Just as Jeff was about to move Oscar to tell him what had happened, Oscar saw Mer lock onto Trent. He beelined it to the merman just as Mer was about to claw into Trent's neck from behind. They grappled for a moment and Mer made a noise that sounded like a bird, prompting Trent to look at them. He lifted an eyebrow.

"What are you guys doing?"

Mer literally growled at Trent and Oscar threw his hand over his mouth.

"We're playing a game."

Trent gave them a confused look. "What kind of game?"

The one where the merman doesn't slice out your jugular vein and you die bleeding in a heap on the floor! "Charades."

Kyle blinked at them as Mer growled underneath Oscar's hand, glaring at Trent with malicious intent. Kyle cleared her throat and walked over to the tank on the bar, grabbing some tongs that were in the large utensil holder by the stove.

"You must be Mer, right?" Kyle said. Mer turned to look at her and she lifted up the mesh covering for the crabs. "I heard you wanted some crabs?" Mer watched her for a moment as she used the tong and snagged a crab. "I got these especially for you and you're not gonna even try 'em?"

Mer was at a crossroads. He wanted the crab but he also really wanted to hurt Trent. Food won out, and he licked Oscar's hand to get him to let him go. Oscar let him go and Mer walked over to the crab. It had it's pinchers out, ready to defend, but it didn't stop Mer from grabbing it. He swung the crab into the side of the bar with a THWACK ! and the crab went limp. He snapped the crab clean in two and ripped off a leg, eating it shell and all.

All watching made a face and Trent lifted his top lip. "What the hell is up with that guy?"

"Trent, you need to leave."

"What? Why? I just got here."

"You weren't even invited." Oscar hissed.

"Yes, I was. Jeff invited me."

"No I didn't!" Jeff growled, coming into the kitchen. "All I said was that I was going to a party at Oscar's house and that's all. I didn't invite you."

"You said 'see you there'."

"I said, 'see you later'. Get hearing aids." Jeff snapped.

The three of them argued while Kyle watched Mer in fascination.

"Sooo..." Mer looked at her, still crunching the crab. "Oscar says you're actually a merman." Mer nodded. "That's pretty cool. Why do you have legs then? Do they just do that when you're on land?"

Mer took out his phone and typed into it.

HOO R U?

"I'm Kyle; I'm the one who patched Oscar up after you bit him."

Mer nodded and typed again. O... NO, I DO NOT GET LEGS WEN I CUM ON SHOR. I HAF TO BY THEM.

"Buy them? Never heard of that." Mer shrugged. "So, you and Trent... Why are you trying to hurt him? He didn't do anything."

HE MAKES OSKER UNCUMFTABUL AND HE IS A BAD PERSUN.

"So you know Trent from before this?" Mer nodded. "How do you know him? He doesn't seem the type to care about merfolk and stuff."

Mer was going to type something out when he smelled blood and looked over at the guys. Oscar was holding his hands over his face as Trent and Jeff shoved each other behind him. Mer threw the other half of the crab down on the counter and walked over to Trent and Jeff.

*********************

Oscar, Trent, and Jeff had been whisper/yelling at each other when Jeff and Trent got into a fight and started pushing each other. Then it turned into shoving and Oscar tried to break it up but Trent accidentally elbowed Oscar in the nose, making Oscar start bleeding.

"Look what you did!" Jeff yelled.

"I didn't know he was back there-"

Jeff yelped as he moved out the way of Trent's body as he fell to the floor. Jeff looked at Mer, who was breathing heavily and had his fist balled up. Trent sat up from getting KO'd and turned around, looking at Mer.

"What the hell, man?"

Mer growled and grabbed him up from the floor, pulling him up to his height and staring him in the eyes. Trent suddenly seemed to go limp and Mer set him down, turning away from Trent. He motioned with his fingers over his shoulder and it looked like Trent was in trance, following after him. Jeff started to freak out, remembering the last time this happened.

Kyle was helping Oscar with a bag of ice and looked over at Jeff as he freaked out in the corner.

"What's your problem?"

"He's gonna kill him! He's gonna drown him!" he said in a squeaky voice, hyperventilating.

"Jeff, calm down." Oscar said behind the bag.

"How can you tell me to calm down when the last time he made Trent go into a trance like that, he almost killed him!"

Oscar stood up and headed outside, Kyle and Jeff in tow.

**********************

Mer was livid.

How dare someone lay a hand on Oscar and not only that, how dare Trent?!

After everything Oscar had gone through with this horrible human, he dared to come into Oscar's home and then attack him?

Mer stood at the edge of the ocean, glaring at Trent to keep him from running away. He took off his shoes and started to take off his pants when he felt someone slam into him. Mer looked down and saw Oscar holding onto to him.

"Don't!" Oscar yelled, pulling back to look up at his friend. "Mer, don't do this."

Mer untangled himself from his friend. He hurt you and made you bleed!

"It was an accident, Mer. He accidentally elbowed me in the nose, that's all. He didn't try to attack me in any way." Mer turned back to Trent, breathing heavily. Oscar put his hands on his shoulders. "Mer, leave it alone. Let him go."

Mer turned to Jeff and pointed at him. Make him take him away.

"What did he say?"

"He said you take him away."

"Is he... un-tranced?"

Mer set his jaw but glanced back at Trent, releasing his hold. Trent looked around in confusion and then locked eyes with Mer. He suddenly screamed, stepping back from them.

"It's you! That- that crazy fish that tried to drown me!"

Mer hissed and Trent yelled, running up the beach back to the house. Jeff didn't follow him, since he seemed to know his way off the beach, until Mer turned to him as well.

"Oh... me too?" Mer just continued staring. "Okay then... um... sorry we ruined the party, Oscar. Congrats though..."

He walked away dejectedly, seeming genuinely upset he had to leave.

Mer watched him go and then looked at Kyle. She lifted an eyebrow at him.

"I brought you crabs and I wasn't in the fight."

That was fair enough for Mer but Oscar turned to her.

"I think you should go too, Kyle. Thanks for coming over though. Maybe... maybe next time."

Kyle nodded, understanding, and walked back up the beach.

Mer looked at Oscar as he wiped his nose from the traces of blood that was there. He went to ask if he was alright but Oscar turned away, marching back to the beach house. Mer was confused and so he grabbed his shoes, running after him.

********************

Oscar put the food that no one even got to enjoy up as Mer walked into the kitchen. He put his shoes on the floor and slid into one of the bar stools. He made a noise to get Oscar's attention and he looked over at him.

You are angry.

"Yes."

Why?

"You embarrassed me in front of everyone!" he yelled, looking at Mer angrily. "You couldn't keep it cool for two seconds?"

He hurt you!

"He didn't mean to. Him and Jeff were about to fight and I was the one who got in the way. He didn't do it on purpose... You were even willing to take him out into the sea to kill him!"

Mer looked away as Oscar went back to putting the food up.

"The whole night was ruined and I'm sure everyone thinks you're a psychopath or demented or something. Can't you think about your surroundings for once?"

Mer didn't say anything nor sign anything. He just sat there, looking at his hands, confused and upset at the same time. Trent was a threat and threats need to be eliminated... right? Wasn't that how that worked?

Oscar put the last thing in the fridge and walked over, turning off the lights on Mer. Mer didn't move for a moment and then finally slid down from the bar stool and followed Oscar into the living room. Oscar was sitting on the couch and turned the TV on. Mer sat on the other end of the couch, sitting on the edge of it. After a few minutes of them not talking, Mer got up and went ahead and brushed his teeth. He debated going into Oscar's room but he didn't think he would be allowed in and so he went to the guest bedroom, laying on the bed.

******************

That night, Oscar woke up to the sound of screaming. He got up and rushed into Mer's room, finding him out of bed and in the corner of the room, sobbing and holding his hands over his head. Sheet lightning flashed the room and Oscar could see where it had rained just a little in between when he and Mer went to bed. Oscar knelt down in front of Mer and touched his hand.

"Mer, it's me." Mer didn't do anything and Oscar squeezed his hand a little. "Mer, you need to wake up now."

"No." Mer said.

"You're dreaming... Everything's fine..."

Oscar tried to get him to move his arms but Mer pulled them tighter.

"NO!" he screamed, curling in on himself even tighter and starting to shake. "No, no, no! NO!" he yelled frantically.

"Mer, it's me; it's Oscar."

"No Okker! NO OKKER! LIE!"

Oscar made a face at that statement. Oscar speculated what could have happened, but he told Mer he would allow him to come to him, so he didn't press that issue. He did wrap his arms around his friend and began to slowly rock him back and forth. Mer squirmed to get out his grip, suddenly sobbing and thrashing, but Oscar held firm this time. Mer opened his mouth and chomped on him again but this time Oscar did the same back. He knew he wasn't going to win against a merman, but something had to give.

Feeling the biting, Mer suddenly shrieked, throwing Oscar away from him and making him slam into the opposite wall. He was seeing stars, but Oscar didn't have a concussion. He was sore from the throw but he watched Mer in helplessness as the merman quickly dissolved into a heap again and laid in the fetal position, sobbing uncontrollably. Oscar tsked, looking at his forearm where Mer bit him. At least this time he could dress and doctor the wound and he still had some painkillers and medicine left from the last time. He sighed and stiffly stood up, wondering what he was going to do.

"P... pease..." Oscar whipped his head to Mer. "Let... me... go..."

The plea was so sad, so heart wrenching. The fact that Mer was even using his vocal chords at all made Oscar's blood boil. Someone had forced Mer to talk, he just knew it. It didn't make sense for someone who never spoke in their life to suddenly speak now without coaching or being forced.

"Okker?"

Oscar turned, seeing Mer's eyes open. He got back down on the floor as Mer watched him. Oscar reached out cautiously and moved some of Mer's disheveled hair out of his face.

"You were having nightmares again."

Mer looked around for a moment and then slowly sat up, immediately leaning into Oscar. Oscar wrapped his arms around him and put his head on his.

"I've got you, okay? You're not with that person anymore. Whoever that person was who hurt you isn't here anymore, okay? I'm here... You understand?" Mer nodded. "Did you get scared because I was upset?" Mer nodded.

Oscar pet his friend's head for a moment, thinking about the series of events. He stopped petting him and pulled away to look at him. Mer looked up at him with a forlorn expression, looking like he had been tossed to the sharks.

"You... you seem to have nightmares after we fight. Do you... do you think I'm going to leave you?" Mer didn't do anything for a moment and finally nodded. Oscar sighed. "What makes you think I would ever do that? I get angry and heated, but I would never throw you out or leave. What makes you think that I would?"

Mer was quiet for a moment and then looked at Oscar sadly.

If you had been here that summer, this wouldn't have happened. Oscar felt his heart drop to his feet as he stared at Mer in shock. You never came and so she took me... and then you didn't come again and again... You left me...

Oscar was whirling. He knew for a fact that Mer wasn't blaming him at all and yet... 'If you had been here that summer, this wouldn't have happened', 'you never came', 'you left me'... It was all Oscar could hear and all Oscar could do was feel the weight of his decisions. The thought of not being there...

"If I had known... I... I... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Mer just nodded and found a way to stand up, wobbling a bit. Oscar watched him from the floor as Mer headed to the bed.

"Do you blame me?" Mer looked at him. "You blame me for everything that happened to you with that person, don't you?"

Mer sat on the bed and he sighed. "Yes."

Oscar smiled sadly. "Oh..."

He got up and left the room, going back to his own room.