Three

"I hate it here".

Leilah's thoughts were dark and filled with sadness. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked exhausted. The young mermaid let out a long sigh. She sat up and put her head down on her tail, and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

"She never even tries to understand me. What kind of mother just brushes off her daughter without even a second thought?", she groaned in frustration.

Her thoughts continued to swirl around until she finally fell into a fitful, restless sleep. When Leilah awoke the next morning, she felt less hopeless. Fortunately, her eyes were clear and her heart had calmed down a bit. The young mermaid jumped out of bed and dashed to her dresser, pulling a purple wrap out of one of her drawers. She slipped it on and tied a blue ribbon around her waist. Then she ran to the door and slipped outside.

Leilah found swarms of young mermaids frolicking in the warm, clear waters of the bay. They giggled and splashed about while Leilah swam among them. She dove deep into the waters and stayed under for several seconds. When she came back up, she felt refreshed and her heart was light. The young mermaid took in the full beauty of the sunrise. She closed her eyes and let out a contented sigh.

"The sea after a storm really is the best, isn't it?" a voice asked. Leilah turned her head to the side to see Leone, the most eligible bachelor of her generation. His golden hair sparkled in the sunlight and his eyes were the color of dawn.

Sunlight reflected off of his tan skin as water streamed down his toned muscles. Leone was the definition of a pretty boy, with a face that was a perfect balance of femininity and masculinity. For a male, the colors of his tail were pretty, as most mermen had muted colors unless they were looking for a mate. His tail was a deep amber, tinged with red and gold.

His large and intricate scales almost looked soft compared to the rugged scales of other males. His eyes were wide and green, and his nose was small, but perfectly formed. It was hard to find fault with anything about his appearance.

"What are you doing out here?", he asked. "The girls usually spend the mornings sunbathing, and the afternoons with the boys, unless, of course, they decide to spend the afternoons with me..."

Leilah scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Not all girls are made equal, Leone".

Leone smirked and swam closer to her, "That's true princess", he said while visibly scanning her body. "I haven't seen none like you", his eyes lingered on her supple chest before trailing down her hourglass figure and resting on her hipline.

Leilah had the urge to tail-slap him across the bay "I'm waiting for someone", she said with a seductive pout, "And he's supposed to meet me out here. He said he'll be here..."

Leone didn't say anything for a minute before muttering the word , "Liar". His eyes were locked on Leilah as she looked deep into his eyes. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to his chest, and Leilah melted.

"What am I doing?", she thought as her heart pounded in her chest. Once again she had been swayed by his looks, even though he was a no good narcissist under the surface. She looked up at Leone with her enchanting blue-green orbs, water droplets resting on her lashes.

Leone smiled and pulled the straps holding her breasts up tightly, "You should be more careful. They were about to pop out". He lifted her up by the waist and spun her around. The sun beamed brightly on her soft, supple body as he continued to spin her around and around.

Leone placed his lips on hers, and Leilah was surprised to find his lips were much softer than their counterparts on the males. He deepened his kisses, and his hands moved from her waist to her hips. The touch of his lips, his tongue and his hands set Leilah alight.

Leilah enjoyed the moment before shoving him away. "Damn it, I did it again", she groaned internally. This was not the first time she'd been swept off her feet by this player. They had dated in the past before she heard of his previous escapades.

Leone was a frivolous little peacock, and she had no time to waste on a man that could not treat her as the queen she was meant to become. Leilah pulled away from him and pushed him back. "We can't be seen out here like this. Someone might see us."

The merman looked pained for a moment, but then his expression fell as he returned to his playboy persona. "I don't think anyone would mind us being out here for a bit..." He winked.

"Now come with me, I'll take you to see the others." Leilah couldn't even believe him, this man was acting like everything was okay between them.He couldn't even bring himself to propose, even though they had been dated for close to two years. The memory of him saying "I can't marry a woman who has not gotten her cycle yet", still festered in her. She was just a late bloomer.

Leone led her back to the beach where the others were. Everyone was there, even the males, lounging around on a variety of things while the girls sunbathed. The group looked over at the couple and giggled. "What are you waiting for? Take her", said one male, pumping his fist into the air.

Ignoring her heart beating heavily in her chest, Leilah promptly flipped him off. Leone laughed and then led Leilah into their circle. "You see that rock there?"

"Yeah, but Leone I'm not even supposed to be above the surface".

"You can do whatever you want," he said while sitting her on the rock. Leilah looked around at the other mermaids, the males. She looked back at Leone and her heart fell slightly. The group of mermaids were all beautiful, and she was glad to be one of them, but...

Something was missing. Leilah's heart sank with realization. She was still stuck in the water, trapped in her mother's watery prison. The girl had not been able to save herself, not once, even after all this time.

Why wasn't there a way for her to be free? Leone noticed her depression. "What's wrong, baby? I thought you loved being on the surface."

"I do, but I can't help but feel empty inside. I want to be free, I want to be one of you and be able to live my life on land."

Leone's face twisted in disgust, "Land? Why the hell would you want to live there"?

Leilah just looked at him and shook her head. What was she thinking? Of course, she wanted to live on land, how stupid of a question. Of course, she wanted to leave the water; it had controlled her all of her life. She'd never experienced true freedom, like an animal born into captivity. Leilah never felt regret for even a second about wanting to live on land.

She just didn't know how that was possible. How could she have the courage to do something so unthinkable? Leilah looked back at the others. The males were talking among themselves.

A slow-burning rage built up in her, not towards them but towards herself for being so useless. A lump developed in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes. "I... I can't..." She started sobbing.

Leone wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "What do you mean, baby, you can! You have the strength of a hundred warriors in you, if you just use that energy towards freeing yourself, you can do it."

Leilah wiped the tears from her face and looked at him. Her face was streaked with tears and snot. "How?"

Leone sighed, "Stop fearing your mother for one. Even if you make it to land, you'll never be free unless you confront her."

"I can't."

"Listen to me, Leilah, you are one fierce warrior. You can do this."

Leilah sat up and pulled away from him. "No, I can't."

"Baby, you can, and I'm going to help you, but you won't make it out of here without some serious endurance."

"We broke up, Leone, why help me?"

"Because I love you."

"I'm sorry, I don't love you, not anymore. You've changed into this shallow self-serving jerk. Also, you have a new girlfriend".

Leone pulled her close, "I still care".

"No, you don't."

Leone let go of Leilah, and she leaned back on the rock. He looked at the others and saw that they were ignoring them. The merman then turned back to the princess and sighed, "Okay, think whatever you want. It's all about you and how you feel, right?" Leone got up with a scowl on his face and swam away.

Leilah looked at the group of mermaids. In the distance, she could hear the ocean waves crashing against the shoreline. The sun was bright and warm. Leilah took a few deep breaths and tried to calm her racing heart. She looked down at her tail.

She had to make a choice. Either she could live out the rest of her days in this world under the sea, or she could take her chances on the surface. It was her choice. Leone was right, she wouldn't feel whole without embracing life on land.

It was time for her to choose.