Swimming With The Current (Wattys2015)

Chapter 9

     I gasp, and even though I knew I was going to be a mermaid, it's still pretty surprising. To have a tail instead of legs, it's so strange! Just like a dream.

I kick my tail, boosting me up to the ceiling and making some bubbles, then I kick it again, bumping my head into the hard ceiling.

"Ouch!" I suddenly react, reaching up to cover my head with my hands because of my reflexes, but that never seems to help either way. I look down at myself and just sit myself down against the wall, which somehow hasn't grown algae or moss on it. I just breathe. Water, I mean. I breathe water.

I take it all in. A mermaid. I'm a mermaid. A mermaid with a tail who is immortal, can breathe underwater, and I think when I turn back to my land form my toes will be webbed. Then, when I feel a little bit better and get rid of all the nauseousness, or at least enough so I don't feel like throwing up, I swim back through the cave and to where Colette is waiting.

"So?" She asks.

"It was pretty cool. At first." I shrug. "I mean, it felt pretty nice, but then it just hurt like crazy."

"I know." Colette nods sympathetically. "I can't even remember my birthday half the time and yet for me, the memories of my transformation into a mermaid are crystal blue."

"Do you mean crystal clear?" I ask.

"Yes, but it sounds more mermaid." She says. "Oh, and just to warn you, the side effects of this for a few days will be pretty bad."

"Bad?" I ask.

"Yeah. You might turn spontaneously when you get just a drop of saltwater on you, when to turn you need to be submerged in water at least to your thighs. There might be a lot of throwing up and fainting; tiredness, mood swings, and those are only my symptoms. You might get some new ones or none. I don't know everything about being a mermaid and I've been one for . . ." Colette counts on her fingers. "Actually, I don't remember. Come on, let's get you back to your house."

Colette helps me to swim to my house, then I say goodbye, crawl up onto the shore, and get my first taste of turning from a mermaid to a human. It's really weird. I have my shorts on, but they aren't dry, instead, waterlogged and holey and smelling like fish. I get up, and then try to take a step, but I trip over onto the sand. Great, now I can't walk. I crawl up to the screen door on the porch, grip the doorknob, and stand myself up, then open it weakly, water dripping off my hair. All the lights are off, so I guess Shayna and Andrew already went to bed, so not wanting to disturb them, I wipe my bare feet on the doormat (I lost my flip flops) and that really hurts, then I try not to trip on the slippery kitchen floor. I walk to my room, kick off my shorts and sweatshirt, and sleep in my underwear and t-shirt because of how hot it is and I can't be bothered now to find my pajamas. Oh, yeah, and I'm too tired.

The next morning, I wake up and then after lying down tiredly with my eyes barely open for a few minutes, I suddenly sit up and run to the bathroom, feeling sick. I push Shayna as she's brushing her teeth as I try to get to the toilet, flip the lid up, wait a moment, and then I start throwing up, trying not to sniff the rank of the vomit. Shayna puts down her toothbrush and rubs my back as I throw up, and after wiping my mouth with toilet paper, I collapse against the bathtub, trying to catch my breath and not cry. I've become sick before, but not in a while. Last time I think I was nine when I touched someone's lizard and got samonella or got food poisoning from eating some undercooked meat.

"Oh, are you okay?" Shayna rubs my back. "When you feel like standing up, just tell me and I'll help you. It's Andrew's day off, so he can take care of you."

"Thanks." I say shakily, my breathing slowing to a regular rate. I stretch out my feet, and then I tell Shayna I'm reeady to stand up, so she helps me to bed. She helps me get in, tucks me in, and kisses my forehead.

"You must have the flu or something. Don't worry, it'll probably go away soon. Just get some rest." Shayna says, then walks out. "Bye, hope you feel better."

After a few hours of napping, Andrew comes in.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" He asks. I nod, then all of a sudden I sit up and grab my glass of water on the side of the bed and dump it on my head. Then, I try to put it back on my bedside table, but I put it down too hard and it breaks.

"Why did you do that?" Andrew groans, then walks to the bathroom and grabs a towel to dry me and the bedsheets off.

"Can I have more water?" I ask in a hoarse voice.

"Are you not going to throw up?" He asks.

"Just get me some water, Andrew." I say tiredly, lying back down. He gets up, grabs another glass, fills it with water, and hands it to me. I chug it down as he picks up the shattered glass.

"Don't drink that too fast! You'll throw up again!" He moans.

"It doesn't have enough salt, anyway." I shrug, putting it back down.

"Why would it need salt? You can die from drinking salt water." Andrew says. "Olivia, what is really going on?"

I hesitate, then I start to say it. "Well, um, you know that family secret thing? About the gift I should apparently never accept?"

Andrew picks up the bag of broken glass. "Oh, Olivia, you accepted it, didn't you?"

I say nothing.

Andrew just sighs, and nods. "So, you're a mermaid now."

I say nothing again.

"Just answer me."

"Yes." I whisper. "Yes, I'm a mermaid, and yes, I accepted the gift."

Andrew walks out of the room.

"While you're up, can you get me a cup full of saltwater?" I call.