Behind the Glass (A Mermaid's Story)

Chapter Ten

The walls are too small, the sand feels like rock, the water pressing in on all sides. I'm so selfish! How could I do this?! Regret and guilt course through my veins and I cry harder and harder, my eyes blurring to a point where I can only see a slim palette of blues and greens. I spot Leo's figure standing above the surface, pacing back and forth distractedly like he is trying to decide something. Suddenly, I see him stop midstep, and he turns around quickly, rushing back to the exit of the aquarium.
Another piece of me shatters. He left. He just left. Out the door.
My lungs feel like they're closing, my tail won't work, and I'm sinking, sinking to the rocky bottom. The surface fades, light becoming a pin point that shrinks and shrinks until I'm shrouded in darkness.
***
I wake up in a cold tub. The water is completely freezing, piercing my skin until I shiver and can hear my own teeth chattering. A bright light from above cuts into my vision as I slowly open my eyes. As I lift my hand to rub them, a daunting fact overcomes me. I can't lift my arm. Panicking, I try to lift the other, but it stays in place. I widen my eyes, trying to see my arms, but my head won't lift. It's like I've been glued to the tub, like I'm a statue that won't move.
A head appears above me. It is a woman, with glasses and a white lab coat on. She holds a clipboard in one hand, with wires in the other, and I see her beckon over someone else. At this point, my heart is beating a million times a minute, and I start to shout, only to realize that no noise will come out. They begin to stick the wires on top of my arms and stomach, taping them down as they go. When they are finally done, they move away and I hear loud typing on a computer. But it's the last thing I hear that truly makes me panic: "Test Two begins now."