LC Satusi Prologue

Part 1

It was dark… Cold… Cold…?

I felt cold sand underneath my skin and my scales. So strange – my scales felt nothing like they should…
   Slowly I opened my eyes, seeing… shore. Shore. I clumsily sat up.

A moment – then my memory caught up with me. The ritual. My mission. And – I stared. I had seen them on so many humans so far, but to see – to feel – them now on myself… Legs. I had legs.
  It was still dark out, the white sand all around me. I had awoken here, at this beach – I knew where I was. I took a moment, maybe few, to collect myself, staring at my new legs, at the shoreline.
   My new legs were like those of a human’s, but mine were still covered with scales, the same dark blue ones as previously on my tail. My skin, my hair were still the same blue as always, and I knew my white eyes were still the same as well. Legs though – I truly had those, the ritual had worked. It had worked.
   I breathed deep, several times, trying to get accustomed to my, rather dire, situation. I had legs. They felt quite clumsy too, and I shifted slightly, trying to get a feel of them. Humans made standing, walking and running all seem so easy…

It took me a few tries, but I managed to get up, and to stay up. I touched one of my legs hesitantly – I truly had legs… Covered in scales but still. It was astounding.
   Balancing took more trying than I had thought, but I had to master this as soon as I could. My head still felt hazy from the ritual, from all of the changed surroundings… I pressed my hand against my head, trying to ward off the strange feel. It wasn’t quite headache, but still… Maybe already some strange new human side of mine making itself known.
   I shifted. I couldn’t hear or see any signs of the sirens who had brought me here. Maybe it was better that way – I had to hold myself concentrated, and it’s not like they could’ve followed me any further.

I counted my breathing for a moment or few, feeling so strangely different now with two legs instead of a tail. In water moving was so weightless compared to this… The balancing felt a little better the longer I stayed up, and it made me feel more relieved.
   I could see quite clearly in the dark – a part of my siren heritage, as dark was where we lived…
   So much changed, and so quick! I could hardly comprehend this was my reality. And to think my blood would have to run through ten generations for to be able to go back to the water for good…
   I bit my lip, considering. I’d still change in the water. I felt like if I’d get there in now, I might not have the nerves to work out my legs for a second time. No, I should figure my way from here now, not run straight to what felt safe. That wasn’t the mission.

I watched the wooden poles the beach had, part of an old pier I assumed. Or something. At this time there were no other signs of life on the beach, which was probably safest.

I turned to look at where the civilization of this place was. I had seen a sign on a map once. This city was called Sunset Valley. A lovely name, I must admit. Maybe I could make myself a home here after all.

The colours alone were so much more breathtaking than deep in our dark waters… I felt slightest smile form on my face as I saw the red trees, the white mountain caps… Still, I also felt more alone than ever. I was completely on my own here now, and no matter how much I had studied humans, this was still strange change.
   Slowly and still mindfully of my new legs, I walked through the beach, every step taking me further from the ocean than I ever had been, and closer to human civilization.

I stared, seeing such strange materials closer than I ever had before. Asphalt, I was pretty sure it was called. The human dwellings – houses – all looked so… different, compared to our caverns. Though surely the purpose was the same; shelter.

I started to slowly get used to the feeling of walking, and I also realized I still felt cold. It was unusual feeling. In the water, with the scales, I could take cold much more, but here skin felt more a little more sensitive. Still, only a little. Though I had seen humans almost only wearing clothing. I should find some myself. Having only scales covering me maybe wasn’t the most safest option. I’d need clothes.

And I found some fairly soon, hung over one house’s fencing. I was aware I wasn’t starting my journey to being half-human in the most honest way, but I had to get clothes, and rather sooner than later.
   Besides, I was pretty sure I knew why the simple shorts and a shirt were left outside; they were very worn, the shirt had more than few rips on it. Maybe they had been about to be thrown away.

I hurried away from the house, more to the streets, staring at anything and everything. I could only imagine the meaning of some of the buildings, unsure what they were all meant for. I felt so small in the midst of it all. It was so silent, so vacant. What would I do when I’d see humans for the first time so close? I wasn’t sure.

I stopped by an impressive building that had great pillars. I had seen underwater pillars like that from sites where ancient human civilizations had been, before they had sunken.

I came across a water fountain and I had to sit down to rest my tired legs, listening to the soothing sound of the familiar water. I still had so much to figure out. Such as where to go, what to do. All of it, really.

I got up after some time, starting to wander around again, making mental map from this place to myself. I felt safer in the dark, my eyes well adjusted to it, but it was slowly starting to be lighter, the sky shifting colour.
   That reddish light looked so pretty it distracted me momentarily from the fact that it also woke up humans here. Signs of strangers started to show up.

I got on the move myself again, starting to feel more stressed about all the things I had to sort out as soon as possible. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about interacting with people, no matter how much I had studied their kind so far.

I saw some of those metal boxes from close for the first time, and they were terrifying. It also became clear there were places only they were allowed to be go and I tried to make sense of the signs to see where it was safe to walk. Human world could be so confusing…

Narrower pathways at least were safer from those non-sentient beasts, and I wandered in the midst of the red trees, my mind occasionally slipping back home to the water, thinking if the others were worried about me or having second thoughts. I tried not to have any. It’s not like I was completely cut off from the water anyway – it’d simply be different. Half-life on both sides, in a way.
   All my concentration was captured when people started to cross my path. Humans. I had never been so close to them, not really – not in a way they were aware of. They looked so curious up close. So similar, yet so different.

 

One man approached me after many having openly stared, seemingly finding my blue skin strange to stare at. He introduced himself as Saeger, straight away commenting how I couldn’t be from around here.

“I’m not sure what you mean”, I said, staying on my guard, having strange, mixed feelings about this man. I felt like I couldn't read humans as well as my own kin - how different could we be with communication, in the end?

   “May I ask your name?” The human man inquired.
“Sisu”, I answered, still unsure about the situation. The man smiled slightly.
   “I mean not to come across as strange, Sisu. I was simply concerned when I saw you, you catch some eyes if you won’t mind me saying so”, Saeger commented, looking at the scales on my legs. I tried not to show any signs of being uncomfortable.
   “It’s simply a skin condition”, I told him. I looked like a human in all the ways but that, after all… Surely it was enough.
   Saeger continued to ask questions, such as where I was working or how long I had been in the city, and I answered not too openly, not too closed to be suspicious. Or so I hoped. Half the time I wasn't sure what to say to not sound off. He soon said he couldn’t stay longer, but handed me a paper with a number and a sign of ‘Outlanders’ on it, telling me they’d help me if it’d come to it. Come to what, that he didn’t tell me.
   My mind was circling with such an odd conversation when I left, heading to the City Hall where Saeger had said I could get myself a place to stay if I mentioned the Outlanders and claimed to be one of them myself.

I was sure somewhere to stay should be one of my first priorities, and though I wasn’t sure if it was safe to trust stranger’s words, I also had no other leads on how to acquire a place for myself. Saeger had mentioned something about ‘money’ which was definitely something I didn’t possess, but what seemed important.
   City Hall ended up being the same building with the pillars, the one I had already crossed paths with. Only this time there were people in front of it, a crowd seemingly shouting about something, as if they were complaining. Protesting?

“We have the same right to live as the others!” One woman shouted out, rising more voices from the crowd. I tried to stay in the sidelines, but more open staring occurred, some making motions at me and calling out.
   “What’s wrong with your skin?”
“Is that girl blue?”
   “Must be one of those types…”
I didn’t know what half of the things that were said meant – what types? – but I couldn’t care now, I had to find myself a safe shelter. I couldn’t exactly continue wandering around. My legs were already tired, and I still needed to get used to all the light, and all of the countless changes…
   I slipped inside of the impressive building. Saeger had said all of the most important decisions for the City were made here. That they wanted more of their own inside to work, to help all of them. That I might be a candidate for that. He hadn’t told me what he had meant with that, only that he’d told me more when the time was right. I wasn’t sure what it all meant; was I not the only non-human out here?

I was feeling all the more off-put when I hurried out of the building, wanting to get away from here as fast as I could. It was now raining outside, but I definitely didn’t mind the water, on the opposite.
   I ran my hands through my hair as I thought of what had happened back inside. I had managed to get myself ‘a site’ as the mayor had called it. Mayor was the chief of this city’s humans. He had ‘sold’ it to me on the condition I wouldn’t accept any work from the City Hall even if opportunity came. I had hesitated at first, Saeger’s words still in my mind, but when the man had started threatening me and added I’d get the site for nothing in return, I had had to agree to his conditions. I couldn’t help but think it seemed more and more likely that there would always be humans here who’d have it out for me and my descendants.

By the time I arrived at my site, rain had brought mists with it. Human guardian, a police they were called, brought me there with one of the metal box beasts, cars, commanded by the mayor. The man made my skin crawl – and the whole travel he didn’t stop talking about my skin, commenting the colour of it and the scales non-stop. I couldn’t have been more relieved once I got to step outside of the car-thing, definitely not liking that any more than it’s owner.
   For few moments there I had thought all kinds of bad scenarios could happen to me here, but it also seemed as if my looks shielded me somewhat. The policeman had said I had already attracted a lot of attention. It sounded as bad in my mind as it sounded from him.

I was absolutely exhausted, finally feeling like I could act like it once I was left on my own. I could see the lighthouse from the site, the ocean. My old home. It felt safe to have the ocean so close to my ‘backyard’.
   I stepped inside after having few moments outside, savouring the scent rain brought – it was definitely a reminder of the things that were good on land, and what I should be concentrating upon more.

My little house was not much, but it seemed to have all I needed. A small space for cleaning, for sleeping. A small bed as well. My legs were pretty painful after all day of moving, and I was relieved to sit down on something soft.
   The day kept circling in my mind – I had so much more questions than I had dared to think. How much of a threat was my skin colour going to be to me? Not to mention my scales…
   At least I had some shelter… I needed sleep, then tomorrow I’d continue figuring this out. I had to find some work, so I could have some of that currency, which I could buy things like food with. I hid the little paper Saeger had given to me under the bed, unsure what to do with it, but he had given the impression he might have more answers that I might dare to ask.

Outside, water was starting to pool on the ground, and I settled on the bed, my legs aching as was my head. I closed my eyes, slowly drifting off, my last thoughts being if I might not make it with my mission after all…