Jack was elated. He knew the mermaids lived in the lagoon, but he never imagined that their home would be so incredible. After he had left Cora, he went to explore some of the other rooms and areas of their exquisite underwater compound. He kept his light low so that he wouldn't disturb the other mermaids in their sleeping pods. He swam from place to place, discovering elaborate mechanical systems and areas that appeared to be dedicated to playing games and making crafts. But the most awe-inspiring features were the walls made out of beautiful jewels and stones, and the glass spires that surrounded the structures.
After a few more minutes of looking around, he started to swim back up to the surface. He felt quite at home in the water. It reminded him of his days of competitive swimming. He passed some exotic fish and then came upon something huge. He carefully shined his light on what appeared to be a whale with cheetah skin. Mesmerized, he swam around to the other side to inspect the creature. It seemed to be furry, so he reached out to touch it. Suddenly, the whale quivered and its gigantic tail swung around and slapped Jack away. The impact of the tail was so great that it knocked off his forever breathe mask and he lost hold of his flashlight. He quickly swam away in case the whale struck again, but there was no sign of his mask, and his flashlight was quickly falling to the bottom of the lagoon. Now with limited air, he attempted to swim towards the surface, but he was disoriented and couldn't tell which way was up. He floundered for several moments until finally he caught a glimpse of the moon. He swam towards it, but he was getting light headed and it seemed so far away. His legs were burning and every stroke was a struggle, and then his faculties failed him. He floated in the dark water and experienced a second of peaceful bliss before he passed out.
*****
Jack came to with a violent cough. His head felt like it was going to explode and his right shoulder was throbbing with pain.
"Oh good, you're alive. I was considering giving you mouth to mouth resuscitation, but the thought of it was so repulsive that I might have just let you die."
Jack sat up and coughed a few more times, then focused on Cora, who was sitting next to him on the beach and giving him a hateful glare. "I should have stayed out longer, then," he said weakly. "I would have taken my chances."
Cora flipped her tail around and hit him in his injured shoulder. He fell back and grunted in pain.
"Enough!" He cried, propping himself back up. "I've had enough of being battered by tails for one night!"
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to touch a whale?" Cora said mockingly. "What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't," Jack admitted. "That was stupid. I was just so intrigued by it."
"Well, from now on, you should suppress your curiosity," Cora muttered. "I'm sure it's all very fascinating, but maybe you should mind your own business."
Jack peered into her unyielding grey eyes. He knew she wasn't talking about the whale anymore.
"How did you know I was in trouble?" He asked softly.
She clenched her jaw and hesitated a few seconds before she answered. "I could feel it."
"Feel it?"
She tossed her hair over her shoulder in irritation. "Yes, I felt it. When something as large as the cheetah whale moves in the water, it's hard not to notice the vibrations."
Jack took a deep breath. He had a million questions, but he decided to keep them to himself.
"Well, thank you for saving me. Again."
Cora's tail flinched. "I didn't do it for you."
"I know, I know," Jack said, waving his hand in the air. "It was the right thing to do. I'm just glad you have a hero complex."
Cora turned and stared at him. Even in the darkness, Jack could see the anger on her face. Unfortunately, the livid expression did nothing to diminish her appeal.
"You are so... I just can't... Ugh!" She ended her incoherent rant by pulling herself angrily towards the water and swimming away. Jack sighed. The more he learned about Cora, the more he was drawn to her, but it seemed the attraction was definitely not mutual.
*****
"Looks like we have some trouble down at the mermaid show," Tink informed Jack through his earpiece.
"I'll be there in a minute."
Jack rubbed his eyes as he walked down the stairs of the Imagination Tower. He was exhausted. He had gone home that morning and slept only a few hours before Slightly had called him in to fill in for another guard who was sick. Not only was he tired, but he was also still sore from his adventures in the lagoon the night before.
He smiled as he remembered his interactions with Cora, even though most of the time she had been hostile towards him. He didn't know why everything he did angered her, although he supposed he could have reigned in some of his comments. He had a genuine interest in her, and not because she had a tail and lived in the water. He just wanted to get to know her. Was that really so offensive? At least she had called him handsome and saved his life, so there had to be some positive feelings there, even if they were minuscule.
When he got to the beach he saw that the show had ended, but the mermaids weren't visiting with the fans like usual. Instead, they were grouped together a few meters away from the shore while Slightly struggled with a large man who looked like he was trying to jump into the water. Jack rushed over and grabbed the man's wrist, twisting it until he buckled over in pain. Jack didn't have any handcuffs, but he did have some zip ties, which he used to tie the man's hands behind his back.
"What happened?" Jack asked Slightly, keeping a firm grip on the man's arm.
"The mermaids were taking pictures with the visitors, and he tried to pull one of them out of the water."
"It was Nerissa!" The man interjected. "She's the love of my life! We're meant to be together!"
"I don't think so, sir," Slightly said with a worried expression.
"But I love her! You don't understand!"
"Oh, but I do," Jack muttered, tightening his grip on the man's arm.
"I don't care that she lives in the water! We'll make it work!"
Slightly shifted uncomfortably. "Of course she doesn't live in the water."
"Please," the man spat. "All you have to do is look at those mermaids to know they're real."
Jack and Slightly shared a look of alarm.
"I'll let our costumer know she's doing an excellent job," Slightly lied.
They listened to him babble on for a few minutes more until the police came to escort him out of the park. Slightly followed the police to file a report, leaving Jack alone next to the water.
"Thanks for getting rid of that scary guy."
Jack jumped. He hadn't noticed the small mermaid with the gold tail approaching.
"Sure," Jack responded. "Your safety is very important."
The mermaid giggled. "I'm Isla, by the way."
"Nice to meet you."
She smiled and batted her eyelashes, and Jack realized she was flirting with him. If only he could get Cora to do that. When she kept smiling at him, he figured he'd try to find out some answers.
"So, do you enjoy performing for everyone?" He asked.
"Oh, yes! I love it! It makes things so much more exciting than before!"
Jack glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "Can I ask you where you're from?"
Isla giggled again. "The lagoon, of course."
Jack leaned down closer to her. "Right, but have you always lived there?"
"No."
"So, where were you before you came to Neverland?"
Isla frowned. "It was so long ago, the details are hazy. I remember being in an orphanage when I was really young, and then Mrs. Carnivera came and took me to a hospital or something. Then I think I was asleep for a really long time and when I woke up I was a mermaid."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "So, you weren't a mermaid before you came here?"
"No, silly! None of us were!" She said with a laugh.
Right then another mermaid with a bright green tail swam up next to Isla. "Hey Isla, Nerissa wants you to console her. She's pretty shaken up about that man."
"Oh, okay." Isla waved goodbye to Jack and swam off with the other mermaid.
Jack rubbed his forehead as he considered what Isla had just told him. Something about the whole situation was off. All of these girls had been taken and altered, and he doubted it was because some crazy person just wanted to have magical creatures swimming around in a lagoon. There had to be some greater purpose to the creation of these mermaids, and he sensed that it was a dangerous one.