After revealing her true identity to Alex, Maya started hanging around a lot more. She'd drop in without Alex having to summon her with a conch shell. She'd even been receptive to his romantic advances, though she skirted the issue anytime Alex tried to make things 'official' between them.
After a month or two of her hanging around, Alex finally decided to bite the bullet and ask her if she'd just like to stay. Maya was hesitant. She explained that mermaids were nomads--they rarely stayed in one place for very long, preferring to migrate around the oceans. Still, she rather liked Alex and didn't seem like they were leaving anytime soon.
Maya agreed to move in with him for as long as the rest of her mermaid family hung around.
Having a girlfriend for a mermaid was definitely a boon to Alex's career. She swam so much faster than he did and knew where all the best treasures were hidden. He was really beginning to make a name for himself amongst the diving circle of Isla Paradiso. His phone rang constantly with job offers to seek out random things.
Alex was still quite capable of diving on his own, however. When Maya was busy with her 'mermaid stuff', Alex went on his long treks out into the ocean and into its depths. Sometimes, he'd go with a team. It was just safer that way. Any native of Isla Paradiso knew there were sharks everywhere in the waters.
Of course, Alex's growing popularity had its downsides. A local thief had gotten wind of all of the treasure Alex was accumulating and was quite intent on securing some for himself.
Unfortunately for the burglar, all that diving and swimming left Alex is peak physical condition. He kicked the burglar's butt and called the cops, who collected the hapless fool and took him off to jail. A burglar alarm was installed shortly after the incident.
Despite the burglary, things between Maya and Alex were going great. Long gone were her days of brushing off his flirtations or avoiding his attempts at making things official. It was almost as if a switch had flicked on in her head and suddenly, she was diving headfirst into everything.
It was definitely a nice change. Alex had no interest in pursuing anyone but Maya. She was perfect in his eyes.
Unfortunately, things weren't so cut and dry for Maya. Throwing herself into her life with Alex had left some gaps in her mermaid life. She'd grown lax with swimming with her family and they'd taken notice. She'd been called to meet with one of her brothers. She didn't tell Alex about it, she only told him she was going for a swim.
They were worried about her. They were concerned that she was getting too attached to this human and the double-life she was leading. He warned her that they would be leaving soon, off to another ocean. Maya was expected to come with them.
"I'm still a mermaid."
"Then act like it. Stop trying to be a human. Do you really want to lose your magic?"
"No," Maya said quickly, slightly frightened. "Never! Don't be stupid. I know what I'm doing."
Maya had wanted to tell Alex. She'd tried, but it fell dead on her lips. He was just too sweet, too completely enamored with her. Her mermaid family had always told her that humans were prejudiced against her kind and that it was best not to bother with them. Alex was different, though. She wished that they could see that.
Unfortunately, the more time she spent with Alex on land, the less she felt like a mermaid. It wasn't until she'd fallen sick that she realized how much things had changed. Was this the sickness her family had warned her about? She'd grown up listing to tales of mermaids who lost their magic by spending too much time with humans on land. The thought scared her beyond measure.
Alex, meanwhile, was ignorant to Maya's plight. His life was going great. He'd discovered some cool ruins off the coast of Isla Paradiso and had a team surveying it. It was guaranteed to be a big find.
One day, as Maya was heading to the ocean, a horrible wave of nausea overcame her. She was shocked when she threw up right there and then. Worried, Maya rushed home to the house boat. Was she really going to lose her magic?
Maya was shocked to learn that she wasn't losing her magic, she was pregnant. It was so completely unexpected. She didn't even know how to read the signs. Mermaids handled things quite differently than humans. It was frowned upon to fraternize with humans, but this? This was going to cause some even bigger issues.
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I left it up to Risky WooHoo to determine when generation three would make its appearance. ;) I'm hoping for a girl, but Maya wants a boy. Too bad, girly! Eat ALL the watermelon! Also, I'm not gonna lie. I love taking pictures underwater. It's worth also noting that these two IMMEDIATELY spun up 'Get Married' wishes... the specific ones, not the generic ones. So I may have to fulfill those before Maya has to go.
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