Tullulah was still trembling as she clutched the covers tightly. Her heart raced as her eyes darted about the room, reminding herself where she was. Eyeing the mermaid, Fletcher leaned in. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a panicked mermaid. It was quite common in his line of work, but that was to be expected when men are coming at them with harpoons. What has this preditor so disturbed?

"Who's Seth?" He asked again, as she started to settle realizing where she was.

Her voice came out shuddered as she shook off the last bit of her nightmare. "No one," with a shudder.

He peered at her through the darkness, "It doesn't seem that he's no one. What noxious creature could hold a sweet spot in a withered mermaid's heart?"

Tullulah's jaw tightened, "How dare you talk about him that way."

Fletcher chuckled, "How dare I? You forget, demon, what position I have over you. I let you sleep in this room as a thank you for the warning of the sea serpent but you are still my captive."

"I am not a demon!" she screamed when she jumped up from off the bed.

Fletcher stood to meet her and with heated warning said, "Watch yourself, mermaid."

Something glistened on the captain's the pale moonlight that spilled in through the porthole windows catching her attention. The key to her freedom dangled only a few steps away from her. In an instant, she dove for the key taking him completely by surprise. They both fell to the ground in a tangled fight. Tullulah grasped for the key but not before he rolled her onto her stomach. He pinned her to the floor and pulled her hands behind her. He called out for help and two men came to his aid with a set of cuffs. Once her hands were clasped, he pulled her up to a standing position.

"What are you doing?" She demanded.

"Take her back to her cell," Fletcher coldly told his men.

"No, I'm not going back there," she screamed knowing she didn't actually have any control over the situation.

The two men dragged her from the captain's quarters and back down to the cell. The smell of the sea serpent hung heavy in the air and turned her stomach.

The men threw her into the cell causing her to land on her shoulder and face.

"You're supposed to take the shackles off," she reminded then as she struggled to sit back up but the men let out a deep uncaring chuckle and closed the cell door.

With her hands behind her back, she couldn't find a comfortable way to sit or lay down. Her shoulders ached and a bruise started to form on her delicate cheek where she landed.

Tullulah laid on the ground and struggled to get her arms under buttocks and her legs threaded through. Once she did she ran to the bars and started shaking them and screaming until her voice and strength gave out. If she was forced to be uncomfortable all night she wasn't going to make it easy for the rest of the ship to sleep either.

The next morning the captain came down stopping in front of the door and staring at her.

"Congratulations, you kept the entire ship up half the night with your tantrum,"

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She glared at him but said nothing in return.

"Come with me, I have a gift for you," he told her.

As he approached her cell, she leerily backed away forcing him to step inside. Grabbing her by the arm, Fletcher dragged her up the stairs. When she got to the top she could see a group of men huddled around a struggling mermaid, her light pink tail thrashing against the nets as she tried to protect her swollen belly.

"Kai!" Tallulah's voice came out rough and hoarse from her midnight shrieking.

The struggling mermaid looked at her, "Tullulah? Tullulah, help me!" Kai called out in desperation.

Tallulah struggled against the captain's grip, "Let her go!"

Fletcher hugged her tightly to him, "I should have killed you the day we caught you, but by God, you will tell me what I want to know or so help me this will be your end," he hissed in her ear before nodding toward the crew. Fletcher grabbed her chin forcing her to watch as one of the crewmen quickly stabbed the mermaid through the heart.

"No!" Tallulah cried going weak in the knees. Her heart sank as her watch the life of Kai fade quickly from her eyes. Tullulah stood suddenly elbowing the captain in the gut knocking the wind out of him and quickly rushed to the dead mermaid's side.

With one shaky hand, she covered the gaping hole in Kai's chest and cradled the limp lifeless head in her other arm.

She wept bitter tearless cries. Her wails rang out across the ocean. The wind started to pick up rocking the ship back and forth.

Fletcher pulled her away from the body, "Do you see now? You mean nothing to us. You're just a means to an end so behave or the same thing will happen to you."

She turned on him with sheer hot rage. "You bastard." Tullulah stood up and started beating on the captain's chest crying out, "You monster! You killed her!"

"For someone who doesn't want to go back to her own kind you seem to care an awful lot about this random mermaid."

She cried harder and the sky darkened around them, "She was my sister!" Her eyes turned back to the lifeless body. A gaping hole of emptiness set in her chest as her body grew numb. She wanted to cry. She wanted to let the tears fall down her cheeks to feel some relief, but she refused to let Kai's death bring celebrations to these men. A cold bitterness grew within her, as the thought of the ships breaking apart and drowning all aboard gave her some satisfaction.

The ocean began to churn beneath them. Fletcher looked around to see his men watching the sky and stepping away from Tullulah in fear. The storm seemed to increase the more she got upset. Bobby couldn't take it anymore and grabbed a wooden rod that laid near him and knocked the mermaid out cold. The water stilled and the sky faded back to a calming blue.

"What did you do that for?" The captain growled as he knelt beside the unconscious mermaid and examined the bump on her head.

"Could you honestly not see what was going on? That devil was controlling the sea."

"Don't be ridiculous, we all know that isn't possible."

Fletcher cradled the limp mermaid's body in his arms.

"And yet," Bobby said, "there lays the mermaid out cold and the storm is nowhere to be found. I say let's kill her and be done with this already."

Fletcher noticed a few of the men nod in agreement with Bobby. He stepped closer to his first mate and warned him under his breath, "You're out of line, friend."

With that, he took the mermaid back to her cell and laid her on the floor before turning to his cabin.

Not long after he settled himself behind his desk Bobby barged in, "We need to talk."

Fletcher was still irritated with his small outburst on the deck but nodded.

"You are pushing the men too far with that mermaid. No one on this blasted ship can figure out why you are keeping her alive, including me," Bobby told him.

"I have already told you. I want to use her to get information about the Mer-Queen."

"And what information have you gotten so far?" Bobby asked challengingly

"I won't have you questioning my methods!" Fletcher's voice began to rise.

"I will question you, damn it! You are putting an entire ship at risk for your own pleasures. I see it in your eyes! Every time you look at that mermaid I see how she's completely enchanted you."

"That's absurd," he argued, "I care for her as much as I care for any other mermaid. They are all vile creatures that I can't stand you know that."

"Then kill her. Right now, prove to me that she doesn't mean anything to you and kill her. The next mermaid we capture we will use to get information out of but kill this one."

Anger stirred inside Fletcher. The thought of killing the mermaid turned his stomach. Fletcher jumped up and slammed his first down onto the desk, "I AM THE CAPTAIN! I don't have to prove anything to you!"

Bobby stood there quietly for a few moments before nodding, "You are the captain... for now."