They beam up at me, their faces lighting up with excitement. Oh, their parents are going to hate me.
The child on the right, Justin, if I remember the parents calling for them, starts bouncing. “Really? Can I be one when I grow up?”
“Absolutely! You can beanythingyou dream of,” I say. I watch as they both nod vigorously, probably already imagining shimmering tails.
Kendra leans in, her voice playful. “I think we needmoremermen. What do you think, kids?”
A chorus of giggles ensues, sparking a lively discussion among the children about what colors their tails should be. The joy radiating from them is infectious, lifting my spirits even higher. This is what I love aside from my murder gigs. Sharing a piece of magic with people. It’s even fun when it’s adults asking the same thing. It’s as if they never even thought playing mermaids all day was a job option.
Finally, it’s our turn in the tank while the other three make their exits.
I slip into the water, the coolness envelops me, a refreshing embrace that contrasts with the warm air above. I’m instantly invigorated. Kendra follows closely, her pink tail swishing in the water as we start our first short routine.
The performance feels effortless as we swim, our bodies flowing harmoniously with each other. Blurry colors is all I can see outside the tank. My eyes don’t like being open under water, but it’s fine. I perform a flip, my dark blue tail cutting through the water smoothly, and hear a muffled chorus of gasps and cheers. They all came to see me. Of course, they’re watching me more than the rest of the pod. Kendra and I built this pod from the ground up, finding other people like us that needed an outlet, and enjoyed performing. People just tend to latch on to me most, though. Of course, we’re all amazing performers. We wouldn’t be the best pod without every one of us. But I’m the face. The talker. The promotion.
We dance and weave through the water, our movements synchronized, as if we were born to perform together. In a way, we were, but I don’t think about Charles when we perform. Kendra twirls, and I follow her lead, our tails creating a mesmerizing ripple effect. The kids press their hands against the glass, cheering us on, and for these few minutes, it feels like we’re the only stars of the show.
As our time in the tank comes to an end, I swim closer to the glass, blowing kisses and bubbles as we wave goodbye to the kids. Their muffled laughter fills the air, a sweet sound that feels like a warm hug. This is why I do the kill gigs. To keep kids safe. Kendra and I didn’t have a choice in how we were raised and used as servants. Didn’t have a choice on much. But now we can do what we can to keep others safe.
Kendra and I climb out of the tank, and the shivering starts immediately. One of our crew rushes warm towels to us to heat us up. That’s the one problem with aquariums. The tanks are sodamn cold. I don’t feel as I perform, but the moment I’m out of the tank, my teeth chatter. We dry as much as we can and get lifted onto a cart to be pushed back to the shell throne for the last remaining bits of the event. It shouldn’t be much longer. Rafe, Yuna, and Grace already chat animatedly with the gathered kids.
This is the part I don’t care for, the wind down. The reality of everything we have to do at the end of a tank performance looms ahead, and my excitement dims a little. I’m not a fan of the maintenance routines that follow our performances. They feel tedious, and all I want is to bask in the high of the performance.
“Ready for the pampering session?” Kendra teases, noticing my expression.
“Ugh, it’s going to takeforever. Like always,” I groan. As much as I’ve loved the performance, I also want to get back to Dallas. His warm arms. His thick cock. “Why can’t we just swim and be fabulous?”
“Because fabulousness requires care and attention.” She boops my nose.
I roll my eyes but can’t help but smile. “I know. I know.” I lean in to whisper, “I’m just ready to get dicked down again.”
“You always are.”
Soon enough, the place is cleared out.
First is eye care to flush out the tank water. Then it’s time to clean our tails. We travel with gallons of water and all five of us wash our tails in the parking lot with the street lights beaming overhead. It’s so tedious, but I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my tails. I think the entire pod is the same. Once everything, even ourselves, is rinsed, we work on actually cleaning the tails. I prefer a diluted vinegar solution, while most of the pod prefers dish soap. To each their own, though.
“Are you daydreaming about tomorrow night?” Kendra jokes, breaking my concentration.
I snort. She knows me so well. “Of course.” Though I’m daydreaming more about Dallas’s dick right now, despite how tired I am. I yawn, and the entire pod yawns too.
Grace glares at me, but there’s no malice in it. It’s just her persona. It takes her a bit to get back into the real world than the rest of us. Yuna and Rafe make out between wiping down their tails. They’re always so into each other. I used to get jealous of their connection, but not so much lately. Dina, our safety driver, waves as they head to their van with their gear. They are such a lifesaver.
“I wish we could make it to Influencer Con with you two and Dina,” Rafe says. Grace and Yuna both nod.
“I’m a bit jealous,” Grace says. “If it were any other weekend, I could have gone, but my sister doesn’t get married every day.”
Rafe and Yuna sigh. Yuna says, “Yeah, and we weren’t paying attention to dates when we told my mom we’d visit Japan for the month.”
My shoulders sag. “I wish you could come, too.” While Kendra and I live together, the entire pod is part of our family. “But all three of you are going to have amazing adventures instead. We’re getting stuck shmoozing with people.” I huff out an annoyed breath, but they all laugh. They know I love this shit. But only Kendra and I have violence in our hearts. They don’t know we plan on killing Charles. They know nothing of Charles or our many, many deadly connections around the country. They only know about Dorian. They know about the sexual violence. They know about the heartache.
This merfolk pod isn’t just a team of performers. We’re a family, bonded by our shared experiences in and out of the water.
I reach down, running my fingers along the smooth, shimmering surface of my now clean tail. This tail represents so much more than just a tool. It’s freedom, creativity, and thejoy we bring to others. An outlet for an itchy brain. Love. It’severything.
We head over to a twenty-four-hour diner and chat a little longer before we break away to go home. My mind constantly whirls between deciding how I want to go after my victim tomorrow and wanting to ride Dallas’s dick before I pass out.
“Come on, Casey,” Kendra laughs. “We need to get home. I bet Dallas issoready to fuck you again.”
