(Warning: Cringey Content)

[Previously:“I’m not taking you to the hospital.” I soothe. Reaching for something in the backseat. He calms down a little, “where are we going?” I stab the tranquilizer dart into his arm. “My house.” I say realizing that I have officially become a mad scientist.]

I watch the car drive away and then grab the waste bin and expel everything in my stomach into it violently. Coughing and heaving it takes what feels like forever before my stomach settles. Groaning I figure out the sink and drink some water before sitting down to wait, how long did work take anyway? After a few hours I start feeling like I’m going to go crazy. 

Boldened by boredom, I get up from the kitchen table and start exploring. I wander into the lab and look around, careful to touch everything without making it look like I did. I look at the tank and wincingly look away with a pained growl. There were so many tools and drawers and cubbies that I didn’t even notice time passing. 

My stomach growls and I look at the fridge. I pull out some of the fish that the man bought me. Then hesitate, what if I’m supposed to wait for him to give these to me? After a long minute I decided to eat them and apologize later if he gets upset. I suppose I’m good at making him like that. The nasty drink made me lose my self control and poisoned me. I vomited throughout the night. Then when I tried to protect the man from the siren I ended up being the one that hurt him. I feel myself tremble still remembering the feeling of my claws slicing him. ‘Stop feeling bad for yourself.’ 

I look around for any useful information about the man. He doesn’t have very many personal items. I glance at the door that led into the lab. Going up to the window I look out, ‘what if the siren came back? It would definitely kill me.’ I touch my chest wound, ‘They’ve been hunting me for months and now they know where I am and that I’m weak. I hardly doubt they’ll give up now.’ I tremble, ‘What if they find out that the scary man protecting me is gone?’ I hurry to the fridge and stare at the phone number. Then looking around, trying to find anything with numbers on it that might be the “phone” he was talking about. 

I hear the vicious four-legged beast growl from his bedroom. ‘That’s where I’ll find the most information about him.’ I think to myself. I also decide to let the monster out of the room if the siren does come back. ‘At least I’d have a better chance of surviving.’ I explore the kitchen checking every nook and cranny pressing buttons and turning knobs. A little while later I smell a funny smell. I look closer at the knobs I had turned, returning them to their previous positions, the smell was coming from inside the metal box. ‘Smells like danger.’ I walk away quickly not liking it.

In the living room I try not to look at the blood stains on the carpet. I approached the tiny pet fish that the man had. I dip a finger in the water and lick it to find that the fish was freshwater. It seems happy having such a large tank to itself with live plants. Not afraid of me at all, the fish makes a bubble at the surface. I walk away slowly, looking at my plain gray scales in comparison to its vibrant, colorful ones. ‘Bet you can’t control water,’ I think, jealous. A used sweater sits over a chair. I pick it up and amuse myself for a few minutes trying to put it on. ‘How uncomfy.’ I think, ‘It’s too warm.’ I leave it on as I mess with the scarce knick knacks that the man has laying around. I accidentally turn on the screen that humans watch things on. Sitting down slowly I become enraptured with it for probably an embarrassing amount of time. Warm I soon pass out, getting some much needed rest. 

I wake up slowly, peacefully, the bad smell in the kitchen has dissipated. Yawning I get up and mess with the screen finding a way to change the channel before deciding to explore more of the rooms. I go to the farthest room, it’s small and it smells funny. This is where the humans use the bathroom, I see myself in the reflection and freeze amazed. I lean forward touching the more human-like features, I bear my teeth then hiss amused. I root through everything before sighing, I really want to go into his room. I sit down zoning out, ‘his lips were so soft, why did I?’ I daydream rubbing the sleeve of the sweater against my face absentmindedly. I like his smell, a lot.

Getting up I go to the room he was going to show me the other day. I turn the knob and open the door. A gust of cold air hits me. Leaving the door open, I hesitantly creep into the dark room. It’s so empty. My ears tremble as I look around. ‘I don’t like it, it’s scary.’ Quickly leaving I shut the door, heart racing. The dog growls at me and I hiss. Then slump outside his door. Everything must smell like him in there, ‘I’m lonely.’ I wrap the long sleeves around my knees and cry softly. The dog stops gowling, sniffing me under the door. 

I wake up heart racing and look around to what woke me up so suddenly. The door I see it opening letting out a croak of terror I turn invisible. Only to feel my heart jump with happiness when I see the human enter. He looks around and then drags someone else inside. I stand up curious, drawing his attention.

He narrows his eyes like he can’t believe what he’s seeing, “Mer-” He cuts himself off looking down at the guest and then says, “Come this way.” I pitter patter quickly after him. Glancing at the closed door suspiciously, I follow him into the lab. He’s laying an unconscious and wounded human on the operation table. I creep forward curiously. “You have my sweater on?” He asks.

“I…can’t get it off,” I confess embarrassed.

He literally stops everything and tells me, “Raise your arms.” I listen and he takes the sweater off me. “It was backwards,”' he adds with a chuckle.

“Thank you.” I murmur, turning visible. He starts a little and then starts gathering things to sew up the unconscious human. I crouch watching from a little ways away. The human makes a few noises, scaring me that he’s going to wake up. 

The vet becomes fixated in his work cleaning and sterilizing his tools, then the humans wounds, starting by sowing up the familiar looking bite in the cute human's shoulder. I try to push down the questions. The human definitely crossed a siren, ‘But they’re not supposed to attack humans that don’t know.’ I feel a tingle of hope that since he knows about us I wouldn’t be left alone at the house anymore. He has to heal too right? After the claw marks are cleaned and bandaged I finally ask the vet, “What happened.” 

“I’m gonna kill that siren.” 

I gasp, “You can’t!” The man just gives me a calming gesture, “You really tore the house apart while I was gone, huh?”

I blink and shamefully lower my head, “I’m sorry.” 

“I was being sarcastic.” The man lets out a soft sigh, “Don’t be sorry, it looks great, how are you feeling?” I sit on the cot as the vet checks my wounds,  he’s happy I’m letting him touch me again. I close my eyes leaning into the touch a little. Then blush as I find myself thinking about the kiss again.

“I don’t like being left here alone,” I confess, nodding my head to the still unconscious human, “Will he be staying while he recovers?”

The vet stops like he hasn’t considered what to do with him after he wakes up, “I don’t know, he…probably won’t want to see another mercreature so soon after.” He gestures to the wounds finishing the sentence.

I look at the human and then touch my face, “Do you think I could pass?”

The vet looks really tired, “Maybe if you wore some clothes.”

“Can you bring me some, I can practice on him when he wakes up.”

“What do you mean?”

“Passing as human so you will take me to the fish market like you promised?” I explain looking excitedly, innocently and nervously at the human. “You promised yesterday for today but I understand.” He leans back having obviously forgotten then touching his head he mumbles something. 

I reach out worrying and seeing his exhaustion suggest, “Maybe you should take a nap?” I pull him onto the cot as I stand.

He refuses at first and then sighs, “Okay, okay wait, I have to take care of my pets first and get you some clothes and will you watch over him while I sleep?” I nod eagerly. “Wake me up when he starts stirring okay?”

“Yes!” I responded eagerly. I watch the man get up slowly and hide behind the door as he takes care of Honey, scurrying up the ladder when he brings her in again to guard the place. The leash looked really thin and weak in comparison to her muscles, I don't trust it to actually hold her.

The man looks up at me, “Do you need to take a dip before getting dressed?” I shake my head, no. He nods and then after locking the study doors sits down on the cot and gestures for me to come over. 

“First this foot then the other, and the sweater goes on this way.” I bounce around in the clothing and he makes a hum of amusement. “You’ll have to wear the hood to hide your ears but it’s close enough.” He gestures to my face, “Just say you got modifications if anyone gets suspicious.” I approach him, eyes glittering with joy.

“I will guard you.” I promise sitting next to him on the cot and he lays back eyes closing against his will.

“I’ll trust you with that.” He says sleepily already out of it. 

I wait until he’s fully asleep then relaxing a little lay on his side he instinctively throws an arm over me. I don't know why but it gives me that warm feeling in my chest again. I watch the vet and human diligently and then suddenly I’m waking up. I look around panicked to make sure the siren didn't break in while I was out, the human is still dead asleep.

But the vet is looking up at me amused, “My savior whatever would I do without your guarding.” He says, his voice sounds like he’s been awake for a while but he didn’t disturb me. I pull the hood down over my face, ashamed of failing him. My ears burn. He sits up and pats my head, “It’s okay I prefer that you get plenty of rest with you recovering. Then he stops. He looks at my chest through the sweater. Getting quiet he gets up. I twist watching him confused. “Your wounds and his are really similar if not identical.” The man says slowly, “You didn’t just get hit by a boat, did you?”