Hemi stood at the edge of the road, his shark tooth necklace was supposed to pull him toward a possible future mate. To his slight confusion, instead of pulling him toward the beach which was full of people it was pulling him across the street away from the ocean and deeper into the human city.
While being far away from the sea was a risk for a merman in human form, this was his last chance to possibly find love, so he had to take that risk. He followed the pull of the necklace deeper into the city. He passed by the beach front hotels and the shops into the more rundown area of the city. He was still close enough to the ocean that him being in a swimsuit wasn’t too odd but it did draw some people to look at him funny.
Finally, he felt the pull toward a certain building, he paused and looked at the sign which hung over the building.
“Mermaid Home for Battered women and children.” It read as Hemi paused and looked at it multiple times slight confused. Then his necklace all but yanked off his neck.
A women walked out of the door of the building, she looked to be in her early 30’s her dirty blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, and she looked worn but still beautiful. She had a haggard and tried air around her. Her frame was thin and graceful, she reminded Hemi of a beautiful pearl which needed some cleaning to become truly breathtaking. Then he saw he wince as a car door slam and then her face went pale as she looked at Hemi with pure fear in her eyes.
“NO…. we got away!” she cried as a man pushed past Hemi and stormed toward her, he was taller then Hemi and wore cleaner cloths and walked with an air of a man who always got what he wanted.
“You will never get rid of me.” Said the man as he rushed forward and grabbed the women by the wrist.
“LEAVE MOM ALONE DAD!” yelled a male voice, a young male as a boy rushed out and began to use fists to hit the much larger man’s legs. He seemed to be at the most seven or eight years old but his father was much bigger and stronger.
“You need to learn your place as well.” Said the man as he went to backhand the boy.
He never got the chance as Hemi grabbed his wrist.
“Leave them alone.” Said Hemi in a monotone voice which rumbled with threat. It was the verbal equivalent of seeing a hurricane in the distance but the storm had yet to arrive.
“This isn’t about you.” Said the man as he tried to slip free. “And if you touch me, my father will.”
“I don’t care about your blood line.” Stated Hemi as the man clearly upset let go of his wife’s wrist and stepped back.
“No matter, I will let the lawyers deal with this now.” Said the man “I will take the kids back and raise them right.”
“No….” said the women who had fallen on the ground with tears in her eyes.
“I will, you have no resources and no where else to go and you know who my father so your “claims” of abuse will never hold.” Said the man with a grin as he walked off “I will see you soon.”
“Mom…” yelled a new voice a little girl who ran up to hug her mom, the boy quickly joined her.
“It will be ok….” Reassured the mom as the kids said they will not go with their father. Hemi watched with nothing but piety in his heart for this women and her kids who seamed to be out of options. Then he realized the necklace was pulling toward all three of them, which meant.
All three of them could become merpeople. Maybe…. just maybe he had a way to save this woman and her kids to take them away from a place where this human man could get them. The rules did state he couldn’t break up a family but this family was already broken, still he had to check.
He began to whisper into one of the charms, asking permission from the priests and priests who would be waiting to hear if he found anyone if he could break that rule and bring this family to a world far away from that human monster.
He explained quickly and waited for their response.
He didn’t have to wait long.