Mermaids in the Bathtub

1: Naked, Unconscious, and Pickle-less

___Unknown POV___

It wasn’t a typical day for me, to find a naked girl run out from the woods and collapse on the side of the road with a jar of pickles. But, I guess I had to start somewhere.

It was just me, Ol’ Yeller, and the wide open road. A friend I met on the road gave my truck the nickname, Ol’ Yeller, on account of the screeching she makes when she comes to a stop. And the decent amount of girls I make scream in her backseat on a Friday night. The pal, Roger, actually believed I was murdering all those girls until he stepped in on me and a pretty red head one night. He had asked the same girl that night if the carpets matched the drapes, and got the answer first hand.

My ears perked up at the sound of a voice. One very annoying voice.

I lowered the radio. This better be good, I don’t tune out Smashing Pumpkins for just anyone.

The forest that surrounded the small stretch of pavement was dense, not allowing any light to shine through. The sun had long past fell and the path of my headlights was the only vision I was given. And even the lights barely helped see through the foggy night. I rolled my windows up a little higher. My job experience isn’t exactly a trip down the rainbow brick road with fluffy unicorns and puppies that shit glitter. I take anything suspicious seriously. I’d love to see the look on Roger’s face if he ever saw the number of people I actually have killed. I’m a bounty hunter. I kidnap, steal, murder, anything, or anyone, from any world and any kingdom. With the right cash, of course.

“Help!” The girl burst from the wood, taking nearly two steps and plummeting to the grass. She had come out barely thirty feet from the front of my truck. Half of her body hugged the road, the other lay mangled in the grass. The jar she had held crushed, splattering pickle juice across the gravel. I had just enough time to stop my truck, the engine screaming to a halt.

Now what?

I fell to the wheel, trying to make sense of the situation. My heart beat quickly in the veins of my neck. They didn’t exactly teach you how to deal with this sort of situation on Wiki Answers or anything.

I grabbed my jacket from the passenger seat and kicked open the door. My hand guided me around the front of my Ford, the dirt that clung to my palm, reminding me to get a car wash soon.

“You ok?” I called out to the lifeless body.

Of course she’s not okay.

I stepped over to her, taking my hands out of my pockets and crouched down to her. She lay on her front side, saving me a pretty good view of her cute tush. The rest of her thin body was covered in her long, thick, waves of hair. Her hair was the color of blonde that could be mistaken for light brown in some bad lighting.

I flipped her over and brought her to my lap. Realization slapped me across the face as soon as I saw hers. She looked even prettier in real life, then on any of the news broadcasts from “down under”. I never would have thought to see anyone of her kind anywhere near here.

Hello, Princess.

I had heard of their unbelievable beauty, but this- This was something I had never seen before, or felt. She seemed to glisten, my hand tracing her jaw. Something was lit inside me, and it burned deep in my chest. My fingers swept over her rosy cheek, my second hand gripping her slim waist.  I couldn’t help myself. I felt out of control, I half wanted her to wake up, to push me off and release me. The other half of me wanted her to wake up, and pin me to the ground and take off my shirt and-

Everything felt warm. Hot. I was on fire. I needed her. I burned for her. My thumb tugged at her bottom lip, soft and scarlet. Only once I could distinctly describe how she smelt did I realize how close I had come to her, our lips only inches away. She smelt like strawberries and coconut. Funny, I had believed her race all smelt like day old, sun dried Bass.

My palm slipped to the back of her neck. This action forced my wrist upward, causing me to slip a glance at what was going on. Light, a color of cyan, jolted up, almost to the crease of my elbow. Not just one jolt, but many, forming waves, one after another, like a tide of light trickling up my arm under my skin through my veins. I could feel what this girl was doing to me. I could feel the power, the sorcery, but I couldn’t dare pull away. Her naked body under my fingertips was all I could manage.

I wanted her. I wanted her so badly. And I was going to get her.

No.

I released her, taking all of the energy inside to let her go. Her bleak body fell to my knees.

I grunted, pulling her up and getting off my feet as well.

She groaned, groggily trying to move. But her body gave and she fell back into her sleep. I flung her over my shoulder. She better be worth what I think she’s worth.

I pressed her against the side of Ol’ Yeller, remembering the jacket. I slipped it on over her, the zippered leather falling down to mid-thigh. Her bag-of-bones of a body was making me look fat.

Maybe I should lay off the twinkies..

So not laying off the twinkies.

I unhitched the door, laying her down. I didn’t bother with the seatbelt, any more close encounters like that and I’ll be paying child support the rest of my life. And, in my defense, she had just ran out of the woods naked with a jar of pickles, I’m guessing she lives more on the dangerous side anyways.