Sara was brooding over her failure to capture the soul of the Abalone Prince when she saw an Elemental swimming in the sea. This Elemental was only a half-merman, but she knew who he was.
Sara thought: "This'll be easy."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51690364746_62a1d411af_b.jpgSara approached the merboy before he joined the crowd on the Ohan'Ali Surf Bar Dance Floor. "So, how long have you been a merman?"
Juniper looked at her suspiciously: "That's a strange thing to ask?"
Sara: "Don't worry. I'm a mermaid, so you don't have to worry about keeping any secrets."
Juniper hesitated and then answered her question: "I wasn't always a merman. I ate mermadic kelp after my plant-like form faded. I'm an Earth Elemental, so the sea isn't really my element."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51690628163_0c96239a8f_b.jpgSara thought: "This couldn't be easier."
Sara: "Well, I'm a big fan of your brother, Dylan, and I was wondering if you could give him a gift for me. I'm a nobody, and he's a rising star."
Juniper: "I'd be happy to pass on a gift to him."
Sara: "Now, it isn't much, but I know how merfolk form a stronger connection with the sea when they eat mermadic kelp. So, I found some that I wanted to give him. Trust me, he'll love the gift."
Juniper: "He'll be meeting me here. I'll be sure to give it to him."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51689569107_ce895d356e_b.jpgWhen Dylan arrived, Juniper approached his older brother and gave him the gift.
Juniper: "A big fan of your music approached me and gave me this to give you. It's mermadic kelp, and she said that, if you ate it, the kelp would strengthen your connection to the sea."
Dylan: "That's very nice of her, but I'm the Elemental of the Sea. How much stronger could my connection to the sea get?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691254115_7ee234fe3d_b.jpgWhen Juniper left, Dylan thought about whether or not he should eat the mermadic kelp. He knew that two mermadic kelps would sever his connection to the sea and render him mortal, but he also knew that one kelp would heighten his senses. Eventually his curiosity got the better of him.
Dylan thought: "Could I have a stronger connection to the sea if I eat this?"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691041229_8f4c0efca2_b.jpgAs the sun set, Dylan went to back float in the sea. He could feel something change, and the change was still washing over him. When he entered the sea, he was shocked by the change to his appearance. It was like a sickly oil spill stained his skin, hair, and tail.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691254355_a81d41a932_z.jpgDylan rushed out of the water and went to the one person he trusted the most, his twin brother. The two were inseparable, and if anyone knew what was happening, it would be his genius twin brother.
Dylan: "I'm so glad you are here."
Zeph: "Right back at you."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691254320_24375409fb_b.jpgDylan: "Zeph, I need to show you something."
Zeph: "Sure."
Dylan: "We'll have to go into the water. Follow me."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691254095_4d85242da4_b.jpgZeph: "I'm going to be honest. I've read a lot of books and studied a lot of stories. However, I've never seen something like this. And you said this happened after eating mermadic kelp? Mermadic kelp doesn't normally change our appearance."
Dylan: "Juniper told me that a Fan gave it to him. She said it would strengthen my connection to the sea."
Zeph: "Maybe it did."
Dylan: "What do you mean?"
Zeph: "Well, the ocean around Mua Pel'Am is polluted and sick. Maybe it changed your appearance because you are the Elemental of the Sea."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51690364541_6c43acb2f4_b.jpgThe next day, the changes happening to Dylan came to an end. He started to crave plasma like a vampire, and the sun burned his skin. He started to understand what his younger sister had to endure. The twins sat at the pool and confronted their younger brother.
Dylan: "So, who exactly gave you that mermadic kelp?"
Juniper: "I'm not exactly sure what her name was, but she was a mermaid. I thought I could trust her. What happened to you?
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691254265_bf419d917f_c.jpgDylan: "The kelp worked, but it had some side effects. Now, I crave plasma like a vampire, and the sun burns my skin. It's like I'm cursed or something."
Zeph: "To be fair, I think you are cursed. I just don't know who would do that."
Juniper: "I'm really sorry. Maybe that fan didn't have your best interests at heart. I'm really sorry."
Dylan: "Let's just get out of here before dad sees. We can talk where this whole mess started."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51691254255_9ba179c395_c.jpgThe sun set the next day, and the twins sat down to talk to their brother.
Juniper: "Are you sure we shouldn't get dad involved. He might know what's happening."
Dylan: "I really wouldn't want him to know yet. He'd flip out if he knew."
Zeph: "Right, he'd be like, I thought I taught you to be more responsible, or something along those lines. Juniper, you do not want to be lectured by him, trust us."
Juniper: "What will we do then?"
Dylan: "I'll stay indoors and out of sight for now. Honestly, I can't even enjoy the sun without getting burned to death. I know we'll figure this out."
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51690364596_4fb66227e4_c.jpg
