Solby- Up From The Deep

Chapter Seven

Excitement and happiness swam over Colby, as he went deeper and deeper his nerves overtook those emotions. He wasn't sure if he should be going back, he wasn't sure what was going to happen.

He passed the normal hangout of his friends and saw they weren't there, with it being late it made sense. As he reached the city, everything was calm and quiet. The merfolk did their normal business, Colby kept going till he reaches his abode.

As he entered cautiously, he looked around for his parents and stayed silent to hear for them. As he finally heard voice from his own room he went there to see them arguing, his mother looked devastated. "M-Mother?" Both his parents turned swiftly, his mother went wide eyed and rushed towards him.

Her arms engulfed him, not knowing what else to do he hugged his mother back. "Oh, Colby I thought we lost you." His mothers voice cracked, he held her tighter as she assured herself he was okay. Pulling away from the hug, she admired him to make sure he was okay. "Don't you ever do that again, you scared the daylights out of me!" She wrapped him in another motherly hug.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm okay I swear." Colby assured her.

"Did you go to the surface? Colby, you better not have talked to that human I-"

"Mom, I didn't. Humans are.. disgusting." He didn't want to say bad things about Sam, he used his mothers words to describe humans as she had before. "I was at Katrina's."

His mother sighed, "Good. That's good. Get some sleep dear, it's late." She kissed his forehead swiftly before venturing out of the room.

Colby snuck to the roof, laying on his back and staring up towards the surface. He could just see it due to the moons glow, but it was a few miles up. "I-I miss you, Gage." He mumbled to himself, wishing his brother was able to answer him.

He thought about what his mother said, how humans were the ones that took his brother's life. He tried not to think about it, but he always found it creeping into his mind.

One day, his brother wanted something new. Something in his heart told him to adventure, and find something different from this. As he left that night, before he went he told Colby he'd be back. He told him he needed to find something for himself, just prove that there's more than this.

Of course, Colby looked up to his brother. So hearing this idea made him giddy and want to go, his brother declined and left before Colby could follow. As he swam farther away from city, he too had the feature of his tail being able to glow so he used it to guide him.

Whale poachers were out this night, as Gage decided he wanted to surface said whale poachers went crazed at the mermaid in front of them. They loaded their harpoon and aimed the giant spear towards him, striking his tail his life was instantly taken.

His body sunk to the deep, the poachers blew it off as a 'stupid fish' and not what they believed it was. As other merfolk found his body, it was confirmed who he was and from there it was all taken care of. The Brock family had a large amount of devastation, and Colby always wondered what would've happened if he'd gone along.

Colby's eyes began drifting shut on the roof, he opened them quickly and went back down to his seaweed bed and drifted off to sleep.

•••

When the chattering of the city filled Colby's ears as he woke, he let out a smile before rushing from his room. "Bye! I'm going to meet up with my friends!" He said, rushing out the door before his parents good greet him.

He swam to the spot where his friends would be, when he got there it was only Brennen and Katrina. "Hey, guys!" He said, his voice was full of happiness and cheer.

"Okay, why are you so happy?" Brennen asked, he and Katrina eyed him suspiciously.

"You guys can't tell anyone. I'm dead serious.." Colby said, the anticipation of telling someone was eating away at him.

"You have our word, right Bren?" Katrina said, nudging Brennen before he nodded in agreement.

"Remember when I said I met my soulmate, a-and it was blonde boy from the beach?" His voice was absolutely full of excitement, he couldn't keep it to himself any longer. Once they nodded, he didn't hesitate to continue. "I-I met him.."

"What!?" Katrina shrieked, Brennen stared wide eyed with his jaw practically to the ocean floor. "You talked to a human!?"

"Shh! Oh my Neptune, be quiet. Yes, he's the one, oh lord I know it." Colby piped, a smile stay prominent on his face.

"Colby.. I'm happy for you.. but humans aren't- w-we don't.." Katrina wasn't sure what to say to her best friend, he was lovestruck with a boy he's forbidden from.

"I know, Katrina, I know. You have to meet him, please. He's so sweet and kind, he made me happy.." Colby trailed off near the end, he wished he could make them understand somehow but the only way he thought of was them seeing for themselves.

"Who makes you happy?" The three jumped and turned to see Corey and Devyn there, smiling at them.

"The human." Brennen said, looking back towards Colby.

"Wait, you guys have to meet him. He's so incredibly sweet, and amazing. He made me happy, the happiest I've ever been.." Colby once again explained his position to his best friends.

"I'll meet him.." Devyn mumbled, Corey looked at her wide eyed and disapprovingly. "I want to see myself.."

Colby smiled happily, only for it to be taken away. "No, are you crazy!?" Corey scolded, "Guys, that kid is a human. No way, this is absolutely ridiculous."

"Whatever.. I meet him at sunset, meet me here then if you want to meet him." Colby swam away, leaving his friends to have the debate by themselves. He didn't think they'd go, but only time would tell.

He swam around randomly all day long, doing little things here and there to entertain himself. Colby looked up to see a orange glow on the water, sunset. He raced towards his meeting spot, to his surprise Corey, Devyn, Katrina, and Brennen sat across the rocks looking nervous.

"Y-You guys came.." He mumbled as he approached then.

They all nodded, waiting for someone to speak first. "Let's go then." Katrina said, having a tight smile across her face.

Colby's heart raced as they swam closer and closer, he couldn't help but feel so much excitement. The ground began rising, as the approached the reef still underwater Colby stopped them all. "I-I'll come get you when he's ready.."

They all nodded in agreement, Colby swam up to the surface and popped his head up from the water. The blonde boy, Sam, was sitting on the shore allowing his lower half to be consumed by water.

"Sam!" He called out, only swimming to where he knew Sam could still touch. The blonde look up with a smile, he got into the water and swam out to where Colby was. "Hi."

"Hi." Sam chuckled, "I-I wish we could meet more a-and in the day but if someone saw you.."

"No, I understand. That's what's best for me, I wouldn't want to get caught. B-But Sam?" Colby waited for the attention of the blonde to be entirely on him, "I-I have some.. friends I want you to meet. I-If that okay with you.."

Sam smiled, "Oh my gosh, yes! Are you kidding?" Colby shook his head at the question, "Absolutely, that's awesome."

"Okay, I'll go get them, be right back!" Colby said cheerfully, he dove under the water and allowed his tail to fly into the air a little. As that happened, Sam looked at it admirably before wading in the water till Colby returned.

Colby swam the short distance to his friends, Sam's kicking legs still in sight as he did. "Okay, come on." They all looked at each other nervously, then the five swam towards the smiling blonde human.