Umi woke up in a cell. She tried recalling the events that led to her being there. She remembered seeing the man from the beach kicking Dave and Mizu off the net that contained her.
"She's really beautiful. I think we finally found a good catch," a man said. Umi closed her eyes and kept her breathing calm. Something was off. She couldn't feel her legs and everything felt cold. What was going on? She heard the footsteps approach her cell.
"Just look at that emerald tail! Her hair is absolutely stunning and colorful unlike the others. I've never seen a siren that stunning," another man said. He sounds younger than the first.
"Don't fall in love with her, now. Sirens are known killers. They drag sailors down to the depths of the ocean just for the hell of it!" the older man exclaimed. Sirens? What are they talking about? Curiously, Umi opened her eyes and noticed there were no bars. She was laying on the cold floor, yet she couldn't stand. She tried, but couldn't move her legs.
"I see our little siren's awake. Don't even try taking on a human form. You'll only drown yourself," the older man said. He looks like he's in his mid to late 50's. The man next to him looked no more than sixteen. The younger man was staring straight into Umi's eyes in awe. She felt like he was staring into her soul, and she hated it.
Umi looked at her legs. Only, they weren't legs anymore. It was an emerald green tail with shining scales. Umi tried to scream, but it was muffled with water. The old man laughed and started walking away.
"Jack, if you want to keep staring at the siren, be my guest. Just make sure she doesn't escape," he said. The young man, Jack, nodded. He sat on the floor and stared at her. Umi could see her reflection in the glass. She started banging on it, trying to break the glass in vain. Jack flinch everytime she hit it. She stared at him. He had dark brown eyes and blonde hair. Umi didn't know how to move her tail, but she tried. It wasn't graceful, like you'd see in movies, but she started slamming the glass with her tail now. With all her force, she managed to break it.
She felt her tail separate into two and her fins turn into feet as she hit the floor. A shard of glass stuck into her leg, but she ignored it. She got up and ran as fast as she could. She managed to reach the deck and was stopped by the old man. He grabbed her so hard, she thought her wrists would break. Umi kneed him in between the legs with all her force and ran out to the deck. She stopped in her tracks when she saw a man bleeding out on the deck. He has black hair and pale skin.
"Dad!" Umi screamed. She knelt beside him and turned him over. He grabbed her arm and opened his green eyes.
"Run," he whispered. His hand went limp. She check his pulse, but he was already gone. She grabbed his body and threw it over the side of the ship. She climbed the side and jumped in as well. Her legs stuck together as they grew scales and her feet turned to fins. She found her father's body and awkwardly swam with it until she found the shore. She pushed it onto the shoreline and swam off. She couldn't face her friends. Not like this. She failed to save her father. She's not even human anymore.
She swam around until she got used to swimming with a tail. She went further and further away from the shore until she came across a crevass. Something was off about it. It sounded like voices were coming from there. She ignored it and kept swimming on. As night settled, she found a cave to sleep in. She curled up on the cave's cold floor and closed her eyes. She remained awake for some time, recalling the events to her being here. She fell asleep, reliving her nightmares of a red haired siren being murdered.
Umi was startled awake by a slap. "Get up!" a voice growled. Umi groggily rubbed her eyes and looked up. There was a woman holding a spear sitting beside her. This woman had a tail, too. It was an orange-pink color and her hair was a salmon color. Umi was wide awake now and she backed away from the woman.
"Who are you?" Umi asked.
"I ask the questions here. Which kingdom do you belong to?"
"Kingdom? What do you-" Umi was interrupted by another slap on her tail.
"Ouch! Why'd you slap me?" she exclaimed.
"Don't play dumb! You have to belong to a kingdom. Hell, you look like royalty."
"I don't think I'm royalty. I'm not from these parts."
"Where are you from then?" the woman asked. Umi felt a sharp pain in her chest. She didn't want to talk about it, but she may die if she doesn't.
"Does it matter? I've lost everything. My friends, my family. Everything," she whispered. The woman looked sympathetic for a moment, then cleared her throat and looked away.
"There's a place for refugees. You'll have to work your tail off, but they'll provide you with food and shelter until a family takes you in. Don't get your hopes up, though. It's rare for a family to take a refugee in," she explained. Umi smiled sadly and followed the strange woman.
"Do you have a name?" Umi asked.
"Ambrose. What's yours?"
"Umi. My name's Umi," Umi answered. Ambrose lead Umi to an underwater village made of coral and sea glass. There was a castle in the middle of it all that looked like it was made of different stones and gems.