The Switch

Chapter Three | The Coral Reef

The next morning, I woke with the sun's first rays that filtered through the window above my kelp bed. I hadn't been able to sleep much, dreaming of mermaids with chains around their neck and eyes that were completely black. I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face and staring up at the cracked ceiling. Rachel was still sound asleep on the other side of the room, bubbles floating slowly out of her nose as she exhaled. Quietly, I got out of bed, and went in search of something to eat down in the kitchen.

The Gloriana was eerily silent as I swam through, as everyone liked to sleep in the morning before the Switch. We would be up late into the night, dancing and talking to boys, so we liked to get our rest the night before. The only creature to greet me was a curious dolphin, who weaved through the wreckage with me. I smiled and pet its head, and it let out a happy click in response.

I swam down some broken steps into the kitchen below the deck. The metal bar that had served as a chopping block was long rusted beyond recognition. Various pots and pans were scattered across the floor, black with algae. I made my way over to the cabinets that were miraculously still standing, and creaked one open. I sighed as I found there was very little food left. A few shrimp sat in a hollowed out shell with a makeshift lid to keep out the other sea critters.

I took the shell with the shrimp and a few of the clams we had picked yesterday and made my way to the bow of the ship. I perched on the long piece of wood sticking out of the front, and let my tail hand lazily off of the side as I munched on my snacks. I looked down and could see the top of the figurehead, which used to be a beautiful bronze, but was now more of a green color. Ironically, the statue was a mermaid, her arms held above her head so it looked like she was supporting the ship. Maybe that was another reason that Lydia had chosen this place to be our home: it announced to the other sea creatures that mermaids lived here.

I gazed out at the dark water, watching the light filter through the waves. All of a sudden, someone put their hand on my shoulder and I nearly dropped all the shrimp in the shell. I whipped my head around to see Rachel settling herself behind me.

I put my hand to my chest and let out a breath. "Poseidon's tail, Rachel, you scared the shit out of me."

She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I heard you get up this morning and wanted to see what you were up to."

I offered her a clam, and she cracked it against a metal piece of the hull until it broke. She pried it open and peeled the meat out, popping it in her mouth. "No pearl," she said while she chewed. "Bummer." She tossed the shell down into the canyon below, and I heard it clink against the metal as it hit the figurehead on the way down.

We were silent for a while, just looking out at the watery depths, watching the seaweed flutter with the movement of the tides. I thought about this upcoming week that we would spend on land, and a sudden wave of sadness washed over me. While there was a great deal of joy and excitement that came with our time on land, it was also difficult. I didn't know if my family still lived in the area, and had stopped myself on more than one occasion from seeking them out. I couldn't let them know what I had become and risk the safety of the clan. It was better if they thought me dead.

Rachel studied my face, and I saw her forehead crease with worry out of the corner of my eye. She nudged me with her elbow.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "You look like you just saw a shark."

I sighed and set down the clams I was holding. My appetite was suddenly gone. "Yeah," I replied, shrugging. I was silent for a few moments, and Rachel was quiet too, giving me some space to talk if I wanted to.

"It just seems unfair, doesn't it?" I said absently. "People up there get to go on with normal lives, while we are down here, floating in the ocean forever."