1 Chapter 1.

KABOOM!

KABOOM!!

Came a sound of a fallen building. I knew at once it was mother, whenever she was angry, the whole sea shook. The creatures living in the underworld feared her wrath because it was dangerous.

Queen Ying of the underworld was my mother. She ruled over the seas for thousands of years. Her powers were unlimited and many were others who obeyed her. I, Yulan... Her only child. The heir to the throne was also afraid of my mother. Though she loved me with all her heart, I still trembled whenever I saw her angry.

Early, this morning, I woke up from my bed with a happy face, I was going to share some pearls with two of my sea friends. Umeko is -a whale and Sakura - is a mermaid-like me. It was odd as to why we were friends with Umeko, a whale. Most of the mermaids, were against our friendship but I didn't care, these two were the ones who stood by me the most time.

I reached the first oyster which was Sakura's house. I called her to come out and she did.

"Where are you going to this early princess?" She asked me. I have told her many times not to call me by my title. Yulan was my name and I prefer if my friends call me by that.

"I want us to go see the dry land" I answered excitedly, pointing up with my middle finger.

"You Know your mother is not in the good mood today, going up there will anger her the more" Sakura reminded me. The Queen's mother had warned about going up there, though I have gone there on numerous occasions without her consent. The last time, She locked me in my room for months without letting me out even when I pleaded with her.

That doesn't mean my mother was wicked to me. The punishment for disobeying the Queen was death but due to the bond we shared, I was only locked up and asked to repent for my wrongdoings. I wish I could stop hurting her, but No! I was too eager to see the humans, talk to them and if possible live with them.

Mother said this was not possible because the hearts of men were full of deceits and betrayal. That human world was based on who knows how to lie! They never thought for a second if it was going to hurt the next person. This was a different case for us. We, the mermaids hardly lie. Telling the truth at all times was very important when you lie especially to your mother, she never forgives you for that.

"Say something princess Yulan" Sakura interrupted my thoughts, touching my long hair. I cherished my hair for as long as I could remember. I perfumed it more than fifteen times a day. It's added to my beauty.

"I want … to … go there, to see what it looks like" I insisted.

"The storm?" She asked, giving me a surprise looks. I smiled at her. Sakura was a beautiful mermaid, her eyes were brown and cute. Her height was average. Her hair was red and short, which was one of the rare cases in the kingdom. Almost all mermaids have long hair though mine was the longest.

I took it from my grandmother, who had the longest hair ever. This was one of my luck because I loved and cherished my hair.

"Yes, Sakura" I replied. Mother's anger has caused a storm in the human world. "I want to see what it looks like" I added. Whenever the Queen of the Sea was angry, her rage caused her scepter to discharge light and thunder with winds blowing side by side. I wondered how it was up there because we hardly moved when the Storm starts.

"I am not going to follow you up to make another mistake!" Sakura waved my request. I understood what she meant by that. The last time, I left the underworld without permission. Mother punished her saying she helped me through it. Sometimes being a best friend hurts a little, more than expected.

"Don't worry I won't stay for long" I reassured her. This sentence soften her and I could see that she was finally giving in to my demand.

"Okay, do come back on time princess," she said.

"Stop calling me princess, my name is Yulan," I told her.

"Sorry Prin… Yulan"

"You never going to get it Sakura".

"What do you expect? I am used to calling you that" she said, wiggling her cute blue tail. Sakura wore a pink bra and a ribbon on her hair to match. Mine (tail) was golden in color, just like my mother's

"So shall we?" I winked at her.

"We? I am not going with you Yulan. I will stay here, and make sure nobody knows where you are" Sakura said.

"I know. I want you to help me get the guards away from the gate" I uttered, quietly. Distracting the guards wasn't easy. It was the most dangerous thing for teenagers like us to do. But I was going to do it anyway, risk-taking was my hobby.