"Hey Jack, it looks like some kids are messing around on the east side of the lagoon. Could you check that out?"
"Sure Tink. I'm headed there right now."
Jack Baker adjusted his earpiece and took a deep breath as he navigated his way through the forest. He had been working as a security guard in Neverland for almost a week now, but he still wasn't used to his new job. Security work had a lot of similarities with police work, but Neverland and its systems were a lot to handle.
Some of his former colleagues thought he was crazy for changing careers. After he had brought in James Hook he was offered an impressive promotion, but he didn't really feel that he deserved it. After all, Hook had basically turned himself in. The wanted criminal had appeared outside of the mental institution just as Jack was being discharged, and all Jack had to do was walk him to the police station. On top of all that, Jack had grown disenchanted with police work. It wasn't as fulfilling as he imagined it would be. Becoming a security guard at an amusement park was definitely a step down, but Jack had his reasons. For one, he was mesmerized with Neverland. He had thought it was magical back when it wasn't functioning, so now with everything fixed and optimized for the public, it was just about the most magnificent place he'd ever encountered. And then, of course, there was her.
Jack was a little ashamed to admit to himself that his main motive for taking a job in Neverland was to find out more about that mermaid who had saved all of their lives when they were searching for the treasure. All he knew about her was that she was incredibly fast and agile in the water, and that she had one nasty backswing on that purple tail of hers. Oh yeah, and she was drop dead gorgeous. He had spent many nights wondering about her, wondering how she became a mermaid, if that's what she really was, wondering where she lived and how she slept, wondering if she was even human, wondering what she did with her time when she wasn't saving people's lives. He knew it was a little bit ridiculous. Most young men didn't fantasize about girls who lived in the water, especially since their interaction had been short and rather hostile. Memories of her knocking him out with her tail shouldn't make him smile, and yet, here he was. Perhaps he had gone a little crazy.
However, he hadn't seen her in all the time he'd been working in Neverland. He'd seen the other mermaids in their show and chatting with the visitors. They were all beautiful, although they seemed a little vapid. But there was no sign of the dark-haired mermaid with the haunting eyes. He was hoping he'd run into her, but he was afraid that if he didn't see her soon he'd have to do some investigating.
Jack arrived at the beach and immediately saw the perpetrators. Two young boys were standing on a rock and lowering some contraption into the water. When they saw Jack coming, the boys hastily pulled their device up and tried to conceal it behind the rock.
"What are you boys up to?" Jack asked.
"Nothing," they responded in unison, avoiding Jack's stare.
Jack folded his arms and peered down at them until one of them gave in.
"We were trying to see the mermaids changing into their costumes," he said sheepishly, handing Jack a waterproof camera mounted to a toy motor boat.
Jack chuckled. "Nice try, but that's not allowed," he said, turning the gadget in his hands. "Plus, I believe they've already changed," he added with a wink. "Please don't put anything into the lagoon."
The boys took their camera and sulked away. A minute later, loud, dynamic music sounded from the nearby speakers, signaling the start of the mermaid show. A large crowd had already gathered on the beach, filling up the benches lining the shore. With no more instructions from Tink, Jack walked to the edge of the crowd to watch from the side.
The audience cheered as the five mermaids shot up out of the water. They soared to an unnatural height and then flipped in the air and dove back into the lagoon. They continued on for several minutes, doing impressive maneuvers and intricate sequences. At one point only their tails were out of the water doing synchronized moves, meaning that they were holding their breath for an inordinate amount of time. When they finished, they swam up to the edge of the water to talk to the visitors and take pictures.
Jack watched them interact with the guests. They looked nice enough, but Jack couldn't shake the image of them trying to strangle him to death. He specifically remembered that the one with the blue tail had nearly dragged him to the bottom of the lagoon.
He spotted Slightly sitting on a bench and taking notes nearby and walked over to him. Slightly smiled when he saw him.
"Hey Jack, how's security duty going?"
"It's alright. Nothing too exciting," Jack admitted. "Although I did just catch a couple boys trying to spy on the mermaids changing into their costumes."
Slightly snorted. "Even if they had been able to see the mermaids, I fear they would have been sorely disappointed."
Jack waited for Slightly to elaborate, but he didn't.
"That's a pretty good show they put on," Jack commented, gesturing to the mermaids.
"Yeah," Slightly said with a frown. "Almost too good." He stared out at the lagoon for a moment, and then turned abruptly to Jack. "Did you know that mermaids don't actually exist?"
Jack was a bit surprised at the sudden question. "Um, yes."
Slightly shook his head. "I didn't. I grew up with them here, so I just took them for granted. I always figured that a handful of mermaids had come from someplace else to live here. Now I feel like a twit, and I'm afraid I've created a rather inconvenient situation for them. I might have to tell them to tone down their jumps."
Jack nodded. "That'd probably be a good idea." A few seconds passed before Jack asked a question that had been running through his mind for weeks. He glanced around and lowered his voice. "So then, if they're not actually humans, what are they?"
"That is a mystery," Slightly replied, running his hand through his hair. "They're not normal, that's for sure. I guess I could ask them about it, but I'm not certain they'd even know the answer."
Jack swallowed. "Wow. That's..."
"Weird?"
"Interesting."
"Hm." Slightly closed his notebook and stood up. "Luckily, none of them seem to care that their home is open to the public. Well, except for Cora."
Jack's pulse quickened. Cora? That must be the dark-haired mermaid, he thought. It had to be.
"Yeah, the one with the purple tail," Jack said, trying to sound nonchalant. "What's her deal anyway?"
Slightly looked sideways at him, a sly smile spreading across his face. He could see right through him. "She left a pretty big impression on you, didn't she?"
Jack exhaled. "I'll say. She sent me to the hospital."
Slightly laughed and clapped his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Out of all the mermaids, Cora is the most level-headed, but she's also the most pessimistic. I don't know if she'll ever be happy."
"Why not?"
Slightly shrugged. "My best guess is that she doesn't want to live in a lagoon for the rest of her life."
Jack scratched his beard thoughtfully, feeling a surge of sympathy for this girl he hardly knew. "Well, do you know where I might find her?" He asked. "I'd like to sort some things out with her and try to be her friend."
Slightly raised his eyebrows. "Ah, come on, Jack. You want to be more than friends. I saw the way you looked at her that day you cut her free from the rock."
Jack sighed. There was no use trying to keep it a secret from Slightly. "Yes," he admitted, "I'd like to be much more than friends."
Jack expected Slightly to laugh, but he just nodded. "Isla told me she usually hangs out behind the waterfalls," Slightly said meaningfully.
Jack smiled. "Thanks."
Slightly started to leave, but Jack stopped him. "Hey, could we keep this between us for now? I don't really want this to turn into a big deal."
"Of course, I understand," Slightly replied. "Being attracted to a girl with a tail is..."
"Weird?"
"Interesting."
*****
The waterfalls were off limits to the public, so Jack didn't really have a reason to go there. He hoped Tink wouldn't give him an assignment when he was so far away from the action. It had been an adjustment getting used to having her voice in his ear all the time.
The first waterfall he checked was inaccessible and the second looked deserted, but when he reached the third he could see that there was a large recess behind the cascading water. He found a path that allowed him to access the cavern without getting too wet. He had only taken a couple steps in when he came upon the very unlikely sight of a mermaid sitting against the limestone with a laptop propped up on her tail. Jack stared at her and time seemed to slow down. His memories hadn't done her justice. She was even more beautiful than he had remembered.
He exhaled and she looked up in alarm, letting out a small cry and moving towards the pool of water.
"Wait!" Jack called out, taking a step forward. The mermaid paused and her grey eyes roved over him. Jack suddenly felt very self conscious. He'd had plenty of girls tell him he was good looking before, but this was the first time it mattered.
"Oh, it's you," she finally said, cocking her head to the side.
Jack grinned, oddly thrilled that she remembered him. She looked as if she were about to smile back, but then her expression hardened.
"What are you doing here?"
Jack gulped. "I... I was patrolling the area, and I saw you, so I decided to come see if you were okay."
The mermaid narrowed her eyes at him. "Did Slightly send you? If he did, you can tell him I'd rather get swallowed by the cheetah whale than be in that ridiculous mermaid show."
Jack chuckled. "No, Slightly didn't send me. I actually wanted to talk to you."
She eyed him suspiciously but didn't say anything, so he continued.
"I just wanted to thank you for saving our lives from the other mermaids."
She made a face. "I didn't do it because I cared about any of you. It was just the right thing to do."
Jack shrugged. "Sure, but it must have been hard to go against your own kind."
She stiffened. "What do you mean my own kind?"
Jack winced, realizing he'd struck a nerve. "I just meant that you all spend so much time together, it must be like a sisterhood," he offered, hoping to appease her.
She relaxed a bit, but still looked perturbed. "I haven't been close to those girls in years," she said, a trace of sadness in her voice. "I haven't been close to anybody in years."
Jack was on the verge of telling her she could get as close to him as she wanted, but he thought it was a little early for cheesy statements like that. Instead he opted for something safer.
"I'm Jack, by the way."
She hesitated a moment before she responded. "I'm Cora."
For two glorious seconds she smiled at him, but then she looked like she was going to leave, so he searched his brain for something else to say.
"Hey, I also wanted to apologize if I overstepped my boundaries when I cut those ropes off of you.
Now it was Cora's turn to look self conscious. "Oh, that," she said, twisting her long black hair around her fingers. "I've developed a habit of being defensive."
"It's not a terrible habit to have," Jack said, venturing a step closer. "Although, I was unconscious for a couple days."
Cora bit her lip. "Really?"
"Yep. And when I woke up in the hospital I kept babbling on about Neverland, so they sent me to a mental institution for a week."
Her eyes went wide. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, it was pretty crazy."
She laughed at his joke, and it was a wonderful sound, even though it seemed a bit strained, like she hadn't laughed in a long time.
"Anyway," he continued, "it turned out to be a really interesting experience, so I guess I forgive you."
Cora's smile vanished. "You forgive me?" She exclaimed, slapping her purple tail against the water.
"Whoa, calm down!" Jack said, taking a step back. "I was just trying to be friendly!"
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Cora's face turned bright red with anger.
"Listen, Jack," she said, saying his name like it was a curse, "I don't need your forgiveness, I don't need your apologies, and I definitely don't need your friendship. You don't know me, and you never will, so please leave me alone!"
"Cora, wait!"
But the irate mermaid had already shut her laptop and slid into the water. He watched her dark purple tail disappear as she swam out into the lagoon.
"That went a lot differently than I had planned," Jack muttered to himself, finding his way out of the cavern. He reviewed their conversation, noting that it hadn't been all bad. He sighed. He should just give up. He should go find some nice girl in London to chase after. But no one had ever intrigued him like this. He had to find out more about her. It was just going to be a lot more difficult to approach her a second time. After all, she had made it very clear she didn't want to see him again. Her hostility and coldness should have repulsed him. Unfortunately, it only made him like her more.