Mermaid

Chapter 49

"I'm going back to Okinawa." Erika proclaimed everyone in the room as she stared at the now blank TV.

"What?" Alison gasped. "You can't! You know that Adrian is doing this to trap you!"

"I know."

"Then why?"

"Because I don't want any more death on my hands, I nearly lost Sherrie because of that wave. I can't lose anyone else that I care about. I can't keep running away from this anymore."

"How'd you intend to get there though?" Nathan asked. "Do you know how long it's going to take you to get to Okinawa by plane?"

She looked to Nathan. "I never said I was going by plane."

Everyone looked at her, wondering how she was going to travel to Okinawa Japan without the use of a plane, for there wasn't anything faster in this generation then a plane. Erika walked outside, followed closely by Alison, her grandparents and Nathan; she walked to the pond and pointed at it. "This is how I'll be getting there."

"The pond?" Nathan looked confused. "How the hell is that going to get you to Okinawa?"

"My mother taught me something back while I was in Japan; a little bit before Alison and I were to leave I was suddenly grabbed by this hand that emerged from a puddle of water, before I knew what happened I woke up in a cave. And my mother was there waiting for me. After some time she told me something about what we were, what we could do, and how to do some of those things. We mermaids can control the tides of the seas, travel and appear in any forms of water, be it a lake, a river, ocean or something as small as a pond."

"So you're saying you can use this ability to travel through water, any kind of water like a puddle?"

"Sometimes, it has to be an area that a connection of water resides if not then it won't work. I did it twice, once when leaving my mother to get back in Okinawa, and again... when I took Sherrie to the hospital."

The silence grew as the wind blew through the trees, when Erika felt something grasp her hand she turned to see Alison looking at her with determination. "I'm coming with you."

Erika just stared at her with shock, part of her didn't want her friend to come with, in fear that she may just end up like Sherrie or worse, die because Erika couldn't protect her.

"Alison... why would you... why would you want to do that?"

"Because I'm your friend, and I am not letting you go alone, if Sherrie were here she'd say the same thing."

"But... it's my fault, what happened to Sherrie was because of me."

"Erika if time were to repeat itself, I know damn well that Sherrie would do it again, and again, and as many times if it meant keeping you safe. Because we know you'd do the same for us if the roles were reversed."

Erika looked down at her hand, Alison was gripping it so tightly that Erika could almost feel the bones in her hand bend, she had no intention of letting Erika go alone that was clear.

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice cracking. "Are you really sure you want to go through with this? Coming with me, because you know, during this I might just die, and so will you if you come."

"Don't try to work your way out of me coming, because no matter what you say I'm still coming. Death is certain, no matter where you go; it's all just a perspective of where and when it'll happen."

"Is that supposed to be comforting, because I don't think it's helping."

"Erika we all die at some point, and I'd rather die knowing that I was there cheering you on, then die knowing that I did nothing to help."