Prologue. In Which There Is a Special New Underwater Neighbour
© Aliyah Ezinma 2019. All Rights Reserved.
I never expected the monotony of my everyday life to end in such a drastic, sudden way.
I live in the underwater kingdom of Astra, which has been around for a few centuries. Built by some rogue sirens, looking for a home, Astra started out as a small village, which then blossomed into a town, then city, and finally, a kingdom.
Perhaps “kingdom” is the wrong word for it; Astra is a democracy, with the citizens voting whenever they feel disgruntled by something happening within the kingdom, whenever they want to enact change. Yesterday, they voted to allow some mermaids, who have been wondering our part of the sea for a while now, into the kingdom. Truth be told, I have never seen a mermaid before today. They look similar to us, but they do not posses the inhuman beauty that we have, and their tails are less extravagant than ours. However, I have heard before that they can swim much faster than we can, and from what I am seeing right now, that rumour is true. They zip past me into the town, investigating everything. My small house is on the outskirts of the kingdom, which is always lit up at night by magical orbs that we make ourselves. They are of many different colours, and we don't have to worry about being discovered, because charms keep this part of the sea protected from humans. I don't usually stay here at night. I tend to go to the surface and do what I do best: seduce human men. I rarely sleep with siren men, mainly because I don’t want to get pregnant.
Another difference between us is that they can't make ice or steam, but can only control and change the temperature of liquid water, whereas we can control water in all three states and change it from state to state. They are curious creatures, these mermaids, but they are not the only humanoid water creatures apart from us. There are many others. The mami wata from Africa, the river mumma from Jamaica, and the sea serpent sapiens who seem to have remained undiscovered by most cultures populate the oceans, seas, and rivers of this world, as well as other realms. I stay positioned in front of my underwater home, and listen to them talking to one another; under water, we talk by choosing certain thoughts that we want to be expressed to other people, then choosing to share them, either privately with a few people, or publicly for everyone to hear. The latter is easier when addressing a lot of people, for example, an entire crowd of other mermaids. It is as I'm watching them that something catches my eye. Or rather, someone. One of the mermaids. He is tall, muscular, and has captivating aqua marine eyes. He's looking straight at me, with wonder and admiration. I've seen that look many times before, from both human men, and even male sirens, but for some reason, having this mermaid stranger look at me with lust in his eyes fills me with arousal myself. I am drawn to him. I want him. In that moment of mutual lust, I know that I have to have him.
