Belonging

Mercy crossed her legs Indian style as she stared up through the waves that covered her head. "I can't believe this!" she snapped.

      It was pouring dirt, and she positively hated dirt. Well, at least the waves kept most of it away. That was a good thing.

     Jezron, her brother, watched her through half-closed lids as he reclined on his bedrock.

     "All you do is sleep," she growled irritably.

     "All you is complain," he retorted, folding his four legs in a similar fashion to Mercy as he sat up, and focused his three deep red ones on her two brown ones. "I don't know why. You should be happy, leaving beneath the safety of the water, instead of upon that cursed land. You're strange enough as it is, with only two eyes, and such a horrid color, the color of earth itself! And you only have to legs, and two arms, and one mouth, and..."

     Mercy sighed and turned away. She'd been hearing it all her life. She simply didn't fit in here, not that that was her fault but...

     Mercy tucked her earth-colored hair behind her ears and glared Jezron. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about biting one of my seventy tongues!"

      Jezron puffed out his chest. "The more tongues you have, the more respected you are. And I have seventy, a mark of honor! So there!"

     Mercy sighed. "You know what? I am done with this!"

     She shoved off from the sandy bottom, shooting up through the waters. The dirt had stopped raining down, and she pulled herself out onto the solid, firm earth, and took the very first breath of air she'd ever taken in with those forgotten organs called lungs.

    She was all alone in this strange place, with just the earth and sky. And she found she rather liked it here. It was like she actually...belonged.