(Y/N) POV:

"Y'know, I saw this really weird thing when I went out looking for those clothes." Jack turned his attention to Mark as he casually started a different conversation.

"There was a reaper leviathan swimming by the wreckage of the Aurora, and it looked like it had something stuck in its teeth." Jack said as he calmly took another bite of his food.

Mark stopped eating and looked up, clearly interested in what he was saying. I continued to play with my fork, pushing around the food before taking a bite of lantern fruit, only half listening to what he was saying. "Anyways, so I very cautiously drove the sea moth closer and realised that it was the fabric of an old swimsuit and that there was a human arm and hand coming from the reaper's mouth along with the fabric! And, even though this is suuuuper sad and the arm was slightly decomposed, it actually doesn't look too old! Mark, there could be other humans on this planet! What if we could work together to find a way home!"

I roughly stabbed my fork into the food on my plate, snapping to attention and immediately knowing that he was talking about the remains of the man who'd held me prisoner for so long. I'd killed him just like I did to all the other surviving humans from his ship. I certainly didn't need Jack, and I definitely didn't need Mark, to start snooping around and trying to figure out what happened.

As far as I was concerned, those humans killed my family and destroyed everything I had. They deserved to die. But I also had a hand in killing the other survivors of Mark's crew too.. and I wanted to kill him too. I honestly wouldn't even dream of killing him now! I love him too much and I'm grateful that things turned out the way they did! But... if he knew what I've done... what I was like... he- he'd never want to see me again.

Mark and Jack quickly looked up at me, surprised by my somewhat violent reaction to what Jack had said. Oh, if only they knew why....

"(Y/n) are you okay? I know, it's sad to hear that an animal killed someone.. but he's not in pain anymore! Besides, maybe if there are other humans we can work with them and I can take you to see our planet! Wouldn't that be so cool?!" That man deserved to be in pain for all the trauma he put me through! Mark gently held my hand as he tried to make me feel better and I smiled at him. The gesture was sweet, but I really don't want him or Jack looking into this. What if they discovered that I was the reason there weren't any other humans?!

"Oh, it's nothing! I was just... surprised is all! Umm.. but I can tell you that there definitely aren't any other humans on this planet besides you two! Trust me, I know. R-Remember Mark? How I once told you that the humans I'd seen after that first shipwreck just stopped showing up a long time ago? And.. well even if the remains are somewhat recent... wouldn't they just be from the Aurora? Maybe the animals are just scavenging around the crash site."

I lightly started to rub my thumb in little circles on his hand, smiling innocently and comfortingly up at him. His smile slightly dropped into a sad one as he nodded. "Yeah, I do remember you saying that... I was just.. hopeful I guess. But you're right. You've lived here your whole life so I'm sure you'd know wether or not if there were any humans still alive better than anybody. And, as disturbing as it might be about the scavenging, it wouldn't surprise me, after all it's just nature I guess..."

I softly nodded my head in understanding. "I know, it's gotta be so hard on you. But I promise I'll try to make you happy again!" I was about to hug him when Jack caught both our attention.

"(Y/n), you said that they all just stopped appearing a long time ago?" I knitted my eyebrows together in brief thought. What was he getting at? Jack might act dumb but I know he's not. "Um yeah. That's what I said. Weren't you listening? Gosh you're either going deaf or your attention span is even shorter than I realised!" I giggle and try to throw him off with a joke. It seemed to work on Mark as he snorted, but I wasn't so sure. He's a very smart man too, and since Jack didn't even bat an eye he probably wasn't distracted either, he just thought it was funny.

"But the arm I saw wasn't that old. He must've died around the time Mark's ship was first stranded here. That's not very long ago if you think about it. About two months I'd say, give or take. Besides, the colouring on the fabric didn't match the suits from Mark's expedition anyway. Mark and his crew are in blacks and greys, this suit looked like it was all white with blue, thus from a completely different expedition."

I put on a thoughtful face and acted like what he said confused me. I knew where he was going, he wanted to know if I knew anything about the humans. I just had to keep my cool and everything should be fine.... Right?

"Hmm maybe. After all, how would I know? I didn't see the arm. But I do know that I haven't seen any other humans than you two in a while. Maybe they live on one of the islands? Since I only lived in the water up until recently I've never really gotten to explore those. Maybe they thought the water and the predators in it were too dangerous and decided to stay away from the ocean altogether?"

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "In a while? I thought you said it was a long time ago. And besides, some of the predators in the waters here aren't that dangerous. They're a lot like the ones in our own ocean actually, just with different characteristics. Me and mark are in the water almost daily, and we don't have any trouble. I wonder what could have been so dangerous to them?"

He knitted his eyebrows and started to take a bite of food. His fluff of green hair hid his face from mark, but I could see his now cold blue eyes analysing me. He looked at me the way he'd looked at Darkiplier when he suspected that Mark wasn't himself.

I was squirming on the inside, and wanted to leave immediately. My hand that was holding Mark's started to get clammy. I tried to keep my innocent facade going, and kept a worried face. Why was he so insistent? He seemed just fine earlier!

"Wh-what Are you saying Jack?" I tried to make my voice sound really confused and a little upset. "I'm saying that the ocean here is almost exactly like ours in the way it's sea life behaves. Thus, the humans that once lived here would most likely be able to cope unless... something really dangerous had killed a lot of them. After all, a lot of the food and materials we need to survive can only be found in the ocean. They'd have to go in for one thing or another eventually, it's highly unlikely that you just "didn't see" any of them considering the water was your home."

I knew Mark could feel me tense up, but I couldn't stop myself from doing so. Shit! Shit! Shit! Jack knew he was on to something! He knew I had something to do with the absence of humans on this planet.

I put on a hurt look and forced tears to come to my eyes. Mark noticed and instantly jumped to my defence. "Jack, that's enough! She obviously doesn't know anything and you're hurting her! So there might not be any other humans, that doesn't mean you and I can't search for clues on our own! Besides, (Y/n) has nothing to do with any of this, so please just apologise and stop acting like you're accusing her. I mean, you already walked in on us this morning, isn't that enough? Why are you insisting on upsetting her?"

I felt.. so ashamed and guilty for lying to him, but... he couldn't know! He'd hate me! He'd leave me! I-I couldn't stand the thought of losing the man I love too! I hated using Mark to shut Jack up, but it was the only way! Jack knew I was hiding something, and the only way out of his little interrogation was to hide behind my man.

"What happened, (Y/n)? Who were they so afraid of? Was it the reapers? The sand sharks? The stalkers? The warpers? Who?!" He started listing some of the well known predators of my planet and slammed his fist on the table as he stood up. The fact that he'd started using the term "who" rather than "what" told me he thought I knew or had something to do with it.

"Jack! That's enough! Just calm down!"  Mark tightened his hand that was wrapped around mine. I started getting nervous. "I-I don't know who!! M-maybe the humans angered the sea life by being here! Maybe they killed each other, or starved to death! I DON'T KNOW!!!"

His blue eyes sparkled with determination as he continued to dig. It was getting harder to hide my nerves and slight anger now. Why couldn't he just drop it?!

"Oh-ho! Angered the sea life, did they now? In what way could they possibly have done that and then all have died off because of it? Mark and I have done more than they ever did and we're perfectly fine! Besides that, they're animals! They don't behave like we do and therefore wouldn't hold any grudges against the humans even if they did upset them!"

"God, what came over you Jack?! Everything was fine, we were happy, we were okay. Why do you insist on hurting me? This isn't like you, why are you so cruel all the sudden? Did I upset you by sleeping with Mark? I know it was embarrassing to-" "That's not the point and you know it. I'm not trying to hurt anyone, but you reacted in such a way that I HAVE to know. Stop dodging it." I now stood up, angry tears in my burning (e/c) eyes.

Jack didn't know anything about what those humans cost me! About how much they took from me! What that man had done to me!

"You don't 'HAVE TO KNOW' anything! There's nothing TO KNOW!!" Little Flecks of snow began to swirl around me. "Really?! Nothing?! Fine then!" He reaches behind him, digging into his back pocket. "Here, I'm sure all these reports were really just a bunch of fan fictions for the survivors to read while they waited to die!" He slammed down his tablet and started scrolling through files, reading out bits from each one.

"While I was out I decided to do a little exploring- I found these logs in the remains of the previous expedition. Why don't we all take a look??!" My face paled as he began to read.

"It's her, it's the beast! She's dragging us under and leading the monsters of the deep right to us!"

"That blasted sea witch is cutting off our power supply! She's freezing us to death with her ice and burning our food with her fire!"

"I was lucky to make it to this escape pod! But every time I see that (f/c) tail.. I know I'm losing another friend..."

"The (h/c) haired mermaid was back again today... she got Mattie and Alfred this time... Arthur and Francis, they're broken. We can all still hear their last screams... we're going to die too aren't we."

"Blood. There's so much blood in the water. I need to look for food, but I know if I go back in, I won't come out."

"What do you have to say about that?!" "T-there are other mermaids!! It's a huge planet!! I- I don't-!"
"This one's the last!"

"There's no one left... I'm alone... she killed them all. If it's the last thing I do, I will catch that girl. If anyone finds this, if there's ever another expedition, or if they finally find a way to read our logs... Beware. If you see a (e/c) eyed, (h/c) haired, (s/c) coloured mermaid- STAY AWAY!! She's cunning and evil, and she'll kill you too. I'm not going down without a fight."

"What do you have to say now, (Y/n)?" I took a step back from him. Flashes of the pain and torture I endured from that man swirled in my head. His face, his angry voice, the feel of his knife cutting my skin.. I wanted to puke. I started breathing heavy and my legs almost gave out. I held myself up on the table. A patch of ice immediately covered the part that I touched. And then... rage. White, searing, boiling, rage. The ice on the table started to melt, as smoke came from under my hand.

Mark looked like he was about to say something else to jack but I'd already cut him off, with my angry retort. "You know NOTHING! They- they destroyed homes! Killed off the surrounding wildlife! They brought nothing but destruction and despair everywhere they went! Isn't it obvious that the animals would strike back?! The poor things just wanted their homes back the way they were! They  wanted their families back! Maybe the humans deserved it?!! Maybe that mermaid was only trying to save what was left of her home?! Maybe she was just scared and angry because she lost everything and had to helplessly watch as everyone she loved died?!!"

Jack smirked at me for a split second as Mark was shocked by my outburst. I knew what Jack was silently saying to me with that look, "I've caught you!" .

My face paled as my boldness deflated and I shakily took another step back. You could see the burning handprint I left on the table. Ice patches formed on the ground by my feet as the snow got heavier.

He'd done it, he'd worked me up until I said too much.

I looked over at Mark, my angry tears blurred my vision but I could still see the shock and slight confusion on his face. I knew in that moment, that a seed of doubt was planted in his head. He was probably wondering, '(Y/n), baby, what did you do?' .

I tried desperately to get out of this situation. "M-Mark, Jack I.. I didn't mean to word it like that."

"Oh, I think you did (Y/n). I think you know something that you're not telling us! What did they do to you? What did our kind do to you that made you think it okay to kill them all off?!"

That was it. Jack had finally said it. I looked to Mark for help but he just looked back at me. His big brown eyes that I loved so much were pleading with me to tell him that this was all a sick joke. One big set up just to freak him out. I felt helpless as the hot tears rolled down my cheeks. I looked at my feet, and felt an overwhelming wave of sadness and anger.

"...You really want to know..." I said to jack in a low, shaking, barely audible voice before slowly looking up to meet him in the eyes. My own (e/c) orbs seemed to burn into his blue ones, and he seemed to know he'd hit a nerve as he nervously began to back down. "... why they deserved to die....?" He swallowed hard but nervously nodded his head, not daring to break eye contact.

"M-Mark and I have a right to know." I stared at him a little longer as I got more and more angry and depressed all at once. I could feel the storm cloud of magic inside me bubbling, churning, itching to burst out. I then looked at Mark, he seemed so heartbroken and it hurt to know that it was because of me. I looked back at Jack, unable to take any more of Mark's clear disappointment and hurt.

"It was your kind that destroyed my family. They killed my entire community with their damned ship, and anyone who survived was killed off by the radiation or their stupid escape pods malfunctioning! I-I WAS JUST A LITTLE GIRL!!! I watched as EVERYONE and EVERYTHING I knew was completely obliterated by your people!!! I.. I could see my family in the rubble!! I WATCHED THEM BLEED OUT!! I SAW THEIR CRUSHED BODIES!!! I'LL NEVER GET TO SEE THEM AGAIN!!!" Spurts of fire began to shout out from my clenched fists. "The last memory I'll ever have of them is of their mutilated bodies and of how I couldn't even dig them out of the rubble of our own home!! I-I was only a child... I lost... everything" the fire began to die down as my snow and ice really began to take over.

"..... if those humans had never come, I could still see my big brother! I could still... feel.. my mothers warmth. See my fathers face... comfort my little sister.... They killed everyone.. and left a little girl.. to choke in her own family's blood.. and cry out for them until her throat burned, never to hear them call back..... Didn't they deserve to die too?"

I had fallen to my knees, wrecked with grief stricken sobs. All the anger drained away until all I could feel was a numbing sadness. There was no more fire, but I was in my own miniature blizzard. I felt cold and hollow on the inside, as the tears cascaded down my face.

"(B/n).... (S/n) .... mommy... daddy... anyone... help me... please... I called out those words for hours until I couldn't even speak. I tried for the next week to fight off the wild life that wanted to eat their remains, and nobody came to help me! Because they were all DEAD! So, as I sat alone, surrounded by the death and destruction of everything and everyone I knew and loved ... I made a vow to get revenge for my family. I'd kill off all of their people, just as they killed off all of mine...."

I was still crying but the anger had returned. I couldn't describe the look on either mans face.
"(Y/n).." Jack tried to speak up but couldn't. All he did was fuel my emotions.

"Oh! Hahaha! And once I was finally capable of being on my own... once little (Y/n) had finally found a little bit of happiness...? Do you know what happened then?! Hmm?! You wanna guess?!" I glared at Jack again before sadly looking at Mark.

"I bet you know Mark... you remember the collar.. right? You remember.. that I have scars from a knife on my body.. right?" I said to him in a voice that was barely above a whisper as I touched one of the faint scars on my (s/c) skin.

His sad chocolate brown eyes looked up to meet my eyes as he placed a shaking hand over his mouth. He knew. I know he did, and it killed me to see him like this because of me. I was causing him so much pain. He... he didn't deserve this. But I couldn't stop myself. I'd already told them everything else, they deserved to know the rest.

"That's right. That man... the one from that final report! That.. that human captured me. He forced me to wear a collar that would electrocute me if I ever used my magic or tried to escape. He.. he'd cut me just to get out his anger.... he kept me in a filthy fish tank for nine years!! NINE YEARS!!! EVERY DAY HE'D STAB OR HIT ME!! Every day.. he'd.. touch me.... I could barely breathe, I was broken both mentally and physically..... I wanted.. to die. I just wanted to be with my family, I wanted to escape his torment and torture. I was empty. Until... you crashed here... and gave me the out I needed to escape and kill the man who'd hurt me for so long."

My blizzard had stopped now. There was nothing, the room was just how I felt, hollow and empty, and tired. So, very, tired.

"That arm you found, Jack? That was his."

I looked up and tried to figure out what they were thinking, but both their faces held no emotion.

"You probably think I'm cruel, right? But let me tell you something. After I'd lost everything, I killed the humans by leading the animals to attack them. Their deaths were so quick that they didn't even know what happened, and their remains would go back to the ecosystem to help my planet recover from their ship wreck.
That's, what I did when I got my revenge. But what did the human do? He trapped me in a filthy tank for years, mentally and physically abusing me in a slow torture that'd last until he died. The revenge I wanted gave quick deaths that only lasted minutes. The revenge the human wanted gave a slow, torturous, death to the mind and body of his victim that lasted years.
Hahaha!! He-He didn't even know his crew mates, and that was the punishment he deemed worthy for me! I lost my family, my home, my entire community! And yet I still I wanted my victims deaths to be over quickly.
I-I didn't want.. them to suffer..."

I stood from my place on the floor, refusing to look at them. Their silence bore into me like a thousand knives.

"I believe.. I've explained myself enough. I'm... truly sorry that you found out this way. But I will tell you one thing.... Thank you. I know it seems insincere after everything I've done, but I truly mean it. You two have shown me that.. not all humans are bad. Really, I owe a lot of the person I am today to you, Mark. You, my love, have shown me so many wonderful things, and I owe you my life. I know you... you probably don't want to hear me say this right know but, well, I love you. I always will. Heh, you're the one human who changed my world! You've given me hope, happiness, and love, when all I wanted was to die. You've let me become someone that's so much better than the angry, revenge crazed, lunatic I was before. You've given me a second chance that I never knew I'd get. You and Jack have made me realise that humans can be wonderful creatures! I-It kills me to see that what you know about me now hurts you like this. So I'm sorry. I truly am. You.. probably don't want to see me again. I.. understand! I.. I love you Mark!! G-good bye! I h-hope.. you c-can find a way.. h-home!"

With that I smiled at him with tears running down my face. Then, I turned away and ran for the moon pool. Once I got to it's edge I began to strip off the clothes I was given. The boxers were the first to go and I hesitated before I started unbuttoning the flannel. This was our flannel, and I was saying goodbye. I knew once I'd completely removed it that there was no going back. I tightly hugged it to my chest and slowly brought it to my face and gave it a kiss. My tears had soaked the fabric once I'd pulled it away.

This was my goodbye kiss to him. My goodbye hug. I'd never feel his warmth again, and it broke my heart. I began to sob as I gently laid the flannel on the floor. I slowly and shakily stood and walked to the edge of the water. With one last sob, I dove into the cold ocean waters of my home and felt the familiar fizzing of my tail returning.

I pushed myself to swim away faster than I'd ever done before. Bobbing and weaving until I'd found that I'd ended up in the Mushroom Forest.

It was funny, all those years ago I'd come here when I was sad. And now, even when I'm grown, this is still the place I turn to. I found the deepest and darkest part I could and decided to stay there. I curled into a tight little ball and began to cry even more. The water around me swirled with all my ice and fire magic, creating an underwater storm.