Raphael grabbed the Mermaid hands, “Can you please stop touching my face?” he asked.

The Mermaid held her long sharp pointer finger at him and his eyes widen as he stared at them, “Who are you?” she hissed. “What has Queen Severina done?”

Vanessa grabbed the Mermaid wrist, “I did this.” she said. The Mermaid looked at Vanessa as if she hadn't realized she was here and Vanessa just appeared.

“Impossible. Only Queen Severina has the ability. I've been a mermaid for the last seven hundred years. Don't talk to me as if I am stupid.” she said. Vanessa brought her hand up and a basketball size of water appeared. The Mermaid eyes widen and she quickly swimmed backwards away from them as she stared at Vanessa, “What is this?” she asked, panicking. “Why has she sent you? We don't ever leave here, we haven't done anything wrong.”

“Queen Severina didn't send us.” Vanessa said. “We're trying to find help. Is Ninda here?”

The Mermaid held her arm up and pointed out into the water, “S-she keeps in the ice caves about ten miles that way.”

“Thank you.” Vanessa said. She looked at Raphael before they went under water and swam towards the way the redhead mermaid directed them. When they reached a cave they went above water and went inside. Vanesa looked around the walls of the ice crave, the ceiling have large long point ice sickles and the light made everything a different shade of blue.

“Who are you?” a voice asked, making them jump.

They looked up and there was a hole on the cave wall. A pair of caramel color legs was hanging out and soon a face came out from the darkness. She had a heart shape face with long curly golden hair. Her skin was caramel color as well—unlike the bluish looking mermaid—and was very beautiful. All Mermaids were beautiful. The Mermaid dived into the water and quickly swam up to them. Her tail a dark burgundy color. She gave them a cold expression—mostly Raphael—and her teeth bared. They were slightly pointed like shark teeth.

“Why have you come here?” she asked. She pointed at Raphael, “You—you will bring nothing but bad distruction! Leave!”

“Ninda.” Vanessa started. “Please just let us—”

Ninda came real close to Vanessa, only half an inch away. Vanessa eyes widen as she stared into Ninda amber color eyes that blazed widely like fire. “Leave.” she said more lowly but the way she said it made chills rise in Vanessa body. Raphael took her hand under the water and gave her hand a squeeze.

Vanessa swallowed the lump in her throat, “No.” she said coldly, lifting her chin up. Adalyn had drilled in her head that Ninda was a hard head Mermaid and she had to use to strong 'queen' like tone. She can't show fear to her. “I came here for answers and I want them.”

Ninda stared at her for a moment before chuckling humorlessly, “Answers? Go ask Queen Severina.” she said before turning and swam away.

“We can't ask her.” she said. “Queen Severina and I—we're not the best of friends.”

“So she sends you both here?” she asked, snorting. “Newbies. Go ask Alia the ropes of surviving the Arctic.”

“I'm different though.” she said. “I didn't get sent here, I came myself. To look for you because I hear you're four thousand years old. I need your help, Ninda.”

Ninda turned and looked bored, “What kind of different? Explain. I have all the time in the world.”

Vanessa floated some water up and Ninda eyes widen. She turned the floating water into ice and balled her hand into a fist. The ice quickly melted and Vanessa moved her hand around in circles, making the floating water spin in circles before she lowered her hand and the water fell back into the water.

Ninda stared at her for a moment before she swam back over and grabbed Vanessa chin, “Who are you?”

Vanessa winced a little from her nail piercing her skin, “My name Vanessa. Queen Severina was trying to make a new generation of Mermaids with powers and I was the first one. I turned him.” she said, placing her hand on Raphael shoulder. “Queen Severina knows, she was there when I did it. She's mad at me for not following the rules and trying to kill us. But there's another problem.”

Ninda took her hand away and Vanessa rubbed her chin, “Why come looking for me?” she asked.

“You're the oldest, you know allot about Mermaids.” she said. “Queen Severina turned another boy into a Mermaid and left him with us. He has powers like me and unlike normal Mermaids—we have no choice. We have to become a Merfolk. We have no idea what we're doing and figure it out ourselves. We also have these.” she said, holding her hand up with the seashell scar on her hand. “What does this mean? Everytime our hands touch, we see things.”

She stared at Vanessa hand, “It's a lover mark. Back when we wanted a male companion, Queen Severina gave the pair that. It's suppose to make the two madly in love with each other and blah, blah, blah.” she said, rolling her eyes and Vanessa stomach dropped. “The other boy, he has this?"

“So their suppose to be together?” Raphael asked angerily. Vanessa turned to Raphael and opened his mouth but he shook his head, “No, don't. All this is bullshit.” he said, going back into the water and swam away.

“Raphael, wait!” she called out before groaning, bring her hands up to her face. She told Ninda she'll be right back and swam after him. She looked up at the sky and worried because it was getting dark. She went under water and saw a faint long of where Raphael was swimming away and swam after him. She saw him and she swam up next to him. She reached out and grabbed him arm. He quickly stopped and pulled away."

They rose to the surface and Raphael looked betrayed, “What?” he asked.

Vanessa scoffed, “Are you honestly mad at me?” she asked. “I didn't do anything, Raphael!”

“You had to bring him into our lives!” he yelled. Her mouth dropped, not believing he was doing this because she knows this isn't her fault! “You had to save him and he returned in our live.”

“So I was suppose to just let him die?” she asked. “Raphael, I saved him! I never told him to come find me, he just did! I never told him to stay, I told him to leave! I didn't tell Queen Severina to turn him into a Merman, she just did it! And I never told her do this!” she yelled as she held her hand up.

“I want him to leave!” he yelled. “I want him to go back where he came from and to leave us alone! James is just ruining everything.”

“You need to stop being jealous.” she said. “Because there's nothing to be jealous us. It's clear James and I don't like each other like that. I want to be with you—”

“How long will that last, though?” he asked, confusing her. “How long until you get tired of me and choose to be with someone who matches your level? You both have powers while I'm just here.” She reached out towards him but he shook his head as he swam backwards, “Don't. I just wanna go home.”

“Stop that.” she said, begging him. “Raphael, no matter what I'll always choose you. You're who I wanna be with.”

“We'll just talk when you come back home.” he said, turning away and swam forward.

She opened her mouth to beg him to stay but she felt something touch her tail. Something pierced her and pain rose in her tail. She let out a quick scream before she was dragged under the water. She looked down and realized there was a polar bear biting down on her by her tail! She screamed under the water, trying to pull away. Pain rushed threw her whole body and she tried struggling to get out but it only made the bear chomp down harder on her.

A hand grabbed hers and Raphael tried pulling her out but it only made it worse. She shook her head at him and he tried hitting the bear with his tail. The bear brought her closer to shore and dragged her up onto the cold snow ground. It let go of her and growled at her as it stood up. She cried out, bring her hands up as it started to fall.

Suddenly an arrow hit the bear. Another came and then another. The bear whined and ran away. Vanessa heart raced quickly as she watched the bear run away. She felt someone hands go under her arms and she cried out as she started to pull away but realized it was Raphael.

He wrapped his arm around her from behind and buried his face in her neck, “Oh, my God. Vanessa, I'm so sorry!” he said. She stared down at her bleeding tail as she brought her hand up to his head.

Ninda came over with a bow and arrow. She set it down, dressed in some raggy looking crop top and skirt. “Are you okay?” she asked. “It is real dangerous to come out here at night, Vanessa!” she said as she came next to her tail. “Can you turn them back into legs?”

Vanessa winced as her tail turned in her legs since it stung allot. Her right ankle was bleeding and she had to look away. She thinks she was in shock to much to do anything else but stare.

“You can't swim back with this.” she said, looking at Vanessa. “You'll have to stay here for the night.”

“We can't.” Raphael said, lifting his head. “We have to get back home or Adalyn will freak out.”

“You have no other choice.” she said. “She can't swim back with an injured tail.”

“Y-you can go back.” Vanessa said. “Tell A-Adalyn what happened and I'll be home sometime tomorrow.”

“No.” he said quickly. “I'm not leaving you here alone, Nessie.”

“I-I thought you wanted to go home.” she said.

“Are you crazy?” he asked. “You think I'll leave you out here? Of course not. I'm stay here with you if you like it or not.”

Ninda got up and grabbed her left arm, “Pick her up and we'll go back to the cave.” she said. Raphael picked Vanessa up bridal style and soon the shock went away. Her ankle hurt like hell and she was still scared about being bitten and dragged around by a bear! Adalyn said watch out for sharks and whales not polar bears!

They went up the side of the cave and went in through an entrance.

“Place her right here.” she said. Raphael gently placed her down on a soft furry carpet which she realized was polar bear skin. Ninda gently look her ankle and Vanessa cried in pain as she touch the wound. Ninda grabbed a box and took out some gauzed as she started to wrap it up, “It should slowly heal up, give it till morning.”

Vanessa looked around and noticed how much stuff she had in the little cave. There blankets, different kind of pictures, and little treasure like stuff. Allot of books and some candles.

Vanessa breathed heavily, “How do you have this stuff?”

“There's villages if you go east.” she said. “I do a little advanturing around.”

“W-why were you banished here?” Vanessa asked. “If you don't mind telling me.”

She shrugged, “I've been here for twelve hundred years. Queen Severina and I had a disagreement about this shipwreck in Greece and she called me a traitor because there were children on the ship. I cared and she didn't. I may be a Mermaid but I don't believe in harming children. She said allot of those children will grow up to become fishermen and should get rid of them now. I had gotten in more agruements with her before but that was her last straw and she sent me here. There's always Mermaids close by and if I leave they'll tell her. She won't kill me or turn me human again no matter how much I beg her. I'm tired of all of this. Living for so long. Do you know how lonely that is?” Ninda finished fixing her ankle up and gently set it down. She grabbed a blanket and handed it to them, “You two should sleep. You both look tired.”

“We don't mean invade your space.” Vanessa said, taking the blanket and laid down.

“I don't mind the company. It's been a long, long time and I can go without sleeping for weeks.” she said. “You both seem pretty new and still sleep on human shedules.” She went to the other entrance of the cave where the water was and she looked at them before jumping into the water.

Sleeping on the ice ground wasn't very comfortable but the polar bear skin made it decent. Vanessa laid down, wrapping herself in the blanket. Her back faced Raphael as he sat up quietly. After awhile he laid down next to her and she bit her lower lip since she knew her dad would freak out if she knew a boy was next to her like this.

She wanted to worry about everyone back home but she was more worried about her aching ankle. She knew Adalyn would probably be freaking out but they had no choice. Ninda was right, she can't swim with a hurt ankle right now and she can't breath underwater for a long time like she can a Mermaid.

Raphae touched her arm and pressed his chest against her back, “I'm sorry, Nessie.” he said, his warm breath touching the back of her neck. “I'm sorry for yelling at you and getting angry. You're right, I am jealous but I can't help it. I never got angry so quickly before, I don't know what happening. You know I'm not like this, right?”

She bit her lower lip, “Maybe what they say about Mermen are true. I know it's not you.” she said. “You're just getting all new feelings.”

“I don't want them.” he said. “Not if I'm only hurting you in the end run.”

She sighed heavily and turned around to face him, “I know you don't mean to really hurt me. You're usually calm cool guy.”

“I can understand why they killed all the old Mermen.” he said. “We're just horrible."

“You're not.” she said. “You're not gonna be like them, Raphael. You just gotta trust me and believe when I say I don't want James. Ninda says the two are suppose to fall in love with each other but I love you. Maybe it won't work like on the normal Mermaids because James and I can do things. All we really have is the scar and those weird vision things. In them we're just saving each other from something happening. No romantic thing.”

He brought his finger down her face and took her hand, “I just don't wanna lose you. You're the best thing to happen to me."

“You won't if you just trust me.” she said.

“I do.” he said. “Next time I yell at you, just slep me.” he said, making them both chuckle. He stared down at seriously now, “I was so scared when I saw what happened with the bear. My heart skipped a beat."

“I was scared to.” she said. “I couldn't even use my powers because how much I was freaking out.”

“I don't know what I would have done if you—if he seriously hurt you.” he said. She brought her hand up to his face and he brought his hand up to cup her hand, “Two dangerous things happen today. Don't ever wanna see you get hurt again.”

She forced a small smile, “Hopefully.”