Chapter 1

Silver scales

'Coincidence' is the name we give to magic in our world. Sometimes two unrelated set of events meet right in the middle of their development, and thus something extraordinary happens. Normally, humans can't deal with the bizarre, so they blame it on things like 'coincidence', 'chance' or 'luck'. And whether itissimply 'coincidence' what brought the two protagonists of this tale together or not, the curious thing is that for both of them it was just like magic.

As Blaine strolled back towards the beach house, caught in his turbulent thoughts, he heard the sound of a ragged breathing coming from the wooden breakwater. He swiftly approached the tattered old trunks, but the water was much too violent, and it pushed him back a few times as he tried to walk closer.

The breathing had turned into whimpers, and Blaine feared it would belong to a gravely hurt creature. The waves were too potent, and if he didn't make it on time the condition of that unfortunate living thing could be even worse.

Another wave hit Blaine in the chest, sending him back. The man tripped and felt the scrape of a rock against his shoulder as he was smashed by the water. He couldn't hear anything but the rush of the sea, shoving and shaking him.

And then, as he reached the surface, he saw it: a pale hand grasping one of the trunks as the water shook the body it belonged to.

Without considering the dangers his actions entailed, Blaine submerged in the water and swam towards the breakwater, feeling the relentless pull of the waves above him as they tried to push him back. He extended one of his hands in front of him and swam clumsily; trying not to waste the air he still kept on his lungs, knowing that as soon as he resurfaced he'd be shoved back towards the shore.

The water was warmer than he'd expected, and his impractical brain made him remember one of his teachers stating that the water of the sea should be warm at night, since water took longer to heat up than land. And Blaine felt a little relieved by the thought that the creature –no, thehuman- that was so badly wounded, would be at least spared from the chill of the night as long as he was in the water.

He stretched his arm a little more and finally felt the wood of the trunks against his fingers. Blaine grasped the post and pushed his head out of the water, gasping desperately for air. Yet, as soon as he did, a wave knocked one side of his head, and he was momentarily stunned.

When the haze faded, Blaine realized he'd been rendered deaf by the blow, and hoped wholeheartedly that it would be nothing but a provisional impediment. He looked around, and hid his body behind the mass of the trunk he'd been holding, hugging it tighter in case another wave hit. As he did, he was able to see the other person: a young man with pale skin, who was hugging another post tightly. He looked weak, on the verge of fainting. His eyes were shut, and the only signs of life came from his uneven breathing.

There were two posts between the man and Blaine, and as another wave hit the breakwater and the man's hands slipped from the wood, he realized he didn't have much time left.

Blaine rounded the trunk he was holding without letting go, and as soon as he was facing the other side he turned around swiftly and swam towards the next post, holding it tightly as another wave shook him. He repeated the process again, until he could see the man right next to him, with his eyes closed and whimpering in pain, not even noticing his presence. The man's hands were slipping, and he looked even paler than minutes before.

A wave knocked the trunks again, and it submerged both of them in the water for a moment. When the water descended enough for Blaine to lift his head and breathe, he saw blood covering the side of the man's head and part of the post. His lips were parted, and he was letting go.

Blaine launched his body rapidly towards the trunk and took hold of the man's hands before he could slip away, holding him and the post tightly.

"Hey! It's ok!" Blaine said, as he shook the man in his arms. "Come on! It's ok!"

The man opened his eyes, confused, and saw him for the first time. His blue eyes were clouded, and he blinked slowly, as if he was about to fade into a slumber.

"It's ok! I'm going to get us out of here, ok? Everything's gonna be fine!" Blaine insisted, yet the man only watched him for a second, disoriented, before collapsing entirely in his arms.

Blaine cursed under his breath and held the man's body to his chest. He was slim and light; and Blaine thanked his luck, for it seemed as if he'd have to carry them back without any help whatsoever.

He decided to use the same method he'd employed to get closer to the man: holding on to the posts and circle them, grabbing on to one at a time. This time he'd have the push of the tide on his side, yet, since he had to carry someone with him...

Blaine took the man's arms and pressed them around his shoulders, making sure to place his chin above his back in order to keep him from drowning. He began moving, and though the body of the unconscious man seemed about to slip from his grasp a couple of times, he managed to get close to the shoreline safely, and he used the push of one of the waves to finally reach the beach.

As soon as he was able to pull free from the water he placed the body of the man next to his and finally noticed the soreness of his muscles. But he had no time to dwell on the ache. He turned and pulled the man far from the shore, where the water could still reach them and drag them in.

They were far from the sea now, when Blaine finally had the chance to look at the man he'd saved, when he noticed: it was not a man at all. He stumbled back and fell on the ground, astonished and speechless. Should he call for help, or should he flee? For lying there across the sand was not a young man, but amerman.

Of all the things Blaine could have expected to find in the water: a woman, a child, even an animal... a mythological creature such as the one he was seeing was as far from his mind as it could be.

From head to waist he was a man, a beautiful man with smooth and fair skin, and short and straight auburn hair... but from the waistline downwards a silver long tail, like that of a fish, had supplanted the place where you could normally find a pair of legs.

A mermaid, Blaine thought.I've rescued a mermaid. What am I going to do now? There's no way I can call a doctor, or a lifeguard, now. God, this is just my luck!

The creature was covered in blood, and long scratches and purple blotches were marking his skin. Blaine felt pity, and he knew it would be an act of revolting cruelty to abandon it there.

But then, something changed. The young man began trembling in his sleep. Swiftly, Blaine crawled further away from the scene, and he saw in awe as one by one the scales from the merman's tail fell, dissolving into the sand. The merman shook and grunted, and the skin underneath its' tail separated and slowly changed color, until a pair of long pale legs took its' place.

The man was trembling and struggling for breath, but he was so weak that he didn't regained consciousness, but kept on shaking in his faint-induced sleep. All thoughts of abandoning the strange creature had deserted Blaine as soon as he saw him so helpless, and since he was now facing nothing but a man, much like himself, he decided he would have to face whatever consequences his actions brought on him after he'd helped the poor creature.

He approached him carefully then, and as he watched him he made a choice. He scooped him in his arms and walked him back to the beach house, praying that none of his neighbors would have the impulse of looking through the windows as he strolled down the sand with an unclothed stranger in his arms.