“Who's my father?”

That was a question Mayumi asked so many times that the words no longer had real meaning to her. She was half American and half Japanese. She looked it too. She was the only one on the island who looked different. Everyone else was cookie cutter white. There wasn't even a black or Hispanic person living here. It was kind of disgusting to her. She wished there was more diversity. How in the world had her mother met a Japanese man so many years ago when her mother was born and grew up on the island, never to step one foot off of it? It did not make any since.

Her mom said she never left the island.

Mayumi was obviously her mother's daughter and obviously fifty percent Japanese. Her mother knew nothing about Asian culture, so in turn Mayumi also knew nothing about it. The island did not exactly have connection to the Internet. There was a library, but it was very outdated. Their schools were laughable, too. It was a wonder she even knew how to read and write.

“Well, at least it's peaceful here.”

Mayumi kicked off her flip flops and laid back on her bed. She shared a room with her little half sister. Gina was seven and looked just like her father, unfortunately for their mother who hated his guts for cheating on her and then leaving the island to go live with some blonde bimbo who had come here with a tour group. This all happened before Gina was born.

Luckily, the island did not get many tour groups. They were not even on any map. The people of this island had lived here for many, many generations. 

Glancing toward her window, she looked outside at the water that was lazily lapping at the beach. She smiled, dreaming of the creatures under the water. It was so fascinating to her that a whole different world was beneath the surface. Of course, everyone at the island warned people from getting in the water. The merfolk were said to be vicious.

Outside this little island, not many people knew of the merfolk's existence. The islanders had only grew into this knowledge one hundred years ago or so. When the news found it's way off the island, nobody ever believed it. Of course not, people were too close minded to believe merpeople were real.

It was a close guarded secret among the islanders though, because it was rumored that if you wanted to actually see a mermaid, the island was situated the best for the change. The islanders did not want to suddenly be on tourist radars. Getting the odd tour group once in fifty years was more than enough for them.

“But who could he be?” Mayumi asked herself, again coming back to the whole father issue. “It doesn't make sense. I've looked into the town records. Eighteen years ago, there was no tour group, so no possible way we'd have a Japanese visitor, and mom swears she never once left the island.”

She got out of bed, threw on a pair of pink jean shorts that showed off her tan legs, and a yellow bikini top, Mayumi grabbed her traveling back pack, putting in her flip flops, sunscreen and various other things she needed. Then she put on some socks and a pair of good tennis shoes. She would need these to help her climb the rocks that hid her secret place from the rest of the island. It was a good climb, but Mayumi had been doing it since she was little. 

How she even managed to find the secret place was a mystery to her. When she was four years old, she woke up with a bump on her forehead, already at the secret cove. It had beautiful white sand of the beach, and a cozy little cave. It had been the best thing she had ever seen. Rocks raised up all around it, only leaving a small area to get out to the sea. Not even a boat could come back here. She had worried at first about how she'd get home, but being an active child, she eventually realize she could climb the rocks.

She went there every day, hoping to see something magical. A mermaid.

When she climbed over the rocks this time, at first nothing looked out of place, but on a closer look, she noticed something on the beach, near the gap that went out to the ocean. It was the form of something. 

Mayumi fished her glasses out of her short pockets, hurriedly putting them on. Her vision cleared up and what she saw made her gasp, falling the rest of the way down the rocks. She didn't get hurt too badly, a scraped knee and scuffed up palms were the worst of it.

Her injuries were nothing compared to the mermaids.

Mermaid?

Yes, it really was a mermaid. 

Mayumi put her hands over her mouth and stared, her brown eyes wide and unbelieving.

“Oh my gosh.” 

She kicked off her shoes and socks and ran down the sand, until she was next to the passed out half fish, half human. She was tangled in a fishing net and had many bumps and bruises all over her, but she was breathing.

“Are you okay?” Mayumi set down next to the mermaid. “Please wake up.” Not sure what to do, she splashed a little of the sea water on the mermaid's face.