sorry.” apologized Cura as she looked at them. “And even if there was a royal, it is unlikely that they would turn you back…different laws would make it hard for them to do.”
“What do you mean?” inquired Tim
“Well…” started Cura as she looked at the child. “By our law, if an abounded or lost child transforms a human or humans into it’s new family, by law it is your child and you are it’s parents.”
“Our child?” inquired Monica as she looked at the merbaby who had finally gotten tired and was now being held in her arms.
“We found the child and it transformed my wife and I.” said Damon as he swam up to Monica and looked down at the child in Monica’s arms. “We where dragging ourselves to the water when the others arrived and the baby transformed them as well.”
“I see, the royals may take that into consideration, but I would assume that the two of you will not be leaving this is your child and you are it’s parents.” Stated Cura
“It transformed those two first, so they are it’s parents not us.” stated Chloe as she looked at Damon and Monica. “I have to go home, my girlfriend is expecting me tonight and…I will not miss it.”
“Chloe…I am sure Stacy will understand if you miss a date, I am sure the police will notice we are missing and once we transform back we can say we where dragged out to sea by a rip tide.” Offered Tim, he hadn’t missed that he and Ana could possibly go home as well. It would suck to leave Monica and Damon behind but if there was a way home he would take it. “Stacy will understand that.”
“NO I WILL NOT MISS OUR DATE!!!” snapped Chloe with tears in her eyes “None of you understand….I am going to ask her to marry me TONIGHT!!! I HAVE PLANED EVERYTHING FOR MONTHS I WILL NOT MISS IT.”
Everyone lowered their heads a bit, Chloe and Stacy had been together as long as either one of the two married couples however it had taken a while to get Stacy’s family to accept her coming out as a lesbian and she wanted her family to accept them.
“Sorry, we didn’t know.” apologized Ana
“I am sorry as well.” admitted Chloe as she whipped away some tears. “I shouldn’t be so snappy but I love her…I will not lose her.”
“I understand and we will try to fix this.” reassured Cura “I recommend we head to my village, we could send a message to the city.”
“I thought you said the city was a days swim?” stated Tim
“It is, but we have ways to contact them without swimming down to the city.” stated Cura “It isn’t as effective as an in person apply but it would save time. If they accept to change you back they could arrive here in a single day instead of two.”
“Alright, lets go.” said Chloe