3 Pretty monsters

7 years ago

Cold water glided around my body, the stream pushed me down, deeper and deeper the ocean in. The male in my arms kicked and clawed at my arms, desperate to fill his lungs with air. This one is stronger than the most, he kept on kicking and fighting for a whole minute before his fighting finally stopped.

I left the man flooting there, a proud grin on my face. It's my first kill.

For my 12th birthday my sisters finally let me go to the surface with them. We were lucky enough to spot a small ship, probably the ship of a merchant, transportation goods to Erla.

It was my first hunt. My whole life I had been dreaming of going up and helping my sisters take down ships, doing it for the first time was better than I have ever expected. Adrenaline filling my body as we sang the sailors into the water. Once they entered the water it was easy, they were no match for us. Even the ship was ripped apart, pushed over my out strong tails.

I couldn't help the huge grin on my face, my first hunt and a ship was already taken down. My father would be proud on me.

I break through the surface, my eyes scanning the for another victim. It's easy to find one, more than enough men swam helplessly in the water. One peticular caught my eye.

He climbed on the wreck of their ship, an excited glint in his eyes as he believes he's going to make it.

My tail flipped in excitement as I raced to the ship, grabbing his ankle and pulling as hard as I could, my sharp nails sank into his flesh as I pulled.

The man let out a high pitchy scream of pain and let go of the ladder. He swung wildly with his arms, seeking for grip. Sadly for there wasn't anything but thin air.

Water splashed up high as he hit the water. It only takes me a second to colour that water bright red.

My fangs sank deep into his neck, ripping it open with one movement, his scream cut short. His blood filled my mouth and I almost giggled. The excitement and adrenaline from the hunt made the blood only feel more pleasurable.

I take his body in my arms, ready to take my prey beneath the surface. Most of my sisters are already gone, they have taken their prey and swam back home again.

My head slowly turned to the right as I heard a gasp. My cat like eyes meet those of a frightened boy on the restraints of the ship. He can't be older than me maybe 11 or 10.

He seemed to be one of the few survivors who climbed on the wreck in the hope to survive our wrath. I count around 15 survivors, the rest of the ship has been taken down the waves by my sisters.

Most of the survivors are huddling in a small ball, their eyes frankly scanning the waves, fearing my sisters will return and take their lives. It didn't take them long to spot me in the waves, the corpse of the sailer still in my arms.

I gave them one of my sweetest smiles. Even when they know what monster I am, even with the corpse in my arms, they seem to be enchanted by my beauty.

I let out a giggle. Humans are so funny, maybe I will have another prize for father to take down.

"Leave us."

It's the young boy. The only one who is unaffected by my spell.

"Please. Please you have taken so many of us. Spare us." I giggled again as his voice broke. I will let him live, not because I want to show mercy, just because I feel how I'm getting weaker. I can't be above the water any longer.

My tail splashes up some water as I dive under water. The streaming once again pushing me into the depth. My prey in my arms, ready to be devoured.

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Present

"Nahla!"

The whale under me whined nervously. It feared the predator that was speeding toward us, not knowing that the deathly creature's rage is directed to me.

"NAHLA!"

I opened one of my eyes, watching how the dark shadow comes to stop a little way from the whale, the animal freezes, not able to handle two predators around it.

"I can hear you, Hadria." I scoffed, annoyed by her dramatic entrance. She has scared my whale with her growling. Pushing myself up I swam towards my sister, away from the whale I had been laying on. When a whale swims slowly you can calmly lay on its back and watch the coral reefs around you.

"Why didn't you come if you could hear me, you stupid girl." My older sister growled at me. Both of us know she is not really mad at me, just worried.

She swam around me, examining every part of my body to make sure I wasn't wounded. "I was busy, besides I don't need you to look out for me all the time." Hadria has the annoying habit to order others, especially me, around. If she wasn't my sister I would have ripped her tongue out.

"You known you shouldn't be out without a guard." Hadria completely ignored my words and guided me away from the coral reefs, back to Atlantica.

I bared my teeth at her in a half growl, not liking her to tell me what to do. The only reason I follow her is because I knew she will drag me back anyway. I really don't feel like fighting her today. Father would be disappointed if I gave her another scar.

My sisters are gathering just before the gates, all of them together is like an explosion of colours. Only Hadria's purple tail misses for them to be a rainbow. I giggled at that thought.

We were all from different mothers. That's the reason for our different appearances. It's a tradition that the ruler of the sea had many consorts. My father had 6, each of them getting one child expect from his third consort who got twins. They fought constantly for my father's favour, sometimes even using us, his daughters, in their games.

"Hadria! Nahla! Are you coming up with us today?" Lorelei's inky tail flipped in excitement as she swam towards us. She grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Hadria. She knows that me and Hadria don't last long together in a small space.

We both had the temper of our father, the King. As princesses we were both powerful and a fight could be devastating. It has happened before and half atlantica was in ruins. I have never seen my father that angry.

"You can braid my hair." She promised as she dragged me up to the surface. Her soft pink hair was swaying around her face as she turned to look back. I didn't need to look back to know that my sisters were following. None of use would ever reject going up.

Not even I. Lorelei knew I loved the surface. I loved hunting humans, singing sailors off their ships or ripping a mermaid hunter ship in pieces. Though it wasn't only the hunting I enjoyed. The warm wind, the sun that shone down on us, the sounds of seagulls up in the skies. I did love all of things, they were enough to endure the presence of my sisters.

Speeding past Lorelei, I'm the first to break through the water. I breath deep in, air filling my lungs. My blue eyes taking in the beautiful sunset.

Down in the ocean there wasn't any sunlight, it was hard to know if it was day or night.

"You always enjoyed the sunshine." Lorelei spoke as her head appeared beside me in the water.

I have her one if my charming smiles. "It's one of the things worth looking up here." Pushing myself out the water I lay too rest on a rock. Lorelei followed, letting the tip of her tail in the water. Our sister soon joined us. Their cheerful voices were a constant sound around me.

Normally I would join their chatter but today I didn't feel like it.

With a frustrated sign I went to sit behind Lorelei, grabbing a few strings of her hair before making a complicated braid in it.

My thoughts drifted off while braiding. It had been a while since I have hunted for the last time. The last few day I had spend under the surface. Now I was thinking about it. The lack of human flesh and adrenaline from the hunt was probably the reason for the restless feeling I had.

"Are you alright, Nahla? You seem troubled." My oldest sister Blair asked softly. Blair was the most gentle of us. We were the strongest mermaids, daughters of the sea god himself, we were wild, vicious and cruel. We were deathly predators.

Blair was almost none of those. She had a soft heart and disliked our hunts. She didn't kill unless for food and usually went for the solution without violence.

She was never going to be Queen, all of us knew that. This made the other sisters fight over the throne. All of us desired to become the next queen. It was our biggest desire.

This was why I was the most comfortable around Blair. I knew she wasn't trying to steal my throne, or thinking of a clever plan to take me down. Though we sisters loved each other, we would do anything for the throne.

"I'm fine." I give her a smile to show I mean it. Both of us can see through my lie but she doesn't comment on it. "I'm just tired. I think I'm going for a swim."

Before she could protest I pushed myself away from the rock, into the water. I pushed myself through the water, further and further away until the rock was far out of sight. Only then I slowed down, diving down a little deeper.

I swam a little under the surface, giggling at the light that broke on the water. I was swimming on my back, letting the streaming pull my to a direction. My lips pulled up in a beautiful smile as I waved at some fish.

I was so lost in my own little world that I didn't notice the ship until it was only a few metres away.

My tail flipped in excitement. A ship! Finally I could hunt again.

I swam a few metres back and my head broke through the surface so I could watch the ship better.

It was a pirates ship, the black flag proudly shown. A huge grin formed on my face. Pirates were my favourite, for some reason it was more fun to hunt when they fought back.

With a devilish grin on my face I sank under the water again, circling around the ship. Seeking for a weak spot in case they would be immune for my charms. I highly doubted it but you could never be too sure.

I was at the back of the ship, raising my head above the water to get a better view of them when I notice him. He was bound on the ship, clearly not part of the crew. From what I could see he had brown hair and a olive skin. I couldn't see his eyes but I guessed they were brown too. He was probably Erlaian. I guessed that pirates had destroyed his ship and taken him prisoner.

He was handsome for a human, it was easy to see, even from my spot in the water. That was probably why they left him alive. Pirates were known to keep the pretty ones alive, either to sell or let go as a warning.

To me he was just a prey. A handsome one but still nothing but a prey.

Little did I know he would change my life.