"We caught it! We caught it!"

Eleven year old Mako was in the kitchen washing the dishes when he heard the cheering above. He didn't really care what was going on deck as long as he was paid for his services to feed him and his brother, who he had left at home. It was a risk he took to join the Triple Threat Triad crew, which dealt with illegal trade at night. It was dangerous to get caught by the Police Forces or go through the storms, but the pay was much better compared to his other jobs- especially during the full moons (which he wonders why).

The cheers of the men above him suddenly turned into screams. This had caught the boys' attention. He put down his knife and ran up the stairs, onto the deck. The bright moonlight shone into his eyes but it wasn't bright enough to make out what was going on. He lit a fireball in his palm.

"Watch out! That thing is a Waterbender!" screamed one of the men.

A Waterbender?

Something quick came towards him and he quickly leapt aside. The wooden boxes behind him sliced in half. Mako's eyes widened at the state before him.

He had never seen a Waterbender before. There were only Firebenders and Earthbenders in the city. He remembered his deceased mother telling him and Bolin stories about mermaids.

And mermaids were the only Waterbenders in the world.

He saw a bright blue light at the source of where the water whip had lashed out and heard a girl scream. There were no girls on the ship as far as he could remember. He ran towards the gathered crowd, pushing his way to the front.

A bright blue tail was flapping weakly on the wooden floor. A big blue fish? As gazed traveled upwards his eyes grew wider. It wasn't a fish!

But it can't be!

There, on the ground, lay a dark-skinned young mermaid in the mix of a shredded fishing net. She had long brown hair which was enough to cover her flat chest. The girl looked like she was around his age or younger.

The Captain of the ship, Lightning Bolt Zolt, stood over her. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and lifted her up. The mermaid whimpered in pain, trying to claw his hand from her scalp.

"What a feisty one we've got , and such beauty," the Captain said. The men laughed. Two of them gave a wolf whistle. "Gentlemen," he announced loudly, "This is the day we make history! The day we proved the world that legends were true!"

The crowd cheered, pumping their fists in the air.

"Tomorrow, we will show everyone that there are mystical creatures living below us. I bet there are more of you" Lightning Bolt grabbed her chin and forcing her to looked at him, "You'll tell us, won't you? If you do, we'll release you,"

The little mermaid responded by trying to bite his fingers. He managed to pull away just in time. The girl hissed angrily. The men gave out amusing noises. Blue sparks flew out of her captors hands-Mako realizes it was lightning- and he presses it to her chest. The girl writhed and screamed in agony, and fell limp.

"Very well. You'll make a hefty sum for us. Put her into the glass cage,"

He threw her onto the floor and the girl landed at Mako's feet. The girl used her arms to weakly lifted herself up from the floor. She looked up and found herself staring at a boy. Their eyes met. His little fire made it brighter for him to see. Mako was stunned at her beauty. Her face was round and eyes were as blue as the morning sky. The girl must've stopped to look at him too because she didn't show any sign of aggression.

It was probably only for a brief moment because the next thing he knew was that she was quickly pulled away from him. She gave a surprise yelp and was pulled backwards. One of the men was dragging her ungracefully by her tail.

"Aw, look at Mako ," said a sailor, placing a hand on the young Firebender's shoulder from behind. Mako jumped and looked up. It was Shady Shin. He had a black patch over his right eye. "He fell in love." Some whistled and "ooo"ed. "But let me warn you something, my boy, those creatures are fierce vicious and dangerous. Stay away from them,"

The men nodded in agreement because everyone had been scratched and attacked by that girl tonight. Most of the he cargo on the deck had been destroyed thanks to her waterbending. Mako gulped and silently nodded. He was also afraid of the man.

"Let's celebrate! " the Captain yelled. The crowd cheered. " We shall drink until morning. Mako, go and get the wine in the cellar. I've a bottle worth 50 years old. It's on me fellas!,"

Mako obediently did as he was told and walked away from the noisy crowd.

Mako was the youngest and only child on board. Hence, he didn't join the party. He sat in his own corner watching the men laughing, drinking and eating. The wine and the food was brought out.

He and Toza, the chef, had to cook for the whole crew a delicious stew with food that was supposed to last a week. But since they had caught a mermaid, they would be heading back to Republic Town instead of making the four day trip to Ba Seng Sei.

Mako had his share of the meal. He couldn't remember when was the last time he had such a good meal. Some men offered him rum, but he didn't like the taste and stuck to his water.

While the men were talking to about how ferocious the creatures like the girl was, he was thinking of her. He still couldn't believe on what he had saw.

A real mermaid!

His mother used to tell him and Bolin stories of them. She would tell them that the mermaids were beautiful and kind creatures who ruled the waters while men ruled the land. Mermaids and men worked together to keep the balance of the world. Then, men got greedy and the war had begun. Ever since then, mermaids had disappeared from the face of the earth and no one had seen them for centuries.

Only his mother would speak good about them. Everyone else described them as vile beasts and savages who want nothing but human flesh.

He would take in every word his mother tells him, imagining these beautiful creatures and wondering if they were real. But after his parents died, he had no choice but to grow up quicker than any kid, and believe it was nothing but a fairytail. Bolin still clings onto his mothers words and hopes to see one. Mako chuckled at the thought of his younger brother. He was going to be so jealous.

Mako wondered if the mermaid girl was okay. She had acted violently towards everyone except him. He wonders why. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was. He felt his mothers stories were coming back to him. Then he realized wanted to see the girl again.

The men were too drunk and to notice he was missing. Mako checked everywhere on the ship but couldn't find a glass cage anywhere. The waves were getting stronger, tilting the ship sideways and he had a had time finding his balance. His last resort was the Captain's chamber, which was forbidden. It seemed to be the one and only place. The creature was a precious cargo and it would only make sense to keep it away from others.

The chamber was unlock. The captain must've been too happy to notice or knew no one would dare to enter his private quarters. Mako pushed the door wide open and went in. The place was beautiful. It had beautiful furniture which was worth hundreds of yuans. Mako felt he had stepped into a rich world. He reached the end of the corridor which lead to the captains room. There was a huge bed, enough to fit at least six men. Not far from it was a study table overlooking the ocean. On top of it was the mermaid in the glass cage.

He had found it.

He walked slowly to the box. The glass cage was like a rectangular treasure chest, filled with water, which was twice as long as she was. There was a lid tightly fitted onto it to prevent her from escaping. With the given light from the oil lamps, Mako could see the mermaid girl even better.

The young mermaid had a bright, blue sparkling tail, and it flapped slowly in the water. Her tail looks as if it was glowing. There was a long red line on the side of it and red liquid seeping out of it, mixing with the seawater. She was injured. Her hands were bound tightly by a rope She didn't notice Mako was around. She was focusing on something else. Mako realized something was wrong with her. She looked tired and breathless. Her breath made the glass foggy. Her tail flapped weakly and she was clinging herself very close to the side and towards the lid.

He then realized it. The case was tightly shut with no holes or gaps.

She needed air.

To be continued...