Mermaids in Miami
Copyright© 2026 by Rachael Jane
Chapter 14: The Great Escape
The water park feels different at night. Quieter. Colder. The lights hum softly, casting long shadows across the empty walkways. The air smells of salt and seaweed, and something else ... fear.
Naida stands barefoot beside the aquarium, heart pounding. Brian is beside her, checking the hallway for security guards. He’s pale with nerves, but determined.
“This is our only chance,” he whispers.
Naida understands the urgency. She nods.
Inside the tank, Nerissa clutches Nerida tightly. The baby’s tail flicks anxiously, sensing the tension in the water.
‘Naida,’ Nerissa whispers, ‘are you sure about this?’
Naida presses her hand to the glass. ‘We can’t let them take you. We can’t let them take Nerida.’
Nerissa swallows hard. ‘I’m scared.’
‘I am too,’ Naida admits. ‘But we’re doing this together.’
Brian returns with a set of keys. He unlocks the maintenance gate beside the tank. It’s a narrow metal door that leads to the filtration system and, beyond that, the outdoor loading bay.
He gestures urgently. “Go. Now.”
Naida dives into the water, her body relaxing instantly. Nerida squeals with relief and swims into her arms. Nerissa follows, tail flicking nervously.
Brian opens the underwater maintenance hatch. Nerissa and Nerida squeeze into the hatch. The hatch works like an airlock. As soon as the door behind them closes, the water is drained, leaving Nerissa and Nerida breathing air. Naida has rejoined Brian via the overhead walkway. She takes Nerida and deposits her into the tank resting on the back of a flat-bed truck. It’s the same tank that Naida and Nerissa travelled in from the fish market.
Carrying Nerissa through the corridor to the waiting truck requires both Naida and Brian’s strength. But they manage it. Nerissa joins Nerida in the tank while Brian and Naida sit in the cab.
Nerissa gasps. ‘The ocean ... I can smell it.’
Naida’s heart leaps. ‘We’re close.’
Brian drives the truck to a quiet cove, and reverses the truck as close as possible to the shoreline.
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