Merari

Two memories

"Babe." Justin smiled as he saw her that night. He was already used to her, showing up in his room at anytime he was alone so he wasn't surprised.

"Hey.. J." She smiled back.

"So.. what brings you over?"

"I do kinda need your help." She said

"Whatever is it?"

"Your dad is a doctor right?"

"Yeah?"

"Good. His hospital equipment and machines, where does he get them?"

"There's a company that supplies that.. it's owned by his bosses. So it's for free."

"What will it take me to get a few machines and stuff?"

"Just tell me what you need, when and where is should be delivered to?" He asked.

Mera then began to narrate and explain the things she needed. Justin stared with eyes and mouth wide open. What did she need all these things for?' he questioned himself.

"J? Are you listening to me?" Mera asked softly, rubbing his cheek. Justin's ears burned hot and red and her touch. Mera noticed and smiled to herself. Thankfully', she thought. 'not only me is being affected here.'

"Hm? Yes.. yeah. Umm.. what for?" He asked.

"Mm.. something secret." She winked.

Justin blushed but he rolled his eyes and turned his burning face away from her view.

Mera hugged him from behind. She felt his body tense on her touch and then he relaxed almost immediately.

"Mera.." he hummed. She could feel his back vibrate from the deepness of his voice.

"Hmm?"

"You're torturing me." He whispered.

"Hm.. how?"

"Your body is too soft. Makes me wanna turn you into my pillow and have you for me.. forever."

"Forever?"

"Yes.. forever." He answered.

"Hmm.. I kinda like the idea." Mera smiled at having her and Justin living in a small, cosy house with mini them running around. She smiled wider.

"Smiling?" Justin teased.

"Yeah.. just having weird thoughts about the future." She confessed. One thing about Mera was that she was very bold with her feelings. She didn't see the need to hide how she felt. So she would know if the feelings were worth keeping or not.

"Justin?"

"Hm?"

"Your childhood memories.. do you remember any bedtime story or anything like that?" She suddenly asked.

"Why?" He asked.

"Mm.. Zake told me about the story his father tells him. And the story is about me but he didn't know. His father and I are from the same place. So.."

'Zake? Man he's trying to steal my girl.' Justin thought. He didn't know Mera could hear this anxious thoughts. Mera smiled inwardly.

"Hmm.. it's quite blurry.. let me try to remember." He said while stroking his chin. Initially, he thought to lie but then he started having some faint memories. Like his memory was glitching and he saw himself underwater. He was half naked.. noo, he had tails.

His head started throbbing really bad.

"J?" Mera's distant voice came. He opened his eyes and everything he saw was blur. It was still as if he was underwater.

"Justin?!" Mera screamed. He couldn't hear her. He started shaking terribly. Mera got scared and quickly bolted to the garage with him in her arms. She drove to his father's hospital.

"Jeremy.. I. I don't know what happened to him.. we were just talking and he started shaking." She stuttered.

Jeremy took a look at Justin who laid still on the bed. His skin was red and it was very cold. Jeremy frowned. It didn't make sense. If his skin was red, he should be hot and not cold or his skin should be blue and not red.

Jeremy started carrying tests on him and found that he'd been having memory glitches.

"When did this start?" He asked Mera harshly.

"Not quite long. We were just discussing and he started shaking after I asked him a-" she paused as realization dawned on her. She brought him to the wrong place.

"What did you ask him?" Jeremy probbed.

Mera pursed her lips. She didn't think it'd resort to this but she had to. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, they were swirling with blue and silver. Jeremy was hypnotized and she willed him to forget their discussion from the start. Jeremy blinked and blinked again.

Mera then turned her eyes back to normal.

"Thank you Dr. He's fine now." Mera smiled.

Jeremy nodded and walked away. Mera carried him and teleported back to her house in Delhi hills. She realized she wouldn't need any machine anymore. She was more than capable

The house was a three bedroom apartment. Each room had its own toilet and bathroom. They were of the same size and color. They all had the same furniture. Three two-bunk beds on three corners of the wall. The fourth corner was the one leading to the toilet. It was only Mera's bedroom that had only one bed. She planned for her recruits to sleep in the rooms.. guys and girls.

She placed him on her bed and watched him for sometime. His brows knit together occasionally and she sighed, thinking of what he might be dreaming of. She decided to peep into his dreams. Just as she placed her palm on his forehead, she received a shock and pulled out immediately.

"J?" She called and his eyes fluttered open. Like magic, his skin returned back to their pale white color. She heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

"Meraaaa.." he croaked. "Water." He coughed dryly. Merari checked all her taps, there was no water. s**t!

She had to feed him from herself and that would mean from her mouth. She picked am empty bottle and pretended to drink from it while her mouth became full then, she bent her mouth over to Justin's. Parting his lips with her tongue, she let the liquid pour down to his throat.

Justin felt a warm liquid flowing down his throat and with time, he felt the pain reduce drastically. He felt all warm and very strong. His eyes immediately flew open as he felt something moving on his lips. It was Mera.. she was kissing him?

No, that's not it.

She was feeding him water from her mouth. Isn't that.. a little too embarrassing ah?

Justin kissed her back.

When Mera felt his lips move against hers, she opened her eyes to meet his own eyes staring back at her. She immediately pulled away.

Her face was red and hot. He just kissed her ah.

Justin was still staring.

"Don't stare at me that way." She blurted.

"What way?" He asked.

"Oh you know!" She said while turning to look away.

"I don't know." He replied still staring intensely at her. He's feeling suddenly strange and powerful. And he remembers a bit of his childhood. But it's double. There are two memories of him as a 5 year old.

"Well just stop looking at me in general." She huffed.

"Hm. Okay." He agreed and turned away. Mera then calmed herself down.

"What did you dream about?" She suddenly asked.

"Hm, it's confusing." Justin replied still looking up towards the ceiling.

"How?"

"I saw two memories." He answered.

"Two?"

"You mean like the memories of two persons?"

"Hm.. kind of." He shrugged.

"Kind of? Explain!"

"It was like I could see myself in two places. I can't understand." He shook his head.

"Try.. try to clear it up." She said. He furrowed his brows at her. "In your mind, I mean." She clarified.

Justin then closed his eyes and tried to make out to things he saw. A boy was standing in front of a birthday cake. A huge balloon 5 was floating above the cake. The boy was smiling sadly at his parents. His father was rubbing his shoulder and his mom was crying happily.

She was heavily pregnant. Then suddenly, his mother's face contorted in pain. Her water broke. She was on labour. The shrill sound of her voice sent little justin into a panick attack and he slumped. The next time he woke, he was in the hospital, staring at his dad.

For the next two years, that was all he ever did. Sleep for a few months and wake up, staring at his dad's sad face. Until he was 11 and he finally gave up.

But then there's another 5 year old who's marking his birthday. But this time, he's.. underwater? He has silvery blue tail as well. His father was beside him and his mother too. It was a very simple party but the king, queen and newly born princess had attended the ceremony. The king was smiling at something his father was saying. The queen and his mother were also talking together. The baby was given to him. She was a year old but little J could see her greyish gold eyes with her long and thick eyelashes. From then, he had been smitten. Her silvery-whitish-grey hair which was pretty long for her little figure was wrapped in a baby's hair net. J leaned down and pecked her forehead.

Series of awwns could be heard from all the guests. His ears turned red.

"Settled then! This fine young man shall be the husband of my daughter, Princess Aridialle." The king bellowed. Everyone clapped.

Suddenly, a royal guard ran forward and whispered something to the king's ears.

The king was just about to speak when they heard a blast. The queen quickly got the baby princess but before she could reach out to J, they found him.. gone. Everyone started to panick. But J could see himself being taken captive by some strange men.

They injected something to him and he fell asleep. For everytime he woke up, he felt so strange and he had legs. He could recognize some persons he was sure he had never met before. The worst part was that, he didn't remember anything about his time underwater. That was until he fell into a deep sleep. It was a mermaid's way of adapting to a new place. But because the changes were too much and too drastic, he had slept for 5 years. When he woke up, he knew he was human and did everything a human could do. Things he never thought he could do. But why? He didn't know.

Mera's eyes widened.

Was it possible that she was indeed betrothed?

And that Justin was also a mermaid like her? No wonder she feels home with him.

No wonder he was so good looking.

No wonder he wasn't an ordinary person.

But... If he didn't have the anklet, how did he have feet?

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

"Justin. You're.. you're like me!" She whispered.

"Like you? How?" He asked confused.

"We're the same. We're mermaids. Well you're a merman but still!" She said excitedly.

"I.. I don't.. I don't understand." He stuttered.

"Your dreams. The second one was your time underwater. We need to find out how your dad made you have legs instead of tail without this.." she showed him her anklet. "And how, he was able to put his 'probably dead' son's memory in your head."

"Are you saying that.." he trailed off. Was Jeremy not really his father? Sarah wasn't his mother? Jon and Kate weren't his siblings?

"Yes! Yes that's true! You're not related to them!" She answered full of smiles.

Justin's face fell. That wasn't something to be happy about.

"Hey... What's wrong?" Mera asked on seeing his expression. "It's not that hard to accept. They kidn*pped you and took you away from your real family. It's time to fight them back. Maybe not Jeremy and the rest because they've obviously treated you right. But.. we could use Jeremy to destroy the rest. That way, you can free him from the others and free yourself too." Mera explained calmly. Her voice and logic was so soothing that Justin calmed down.

"However, let's go check your powers!" She clapped excitedly.

It was already dawn and the sun was rising, giving the sky an orange hue.

"Okay.. most of our kind are usually super strong. But, when learning your powers, you have to learn to channel the right amount of energy so you do not pass out. Okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. Okay!" He replied. How hard could it be.

"I'll start by throwing simple rocks. They're heavy for others tho. So you've to break the rocks with just a punch. And before it hits you. You've to be fast and skillful. Alright?"

"Alright."

Mera punched a small part of the mountain which broke into bits of rocks. Justin stared in awe. Mera picked the smallest size of them and threw it at him. Justin saw it coming and just before it could reach him, he punched it.

Guess what?

It didn't break!

It hit him right it the face, breaking his nose.

"Ow!" He cried in pain. Mera giggled from her spot.