8 - The Merman

Kathlee

There's this show on BBC about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost that live together in the same house and try to pass off as normal humans for a while. When I saw Killian in the restaurant, it reminded me of that show. Except in this case it's a merman, a vampire, a who-knows-what, and a pregnant chick that live in the same house. Things just couldn't get any weirder.
Or could they?
I don't think I'm far from it being that way. I think eventually, I'm going to be the queen of mythological creatures or something because everyone seems to just reveal themselves around me… I hope Killian wasn't a vampire because I couldn't handle something like that…

As Killian drug me to the car, I couldn't help but notice his skin was rippling, like there was something crawling under it. He held my arm tightly, which hurt a lot, but I finally got out of his grip, which made him stop.
"What is going on? Killian!"
"Just… just get in the car. Drive me home…" he answered in that weird voice again.
He stumbled around the car and into the passenger seat as I opened the driver side door. I adjusted the seat and then turned the car on as Killian sort of curled up next to the door.
"Killian, you have to give me some answers, here. What was that in there? What are you?"
"It's hard to explain…" he said softly as his body shook.
His skin was still crawling like ants were under him but whatever had happened from before was gone.
"Please try…"
"I can't. You'd never believe me."
"If I can believe that your little brother is a merman, then I can believe whatever is happening here. Please tell me something…"
He swallowed and lolled his head to me.
"I'm not human. That's all you need to know."
"So you're a vampire or something?"
"No… Just… not human anymore… turn here." he said to the side street.
I turned and found the house. I helped him out of the car, grabbing the sonogram tape, and got him to the front door. I opened the door with my key and Toph looked up from watching racing.
"What happened?" he asked as he waltzed over to get Killian from me.
"He went all vampire on some of my former acquaintances and now I don't know what's going on."
Toph helped him to his room and I sighed, plopping gently on the couch and kneading my forehead. How much more things could I handle?

About an hour or so after I brought Killian home, Toph came back into the living room and sat next to me.
"Killian's fine now. He just needs some rest."
"Toph, what was that? He was so strange looking and he growled and the rippling…"
"Killian will have to explain it. He doesn't like to tell me and Joe very much when it comes to that."
"But what is he?"
"Well, it's not what he is but more like what he will become."
"And that is?"
"Killian will have to explain. If I or Joe tells you, it sounds weird. Killian can tell you in greater detail and understanding… Right now, I think you just need to deal with Joe and what he is. Killian can come later."
"How is Joe?"
"He's fine. He just woke up; he'll be out here in a moment to explain. Did you get a tape?"
"Yeah… We didn't find out the sex but it's healthy. The doctor said that next time we should be able to see."
"Cool."
"This still doesn't excuse the explanations you guys owe me."
"Never… Let me get Joe so he can come watch the tape."
He got up and went to go get Joe.
I sighed and looked around for a moment. Things have certainly gotten out of hand ever since I got here… I heard the back door open and Helga hum her way into the living room.
"Hello. I hear you get baby scan today. How it go?" she asked.
"It went well… It's what happened after that we had the problem." I mumbled.
"What happened?" she asked, her face frowning even deeper.
"Something happened with Killian at a restaurant. I got him home and he's sleeping whatever happened off but he told me that he wasn't human… Helga, what is going on with these guys?"
Helga sighed angrily and set her purse down. She just walked to Killian's room, passing Joe and Toph on the way out.
"I wanna see the baby." Joe said jovially.
He tried to snatch the tape from me but I got it from him faster.
"I'll let you see it when you tell me how you became a merman."
Joe sighed, adjusting his glasses as he sat down on the love seat and Toph beside me.
"I had a feeling you wouldn't let that go… Okay… There is legend that says that if you are saved by a merperson then you'll become one yourself. The merpeople are a fickle bunch and only like the young and pretty to become one of them.
"All my life, I had never been able to swim. I was just horrible at it and never learned to do anything productive, save doggy paddling. Well, about five years ago, the three of us were on our boat out in the ocean and I was sitting on the railing of it. Well, after we had fished for a little while, Killian started up the boat and zoomed off. Since I was on the railing in the back, when he took off, the wind threw me back and I fell into the water. Thereupon, I was saved by a mermaid.
"The merpeople, as I said before, are very fickle when it comes to those they save. When they see someone drowning, there are one of two things they can do. They will either save the individual just like any other person would or they can kiss them. If they kiss the person, they will, in turn, turn into a merperson. And I think you know the rest."
"I do but I'd like to hear what else was involved."
"Aw, Kathlee…"
"I won't show you the tape…" I sang, holding up the tape.
Joe sighed and kneaded his forehead.
"Well, the mermaid saved me and I was taken back home. The changing process was painful because it was on a cellular level. The cells in my body had to readjust and even develop new cells for when I got scales and everything. They were modified to have a sensitivity to water and thus have the change occur. It took about a week and I was always cold and thirsty. That's about all I can tell you."
"Answer this next question and I'll let you watch the video."
"Okay."
"If you three are supposed to be triplets and all, how come you and Killian look so much younger than Toph?"
"Well, my end is easier." Joe got up and took down a picture from their TV display case and scooted in between me and Toph. "This is the three of us on the boat an hour before I fell in."
I looked at the picture, marveling at the fact that all three of them looked the same age. I recognized Joe, of course, because of the glasses on the left.
"I guess this is Killian, here on the far right, right?" I said, pointing to the one who looked angry.
"Actually, that's me." Toph said, turning the frame to look. "That is Killian."
I stared hard at the triplet in the middle of the two, smiling the brightest with the most joy on his face. It was so different from the Killian I know.
"Really?" I asked. "I would have never guessed. He's so happy."
"Yeah. It was after my encounter with the mermaid that changed Killian a lot. But anyway, the reason I still look like this is because the stuff that makes me a merman hinders my aging process. I mean, the merpeople do  age, but they have they're own way of aging.  I'll be alive for a long time."
"I see… and Killian?"
Joe looked at the picture of the three of them and his eyes went downcast.
"What he is… is becoming, makes him… revert, I guess is the word."
"You have to know what's going on to get the full answer. But Killian was only twenty-three when everything happened to him. When things don't go right, his body reverts." Toph explained a little more.
"Like anti-aging or de-aging or something?"
"Yeah."
Merpeople I could handle but that sort of stuff was off the wall and weird. I guess I'd have to hear the whole story like they said but I wanted to understand all this nonsense…
"So, what are you, Christopher?"
"Me? Oh, I'm all human. The only one besides you, so it seems."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Can we see Speckers now?" Joe asked, setting the picture on the table in front of us.
"Yeah, sure."
I handed him the tape and he went to go put it in. I picked up the picture again and stared at it. What happened to you, Killian?