Subterfuge

Anita was not sure what happened but she was sure she did not start her day in some hospital bed. Her mouth was dry and she was trying to rewind the events of the day.

She was having a real shitty day. Hell it had been a shitty week. That much she remembered. She had been fired from her job a week ago. Land lord upped the rent. And Gary gave her the just want to be ‘friends’ speech.

She posted on face book how she was going to get drunk and see what happens. ‘Nothing else could go wrong.’ she mused.

Looking around the stark white room. She figured she had got that wrong too.

The sheet was pulled up to her neck and tucked tightly in on the sides. She tried to bring her hands to wipe the sleep out of her eyes and found her hands and arms where restrained under the sheet. In fact her fingers seemed stuck together.

Other limbs. Such as her feet and legs felt bound together. What the hell? She tried to bring her knees to her chest and found they where restrained. Also she felt her neck was held down as well.

Anita was not the panic induced type. She knew she could be stubborn but this was something.

She took in a few deep breaths hoping to bring more clarity to the situation. “Keep it together girl“.

She always talked out loud to her self. Just above a whisper. It was habit she picked up from her teenage years because nobody seemed to look or even listen to her. So she talked to herself. Her voice was hoarse and the dryness had spread down to her throat.

One thought seemed into creep into her brain that perhaps she was not restrained. But she was paralyzed.

Hoping to get a clue of what happened. Anita scanned the room more intently.

No phone. No window. No clock. Door in the far corner to her right. Nightstand on her left. A water pitcher dripping with condensation taunted her. Making the dryness worse. No closet or clothes hook. No TV or radio she could see. A chair that looked like it had seen better days was in the opposite corner away from her.

No way to summon a nurse if she could.

This information told her something was off. She been in a hospital before and this did not have the same feel.

Of course she was no expert. But it made her feel she was in some sort of psych ward. Not having been in one did not assure her. The stark features of the room made her feel that way.

“Nurse!“ she croaked. They had to have some way to monitor her. Or at least she hoped they did.

She was about to yell out when a knock at the door stopped her.

A man entered. He was tall. A good six foot. Dark hair and side a touch of grey at the side burns. Thin build. He leaned on a crutch to help support his right leg. Oh god did she do this to him. She did not remember driving? Did she hit him with her car?

“Water?” She asked.

The man nodded and open the drawer on the nightstand and took out a straw. He filled a glass and dropped the straw in. Then brought it to her lips. Anita took a sip.

“Slowly.” he said.

After a few gulps she was satisfied the dryness had abated and licked her lips. “What happened?”

“A lot I am afraid. Mind if I sit down?”

“Go ahead.”

Anita watched as he made his way to only chair in the room. She tried to get a read on him. No bandage so her initial reaction was wrong. Or did she hit a cripple man to begin with. Oh lord she was going to pay big time for that.

“I am Dr. Rudy Kipling. Does that name sound familiar to you?”

“Any relation to…”

“No. I am afraid not. My parents did aspire me to be a author but I had a head for science. But your mother never mentioned me.”

Now Anita was confused. “No. My mom died a year ago and my dad died soon after I was born.”

Dr. Kipling took in a deep breath and sighed. “I will be blunt. Anita. I am your father.”

“What?” Now she knew how Luke Skywalker felt.

“Let me explain. I was a young doctor. My field was dermatology. Your mother was a young nurse that caught my eye. Unfortunate we had sex and whose ever fault it was in not having used the adequate protection. Your mother got pregnant. “

“I was on the fast track and saw this could ruin me. These were different times than they are now. I tried to have her abort the baby but she refused. Further more she moved away with a note saying I was never to find her.”

Anita was about to speak when he raised a hand. “Please let me finish.” he took a deep breath in and Anita was getting thirsty.

“Four years passed and I married, I had a daughter. Anna. We had a happy home life and my medical career was blooming. My research into skin cancer was on the leading edge if not radical by some standards.”

“But fate is cruel in its humor. My wife died of a tumor in her brain. There was nothing I could do. Then a year later my daughter started to develop legions. Or tumors on her skin. Discoloration. In time her skin would become poisonous to her.”

“I worked tirelessly to find some sort of cure. My only hope was to find a donor. I was not compatible but I remembered you. I tracked down your mother to find she had died. My only hope for saving my daughter was to find the child I did not want.”

“You found me and are going to skin me alive?” Anita managed to get out.

“No. Nothing like that. The malady that effect my daughter does need a skin transplant but it required a large amount. I had a means to make it happen. I had worked out a way for you to donate the necessary tissue with out stripping you of your skin.”

“I created a adhesive that cause the skin to breathe. Oxygenating it. Making healing faster. It also would bond with the donor tissue. However. The FDA wanted more time and testing. Mean while my Anna was slowly dying. The drug and pain medications where making her hallucinate.”

“She came up an idea. One I embraced. In short. I made a deal with the devil… so to speak.”

Her ‘dad‘. Stood up and hobbled his way to her. He offered her more water. She took a sip and was still trying to digest all of this.

“My daughter inadvertently came up with a way that you could donate the needed tissue and at the same time protect her.”

Her ‘father’ placed the glass on the nightstand. “We are past the point of no return so I best show you.”

He reached up and took hold of the sheet at her neck. Then pulled it down.

What she saw was the furthest thing from her mind. In all the proclivities and possibilities that existed, She never would have guessed THAT.

She was a mermaid.

The shock rippled through her body.

Then she started looking at the details. It was a mermaid suit. Lacing that started at the ankles stopped at a slit where her crotch was. The suit continue upward stopping just short enough to support her breasts. She looked hard to see some sort of scale pattern around the nipples. The feet were fused together. A dolphin like fluke that looked more like tail off a salmon with ribs radiating outward. She clenched her toes and found the tail narrowed and relaxing her toes she saw it widen.

Her hands were in a glove that stopped just under her armpits. But the glove had the thumbs and finger fused making her hands look more like a squid tentacle. Her shoulders and face seemed to be the only thing not covered by the suit. Worse the suit looked like a panel dress. The front was a hideous purple and the sides where a ocean blue. The gloves were the same purple color had a blue lace frill down the length.

Straps secured her down to the bed at ankle, waist, knee, chest, wrist and elbow. And obliviously her neck.

Anita just stared at her body. The suit gave her a shapely coke bottle figure. One she did not know she had before. She liked swimming. Got a bronze medal in junior high. High school did not have a swimming program. Mom seemed to wanted to move every three to four years. Now she knew why. Her mother did not want this sick bastard to find them.

Dr. Kipling said nothing letting it sink in.

Anita was a torrent of mixed emotions. Anger was leading the pack. “What the fuck are you?”

“Please. You have every right to be angry. I know this is a lot to take in. but it is not as it seems.”

“What you kidnap people all the time and put them a mermaid suit that looks like some hooker on Bourbon Street?”

“My daughter designed the suit.” He said in a very low key. “It protects her from the UV rays to the sun which seem to aggravated her condition.”

“Oh.” Anita anger was blunted. She could see the torment on his face. You hear about these thing in stories all the time. Person X sacrifices everything to and for Person Y. Anita was not heartless. The whole thing sounded like those romance novels she liked to read.

“Here is the plan. My daughter thinks she is half mermaid. She wears a suit like yours all the time. In about six weeks. Your body with have developed a second skin. This is due the adhesive gathering up all the dead cells you normally wash off day by day. Then like a snake you will shed the suit you are wearing and we place it on my daughter. Then glue your skin cells onto her. It is mostly painless. The alternative was to skin you alive.”

Anita was not sure if he was joking or not.

Another knock on the door.

“That will be Anna. Believe it or not you can accept the situation and give my daughter hope. Play into her fantasy. Or reject her. You are in control.”

Kipling moved to the door and opened it wide. A young girl with raven dark hair cascading about her shoulders wheeled herself in. The wheel chair right wheel squeaked a bit.

Anna had to be in her late teens. Anita was twenty two so if Kipling was telling the truth. Anna had to be eighteen.

She had a pretty face. The most blue eyes she had ever seen. She was wearing the same mermaid suit as she was. There was a wide collar on her neck that had a ring on it. Naturally Anita could not see that detail. But one or two places she could see a discoloration near the neck and peaking out near the edges of the suit. She propelled her self in that squeaky wheel chair with same squid like arms. Getting closer to Anita.

“Are you my big sister?” she said with a beaming smile.

Anita was torn. Her head said something like ‘toss her out‘. ‘Get revenge on this person that claims to be your father‘.

The heart was another matter. ‘What is six weeks. This child is dying. Her life is just starting out. Do some bigger than yourself.’

Anna tentacle arms reached out and took her right ’hand’.

Anita now felt she was not alone in this world. That she now had a little sister and she needed her. Maybe this could be the one thing that made her life meaningful.

“Yes.” Anita said. “I am your big sister.”

“That is wonderful. When you are better we can go swimming together. Would you like that?”

Anna seemed oblivious to the fact that she was strapped down. There was some sort of childhood filter. That some how she was seeing what she wanted to see.

“Yes. I would.” answered Anita. “I would like that very much.”

“Now Anna. You sister is very tired. She needs rest. Go to your room and take your medicine. I will be along shortly.”

“Please get better soon.” Anna let got of Anita hand and wheeled herself out of the room.

There was a moment of silence as Kipling closed the door.

“Thank you.”

“I am not doing this for you. I am doing this for her…. and you know it.”

“Yes. You can see she is delusional. In her world Mermaids do not get sick. They have some one to care for and care for them. She had a child like wonder and sees only what she wants. You are the only person that can save her.”

“I am not crazy about you kidnapping me and sticking me in this suit. I am pissed about that. I hate that you need me now when you didn’t want me.”

“I cannot say how sorry I am.” Kipling worked his way back to the chair. “I honored your mothers wishes and stayed away. If it where not for Anna condition. You would never have known me.”

Anita was keeping a some what level head about all of this. Anger was still in her voice but she felt she had little options.

“So this suit is glued on and in six weeks it will shed off me?”.

“It also acts as a crude filter. Allowing oxygen in and protecting you from the hyperthermia.”

“Then why does the suit not cover me completely,”

“Then you would not be able to get out. The lacing you see was in her drawing. She wears her suit twenty-four seven. She believes that this suit is like a cocoon. That when she takes it off. She will have a real tail. But only when she feels she is ready.”

“Am I going to get the same thing she has?”

“No. We checked. Your DNA is clean.”

Well that was a relief. “How long have I been here?”

“Two days.”

“What’s with the tail fanning out.”

“In her drawing and more lucid moment. Anna said for her to go fast. Her tail must narrow down to cut down on drag. But when just drifting about a small tail has to work harder to move you around.“

“That is pretty cleaver.“

“Yes. Yes it is. You see. Ever since she was six. She has been fascinated with ocean life. Scuba. And Mermaids. Being a mermaid is how she copes. The pain is immeasurable. Imagine nearly every inch of your body on fire. Nerves being exposed. Not able to sleep or lie down. A liquid environment was the only solution. Her mind retreated to the only place she thought it was safe. Yet at the same time she provided a means for her to save herself. She has a bright mind. She is everything to me.”

Anita was letting this all sink in. Kipling got up and offered her more water. She sipped it trying to move. She could managed to shift around a little but knew she was not going anywhere.

“I am sorry. But you had no right to kidnap me.”

“Yes. You are right. I was desperate. I could not think of you saying no. I dare not chance it.“ Kipling paused for a moment. “Oddly I am surprised how well you are taking this.”

“Maybe the shock has not worn off. But ‘-My Mom-’ taught me to keep a level head. We made fun of those damsel in distress at the movies all the time. She knew that screaming did little good. Let the villain reveal his plan and work to counter it.”

Kipling let a small smile cross his face. It was a look of remembrance. “I remember talking to your mother at one of those movies. She spoke the same way you are talking to me now. She was a strong spirited woman.”

“Yes she was. And so am I. You might have me strapped down in some mermaid suit but the way I see it. I am in charge.“

Kipling nodded.

“So. I am going to lay down a few rules. I want money when this is over. A lot of it. I can guess you've got some cash. This set up can't be cheap. You pay me off. Say half a million. I won't put the feds on you. If this ‘treatment’ of your works. I want a piece of it. Twenty percent. I don’t want to be greedy. Because if it doesn’t. I won't be out of anything. Then when we part ways. You never see me again.”

“I agree.” Said Kipling.

Anita figured he agreed too quickly but she knew her bargaining position was not the best. Glued inside a mermaid suit. Unable to walk or grasp anything. Strapped down to a bed. Her location was unknown. This was not the best bargaining position to be in. So in her mind she was being ‘reasonable.’

“I want you know something else. When this is over and shed this tail. I am going to stand on my own two feet and kick your ass.”

“I look forward to it.” said Kipling with a small laugh.

Anita was not sure how this whole mermaid thing was going to work. But it was hinted that no harm come to Anna or she would be forced to spend six weeks strapped down.

The suit was permeable. Allowing water in so that the adhesive could slowly pull the oxygen out of the water and into the blood stream. This would speed healing or in her case speed up the shedding of her dermis.

Another fact was that if she was out of the water too long. Her body covered by the suit would itch. Then a burning feeling. You would want scratch the area but it would do no good. The irritation could drive you mad.

Anita remembered having a cast on her leg when she was seven. But Kipling warned her that this was going to be much worse than that. Thankfully her tentacle gloves kept her from doing any damage.

Then if Anita was in a place where she was getting hot and unable to cool off. She could over heat and heat stroke could happen if she was not in a controlled environment.

She could piss and shit. The suit was glued just inside the vagina and up her ass. Not a pretty picture. But a necessary evil.

Day one she was still strapped down to the bed. She had not anything to eat and a nurse would come in and let her sip some water. No one would talk to her. No one wore a watch. She saw no clocks. No windows. No way to tell the time.

When they where ready and she began to feel that annoying itch. They wheeled out of the room and around the building. No markings. Rooms had numbers. No way to know where she was. Then they opened double doors and the room inside was huge. She could hear some water and splashing. They lowered the gurney and undid the restraints.

Anita stretched to get the kinks out and took her first look at her ‘home‘.

It looked like a combination of Olympic training center and kiddie water park.

The pool was ‘T’ shaped. A good twenty five yards long or more. A fake beach with real sand on one side of the ‘T’ while some sort of flume was on the other. At the bottom end of the T was the deep end. About ten foot deep she guessed. Maybe more. With a spiral ramp that lead to water slides and places you could dive off of.

Aside from the mini beach. Surrounding the pool was Astroturf or rubberized mats. Weight training equipment and some thing that looked like two round beds. Thankfully they did not look like two clamshells.

Anna pulled herself out of the water and crawled up to her. “Isn’t this wonderful. We are going to have so much fun.”

Anita just smiled even though she had no legs, she thought most of her days where going to be taking the occasional dip in a kiddy pool and lounging around pool side . This suggested something different.

How wrong she was. It was way too different.

Anna was totally consumed with the whole mermaid and culture. There was no TV. No radio, No windows. No way to know what day it was and to measure the passing of time. To Anna’s way of thinking. That left more time to train.

Anita was being put through mermaid boot camp. Anna was damm fast in the water and Anita thought she could keep up. That was her second mistake.

Anna wanted her big sister to be as good as she was. Anita tried to put it off or find some excuse but those blue eyes. Damm her and those beautiful blue eyes. Along with the look of disappointment and the most sorrowful puppy dog face. That combination yanked on Anita heart. She could not say no to the child.

Now she had a inkling of what Kipling had to endure.

Anna was not the spoiled rotten kind of kid. She wanted to be the best Mermaid ever. That was the whole reason for her existence.

There where a few rules. Never stand in your tail. Anita tried standing up but her feet would not lie flat on the ground. So that was out anyway. If you could manage it a walking hand stand . That was okay. Anita couldn’t.

Anna showed her how to use the suit. She knew she was in a mermaid suit that underneath of it she was growing a tail.

The tentacle gloves were to allow her to grow webbed fingers. In the mean time it was like wearing boxing gloves all the time. But as Anna showed her they could form a crude sucker. Thus she could pull herself along the wall against the flow of water.

One little bit of showing off was there was one part of the wall where it did not go straight up. It was smoother than the other walls and sitting maybe a good seventy degrees. Anna made a show of slowly climbing up it like Spiderman. The trick was to use your tail as a third suction cup. Then slide up the wall.

Anita tried but was about five feet up when she slipped. She did not do any damage except for her pride.

Anna laughed.

There is something about a child laugh. Especially Anna’s. That filled her with a odd sense of joy. Okay maybe she could not go up a wall like a snail. But it was funny to even think about her doing that . Much less getting as far as she did.

Talking about the outside world or your life not being a mermaid got her the glassy eyed look of a deer in the headlights. Mermaids, Swimming, and ocean life where the only topic Anna would engage in. Topics which Anna excelled at.

She knew of television and movies but again as they related to mermaid like shows. Otherwise they bored her.

Anita's day. If she knew when the day started. Was taking a few laps around the pool with Anna encouraging her. Then exercises. Chin ups. Push ups. Sit ups. Crunches. Anything to strengthen the arms and ’tail’. Jumping jacks were out.

Again Anna like to show off. She was able to use her arms and tail like some Olympic sport she had seen. Was it the pommel horse? Anita was not sure but she swung her tail around it like she was caught in a wind storm.

One part of her day she hated. It was swimming in one end of the ‘T’ called the flume. Water pumped at you through nozzles at a high speed. It could be set to a slow lazy river to roaring rapids. You just had to try to stay in the ‘box‘.

Anita was at lazy river setting while Anna could manage roaring rapids for a few minutes.

The curling of the toes to cause the tail to widen and narrow was a good thing to learn. It regulated your speed or control.

Turning under water was all in how you moved your body. Arms in front helped at slow speeds. But got in the way at high speeds. You kept the arm at you sides and pushing one tentacle to one side or the other to assist in the turn. How to use the widen and narrow feature of curling your toes to make the fluke end of the tail work. After awhile it became automatic.

Then when they did have a short rest. It was tossing the beach ball back and forth. Except this beach ball weight was a good ten pounds. The good old fashion medicine ball if Anita remembered correctly.

Getting around the pool was another trick Anita had to learn. This mermaid/seal crawl.

How it was done was you put your arms out at a forty five degrees and push up raising your head and upper chest. Then scrunch your butt up and push off with the tail while letting your arms push/pull you along pulling your arms to the side. Then repeat. Her breast took a pounding but that where the suits scales on the breast seemed to offer some protection. Anna showed her how to do it but she had been doing it so long she just slid on her breast. While humping through the beach area. She had to clench her vagina to help keep sand out.

There was a crude toilet that was more of a beach chair with a hole in it for your ass. And yes it would force some water up it to clean it out once you pulled the handle. Going to toilet in the pool was a no-no. But huge intake vents at the bottom the slowly pulled water in. Filtered it and spit it back out along the sides.

Then there where the quiet tender moment where they would nap or Anna would brush her big sister's blond hair. Anita hair was just at the neck line while Anna was black and long.

It was in those moment where Anna would open up. Some time she would be less ‘mermaid‘ and more human. Anita learn she had been doing this mermaid thing for well over three years. She had no friends. Just her father and the medical staff.

Anita's heart was in a place it never had been before. She always thought she had it bad. But her now adoptive sister had it far worse. She never felt this sorry for anyone.

Feeding time was always accompanied by Kipling. He would chat with them both. He could not swim. His bad leg prevented it. Blood and skin sample taken from both. Blood pressure and other basic medical things. This is where Anna seemed to be the most lucid when around her father but still referred to Anita as her big sister.

This was also when the nurses gave them a mermaid massage. It felt good to get the kinks out and relax. Feeding time was the one exercise she looked forward too. Kipling would lay down and would hold her even if she was wet. Listen to her talk about everything mermaid. How Anita's progress as a mermaid was coming.

In one of the few private moments with Kipling he told Anita how Anna seemed to be improving. That she had been giving his daughter the one thing he had not been able to give her. Hope.

He also avoided telling her how many days because he did not want to give Anna a clue that her big sister might be leaving.

Anita tried in vain to pull off a glove. It was stuck on good. The lacing down the front did not seem to have beginning or end but the suit never seemed to wrinkle or pucker. It stuck to every inch of her body as it was meant to. Anna suit seemed to be the same way.

Anita feed herself by scooping the food into her mouth or suck it in. Fine motor control was out the window with the tentacle hands. Food was always sushi or raw fish. It digested well and Anita never was big on the whole fish diet but she would kill for a burger every now and then.

Day by day she was getting better at being a mermaid. Anna was always there offering encouragement. Cheering her on. Pushing her. Never a harsh word. That face she made and those blue eyes could push Anita off a cliff if she wanted to.

Then there was the spiral ramp going up and to three diving ‘spots.’ to get to these spots. The ramp was smooth with rubber treads. You ‘seal’ crawled up the ramp. Anita guessed the spots where at ten . Twenty and thirty feet.

Anna could show off her diving skills. She would do a handstand and push off. Then twist and twirl in mid air. When she hit the water there was hardly a ripple. Anna had seen Olympic diving but never like this. Anna was good. Anita was lucky not to belly flop and sat on the edge of the ten foot spot and lean over and dive in.

With no time to measure. Anita had no idea when the day began or end. The light did not darken or any clue when the day was passing. Feeding time was the only time she could guess at. But the meals where always labeled dinner. Did they get fed once a day. Twice? Three times? She had no clue.

Anita did not know when but a dawning realization occurred. She liked being a mermaid. Mermaids did not pay rent. No depressing job to go to. They lived by their own rules. The real world was just too much of a bother. She could see why Anna retreated to this fantasy. To her, the real word was pain with doctors poking and prodding her. Never to see the sun with out fear of it killing her.

True they where in a habitat of some kind but Anita never felt better. She was stronger. Fitter than she ever had been in her life.

Anita also found out what the ring on the neck was for. Because mermaids do not have pockets. You could hook things onto it. At one time Anna had a bag she would collect things and the bag hooked onto the ring. But there where no sea shells or other brick-a-brak to collect. Just some pearl hair brushes. These she hung the bag on a pole that that had a heavy metal towel ring at the ‘beach‘. The pole was a spray mister that would cycle on and off.

Plus she was wearing the equivalent of boxing gloves for hands. The ring was the only thing she could hook things to. Grabbing the ring made it easier for the staff to pull you out of the water. There was something about that feature that nagged Anita. The gloves made it hard for something to be unhooked.

Time marched on with out knowing how much and how fast. During one of their feeding times. Anna did not want to be near her father unless Anita said it was okay. Normally she be like a torpedo swimming to be near him.

Later when Dr. Kipling was gone and they where by themselves. Anita asked about that. Anna reply was. “He is a human.”

That was a stunner. Had Anna completely gone over?

The next day was different. Anna seemed to be her ‘normal’ self. But what made this day different. They were asked to crawl into a bag. Slide their arms inside sleeves within the bag. Then they zipped the bag closed up to their neck.

Anna and Anita where carried to separate examination rooms.

Kipling knelt over her as she was being hoisted onto a gurney. “Anna has responded well. We need to take off her suit to check if the cancer has spread.”

Then there was a blood curling scream.

“What was that?”

“That was Anna. Sedatives do not last long because the adhesive oxygenates the blood. Making them ineffective. She has been building up a tolerance to pain meds.”

Another scream.

“You're hurting her.”

“If there was any other way.”

“Let me talk to her. Get her mind focused on something else.”

“We blindfold her so she cannot see her legs. It would destroy the illusion that she is growing a tail. Its not pretty to look at.”

Anita saw a car crash and the bloody mess that came out. It was not pretty at all.

“Then blindfold me.”

Kipling nodded. The nurse wrapped gauze and tape around her eyes. Then felt a hood lowered over her head.

She was wheeled into Anna room.

“Anna I am here.”

“Big sister?” Are you okay?’

“I am fine I heard you screaming and came to see what was the matter.” She tried reaching out but her arms where still stuck in the sleeves of the sack.

“It hurts. It hurts a lot.”

“I know but growing a tail is not something easily done.”

“Can you see it. How is it? They won’t let me see,”

“I can’t. I want it to be a surprise like you wanted. They have me blindfolded too.”

“It hurts so much I want it to be over.”

“Shhh. I know Anna, I know. But listen to my voice. Listen to me Anna.”

“That not my name. Anna is human name. I want a mermaid name.”

Anita was sure the pain was driving her further down the rabbit hole of her fantasy. “Okay. How about I give you a mermaid name and you give me one. You can’t just keep calling me ‘big sister’ all the time.”

Their was sound of something wet and tearing. Then the smell. A foul smell like rotting meat. Oh lord she was glad she could not see this.

Anna screamed. Anita wonder if this was what it was going to be like for her when it came time to shed her tail.

“Y-Yes, I would like that. What is my mermaid name?”

“You talked about how the first mermaids came from Atlantis. How about I call you Atlantica?”

“I like that. I'll call you Pacifica.”

“That is a nice mermaid name. The two oceans.”

Anna seemed to be calming down. Anita/ Pacifica started humming pop goes the weasel to keep her little sister. ‘Atlantica’ focused on anything other than the horror of them peeling the suit off and putting it back on.

When it all over, they where put back in their habitat and released. Anna just wanted to hug Anita. She trembled and was scared. Anita just held her little sister and hummed a tune. Anna was soon asleep in her arms.

There was something disturbing about what she had witnessed. Anita did not have a good tolerance for pain. If her shedding her tail was going to be anything like Anna experience. She rather just keep the thing on.

When Atlantica woke up she responded to her new name and ONLY her new name. Anita had to look around every time the name Pacifica was called.

The day of swimming and training seemed to fill up Anita's life more and more. Plus she was getting a little competitive. Anna could beat her and did several times in racing from one end of the pool to the other. Either by swimming or doing a follow the leader like game over land and water.

One interesting little trick was she could ’breathe’ under water.

Actually it was more of absorbing oxygen through the suit and into her blood stream. She could sleep under water. But there was a point where the water. Even heated as it was, would slowly wick away her body heat. Hyperthermia was a danger. So you could not stay in the water too long and out of the water too long.

Even so. Anita counted way past what she thought was ten minutes. The count.. one peanut butter. Two peanut butter. And so on.

The passing of time became less and less important to her. Something happened to make her wonder if a month may have gone by.

It was when the pool gave off a bad odor that it had to drained and cleaned. Anita wonder if it was because she had been using it as her toilet. It was hard not to. She would rest and ‘breathe’ under water. But some time the call of nature had to be answered and she was a little too lazy to use the proper toilet.

Thankfully the water did not turn blue when she pissed.

However with no pool that meant no swimming The only place that offer water was the pole at the beach. The little mister water sprayer with the large towel ring. Anna called to ‘Pacifica’ to join her. The pool would be empty for some time and it would a very long time to fill it.

A staff member came by and as easy as you please connected a chain from the ring on their collar to the ring on the pole. It was some sort of double snap with a catch. Anita was not liking this at all. She tried to take it off.

As she fumbled with the hasp. Anna seemed to take in stride.

“So we don’t go in until its ready.“ She answered.

For awhile Anita fumbled with the clasp and perhaps the fact she was out of the water too long she began to itch but then another itch followed right up behind that. Anita was feeling her period.

It did not feel normal. Like she was in heat. Her hands strayed from her neck to the slot where her vagina lay.

“Are you feeling all right. P?” Anna asked. ‘P’ was Anita’s nickname. Some how responding with ‘A’ did not work at all.

“I just feel…Well funny.” How was Anita going to tell a teenage girl about sex. The poor girl may have never had to opportunity.

“Like you are on fire?’

“Something like that.”

“That is called the Crush.”

“Crush?”

“Yes. That is when a mermaid need to mate with a man. She lures a man to mate with her and then after she is done. She drowns him.”

Okay . They must have come up with a way to explain what Anna's ‘mermaid’ period was. Crush might have been the word they used.

“That is not very nice.” replied Anita with a slight tone of sarcasm. She was hoping just talking about the Crush would provide some distraction.

There was a pause. Anna face turned a little sour. “No. No, it is not very nice at all. I never thought about it before. Do you think there are mermen?”

Trying to keep her tentacled hands from tearing to her vagina . She tried to come up with a excuse for why mermaids should not drown people. Anything to keep the conversation going and provide a distraction. Heaven help her this was really becoming annoying and moving on to painful.

“Well it is a big ocean and there are so few of us. Maybe they have not found us.”

“We are two of them. Maybe they are named after the other three. Artic, India, and the Southern.

“Then the seven seas. Arctic, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Pacific, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico.”

Anita having listen to many of Anna mermaid ‘lectures’ was actually proud she remembered the seven seas. Although the definition may be a be foggy of what a sea was.

“That is a awful lot of places to look.” Answered Anna as she rubbed her ‘hands’ against the side of her head in a thought expression.

“Y-Y-Yes.” Answered Anita Good god. It was hard to keep focused on the conversation. She wanted sex and now. “Plus they may be looking for us. We could miss them.”

“Then how to we stop the Crush?”

“I-I do not know.”

The feeling was building and not in a good way. Anita wanted to make it stop but how? The damm suit was pushing more air into her blood stream. Maybe even making it worse. She had no idea what to do. A cold shower would be nice. There was no water at all to sooth it away. She was beached on a beach.

She yanked on the chain. It did not give. The mister was not running and she slapped the pole on the side.

Nothing.

“Pacifica. Stop. You will hurt yourself. I know how hard the Crush is.“

Anita lay on the beach. Her body temperature was rising. If she did not get water soon. Things where going to get worse.

“How do you do it.” Anita asked. “There is no water.”

“I know and we would hurt ourselves. They clean the pool whenever it needs it. The chemicals they use are very powerful and would burn us. It take time for them the clean it. They chained me like this before to stop me from doing something foolish. Like swimming in the chemicals. ”

That was the most half lucid statement Anna had made in a long while. Great. She had been through this before. Anita was not thrilled about begin forced not to swim. She wanted to be free.

Anna began to twist her tail. Hand straying down to her virgin vagina slot as well.. Something was going on with her too.

Anita could hear the staff in their chemical suits scrubbing the walls. The only way in and out was the steps at the flume end or walking up the beach.

The smell of the chemicals was horrid. Anita felt that if she was any closer. They would burn off the hair inside her nose.

“How do you stop the Crush ?“Anita said

“I do not know.” Anna said while twisting about. She was in heat too. “Maybe we can find out together.”

Anna slid closer to her. The back of her tentacle hand tenderly caressing Anita’s cheek. Brushing away her hair behind her ears. Then the hand slowly slid down her neck and down into the valley of her breasts. She rolled on top of Anita. Her body doing a slow grind against hers. Anna arms wrapped around her little sister. Steadying her.

What was Anna doing? What was she doing? Why was Anita not trying to stop her? Was she feeling the Crush too. Good god. Two horny mermaids chained to a pole. It sounded like they where bait for the next sailor to come by.

One hand brushed against Anita's breast and then back rubbing the scales. The other slid between their bodies finding her slot.

Anita wanted to say stop but the only the made it out was “Uaahhaaaa.”

Then the breast scales on her suit lifted up. Exposing the nipples of her breast. She never knew the suit could do that.

Anna then began to suckle on her breast. The one hand exploring the cavity of her vagina and the other sucker like feature to massaging the one she was not sucking on.

Anita tried to resist but her will seemed to be sapped. That and her attempt to push Anna off failed. It seemed that one of her hands became suction cupped to Anna’s ass. The free hand wandered between their two bodies and like a knife through butter. Slid into Anna’s vagina.

Atlantica/Anna reared up. Her whole body formed an arch resting on Anita’s hand plunging it in deeper. Not having fingers, She wiggle her tentacle hand inside Anna.. Mimicking the moving of a fish in water.

“Oh!” was all she said. Her eyes widen and started to get cross eyed.

Anna may not know about human menstruation cycles or sex in that matter. She was getting a lesson today.

Anita wanted to stop. This was wrong. Or was it? She was in the moment and all normal thought and reason were pushed aside.

This is what mermaid do. This is how they cope. There was no men about and no one was telling them to stop.

Anita was no virgin by any means. But she never did girl on girl before. Where mermaids gay? Lesbian? Or just horny and lonely? She was no expert and if Anna did not know. Who could she ask?

The gloves and the suit made it hard for them to really finger each other but some how it crudely satisfied the need.

Anita woke up with Anna’s head on her chest and her hand still suctioned cupped to Anna’s butt. A satisfying little purr came from her. The girl may have gone through the Crush many times and not had any relief. This may have been the first time she had anything close to sex. As for Anita herself. She was finding she cared for her adoptive sister very deeply. Now there was no denying that what happened had happened. Now the question of love came into the picture.

Could Anita/Pacifica live like this for the rest of her life? As a human., There was so much emotional baggage and personal responsibility. Mermaids did not act like that at all.. The romance and the simplicity pulled at Anita brain.

But was there ever going to be personal freedom. Outside this fish bowl she would have to hunt for food. She did not even suspect how to do that. Maybe having Atlantica and her stay the way they where was not so bad. However that was wrong because she was forcing Anna to be some one she is not. Maybe just her. Maybe as just staying a mermaid in this place. That did not seem so bad. Oh it would be nice to listen to a radio or have a little tank to herself. Swim for entertainment. Maybe even inspire others. That would be nice.

…

Anna sat in a wheel chair. Straps across the waist and base of the tail held her in.

Meanwhile her ‘sisters’ tail was being removed and replace while sedated. Two male nurses flanked her. Also in the room was Kipling and a man she knew as Hanson.

“So.” Anna. “Has she taken the bait?”

“Anita. Now Pacifica has succumbed to the illusion that she would like to be a mermaid for the rest of her life. We need a few more days to see if the conditioning has taken hold.” Said Kipling.

Anna smiled. “Great. I can't wait to get out of this thing. I trained for weeks to be as good as she is now. She is totally devoted to me. I can’t wait to play my death scene and get out of here.”

Hanson coughed a little. “Yes, about that. Mr. Star has seen your progress and likes what he has seen. Especially the interplay between you two. He especially liked how you gave some the hope of a long lost father. And a sister she never had. Then to pull on her heart strings. Very romantic.”

Kipling. With out the use of his crutch. Walked over to Anna and touched behind her left ear. “The key was to make Anita believe that she was in control. That the decisions and choices where of her own free will. The dermal microphone planted behind her ear offered these suggestions during her sleep periods. Meanwhile, Anna here received information and guidance while she was awake. Much like a two way hearing aid.”

“Yeah. She may not know it. But she did have voices in her head.” Anna said waving a tentacle arm. “Now when can you make with the anti-glue or whatever and get this thing out of my head.”

“I was about to address that.” said Hanson. “As I said. Mr. Star loved the interplay of two mermaids...”

“Wait.” Anna interrupted. “Are you telling me I have to do this twice.? God I hated playing her. The only true thing is that my real name is Anna. I am not even his daughter.” She pointed to Kipling.

“No.” Said Kipling. “When we began. You received a series of injections. These inserted genetic markers into your brain. Stop points if you will. We can add and subtract memories. We are going to make you believe everything you have been told. I am or will be your father that you are slowly turning away from.”

“…Mr. Star wanted you and Pacifica.” Hanson finished. “He hated the idea of splitting up the pair of you. You will be a mermaid for the rest of your life.”

“Go fuck yourself. I am done.” Anna said fumbling with the straps on her waist. The two male nurses grabbed her arms as Kipling produced a syringe.

…

“Wake up Attee.” said Pacifica. “Time to go for a swim.”

Atlantica woke up. A fog seemed to surround her brain. She wanted to remember something. But what ever it was. It just did not seem that important.

Atlantica smiled. “Race you !”

With that they crawled to the water and dove in.

The End