The moon's an arrant thief,

And her pale fire she snatches from the sun;

The sea's a thief, whos liquid surge resolves

The moon into salt tears

- Timon, scene III

Chapter 2

Lunch was chaos.

Everywhere I look, people are scrambling about from the cafeteria to the fields and courts lying in wait out in the hot sun. Hormonal teens run for the shade beneath the trees, while the more athletic lot took to the courts and pranced about with a ball between their fingertips. The energy in the school was high, with hundreds of teens chirping away in their groups.

I'd forgotten how horrifying high schools were.

"Come on missy," Suki said, hooking her arm around my elbow. "I'll show you where the good spots are."

Her bubbly persona was a shock to my system. It'd been a while since I'd been around someone with such a cheerful outlook on life. Even though Yue was the most social amongst us refugees, she was no substitute for someone who was the pure personification of joy.

The girl cleverly balanced her food tray on one arm whilst leading me across the quad, dodging flying objects and flipping off members of her fellow cohort. She was lively and vibrant, yet there was control to her actions.

"Stay away from the art block over there—" she directed with her arm occupied with her tray, "Because that's where majority of the stoners hang out. Teachers will you dock you a detention slip regardless of whether you have a joint in your fingers or not."

"Noted," I replied, tucking a loose strand behind my ear.

Wandering eyes followed my figure as I travelled throughout the area. I felt like a fresh gladiator stepping into the arena for the first time. I was the new blood, the fresh meat in this personalized coliseum, and they were all eagerly awaiting to see what my first move would be.

Suki lead me to a picnic table that had strategically been placed under a tall willow tree, and was occupied by a few other girls. There was a taller girl, with light brown hair pulled into a tight bun and held in place by a red ribbon atop her head. Next to her, a fair-skinned girl with dark hair and darker eyes toyed around with a daisy chain between her fingertips, chatting away to her companion.

"Ladies!" Suki greeted as we neared them. "How's it going?"

"It's going great," the flower girl sang, weaving the daisies together. She looked up and appraised my figure. Her face was charming and pretty, and she wore a printed maxi dress with a light cardigan over the top. "New girl?"

"Katara Quarius," I introduced, waving my hand lightly. I could tell they thought my appearance was understated. The garments I wore were heavy in their eyes, the kind of gears one would expect to shield them in the cooler seasons of autumn and winter.

"Cool," daisy chain exclaimed excitedly. "I'm Song and the tomboy over here is Kori Morishita. Don't let her face intimidate you, she's sweeter than sugar once you get to know her."

"And tougher than a rock." The Kori girl tossed a basketball in the air and balanced it on the tip of her finger, spinning it round and round. Her fashion sense was reminiscent of an athlete, with a basketball singlet and black mesh shorts paired together. Her build was slim and sturdy like a runner's, yet still maintaining it's feminine attributes.

Suki and I sat down opposite to the two girls. "How long have you been in our neck of the woods for?" Kori asked.

"About two weeks," I replied. "Moved over with my cousins just outside of town on the coast."

"You the youngest?"

Not by a long shot. "Middle. I was born a few weeks before my cousin was due into this world. As mature as he may be appearance-wise, he could do with a little growing up." I angled my head and spotted him further up. "Aah. He's over there."

The two girls turned their gazes over to Hahn, who had already collected himself a large group of admirers, both boys and girls alike. He still had the superior grin on his face, and spared no looks in my direction. Not that I minded; were he not a refugee like myself, I would never have associated with someone like him in the first place.

"Uwah! He's so pretty," Song said admiringly. "Like a model. Right, Kori?

The taller girl tilted her head and shrugged. "I guess so, if you like that sort of guy. A little too scrawny for my taste if you ask me."

Song pouted and placed her crown of daises atop her head. Her hair fell in loose waves that danced above her shoulder blades, and her eyes sparkled with a light that I hadn't seen in a long time. It had been many decades since I'd surrounded myself with people as joyful as these girls were.

"Are you girls all seniors too?" I asked them politely.

Kori shook her head. "I'm a senior but Song-bird here is a junior. Her birthday was a few weeks shy of the cut-off date."

Song nodded in confirmation and swiped an apple of Suki's plate. "I know Suki and Song from the soccer team, which is why I'm on good terms with them. If it weren't for that, I'd probably be stuck with the rest of the airheads in my year."

I smiled at Song's comment. Her beauty was kind and gentle, straight out of a fairy tale story. Her features were soft on the eyes, but not so much that they would be all that one would remember her for.

"You play any sport's Katara?" Suki asked, digging into the chicken salad on her plate.

"Never had enough time to do that," I answered her, picking out the fruit kebabs Yue had thoughtfully put together. They were colorful and bright, an assortment of watermelon, kiwifruit, frozen blueberries, oranges, and banana's put together on a wooden skewer. I was too busy trying to survive.

"That's a down-right shame," Kori mumbled. "You've got a good build on you – you would've been great on the team."

"I may look fit, but trust me when I say I have two left feet," I defended. "Only thing you can trust me to do is catch and throw."

After a few minutes of idle prodding, they resumed their own smooth conversations, slipping back into their own rhythm as they talked about their own things. Despite my lack of interaction in further conversation, I didn't feel excluded or merely present for their appearance. They were still welcoming towards me. To be truthful, it had been a long time since I'd felt welcomed by anyone other than restaurant owners and eager boys who wanted to add me to their list of conquests.

I took the time to study the different groups clustered about in the area. The young newbies, so-called 'freshman' I believe, were still new to this social heirachy and stayed deep within the lunchroom, identifiable by the bulky bags and new clothes. The sophomores were spread out in the cafeteria, with a few brave individuals venturing outside onto the courts with the other jocks and the likes. The rest of the student body divided between the outside courts and fields, and the rooftop gardens from the looks of it. Everyone seemed to fit into their given stereotypes, playing the roles they were destined to before they were born.

Tasteless, I thought to myself, looking at the way the mortals behaved. No originality whatsoever. Everyone's dictated by the latest trends in society.

There was one particular group that caught my though. Funnily enough, it happened to have that brooding punk that I'd clashed heads with in the corridor earlier. Said boy was wandering lounging out in the sun, with another boy featuring tanned skin and shaggy brown hair chewing on a blade of wheatgrass beside him. A trio of girls sat beside them, conversing intensely with the shaggy-haired boy while he tossed an apple in the air.

There was something about the group that bothered me, something that fluttered about insistently in the pits of my stomach. It was one of those annoying sensations, the kind that was akin to paranoia.

Shaggy hair seemed to have taken notice of my wandering and arched one eyebrow over his eyes, winking suggestively from over in his corner.

"Suki?" I interrupted. "That Zuko fellow that I collided into earlier – is that him over there?"

All three girls looked over at where I was pointing and looked at the group of individuals clustered together. "Yep, good old Zuko," Kori said boorishly. "He's very two-dimensional, that one. You never know what you're going to get with him."

"Don't be mean, Kori," Song chastised. "Zuko's a decent and friendly guy once you get to know him, okay?"

"Easy for you to say," Suki teased. "Your families are close with each other, so of course he's going to be nice to you when you've got heaps of dirt to spill about him." The auburn-haired girl turned back to me. "Sorry about that one though. He only really has two moods – three if you're lucky; calm, helpful, and downright stingy."

I nodded along with her words as if they meant something to me."And that boy beside him?"

"Jet? Zuko's partner in crime right there." Kori answered for me. "Total flirt though, so watch out around him."

"Aah. That would explain the glances he was giving me."

There was something about that group that raised my guards, and I couldn't bear to spend another minute in this school without knowing what it was that annoyed me like a persistent mosquito. Something drew my attention to them specifically. Their faces were familiar and yet completely foreign at the same time.

Hnn. But for today, we'll just let things slip by for now. Right now my priority is to get myself sorted for the rest of my time here.

"I see you made yourself a few new friends with the humans."

Hahns, ever the annoying boy. Just watching him prance about with a smug grin on his face was enough to push me to the brink of slapping it off his face.

"I can say the same for you," I replied calmly, parking the car up near the dockyards. "You seem to have acquired quite a large group of admirers. A little unnecessary, don't you think?"

"Just doing what I can to blend in. Gaining the favor of the popular crowd in that academy will no doubt induce them to accept us."

"Of course." Because that's what you do when you're trying to blend in with the humans. You make yourself appear like a big superstar and focus all their attentions on you. Brilliant idea, Hahn.

I let the engine of the Jeep idle away and slowly fade into silence in the car park, watching as the ferry trickled into the bay. I could faintly make out Yue going through in the administration building where all the passengers passed through to access the boat, watching her silver halo move about inside. There was certain fluidity to her movements, as if she were the leading lady for a ballet. Yue was somewhat of an enigma to me. Throughout all her years on this earth, she still seemed to hold on to that fantasy of a peaceful life, retaining that air of femininity that I'd lost long ago. She was such a girly-girl, using her feminine charms and playing the well-mannered lady while delighting herself in the expensive joys of the world. Am I jealous?

Perhaps.

Yue had a far more easy going childhood than the rest of us. While the rest of the tribes were scattered and swam for safety, the remainder of her family had taken her to a secure place up in the colder regions of the north, where she spent most of her life sheltered in the cold waters. Her guardians worked hard to bring her up safely until she had reached maturity before finally travelling out into the open. She didn't experience the hard-ships of this world until much later in her life.

Lucky woman.

Beside me, Hahns began to undo the buckle for his belt, slinging it over his shoulder and proceeding to open the car door. "Where are you going?"

He pointed in Yue's direction inside the building. "To help her out, of course." His tone was like a child pointing out his parent's obliviousness. "Not to mention there are a few people there that I recognize from my class at the academy. Might as well make sure I solidify a proper relationship with them."

"Don't get too friendly though," I warned him. "We don't know how long we'll be here for."

He rolled his eyes and slammed the door, leaning in through the open window panel. "What makes you think any of those humans will become my friends? This is just my way of surviving. He reclined and tapped the door on his way. "After all, the outsiders are the ones that get the most time in the spotlight."

He strutted away from the car, one hand tucked into his pocket while he waved out to a group of students from the school resting outside the café next to Yue's workplace. He seemed so confident, so comfortable as he eased himself into the ways of the human society. Both he and Yue had no problem posing as mere mortals. Meanwhile I had more trouble trying to forget the past, especially the memories that instigated my hatred for mankind.

I pulled the lever on the side of the seat and leaned back. Once it was on a good angle, I slipped on my sunglasses and lulled myself into s little car was so comfortable, with the soft leather seats that blunted the feel of the steel frame beneath it. I was drawn to cars. There was something about them that made me feel at peace, as if there was no way the outside world could ever hurt me as long as I was in it. The Jeep Wrangler was by far one of my favorite models to own since my time dwelling on land, emitting a sense of masculine dominance. Sure the paint was a little faded, and the interior in dire need of new upholstery, but either way it was my car.

It was huge, far better than the smaller models that I use to drive in the nineties, and there was plenty of room for these legs of mine. Not to mention there was a certain power that one held whilst driving at the helm. This vehicle was practical and suitable for my basic needs, including, if the moment ever arrives, the ability to battle all types of weather patterns and crossing over more challenging terrains.

They should change the advertisements for these cars. Introducing the Jeep Wrangler: The Perfect Get-away Car.

"Nice wheels."

My eyes snapped open, hidden by the lenses covering my face. A familiar boy from the school leaned against the framework of the car, running his hand across the hood of the Jeep. His shaggy brown hair had been pushed back off his forehead by a plastic headband, and in his mouth he continued to chew insistently on a piece of wheat.

I sat up in my seat, partially annoyed at both the guy and myself. I should've closed the window. I pushed my glasses up and checked out the admirer of my car. "Thanks."

"So you are awake." He moved back to the window and fixated a charming glance on my figure. "Didn't think you were gonna wake up any time soon."

I rolled my eyes, eyeing the impish smile that crawled onto his face. "Light sleeper."

"You're the new senior up at the Academy right? Pretty blue eyes and all?"

"'Pretty blue eyes'? My, you know how to make a girl blush," I said, a crooked smile threading its way through my voice. Got to hand it to him, this guy knew what to do to break the barriers between the sexes. He radiated confidence, the knowledge of self-assurance planted deep within him. Up close, I could smell a hint of something musky, and slightly intoxicating on him.

Vanilla? Popcorn? The latest Lynx chocolate temptation?

"I take it this is the part where you show your charitable side and introduce yourself to the newbie, make her feel welcomed to the town and all."

"It is my nature to ensure every newcomer feels at home on my turf," he said with a bow. "Name's Jet, senior classman in 13-A, and co-captain for house Glades."

"Impressive credentials." He smiled eagerly at my praise. "Is that all you have to offer on the table?"

"Oh, I have many things to offer on the table, Miss Quarius." I furrowed my eyebrows in surprise as he stated my alias. I opened my mouth to speak but he cut across my speech. "Word gets around fast when two seniors suddenly pop into our school weeks after the year has begun. Newbies tend to become the celebs for the first week."

"Ahh, of course." Nobody likes to be kept out of the loop in this generation. Everyone has to be in the know about everything.

"Although I seem to have a lapse in my memory though," he said coolly. "Remind you what your first name is?"

"Katara," I said casually, flicking it out on the tip of my tongue. "So what's a somewhat charming guy like yourself doing hanging about my car?" I slung one arm up lazy across the steering wheel and gazed at him demurely.

"'Somewhat charming'? I should think I'd warrant the title of grandmaster of charisma," he boasted proudly, winking again at me. "I simply came over to let you know that I'm a friendly face, and that I'm here to help out a fellow comrade. Especially one as beautiful and exotic as you."

I rolled my eyes. His words were pretty, but rehearsed, as if he'd spent days on end perfecting the delivery of his phrase. His tone was light but hinted at something more, and his body language was a complex composition of care and an invite for more intimate encounters, polished with years of practice and sprinkled with a handful of gentleness on top. In these mere minutes alone with him, I had him pinned as the typical womanizer type, the kind of men I usually steered clear of.

"Well, I appreciate the open invitation there, Jet," I replied kindly, giving him the barest smile that I had in my arsenal. "At least I know who to look for in my hour of need."

"Glad to be of service to you."

"Jet! Get your ass over here!"

I angled my head a little out the window and watched a car pull up close behind my rear. The driver had his face obscured by a pair of dark sunglasses but she could still identify the individual by the tone of his voice.

"Calm down, Zuko," Jet said childishly. "You can wait a few minutes, can't you?"

"I may, but do you think our boss will be so considerate when he finds out your dallying about is what's costing us time?"

The brunette rolled his eyes at his friend and fixed a devilish smirk at me. "Guess that's my cue to go."

"Leaving so soon? But we were just starting to get to know one another."

Jet rolled his eyes and continued to shoot me with flirtatious expressions. "I'll see you around in school though, Miss Katara."

He swaggered back to the car behind me. In the mirror I could see him arguing profusely with Zuko the Pretentious, waving his hand wildly while he jumped over the door into the passenger seat. The conversation was drowned by the loud music erupting from the small vehicle, and the roar of the engine only added more noise to the chaotic choir. In mere seconds the car sped out of view, disappearing out of the car park and taking them to who knows what.

I slumped back in the seat in relief. As pleasant as that little chatter was, I could already predict that boy's ultimate endgame for me. His personality, his attitude, his smooth speech – it spoke volumes about the kind of character he was. It starts off sweet, but in the end all he wants is another conquest to add to his belt. Nothing more. Nothing less.

.

Contrary to what Disney depicts, not all merfolk wear shell bras' or have flattering sculpted torsos', or long billowing hair that coincidentally cover up their naked torso. Sure, some people I've meet prefer that, but it's not exactly common practice amongst the survivors. We have our own flaws to deal with, but that doesn't mean we don't have a way of hiding them.

After heading back home with my 'family' we spent an hour and a bit having a meal and talking about our day. Hahn's took it upon himself to be Yue's conversationalist for the evening, bantering back and forth about each other's day and what they liked so much. It's mind-blowing how dramatic his personality changes. With me, he's nothing more than a snotty, spoilt princeling, but around Yue he treats her like she's a revered goddess, always polite and chipper with her.

It gets on my nerves.

As soon as I finished my plate, I rinsed and washed and gave them the heads up that I was heading to Ruby Bay on the bike. Yue warned me to be careful, but Hahn's merely waved me off with a knowing look in his eyes.

The scenery was nice. Poetic - something out of a fairy tale even. Sunset scorched the sand to fine quartz pink, and the sea was playful, tossing the waves back and forth. The rocks had an odd reddish hue to them as the sun sank below the horizon. Ruby Bay seemed aptly named, especially with the way things looked at this hour of the day.

Few people were seen on the sandy shorelines. All the cars were driving away and heading back home for dinner and homework; young lovers pranced back up the stairwell leading back to civilization. My presence didn't raise any suspicions amongst those leaving.

It was nice, feeling the sand rustled beneath the soles of my feet, listening to the birds cry out their farewells to the golden globe while the sea whispered against the land. But the shells crushing underneath my weight? Not exactly the most pleasant sensation.

There was a cove a little further around the corner, blocked off by heavy boulders and deep rock pools full of the sea's treasures. I didn't have to worry too much about my footing; after years on land you learn to adapt to the different terrains. High tide was coming in quickly, lapping up at the sides of the seaweed-covered boulders that I bounded from. Once I was at the entrance of the cove I looked in to see if there were any unwelcome visitors. The cave itself was huge, as if god himself came down and punched a hole in the wall. The seafloor sunk deeper the further you move into the cave. The roof was high with jagged rocks pointing down like inverted anthills, and if you swam deeper to the bottom of the floor, one could see stalagmites piercing upwards.

Water came flooding in quickly, slapping forcefully against the boulder I was standing on. I gripped my toes onto the rock while I stared into the mouth of the cave. It had been a long time since I'd been swimming, and I wanted to relish the feeling as much as possible. As soon as the sun sunk behind the horizon and I arced my hands above my head and swan-dived into the blue abyss.

Here's the thing – when a mermaid shifts into her different states, it's not exactly a pretty thing to experience

It's bloody painful.

It takes a few seconds for the bones in my legs to break and reform, for the skin to be replaced by scales and fins. Holding your breath a harder process as the transformation completes. Some Merfolk are blessed with instantaneous transformation in the blink of an eye wile others wait up to a whole minute for the pain to subside. Lucky for me the gills burst forth on my neck the minute my head ducks beneath the water, so I can breathe easy.

Clothes melt away from my body, disappearing into who knows what. I'm left in a metallic corset that supports my torso and is held in place by a piece of Pauldron armor made from silver steel. Blue metal vambraces are lashed around my forearms and held tightly by leather straps that tie up underneath.

Every time I change, I look down at myself. I'll admit that I look pretty damn good though; the armor is always light and flexible, moving with my body rather than against it. The tail is a shimmering trio of teal, turquoise, and spell-binding lapis-lazuli, with teal fins jutting out. But there's always a hint of sadness spoiling the effect. The armor I wear, the different hues of blue that color my scales, the silver tattoo on my left collarbone - they're the remains of my family, small reminders of a tribe that is lost to me.

I'm the last of my tribe, a living legacy of a dying past.

I clench my fists tight and casually flick my tail behind me, blowing out bubbles as I trade oxygen for salt water in my lungs. It's easy to move through the obstacles below. I hitch a ride on the currents and dive further down into the cavern, past the fish that creep out from their hidey-holes and the sharpened pillars that rise from the water. It's easy to let go of everything and slip into this natural lifestyle. I was born to live in the sea, to master the waters and protect the creatures therein.

It's exhilarating.

I move deeper into the cave, further down towards the ground until the sunlight no longer pierces through the waves. To my left is an opening, a tunnel that leads to a place only Merfolk can ever find.

I grab the nearest stalagmite and swing myself around, pulling myself out of the current and into the tunnel. With a wave of my hand the tunnel blocks off by a shield of frozen ice. As if on cue, insignia's on the walls begin to glow a warm gold light, casting their rays over everything ahead of me. I hum in relief as I recognize the familiar craftsmanship. Every now and then a lamp juts out from the sculpted walls, glowing dimly with hues of purple and gold. Eventually the tunnel ascends upwards and I find myself thrust upwards into a warm cavern, smaller than the other cave.

The tunnel opens up to a small pool with low steps to help me pull myself out. The moment I break through the water, I'm met with a cool sensation that dances across my skin. The room seems to hum in content as the pale pink chandelier above me glows to life. Sparks of light dance through the clean air. Around me I look at all the possessions that have collected over time in this small safe haven: books, diaries, journals, maps of the world. Dolls are nestled in a sandcastle in the corner, with a few more toys seated on cushions and small hills of gold doubloons. A few mirrors stand up against the sandstone walls, dusted with a hint of the stuff from years of abandonment. Easels lay scattered, and dead plants wilted in their elegant vases. Coral sprouted off the walls, while water leaked down the walls.

Coral Dens were common safe havens for Merfolk on the run. Since the Purge, local habitats were destroyed in the hunt for my kind, and we were forced to remake a series of safe havens throughout the land. Sokka's words rang in my head as I pulled myself out of the water and onto the side step.

"Did you know we used to have islands?" he said.

"Islands?"

"Mm-hmm. Lots of islands." He smiled brightly and made dramatic gestures with his palms. Our grandmother sat behind me and threaded her fingers through my hair, combing it back into a long braid. She kept quite while my brother continued his history lesson in the late evening by the lakeside.

"Yep. Gran-gran said each of the tribes used to live on different islands all around the world. Most of them lived near Greece, but our tribe—" he proudly brandished the tattoo on his inner left bicep, "—used to live down in the south near the ice. That's why we're better than everybody else, cause we can handle the cold heaps better."

"And it was beautiful," Gran-gran added. She placed her hands on my shoulders and stroked my hair back. "When snow fell we created the most magnificent ice sculptures. When Winter Solstice came, our sister tribe in the north came down to our isles and we held honorary tournaments in honor of the event."

"And we wasted their punk asses!"

"Sokka!" I yelped. "Bad language."

"It's true," Gran-gran chuckled. Her hand snaked into view to slap my brother around the head. "We're a warrior tribe. We were born to dance with our enemies and play the instruments of war. Our sister tribe are a devout religious lot. They praise the Gods and spirits more than the other tribes around the world. It's a wonder they even manage to produce any good participants in the games."

I pulled my fin up out of the water and winced while the change took place. One of the dolls nearby had singed hair and ashes covering the porcelain skin. One of the arms was broken and it was missing a shoe on it's left foot.

Not for the first time did I wish I could lean on my brother's shoulder right now. He'd know the prefect joke to make me smile and clutch my sides. Sokka would play around and make me forget everything. He'd make everything disappear.

"Gods, I miss you so much."

Here's the other mermaid chapter, as promised. Sorry it's taken so long to update.