Chapter 4

Lisha waited till her mother had left her chambers before darting into it. Maana had taken Lina and two of the younger mermaids to go on what Lina termed a hunting expedition. They would, for the next few days, consistently hunt and gather a certain species of highly nutritious sea snails, which were currently in season. To avoid quarrels and mischievous acts, Lisha had long since been banned from such activities and she was nothing short of glad. Spending hours everyday gathering snails was not her idea of a fun activity. Scheming was a lot more rewarding and fulfilling. In her mother's absence, she was free to do whatever she liked and that included talking to Rana whom she found seated at the far end of their mother's chambers, looking straight ahead like someone in a trance, with Braana's head resting on her shoulder. Lisha swam over to the pair and flicked her fingers at her little sister.

"Braana, kindly make yourself unavailable. I'd like to talk to Rana alone."

But to her annoyance, the little mermaid only turned to look at Rana for approval.

"It's okay, Braana." Rana nodded.

So she had to leave, but not without a statement. Making sure to brush her tail against Lisha, she swam out of the chambers with her fastest strokes ever. Fortunately, Lisha did not deem it worthwhile to chase her. She simply shook her head and went to sit beside her older sister.

"What is it, Lisha?" Rana sighed. "I'm in no mood for insults right now."

"No no no. I have no such intention. I just came to be with you, you know. I understand your pain and I'd like to comfort you."

"Okay, dear sister. Thank you very much. So what exactly do you want from me?"

Lisha sighed with a sad shake of her head and a melancholy swish of her caudal fin.

"I see you don't believe that I have your best interests at heart. I know I may be annoying sometimes, but I'm really a good person deep down in my soul. And I care for you... a lot. More than anyone else can ever hope to."

"Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome."

There was silence for a while, but not for long. Just as Rana had expected, Lisha was too restless to remain quiet for too long. The longer the silence lasts, the more likely she would be to speak her mind.

"So how are you feeling now?" She asked.

"I can't say I'm fine, but I'll be fine... hopefully."

"Don't worry, Ben would be found very soon."

"I hope so too." Rana sighed. "If only I were there to help in looking for him."

"But Mother would not hear of it, right?"

"Right."

"Hmm. Mother." Lisha sighed. "Always tough, isn't she? But at least, she didn't give you any trouble when you chose to get married to a land man. She just wants the best for us, I guess."

"Hmm."

Another bout of silence and then suddenly. "Say Rana, why don't you just sneak out to the land whenever Mother's not around? Not today, tomorrow maybe."

"Hmm mn." Rana disapproved with an emphatic shake of her head and a loud slap of her tail on the rock she was sitting on, "that will be..."

"She doesn't have to know that you snuck off to the land. You just have to return whenever you can and I'll be here to cover for you. What do you think?" She asked, smiling proudly at her own genius.

Rana stared at her in surprise for a while. Then she shook her head. "Two things. One, why do you care? Two, what do I have to do or give in return?"

"Come on, Rana. I'm your sister for crying out loud! What's family for, if not to stand by one another in times of trouble and difficulty."

"Okay. So by agreeing to your plan, I'm not binding myself to any unspoken agreement of any sort. Is that right?"

"Perfectly right." Lisha nodded, with a calmness and niceness uncommon to her. "No strings of any sort attached."

"Okay then. I'm grateful, Lisha. Hopefully, this new you has come to stay and will never be replaced."

Lisha only smiled in response. But suddenly, in a surprise move, she reached out to hug her sister - something she had never done before! Rana was shocked, but allowed herself to be held in her sister's embrace. When the hug was finally broken, Lisha excused herself.

"I think I should leave you, so you can have some rest." She said and then swam off.

Rana stared at her retreating figure in surprise. Was this the same Lisha she had known all her life or was someone else impersonating her?

After the talk with Rana, Lisha was trying her best to not look suspicious, but that was easier said than done. That little devil, Braana, was already looking at her in a funny manner. If not that she wanted so much to match her recent behavior with positive actions, a spanking would have been in order for that little brat. She turned away from her and bit down on her finger in an effort to keep calm. But as soon as she saw Rohna head for the exit, she darted after her.

"Where are you going, Rohn?"

"I know you're older than I am, but I've told you time and again that I do not like that kind of name. You might decide to slap me a..."

"I'm sorry, Rohna. It skipped my mind."

A shocked Rohna turned around to stare at her in open-mouthed surprise.

"So where are you headed?" Lisha asked again, ignoring the stare.

"Um... I'm going to find something to use as a pillow. Braana and Reena got the old one broken."

"Great. S..."

"I've already asked permission from Rana." Rohna quickly added.

"Nice." Lisha approved with a nod. "Can I come along, so I can help you?"

"You... you want to help me?"

"Of course. Or is that a bad thing?"

"No, not really. It's just... Okay, let's go."

The search for a suitable pillow material took both girls quite far from home - not so unlike the contents of Lisha's plan. But instead of helping like she had promised or even pretending to help, she was deep in thought as she swam alongside her sister whose eyes were sweeping the sea bed all around her. As the search remained fruitless, Rohna's frustration kept increasing, until she couldn't bear it anymore and had to say what was on her mind.

"Come on, Lisha. You're not even helping me in any way!"

"Oh. Okay. What was it you were looking for again?" Lisha asked halfheartedly.

"Something to use as a pillow! How could you have forgotten?"

"Mind your tongue, young lady." Was the sharp retort from her sister. Perhaps Rohna had, for a moment there, forgotten who she was talking to, but that scolding was enough to remind her and she promptly fell silent.

The search went on for a few more minutes, with only Rohna searching. Then suddenly, Lisha veered off and began to make for a bend at their far left.

"Where are you going?" Rohna called after her.

"I want to pee." Lisha called back.

"What's wrong with peeing here?"

"You are there, that's what's wrong."

Then she swam out of sight. Rohna sighed and shook her head in exasperation. Whoever said Lisha had or will ever change, that person must be dreaming!

Lisha wasted no time in getting to the wreck that had been chosen as the meeting place. She met one of Slimy's men outside - a sure sign that he was around. Without any formalities, she swam up to him.

"Hey, excuse me, is..."

"I'm here." Slimy suddenly called, popping his head out from the wreck. "Come in, Aaanlisha."

"But I don't really have much..."

But he had already withdrawn his head. She had no choice but to go in. She swam slowly, going through where she had seen him thrust his head, careful not to knock her head or pierce her skin on any of the rusty parts of the old shipwreck. When she reached where he was, she did not find him alone. He was with another one of his men, chewing an addictive and intoxicative tobacco-like plant. She looked at him and then at his man - a sign that she could not talk in his presence.

"Don't worry, Aaanlisha." Slimy assured. "You can say anything you want to say in front of Santee. He's my cousin and confidante."

"Okay. Like I said, I have very little time. My nosy sister might come looking for me anytime, so I'll go straight to the point. I've planted the seed in Rana's head. All that needs to be done is..."

"Hey hey hey, take it easy." Her host cut her off. "Why the rush? Just relax. We've got all the time in the world. Hey Santee, give her a little piece to munch on."

"No, thank you. I'm not interested." Lisha quickly replied. She could see that he was quite intoxicated and in a negative form of high spirits, so it would certainly be a waste of time to tell him anything.

"I think I'll have to come back later. Goodbye."

"Uh uh, wait a bit." He begged, holding onto her hand. "Look, Aaanlisha, things would be a lot easier if you were a little more relaxed and friendly. Just relax and feel high."

His grip on her hand was getting tighter now and she tried to pull away, but that only made him further tighten his hold. He pulled her closer to himself and suddenly grabbed her breast with his other hand.

He didn't see it coming. A sound slap struck his cheek like a lightning bolt, stunning him. But not for long. His jaw tightened like a vice and he grabbed the struggling girl with both hands.

"You brat." He growled, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her to himself.

Lisha knew she was in trouble. Santee was no longer a spectator, he was now closing in to join in the game. Lisha was boxed in. Now she wished her nosy sister would come to look for her! She was still struggling albeit wordlessly, but Slimy's grip was just too tight.

"Think you're stubborn, eh?" He chuckled as he jammed his crotch to hers.

At this point, she let go of his biceps, which she had been pushing at.

"Good girl." He chuckled again, bringing his face forward to kiss her lips. She didn't waste any time. Baring her teeth, she clamped down on his lower lip and bit hard.

"Ahhh! Devil!" He screamed and quickly let go of her to save his bleeding lip.

As expected, Santee rushed in to grab her from behind, but she swept her tail out of his reach, causing him to catch his cousin's tail instead. Before he could recover, she lashed out with a powerful stroke, slapping his head with her tail, with such intensity that it sent him reeling off into another compartment in the wreck. Then she turned her attention to Slimy. The bastard's huge hands were on her neck, trying to choke her to death! She tried to pull them off, but quickly realized that it was a stupid idea. She was frantic now and her hands were flailing about, searching for something to hold on to. Suddenly, she felt his hair and it gave her inspiration. She hurriedly traced down his forehead and felt for his eyes. Just as she was about to pass out, she put all her energy into her thumbs as she drove them deep into his eye sockets.

"Aaargh!" He screamed, letting go of her neck immediately.

She spent a few seconds to catch her breath before darting out of the wreck. She was just in time.

"Lisha!!" Rohna was shouting her name with all of her lungs.

"I'm here, sister." She called back in a trembling voice as she smartly evaded a pounce from Slimy's sentry, who had just realized what was going on. The speed of his rush and her sudden evasion made him bang his head heavily on the side of the wrecked vessel. The resulting headache would certainly last him for some days at least! But Lisha did not wait around to gloat. With the fastest speed she could muster, she swam out of the area and made her way to where she had left her sister.

"Where have you been? You said you were just going to pee!"

"Yes yes, I'm done with peeing. Let's go home now." Lisha panted, looking all around her for signs of her enemies.

"Wait, Lisha. I'd like to..."

"Don't worry." She said, grabbing the flat stone and darting ahead. "Come on, Rohna. Move faster."

"But why the rush?" The bewildered Rohna demanded.

"I'm holding your pillow, so if I get home ahead of you, you can as well say goodbye to it."

"What! Then give it back. I'll hold it myself."

But Lisha was already far ahead. Rohna knew that her sister was not one to bluff, so she quickly doubled her speed and swam with all her might.

Even though she ended up getting home ahead of Rohna, Lisha still let her have her pillow. It was victory enough that they had both arrived safely, without getting caught by Slimy and his men. Leaving everyone and everything, she went to a quiet corner of the sleeping chambers to think things over. Her body was still trembling as a result of the bad encounter. She could not believe that, as smart as she was, she had aligned with someone who would try to rape her. And worse still, this was the same person she had planned to betray her sister to. What an error in judgement! She bit down so hard on her forefinger until she almost drew blood. The bastard had made the mistake of drilling for trouble and she would let him have it... in large quantities! She would show him that, just as much as she could turn the tide in his favour, she could also bury him in the waves and smash him against the rocks.

For the next two days, Lisha became Slimy's shadow as much as she could. She followed him everywhere and watched everything he did, all without his knowledge. Fortunately for her and Rana, their mother had decided, for no-one-knew-what reason, to stay back at home for the rest of the snail-gathering season, allowing Lina and a few of the younger mermaids to do the job. So there was no chance for Rana to slip off to the land to join in the search for her fiancé. Lisha, on the other hand, was free to go wherever she liked, provided it was within the confines of the water. Maana had long since found that the absence of her second daughter was the greatest incentive for peace in the enclave. Prior to the recent series of events, Rana had been the only one with absolutely unlimited freedom of movement, but Lisha was more than happy to replace her. With her new found freedom, she not only kept Slimy in sight, but also kept a good record of when and where he usually went ashore. She found that he hardly moved alone, two of his cousins were always with him, especially when they were making for the land.

When she was sure that she had their routine well figured out, she outlined her plan and proceeded to execute it.

It was while their mother was keeping Rana company and Lina was outlining to both women her plan to not only respond to messages from known sources but also from unknown ones that Lisha took the opportunity to slip out of the enclave unseen. It was fortunate too that Braana was asleep and the few mermaids awake were certainly not the most alert creatures on the planet, so she had no worry whatsoever. She would try to move as fast as she could and return home as soon as possible. Until she meets with success, nobody would have a clue about her plans.

Joey was alone at home, sat in his sitting room, going through documents he had gotten from Ben's house. Everything from birth certificate to passports and old letters, he was scrutinizing them in search of something catchy that might be useful in the search for his friend's kidnappers. Whatever he finds, he would forward it to the PI for closer observation and investigation.

So far, the case was stagnant and there had been very few useful clues, all of which had turned up nothing. It did not help that there were neither known witnesses nor street cameras in Ben's area, so they had absolutely nothing about the abductors, except for shoe prints that were practically untraceable due to the utter strangeness. He was looking admiringly at a ten-year old postcard that Ben's then girlfriend had sent him from Paris when he heard a knock on the door. He wondered who it was. He had very few friends, most of whom hardly ever visited his house and since one of them had just been kidnapped... he stole softly to the door and waited for the second knock.

It came - angry and impatient. Well, that didn't sound like the knock of a person wishing to do him harm. As far as he knew, someone with evil designs would be patient and calm. So he opened the door, slowly. But the sight that met his eyes almost made him groan out loud. Right in front of him was his worst nightmare. He had thought she was gone for good!

"Happy to see me?" Lisha asked, cocking her head with a stiff smile.

"Um... well, you're welcome." Joey shrugged in resignation.

"Thank you."

She stalked in and he closed the door after her. With a sweeping glance at her surroundings, she sighed and suddenly turned around to face him.

"I need a car."

"Uh?" Joey was clearly taken unawares.

"I said, I need a car."

"Wh... why do you need a car?" He asked, befuddled.

"To make use of it, of course."

"For what use exactly?"

"What else are cars used for if not for transportation." She retorted.

"But where are you transporting to? And more importantly, can you even drive?"

"Would I ask for a car if I didn't know how to drive it?"

"But how? You've never been on the land prior to a few days ago."

"Oh God of the sun." Lisha exhaled in frustration. "Are you going to give me a car or not? Just let me have the keys to Ben's car and I'll gladly leave you alone."

"Okay. Fine. But is your mother aware of..."

"Of course, she is! Just let me have the damn car!"

"Okay okay, calm down. You can take mine."

"Thank you." She hissed, snatching the keys from his hand with so much force that he almost tripped. He watched in wonder as she marched out of his house, wondering how on Earth her family managed to cope with her.

A minute later, he heard the harshest revving of an engine that he had ever heard in his short life. He rushed to the window, just in time to see his car flying away from the area with a speed that he never thought was possible!

Lisha sat patiently and quietly in the car, waiting for her quarry. It was dark and if the time on Joey's console was anything to go by, she was only a few minutes early. She kept her eyes focused on where she knew they would surely land. Minute after minute, she waited. Uncommon patience and calmness were her watchword tonight, even though they were alien to her character. Aha! the unmistakable splash, and she knew at once that they had arrived. She watched keenly as they made the quick transformation to humans and this time, she counted an unusual two, instead of three. Perhaps the third one was sick? Either way, the fewer the better. She waited till they had donned clothes and followed them with her eyes till they reached the main road. It took them less than a minute to find a taxi and as they boarded it, she started Joey's car.